English 11A Syllabus

Fall 2006

Ms. Finarelli

Email

Room C215

 

Course Objective: This is an important year for you, as you begin more rigorously preparing for life after high school, and making good decisions in your life will require that you consider the perspectives of others, as well as how and why they choose to express them.  In this course, we will discuss the theme of “Tapestry,” examining literature as a physically present being to be experienced with all the senses.

 

English Department Objective: We will emphasize “Fostering Inquiry,” refining your skills in critical reading, writing, and speaking, and implementing these tools to become lifelong learners.  Studying a variety of texts, you will explore and appreciate language and literature as catalysts for deep thought and emotion.

 

Unit I: Textures – Exploring how elements of style in writing help to shape and influence an author’s purpose and meaning.

 

            Students will:

q    Investigate the influences of historical and social contexts on an author’s style

q    Examine the usage of a variety of language patterns and dialects from a number of cultural, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds

q    Answer the question: How does style contribute to meaning?

 

Anchor Texts:

            An Introduction to Poetry, Eleventh Edition

            Selected poems, essays and narratives

 

Common Tasks:

1.      Write an ECR analyzing the stylistic elements of two different texts.

2.      Construct a creative piece using precise words to illustrate a specific mood.

 

Unit II: Patterns – Investigating how repetition in structure and form impacts an author’s meaning.

 

            Students will:

q    Examine how an author’s purpose determines his/her choices in language and structure or form

q    Identify a variety of methods for representing and conveying knowledge

q    Answer the question: How do writers use patterns to shape and affect meaning?

  

Anchor Texts:

            Fences

            Death of a Salesman

            Selected poems, narratives and essays

 

Common Tasks:

1.      Develop and analyze a collection of poetry that reflects a range of poetic convention and forms.

2.      In an essay, oral report, or multimedia presentation, explain how repetition of words, phrases, structural features and ideas create patterns and affect the meaning and tone of a text.

 

Unit III: Landscapes – Considering how people shape and are shaped by their environments, and how this connection determines a sense of identity.

 

            Students will:

q    Share individual interpretations of a text with peers to expand and enhance understanding

q    Explore how landscapes shape people’s attitudes, ideas, and beliefs

 

Anchor Texts:

                        The Great Gatsby

                        Brave New World

 

            Common Tasks:

1.      Write an ECR examining an author’s focus on landscape or a sense of place as a way of developing or supporting a theme.

2.      Develop and refine observational and writing skills by keeping a journal over a week or more that focuses on a particular landscape or place.

 

Grading Policy:

           

q       All grading will be done on a points-based system, with approximately 600 points possible each marking period.  Homework (graded for completion) will account for approximately 10% of the marking period grade.

q       I will determine points based on a variety of assessment methods, including but not limited to quizzes, tests, homework assignments, and creative projects.

q       I will issue progress reports halfway through each marking period.

q       Marking period grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number, i.e. 89.5%=A.

q       I will establish clear due dates and deadlines for all projects and essays.  Work submitted after the due date but before the deadline will be penalized one letter grade.

 

  

Reteaching and Reassessing Policy:

 

A minimum of one assignment per marking period will be eligible for reassessment, as determined and announced in advance by me.  However, in order to be eligible for reassessment, the student must show evidence of an attempt to relearn the material before taking the reassessment.  Examples of evidence include, but are not limited to:

 

q       Coming to me for extra help and/or attending TAP sessions

q       Making corrections on the original assessment

q       Completing practice assignments

 

Reassessments must be completed within one week of the date the original assessment was returned.  If a student chooses to complete a reassessment, his/her grade on that reassessment is final, even if lower than the grade on the original assessment.

 

Missed Work Policy:

 

If a student is absent from class, it is his/her responsibility to find out in a timely manner what he/she missed.  If, as a result of an excused absence, a student misses an in-class assessment, the student must make up the assessment within TWO DAYS of returning to school, and it is his/her responsibility to set up an appointment with the teacher to do so.

 

Supplies:

q       Notebook

q       Composition book

q       Pens & Pencils