Mr. Smith

Norwalk High

English 048

SYLLABUS

        IN THIS COURSE, YOU WILL BUILD YOUR SKILLS …

… AS AN INDEPENDENT READER: We will study a few major works of Western Literature, but the point is not to “get through” one classic after another. Instead, we will learn strategies that you can use to appreciate any text, even the difficult ones.

… AS AN INDEPENDENT WRITER: Much of this course will be devoted to a “writer’s workshop,” in which we’ll practice the habits of professional writers. You will keep a journal, brainstorm your own ideas for writing assignments and learn the secret of all good writing. (It’s rewriting.)

… IN GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY AND SPELLING: Because when you are an adult, people will judge you on these things.

RULES

1. Pay attention.

1. no cell phones
2. no food at your desks
3. no “side chatter”

2. Work hard.

3. Be nice.

OR ELSE:

1. Warning
2. Call home
3. After-school teacher detention
4. I alert your counselor
5. Referral

GRADING

• Tests                                30%
• Quizzes                        20%
• Projects & Papers                20%
• Homework                        10%
• Participation                         10%
• Writer’s Notebook                10%

POSSIBLE TEXTS

• The Things They Carried
• Beowulf
• Oedipus Rex
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• Like Water for Chocolate
• Hamlet
• Fahrenheit 451
• Lord of the Flies
• Frankenstein
• Choice of contemporary memoirs (Angela’s Ashes, Into Thin Air, The Tender Bar, etc.)

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