~ ENGLISH 20 SYLLABUS ~
Course Description
English 20 explores two broad themes, starting out and moving forward, by examining literature on the
experiences of childhood, youth and maturity. As discovery and disillusionment characterize childhood,
roles and responsibilities shape adulthood. The plays, poems and stories in this course focus on the
moments – the events and epiphanies – that define these stages of life.
Course Goals
Luther is a university preparatory college that promotes a quality liberal arts education in the sciences and
arts. English 20 is an academically challenging course of study essential to the development of your
ability to reason, write and appreciate. Through the disciplines of critical thinking, close reading, oral
presentations, and formal writing, you will not only discern the insightfulness of the ideas within
literature but also the artfulness of its design. Over the semester, your intellectual skills, through practice,
will mature.
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Course Evaluation
Midterm Mark:
Term Work (activities, assignments, quizzes)
Oral Presentation on a Poem
Comparison and Contrast Essay (due October 22nd)
Midterm Examination
20%
20%
20%
40%
Final Mark:
Term Work (activities, assignments, quizzes)
Formal Essay (due December 10th)
Midterm Grade
Final Exam
20%
20%
30%
30%
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Ms. Pultz
[email protected]
Office: 110
English Language Arts 20
Page 2
Course Literature (*subject to minor changes or additions)
Short Stories
Chabon, Michael
Hecker, Liliana
Munro, Alice
Anderson, Sherwood
Kincaid, Jamaica
Munro, Alice
Joyce, James
Tyler, Anne
McCourt, Frank
Walls, Jeannette
Wilderness of Childhood
The Stolen Party
The Red Dress
Brother Death
Girl
An Ounce of Cure
Araby
Teenage Wasteland
excerpt from Angela’s Ashes
excerpt from The Glass Castle
Poetry
Auden, W.H.
Bedard, Michael
cummings, e.e
Frost, Robert
Graves, Robert
Hayden, Robert
Housman, A.E.
Mueller, Lisel
Nowlan, Alden
Ondaatje, Michael
Page, P.K.
Piercy, Marge
Reed, Ed
Roethke, Theodore
Spender, Stephen
Thomas, Dylan
Updike, John
Wordsworth, William
Yeats, William Butler
The Average
The Playground
In Just –
Out, Out –
Warning to Children
The Whipping & Those Winter Sundays
To An Athlete Dying Young
Reading Brothers Grimm to Jenny
The Rites of Manhood & Warren Pryor
To a Sad Daughter
Adolescence
Barbie Doll
The Key of the Kingdom
My Papa’s Waltz
My Parents Kept Me
Fern Hill
Ex-Basketball Player
My Heart Leaps Up
To a Child Dancing in the Wind
Novels
Hosseini, Khaled
Martel, Yann
The Kite Runner
Life of Pi
Play
Sophocles
Antigone
Ms. Pultz
[email protected]
Office: 110
English Language Arts 20
Page 3
ENGLISH COURSE AND CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
Your academic achievement in this class depends upon your commitment to the work and your desire to
excel. Attending to the expectations and pace of this course will lead you to success.
Assistance
If you do not fully understand a lesson or an assignment discussed in class, you can always ask
for greater clarification or assistance from me either during the lunch hour or after school. I will
happily assist those seeking extra help.
Arriving Late
Arrive to class on time. If you are late, come into the classroom quietly, but at the end of class,
explain your reasons for your late arrival to me. If late arrivals become frequent, we will then
discuss solutions to the problem.
Examinations and Assignments
If you cannot write an examination or complete an
assignment on the day that it is scheduled, contact
the school that morning before 8:30. Grades of zero
accompany unexcused absences. If you have an
excused absence, you will write an alternative
examination or an alternative assignment outside of
classroom time.
Missed Work
It is your responsibility to inquire at the end of class
about assignments or handouts that you missed
because of an excused absence. Make your inquiries
the first day that you return from your absence. Ask
another student in class about notes that you might
have missed.
Food and Cell Phones
Cell phones will be turned off and put away. There
will also be no food allowed in class, however,
secured drink containers are okay for beverages.
Ms. Pultz
[email protected]
Office: 110
English Language Arts 20
Page 4
Assignment Policy
You must submit a copy of your assignment at the beginning of the class on the due date. Please
do not email your assignments to me. If you have an excused absence on the due date of an
assignment, you must submit your work on the first day that you return.
Late assignments will be deducted 10% per day, up to a maximum of 20%. After this time, you
will receive a zero. Weekends will be considered two days late, resulting in a 20% deduction.
Success in any class, begins with work that is submitted on time. Although this assignment
policy may seem severe, it is meant to encourage mature work habits and academic achievement.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and cheating is a serious offence at Luther. Students who are caught cheating or
plagiarising on a test or an assignment will receive a zero. Please see the attached handout for
further tips on avoiding this.
Finding Success in this Class
1. Arrive on time. Missing the first few minutes of class can mean missing important
announcements, critical instruction, and the context of a lesson.
2. Contribute positively and critically to class discussions.
3. Keep all daily preparations, hand-outs and assignments organized.
4. Take detailed notes. Writing down ideas will sharpen your concentration and recall.
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Term Breakdown
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•
•
Unit One: Short Stories
Unit Two: Poetry
Unit Three: The Kite Runner
•
•
Unit Four: The Life of Pi
Unit Five: Antigone
Materials
1. Pens, pencils, and lined writing paper
2. 2.5” – 3” binder
3. Dividers (5)
Sections: Short Stories, Poetry, Novel Work, Antigone, Composition Skills
Ms. Pultz
[email protected]
Office: 110