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Highlands High School
230203 - English II
2010-2011 Course Syllabus
Instructor: Brandon Abdon
Phone: (859)781-5900
Email: [email protected]
Grade: 10 Credit: 1 Prerequisite: English I
Planning Period: 5th (12:40-1:40)
Office Hours: Wednesday & Thursday 2:45-4:00 (Please do not attempt to see me before school as I
teach during the early-bird time slot.)
Description:
This course revolves around the history and development of literatures from around the world as it
represents the development of thought. We explore the philosophies that are the foundation of
western/English thought and how literature reflects those, as well as how they influence our own
development as writers and thinkers. The course encompasses various uses of each of the five language
arts (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Observing). Various methods of workshopping,
grammar/vocabulary study, outside projects, etc. will be used throughout the year.
Fundamental Truths:
1. Literature is an art that embodies the cultural values and history of man.
2. People learn only through communicating with the 5 language arts – Reading, Writing, Speaking,
Listening, and Observing.
Course Standards:
Students will:
• Analyze and evaluate a variety of materials including workplace/informational, classic and
contemporary
persuasive pieces.
• Interpret, analyze, and evaluate a variety of literary genres.
• Apply and understand vocabulary in the context of readings.
• Demonstrate organizational skills through writing and note taking.
• Compose and critique memoir, script, compare-contrast essay, feature article, and a persuasive speech.
• Research, examine, and communicate results for specific purposes.
• Present and demonstrate information with the use of technology.
• Read and analyze a minimum of four longer works (e.g., novels, plays) in addition to the required
summer
reading.
Textbooks:
Elements of Literature (World Literature): Fourth Course: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Publishers
Vocabulary Workshop: Level E: Sadlier-Oxford Publishers
Grading:
Students will be evaluated on class assignments, activities, papers, and tests/quizzes. Not all assignments
will receive a letter grade. The course grading break-down is as follows.
40%
Class Performance Rubric
Day-to-Day, In-Class Work
Homework
Presentations
40%
Papers
Major Outside-of-Class
Essays/Papers
20%
Tests/Quizzes
Vocabulary Quizzes
Unit Tests
In-class Writings/Essays
Performance, Participation, and Attendance:
Successful performance requires participation and figures into the Performance Rubric, which is a grade
out of 100 points which figures as 40% of the grade. Students are expected to be on time and prepared for
class. When absent, all make up work must be arranged with the teacher when the student returns to
school, generally a week will be allowed for make-up work from the time the student returns to class.
Make-up work will be scored as a zero (0) until it is completed. Not all work can be made up, this work
will not receive a zero, though you will be responsible for the skill/knowledge - arrangements will be
made to accommodate for this. If you are absent on the due date for a major assignment, it is your
responsibility to turn-in that assignment via e-mail or some other means – I may even come to your house
and get it if needed. Regular participation in class discussions and activities is also paramount to success.
Make-up Work:
Failure to attend to late-work/missed assignments in a timely manner (usually a week from the day of
return) will result in a zero (0) until completed and a one (1) when completed.
In-class Work: Not all in-class work can be made-up. This will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Projects, Long-term Papers, other Long-term Work: Generally, late assignments are not accepted for
a grade, though they must be completed. Any assignment not turned-in on the due date will receive a
zero (0) until turned-in and then receive a one (1). It will still be evaluated and returned to the student, if
necessary.
Tests/Quizzes: May be made-up, with an excused absence, during office hours or during Saturday School
(forms available in the room). Generally, a week will be allowed from the time of the student’s return to
school, though some circumstances may arise that require special arrangements. It is still the
responsibility of the student to meet with the teacher and make those arrangements.
Late Assignments:
Generally, late assignments are not accepted for a grade, though they must be completed. If you are
absent on the due date for a major assignment, it is still your responsibility to turn-in that assignment via
e-mail or some other means (I may even come to your house and get it if needed). Extenuating
circumstances will be dealt with accordingly and the teacher reserves the right to make that determination.
Since all assignments are important to the progression of learning in the class, all work must be
completed. Any assignment not turned-in on the due date will receive a zero (0) until turned-in and then
receive a one (1). It will still be evaluated and returned to the student, if necessary.
Academic Honesty Statement:
I encourage students to research and learn more about the topics of the class. I also encourage student to
work together on study guides, vocabulary study, reviewing material, and so on. However, the use of
anyone else’s work as your own, including copying, sharing responses, or simply using a source without
citing it is Academic Dishonesty. Always give credit to your sources. Because of the sever implications
for this in college (suspension, expulsion, etc.), academic dishonesty will result in a zero (0) on the
assignment, notification of parents/teachers, and referral to the Assistant Principal.
Course Content 2010-2011
First Quarter: Heroes & Archetypes / The Ancient Middle East
Major Readings: Summer Reading: Anthem & The Alchemist
Reading Emphasis: Details, Main Ideas, Generalization (Inferences, Draw Conclusions, and
Assess Tone), Meaning of Words (Context Clues)
Major Papers: Comp/Cont Analysis of a Hero & Memoir
Grammar/Writing Skills: Thesis Statement; Introductions; Subject/verb agreement (Unusual
situations, Separated subject and verb, Number)
Project: Group Analysis of Advertisements/Commercials
Second Quarter: Greece & Rome / Africa & the Middle East
Major Readings: Oedipus the King & Things Fall Apart
Reading Skills: Causation / Cause & Effect, Sequence of Events (Predict), & Infographic
Analysis
Major Papers: Compare & Contrast Essay
Grammar/Writing Skills: Topic Sentences (Direction and Verbs), Conclusions, Analytical
Paragraphs, Pronoun/antecedent agreement (Person, Vague referents, Separate clauses or
sentences), Objective/nominative case pronoun, Reflexive pronouns
Project: Groups create, design, and present Survey, Results and Info. Graphics.
Third Quarter: The Middle Ages to the Enlightenment / Persuasion
Major Readings: A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Julius Caesar
Reading Skills: Author’s Voice & Method and Definition
Major Papers: Persuasive Essay, Persuasive Speech/Article/Letter
Grammar/Writing Skills: Paragraph Transitions, Parallel Structure / Parallelism, Commas
(Nonessential/nonrestrictive appositive or clause, Unnecessary commas, Parenthetical elements),
Punctuation (other than end marks, colons, semicolons)
Project: Persuasive Speech & Advertising Campaign
Fourth Quarter: Europe 1800-1900 / Modern & Contemporary World
Major Readings: Frankenstein, A Doll’s House, The Metamorphosis, & Into Thin Air
Reading Skills: Point of View/Perspective, Plot, Mood, & Character
Grammar/Writing Skills: Responding to a Prompt, Sentence Variety, Documentation and
bibliography (MLA), Complex parenthetical phrases or adverbial phrases, Dangling Modifiers,
Proper apostrophe usage, & Proper possessive pronoun usage
Major Papers: Literary Analysis, Lit. & Pop-Culture Connections
Research/Analysis/Presentation
Project: Presentation & Defense of Pop-Culture Connections Analysis
Brandon Abdon
English Language Arts
Higlands High School
(859)815-2615
[email protected]
Dear Parent/Guardian:
My name is Brandon Abdon and I am teaching your student’s English Language Arts class this year. I
hope you will take some time to review the syllabus on the school’s website and get a feel for what we will be doing
in the class this year. I would also like to tell you some about me as the teacher. I am originally from Greenup in
eastern Kentucky. I graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2002 with a Bachelors of Arts in English
Education and Classical Languages and Literatures and in 2003 with my Masters of Arts in Education. I spent 4
years at Bryan Station High School in Lexington before moving to northern Kentucky in 2007 and accepting a
position at HHS. I am in my 8th year of teaching and am currently working on a Master of Arts in English at the
Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, Vermont. In addition to my work at Highlands, I also teach one
night each week at UK, umpire high school and college baseball, and currently I hold the position of President of the
Kentucky Council of Teachers of English.
In this syllabus, I have included the objectives for the class, the expectations for your student, and the major
readings for the course. The class will be reading an array of texts to help us better understand the development of
writing and the world around us, but the most important thing is for your student to become more adept at reading
the world around them and demonstrating their thinking skills through both writing and speaking. If you have any
questions or concerns then I encourage you to e-mail me or contact me at school throughout the year. Only by
working together can we ensure the success of your student during this year and years to come. Please fill in your
contact information below so that I may stay in regular contact with you.
Sincerely,
Brandon Scott Abdon, MA Ed
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tear and return please…
Student’s Full Name: _____________________________________________________________
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Contact Information:
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E-Mail Address: ________________________________________________________________
Additional Comments: ___________________________________________________________
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