Sports and Adventure Literature and Writing, 2014-2015

Steamboat Springs High School

Instructor Contact Information:

Ms. Kari Faulk

Email: (preferred)

Web Site: kfaulk.pbworks.com

Office Telephone/Voice Mail: 970-871-3657

Office Hours: 4th and 8th (2:00-3:35)

Course Description:

Sports and Adventure Literature and Writingis a one semester [.5 credit] course open to 11thand 12thgrade students. The semester credit counts toward the 4 credits requirement in Language Arts. The course focuses on reading and analyzing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry about athletics and adventures. Students will investigate the major themes in sports/adventure literature. These themes include sports as metaphor for the human condition and what sports reveal about our culture’s values and prejudices. By reading selections about both amateur and professional athletes and adventurers, students will explore a variety of perspectives on the subjects of athletes and adventurers and how they influence and reflect other aspects of our lives. In addition, students will write sports/adventure commentaries, summaries, features, and analysis as they pertain to the following questions and content:

Essential Questions:

  • What is sport? What is an adventure?
  • What is sportsmanship?
  • How do sports reveal culture?
  • How are gender and race reflected in sport and adventure literature?
  • How do writers use literary and rhetorical devices to convey adventure and sport?

Required text:

  • Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer

Materials:

  • Student Planner for keeping track of assignments and due dates.
  • Section in a 3-ring binder with loose leaf paper that will hold all assignments, notes, and handouts
  • Pens or pencils
  • NOTE: all assignments and materials are available electronically through the website and Google Classroom. You can complete this course paperless-ly, if you so choose. We have a class set of Chromebooks, however you may bring and use your own laptop or device if you would like.

Assessment Policy and Philosophy:

Students will be assessed on a proficiency scale that represents both their conceptual understanding and academic responsibility in SALW. The overall semester grade will be broken down into the following components:

Conceptual Understanding (90%) / Academic Responsibility (10%)
This includes but is not limited to demonstration of ideas and concepts via projects, seminars, writing assignments, journals, tests, quizzes, research assignments and performances.
Designated in gradebook as:
4=Advanced
3=Proficient
2=Partially Proficient
1=Needs More Evidence
M=Missing (records as a 0) / This includes but is not limited to class participation, homework assignments, readings and questions to prepare for upcoming classes, practice assignments, group conversations, classroom citizenship and review tasks.
Twice a quarter a 4-point Academic Responsibility grade will be converted from the Academic Responsibility Log. Please see information regarding this Log below.

*Please note that because our grades are electronic it is very important that students keep all returned work, as that work serves as evidence of the earned grade in case of a technological disaster.

Also, keeping old work is incredibly beneficial for final assessment preparation.*

Achievement Levels: Conceptual Understanding assignments will be assigned with specific rubrics that detail how each of the following descriptors of understanding applies to the individual assignment.

Generally, the designation in the grade book will represent the following.

4Advanced: student shows sophisticated understanding of content and skills and is able to explain, apply, interpret, and have perspective, empathy and self-knowledge in known and novel situations.

3Proficient: student has a satisfactory understanding of content and skills and is able to apply information/skills/attitudes to known situations.

2Partially Proficient: student is able to articulate and apply some information and skills.

1Needs More Evidence: student competence is not yet known or is inadequate and cannot be assessed.

Academic Responsibility Log: This portion of the gradebook will keep track of in-class assignments, participation, and small homework assignments that students complete throughout the semester. These grades will be designated as follows:

S=Satisfactory: Student has completed the work in an accurate and complete manner.

M=Missing: Student has not completed or turned in this work.

R= Revise: Student has turned in the work, but it was incomplete or was not completed accurately. The student needs to revise the assignment and turn it in again in order to gain a score of Satisfactory (S).

An Academic Responsibility Grade is assigned each grading period based on the student’s assignment completion in the Academic Responsibility Log in the gradebook.

  • If a student has no assignments that are needing revision or missing, they will earn an Advanced (4) Academic Responsibility grade.
  • If a student has very few assignments that are needing revision or missing, they will earn a Proficient (3) Academic Responsibility grade.
  • Students with many revise, or missing assignments will receive a Partially Proficient (2) Academic Responsibility grade.
  • Students with very few satisfactory assignments will receive an Unsatisfactory (1) Academic Responsibility grade.

Again, these grades (four per semester –see grading periods below) account for 10% of the student’s overall semester grade in the course.

Late Work: Late work will be accepted for full credit during each of the posted grading periods.

Assignment Revision Opportunities: Assignments can be revised for additional credit if the student feels that they did not demonstrate their full understanding on the original assignment.

Ms. Faulk reserves the right to end this opportunity for any student at any time if she feels that it is being abused by the student. Please see Ms. Faulk to arrange revision expectations.

2014-2015 Grading Periods

2nd Semester
Mid-3rd Quarter: February 13th
End 3rd Quarter: March 31st
Mid 4th Quarter: May 1st
End 2nd Semester: June 10 (Seniors June 4)

Proficiency Grades:

Proficiency grading uses a non-traditional grading scale to more accurately explain a student’s understanding and mastery of a concept or skill. Instead of a percentage based on an earned number of points, student work earns an explanatory designation of “Advanced,” “Proficient,” “Partially Proficient,” or “Unsatisfactory.”

Descriptors of requirements to achieve each level of proficiency are detailed on rubrics that accompany each assignment.

Example Rubric (reading response):

4-Avanced / 3-Proficient / 2-Partially Proficient / 1-Needs more evidence
Comprehension and Understanding / Excellent understanding of thought/feeling/information expressed in text
Detailed and pertinent (relevant) references to text / Adequate understanding of thought/feeling/information expressed in text
Adequate and appropriate references to the text / Superficial understanding of the thought/feeling/information
expressed in text
Some relevant references to the text / Little understanding of the text
Irrelevant or inappropriate references to the text
Viewpoint and commentary / Ideas are well-considered, logical, and on-topic
Makes multiple connections from and beyond personal experience / Ideas are logical and on-topic
Makes a connection from and beyond personal experience / Ideas are somewhat clear
Common themes are used / Own viewpoint is unclear, stereotypical, or derivative or given as though from the reading
Ideas are simplistic or contradictory

So what’s my grade?

Each level of understanding earns a score of 4 (Advanced), 3 (Proficient), 2 (Partially Proficient), or 1 (Unsatisfactory). Because a score of 3 out of 4 indicates Proficiency, or “meets expectations,” it equates to an A- in this class. But doesn’t a ¾ = 75%? Isn’t that a C?! On a traditional 100 point scale, this would be true, however, on our proficiency scale that 75% equates to an A-. There are different types of proficiency scales, and they are not the same from class to class.

My advice to you is not to worry about the percentage you see in the gradebook, but here’s what percentages mean in Infinite Campusfor this class.

Grade / Min %
A+ / 85
A / 80
A- / 75
B+ / 70
B / 65
B- / 60
Grade / Min %
C+ / 55
C / 50
C- / 45
D+ / 40
D / 35
D- / 35

Special Note: You will never be allowed to bash, make fun of, joke about, or demean the Washington State University Cougars while in this class.

Making fun of the University of Washington Huskies, however, is strongly encouraged. Go Cougs!