Tuesday, September 9, 2014

English 2 - Syllabus (9/9/14)


School District Of Philadelphia
The High School for Creative and Performing Arts


Mr. Joseph Ippolito
E-mail: jjippolito@philasd.org
Telephone: 215-952-2462

English 2 is designed to prepare students for the work they will do as upperclassmen and college students. In this course, your student will be exposed to a more diverse range of literature from around the world. The course will reinforce and expand on skills your student learned in 9th grade.

The texts we will read in this class will cover a variety of sociological issues that will be the basis for the assessments I give your students. The course will focus on themes and ideas that are universal to the human condition. Through careful study, students will examine how these themes have been developed in a variety of literary works both classical and modern, both foreign and familiar. Students will be expected to write at least one research paper that proves their ability to analyze and synthesize information based on the texts we read.

Upon completing the English 2 Literature and Composition course, students should be able to:

  • Analyze and interpret samples of fiction, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;
  • Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;
  • Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;
  • Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings;
  • Write for a variety of purposes;
  • Produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with thesis that cites appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary source material, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;
  • Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary source material;
  • Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing, and review;
  • Write thoughtfully about their own process of composition
  • Revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience;
  • Analyze image as text; and
  • Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers.


The above was adapted from School District of Philadelphia: ENGLISH; English Literature and Composition Course
Description May 2006


Students will read a variety of British, World, and American works—both classic and contemporary—including those by: William Shakespeare, Harper Lee, William Golding, J.D. Salinger, Tennessee Williams, George Orwell, Bram Stoker, and more.

Course Objectives:

Recognize rhetorical modes, structures, and strategies used by writers
Write critically in a variety of genres (expository, analytical and argumentative writing)
Develop vocabulary in oral and written communication
Develop stronger voice in writing
Develop arguments that analyze, synthesize, and evaluate, various viewpoints on a wide variety of social, economic and political issues.
Read and master a wide variety of works both fiction and non-fiction
Improve critical thinking skills through dissuasion, writing and thoughtful inquiry

Required Texts:

Selections from Holt: Elements of Literature (Fourth Course)
William Shakespeare - Julius Caesar
Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird
William Golding - Lord of The Flies

There will also be informational text provided to supplement the fictional text presented in class.


Google Drive - Students will submit the majority of their work online using Google Drive. A tutorial will be given at the beginning of the year on how to compose and upload papers using Google Drive. All students must set up a Gmail account for this purpose. The account must resemble their name as closely as possible. (ie: abrown@gmail.com, alex.brown@gmail.com, abrownCAPA@gmail.com).

All written assignments submitted on Google Drive must be titled as follows in order to receive full credit:

Your Last Name - Title of Assignment (as stipulated by the teacher - noted on class site)

Example:
Brown - To Kill A Mockingbird Discussion Questions, Chapters 22-26

Assessment:

The most common types of assessments are:
Written responses to and analyses of works of literature in the form of classwork and warm-ups.
Other assessments include comprehensive selection tests (including vocabulary), vocabulary, and related homework exercises.

Work is generally weighted in the following increments (however, this is subject to change) and grades are calculated using a total points system:

Major tests or literary analysis essays (100 points), themes/essays (50-100 points), journals (5 points per entry - 25 points total for five entries), homework and class work (25-50 points depending on length of the assignment).

Assignment Completion and Attendance

Homework:

The purpose of the homework in my class is to reinforce skills, extend ideas, or prepare for the next lesson. Regardless, it’s essential for your development as a student in the class. Homework will be given most nights. You should expect to be doing some form of homework (reading, journals, composing analysis questions, answering discussion questions). When it comes to reading assignments, if I ask you to read something, you should take your own notes. If sense that reading that required reading is not being done, I will begin to give quizzes designed to encourage your participation.

Late Work:

Homework is due before class 3:00 pm on the deadline set by me. If you arrive after the bell without a written excuse from a teacher or parent, you are late and is your classwork and homework; you will receive half credit for that day’s assignments. The consequence for unexcused lateness to class is that you will only receive half credit for any work due or completed in class that day. You may submit any homework assignment ONE day late for half credit. After the second day, you may not make up the work.

Absences:

Student comes to school late and misses class: He/she must see me to submit work that was due that day. If he or she has missed a test/quiz but comes to school later that day, he or she must see me that day to take the test/quiz or schedule a time to make it up. Any work that is not completed that day will be deemed “late,” and receive a deduction in points; missed tests that are not made up that day are subject to a point deduction for every day that passes without the test being made up.

Student misses school due to an excused absence:
School policy applies to all absences; for each day the student is absent, he or she has two days to complete the work.

Students missing class because of school activities, i.e. sports, choir, orchestra, performances, etc. are responsible for the old and new work and homework assignment assigned while they are out; get the contact information of a few trusted classmates so you can find out what you missed. You can always see me before to find out what you will miss.

Student misses school due to an unexcused absence: He/she will receive a zero for the assignment and/or test and may not make up the work, according to school policy.


Plagiarism Policy
Any work turned in with false attribution to its author, such as work copied from another student, a published text, or downloaded without citation from the internet is plagiarized. When in doubt, always cite the the sources of your information and/or inspiration. Plagiarized work will receive a zero. You will not be allowed to redo the assignment and the student will be written up for the infraction, receiving the appropriate disciplinary consequences, as seen by the principal. The same consequences will result for a student who allows a classmate to copy his or her work.

Parents/Guardians,

Thank you for your support in helping your child achieve and adhere to the above guidelines, policies, and procedures of my classroom and the school at large. I encourage you and your son or daughter to work together toward his or her academic success. Your child will require access to a computer with word processing and internet capabilities. I strongly suggest that your child have a USB drive (aka: thumb drive, memory stick) so that they may transport works in progress between home and school. Do not hesitate to contact me if your child is experiencing any difficulties in this class. It is my wish that your child has a positive experience in my classroom. I am here to help make that possible for all of the students in my classroom.

Do not hesitate to contact me via the Main Office. I will return your call as soon as possible.

jjippolito@philasd.org / 215.952.2462

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