English 2: Sophomore EnglishCourse Syllabus - 2019-2020

MS. CONNOLLY – tara.connolly@new-haven.k12.ct.us TEACHER PAGE: www.esumsnh.net PREP PERIODS: 1, 5 and 7 (by appointment)

Course Overview/Goals:Welcome to Sophomore English! Throughout this course, you will practice close reading and process writing in order to develop skills in writing effective analyses and arguments, as well as reflective narratives. You will read and respond to a broad and challenging range of American and World Literature, fiction and non-fiction, in order to deepen your awareness of the structures of writing. In addition, you will gain strategies for improving your vocabulary and discourse, including public speaking.

Reading and writing activities in this course are intended to deepen knowledge and control of formal conventions of written language (e.g., vocabulary, diction, syntax, spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, genre).

-Taken from the ESUMS Course Catalog

Throughout this course, we will be examining the following Essential Questions:

Why do we read literature? What makes an effective reader? What is the relationship between literature and culture? How does literature offer social and political commentary? How can I use the writing process to sharpen my critical stance and

improve my method of argumentation? How do I enrich and enhance my personal and academic writing? How does an epic hero compare/contrast to the tragic hero?

How do I use textual evidence in order to support an argument?

Course Essentials:

Course Requirements/Exams: Collegiate Level conduct, thought, and work is expected at all times. ALL students are required to take the midterm exam in January. FINAL EXAM will be submitted in the form of a reflective portfolio. Honors curriculum expands depth, breadth and coverage of material.

Reading/Writing Requirements: Independent Work/Homework – your independent work is an extension of class time

and a vital part of learning. If you do not complete homework, there is a strong possibility you will fail this class

During-Reading Reactions – requirements for reading demand approximately 5 hours of reading per week. All reading will be paired with some type of during-reading activity, which is required for your own thinking about your reading, for in-class discussion, and for writing. Please make this work a priority.

Discussion and Writing Workshops: As this is NOT a lecture course, it, instead, aims to sharpen your critical reading, thinking, discussion, and writing. Your contributions to literature interpretation, graded discussion, oral presentation, and composition workshops are crucial. Work completed and credit earned during these exercises CANNOT BE MADE UP, so please be here!

Approximately 20 Pages of Process Writing will be completed. Pre-writing, drafts, and workshop evaluations must accompany ALL final essays. Final essays should reflect significant revision and substantial effort from initial writing. Your final essay grades will be a direct reflection of your involvement in and commitment to the writing process. Your Final Drafts will be graded ONLY if they are accompanied by a Draft Packet and Turnitin.com report.

MLA Guidelines – All written work and final essays must adhere to MLA rules, from paper headings, to margins, to font, to page numbering, to source documentation. It is YOUR responsibility to familiarize yourself with all necessary MLA rules for academic writing in English. I will provide you with the MLA handbook and online resources.

Grading Criteria/Weights: Classwork/Participation 15%Homework* 20%Process Papers 35%Projects/Tests 20%Quizzes 10%

*Homework is given daily as either reinforcement of a skill or concept or as preparation for the following day’s lesson. Missed homework assignments, therefore, can likewise affect your class participation average.

Powerschool: Grades are accessible to students and parents through their designated Powerschool portals, which can be found on our district website. Inputting and updating grades in the Powerschool gradebook can take up to one week. Please note that although these access portals are very useful tools for students and parents alike, they can sometimes provide an inaccurate picture of a student’s true class performance, depending on the number of assignments being factored into each category percentage.

Homework/Deadline Policy: Homework is given daily, checked, and graded. It is an essential part of reinforcing the work done in class, preparing for the lesson ahead, and maintaining the pace of the course. Be sure to keep up with assignments and budget your time wisely. Save and print your work often…NO COMPUTER EXCUSES. Remember, late work WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

Attendance/Absent Work: When you are absent, you are expected to to make up the work that you missed. As such, be sure to exchange phone #s and emails with your classmates, and check the class page often. Quizzes and tests must be made up within 3 days of the recorded absence. Students are responsible for retrieving, completing, and submitting their missed work on or before the extension deadline*. Please note, if you are out of class but not absent from school, you are responsible for the work you missed that day.

*Predetermined deadlines for papers and projects are absolute and are not given extensions for absence unless pre-arranged by the teacher and student. Therefore, if a process paper or project is due on a given day, it is due without exception, whether you are in school or not.

If you plan to be out on the day of a deadline, you should:

1. Be sure you have submitted your paper through Turnitin.com , if required to do so, before the time lockout.2. If Turnitin.com submission isn’t required, email me a copy of your paper before 2:10pm of the school day and plan to bring me the hard copy upon your return to school. Or…3. Send in your paper or project with someone else and have them drop off to me or the main office.4. Check our class page to see what you missed or check with a classmate.5. Upon return to class, schedule any makeup quizzes/tests, submit any hard copy you owe to me.

Honesty & Academic Integrity: Cheating, plagiarism, or falsification of any kind will not be tolerated.Students are cheating if they:

Copy or allow to be copied any assignment by any method Use any unauthorized aid on quizzes, tests, or exams Steal, possess or view a copy of a test beforehand Give or receive help on a test Take someone else’s work and submit it or any portion of it as theirs Scan, alter or forge any school document Plagiarize, i.e. submit material written or designed by another without giving the

author/creator credit or identifying the source; or submit work created by family, friends or tutors.

Class Supplies

Class Binder – 3-ring binder, at least 2” wide, devoted solely to English

Journal – a separate notebook or composition book

For Reading and Writing Workshops – -different colored pens/pencils -highlighters -post-its, flags, or books you can write in

For Finalizing Essays – -memory stick / flash drive for SAVING and saving

OFTEN -stapler/staples

-On a due date, come to class prepared with your process packet ready and assembled. DO NOT ask if you may go print…

ASSEMBLY REQUIREMENTS FOR FINAL ESSAYS/PROJECTS_____________________________________________________

Assemble your papers in the following order:

“The art of writing is rewriting…”-Ernest Hemingway

1. Final Draft with Works Cited (on top)

2. Turnitin.com Report (staple behind the Final Draft)

3. Process Packet (in chronological order, assemble ALL pre-writing, drafts, peer-evaluations, self-evaluations)

4. Essay Assignment Sheet (if applicable)

5. Essay Rubric (on back)

Units of Study

Course Introduction:

Syllabus Overview – norms, expectations, procedures, habits of mind, 4-corners Goal Setting Summer Reading – Kindred discussion and assessment Essential Questions: Why do we read literature?

What makes an effective reader?

Unit 1: Approaching the Text

Major Concepts Hx Context: Renaissance History and Literature Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy - Structure and Elements Theatrical Devices and Terminology Literary Elements Overview Literary and Poetic Devices Active and Close Reading Strategies

Readings: The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare Adventures in English Literature (1985) – Selected Readings 16th Century Poetry – Wyatt, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare

Writing Assignments: Literary Analysis* Passage Analysis Cultural Manifestation Project

Unit 2: Social Injustice

Major Concepts Hx Context: The Great Depression Literary Elements Review Rhetorical Patterns of Writing Overview Active Reading Strategies/Note-Taking Strategies Social Commentary

Readings: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee The Riverside Reader (2004), Trimmer

Writing Assignments: Argument Essay* Visual Argument Essay* Prompt Responses

Symbolism Project

Unit 3: The Self and Nature

Major Concepts Hx Context – Contemporary American, American Multi-culturalism Literary Elements Description Writing Narrative Elements

Readings: The House on Mango Street (1984), Cisneros

Writing Assignments: Rhetorical Analysis Journaling – Prompt Responses Description Writing Personal Narrative*

Unit 4: Individual and Society

Major Concepts Hx Context – various Short Story Elements Grammar Team Teaching Self Reflection

Readings: Short Stories – Poe, Hawthorne, O’Connor, Cisneros, Updike, Kincaid, Hughes, Baldwin, Packer The Riverside Reader (2004) - Trimmer

Writing Assignments: Comparative Analysis Essay* Final Portfolio (*see Final Portfolio packet)

*Note: Reading selections subject to change

CORE VALUES and EXPECTATIONS:

Through your participation in this course, you will cultivate and demonstrate:

Passion for and Curiosity about the World around You.

Organizational and Time-Management Skills.

A Sense of Ownership and Purpose.A Commitment to Quality and Integrity.A Commitment to Civic Responsibility.An Embracing of Mistakes as Part of a

Growth Mindset.An Ability to Collaborate and Communicate

Effectively.Understanding and Command of Media

Literacy.Self-Motivation.Self-Advocacy and Resourcefulness.

*Please detach and sign this form and return to me.

Student/Parent Acknowledgement

By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read the Sophomore English Course Syllabus and understand the terms and expectations of the class as outlined ESUMS.

Student Name: __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________ ___________ Student Signature Date

___________________________________________________________________ ___________ Parent/Guardian Signature Date