English IV Syllabus

Teacher: Mrs. Paula Rouse B.A. in English, Clemson University M.A. in Education, Converse College National Board Certified Gifted and Talented Certified

Room #: B16

Email: prouse@greermiddlecollege.org

Website: http://greermiddlecollege.org/faculty-staff/english/paula-rouse/

Phone: 864.469.7571 Ext.1016

Textbook: Elements of Literature, 6th Course

Course DescriptionEnglish IV is an in-depth survey of British literature with an emphasis on readings from various literary periods and genres. Students write a variety of compositions based on the literature study. This course is designed for students planning to continue their educations at the college level or enter the business world.

Instructional PhilosophyThis course will prepare students to be life-long learners by building communication skills required in every walk of life. The course will be organized around best practices in English language arts instruction, including literature circles, performance, reading and writing process, strategies to improve writing, and the Socratic Seminar. Students will be expected to complete all assignments both those assigned in class and out of class. These assignments will include extended projects requiring research and reading over a period of time. Being a part of the classroom community means participating in discussion and sharing insights and interpretations with classmates and the teacher. There will be out-of-class reading. Both teacher and students will strive to build community, comprehend and create text, and then reflect on that process.

My Schedule: “A” Day “B” Day1A – English II 1B - Planning2A – English II 2B-English II3A – Planning 3B-English IV

4A – English II 4B-English II

Office Hours: English 4 Office Hours are on Wednesdays from 3:05 – 4:00. To help me better prepare for Office Hours, students need to sign up in advance. A student may arrange an alternate time for help by making an appointment with me.

Required Materials: Signet Classic’s Beowulf Translated by Burton Raffel 3-ring binder (at least 1” and no spiral bound) 5 dividers (for binder) loose leaf paper (no spiral bound) pencils black or blue pens

Classroom Expectations: Treat everyone with respect. Come to class on time and prepared with necessary materials. Students must have the GMC classroom pass to leave class – no exceptions. If there is a medical condition

that requires a student to leave the room frequently during class, please notify me the first week of school and provide a note to Mrs. Denise Clark to keep on file.

No sleeping in class is allowed. To receive credit, students must not miss more than 5 days for a unit course. Any absence in excess of 5

days may cause a student to lose credit for a unit course. All absences beginning with the sixth for a unit must be an excused absence. Refer to the student handbook on p.12-13 for a list of excused absences.

Students are responsible for missed class time and classes (including coming into your class late or leaving class early) – getting the notes from another student, scheduling a time to make up an assessment, and obtaining any classwork or homework assignments. Work missed during absences must be made up within 5 school days after the student returns to school.

In the case of a substitute, any student who misbehaves with the substitute and has his or her name turned into me will serve 1 hour after school detention with me for his or her misbehavior. Good behavior will be rewarded with extra credit.

Absolutely no form of academic dishonesty, which includes but is not limited to: copying another student’s homework, giving or receiving information about an assessment, or plagiarizing. Refer to p.5-6 for the forms and consequences of academic dishonesty.

Students are not allowed to use their cell phones in my classroom unless I have specifically instructed them that they may use their Smartphones for Internet access, photography, etc. for a classroom activity.

Follow all GMC rules as outlined in your student handbook.

Consequences: Warning Detention (after school) Parent contact Referral to administration

South Carolina Standards In English IV, the curriculum focuses on five categories: reading and analyzing literature, reading and analyzing informational texts, writing, language, and speaking and listening skills. Parents may access the South Carolina standards at: https://ed.sc.gov/agency/se/instructional-practices-and-evaluations/ .

Major Assignments and ProjectsStudents will write essays and responses, complete presentations and projects, and participate in class discussions regularly. Reading schedules and dates for assignments, as well as reminders, will be distributed and noted daily in class and on my website. Students are encouraged to see me for assignments if they anticipate missing class as well as seeing me once they return from an absence in order to complete make-up work. Papers and projects are

due on the due date. Late papers and/or projects will be penalized 10 points per school day. Periodically, I will offer extra credit for major assignments turned in early.

Assessment and GradingAssessment of work completed in English IV will most often reflect the use of a rubric. Rubrics will be made available to students prior to beginning an assignment, especially a long-term project. Objective tests will be graded on a 100 point scale. Writing assignments will be graded primarily for content; however, grammatical correctness and style will certainly count in the overall assessment. Literary knowledge will not only be assessed by objective quizzes on selections but also by genre tests, presentations, projects, and by written responses to selections.

Semester I Categories % of GradeQuarter 1 Final Grade 20%Quarter 2 Final Grade 20%Midterm Exam 10%

Semester II Categories % of GradeQuarter 3 Final Grade 20%Quarter 4 Final Grade 20%Final Exam 10%

Quarter CategoriesMajor - essays, presentations, projects, tests 60%Minor – quizzes, notebook checks, journals, etc. 40%

Grading Scale 93 – 100.....................................A 85 – 92.......................................B 77 – 84.......................................C 70 – 76.......................................D 69 and below.............................F

*Please note: To receive credit for a course at GMC, students must have a minimum of an 80 average.

Course OutlineListed below is a course outline with selections. The outline is subject to change based upon my students’ needs.

The Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle Ages Collection I

o Texts: Beowulf, The Seafarer, The Wanderer Collection 2

o Texts: Gilgamesh, the Iliad Collection 3

o Text: The Canterbury Tales Collection 4

o Texts: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Le Morte d’Arthur, Lord Randall, Edward, Edward, Get Up and Bar the Door

The Renaissance Collection 5

o Text: Macbeth

Collection 6o Texts: William Shakespeare’s sonnets, To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time, To His Coy

Mistress, Psalms 23 and 137, The Parable of the Prodigal SonRestoration and Eighteenth Century

Collection 7o Texts: Candide, Don Quixote, Journal of the Plague Year, An Essay on Man, The Rape of the

Locko Novel: Frankenstein

The Romantic Period Collection 8

o Texts: Selections from this period including poetry by William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Robert Burns, and John Keats.

o Possible Novel Choices: Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering HeightsThe Victorian Period

Collection 9o Texts: Selections from this period including poetry by Hopkins, Tennyson, and Robert

Browning. The Bet, The JewelsThe Present

Collection 10o Selections from this period including poetry by Sigried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, William Butler

Yeats, and Dylan Thomas, short fiction by James Joyce and Frank O’Connor.

English IV

After reading the English IV syllabus on-line or a hard copy that Mrs. Rouse will provide upon request, please complete this page and return only this page to Mrs. Rouse. Returning this signed page counts as 6 points extra credit on the first test. I look forward to working with you and your child. Thank you.

ENGLISH IVSYLLABUS AND RULES 2014-2015

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