Ms. Cohen
email: [email protected]
phone: 908-889-8288 ext. 427
website: http://ucvts.schoolwires.net/page/4710
room #: AIT 601
ENGLISH IV: BRITISH LITERATURE
British Literature Honors’ level course is designed to offer students insight into the values, attitudes, and
communication styles of the Anglo culture as well as its direct bearing on contemporary American
society. The major aims of the class include fostering a conception of the world as a “global village” and
helping students understand and utilize language as a means of processing and ordering their experiences.
Studying the literature of England will simultaneously give students a greater appreciation of different
cultural, social, and political viewpoints, as well as a greater understanding of how our own society,
culture, government, and literature developed from, as well as alongside, these. To enhance this learning
experience, students will make broad connections through the use of interdisciplinary curricula, especially
with the AP European History curriculum. The course will also draw connections to parallel literary and
historical periods in American history and literature with which the students are already familiar from
previous coursework.
Units include Culture, Society, and the Hero; Characters and Authors: Social Commentary; Literary
Protest: Swift, War, and Dystopia; and Society and Relationships. Language Arts Articulation and
College Prep will be on-going throughout the school year with a focus on writing a successful research
paper.
Required Materials
In order to maximize success, students will need to bring the following supplies to class each day:
*2 inch binder
*college or wide filler paper
*blue or black pen
*highlighter
*five dividers
*number 2 pencil
*composition one subject notebook
*sticky notes
*Chromebook
Texts
Major texts will be supplemented with literary criticism and theory, as well as historical and philosophical
readings and media that provide context to the major works. In addition, the class will be reading short
stories and poetry within each unit.
Major texts include:
Beowulf Translated by Seamus Heaney
Hamlet William Shakespeare
The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Lord of the Flies William Golding
Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw
Attendance Policy
Because this is a collaborative, process-driven course, attendance is crucial to student success. Students
who miss a class are expected to use Google Classroom to keep pace with the course material. Any
assignments due the day of the absence must be turned in on the first day the student returns to school.
The student will be expected to fully participate in class activities on his/her first day back.
Students who miss class for school or extra-curricular activities will be expected to notify the teacher at
least two days in advance, so the teacher may provide the student with the work he/she will miss. In the
case of emergencies, illness, hospitalization, bereavement, etc students will be given appropriate
extensions for make-up assignments.
Extra copies of worksheets handed out during class will be left in the worksheet bin on the teacher’s desk.
Students are responsible for seeking out missed worksheets, as well as copying over any in-class notes
from peers.
Class Participation and Punctuality
Students are expected to come to class having completed the previous night’s readings and assignments,
as well as fully ready to collaborate with peers and foster an environment in which a free exchange of
ideas can flourish. The teacher reserves the right to give surprise reading quizzes if students are
continually coming to class unprepared. Class participation will be worth 10% of every marking period
grade.
Upon entrance into the classroom, students are expected to take-out the binders, the previous night’s
homework assignment, and immediately begin the DO NOW. If a student is late, he/she is expected to
silently hand the necessary pass to the teacher and immediately commence efforts on current classroom
activities. He/she will be responsible for any notes given during that time and for work that may have
been completed.
On the first day, students and teacher will compile a list of rules to be individually ratified by each
member of the class and subsequently distributed. Students are responsible for upkeep of these rules
which include responsible use of cell phones and Chromebooks to be utilized only at the teacher’s
discretion and for the purposes of class. If students are caught using technology for reasons other than
classwork, cell phones will be taken and students will forfeit their rights to use their devices during
class time.
Grading Policy
All work will be graded on a total points system. Each assignment is worth a certain number of points,
based on how much time it should take to complete it. Grades are determined by dividing the number of
points earned by the total possible points. For example, a student who earned 85/100 on a test, 21/25 on a
quiz, 42/50 on an essay, and 4/10 on homework would receive a 152/185 or an 82 for the marking period.
In addition to tests, quizzes, essays, projects, and homework, students’ overall grades each marking
period will be comprised of participation, in class assignments, and journal grades. Each marking period
grade will consist of ten or more formal and informal assignments.
In keeping with the district’s grading policy, each marking period grade counts for twenty percent of the
final course grade and the midterm and final examination each count for ten percent of the final course
grade.
As a rule, no extra credit work will be necessary for student success within the English class environment.
Motivation, however, is crucial for attaining positive academic, professional and personal growth; and so,
opportunities abound for students who may have earned the “rare” below-passing grade (defined as under
“60”) on a major test, so as to secure a minimally passing grade (defined as “70”). With the approval of
teacher, “bonus” work is the responsibility of the students to procure, plan and enact same, in order to
attain credit. Alternate assignment is to be submitted within one (1) week of less than ideal test results.
Journals
Like most skills, writing does not improve without practice; therefore, I am asking that you journal one
page front and back of a composition notebook once a week. Some weeks, I will provide you with
prompts related to in-class readings or class discussions. During others, you will have the opportunity to
explore any topic you’d like, bearing in mind that I am obligated to report information that is not
appropriate for school. I will provide you with in-class journaling time twice a month. It is your
obligation to work on your journal at home during the weeks that this time cannot be given to you. I will
be check your journals periodically to verify that you are up-to-date. Journals will be graded at the end of
every marking period.
Written Work
All formal written assignments must be typed and submitted in MLA format, 12 point, Times New
Roman font, and must completely fill the minimum number of pages. Assignments are expected to be
uploaded to Turnitin.com prior to the beginning of class on the day the assignment is due. As well, a hard
copy must be handed in at the beginning of that class period. Without an extension, ten percent will be
deducted from late work for every day (not class) it is late. After a week, late work will not be graded.
Because writing is a process and the teacher believes in the goal of mastery, students will have the
opportunity to revise each essay one time after a grade is received. Students have one week after receiving
their grades to submit revisions; however, they must first meet with the teacher in order to discuss a plan
for revision. Upon completion, the grade for the “final draft” will be averaged with the revision grade.
Academic support
Students are encouraged to seek out extra help with assignments and course materials as soon as the need
for it arises. The teacher is available Tuesday/Thursday in her classroom during co-curricular period (6)
or before or after school by appointment.
Electronic Forms of Communication:
In accordance with school policy, I will use your UCVTS email address (@ucvts.org) to communicate
with you about all major course-related matters. You are expected to check this email regularly.
Additionally, essay prompts, formal assignments, and other miscellany will be accessible through Google
Classroom; therefore, to maximize success students should visit our Google Classroom if they are in need
of handouts or when they receive new post notifications. Lastly, to exchange smaller reminders, we will
utilize Remind.com, a free text messaging app that will allow us to touch base quickly and efficiently.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as
one’s own work. When a student submits work that includes such material, the source of that information
must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific footnote or endnote references;
additionally, verbatim statements must be acknowledged through quotation marks. To avoid a charge of
plagiarism, a student should be sure to include an acknowledgment of indebtedness:
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whenever he or she quotes another person’s words directly;
whenever he or she uses another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories, even if they have
been completely paraphrased in one’s own words;
whenever he or she allows another individual to contribute to the work in some
significant fashion (for instance, through editing or sharing of ideas);
whenever he or she uses facts, statistics, or other illustrative material taken from a source,
unless the information is common knowledge.
Any student who presents the verbiage or opinions of another person as their own will receive a zero for
the assignment with no opportunity to revise the assignment or complete an alternate assignment.
Students should feel free to contact the teacher with any individual concerns PRIOR to a paper’s
submission.
Students are expected to read and understand AIT’s academic honor code. Members of the AIT
community are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. Students who violate
this policy will face harsh disciplinary action including but not limited to loss of credit on the given
assignment, and expulsion from school honor societies. Students allowing others to copy their work will
be subject to the same consequences.
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After reviewing the policies, please sign below, detach, and submit upon return to class. (Acts as first
home assignment.)
As the instructor, I pledge to be fair and to foster critical thinking within the classroom setting which will
benefit students while navigating their legacies in the real-world.
Thank you, in advance, for your concern and support.
Ms. Moriah Cohen ([email protected])
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We have read and understood Ms. Cohen’s 2016-17 English Contract. (Detach on dotted line, please.)
Student: _____________________________ (Print Name) __________________________ (Signature)
Parent/Guardian: ______________________ (Print Name) __________________________ (Signature)
Date: __________________________________