Cabrillo High School Senior English
British Literature 2016 – 2017
Course Description:This course is designed to build students’ awareness and knowledge of the history of both the English language and British literature, including the elements of British history affecting them. Covering a span of over fifteen hundred years, the course starts with the post-Roman Anglo-Saxon period, and continues chronologically through contemporary British literature, covering key movements, trends, genres, authors, and historical highlights. A major emphasis of the senior year of English at Cabrillo High School is the successful completion of the Senior Project. Students will receive multiple handouts throughout the year, explaininganddescribing specific aspects of the Senior Project.
Goals:By the end of the year, successful students will be well prepared for college level coursework. Emphasis is placed upon helping students to successfully negotiate the process of the Senior Project, including –but not limited to – the Senior Research Paper the first semester, and the completion of the Project, and the public Presentation of Project the second semester.An additional goal is to impart an understanding of the major periods in British literature, including major elements, noted works, and important authors. Integral to the understanding of the scope of British literature, is a familiarity witheach historical period, as well as with the history, evolution and growth of our English language.Hopefully, along the way students will gain adeeper appreciation and love for our marvelouslanguage and literaryheritage.
In This Course Students Will:
Increase their knowledge and depth of understanding of our English language and its history.
Develop a fluent, precise writing style, focusing on analytical non-fiction research and research writing
Increase their awareness of, and ability to follow different writing style guidelines and criteria, such as mla.
Become prepared to successfully tackle college English classes.
Meet the California Department of Education Content Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
Increase their appreciation of literature as an art form.
Major Works and Authors Covered in Class:Anglo-Saxon Period: Beowulf, Anglo-Saxon poems and riddles; Medieval Period: Ballads, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Arthurian tales & legends, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales; The Renaissance: Hamlet,Macbeth, and sonnets; The Restoration and 18th Century: Selections from Swift, Pope, Pepys, Defoe, Johnson and Gray; The Romantics: Selections from Burns, Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge,Byron, Shelley and Keats; The Victorians: Tennyson, the Brownings, and Morris; Modern: Joyce, and Lawrence.
Out of Class Readings in British Literature:Research has proven that reading comprehension is the best indicator of future success in upper-level studies and college courses. The only way for that skill to develop is throughconsistent practice; therefore, the Senior English class requires the outside reading of research material.
Instructional Materials:
Texts:Holt Literature and Language Arts 6th Course (Holt, Rinehart and Winston), William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy ofHamlet, Prince of Denmark. In fall 2016, senior teachers will pilot one new textbook for one unit.
Films Viewed: Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, PBS Great Performances (2009) NR; Macbeth with Patrick Stewart, PBS Great Performances (2010) NR. In addition, various clips may be shown in class.
Required Materials:Writing implements and notebook paper; a three-ring binder (which will be their Senior Project Portfolio, containing all Senior Project forms, student’s log entries, documentation pertaining to theirproject, and the final draft of their Senior Research Paper).
Recommended Materials: Students are encouraged to purchase a personalzip-drive/thumb-drive/usb drive so that they are always prepared to work on their Senior Research Paper. Students will be able to save in their school Google accounts as well, and should be able to access that account wherever they have access to Wi-Fi. Students should also have ready access to a computer with Microsoft Word, as well as a printer.
Assessments:Students are responsible for the content ofall assigned reading. Assessment includes a combinationofobjective quizzes, short answers, ‘Short Analytical Responses,’ and more formal writing.
Attendance, Absence, and Make-Up Work:
Attendance and Absence: Regular attendance is crucial for success. If a student knows they will be absent, they should send their assignment in with a friend, classmate, or sibling. Students are responsible for finding out about all work, reading, and assignments missed during an absence. Students haveone day’s grace for each day’s excused absence in which to make up work.
Late Assignments – Cabrillo High School English Department Policy: Unexcused late work will receive 50% credit (i.e., a late assignment given a score of 84/100 points receives 42 points of credit). Upon the fourth late assignment, the teacherwill request a student/parent/teacher conference to discuss why this is occurring.
Academic Integrity:Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable. Plagiarism is the use of another’s original ideas or writing as one’s own, without giving credit. Plagiarism can occur discussing and/or copying answers to homework assignments, assigned notes, copying information from the Internet without citing the source, or copying research papers in part or in whole. Students guilty of plagiarism will receive a zero on the assignment, and possibledisciplinary action – which mayinclude failure of the class.
Electronic Devices Policy:LUSD policies regarding electronic devices will be followed. If an electronic device is visible or on (even on vibrate) during a test, itwill result in a referral for the student, either a zero or a retake of the test, and possible disciplinary action.
Cabrillo High School English Department – Senior English Grading Policy: All grades in class are divided as follows:Process assignments/work is weighted at 20% of the semester grade; assessments (quizzes, final drafts, etc.) are weighted at 60% of the grade; the Senior Research Paper (fall) and Senior Project (spring) are weighted at 20% of the semester grade.Grades will be updatedon a regular basis, available to students and parents on Q.
Grading Scale:
90 – 100 %= A Excellent, Exceptional – Earned by an outstanding performance in all assignments
80 – 89.999 %= B Good, High-quality, Above Average
70 – 79.999 %= C Fair, Satisfactory, Average
60 – 69.999 %= D Poor, Sub-standard
0 – 59.999 %= F Failing, Unsatisfactory, Failure to do the assigned task.
It is possible to receive an F on work which while well-written and technically correct,
nonetheless fails to do what the assignment description directed the student to do.
Extra-Credit:
CHS English Department policy is that extra credit may not exceed 5% of a student’s earned points
Extra creditis not taken into account until the semester grade is posted
Absolutely no amount of extra credit will raise even a 89.999 % B+ grade, to an A grade
Very fewextra-credit opportunities are given throughout the year, do not count on them to raise a grade.
Support and Intervention Strategies: Students who need help are encouraged to their instructor. Also, Cabrillo’s chapter of the National Honor Society has tutoring available in the library (check with the NHS for days and times). If your studentneeds more help, we can work together to get them the additional help they need to succeed.
We look forward to a wonderful year in English 12, British Literature and Composition. Please know that we are available to answer any questions. Our goal is too help each student be successful.
Email is the best form of communication:Voicemail: 805) 742-3768
805) 742-3492
805) 742-3920
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