Course Syllabus

English IV British Literature

About the Course:

English IV comprises literature of the British Isles from the 5th century BC to present day. We cover the major eras of British history and their connections to literary periods and larger literary movements, such as the Renaissance, the Victorian Era, Modernism, and so on. We will be reading a mix of literary and informational texts as well as multimedia items. We will also build writing and speaking / listening skills to better prepare for college and the workplace.  

This year, our thematic study is of Social Order. As we move through the history of England and the British Isles, we will explore the changing political and social climates and their impacts on the literature of the period. We will also discuss various aspects of social order reflected in the literature and how those facets apply to our culture today.

About the Instructor:

April Wyche has been an educator for 9 years at both the high school and college levels. Ms. Wyche earned her BA in Secondary English Education at UNC-Chapel Hill and her MA in English Language and Literature at UNC-Charlotte. She is a North Carolina native and graduate of East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte. After taking time off to raise her two children, Ms. Wyche returned to teaching in 2012 and joined Cuthbertson High School in January of 2013. She is an active runner, enthusiastic gardener, and intrepid explorer. Ms. Wyche lives in Indian Trail with her daughter, Jordan (17), and her son, Robert (13).

Grading:

I grade on a total points method, meaning that, if in a six week period, a student earns 1000 out of 1200 possible points, then the student earns an 83% for the marking period. Grades are classified into major and minor grades.

Major grades: papers, projects, presentations, tests - These will be worth 100 points or more.

Minor grades: daily work, homework, notebook checks, quizzes - These will be worth 10 - 25 points.

Please note: Some activities will be graded in Canvas, but Canvas will not reflect your child's accurate grade. Please refer to PowerSchool for the most up-to-date grade.

Materials:

Students will need the following materials to fully participate in class:

• UCPS issued Chromebook
• Binder or spiral notebook with college-ruled paper (remember that the spiral may get damaged in your backpack and plan accordingly)
• Pocketed folder for handouts
• Pencils, pens, highlighters or colored pencils (In-class essays will need to be written with pen; we will use highlighters / colored pencils for close reading)
• 100 3 x 5 notecards (specifically, a pack that includes a majority of white with a portion of colored cards)  

Online Resources:

While students may be in the same grade, this does not mean that they have all mastered the same skills to the same extent. When building understanding and mastery of reading, vocabulary, and grammar, students benefit more from targeted learning activities customized to their individual needs. To that end, I will be using three online programs this year. One is Read Theory, which helps build comprehension and inference skills, both of which are extremely important to critical reading and analysis. The second is NoRedInk, which is a customized grammar site that helps students build their grammar skills through individualized activities. The third is Vocabulary.com, which is a great site where students can track their own progress in word mastery and study customized lists of words. All of these programs allow me to observe student growth and identify problem areas that I can then address in small groups.

I feel these are both powerful tools in your child's learning experience. Read Theory does not require students to create accounts but NoRedInk and Vocabulary.com do. I invite you to please read over NoRedInk's and Vocabulary.com's terms of service and privacy policies and complete the google form below so I have record that you have read our syllabus and are aware that we are using these online tools as part of our class.

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Syllabus Documentation