Eastern Sierra Academy

English 11/12

Teacher: Ms. Sarah Taylor

Brief Description of Course: English 11/12 is a college-preparatory literature course that will engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of non-fiction and imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of a work’s structure, style, theme, and meaning. We will focus on reading and analyzing the content, language, and rhetoric of short passages, poetry, and full length works and on advancing student writing skills to the college level for multi-draft essays and timed writings. This year’s course will concentrate on American Literature and on an understanding of the development of our nation’s literature within the context of history. Writing assignments, focusing on the core literature, will vary between multi-draft essays and in-class, timed writings. During the course of the year, each student will compile a portfolio of his or her best work. In addition, students will prepare a short research paper and a formal speech. Although students will be exposed to much of the AP curriculum, they will be graded on the standard college preparatory scale, rather than the AP scale. Students will also be exempted from a few assignments each quarter.

Textbooks and other sources: Elements of Literature 5^th Course, Perrine’s Literature: Sound, Sense & Structure, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, All the Pretty Horses, The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Summer Reading: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn & Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Grading Procedures

Homework and class assignments 40%*

In-class essays 10%

Formal essays 25%

Tests 10%

Speech/Portfolio/Independent Reading 15%

*percentages are approximate

Independent Reading

Students will be required to read one to three books each quarter. The Independent Reading grade will be worth 200 points. Students will show that they have read and comprehended the book through an oral or multiple choice exam at the end of each quarter.

A+ = 700 pages, A = 650 pages, A- = 600 pages

B+ = 550 pages, B = 500 pages, B- = 450 pages

If students read 13 pages each night or 70 each weekend, they will easily meet the page requirement.

Major Projects

Long, multi-draft essays (6 to 7)
Timed Writings (20): Rhetorical analysis, persuasive, thematic analysis, and researched argument
Formal Speech
Short Research Paper (1)
Writing Portfolio
Image Analysis project
Short Story/Creative Writing
Oral Presentations

English-Language Arts Standards

This course will prepare students to meet the CA Language Arts Standards. Students will work to improve their vocabulary, reading comprehension, literary analysis skills, writing strategies (in various forms), written and oral language conventions, and listening and speaking strategies. Please refer to the standards for more detail.

Homework Practices

Due dates for major assignments, essays, and tests will be indicated ahead of time. Students should check the web page regularly for due dates and instructions. Daily homework assignments will be assigned and posted on the web page at the beginning of each week. In general, students will have about 40 minutes of homework per night. Students are encouraged to work on major assignments (like essays and Independent Reading) on those days when they finish the assigned work early.

Late Work

Although students will always be given extra time to make up work after absences, late work will not be accepted. Because a 0 will be given for work not handed in, students should be sure to manage their time carefully in order to avoid missing assignments.