Course Syllabus

English II Syllabus

Mrs. Hall   Fall 2019

Room E124    704-290-1520

alison.hall@ucps.k12.nc.us

Students in English II will read, write, discuss, and write about both classical and contemporary world literature.  They will examine pieces of world literature in a cultural context to appreciate the diversity and complexity of world issues and to connect global issues to their own experiences.

Reading:

Weeks 1-3: Night a novel by Elie Wiesel

Weeks 4-6:  Mythology including Oedipus Rex

Weeks 7-9 A Thousand Splendid Suns a novel by Khaled Hosseini

Weeks 10-12 Julius Caesar a play by William Shakespeare

Weeks 13-15 Les Miserables a video unit

Weeks 16-18 Non-fiction and EOC review

*schedule is tentative and is subject to change. You can also expect a quiz after any assigned reading you have that will mostly be done outside of class… And no, Sparknotes will not get you a passing grade.

Class Assignments

Article of the Week:

Each Monday you will receive an article with a weekly assignment.  This will be due every Friday.  You will find the assigned article on Canvas – it will be your responsibility to print it and have it ready by Friday.  Late AOW’s WILL NOT be accepted!  There is no excuse for not getting an assignment done that you have all week to complete.  If you are going to be absent on Friday, turn in your AOW on Thursday.  If there is an extenuating circumstance then you must let me know about it prior to Friday.

Writing:

Throughout the semester you will work on developing your writing skills.  Being able to write well is an essential skill for everything in life.  You will write frequently, and you will learn to love it J

You will have a writing piece that goes along with each unit we complete in class.  We will also focus on EOC practice writing prompts throughout the semester because as you know, the EOC is a big part of your grade and passing this class.  We will do practice EOC writing and/or test questions frequently.  And we also must focus on how to correctly research and cite sources – this will be very important for your upper level classes and especially college! 

Grammar:

Correct grammar is essential to becoming a well-developed writer.  For this reason we will work on specific grammar skills throughout the semester.  Something else to rejoice about!

Grading:

I grade on a points system – meaning smaller assignments will be worth less points, and larger assignments will be worth more points.  You will find all of your work is given a point value – such as 5/10.  All you have to do to figure out your percentage grade is divide the numbers… So a 5/10 is obviously a 50%.  But with it only being worth 10 points out of let’s say 200 for the 6 weeks, a 50% will not hurt your overall grade very much.  If you ever have a question about a grade you receive, please come see me before or after class – never come up in the middle of class to dispute a grade with me.

As long as you allow it, we will have fun in here.  You decide the atmosphere of the classroom.  Don’t forget to make use of tutoring, if necessary.  Just be sure to let me know if you plan to come by so I can make sure I am definitely available.  I am usually flexible in finding a day and time that works with both of our schedules.  If you ever need help, even if it’s not in English, I will always do my best to assist you.  I look forward to a great year!