Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
4301 East-West Hwy, Bethesda, MD 20814 (240) 497-6300
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Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School 4301 East-West Hwy, Bethesda, MD 20814 (240) 497-6300 |
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English 10A Syllabus (Fall 2006) Overview
The
goal of this course is to create literate, thoughtful communicators,
capable of controlling language effectively as they negotiate
an increasingly complex and information-rich world.
Students will rigorously refine specific skills in reading,
writing, speaking, listening, and viewing and will use these
skills and strategies widely as tools for learning and reflection.
Exploring a variety of texts, students will understand
and appreciate language and literature as catalysts for deep
thought and emotion. As
an English Department at Course
Objectives
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Literature interprets human experience and
enriches culture
·
Form shapes meaning.
·
Effective readers, writers, and
speakers engage actively with text to create meaning.
·
Effective readers, writers, and
speakers master the subtleties of text and language. Middle Years Programme All
students in the 10th grade at B-CC will complete
a Personal Project as a required part of their completion of
the IB Middle Years Programme. The
Personal Project is credited as an elective for the second semester,
and is graded on a pass/fail basis.
The Personal Project is a yearlong endeavor that begins
in the first quarter of English with topic selection and completion
of a formal Project Proposal. During the first quarter, we will work
on the following steps:
*The
Process Journal is required for successful completion of the
project. It will be reviewed on a monthly basis
by a project supervisor and credited for completion in English. Each student will need to purchase a
black and white composition book for your Process Journal. B-CC’s
Middle Years Coordinator, Dr. Martha Cohen, is available as
a resource as you work on your project.
Her office is in C-214. Email
address Honors
English 10 Course Introduction
Texts: Wright, Black Boy Selected short stories from summer reading and Points
of View
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
“A&P” by John Updike
My Side of the Matter” by Truman Capote
“Inez” by Merle Hodge Focus
·
Review summer reading.
·
Introduction to techniques of close reading and thematic analysis.
·
Assessment critical reading skills.
·
Analysis of short story structure in an attempt to reveal authorial
insight
·
Evaluation of point of view as an authorial tool to reveal this
insight Unit
One: Form and Expression (9/7 – 10/29)
Texts: Selected speeches and recordings: “ “The Nonviolent
Struggle for Justice” by Cesar Chavez “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth “I Have
a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King “Inaugural
Address” by John F. Kennedy
Salinger, The
Catcher in the Rye.Focus Essential
Questions:
o
How does literature express the values of a society?
o
How does an author’s choices create meaning?
o
How does engagement with text reinforce and refine critical reading,
writing and thinking?
o
How do the subtleties of expression affect meaning? Common
Tasks
·
Analyze the rhetorical techniques of noteworthy speeches.
·
Compose and deliver a speech using rhetorical techniques.
·
Critique the rhetorical effect of a fellow classmate’s speech.
·
Compose a personal narrative modeled on an SAT prompt.
·
Analyze how a writer uses language to create a narrative voice.
·
Analyze how a writer uses various narrative elements to develop
a theme. Unit Two: Odysseys
(11/1 – 1/14) Texts: Homer, The Odyssey
(Fagles translation); poems inspired by The Odyssey;
Wiesel, Night. Supplemental texts: Cahill, “Where
the Games Were Everything,” Poe “To Helen,” Selections from
Beowulf
Focus
·
Identify and explore multiple themes (e.g., hospitality, order,
journeys).
·
Introduce and analyze epic form and conventions.
·
Relate The Odyssey to its historical context and to contemporary
culture. Common Tasks
·
Deliver a group presentation on a character, convention, or episode
in The Odyssey.
·
Write a multi-paragraph essay on a key theme or question in The
Odyssey.
·
Compose and deliver a short speech justifying a character’s action
in The Odyssey or Night. Other
assessments will include:
·
Writing a persuasive essay analyzing the relationship between
2 independent texts
·
Explaining how an author uses figurative language for a specific
purpose.
·
Comparing the tone or speaker’s attitude in two poems. Further explanation of these common tasks will
follow as assignments are given.
Success in these common tasks is predicated on completion
of preparatory homework assignments.
These assignments may include class discussions, journals,
individual or group projects, speeches, or any other variety
of assignments. All students
are expected to complete all assignments on time and to demonstrate
thought and attention in their completion.
Detailed syllabi for each text studied will be provided
in due time so as to allow for planning and foresight. Participation in class discussions and activities
is vital. To establish
a sound learning environment, students should find a way to
participate comfortably and work to encourage their peers to
do the same. Attending
class and being active participants will help students to get
the most out of the course. Grading
Grading
Requirements: The 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
(Essays, Journals, Short Writings)
55% Homework
10% Speeches/presentations
10% Students’
grades will be based on an assessment of the work completed
inside and outside of class.
Students may reassess a minimum of one assignment
each quarter as determined by the 10th-grade team.
Students may not reassess final measures of
learning. The reassessed grade will replace the 1st
grade and the reassessment must be completed in the timely manner
determined by the teacher. In order to reassess an assignment,
a student must meet the following criteria: 1) the assignment
must be completed before the deadline, 2) the student must discuss
the intended revision with me and
to determine a due date, 3) the student 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)
the student must attach the original paper to the back of the
revision. No reassessment of assignments will be allowed unless
those criteria have been met. The
following B–CC policies are consistent with the new MCPS Grading
and Reporting Policy as outlined in Learning, Grading and
Reporting Guidelines (MCPS, 2004).
These will apply in all courses offered at B–CC.
l
Teachers will assign grades to reflect individual achievement
on course objectives.
l
Teachers will determine grades based on a variety of assessment
methods.
l
Teachers will issue progress reports at the 4½-week mark in each
quarter.
l
Teachers will establish clear due dates and deadlines. The maximum penalty for work submitted
after the due date but before the deadline is one letter grade
on an A-E scale or 10% on a 100% scale.
l
All assignments not completed or academically dishonest will receive
a 0 Letter
grades will be assigned to the following percentage values: A:
89.5% - 100%
B:79.5% - 89.49% C:
69.5% – 79.49%
D:59.5 – 69.49%
E: 50 – 59.49 Academic
Dishonesty (refer to B-CC Student Handbook – Pink Pages)
“This applies
to both written work and oral presentations.
Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not
limited to, the following: the willful giving or receiving of
an unauthorized text, unfair, dishonest, or unscrupulous advantage
in academic work over other students using fraud, duress, deception,
theft, trickery, talking, signs, gestures, copying, or any other
methodology.” (B-CC 2005-6 Student Handbook) Plagiarism:
·
Submitting or presenting another person's work as your own without
proper documentation, including downloaded information from
the Internet and lab data.
·
Using another student's material without prior approval. Cheating:
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Giving or receiving information during a test, quiz, and/or class
work assignment without teacher authorization.
·
Using hand signals, gestures, and the like during tests or quizzes
to obtain/give information.
·
Using unauthorized materials during a test or quiz. |
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Page Last Updated
September 21, 2006
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