Class Expectations

Central Academy

Course Syllabus – 2007-2008

English Department

Course Description: The 9^th grade year emphasizes the study of world literature in preparation for the advanced courses yet to come in the Central Academy program. That emphasis includes skills of close textual analysis and writing about literature. In addition, the school district’s speech objectives are included in this course so that Academy students may earn their speech requirement for graduation.  We begin the year by discussing the summer reading, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology:  Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.

Materials and Texts: We will be reading Homer’s The Odyssey, the Allen Mandelbaum translation; Arthur Clarke’s 2001 A Space Odyssey; Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist; Chaim Potok’s The Chosen; John Hersey’s Hiroshima; Things Fall Apart, by Chin Achebe; and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. They will be read in approximately the above order; traditionally, the first three are covered first semester, and the last four are read second semester.

Units Taught: Our units revolve around our study of literature. Think of each book as a one unit.

Classroom Procedures and Expectations:

·         Punctuality: Essays are due on time, and no late papers will be accepted. Assignments submitted electronically are the responsibility of the sender. Please refer to the DMPS District Policy on Attendance Requirements for students and to the Central Academy Student Handbook for Attendance Interventions and Practices.  If an assignment is submitted electronically, the student should save the paper to a thumb drive/jump drive and bring it with him/her on the assigned date.  If the paper is lost is cyberspace, the student has a copy.  Please do not expect me to print the papers.  That needs to be done prior to class.

·         Classroom communication: You are expected to respect the right of others to learn in a civilized, humane environment. Your presence at the Central Academy indicates a commitment to intellectual excellence, and included in that is an expectation of willing oral participation.  You are responsible for focus on our classroom task.

·         Cell phones and iPods:  You may not interact with your electronic devices in the classroom, and this includes use of camera-phones, text messaging, Ipods, MP3 players and other devices yet to be invented.  Having any electronic device out during an exam or an assignment can result in a 0 for that assignment.

·         Academic Integrity:  Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of another’s ideas, phrases, discourse, or works as one’s own. We will spend class time considering what plagiarism is and is not and how to avoid it in research. Any written assignment containing any plagiarism will be given a zero.  Cheating on assignments, tests, and quizzes will result in a zero as well as disciplinary sanctions.  Please refer to the Central Academy Student Handbook for more details.

• Grading Criteria:  Grades are not curved.  Graded material will consist of essays, exams and quizzes over our readings, and some other daily assignments. We will use a weighted point system that translates into a percentage, and current grades will be posted approximately every three weeks. As the year progresses, we may be utilizing the Infinite Campus program’s Parent Portal, which allows parents to access their students’ grades and attendance via the web. We will follow this system:
  • 100-88% A                  87-89% B                               70-79% C                                   60-69% D

Course Objectives:  We will align our focus so that it matches the expectations of the two AP English classes taken by juniors and seniors at the Academy.

1.   Distinguishing among facts, inferences, and opinions in print and electronic media.

2.   Adjusting writing style to suit varying audiences.

3.   Editing writing particularly for the following:

3.1.            fragments and run-ons

3.2.            capitalization

3.3.            comma use

3.4.            quotation marks

3.5.            agreement (subject/verb and pronoun)

3.6.            consistency in verb tense and person

4.   Appropriately using parenthetical documentation whether quoting or paraphrasing.

5.   Constructing fully-developed paragraphs containing coherent governing ideas and appropriate     supporting material.

6.   Effectively incorporating research into a carefully structured paper.

7.   Asserting a persuasive position and supporting that position with factual evidence.

8.   Distinguishing between nonfiction and fiction.

9.   Identifying and using vivid figurative language to illustrate main ideas and create quality    writings.

10. Evaluating sources of information, both Internet-based and traditional, for authority, accuracy,     objectivity, and timeliness.

11. Identifying complex metaphors in reading and drawing inferences about their meaning.

12.  Reading increasingly complex passages of text and drawing logical inferences about their meaning.

13.  Developing a flexible, college-level vocabulary for both reading and writing.

Second semester speech objectives will include:

Critical Thinking Skills:

1. Evaluating sources of information, both electronic and print
2. Using good generalizations
3. Reasoning by cause and effect
4. Identifying crucial communication issues
5. Distinguishing between fact and opinion
6. Uses analogies and metaphors to illustrate a point
7. Critiquing commercial television using objectives 3 through 6 and by identifying non-rational persuasive tools.

Research Methods:

8. Limiting and focusing research

Organizing information:

9. Creating effective introductions
10. Using signposting to identify main points
11. Using forecasting to organize an oral presentation

Delivery: 

12. Using effective oral presentation skills, including personal eye contact and adequate voice and volume free of non-verbal distractions
13. Using electronic multi-media tools to assist in presentations.

For additional information regarding this curricular area, please refer to DMPS Essential Learnings (www.dmps.k12.ia.us)

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