NETTLETON HIGH SCHOOL

MRS. DANA GIBSON

SENIOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION

NHS 870-910-7805 ext. 229   mrs.gibsonenglish@gmail.com

SENIOR ENGLISH SYLLABUS

COURSE GUIDELINES & EXPECTATIONS

Welcome to Senior English – British Literature & Composition!

This is it!  Your last year of high school!  You have made it so far! I promise to make this a valuable and relevant year, providing you with proficiency that can stay with you the rest of your life.  I look forward to an enjoyable and exciting year … and I guarantee to provide you with many valuable lessons, in both the English language as well as life.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The main goal of this class is to promote individualized instruction and learning, allowing the student to assume the responsibility for his or her education.  With this goal in mind, students will:

Ø  Study and gain knowledge of the major British literary movements throughout history, including: Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Restoration, Romantic, Victorian, Modern, and Post-Modern

Ø  Independently analyze, interpret, and evaluate the literature they encounter by reading texts carefully, directing particular attention to details that contribute to coherent group and whole class discussions

Ø  Respond personally and reflectively to a range of ideas, developing good skills of literary comprehension and discussion

Ø  Apply reading, writing, speaking, listening, and study skills to all assignments and discussions

Ø  Strengthen skills in composition through conventional skills such as spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure within various types of texts

Ø  Practice the writing process, focusing specifically on the Narrative Essay, Autobiographical Essay, Persuasive Essay, Workplace Writing, Expository Essay, Instructional Essay, and College/Work Applications

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS:

The environment and atmosphere of this class is entirely dependent upon the people who are in it. You are nearly adults, if not already, and will be treated as such. Because of this, there are some basic issues dealing with respect and responsibility upon which we will all focus.  With this in mind, students are expected to:

Ø  Attend class every day, barring illness or emergency

Ø  Come to class prepared, which consists of having the correct materials and assigned work, including homework and out-of-class writing and readings

Ø  Abide by all rules within the classroom

Ø  Participate in daily assignments, out of class reading and writing, small group discussions, class discussions, cooperative learning activities, journal writing, in-class writing workshops, independent and group projects

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION:

Ø  Online Grade Book

All grades are posted in SchoolCenter, which will show due dates with detailed requirements for assignments; information pertaining to grading criteria; and daily attendance. This is a great source for students who may have been absent from class. To request your individual SchoolCenter username and password, please see the front office.

Ø  Web Site   http://nettleton.ar.schoolwebpages.com

I have created an English website specifically for my classes that contains many resources for students and parents. You will find items such as my syllabus, links to important and useful websites, blogs, and much more. I will also include post of all handouts and assignments. If a student is absent, he/she is responsible for obtaining their own copies of the information from the classroom, the website, or another student.

Ø  Electronic Submission of Assignments

If printing becomes an issue, feel free to email an assignment to me in a Word document as an attached file. Once submitted and received by me, students will in turn receive the following message: “Your *assignment title* has been received. Thank You! Mrs. Gibson”.  Should you not receive an email receipt from me within 24 hours, you must assume that I did not receive the email. Therefore, “I emailed it to you last week”, is not a valid reason for late and/or missing work.

Ø  Email   mrs.gibsonenglish@gmail.com

I strongly encourage students to email me with questions. You can email me until 9 o’clock at night and will typically receive a response from me on that evening. Often, if students are struggling with an assignment and want some extra help, the time they take to think through writing the email and presenting their question(s) in a logical sequence often helps them answer their own questions. However, I will not respond to an email that is unprofessional. In other words, an email must have a greeting, complete sentences and paragraphs, accurate punctuation and spelling, and signed with first and last name including the class period. Diction, punctuation, and sentence structure are also paramount because they create the tone of the email. This email policy and format is extremely important because email has become one of the primary sources of communication in business, school, college, personal life, and almost every other realm of modern life across the globe. This is another way of reinforcing the writing practice done in class and adds some real-life emphasis on the importance of written language.

MATERIALS:

Students must have the following materials with them each day they come to class:

Ø  Loose-leaf notebook paper for in-class assignments

Ø  1 3-Ring Binder (1 – 1 ½ “) for all handouts and assignments (Binders will be graded.)

Ø  Copy of current reading and/or composition book

Ø  Journal (a section in your Binder will suffice)

Ø  Pens and/or pencils

Ø  Highlighters

 CLASS FORMAT:

Ø  Assignments/Class Work

Assignments will consists of all daily class work and homework to build skills that will help students succeed on formal assessments. This will also include your English Binder grade.  You are required to save and keep all assignments and graded work in your English Binder in case there is a dispute over a score or grade; if you have no evidence your grade cannot be changed.

Ø  All assignments should be written on loose-leaf notebook paper in legible handwriting, typed, or emailed. 

Ø  Out-of-class essays and all final drafts must be typed, double-spaced, and properly formatted, following MLA guidelines.

Ø  All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the designated due date, unless otherwise stated.

Ø  Late assignments will not be accepted for any reason other than an absence from school.  The assignment must be submitted the day the student returns.  It is important that students always complete their assignments and turn them in on time.

Ø  Essays

The writing process will focus specifically on the following:  Narrative Essay, Autobiographical Essay, Persuasive Essay, Workplace Writing, Expository Essay, Instructional Essay, and College/Work Applications

Ø  Quizzes/Tests

Quizzes and tests will be given each quarter based on assigned readings and units of study and will focus on close readings of passages, as well as informal assessments of readings.

Ø  Journals

Journal entries will be written primarily as demonstrations of insight into class readings and activities.

Ø  Participation/Attendance

Class participation will be an important aspect to our daily schedule, and it is important that you stay on top of reading assignments. In this course, you are expected to be an active participant, as well as an active listener. Your attendance and ability to work well with your peers on assignments is imperative to your success in this class. Assessment is done primarily though essays/writing. Some quizzes, tests, and daily assignments will be given, but above all, students are expected to be active participants in discussions. Lack of attendance for any of these activities, whether excused or unexcused, will affect a student’s overall participation percentage. Due to the set-up and structure of the class, it is imperative that students attend class everyday. 

Ø  Attendance and participation are required.  Nettleton School District has an attendance policy that limits the number of days students are allowed to be absent from school.  As with anything in life, classroom instruction, questions and answers, cooperative learning, etc. can never be duplicated; therefore, it is to the students’ advantage to be in class and on time everyday.

Ø  It is the students’ responsibility to ask for make-up work for absences when they occur.  Students need to ask for the work they missed at the beginning of class. 

Ø  Daily participation is assessed and averaged into the students’ final grade.  Whether the student retains these points is the choice of each student.  Infractions for tardiness, disruptive and/or inappropriate behavior, disrespectful behavior, etc. will affect these points.  If a student is absent, there is no opportunity to earn these participation points.  Therefore, it is to the students’ advantage to come to class ready to participate every day.

§  Assignments/Class Work: 25%

§  Essays:  25%

§  Quizzes/Tests: 20%

§  Journals:  10%

§  Participation/Attendance: 20%

GRADING:

Every student is capable of doing well in this class. That does not mean, however, that this class will be easy. If students continue to challenge themselves all year, they will find growth in reading, speaking, and writing abilities. Remember that a good attitude is more important than aptitude. As long as YOU are working to the best of your abilities, YOU will do well. The English language is extremely subjective, so the majority of assignments are graded using rubrics, or scoring guides, that are developed in response to the nature of the assignment.

The following will be used to determine grades:

A+= 98-100%

A = 93-97%

A- = 90-92%

B+= 88-89%

B = 83-87%

B- = 80-82%

C+= 78-79%

C = 73-77%

C- = 70-72%

D+= 68-69%

D  = 63-67%

D- = 60-62%

F = 59% & less 

ACADEMIC HONESTY & INTEGRITY:

The goal of Nettleton Schools is to establish a challenging learning environment and to produce life-long learners.  Therefore, all work submitted by a student is expected to be the result of that student’s ideas and efforts; when the work is not, the student has engaged in academic dishonesty. 

Ø  All students are expected to complete assignments independently, unless otherwise specified by the teacher. 

Cheating, including plagiarism, on ANY assignment, is automatically assigned a failing grade of zero for the offending piece or pieces.  In addition, the matter will be brought to the attention of other school authorities concerning possible further action, such as suspension or denial/forfeiture of credit.  A student who willfully supplies materials to another student for copying is considered subject to the same penalties.

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:

Currently, there are two specific expectations that apply every day, to every person in the classroom.

1. RESPECT – Reveal It to Receive It

When an individual is speaking, whether it is the Teacher, a Student, or a Substitute,

NO ONE else will be talking or whispering.

2. RESPONSIBILITY – Requires Reliability

Each student should be mentally, morally, and legally accountable. Trustworthiness

is essential.

Within these two expectations, there are specific rules that students will be required to follow:

1. Be On Time

2. Use of Smart Phones/I-Pods/Tablets is at the discretion of Mrs. Gibson

3. Come prepared to class everyday with all assignments, tech devices and/or books

4. Treat everyone in the same manner in which you would like to be treated

5. Refrain from writing or carving on the tables or chairs

BRITISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION UNITS

Quarter 1   (Epic)

Ø  Unit 1: The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066(August – September approx. 4 weeks)

¨ Focus: Songs of Ancient Heroes – Beowulf

Ø  Unit 2: The Medieval Period 1066-1485(September – October approx. 4 weeks)

¨ Focus: The Tales They Told – Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Quarter 2   (The Novel)

Ø  Unit 3: The Renaissance 1485-1660(October – November approx. 4-6 weeks)

¨ Focus: Love, Time, and Death – Marlowe, Sir Raleigh; Donne, Jonson, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Ø  Unit 4: The Restoration & The 18^th Century 1660-1798(November – December approx. 3 weeks)

¨ Focus: Rules, Reason, and the Rise of the Novel – Pope, Johnson, Defoe, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels

Quarter 3   (Poetry)

Ø  Unit 5: The Romantic Period 1798-1832(January – February approx. 4-6 weeks)

¨ Focus: Truth, Imagination, and the Quest for Beauty – Poetry of Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Lord Byron, Shelley, Keats, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Shelley’s Frankenstein

Ø  Unit 6: The Victorian Period 1832-1900(February – March approx. 4-6 weeks)

¨ Focus: Love, Loss, and the Paradox of Progress – Lord Tennyson, Browning, Hardy, Housman, Kipling, Dickens’ World, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

Quarter 4 (Research)

Ø  Unit 7: The Modern Period 1900-1980(April approx. 4 weeks)

¨ Focus: The World at War – Owen, Wiesel, Churchill, Orwell, Chamberlain, Woolf, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Ø  Unit 8: The Post-Modern Period 1980-Present(May approx. 3 weeks)

¨ Focus: Expectation and Reality – Yeats, Thomas, Mansfield, Lawrence, Joyce

HOW WILL STUDYING BRITISH LIT PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?

Studying British Lit will:

û  Encourage integration of skills from both the classroom and the workplace: reading, writing, speaking, thinking

û  Familiarize you with major writers and works ranging from Beowulf to the Modern Age

û  Generate enthusiasm for and interest in England’s literature, culture, and history

û  Allow appreciation for the debt current language, culture, and literature owe to earlier ages in English history

û  Integrate into study the role of women and minority writers

û  Develop an awareness of interrelationships among literature, art, history, scientific development, and philosophy

û  Promote understanding of metaphysical poetry, Romanticism as a comprehensive art movement, and satirical prose and poetry

û  Challenge you to relate your own experience and thoughts to English Literature