English I Example Syllabus - Oak Grove School
Course Description:
This course is designed to help you develop as critical readers and thoughtful, well organized writers.
Writing is a life skill that develops from frequent practice as well as from consistent opportunities to
think through issues and discuss them with others. We will be reading texts from around the world.
These writings will be the subject of our own literary analysis as well as being source material for you
to generate questions and proposals about vital aspects of the human experience. Students will be
expected to write both argumentative and creative papers. In order to construct excellent argumentative
papers, students will be required to understand the structure of an essay, from writing effective
sentences and paragraphs to the organization of research and presentation of a thesis. Weekly
vocabulary work will also enhance student writing and help prepare them for the SAT. Students will
also be asked to write a short story. This is an opportunity for you to express your ideas and
observations as well as apply some of the literary techniques you've studied in other readings during
the course.
Throughout the year a strong emphasis will be placed on students to take increasing
responsibility for their own learning. This means, among other things, that students must rely on their
own thinking and nascent management skills when navigating course material. Part of the teacher's role
will be to provide key resources and help facilitate all aspects of this process. Central to the success of
sharing the responsibility for learning is the development of good communication skills. Students will
be given ample opportunities to express and explore their ideas individually, in pairs and in a large
group. Following from this students will be expected to make a formal oral presentation as part of their
course work. There will be several, less formal opportunities, throughout the year as well. Finally,
students will be asked to collect their work throughout the semester in the form of a student portfolio.
The portfolio is meant to demonstrate the student's learning process. Drafts of essays or other writing,
photographs, journal entries, self-evaluations, etc. are gathered by the student as evidence of learning.
At the conclusion of each semester, each student will present their portfolios to the class. All aspects of
this course description reflect Oak Grove's Art's of Inquiry, Communication, Engagement, Aesthetics
and Caring and Relationship.
Homework:
Students should expect to spend on average 4 hours a week on homework for this class. The
homework, like all class material, is designed to be as meaningful as possible to the student. It is
therefore expected that the student will arrive in class each day having done the work. When a student
cannot come to class because of illness, s/he should email the homework to me by the next day, unless
other arrangements have been made. If for some reason homework is missed, s/he can take on extra
credit work to make up the difference.
Textbooks:
Pretense Hall, Prentice Hall Literature: World Masterpieces (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1991)
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Senn, J.A. And Skinner, Carol Ann, Heath English Level 9 (Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company,
1992)
ENGLISH I ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER
Write an original 3-5 page argumentative research paper on a writer, short story or book of
your choice. Chose a topic you find interesting and about which you will be able to find at least 3
sources (1 internet source only) and at least 6 quotes in support of your argument. If you have trouble
coming up with a topic, I will work with you to find one, but you will have to make it work for you and
find the research. The more focused the topic, the better.
Papers should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins top and bottom and 1.25
inch margins at the sides (MS Word Standard Page Settings), and using Times New Roman fond in a
12 point font-size. In the top left-hand corner of the title page, put your name, the course, and the date,
one underneath the other. Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of the page using the “footer”
command under the “View” window. On all pages except the first page you should print your last name
in the top right-hand corner of the page using the “Header” command under the “View” window.
Students should use a consistent, accepted system of citations (e.g. Footnotes or in-text
citations) and use at least two books or articles as sources. Only 1 internet source will be accepted. For
guidance on proper citations you should consult the Chicago Manual of Style included at the end this
syllabus. Make sure that you include a bibliography or works cited page (depending on the system of
citation you select), as the last page of your paper.
Papers will be graded according to the writing rubric that I will hand out in class. I grading
your paper I will pay special attention to: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency,
conventions and presentation. Making sure you use correct grammar, spelling and format is essential.
Papers should also be original, creative and authentic.
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Readings and Assignments Fall Semester
Unit One: The Writer's Craft
Goals:
- Development of oneself as a writer
- Gain exposure to different cultural perspectives on the human experience through world
literature
- Deepen critical thinking through the practice of literary analysis
Skills:
- Infer meaning from texts and develop your ideas in essay writing
- Improve word choice
- Improve sentence fluency
- Develop and express originality of ideas
- Improve writing structure / organization
- Develop communication skills in class discussion
- Develop oral presentation skills
Project:
- Dramatic reading or presentation that demonstrates or expresses some aspect of your
understanding of wisdom
Evaluation:
- Two essays
- Completion of homework assignments
- Class participation teacher & self evaluation
September 2nd - 4th
Introduction to 9th Grade English
Review of syllabus
Ground rules for discussions
Hamlet, Review & discuss about the story's main events and its “take home message” or theme
September 7th - 11th
In class: Sentence analysis of your Hamlet essay
Resource: Heath Chapters 2, page 58 ff
Hamlet Review & discuss strategies for understanding the play, including setting, plot, conflict &
character
Vocab quiz #1
September 14th - 18th
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Introduction to your Portfolio
Film: Hamlet
In class: Compare & contrast the book and the film
Assignment: Comparative essay (2-3 pages)
Vocab quiz #2
September 28th – October 2nd
Review & Discussion: parts of an essay
Due: Comparative essay
In class: paragraph analysis of your essay
Resource: Heath, Chapters 3, page 86 ff
Vocab quiz #3
October 5th - 9th
In class: Introductory paragraph & thesis review of your essay
Resource: Heath,Writing effective essays, Chapter 6, page 216 ff
In class: Introduction to the Autobiography project
Vocab quiz #4
October 12th – 16th
Subject: The essay body
In class: Revision of the body of your essay
Resource: Heath, Writing effective essays, Chapter 6, page 228 ff
Assignment: Begin reading the autobiography, etc.
Oral presentation brainstorm
Vocab quiz #5
October 19th - 23rd
Subject: The essay conclusion
In class: Review your essay conclusion based on the introduction and essay book, Resource: Heath,
Chapter 6, page 233 ff
Vocab quiz #6
October 26th - 30th
Identify & Discuss: Turning points in the autobiography that inspired you
Vocab quiz #7
November 2nd - 6th
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Assignment: Reflective essay based on an experience that was a turning point in your life
In class: Pre-writing to develop ideas for a reflective account
Vocab quiz #8
November 9th - 13th
Introduction to Catcher in the Rye, by Mary Shelley
Due: First draft of reflective essay
In class: Revision of reflective essay
November 16th - 20th
Frankenstein, The role of the outsider in literature
Due: Informal reflective essay
Oral Presentations prep.
Vocab quiz #9
November 23rd - 25th
Catcher in the Rye, inferring character
Oral Presentations Due
Portfolio prep.
Vocab quiz #10
November 30th – December 4th
Catcher in the Rye, inferring theme
Review & discuss
December 7th - 11th
Introduction to poetry
Selected Poems
Portfolio Due
December 16th - 18th
Mid-term Exam
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Readings and Assignments for Spring Semester
Unit Two: Russian Literature
Goals:
- Think deeply on the extremes of human nature as expressed in Russian literature
- Gain exposure to different cultural perspectives on the meaning of human relationship
- Deepen critical thinking through the practice of literary analysis
Skills:
- Inferring meaning from texts and developing your ideas in essay writing
- Improve word choice
- Improve sentence fluency
- Improve writing structure / organization
- Develop communication skills in class discussion
Project:
- Writing a short story
Evaluation:
- Three essays
- Completion of homework assignments
- Class participation teacher & self evaluation
January 11th -15th
Review of Spring Semester syllabus
Intro. to Russian literature
January 18th -22nd
(All literature from Pretense Hall textbook)
Tolstoy, How Much Land Does A Man Need?
Read: pages 942-952
Review & discuss the story as a parable
January 25th -29th
The Overcoat, Gogol
Context: 19th century Russia
Vocab quiz #1
February 1st - 5th
The Overcoat
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Review & discuss realism
February 8th – 12th
The Overcoat
Inferring cause and effect
February 15th – 19th
The Bet, Anton Chekhov
The metaphor of life as a gamble
Vocab quiz #2
February 22nd – 26th
The Bet
Inferring character
Making generalizations about Russian literature
Vocab quiz #3
March 1st – 5th
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
Read pages 1212-1220
Review & discuss magical realism
Vocab quiz #4
March 8th – 12th
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
Comparing surrealism and realism
March 15th - 19th
Midterm exam
March 22nd - 26th
Assignment: Creative Writing Project: writing a short story (5-10 pages),
In class: Overview of steps and resources, brainstorm theme and plot ideas
Resource: Heath, pages 406 ff.
Due: plot ideas
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********Spring Break March 29-April 11********
April 12th - 16th
J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
In class: Introduction to the elements of a short story focusing on theme, character and plot
Resource: Heath, Chapter 11, pages 406 ff
Due: character sketches
April 19th – 23rd
The Catcher in the Rye
Review & discuss the central conflict in the story and the role of conflict in storytelling.
Due: first draft of short story
Vocab quiz #6
April 26th - 30th
The Catcher in the Rye
Signs and symptoms of teenage depression – Holden as depressed?
In class: Story revision
Vocab quiz #7
May 3rd - 7th
********Camping trip*********
May 10th - 14th
The Catcher in the Rye
Due: Short story
Identifying milestones in The Catcher in the Rye
Vocab quiz #8
May 17th - 21st
The Catcher in the Rye
Review & discuss the theme of alienation
In class: Develop ideas for personal response essay (2-3 pages)
Vocab quiz #9
May 24th - 28th
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The Catcher in the Rye
Inferring theme – exploring the meaning of the title
Due: First draft of essay
Vocab quiz #10
June 1st – June 4th
Due: Personal response essay
Portfolio prep
Portfolio presentations
June 7th - 11th
Final Exam on the The Catcher in the Rye
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