In English 10H, we will study various genres of literature, including short stories, novels, plays, and poetry. You will develop your critical reading skills through class discussion, collaborative group projects, and independent reading of self-selected texts. You will develop your writing skills through essays, journals, and creative assignments as part of our focus on the writing process, which includes both critical analysis and self-reflection.
- To use literature to help make sense of the world
- To vocalize your own interpretation of a text
- To see yourself positively as a reader, writer, thinker, listener & speaker
- To draft and revise writing
Below you will find a list of the goals and policies of English 10H as illustrated in your course expectations hand out you received on the first day of school.
You will require the following for this class:
- A three-ring binder or section of a binder with loose-leaf paper
- Writing utensils — blue or black ink only please
Course Policies
Student Responsibilities:
- Arrive on time and prepared for class each day.
- Participate daily.
- Take clear and organized notes each period.
- Take care of texts issued to you.
- Work effectively and respectfully with peer groups and teacher.
- Seek help from your teacher as soon as you realize help is needed.
- Follow the school rules.
- Take responsibility for all missed work due to absence or lateness.
Policies Concerning Absence:
- Any work previously assigned is due on the day you return. Any test previously assigned must be taken on the day of your return. These tests must be made up during a study period, lunch, or after school. Extenuating circumstances will be handled at the teacher’s discretion.
- You are responsible for making up the classwork and homework assigned during your absence. This work must be made up and submitted within two days after you return. It is YOUR responsibility to find out exactly what you have missed and to COMPLETE it without having to be reminded. When you are absent, call another member of your class to get your assignments.
- NO WORK OR TESTS MAY BE MADE UP IF THE ABSENCE IS A CUT. YOU WILL RECEIVE A GRADE OF ZERO ON THESE ASSIGNMENTS.
- Any absences for school-related reasons (music lessons, field trips, appointments with the nurse, guidance and/or another teacher) must be approved in advance.
Policies Concerning Late Work:
- Homework will NOT be accepted late. If it’s not in class, it’s a zero. Extenuating circumstances will be handled at the teacher’s discretion.
- Essays and other assignments must be handed in on or before the due date. If you are in school, but miss English on the date the assignment is due, you are still responsible for handing the assignment to your teacher on that day. If you are absent on the date the assignment is due, the assignment must be handed in on the day you return.
- Journals may be handed in late for up to one week, with a penalty of a point a day. After one week, journal assignments will no longer be accepted.
Penalties: 5 Points will be deducted for each day the assignment is late.
English Department Re-write policy:
Any major writing process assignment may be re-written within a week of its return to you provided:
- The first draft was handed in on time
- You schedule a writing conference to discuss the revision with your teacher
Caution:
Copied or plagiarized work will result in a zero for all parties concerned. Work that is completed for another class CANNOT, under any circumstances, be turned in for credit in this class. Any attempts to do so will be treated as plagiarism and will result in a zero.
Talking or looking around during testing situations will result in a zero for all parties concerned.
Evaluation:
Your grade will be based on:
- Class participation and homework 20%
- Writing assignments, tests, quizzes, and projects 80%
Assignments are weighted according to the amount of time allowed for each.
Class Participation includes all items listed under Student Responsibilities.
Quarter One: IDENTITY We will study how one’s identity develops from the course of childhood into adulthood. Subjects covered include: conformity and rebellion, relationships with family and friends, and physical and emotional self-image. Essential question: What factors influence the development of one’s identity most, heredity or environment? Texts include summer reading books (Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury) and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Students will also choose a novel to read independently.
Quarter Two: PERSPECTIVES History and fiction alike both depend on who is telling it. Essential Question: How do individual perspectives influence history and literature? Texts include Hamlet by William Shakespeare and an independent reading book.
Quarter Three: CULTURE & DIVERSITY We will explore various cultures and ethnicities through literature. Essential question: How does one mediate one’s cultural, ethnic, and/or religious background in mainstream “American” society? Texts include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and various poems.
Quarter Four: JOURNEYS Our traditional and contemporary heroes are often marked by the quests, or journeys, that they have taken. We will look at both literal and metaphorical journeys in literature and in our own lives. Essential questions: Where has your journey taken you thus far? Where do you see yourself going? Texts include various poems and The Grass Dancer by Susan Power.