Honors English II
2014 - 2015
Michael W. Williams, Ph.D.
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away,
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry–
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll–
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears a Human soul.
-- Emily Dickinson
Course Overview
This course exposes students to a number of literary works that have been identified and labeled as core elements of both the “traditional” and “contemporary” versions of the literary canon. As we explore selected texts from Antiquity to Modernity, students will gain a greater appreciation of how the written word can both entertain and enlighten. To this end, students engage the text first as work of entertainment – a “story” crafted to captivate the reader – and, second, as a text to be analyzed in terms of its craftsmanship, the insights of its writer into the human condition, and its ability to reveal the cultural milieu in which it was created. The literary element of the course is divided into four major historical eras: Antiquity, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern. The Antiquity and Medieval eras will be covered in the 1st semester and the Early Modern and Modern eras in the 2nd semester.
In addition to the literary element of the course, students will focus on the craft of writing. The craft of writing component of the course focuses on three elements: vocabulary development, language exercises, and essay writing. Vocabulary development facilitates greater accuracy and nuance in one’s writing. Language exercises (grammar, usage, mechanics, and sentence construction) target the production of clear, effective sentences that are grammatically correct. The art of editing one’s or another’s work for clarity and style is an important by-product of language exercise work. The essay writing component focuses on crafting paragraphs that are appropriate for the topic at hand and the type of essay (descriptive, expository, narrative, or persuasive) requested. Along the way, the internal logic paragraph construction and essay construction (the relationship of one paragraph to the next) will be addressed.
“The Quest for Illumination”
Inspired by decades (yes, I am that old) of reading and reflection about the nature of a liberal arts education, this course embraces the inquiry-based model of learning. Oft-times, “education” is simply the teacher speaking from his or her bully pulpit in hopes that the words uttered will somehow flow into the “empty vessels” sitting before the teacher. In this typical model of passive learning, the student takes lecture notes, often erroneously, and does the assigned reading with the hope of gleaning the most important information and/or concepts. Indeed, in this model, the vast majority of students see lectures and texts [whether they be essays, novels, poems, plays, and/or short stories] as simply an accumulation of “key” facts or concepts that must be digested and then regurgitated come examination day. The resultant foul stench drives students away from the feast table that is knowledge. Students are rarely encouraged to genuinely look, smell, and taste what it is they are about to consume. Nor are students asked to imagine how different combinations of spices might alter the taste of the meal.
In stark contrast, the inquiry-based model calls upon the teacher to create an environment in which students come to the feast table of knowledge eager to sample the fare. In such a course, students are made aware that knowledge is more than the progressive absorption of more and more information. Students gradually come to the realization that knowledge occurs when one can synthesize information and/or concepts into comprehensible relationships. In our case, this means when one make connections between works of literature and identify the universal elements of a given text and differentiate those elements that are particular to a text produced in a given time period.
Our inquiry-based classroom will utilize a Workshop Model where I serve as the Master Craftsman and you play the role of young apprentices to the craft. I will provide a systematic, structured environment in which your knowledge of literature will grow as will your capacity to interpret and write about literature. Students will be continually asked to pose questions about the materials under review and to offer up tentative answers of their own-making – in other words, to practice the Art of Scholarship. To facilitate this process, students will read a handful of academic articles that modelliterary analysis.By the end of our intellectual journey, students should be confident, independent thinkers willing to venture out on their own. Such a journey is not easy. However, the knowledge one gleans as a result of the experience will enable students to illuminate the pathway of future intellectual endeavors.
Components of the Apprenticeship Program
Class Participation (24% - 480 points)
Discussion (8%) – 4 x 40 points
Discussion is a critical component of this course and will center on assigned readings. As a general rule, discussion will open in small group format (three or four students per group) and close in large group format (the entire class). The intent of the small group format is to expose students to a wide variety of viewpoints as they discuss the reading or critique student writing about the assigned reading. The goal of the large group format is to sharpen each student’s critical thinking and oral argumentative skills as I pose queries regarding the topic at hand. A student will automatically receive 34 points (a “B”) each grading cycle provided he has annotated the texts under review, participates in small group discussion, and demonstrates a basic grasp of the material when called upon. A student’s point count will go up if he demonstrates a thorough understanding of the material under review or down if he is not prepared to discuss the material under review or has not annotated the assigned reading.
Language Exercises (6%) – 4 x 30 points
As part of the craft of writing program, students will participate in a number of grammar, usage, mechanics, and sentence construction exercises. A reminder, language exercises target the production of clear, effective sentences that are grammatically correct. Additionally, students will complete a number of editing exercises with a focus on editing for clarity and style as well as grammar, usage, and mechanical elements.
Notebook (6%) – 2 x 60 points
Students are required to keep a notebook. This notebook will be turned-in the day of each Unit Essay Exam. The notebook will consist of three sections: Lecture notes, Languagenotes, and Writing Processnotes. These notes will serve as a valuable resource for exam preparation and for the Reflective Writing portion of the course
Vocabulary Exercises (4%) – 4 x 20 points
As part of the craft of writing program, students will be given vocabulary exercises to complete. The purpose of the vocabulary exercises is to expand a student’s vocabulary so that he has words at his disposal that can give his essays greater accuracy and nuance.
Objective Exams & Quizzes (26% - 520 points)
Language / Vocabulary Exams (10%) – 4 x 50 points
The language portion of the exam(thirty questions) is designed to check for mastery of such language topics as grammar, usage, mechanics, and sentence construction. Upon occasion, the language portion of the exam willinclude questions thataddress editing for clarity and style. The vocabulary portion (twenty questions) of the exam will test student mastery of a given list of vocabulary words and/or wood roots as well as word usage.
Unit Exam: Multiple-Choice Element (8%) – 2 x 80 points
A Unit Exam will begiven at the conclusion of each unit (Antiquity, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern). The multiple-choice portion of the Unit Exam will consist of multiple-choice questions that address basic plot developments, the role and function of key characters, and the location and significance of setting in the assigned texts. Questions concerning the underlying structure of the assigned texts may be posed as well.
Semester Exam: Multiple-Choice Element(8%)– 1 x 160 points
The multiple-choice portion of the Semester Exam will consist of eighty questions and be divided into two parts. Part One will be a series of questions dealing with the English Language while Part Two will consist of questions that ask students to recall the key plot developments, characters, and setting of the various pieces of literature read over the course of the semester.
Essay Exams (24% - 480 points)
Unit Exam: Essay Element (16%) – 2 x 160 points
There will be two Unit Exams per semester – Classical Literature (Antiquity) and Medieval Literature 1st semester and Early Modern Literature (Renaissance to 1800) and Modern Literature (1800 – present) 2nd semester.Each Unit Exam will require students to respond to a series of quotes from the assigned texts read in that unit.
Semester Exam: Essay Element (8%) – 1 x 160 points
Drawing upon at least one work from the 1st chronological period of the course and one from the second chronological period, students will develop a sustained essay that addresses character development, plot structure, or a selected theme.In addition, students will be asked to address the cultural perspective of the period imbedded in a particular work with the goal being to show howthe literature produced in one era differs from another era (Antiquity vs. Medieval / Early Modern vs. Modern) in the types of questions raised and the answers produced to universal questions that transcend time.
Reflective Writing Exercises (26% - 520 points)
Paragraph Writing(8%) – 4 x 40 points
Students will submitfour paragraphs (200 – 250 words in length each) over the course of the semester. The format of the paragraphs will vary (descriptive, expository, narrative, or persuasive). Each paragraph topic is designed to give students the opportunity to hone their writing skills within a given format.
Essay Outlines (2%) – 2 x 20 points
Students will generate an outline for each essay that includes a thesis statement, topic sentences for each body paragraph, and a list of the key points in support of each of the topic sentences. The maximum length of the essay outline is one page.
Literary Analysis Essays (12%) – 2 x 160 points
Students will write two essays (650 – 750 words each) per semester. As a general rule, students will be asked to engage in literary analysis of a specific text though one of the assigned essays will require that students draw upon a number of the assigned readings.
Extra Credit (40 points)
Extra Credit (2% of available semester points) – maximum of 40 points
A variety of extra credit assignments, including creative writing, will be available each semester. A student may not earn more than 40 points of extra credit per semester – 20 points per grading cycle.
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Quiz and Exam Make-Ups
Students can make-up a missed quiz or exam during lunch or during X-period if there is not a prescribed activity.
Late Work Policy
Any Language or Vocabulary Exercises turned in after the assigned due date will be marked down 20% and will not be accepted after theLanguage/Vocabulary Exam. Each Reflective Writing Exercises will be marked down 20% if received within one week ofthe due date or 50% if received after one week.No Reflective Writing Exercise work will be accepted after the Unit Exam.
Grades
The grading policy for the English department is:
A 90.0 - 100.0%B 80.0 - 89.9%C 70.0 - 79.9%D 60.0 - 69.9%F below 60.0%
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Required Texts
DiYanni, RobertLiterature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama
Warriner, JohnWarriner’s Handbook: Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, Sentences (4th course)
Cornog, MaryMerriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder
Supplemental Texts
A list of supplemental texts to be purchased will be distributed no later than the 3rd week of the 1st semester. We will be reading a number of works in translation so it is vitally important that you purchase the texts requested by their ISBN code so that all students are reading the same text.
Honors English II: 2014 – 2015 Academic Calendar
(Due Dates / Exam Dates)
Dates / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday8/4 – 8/8 / In-Service
8/11 – 8/15
8/18 – 8/22 / A: / B:
8/25 – 8/29 / A: Paragraph #1 / B: Paragraph #1
9/1 – 9/5 / Labor Day / B: L & V Quiz #1 / A: L & V Quiz #1
9/8 – 9/12 / Essay Outline #1 / A: Essay #1 / B: Essay #1
9/15 – 9/19 / A: / B:
9/22 – 9/26 / Faculty Retreat / B: Paragraph #2 / A: Paragraph #2 / Senior Mass*
9/29 – 10/3 / A: L & V Quiz #2 / B: L & V Quiz #2
10/6 – 10/10 / A: Unit Exam #1 / B: Unit Exam #1
10/13 – 10/17 / Grades Due / Nat. Testing Day / A: / B:
10/20 – 10/24 / Paragraph #3
10/27 – 10/31 / A: L & V Quiz #3 / B: L & V Quiz #3
11/3 – 11/7 / Essay Outline #2 / A: Essay #2 / B: Essay #2
11/10 – 11/14 / Veterans Day / A: / B: / Senior Mass*
11/17 – 11/21 / Paragraph #4 / Paragraph #4
11/24 – 11/28 / Thanksgiving V. / Thanksgiving V. / Thanksgiving V. / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving V.
12/1 – 12/5 / A: L & V Quiz #4 / B: L & V Quiz #4
12/8 – 12/12 / B: Unit Exam #2 / A: Unit Exam #2
12/15 – 12/19 / SE – 4 / SE – 1, 2 / SE – 3, 5 / SE – 6, 7
1/5 – 1/09 / Grades Due / B: / A:
1/12 – 1/16 / B: Paragraph #5 / A: Paragraph #5
1/19 – 1/23 / MLK, Jr. Day / B: L & V Quiz #5 / A: L & V Quiz #5
1/26 – 1/30 / Essay Outline #3 / A: Essay #3 / B: Essay #3 / Senior Mass*
2/2 – 2/6 / B: / A:
2/9 – 2/13 / B: Paragraph #6 / A: Paragraph #6 / Faculty Retreat
2/16 – 2/20 / Presidents’ Day / A: L & V Quiz #6 / B: L & V Quiz #6
2/23 – 2/27 / B: Unit Exam #3 / A: Unit Exam #3
3/2 – 3/6 / A: / B: / Senior Mass*
3/9 – 3/13 / B: Paragraph #7 / A: Paragraph #7 / No School
3/16 – 3/20 / Grades Due / B: L & V Quiz #7 / A: L & V Quiz #7
3/23 – 3/27 / Essay Outline #4 / B: Essay #4 / A: Essay #4
3/30 – 4/3 / B: / A: / Holy Thursday / Good Friday
4/6 – 4/10 / Easter Vacation / Easter Vacation / Easter Vacation / Easter Vacation / Easter Vacation
4/13 – 4/17 / B: / A:
4/20 – 4/24 / B: Paragraph #8 / A: Paragraph #8
4/27 – 5/1 / B: L & V Quiz #8 / A: L & V Quiz #8
5/4 – 5/8 / AP Chem/AP EnvSci
AP Psychology / AP Calculus AB/BC / AP English Literature
AP Physics 1 / AP CS/AP Spanish
AP Art History / AP German/AP US H
AP Euro H/AP Art
5/11 – 5/15 / AP Biology
AP Physics C / AP US Govt
AP French / AP English Language
AP Statistics / AP Comp Govt
AP Macroeconomics / AP Microeconomics
5/18 – 5/22 / Unit Exam #4 – Pt.1 / Unit Exam #4 – Pt. 2 / No School
5/25 - 5/29 / Memorial Day / SE – 3 / SE – 4, 5 / SE – 6, 7 / SE – 1, 2
6/1 – 6/5 / Grades Due