Honors English IV & Advanced Composition
BCSD Honors Syllabus
School: Stratford High School
Instructor: Connie Moak
E-mail: [email protected]
Classroom Number: Room 423
Course Description:
English IV Honors/Advanced Composition and Rhetoric offers students the opportunity to expand their battery of
critical thinking strategies and to employ those strategies toward more effective narrative, expository, and
persuasive writing. This course will build upon previous instruction in and practice with composition: the writing
process, command of conventions (sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling), research methods,
and writing for a variety of audiences. Students will focus on reading selections from British and world literature
as well as nonfiction literary and informational texts using those experiences as models for writing. Students
who complete this course of study will be able to read a prompt, recognize the kind of writing required, and
respond to the prompt effectively within given time constraints.
Course Objectives:
To prepare students for continued, rigorous application of critical thinking strategies to texts of increasing
difficulty; to prepare students to express ideas clearly, coherently, and persuasively in writing; to prepare
students to reflect accumulated literacy skills as well as process and content knowledge in current and future
high-stakes testing situations (SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement exams); and to give students the academic
confidence necessary to pursue English classes at the collegiate level.
The purpose of this course is to “help students move beyond such programmatic responses as the five-paragraph essay that provides
an introduction with a thesis and three reasons, body paragraphs on each reason, and a conclusion that restates the thesis. Although
such formulaic approaches may provide minimal organization, they often encourage unnecessary repetition and fail to engage the
reader. Students WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO PLACE THEIR EMPHASIS ON CONTENT, PURPOSE, AND AUDIENCE AND TO ALLOW THIS
FOCUS TO GUIDE THEIR ORGANIZATION.” –College Board
Textbook/Materials:
Primary texts:
Elements of Literature: Essentials of British and World Literature, Sixth Course. Ed. Kylene Beers et
al. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2010.
Nadell, Judith et al. The Longman Writer: Rhetoric and Reader. New York: Pearson Education Inc.,
2006.
Secondary texts/Resource texts:
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to
Reading Between the Lines. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
Hacker, Diane. A Pocket Style Manual. 5th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.
nd
Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. 2
Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Weinstein, Larry. Writing at the Threshold: Featuring 56 Ways to Prepare High School and
College Students to Think and Write on the College Level. Urbana, Illinois: NCTE, 2001.
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 1 of 14
Novel sets and supplemental texts including but not limited to:
Gilgamesh (excerpts)
The Iliad (excerpts) by Homer
The Aeneid (excerpts) by Virgil
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
The Inferno (excerpts) by Dante Alighieri
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
1984 by George Orwell
The works of literature which appear within this course are the cornerstone of the Western Canon as well as the
foundation for the Advanced Placement Readings lists (challenging, college-level reading for mature, discerning students).
The purpose of literature is not to please, but to make the reader think. The purpose of literature is not to affirm the
reader’s beliefs, but, rather, to challenge them, so that they might be affirmed or rejected. Each work of art is an
expression of the human experience in all its richness, its diversity, its conflicting opinions. Some literature at this level
may be seen by some as dark and depressing; however, a mature reader knows that light and dark, pleasure and pain, joy
and sadness are inextricably intertwined as part of the human experience, each defining and making possible the
alternative. The themes of these diverse works attempt to question life’s important issues : the nature of man, the
purpose of life, the existence of a higher power, the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom, the moral dilemma of good and
evil, and more. Students and/or parents who object to a particular work either on the in-class or out-of-class reading list
may, after contacting the teacher, elect to substitute a work chosen by the teacher which is equally rigorous and which
fulfills the objectives of the assignment.
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 2 of 14
Course Requirements
Schedule:
THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND/OR TIME CONSTRAINTS.
SC English IV
Date
Topics Covered/Major Assignments
Objectives
Standards/Indicators
Daily
Bellringers based on Kiester’s The Chortling Bard: Caught’ya
Grammar with a Giggle for High School Students
Standard E4 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
See comments at end of schedule
Weeks 1-4
Diagnostic Assessments (both SAT-based and online)
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Anglo-Saxon
Literature/ The
Epic in Classical
Literature
Anglo-Saxon Lit.---Beowulf, The Seafarer, The Dream of the
Rood, Anglo-Saxon Riddles (time permitting)
The student will also identify the following literary elements: epic, epic
hero, tragic hero, archetype, and symbol; to identify the qualities of an epic
hero in Beowulf; identify qualities valued in Anglo-Saxon society and
compare those values to today’s societies; identify and apply conventions
of epic poetry; synthesize definition of archetype and examine how
archetypes enhance a piece of literature; define, identify, and correctly use
given vocabulary.
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Epics: Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Aeneid
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Nonfiction Book Study: How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Standard E4 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Writing: College Application Essay
Standard E5 : E45.2, E45.3, E45.6
Circle Discussions—Character Analysis, epic conventions (tie to
meaning of the work as a whole)
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
SAT Preparation: Scoring Anchor Papers, Deconstructing the
Prompt, Practice Timed-Writing Formula
Unit Test: Classical Literature (Epics)
Summative Test: Anglo-Saxon Literature (online; based on a cold
reading)
Week 5
Grammar Review—Sentence Combining
Medieval
Literature
Anglo-Saxon Lit/Medieval.---Gawain, Canterbury Tales
Writing: Writing conferences
Final Drafts: College App. Essay
Creation of Personal Codes
Hero Resumes
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.6, E42.7, E42.8
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Novel Study: Doctor Faustus
Standard E45 : E45.1, E45.2, E45.3, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 3 of 14
The student will identify the following literary elements: romance,
antagonist, protagonist, symbol, frame story; identify the qualities of an
epic hero in Gawain; compare Gawain to Beowulf; identify the elements of
medieval society, monastic life and the chivalric code; define, identify, and
correctly use given vocabulary.
Week 6
Medieval Lit---Canterbury Tales, Federigo
Medieval
Literature
Major Project: Modern Pilgrimage
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.6, E42.7, E42.8
Novel Study: Doctor Faustus
The student will identify the following literary elements: frame story,
personification, verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony; provide
examples of irony from stories; close analysis of pilgrims; define, identify
and correctly use given vocabulary.
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Unit Test: Medieval Literature
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E44.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45: E45.2, E45.3, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Week 7
Doctor Faustus
Renaissance
Drama
Blog entries: Doctor Faustus; Quote Challenge
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Nonfiction Book Study: How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Documented Essay/ Peer Revision
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
The students will write a character analysis based on the literature studied;
read a major play; evaluate a play as a performance piece; identify
Christopher Marlowe as a major playwright; identify the elements of
Elizabethan lifestyle, theater, time period, and belief systems and their
impact on the meaning of the work as a whole; work cooperatively in
groups to create a final product; identify the following dramatic terms:
antagonist, protagonist, foil, tragedy, soliloquy, theme, rising action, falling
action, climax, conflicts, comic relief, motive, Faustian bargains; make oral
presentations; define, identify, and correctly use given vocabulary.
Standard E45 : E45.3, E45.4, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Week 8
Shakespeare/ Henry V
Henry Projects
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Nonfiction Book Study: How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Shakespeare
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E4 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45.3, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 4 of 14
The students will write a character analysis based on the literature studied;
read a major play; evaluate a play as a performance piece; identify William
Shakespeare as a major playwright, identify the elements of Elizabethan
lifestyle, theater, time period, and belief systems; work cooperatively in
groups to create a final product, participate in student-initiated analysis of
Henry V (based on established guidelines); identify the following dramatic
terms: antagonist, protagonist, foil, tragedy, soliloquy, theme, rising action,
falling action, climax, conflicts, comic relief, motive; make oral
presentations; define, identify, and correctly use given vocabulary.
Week 8-10
Macbeth
Acting Exercises
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Thought Questions/Macbeth Blog
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.6, E42.7, E42.8
Shakespeare
Major Project: Motif Projects
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Peer Revision
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Documented Essay (Motif)
See Week #8
The student will also identify accurate portrayals of characters made by
actors; reflect understanding of play through a dramatization of key scenes;
create a written product (motif presentations) that demonstrates
understanding of plot, character motivation, and dramatic conventions;
conduct research to prepare for motif presentations; and construct strong
thesis statements.
Standard E45 : E45.2, E45.3,
Misplaced Modifiers
Standard E46 : E46.1, E46.2, E46.3, E46.4,
E46.5, E46.6, E46.7
Week 10
Dante—The Inferno, Cantos I, III, V, XXXIV
Renaissance
Paradise Lost—“The Fall of Satan”
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4, E
E41.5, 41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
In-class Essay (AP based prompt)
Nonfiction Book Study: How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E4 4: E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
See Week #1-4
The student will also identify and apply the following literary terms:
allegory, symbol, theme, point of view, personification; compare Macbeth
and the characters in The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost for
commonalities (traitors); create illuminated manuscripts reflecting the
literary elements of the literary selections; define, identify, and correctly
use given vocabulary.
Standard E45 : E45.3, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Week 11
English
Renaissance/
Protectorate
Petrarch, Cavalier Poets
John Donne
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Novel Study: Pride and Prejudice
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E4 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45 : E45.6
Standard E6 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 5 of 14
The student will identify the following literary terms: sonnet, oxymoron,
meter, rhyme, rhyme scheme, alliteration, metaphor, tone, imagery,
personification; identify the ideals of Renaissance culture; identify the
concept of carpe diem; provide examples of carpe diem from other sources;
develop skills in writing a précis; use the précis as a tool to summarize and
evaluate background reading information.
Week 11-12
Alexander Pope
Restoration
Humor, Wit, and Satire
Modest Proposal/Sam. Johnson
Journal of a Plague Year
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
The student will identify humor, wit, satire, Rationalism, Romanticism,
theme; apply definitions of humor, wit, and satire to visual examples;
demonstrate understanding of satire by creating a satire; combine and
revise sentences in order to create variety, interest, and emphasis in his/her
writing.
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Novel Study: Pride and Prejudice
Standard E4 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Active/Passive Voice
Standard E45 : E45.4, E45.5, E45.6
SAT prompt based on A Dictionary of the English Language
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.7
Creative Essay Assigned (Satire)
Unit test: Renaissance/Restoration
Week 13
Burns, Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge
Romantics
Creative Writing Assignment
Novel Study: Pride and Prejudice
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
The student will identify the following literary terms: Romanticism, sonnet,
oxymoron, meter, rhyme, rhyme scheme, alliteration, metaphor, tone,
imagery, personification; analyze poems by the same author (to identify
author’s style); demonstrate understanding of satire by creating a satire;
define, identify, and correctly use given vocabulary; combine and revise
sentences in order to create variety, interest, and emphasis in his/her
writing.
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45 : E45.4, E45.5, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.1, E46.2, E46.3, E46.4,
E46.5, E46.6, E46.7
Week 14-15
Byron, Keats, Tennyson, Browning, Hardy, Housman, Tolstoy
Romantic/
Parallelism
Victorian Period
Novel Study: Pride and Prejudice
Documented Essay for novel (research paper)
Unit Test: Romantic/ Victorian Period
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45 : E45.2, E45.4, E45.5
Standard E46 : E46.1, E46.2, E46.3, E46.4,
E46.5, E46.6, E46.7
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 6 of 14
See Week #13
Week 16
Twentieth
Century
1984 or other novel
Auden, Thomas
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2, E41.3, E41.4,
E41.5, E41.6, E41.7, E41.8
T.S. Eliot
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
Mini-project: 1984 Products (speech, advertisement, postcard)
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
The student will identify the following literary elements in Orwell’s novel:
setting, theme, characterization, foreshadowing, plot, irony, symbol,
allegory, and author’s style; research and analyze the work of a
contemporary author; write essays using complete sentences, a thesis
statement with supporting evidence, and parenthetical documentation;
define, identify, and correctly use given vocabulary words.
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45 : E45.1, E45.2, E45.5, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5,
E46.6, E46.7
Week 17
Contemporary
Literature
(if time
permitting)
Heaney
Novel Study: Student selected Booker/Whitbread/Orange prize
winners
Standard E41: E41.1, E41.2,
E41.3, E41.4, E41.5, E41.6, E41.7,
E41.8
Debate: “Moak Prize”
Standard E42 : E42.1, E42.2, E42.3, E42.4,
E42.5, E42.7, E42.8
The student will research and analyze the work of a
contemporary author, culminating in a debate in which
the students will teach his/her classmates about the
chosen work and defend its literary merit as well as
assess classmates’ understanding.
Standard E43 : E43.1, E43.2, E43.3, E43.4
Standard E44 : E44.1, E44.2, E44.3, E4.4,
E44.5, E44.6
Standard E45 : E45.4, E45.5, E45.6
Standard E46 : E46.2, E46.3, E46.4, E46.5, E46.7
Week 18
FINAL EXAMS
Daily Routine:
Bellringers based on Kiester’s The Chortling Bard: Caught’ya Grammar with a Giggle for High School Students
These bellringers that this class utilizes are based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing. These bellringers allow us to integrate literature
(Shakespearean comedy), expand vocabulary, reinforce grammar rules, practice proofreading/editing, and prepare for the grammar section on
standardized tests.
These exercises target: more than 300 vocabulary words, paragraphing, punctuation (including quotations), subjects and predicates, eight parts of speech, subject/verb agreement,
collective nouns, who/whom/that/which, titles and how to write them, avoidance of passive voice, active verbs, verb tense agreement and consistency, correct form of many verbs, all
nine comma rules, common homophones, basic spelling rules, conjunctions (memorization and proper use thereof), prepositions and prepositional phrases as adjectives and adverbs,
use of infinitives, common and proper nouns, pronoun use and overuse, antecedent/pronoun agreement, proper use of pronouns, revising fragments and run-ons, syntax (sentence
types), letter writing format, modifier agreement, irregular verbs (especially “lie/lay” and “sit/set”), use of gerunds, parallel construction, direct and indirect objects, recognition of
phrases and clauses, subordinate clauses and punctuation therein, participial phrases, analogies, common literary devices and writing conventions such as use of specific figurative
language to create description within dialogue, various types of writing (descriptive, expository, persuasive, etc.), effective adjective and adverb use, editing, proofreading, and the
writing process.
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 7 of 14
Writing Assignments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Write at least one documented research paper incorporating direct quotes and paraphrased
information gathered from at least 6 sources. All quotes and paraphrases should be credited
via appropriate parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page
Write at least one 1000 word, multi-paragraphed essay dealing with in-text analysis, focusing
on (but not limited to)
motif analysis
character analysis
theme analysis
analysis of literary conventions (such as tragic hero) or other literary device
Generate multiple drafts to create two polished essays (these products may employ first or
second person point of view)
College Application Essay
Satire (using Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” as a model)
Write at least one well-developed response to an essay question for each unit test
After deconstructing the SAT prompt and practice writing thesis statements with textual
support, students will write at least two timed responses to SAT-like prompts
Respond to at least one extended timed-response prompt based on current literature under
study (40 minutes; similar to AP Literature prompt)
Individually prepare and deliver at least one 5-10 minute presentation in front of the class,
employing some kind of visual aid (such as but not limited to a prop, poster, Animoto, or Power
Point slides)
Create and deliver an original skit based on Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, incorporating a
frame story, a group prologue (in couplets), individual character prologues, and individual tales
which must be both entertaining and instructive. This group assignment is adapted from
Degen’s Prospero’s Magic.
Tests:
Unit Tests on the following units:
Classical Literature
Medieval Literature
Renaissance/Restoration
Romantics/Victorians
Objective Tests on the following selections:
Novels for summer reading (grade combined with prepared essays submitted on novels)
Doctor Faustus
Macbeth
Pride and Prejudice
1984
Final Exam – (worth 10% of the final grade) based on:
knowledge of literary time periods and their identifiers,
knowledge of literary terms,
specific knowledge of pieces selected as representatives for each time period
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 8 of 14
Grading Procedures and Weights:
The Berkeley County Guidelines for Written Work (see attached) are sent home and returned with
signatures at the beginning of the course. All written assignments will adhere to these policies.
These grade weights correspond to the universal grade weights established by the Stratford
English Department.
40%
Reading quizzes, daily assignments, homework, and participation
In-class writing assignments, projects, reading journals
60%
Major tests and multi-draft writing assignments
(Research Paper will comprise 10% of this grade within the grading period it was assigned. Since the research
paper is a multi-stage, multi-draft, cumulative assessment, the grade weight reflects the level of effort involved.)
Statewide Grading Scale
Numerical Grade
Letter Grade
100-93
A
92-85
B
84-77
C
76-70
D
Below 70
F
Requirements:
Submit all assignments with a correct MLA heading
Format all formal papers in correct MLA format
Course Policies:
Late Work: Work submitted late will be penalized as detailed below:
Major assignments/projects/essays—10 points per day
Daily assignments/homework submitted late will only be accepted at the teacher’s discretion
(if an absence is not involved) and may receive a grade of zero.
ALL late work submitted must have a “Late Assignment” form attached.
Research Paper:
This class will adhere to the policies established in collaboration by the Stratford English Department. Any
plagiarism will be handled as per the policies set forth in both the Berkeley County Guidelines for Written Work
and the Stratford English Department Research Paper policies (see attached).
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 9 of 14
Attachment A
BERKELEY COUNTY
GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS – English I – English IV
The following criteria are intended to help students with writing essays for all classes by providing
students and teachers alike with general and consistent guidelines. Keyboarding students should
check with their keyboarding teachers if they have questions about different requirements for wordprocessing various business documents.
FORMAT GUIDE
All paragraphs and essays should be
written neatly in blue or black ink or typed in black ink
if handwritten
then on white, standard loose-leaf notebook paper without spiral edges
within the printed margins of the paper
on one side of the paper only
if typewritten, using MLA formatting requirements
then on standard white 8 1/2 x 11-inch typing paper
with margins set at 1 inch all around
in a 12-point font
preferably in Times New Roman or Arial
with all text double spaced
with headers and a heading (Writers Inc, 250)
All paragraphs should
be indented (whenever there is a change in speaker [dialogue] or a change in idea or action)
be written in Standard American English
have a beginning, a middle, and an end
consist of complete sentences (no fragments or run-ons)
A well-written paper has
a clearly stated main idea
details and examples to thoroughly develop and support the main idea
a clear and unified presentation of the information
a logical sequence or organization of ideas, including an introduction, a body, and a conclusion
smooth transitions from one idea to the next (Writers Inc, 115)
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 10 of 14
STYLE GUIDE:
Avoid using 1st person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ourselves) and 2nd person
pronouns (you, your, yours, yourself) unless instructed to do so.
The title of a paper should have each important word capitalized. Do not put quotations around the
title or underline it. Underline or italicize only titles of books, plays, magazines, CDs, and other whole
works by other writers.
Use a dictionary if even slightly unsure of a word's spelling.
Use only generally accepted abbreviations, such as A.M., P.M., Mrs., or Dr., for example.
- Do not use "impt." for important, "w/" for with, or "b/c" for because. (see also Writers Inc, 679)
-Do not use "etc." or "&."
-Use numbers and numerals correctly. (Writers Inc, 678)
-Use the dictionary to divide words properly between their syllables.
-CANNOT is always one word.
-A LOT is always two words.
-HISSELF, THEIRSELVES, IRREGARDLESS, and ALRIGHT are not words. Use
himself, themselves, regardless, and all right.
-Do not use contractions in a formal paper.
Do not write "The End" at the end of your paper or begin with “this paper will tell you about.”
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 11 of 14
CONVENTIONS GUIDE:
Below is a list of errors and the points to be subtracted each time the mistake appears in the paper.
ERROR
English I
English II
English III/ English IV/ AP
(by mid-term)
Spelling/
Capitalization
3 point
3 points
5 points
10 points
End Punctuation
5 points
10 points
10 points
10 points
All Other
Punctuation
3 points
3 points
5 points
Word Usage
(see notes below,
includes poor word
choice, wrong word
choice, and slang)
3 points
3 points
3 points
Agreement
3 points
5 points
10 points
Sentence
Structure
(includes SF
CS and RO)
3 points
5 points
10 points
Verb
Usage
1 point
3 points
5 points
3 points
5 points
10 points
3 points
3 points
5 points
shift in
tense
principal
parts of
the verb
Pronoun
Case
Students will receive separate grades for conventions and content. Point deductions will be taken from
the conventions grade.
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 12 of 14
WORD USAGE GUIDE: (see also Writers Inc, "Using the Right Word," 692-701)
its
it's
= belonging to it
= it is
It's easy to forget the tire
needs its pressure checked regularly.
whose
who's
= belonging to whomever
= who is
Who's going to find out whose jacket that is?
they're
their
there
= they are
= belonging to them
= in that place
They're looking for their car which they
thought they had parked over there.
your
you're
= belonging to you
= you are
Your brother told me that you’re planning to go
to Florida for spring vacation.
among
= used when referring
to more than two
= used when referring
to only two
The crowd of kids chattered among themselves,
trying to decide between going to a movie or going
skating.
to
too
two
= in the direction of
= also or excessively
= the number "2"
The two runners raced to the finish line too
quickly and ended up colliding with each other.
They were injured, too.
accept
except
= receive or believe
= other than or besides
I accept Sue's story, but I also wonder why
no one except her saw what happened.
affect
effect
= influence or bring about
= result
We know how smoking can affect our health.
One effect of smoking is heart disease.
amount
number
= refers to bulk or volume
= refers to separate units
The amount of weight you lose partly depends
on the number of calories you consume.
less
fewer
= refers to bulk or volume
= refers to separate units
Because you eat fewer sweets, you may
gain less weight.
than
then
= used to compare/contrast
= used to tell when
She insisted her puppy was cuter than mine,
and then she made fun of mine.
between
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 13 of 14
STRATFORD HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
RESEARCH PAPER STANDARDS
The following standards have been adopted by the Stratford High School English Department for research
papers:
1. All research papers are to be submitted in the MLA (Modern Language Association) composition and
documentation style. Copies of the MLA Handbook and MLA Style Manual are available from the
library and English teachers.
2. All papers submitted for grading must be accompanied with proof of research (photocopied
pages/printouts from text, periodical, and Internet sources with passages in the copies/printouts
highlighted to indicate specific information the student utilized in his or her research paper. Students
also maintain and submit rough draft(s) of research paper.
3. The research paper should be presented in 12 point font in Times New Roman in black ink on
8 ½” X 11” unlined white paper unless otherwise instructed by the teacher.
4. PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the presentation of another writer’s words or ideas as if they were your
own. While you may not think “borrowing” a phrase or two from an author for your research papers is
the same as pirating millions of dollars of CDs, the principle is the same. The author’s words and ideas
belong to the author, and using them without permission or acknowledgement is stealing. Once
taught by an English teacher how to avoid plagiarism, the student assumes the responsibility to
present original research papers correctly documented and cited. Individual cases of suspected
plagiarism will be reviewed by English department teachers and determined if the student is to receive
the punishment as required by the Stratford High School handbook/planner: Cheating or submitting
a plagiarized paper will result in a “zero” for the assignment.
5. Teachers will provide students with specific guidelines regarding required number of sources, content,
and citation information required for the final research paper and related daily and homework
assignments.
6. Final research papers and any supporting materials as required by the teacher
count as 5% of a nine weeks grade for English I and 10% of a nine weeks grade for English II-IV levels.
Late papers will result in a deduction of ten points for each day late from the final score Students
who do not submit the final paper within three days of the due date will receive a zero on the paper.
In addition to the final research paper grade, the student may have other grades associated with the
student’s progress during the research unit and presentation of the research information.
7. Unless otherwise instructed by the English teacher, all research papers are to be written without the
use of first or second person pronouns (except in direct quotes and titles). The pronouns to be
avoided are the following: I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves, you, your, yours,
yourself, and yourselves.
Student Signature__________________________ Parent Signature___________________________
Honors English IV Syllabus, 2010-2011
Page 14 of 14