2008 2009 Manchester Essex Regional High School Overview of English 10 Ms. Lane lanea@mersd.org Welcome to British Literature! I enjoy teaching this course and I hope you enjoy being part of it! GOALS In this course, you will read, understand, appreciate, and (hopefully!) enjoy a wide range of British literature understand and interpret literature as a reflection of its historical context use the writing process to become a more adept writer become more skillful in your use of language as a tool for communicating and thinking read and analyze literary criticism prepare for the MCAS exam increase vocabulary improve skills in grammar and usage participate actively in the process of learning MATERIALS Please come to class each day with the following: a spiral notebook or binder with loose leaf paper for class notes a folder or binder for handouts and assignments pens and/or pencils assignment notebook textbook (Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The British Tradition, Prentice Hall Literature) COURSE OUTLINE Unit One From Legend to History: The Old English and Medieval Periods (A.D. 449 1485) The Seafarer The Wanderer The Wife s Lament Selections from Beowulf Selections from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Selections from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Selections from Morte d Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory A selection of ballads
Unit Two Celebrating Humanity: The English Renaissance (1485 1625) Readings/activities include: Sonnets by Edmund Spenser Sonnets by Sir Philip Sidney Sonnets by William Shakespeare Selections from Utopia by Sir Thomas More Selections from the King James Bible Macbeth by William Shakespeare Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Shakespeare in Love (film) Unit Three A Turbulent Time (1625 1798) Poetry by John Donne, Ben Jonson, Andrew Marvell, John Suckling, and Robert Herrick Excerpts from Paradise Lost by John Milton Eve s Apology in Defense of Women by Amelia Lanier Excerpts from Gulliver s Travels by Jonathan Swift Unit Four The Romantic Period (1798 1832) A selection of romantic and lyric poetry, including the work of: Robert Burns Joanna Baillie William Blake William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Percy Bysshe Shelley John Keats Unit Five The Victorian Period (1833 1901) A selection of poetry Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Unit Six Modern/Postmodern Periods (1901 present) Authors studied include: William Butler Yeats T. S. Eliot W.H. Auden James Joyce Virginia Woolf Dylan Thomas Wilfred Owen/WWI poets
CONTINUOUS ASSGINMENTS In addition to the units above, you will have continuous assignments in writing, research, vocabulary, grammar, and MCAS preparation. Writing You will be given written assignments, both formal and informal, for each unit. These include essays, short paragraphs, informal journal entries, and a formal research paper. Your written assignments will be graded for content and mechanics. Research We will spend a significant amount of time addressing methods of research. We will make use of the resources offered through the library and will review and use proper citation/documentation. Vocabulary You will be issued a vocabulary list on a weekly basis. We will go over new vocabulary lessons on Mondays and you will be quizzed on each lesson on Fridays. Long weekends, professional development days, etc. impact this schedule, so be sure to note any changes in your assignment book. You will have cumulative vocabulary tests after five lessons. Grammar/DOL Everyday there will be a sentence on the whiteboard. Upon arriving in the classroom, it is your job to copy down the sentence in your notebook and to make any necessary corrections. This is called Daily Oral Language or DOL. We will discuss the corrections together. Monthly quizzes will be given based on these sentences. Additionally, issues with grammar will be addressed on a diagnostic basis after writing assignments are assessed. MCAS We will practice for the MCAS throughout the year. GRADING You will be graded using a point system. Each graded piece of work will be given a point value when assigned. For example, a short homework assignment may be worth ten points, while a unit test may be worth 100. You will be graded out of the assigned
point value. This way, tests, quizzes, homework, etc., are make up an appropriate percentage of your grade, no matter how many are given throughout the quarter. Homework Your grade for the year is determined as follows: Q1 20% Q2 20% MIDYEAR 10% Q3 20% Q4 20% FINAL 10% I do not accept late homework assignments. If you do not have an assignment ready to hand in when I collect it, you will receive a zero for that assignment. Projects or papers may be handed in for late credit. I will subtract 10 percentage points for each day it is late, including weekend days. You may email an assignment to me ONLY IF YOU ARE ABSENT ON THE DUE DATE. I will not accept emailed homework, papers, or projects if you are in class on the due date. If your printer is broken, please make plans to print your assignment in the library before school. Failure to do so will result in a zero. In accordance with the MERHS Handbook, you have five school days to make up any assignments missed due to an absence. Extra Credit I do not offer extra credit on an individual basis; however, I may choose to offer an extra credit assignment to the whole class. EXTRA HELP I am more than happy to meet with you before of after school. Just make an appointment by emailing me or by coming to my cubby. You can find me before or after school in Seminar 2 in the library. My desk is in the back corner next to the photocopier. Please be advised that I am NOT available to meet Wednesdays after school. Most other days should be fine.
Email me at any time with questions or concerns. I check my e mail often, and will do my best to respond to you in a timely fashion. lanea@mersd.org I am excited to have you in my class and I can t wait to get to know you!