Generic Syllabus
1. Course Description
Bethel Course Catalog
Grade Level: 10
Credit: Communication Arts 1.0
NCAA Approved
Through reading, writing, listening, speaking, and information retrieval students learn to communicate effectively. They learn cooperative skills and write extensively using analytical scoring guides to increase their writing skills. Students study a variety of literary genre including drama and fiction. Study of Latin/Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes support vocabulary development. Study skills and test taking strategies are also studied. Required readings for this course are Julius Caesar or A Mid Summer Night's Dream, Farewell to Manzanar or Night, and Lord of the Flies. Students work toward meeting standard on the Grade Level Expectations in reading and writing for the 10th grade.
Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements
Students will apply thinking skills to analyze and evaluate literature through written and verbal skills.
Students will be able to:
· Demonstrate a clear, working understanding the writing process
· Write in a variety of papers, poems essays, etc. addressing different people and for different purposes
· Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate concepts presented in literature to demonstrate comprehension
· Use written and verbal communication skills to interact with others in a purposeful way; Understand effective communication process
· Understand and use different skills to read and comprehend concepts from a variety of genres
· Further develop an interest in reading and share their reading experiences with others
2. Materials
The following will be used in this course. Ask your advisor about how to get these.
· EMC Textbook
· Drama: Julius Caesar
· Non-Fiction: Night
· Fiction: Lord of the Flies
3. Course Outline
Levels of Thinking / Skills / Objectives / AssignmentChapter 1
Irony- 551, 561
Internal conflict- 171
External conflict- 163, 171 / “The Thief” by Junichiro Tanizaki, page 551
The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe, Page 171
Chapter 2 / Night, By Elie Weisel
Chapter 3
Tone: 743, 753 / “A White Woman of Color” by Julia Alvarez, page 745
Chapter 4
First, second, third person point of view- 128, 395, 403 / From “Holidays” by Jamaica Kincaid, page 128
“Montgomery Boycott” by Coretta Scott King, page 395
Chapter 5
Persuasive Writing / Persuasive Prompt
Chapter 6
Research / Research Project
4. Grading Policy
A (Excellent) - (90-100%) Consistently scored high; demonstrated exemplary abilities through scores earned on assessments. Student showed outstanding mastery of skills they were expected to learn in this course. Student could teach these skills to another.
B (Proficient) - (80-89%) Consistently worked toward mastery of skills they were expected to learn in this course. Occasionally scored high; demonstrated adequate abilities through scores earned on assessments. Student shows proficient mastery of skills they were expected to learn in this course. Student can apply the skills to many contexts.
C (Standard) - (70-79%) Demonstrated average abilities through scores earned on assessments. Student showed average mastery of skills they were expected to learn in this course. Student was able to do the skill at least once, but may not be able to apply it to other situations.
NC - (69% or below) Opted out of opportunities to redo assignments to show mastery of assignments. Failed or scored below average; failed to demonstrate mastery of the skills taught through scores on assessments.
"Re-do's" - Any assessments of “poor quality or incomplete status” may be REDONE for higher credit. Students who choose to re-do work that is below the proficient level will need to discuss with their instructor what they plan to do differently in order to improve.
Practice – Any assignment that is designed to prepare you for the assessments. These are worth 0% of your final grade.
Assessment – Any assignment that assesses or determines the level of understanding you have of the topic, concept, or skill being taught. These are worth 100% of your final grade.
5. Assessment methods
Assessments include, but are not limited to:
· Quizzes
· Tests
· Multiple-Choice
· Short Answer
· Extended Response
· Pre and Post Testing
· End-of-Course Required Reading Assessments
Below are the five main question types that you will encounter in Communication Arts.
· 1-point response. These usually have a limited number of correct answers. They are typically a word, phrase, or sentence.
· 2-point response. This is a short response. It is usually one paragraph. This requires an answer to the question, 2 text-based details (i.e. quotes from the story), and an explanation in your own words of what the quotes mean and how they support your answer.
· 4-point response. This is an extended response. It should be an organized, multi-paragraph response. It should include at least 4 text-based details. This is much like a bare-bones essay without the intro and conclusion.
· Writing Tasks. A writing task is worth 20 points and is graded on a 5-step writing process. You must include each of the five steps in order to get credit: prewrite, rough draft, revising, editing, and a final draft.
· Projects. These are other larger assignments, but are more on the creative side. They include brochures, presentations, etc. They have specific rubrics to tell you how they are graded. They are usually worth 15-20 points.
6. Instructional Clues
Direct Instruction:
These boxes indicate areas where skills are being taught or explained. This could include definitions, examples, or resources that will help you to understand the skills being focused on in that unit. This is your online teacher.Rubric/Grading:
These boxes indicate information that will tell you how you will be graded on an assessment or question.Hint:
These boxes indicate hints or clues that may help you in understanding a concept or answering a question. These are your online classmates explain something that you missed or didn’t fully understand.Assessment:
Boxes in this color indicate assessments that are worth 100% of your grade.