LEAD Academy High School English II Lauren Bardwell

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1 LEAD Academy High School English II Lauren Bardwell Course Description In English II, students will explore and deepen their understanding of literature through a variety of literary genres (short stories, poetry, novels, plays, memoirs, and other non-fiction). Also, they will continue to improve their writing skills through a combination of narrative, expository, and argumentative compositions, the final of which will be a research-based essay and presentation. Additionally, students will build their vocabulary skills through context clues and biweekly vocabulary quizzes. Since reading and writing are a never-ending process, students should expect to re-read passages for deeper understanding as well as revise their compositions for greater precision. This is all to prepare them better for the type of work they will do in college. Essential Questions Semester 1 Semester 2 Why do we tell stories? How does an author use language to create meaning? What responsibility does the author have to the reader and vice versa? From where do we get our sense of identity? How does culture influence one s reading and writing experience? How does poetry enrich the reading experience? What is the importance of ambition? The danger? What responsibility does literature have to society? Why is it important that we consider different point of views? How do I conduct good, valid research for a project? Class Expectations We will work hard every day. We will come to class prepared. We will ask for help when we need it. We will treat each other with respect. We will take responsibility for our work and our actions. We will try our very best. A LEAD student embodies the traits of the LEAD Ethos: 1. Committed 2. Disciplined 3. Self- Reliant 4. Courageous 5. Serving Others

2 Assessment Policy Quarterly averages are calculated in the following way: Assessments 60% (timed writings, process writing pieces, exams, projects) Classwork 30% (vocabulary quizzes, informal writing, in-class assignments) Participation 10% (homework completion, daily language journal) LEAD Academy Grading Scale: A D B F 69 or below C Revisions & Test Corrections: Students will be offered the opportunity to revise or correct each major class assessment. A student can earn 100% of his or her missed points on a writing assignment and up to 50% on an exam. It is the responsibility of each student to complete revisions by the deadline provided; otherwise, revision privileges will be lost. Absence Policy: It is the student s responsibility to collect any make-up work from the days he or she missed. It is always available in the bin marked absent at the back of the room. Excused absences- Work must be made up within three days of the student s return to school for full credit. Unexcused absences- Work may be made up within three days of the absence for a maximum of 75% of the original possible grade. Suspensions Students are not allowed to make up work unless they receive permission from the School Director Primary Instructional Strategies Reading Students will read and re-read a variety of texts together this year, both major and minor. The list below is not comprehensive, and is subject to change, but it is a sampling of the kinds of texts the class will read together: Short Stories: The Story of an Hour, The Cask of Amontillado, Everyday Use, The Lady or the Tiger, and A Rose for Emily Poetry: Porphyria s Lover, My Papa s Waltz, Caged Bird, Dream Deferred, Shakespearean sonnets, and other selected poems The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Macbeth by William Shakespeare A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines These anchor literary texts will be supplemented with various informational text excerpts. Students will also be reading at least one independent text outside of class each semester, and each students is expected to have that book with him or her at all times, in all classes. Students

3 can select their own text (with approval from the instructor) for the fall semester, and all English II students will be reading Warriors Don t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals as their outside text for the spring semester to help prepare for their Civil Rights projects. Students will be assessed on the outside reading through the completion of a dialectal journal for each text. Writing Throughout this year, students will record their thinking about a variety of subjects. Written responses will be completed in numerous formats, including: Analytical paragraphs Dialectical journals Full-length literary analyses Expository essays Argumentative essays Research project Full-length papers will consist of multiple drafts and will be assessed based on strength of assertions, quality of evidence and commentary, and sophistication of style. Discussion Students will be expected to demonstrate content mastery orally in a variety of ways, including informal class discussions, think-pair-share, Socratic seminars, and the final research project presentation. Contact information and tutoring policy Available by phone/text/ until 8 p.m. (615) or lbardwell@leadacademy.org Tutoring offered Tuesdays 3:30-4:30 or by appointment Mondays and Thursdays. Course Plans\Units English I curriculum and Common Core standards: First Semester Quarter 1 (9 weeks) ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why do we tell stories? OVERVIEW: This introductory unit enables students to develop a common understanding of important literary elements, as well as a shared vocabulary for discussing them. Students will closely read a variety of short stories and poetry and engage in discussions around theme, characterization, point of view, and other literary elements. Writing instruction will be an introduction to literary analysis writing, starting with the building blocks of standard analysis paragraphs.

4 The Lady or the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe Everyday Use by Alice Walker A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Selected poems, including: Porphyria s Lover, My Papa s Waltz, Shakespearean sonnets, etc Formative assessments (focused on in-class reading of short stories and poetry): Journal responses Analysis paragraphs Annotation The Quarter 1 Summative Assessment will comprise of a multiple-choice section and 1 literary analysis paragraph. Quarter 2 (9 weeks) ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: From where do we get our sense of identity? How does culture influence our reading and writing experience? OVERVIEW: In the second unit, students will apply their knowledge of literary elements from unit one to a new literary form, the novel. As they closely analyze the author s choices in the text, they will pay particular attention to the themes of identity and culture in The Bluest Eye. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Caged Bird by Maya Angelou and Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Selected companion informational texts such as critical essays and news articles Clips from the films America the Beautiful and Good Hair Formative Assessments (focused on reading of The Bluest Eye): Reading completion quizzes Journal responses Timed writings Summative Assessments: Semester 1 Exam, comprised of multiple-choice section and 2 literary analysis paragraphs End-of-novel Socratic Seminar

5 Second Semester Quarter 3 (9 weeks) ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What is the importance of ambition? The danger? OVERVIEW: Having studied both the short story and the novel, students will now consider how poetry is different than prose, and in particular, they will examine the power and expressive potential of figurative language. Students will explore the work of William Shakespeare and will accompany their study of poetry with an examination of dramatic elements and character motivation. Macbeth by William Shakespeare Film adaptation Formative assessments (focused on reading of Macbeth): Response journals Timed writings Summative assessments: Quarter 3 Exam, comprised of multiple choice section and full-length argumentative essay Quarter 4 (9 weeks) ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What responsibility does literature have to society? OVERVIEW: In addition to extensive preparation for the English I End-of-Course Exam, students will read the novel A Lesson Before Dying and participate in a culminating research project about the civil rights. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines Selected historical informational texts Interviews with local participants in the Nashville Civil Rights Movement Formative assessments: Response journals Reading Completion Quizzes

6 EOC Practice Research Paper Process Check-ins Summative assessments: English II EOC Full-length research paper