Monday, August 15, 2011

Skinny Brit Lit course description

English Lit/Comp 121 (aka Skinny Brit Lit) Course Description

Welcome to Honors Sophomore English at Wheeler High School. I enjoy teaching this class, and I hope you will enjoy taking it. Our major textbook is Prentice Hall’s Literature: The British Tradition. You can view the approved curriculum for this class at the Cobb County Schools website. You can check summer reading lists and view my web page at wheelerhigh.com. I hope this brief overview of the class will give you some idea of what we do.

Pacing Guide

1st 6 weeks — summer reading
— grammar & composition review
— Anglo-Saxon unit
— Middle Ages unit

2nd 6 weeks — Research Paper
— Renaissance poetry
— Renaissance drama: Macbeth
— Age of Enlightenment

3rd 6 weeks — Romantic unit
— Victorian unit
— nineteenth-century novel:
Jane Eyre and/or Pride and Prejudice
— Modern unit: A Room of One’s Own


Grading

   I use the point system; we will top out at about 3000 points at the end of the semester. Every assignment will receive a grade. A basic homework assignment is worth 5 points if (a) it was done outside of class and (b) it makes it to class in print on the day assigned. I don’t accept late homework.
   Quizzes will be worth 1 point per question; tests will be worth 2. Formal compositions are worth 100 points. Students may turn them in late at a penalty of 20% per day as per English Dept. policy. My grade profile is usually a third A’s, a third B’s, with a third all other grades.
   Student grades are available on Synergy. Here are the grading categories and percentages:
          Reading 30%
          Writing 30%
          Vocabulary 15%
          Language 10%
          Listening/Speaking 5%
          Final exam 10%

   Students who plagiarize, whether actively or passively, are subject to grade and disciplinary penalties. In matters of grade scale, attendance, and tardies, we will adhere to the policies outlined in the student handbook. Please feel free to contact me:
   Jimmy Carter
   jimmy.carter@cobbk12.org
   770-578-3266 (ext. 401)
   My blog: www.drcsskinnybritlit.blogspot.com (or just click on my name at wheelerhigh.com).