Course Syllabus
English II Syllabus (PDF Version)
Cory McDowell
Classroom Ext.: (704) 296-3088 || 7163
Welcome to English II!!
Course Overview
In this course, we will begin to study world literature through the examination of texts from the Americas (North, South, and Central), Africa, Asia, Western Europe, and the Middle East. Students will also be introduced to critical writing. As a class, we will examine (through close-reading) the elements of the literature. The goal of this course is to learn aspects of other cultures and languages through reading, writing, speaking, and of course, thinking.
Part of the core requirements for this class is writing. Our goal is to have you as college ready as possible. This includes: argumentative, narrative, expository, persuasive, literary analysis, and compare/contrast papers. As students here at CATA, you are expected to use outside sources and form a comprehensive research essay of at least 3-4 pages.
Materials
- A composition notebook for daily writing. This will serve as your daybook. You will put handouts (taped or stapled) and your writing in this book. Everything we do on a day-to-day basis.
- Loose leaf paper or notebook
- Some sort of folder or binder for papers/handouts
- Pens and/or pencils
- Highlighters (blue, green, yellow, orange)
- Post-it notes for annotations
- Chromebook!!
Resources
Holt McDougal. Literature, Grade 10. (in-class text)
Learning Platform at Central Academy
Canvas: The majority of assignments will be submitted on our new "learning platform," Canvas. Assignments can be submitted a variety of ways including, uploading files, typing into text boxes, and sharing Google documents/presentations. Students not having used Canvas before should alert the teacher and they will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students need a refresher or have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide for specific instructions. It is the student's responsibility to ensure assignments are submitted on time and to contact the instructor if there is a problem. The Canvas Learning Platform logs every student log-in on Canvas which provides teachers with a list of when students log-in to Canvas using their user id.
Canvas is used to grade assignments as well, however, the grades in Canvas, while accurate to that assignment, are NOT the teacher’s gradebook. The teacher’s gradebook includes categories of assignments that may be weighted differently and may include grades for assignments that did not use the Canvas Learning Platform. Therefore, students and parents should always check their child’s true average on the Parent Portal on Powerschool.
Canvas Calendar will be where I post the pacing schedule for the class. Each day on the calendar is what students are supposed to have read for that day (i.e. If Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitt II is on the calendar for October 3rd, it needs to be read for October 3rd's class. It is NOT homework for that night).
EmpowerED
This provides parents with links to online resources and apps that students may access. EmpowerED
Procedures for Class
- Be respectful. To EVERYONE!
- Be prepared. Make sure you are ready when the bell rings. No one has time for shuffling, plugging in Chromebooks, etc.
- Be focused. I think this goes without saying. I WILL call on you to participate if I feel you’re not staying focused and on task.
- Be active. PARTICIPATE in discussions, helping your classmates, asking questions, etc.
- All graded materials NOT submitted through Canvas need to be put in the appropriate tray on the table.
- NO restroom breaks in the first or last 15 minutes of class.
Quizzes/Essays
You will have various quizzes throughout the semester. Quizzes will mainly be reading and vocabulary quizzes. I will never give a quiz unannounced unless I feel that the work is not being done (i.e. half the class decides they don’t want to read when they’re supposed to).
Essays will be of various scope (expository, critical, analytical, etc.) throughout the semester. Rubrics will be provided per essay. We will have several writing sessions, seminars, and peer-review opportunities along with the assignments. ALL essays will be submitted through Canvas using the plagiarism checker.
Late Work
I am not a fan of late work. Late work makes more work for me to do. However, I understand life and things happen. I will accept late work after an absence within two days after your absence. This means ONLY the work you missed on the day you were absent NOT work for the day you come back. Readings will be posted in Canvas daily. If you are absent, make sure you check the readings for the day you are coming back.
Attendance/Tutoring
Attendance is paramount to your success. If you miss a class, it is YOUR responsibility to make-up any work that you missed. As stated above and in your student handbook, you have TWO days to make up work after an absence.
I will offer tutoring on Mondays from 3:30 until 4:30. Our class is big. This will be the time you can see me outside of class for extra help and understanding, or even if you didn’t get a chance to ask a question or get clarification in class. Feel free to stop by even just for 10 minutes.
Grading
This course will be graded on the ten-point scale and will be broken down into four categories:
- Major projects/essays/tests: 40%
- Quizzes: 30%
- Participation: 20%
- Homework: 10%
Grading Scale:
A 90 - 100
B 80 - 89
C 70 - 79
D 60 - 69
F 0 - 59
*Grades in PowerSchool marked as a “0” will not be allowed to be made up
*Grades in PowerSchool marked as a “1” will be allowed to be made up within the specified amount of time per the student handbook
Grading Composition: Course work will make up 75% of your final grade; the final exam will make-up 25% of your final grade based on your performance on the English II End-of-Course Exam.
Units (preliminary and subject to change)
*Each unit will include vocabulary, written responses (creative and reading responses), and historical background, as well as, other assignments on a weekly/daily basis.
Unit I: Fairytales From Around the World/Short Stories (Various African and European selections)
Introduction to Research and Research Paper/Milestones
3 weeks
Unit II: Poetry (Various) *During this unit, students will select and participate in Poetry Out Loud. This is not optional!
Formal Assessment: Poetry Out Loud
3 weeks
Unit III: “Madea” by Euripedes (Greece)
Project I: Trials
3 weeks
Unit IV: Literary Analysis - Night by Elie Wiesel (Germany & Poland)
3 weeks
Unit V: Literary Analysis - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (African/”Response” to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness)
3 weeks
Unit VI: Literary Analysis - The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy/Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (France)
Project II: Podcast
Research Paper Due
3 weeks
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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