Northland Preparatory Academy2017–18

10th Grade English

Honors World Literature

Ms. Pratt

“Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”

—Anne Lammott, Bird by Bird

In this class, we will work to become...

Informed, Empathetic World Citizens / Critical Thinkers / Clear, Persuasive Communicators
We will dig through stories that explore a variety of cultures from around the world to help us understand each other, our selves, and the world we live in. We will examine literature as both a product of its culture and as a culture-bearer. We’ll read, watch, and listen to these stories closely, looking for and analyzing not only themes and characters but also history and context. / We’ll build on what we learn from these stories by thinking critically. We will question and challenge what we read by evaluating logic, research, and rhetoric from a critical perspective. Through this constant questioning, we will develop informed and inspired ideas of our own. / Your ideas deserve to be not only communicated but understood. Supporting your ideas with strong evidence and analysis and targeting your communication to specific audiences and purposes are tools to help you do just that. We’ll draft and revise to improve our writing; we’ll discuss, debate, and present to improve our speaking and listening.

Units of Study and Main Texts

Memoir
Choice text (parent/guardian approval required)
Spanning Generations
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Revolution
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Guilt and Redemption
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Mythology
The Odyssey by Homer (Dover Edition)
Investigative Journalism
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
Violence and the Effects of Colonialism
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Children of War
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah***
Law and Argument
Case scenario and research
Shakespeare
The Tempest by William Shakespeare (Folger Edition) /
***Students must provide their own copies of the Beah book by March 5.

Areas of Focus

Reading / novels, short stories, poems/songs, articles, informational text
Writing / notes, response journals, essays (informative, evaluative, persuasive/ argumentative, and analytical), reflections, stories, poems, letters
Listening / instructions, stories, brief lectures, interviews, poems, peer presentations, group work, discussions
Speaking / class participation (asking and answering questions), discussions, presentations, group work
Viewing / film adaptations, short educational videos, documentary excerpts, photo slideshows, video interviews
Vocabulary / practice assignments and quizzes
Grammar / practice assignments and quizzes

Expectations

First and foremost, BE RESPECTFUL. Respect yourself, your classmates, your school, and your teachers. Respect everyone’s right to learn, to feel safe, and to enjoy each school day.

The finer points:

  Come to class with all necessary materials, and be prepared to learn (to read, write, speak, and listen) and to challenge yourself.

  Use your resources! Seek help early when you need it and communicate about any issues.

  Provide original and thoughtful work on all assignments.

  Be open to new ideas and perspectives.

  Be an active member of our classroom; ask and answer questions. If you can’t be authentically engaged and interested, then fake it. J

Policies

Late Work

For each day an assignment is late, you lose 10% from the total possible points for that assignment. For major assignments such as essays and projects, after 5 days (and 50% lost), you will start accruing lunch detentions (1 per day) until the assignment is turned in. Smaller assignments will not be accepted after 5 days and will receive a zero in the gradebook.

Absences

If you have advance notice that you will be missing class, then I should have advance notice too. This includes but is not limited to class time missed for sports and field trips. You must turn in before you leave any work that is scheduled as due the day you plan to miss (this is especially true for ongoing assignments like vocabulary, grammar, and response journals). Unless you discuss exceptions with me before your scheduled absence, work turned in after the fact will receive late penalties.

If your absence is unplanned, you will receive no late penalty for work due on the day of your absence—as long as you turn it in on the day you return to school. For any work that was assigned while you were gone, you have however many days you were absent to make up the work (gone 2 days=2 days to make up any work assigned during the absence).

It is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to let me know when you need help catching up. Some resources that will be helpful:

·  Class webpage with calendar: northlandprep.org/teachers/pratt-dayne/

·  Absent? Flow Chart handout

·  What You Missed calendar (in classroom)

·  Classmates

Grading

I believe that grades are earned, not given. I have high expectations that I make as clear as possible with rubrics and checklists. If you are ever confused by the criteria for an assignment and are unsure how to be successful, please discuss that with me sooner rather than later.

Your grade for this class is based on a total-points system. Bigger assignments that require more thought, effort, and time are worth more points. All points are divided into these categories:

Entered … / Earned by…
Preparation / weekly / bringing all necessary materials and keeping up with reading
Participation / quarterly / sharing your thoughts with the class at least 10 times
Discussions / as scheduled / speaking in and reflecting on formal class discussions
Classwork / as assigned / completing in-class activities
Vocabulary / biweekly / completing practice assignments and quizzes
Grammar / biweekly / completing practice assignments and quizzes
Major Assignments / as assigned / meeting appropriate rubric and checklist criteria
Exams / semester / taking the midterm and final exams (10% of overall grade)

* I will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism. Offenses will earn zero points and may require involvement from administration. Please see NPA’s Student Handbook for additional guidelines.

Revision

Writing is never finished, only surrendered. Sometimes the “final” draft you turn in on the due date isn’t your best work. While we won’t have time to workshop multiple drafts of every essay in class, I encourage you to revise all your writing. If you are unhappy with your essay or the grade it earned, please meet with me to discuss a revision plan. Grade averages and replacements for such revisions will be settled on a case-by-case basis.

Required Materials

¨  Pencils or pens

¨  Three-ring binder to be used only for this class

¨  Loose-leaf lined paper (wide or college rule)

¨  5 dividers for binder: Calendars, Assignments, Vocabulary, Handouts, Feedback

¨  2 three-hole-punched notebooks to be used only for this class

¨  Planner or agenda (the NPA one works well)

¨  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider by Ishmael Beah (needed by March 1)

Optional Materials

¨  Highlighters

¨  Post-it notes

¨  Index cards

¨  Flash drive

Technology

For larger assignments (research, essays, creative projects), it’s critical that all students have reliable access to technology—specifically the Internet and a word processing program. If this is not something available in your home, please let Ms. Pratt know as soon as possible so we can plan appropriate accommodations.

Printing and Emailing Assignments

You are expected to submit your work in the format specified in each assignment sheet. For most projects, this will be as a printed and stapled hard copy. When it is through email, I will reply to confirm I have received and can successfully open your assignment. Do not consider your work turned in until you receive that reply email.

Please be proactive with technology and avoid waiting until the last minute to print or send your work, as you will almost certainly run into problems. If you submit an assignment in a format different from what is specified on the assignment sheet, expect a late penalty for that assignment.

Communication

Please don’t hesitate to contact me. I strive to have positive, meaningful relationships with my students and their families. I am available for about 30 minutes before and after each school day, as well as by appointment. You can best reach me through email at .

Congratulations! You’ve almost made it to the end! There’s one more page…

Students: Please share and discuss this syllabus with your parents, making sure to highlight any key points we went over in class. Then sign it. You should store the actual syllabus in your binder for future reference, but you will turn in this signature page to Ms. Pratt on Friday.

Parents/Guardians: Please review and discuss the syllabus with your student(s) before completing the section below. Contact me with any questions or concerns.

* required materials (except the Beah book) are due by Monday, August 14th.

Preferred contact information:

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