Honors English 10A

Semester One: 2006-2007

Ms. Beyer

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             Successful papers are not written; they are rewritten.  

-- Elaine Maimon el al., Writing in the Arts and Sciences

 

 

Overview

 

      This course stresses the importance of expressive and meaningful communication. Throughout the year, we will work to become more effective readers, writers, and speakers. You will be encouraged to engage actively with text to create meaning, and to master the subtleties of language. In the spirit of shared inquiry, you will experience the process of creating, refining, and presenting an idea by incorporating the elements of persuasive communication into oral and written products.

 

      Much of our time will be devoted to reading and discussing excellent texts. Our goal is to become more sophisticated readers, more attentive to voice, style, and language, and more skilled at inferring meaning and making links between texts and our own lives. I expect you to come to class each day ready to engage in daily activities and discussions.

 

       The ability to express yourself clearly and eloquently is a worthy goal. Practice in strategic and close critical reading, vocabulary enrichment, grammar study, and writing assignments, including the common tasks, not only prepare you for the Maryland High School Assessments given in the spring, but also anticipate the challenges of the SAT and rigorous English instruction, including the IB program and Advanced Placement English Language and Literature.

 

 

Department Objective

   

    The English department supports an environment that fosters inquiry. We work to provide opportunities designed to help you learn the skills of questioning and annotating—skills that are a critical part of the process of reading and responding to texts.

 

 

Essential Questions

 

v      How does literature express the values of a society?

v      How do an author’s choices create meaning?

v      How does engagement with text reinforce and refine critical reading, writing, and thinking?

v      How do subtleties of expression affect meaning?

 

 

 

Enduring Understandings

 

v      Language is a powerful tool for expressing ideas, beliefs, and feelings.

 

v      Knowledge of language facilitates thought.

 

v      Readers, listeners, and viewers continually develop and apply strategies to construct meaning from increasingly complex and challenging texts.

 

v      Writers and speakers strategically use language to communicate for a variety of purposes.

 

v      Individuals need advanced literacy skills to participate actively and successfully in today’s demanding, information-based society.

 

v      Literature reveals the complexities of the world and human experience.

 

 

Unit 1: Form & Expression

 

Anchor Texts:  

§         Black Boy, Richard Wright

§         Night, Elie Wiesel

§         Related essays

 

Short Stories:

§         “A & P,” John Updike

§         “The Somebody,” Danny Santiago

§         “Sinking House,” T. Coraghessan Boyle

§         “The Bridle,” Raymond Carver

§         “Inez,” Merle Hodge

§         “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson

§         “Military Families,” Frank Schaefer

 

Select Speeches and Essays for Rhetorical Study

 

 

 

Unit 2: Odysseys

 

Anchor Text:

§         The Odyssey, Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles)

 

Select essays, excerpts, and poetry

 

 

A Note on Academic Integrity

As a community of scholars, we are bound together by the bonds of academic integrity. At its most basic level, the principle of academic integrity requires that any work you submit be your own. Your name on a paper signals that you alone completed the assignment. When an assignment requires you to consult outside sources, all such sources must be clearly credited in your work using MLA (Modern Language Association) citation format. Details on what constitutes cheating and the consequences of that act can be found in your student handbook. Please be mindful of maintaining your personal integrity. Make sure that your work is your own.

 

 

 

 

Absences

Attendance is mandatory and necessary for success in this class. Please email me if there is an issue. Communication and courtesy are essential in order to avoid any misunderstandings. Be mindful of the fact that I have approximately 140 students to keep track of. Your consideration will be appreciated. If you have been absent or are late, please check the class notebook located at the back of the room for any handouts. Speak to a classmate about what you have missed. If you need further clarification or if you need to schedule a make-up test, in-class assignment, or quiz, then please email or speak to me.

 

 

 

Class Assignment Policy

All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the date that they are due. Late assignments may be turned in for reduced credit during the week of the assigned due date. The deadline for all assignments will be the week after the original due date. No assignments will be accepted after this deadline period.

    

While usually a blessing, technology can also be a curse! Computer and/or printer problems are not an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. If you have a computer problem, you need to locate a working computer or handwrite the assignment. Communication with me is critical. Please do not disrupt the class or end up missing class instruction because you have to go and find a working computer. If your printer is out, email the assignment to a friend and have him/her print it out for you, or email it to yourself or save it and print it out BEFORE you come to class.

 

 

 

Course Grading Criteria

Your grade will be based on an assessment of the work that you complete inside and outside of class. You may be reassessed on assignments as determined by the Grade 10 English team. In order for you to have an assignment reassessed, you must meet the following criteria: 1) the original assignment must be turned in before the deadline, 2) you must discuss your intended revision with me and we will determine a due date, 3) you must work one-on-one with me, with one of our composition assistants, or with someone at TAP to actively discuss and revise the assignment, and 4) you must attach your original assignment to the back of the revision. No reassessment of assignments will be allowed unless those criteria have been met.

 

Please refer to the MCPS Grading and Reporting Policy featured on the B-CC web page for more specifics. Your grade for each quarter will be determined based upon the total number of points earned for all assignments divided by the total number of available points. Grades will be weighted approximately as follows:

 

·         Writing (ECRs, BCRs, Essays, Misc.)                 55 percent

·         Tests and quizzes                                           25 percent

·         Class work                                                     10 percent

·         Speeches, presentations                                 10 percent