English 11 – American Literature



Mrs. Thomas’ IB English A Literature Syllabus and ExpectationsMEET THE TEACHER:My name is Jessica McBride. I taught at Central High School for 13 years, and this is my fifth year at Bosse. While at Central I was drama director, speech coach, and the English Academic coach along with many other hats I have worn over the years. I hold a BFA in theatre from Western Kentucky University with focus on costume design, directing and performance. I hold a BS in English Education from USI, and I hold a MEd in Educational Administration from Indiana State University. Since arriving at Bosse I have been the English academic team coach, choreographer for a musical, and director of the play, Almost, Maine. I love Bosse High School and wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else.On a personal level, I have six year old twins, Archer and Fiona. They are starting first today. Family is the center of my world. I grew up in the city, but now I live between city and country. I have been working on two different novels for years along with a children’s book. I love photography, music and the outdoors. I am easy to get along with as long as you live up to my expectations, which I am sure you will. Always be honest with me, and don’t make excuses for yourelf.ENGLISH 12 IB COURSE OVERVIEW: The Language A Literature course provides students an opportunity to study a wide range of literature for the appreciation of the artistry of literature as well as to develop an ability to reflect critically on the readings. This is not a class where there is only one right answer. I am asking you to stretch academically. Likewise, this is not a class that will allow you to stay in your comfort zone. Much of the literature we will be reading and discussing is challenging to a traditional way of thought in a variety of ways. We will study works in their literary as well as cultural contexts. During the first semester, we will complete a detailed study of the usually controversial Kurt Vonnegut’s short stories, analyze a classic American novel, 1984 and delve into to cutting edge yet familiar poetry of Nikki Giovanni. We will exclusively study the literary genre of drama during second semester and study four plays by four different authors (Macbeth – William Shakespeare, In the Blood – Suzan Lori Parks, Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller, and Fences – August Wilson). In addition, we will work on our writing skills through a variety of assessments and continue to hone our vocabulary through vocabulary work in isolation as well as in the context of the material we are reading. In lieu of the traditional senior project, you will be studying yourself through your compilation of the world works anthology. The theme of which is “Who am I?”. Finally, and most importantly, we will prepare for the individual oral commentary and the IB exams.COURSE GUIDELINES: Rules to Live by: Be prepared for rigorous work.Be able to balance work in this class with work in other classes and extra curriculars.Be prepared to contribute to discussions in informed, positive and constructive ways.Be respectful.Attendance/Tardy Policy:If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to check the class website for make-up work. Do not ask me at the beginning of class or while I’m walking into the restroom. Please make an appointment with me during Enrichment. Don’t be late. If you are, you will not be admitted without a pass.Grades:There will be a variety of assessments including in-class essays, major writing assignments, tests, quizzes, oral presentations, projects, vocabulary quizzes and reading quizzes (announced and unannounced). On the first class of the week (Monday or Tuesday) you will receive a vocabulary assignment, and the last day of the week that we have class (Thursday or Friday) you will have a vocabulary quiz over that week’s vocabulary list. Class participation is mandatory in this class and will count toward your grade. The majority of the reading for this class will be completed outside of class. Be prepared. Grades will be determined by point accumulation. Your semester grade is comprised of 40% from the first nine weeks, 40% from the second nine weeks, and 20% from the final. We will all be working towards getting IB credit for English. This will include the Individual Oral Commentary in December and preparation for the IB exams (paper 1 and paper2) in May. It is my expectation that you will all complete the work necessary to get the IB credit and receive an honor’s diploma. Let’s work together to make that happen!Materials:Think Pads containing the assigned texts or the hard copy of the text. Just an FYI – sparknotes, shmoop and other such sites will not earn you a good grade in this class. Please make sure that your computer is charged and ready for class. You will need a flash drive, pens, pencils, paper, post it notes, highlighters, etc. for class. – Please bring a notebook of your choosing in order to take notes over each piece we read as we go along. This will help you dramatically for internal and external assessments. This will not be graded, but you will regret it if you don’t make note over the content and author information.Submitting assignments - Most of the time assignments will be submitted to me online. Please make sure that your assignments are received by me on time. On time means before class begins. Do not use the internet as an excuse for why your assignment it late or missing. Also, keep up with your grade on RDS. I update grades regularly. If you notice that you have an assignment missing that you know you completed, please let me know as soon as possible so we can address the situation. Late Policy – I will accept work on DAY late for ? credit. If an assignment is more than one day late it will not be taken for credit. In the case of extreme circumstances, please let me know what is going on, and we can discuss options for making up work. Such circumstances should be occasional and temporary. “I have a game/competition/college visit/vacation.” Is not an acceptable reason for submitting late work.PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as: the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work () It is not okay to surf the net and cut and paste material without giving credit as to where you got the material. It is not okay to download an essay and change a few words to make it look like your own work. It is not okay to take an idea you read about in a magazine or on a website and use it as your own idea. It is not okay to work with a peer and “borrow” some of their work. All of these things are considered cheating…And cheating is NOT okay. You will receive a zero for any work that I find to be plagiarized, copied, borrowed, or stolen or worse yet, you will be required to redo the assignment in front of me. Contact informationjessica.mcbride@Websitemsmcbrideteachesenglish.Texts to be studied and a rough timelineSemester OneWelcome to the Monkey House (selections) – Kurt Vonnegut1984 – George OrwellSelected poems of Nikki GiovaniSemester TwoMacbeth – William Shakespeare In the Blood Suzan Lori ParksDeath of a Salesman – Arthur MillerFences – August WilsonMajor assignmentsIndividual oral commentary (IOC) – Semester one – internal assessmentPaper 1 – Semester two – External assessmentPaper 2 – Semester two – External assessmentWorld Literature Anthology/Senior project - Throughout the yearMinor assignments that add upVocabulary – with quizzesLiterary concepts and terms – with proof of understandingClose ReadingsPasticheLiterary AnalysisLiterary responseParodyPractice IOC/Paper 1/Paper 2Questions EssaysReviewsClass participationOther assorted daily assignmentsEstimated timeline for literatureSemester 18/9 - 9/11 – Welcome to the Monkey House 9/13 - 10/24 – 198410/25 – 12/1 – Nikki Giovanni12/5 – 12/21 – IOC practice and IOCsSemester 21/4 – 2/1 – Macbeth2/5 – 2/22 – In the Blood2/26 – 3/22 – Death of a Salesman 4/2 – 4/18 – Fences4/24 – End of the Year – IB test preparation ................
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