English 12 Syllabus
The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept everything they are offered.
-Jean Piaget, quoted in ”Education for Democracy, Proceedings from the Cambridge School Conference on Progressive Education”
Critical Reading
As you might have guessed, learning to actively read and critically interpret will be foundation of this course. While we are reading a short story for discussion during class time, you will likely be reading a novel or drama outside of class so that you are prepared for discussion over that particular work.
You should consider obtaining personal copies of the required reading for use during the course; however, if you do not choose to purchase the books, they may be checked out from the English department or the library.
Text List:
Pearson Common Core Literature Georgia: The British Tradition
Hamlet, Shakespeare
Teacher packets [poetry, reference, philosophy, essay] – as described in syllabus.
Style Packet: Strunk and White – The Elements of Style (4th ed). Excerpts
Vocabulary Workshop Books – Edition G
Other novels and texts as assigned
Composition
As you might suspect, composition is a crucial part of this course. You will write in various genres as we continue to explore the literature of the world. You will write (primarily) essays, poems, and short stories, and an annotated bibliography or research paper. You will write to explain, to understand, and to evaluate. You will maintain a portfolio of all your essays and creative writing tasks in the classroom. We will develop these in the first week of class.
Please anticipate technology failure and plan ahead; “my computer crashed” is not an acceptable excuse. I suggest that you buy a flash drive to transport your documents; however, this is not a requirement for the course.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Plagiarism is when you pass off the ideas of others as your own; it is stealing the ideas and/or the words of others. If you do incorporate the ideas of others (either by direct quotation or by concept), then you must document those sources in MLA format. Plagiarism DOES NOT only happen when you copy something word for word. If you are found to plagiarize on a paper, then you will receive a zero for that day’s work as well as be referred for further discipline by the administration depending on the situation.
Literature
Due to supply and demand you may or may not be issued textbooks. If you do not have a textbook issued to you, one will be provided for you in the classroom, and a link will be provided for most assignments to access online as well. If you do get assigned a textbook, please keep up with these and bring them to class EVERY DAY.
We will be covering much of the literature we read in class. I will be reading it with you, and I will do my best to explain what you do not understand. HOWEVER, be advised that if you are given a homework assignment, you will not do very well on the quizzes I give you over homework if you haven’t done the homework in the first place (and I WILL give you quizzes). These quiz grades will count once in my grade book. Sometimes you will also have post-reading quizzes; infrequently you will work with a partner on these (I will decide when you can and when you cannot; don’t whine). At the end of each unit of study or novel/play you will have a major test covering that unit or novel/play.
Novels
When novels are assigned, we will not be sitting in class silently reading for days. Much of the reading will be done outside of class, or during announced class times. We will use our time together to explain and discuss. If you do not complete the assigned reading, then your role in the class will be arbitrary. Be prepared. However, always have your novel with you. If we have a few spare minutes after an exam or task, reading is your option!
Students will be given an objective test over each novel. (Novel reading policy varies, so explanations will be provided with assignment).
Vocabulary
You will be given a vocabulary packet, (Vocabulary Workshop, Level G). BRING THESE TO CLASS EVERY DAY as we will be completing exercises in them EVERY DAY. DO NOT WORK AHEAD ON THESE EXERCISES. I want to be able to see you complete your work in class.
Almost every day you will be assigned a section in the packet to complete and receive a 100 check for the grade book as a daily grade. This helps your average, and it also helps you learn the vocabulary.
****EVERY FRIDAY YOU WILL HAVE THE USUAL VOCABULARY QUIZ OVER THE UNIT WE ARE STUDYING THAT WEEK. Remember, this quiz covers parts of speech, spelling, synonyms, antonyms, and sentence usages.
Grammar
Each week you will be given a sentence to analyze, as per the Daily Grammar Practice program. Subjects covered relative to each sentence will be parts of speech, how to diagram it, how to identify and correct errors in it, and any other material in any way relative to what the sentence says and how it is constructed. This is a practical way to hone your editing skills and to make you aware of mistakes in your own writing.
Semester One: British Literature) Time and material may be modified at teacher discretion!
Course Introduction:
(1 week)
Every course begins with a history lesson over the time period; be sure that you are there
on that day or that you makeup the worksheet! They will become useful as we try to
situate texts within their respective historical contexts.
The Anglo-Saxons: The Archetypal Hero
(2 weeks)
Students will be able to:
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Anglo-Saxon
literature;
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. evaluate Beowulf as an archetypal hero representative of the Anglo-Saxon culture
4. compare and contrast modern heroes in terms of Anglo-Saxon heroic ideals
5. recognize the commonality and difference between Old English and modern English
What characteristics of our language today derived from the Anglo-Saxons? What cultural and historical events define the Anglo-Saxon period? How is Beowulf an archetypal hero representative of the Anglo-Saxon culture? Is the idea of a “good person” subjective? A hero? How does our idea of a hero change as perspective changes?
Narrative Essay: Personal Grendels; Revision Workshop (Global concepts, grammar principles, stylistic choices – reference to Strunk and White packet)
The Middle Ages: Not Just Cavorting with Coconuts
Students will be able to…
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Medieval literature
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. correlate historical, cultural, and social aspects of Medieval life to the depictions presented in the Canterbury Tales and other selections from this time period
4. evaluate a text from various perspectives
What are the characteristics of a medieval ballad, romance, and other poetic forms common to this literary period? How is medieval literature impacted by historical events? What characteristics of medieval literature are evident in modern writing? How has language continued to evolve?
How are The Canterbury Tales a product of their age? Lecture over the changing English language. How is language continuing to evolve?
Critical Essay and Creative Writing Task
The Renaissance: The Arts Come Alive
Students will be able to…
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Renaissance
literature;
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. correlate historical, cultural, and social aspects of Renaissance life to the depictions presented in Hamlet, Paradise Lost, King James Bible, and other Renaissance poems, prose passages, and drama.
What are the characteristics of Renaissance literature? How do writers of the Renaissance convey values and reflect living conditions of that time period? How did significant historical events during the time period shape the literature? How are ideas found in Renaissance writing relevant to contemporary literature and current life situations?
Pastoral Poetry: How do the following poems adhere to their genre? Evaluate poems for speaker and purpose. What poetic devices are used in each poem? Is this a suitable response? How would you respond differently? (Elements of Literature)
Metaphysical Poetry: A Study of John Donne
Evaluate the style and the message of given passages in the Bible. What lessons does it teach? What is the literary value of the Bible? How does Milton treat this subject matter in Paradise Lose.
Hamlet: The Angst and the Fury
While other dramas and novels are read outside of class, we will read the majority of Hamlet together in class for analysis instruction. We will read Acts I, III, and V together; you will be responsible for reading Acts II and IV outside of class with a reading guide. This does vary from class to class so follow the directions for your class.
A Response Paper is due for every act; a character analysis will be at least one of those response papers.
Watch the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. Does the film do the tale justice? Do you agree or disagree with the way in which Gibson portrays the tormented Hamlet? What from the text supports your opinion? Can you reference a specific scene?
Hamlet Objective Exam and Critical Essay
The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century: Truly Reformed?
Students will be able to…
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Medieval literature
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. correlate historical, cultural, and social aspects of Restoration/18th century life to the depictions presented in “A Modest Proposal” poems, prose passages, and drama.
4. analyze and critique rhetorical strategies in a work of literature.
Discuss Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” in terms of rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos), the rhetorical triangle, and satire.
Discuss how marginalization in a societal/historical context leads to renunciation of commonly held beliefs: Read Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”
Victorian Unit Objective Exam
The Romantic Period: Age of Ideals
Students will be able to…
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Medieval literature
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. correlate historical, cultural, and social aspects of Romantic life to the depictions presented in the poetry, prose, and dramas of the period.
What is Romanticism? How is Romantic literature impacted by historical events?
In this unit we will discuss how to write a comparison/contrast essay. We will review sample essays and discuss the proper format. A revision opportunity will be given.
The Victorians: Not So Prude After All
Students will be able to…
1. define and identify literary devices as they appear in Medieval literature
2. identify literary devices when encountered in a new setting
3. correlate historical, cultural, and social aspects of Romantic life to the depictions
presented in the poetry, prose, and dramas of the period.
Examine conventions of Victorian poetry (word music, rhyme, alliteration, assonance,
theme, etc.) How does the art of the time parallel the poetry?
Semester Examination: Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) Test (pretest and posttest) counts 20% of gade.
More information will be coming about the SLOs and exam exemption.
Syllabus subject to change at the teacher's discretion