English 9
Ash White
[email protected]
434.220.8129
Course Description: Our English 9 course will take us on a journey to discover how literature throughout the centuries has shaped our understanding of heroes and why they matter. We will study various genres and literary elements associated with each one, such as character archetypes, epic poetry, classical tragic structure, and modern adaptations of classical forms. We will read and compare classical vs. Anglo Saxon epic; we will study classical tragedy, how the form adapts in Shakespearean drama, and even later in modern novel form; interspersed with these major works, we will also study short stories and poetry. The aim of this part of the course is to prepare students to analyze the themes, practices, beliefs, history, and literary techniques found within each piece of literature in order to give the students the opportunity to appreciate the truth, beauty, and goodness found within Western literary heritage. Much of the learning that takes place in the classroom, especially in relation to literature, happens through discussions because they require a student’s active participation through sharing one’s own observations about a text, listening to a classmate’s contribution, and discovering points of agreement and disagreement. The questions we deal with in this setting are open-­‐ended ones that require multiple points of view. The aim of such discussion is not to find “right answers” about literature, but rather to discover how we can understand literature, and ourselves, better as a class. Additionally, our course will involve the development of language in order to improve writing and speaking. Grammar instruction will be integrated with the reading and writing we do in class. We will draw our vocabulary will come from the major pieces of literature in our course. With both grammar and vocabulary, the desire is not simply to learn a list or rules and definitions, but to use these areas to improve our speaking and writing. Because good writing and speaking require more than just knowing grammar and vocabulary, we will also focus on developing specific skills to help students write and speak persuasively. Course Objectives: Students will… • Learn to think deeply and broadly about literature from other times and cultures • See how our contemporary stories and characters fit in the broader context of human history • Engage in group discussions by respecting peers through careful listening and responding • Express themselves both in writing and in public speaking with clarity and beauty Materials/Supplies: • 9th Grade Course Pack • The Golden Fleece, Padraic Colum • The Odyssey, Homer (Fagles translation) • Antigone, Sophocles (Rudall translation) • Beowulf, Seamus Heaney • Macbeth, William Shakespeare • Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck • Three-­‐ring binder (or something equally sufficient for storing course materials) • Journal/Notebook/Composition book (something sufficient for taking written notes) Grading categories and Assignments: • Class Preparation 10% • Participation 15% • Quizzes 15% • Tests/Projects 30% • Writing 30% • Class Preparation: The work I assign for you to complete outside of class (what we traditionally refer to as “homework”) is intended to best prepare you for each subsequent class period. Most often this involves reading assignments, but other assignments will involve practicing particular skills we have been learning in class, such as writing and thinking skills related to the literature we are reading. Other times, I will ask you to complete assignments regarding vocabulary use or grammar skills. Whatever I ask you to do for homework will be an important part of being prepared and ready to engage fully in the next day’s activities and discussion. On an average week, you can expect a total of 1.5 hours of preparation outside of class, but it should be understood that major papers or projects (which are less frequent than the day-­‐to-­‐day class activity) will take additional time. • Participation: This involves your engagement and performance in class activities and discussions. This category is specifically focused on daily discussion of literature, as well as more formal activities like seminars, speeches, debates, and presentations. I am taking note of the quality of your participation; you will not necessarily receive full participation points simply for joining in activities and discussions. It is important for you to find unique and insightful ideas to add to our conversation. In order to help you succeed in this category, we will be practicing this and reflecting on it often, especially at the beginning of the semester. • Quizzes: I will quiz you in a few main areas: vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension checks. Additionally, I will use the occasional open notes pop-­‐quiz in order to encourage you to stay organized with your note-­‐keeping during class discussions! •
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Tests, Projects, and Writing: Throughout this course I will use three main avenues for formally assessing your understanding of our material—tests, projects (usually requiring a presentation aspect), and essay writing. ü Formal Writing assignments will require a process that involves pre-­‐writing, outlining, drafting, and revising. These assignments will include writing in the form of close-­‐
reading analyses of literature, narratives, descriptive pieces, as well as other composition patterns. In general, the length requirement for these writing assignments will range from 250-­‐1000 words, and will be weighted accordingly. You can expect a minimum of three formal writing assignments each semester. ü Tests will also involve a good amount of writing and will cover major units of literature. These will include a variety of questions including short answer, matching, short paragraph responses, and longer essay questions (writing prompts on tests will ask for you to evaluate and form conclusions about the essential questions and understandings we explore in each literary unit). ü I include Projects in the same grading category as Tests because they provide a varied approach for me to assess your process of evaluating and forming conclusions about our literature units, in addition to your fluency with the terminology and historical information necessary for understanding the significance of each unit. Outside Reading: I will require a minimum of 300 pages of outside-­‐of-­‐class reading each semester—your choice! As long as your choices are age-­‐appropriate, this is your chance to read authors, genres, and subjects that you love, and share with our class. I will ask for a brief (one page) written report on your reading at the end of each semester. Calendar: • September: The Golden Fleece; Narrative and Descriptive Writing; begin The Odyssey • October: The Odyssey; Persuasive and Compare/Contrast Writing • November: Antigone; continue Persuasive Writing • December: Finish Antigone; Exam • January: Beowulf; Exemplification Writing • February: Finish Beowulf; begin Macbeth; Process Writing • March: Macbeth; Argument Writing • April: Of Mice and Men; Literary analysis • May: Finish Of Mice and Men; Literary analysis; Exam Rules/Expectations/Policies: I insist on the following expectations not to scare or intimate you, but to provide the best environment in which you can flourish in the literary community we’ll be cultivating together this year and beyond! I will demand excellence in these areas, but also know I’ll be extending grace for the first few class sessions as you acclimate to our classroom. • As soon as you enter class, place your materials for the day on your desk in front of you (I will list the day’s necessary materials on the board each day) •
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At starting bell we will stand for prayer and attendance. Regarding late and missing work, the Student-­‐Parent handbook says, “10% of the earned grade will be deducted for each class day the assignment is late…Any work not completed by the end of the quarter will remain a zero… Some assignments may be graded simply for completion on the due date and will not be accepted late.” (34) I will be holding our class to this expectation. Bathroom break policy: To encourage you to use the passing periods between classes efficiently, you may only use two bathroom passes per quarter. If you do NOT use these passes by the end of the quarter, I will add two points of extra credit to the quiz of your choice from that grading period! Handwritten assignments: ü Must be neatly written using blue or black ink only ü Must include a heading of your full name, class section, and due date ü Must include an assignment title on the center header line ü I will reduce points for written work missing any of these elements! Formal written work: ü Must be typed in proper MLA format: 12 point, Times New Roman font, 1-­‐inch margins ü Must have a proper MLA heading in the upper left corner of the first page which includes your full name, teacher name, class section, and due date ü Where necessary, must include MLA in-­‐text citations and a properly formatted Works Cited page at the end. ü I will reduce points for typed work missing any of these elements! All assignments (homework, quizzes, papers, etc.) will be listed both online and on the homework-­‐board in our classroom. Email policy: ü I do not accept assignments emailed to me UNLESS you and I have PREVIOUSLY arranged for you to do so because of extenuating circumstances. Physical papers only, please! ü When you email me (or any teacher for that matter!), please include a formal address (such as, “Dear Ms. White”) and a formal closing (such as “Sincerely, Tony Stark”). Let us honor each other and Christ with our attentiveness, our choice of words, and our behavior. Let’s embark on our journey!