ENGLISH III COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructor: Ms. Robin Jones

Course Description: 

English III

English III is a chronological survey of American literature from the Colonial Period to contemporary times. Students will review historical background and analyze works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Novel study will be based on state and parish curriculum along with teacher recommended selections. Students will learn terminology to analyze complex literature and work to develop improved reading comprehension skills. Students will work to improve writing style and sentence structure through essay writing. They will utilize research and technology in a formal research paper assignment. All students will take an EOC test.

 

Lifelong Learning Standard

Having a solid educational foundation allows room for many options in the "real world." For example, getting into the college of your choice, starting your own business, invitations to work at Fortune 500 companies, and etc. In the 21st century, you must be versatile and accessible which can happen by being dedicated, acquiring all the knowledge you can, and not losing sight of your goals. Be a knowledge soaker!

 

Course Standards

See https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/teacher-toolbox-resources/k-12-ela-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=52b98a1f_38#page53

 

Parents as Partners

At Amite High Magnet School, all parental conferences are to be scheduled through the grade level counselor. 

9th -12th Grade Mr. John Edwards – (985) 474 - 8253

 

All parents are encouraged to check their students’ progress daily through the On-course Student Progress Center (formerly known as parent command center). https://www.tangischools.org/Page/2390

 

Classroom Rules – 5 P’s  to Purple Pride

Be Prompt – Be in your assigned seat before the bell rings.  Meet deadlines.  

Be Prepared – Bring necessary materials, including homework.  Study for tests.  

Be Polite – Respect school property and those around you. 

Be Productive – Participate arduously in all class activities.  Follow instructions.  Use your time and energy wisely.  Finish all work.  Everything has its time!   

Be Positive – My expectations for you are to: set high academic and personal goals, be a problem solver, help others, and as for help when necessary.  

 

Special Requirements: 

Attend class daily 

Pay careful, intelligent attention in class 

Participate in class activities by asking questions, contributing to class discussions, and performing activities. 

Take detailed notes during lectures and the playing of videos. 

Pay careful attention to the completion of all readings and homework assignments.  

Spend extra time to complete lab work/projects after school, weekends and vacations 

 

CONSEQUENCES/DISCIPLINE POLICY:

1st offense – verbal warning                                                   4th offense – Parent-Teacher-Student conference

 

2nd offense – Student-teacher conference/Parent Call          5th offense – Referral to Administration

 

3rd offense – Detention (lunch or after school)/Parent Call

 

REWARDS 

Treats                                                    ELA Class Passes                           PBIS Tickets         

 

 

Course outline based on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Comprehensive (BESE)

I have designed the following weekly outline to cover the following topics for this school term. some topics may take more time and others not as much.

 

First Semester  - We will read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  and a series of related literary and informational texts to explore the question: How are our lives influenced by our perceptions? We will express our understanding through a literary analysis.

 

Week 1 - Students explore the concept of perception and how it relates to reality by viewing the Ted Talk “What Reality are You Creating for Yourself?" by Isaac Lidsky and reading the first four pages of The Great Gatsby.  Students identify the claim being made in “What Reality are You Creating for Yourself” and identify the support used to develop this claim.  Students also analyze Nick’s perception of people, events, or himself in the first four pages of The Great Gatsby and determine what may affect his narration of events.

 

Week 2 -  Students preview the culminating writing task. Students read the first four pages of The Great Gatsby. Students summarize the events in the first four pages, locate details that the narrator provides about himself, and determine the narrative structure of the text.

 

Week 3, 4 & 5 - Students examine the relationship between perception and ambition by reading chapters 4 - 6 of The Great Gatsby, “The Golden Touch,”  and two nonfiction texts, “Causes Of The Restless Spirit Of Americans In The Midst Of Their Prosperity” by Alexis de Tocqueville and an excerpt from Staying Put: Making a Home in a Restless World by Scott Russell Sanders. Through these texts, students will analyze how perception, discontent, and ambition are related.

 

Week 6 - Students analyze the development of theme and motif in The Great Gatsby by reading and discussing chapters 7- 9.  Students read chapters 7-9 and analyze the continued development of a theme about perception. Students also determine how the author uses motifs and images to develop themes in the text.

 

Week 7 & 8 - Students determine a theme that Fitzgerald develops about perception in the text. They will then work with a partner to determine how Fitzgerald develops this theme throughout the novel. Students will express their understanding of the unit texts and topics by completing the culminating writing task.  

 

Week 9 - Students also participate in a whole-class discussion about how perception influences our lives.

 

First Semester (Second 9 weeks) - We will read The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and a series of related literary and informational texts about the Great Migration to explore the question: How can a single decision change your life? We will express our understanding through a multimedia presentation that examines the story of one person’s migration experience and describes the economic, societal, and/or political conditions that precipitated it.  

 

Week 10 - Students are introduced to the phenomenon of the Great Migration by studying population change maps and by applying their understanding of the influences on human migration.  Students make  initial claims about possible reasons why many African Americans chose to leave the South.   Students read Part One of The Warmth of Other Suns and are introduced to the three migrants whose journeys are central in the text.  Students also preview the culminating task and select the migrant whose journey they will track in their reading and their culminating presentation.

 

Week 11, 12, 13, and 14 - Students deepen their understanding of the major factors that influenced African Americans to leave the South in search of a better life.  As a whole class, students read selected excerpts of Part Two “Beginnings” and Part Three “Exodus” in The Warmth of Other Suns and selected informational and literary print and non-print texts in order to gather relevant information about the lives of African Americans in the South during the period of the Great Migration (1915-1975).  In small groups and independently, students read the sections in Parts Two and Three that focus on their chosen migrant and develop claims about the person’s life prior to migration and the most significant factors that influenced his or her decision to migrate.  Students gather relevant evidence to support their claims and identify compelling devices and techniques that they could use in their culminating presentations to enhance audience understanding.

 

Week 14, 15 & 16 - Students examine the initial impacts of the Great Migration on the individuals who migrated, their families, the South, and the North and West.  As a whole class, students read “The South,” a poem by Langston Hughes, primary sources (excerpts from a May 1919 editorial from the Chicago Defender and excerpts from a December 1916 editorial from The Atlanta Constitution) and view “The Great Migration Series” to develop claims about the initial  impact of migration on the lives and identities of African Americans.  In small groups and independently, students read the sections in Part Four of The Warmth of Other Suns that focus on their chosen migrant and develop claims about the impact of migration on the person and his or her family as well as on the city or region to which their person migrated.   Students gather relevant evidence to support their claims and identify compelling devices and techniques that they could use in their culminating presentations to enhance their audience’s understanding.

 

Week 17, & 18 - Students evaluate the long-term impacts of the Great Migration on individuals and families and the United States as a whole.  Students read Part Five and the Epilogue of The Warmth of Other Suns and view The Great Migration: An American Story,  a series of paintings by Jacob Lawrence.  Students refine and revise their understanding of the impacts of the decision to migrate.  Students review the breadth of material they read in previous sections in order to identify the most compelling resources/devices/examples that should be used in their presentations.

 

Second Semester (Third 9 Weeks)

 

Week 19, 20 & 21 - Students develop and deliver a presentation that presents and develops evidence-based claims about how the decision to migrate changed a person’s life in order to express their understanding of the Great Migration and its impacts. Students examine the organization and development of a presentation by viewing “The Great Migration and the Power of a Single Decision” TED Talk by Isabel Wilkerson.  Students apply their understanding as they develop their own presentations.

 

Homeownership - In this unit, we will read various nonfiction texts related to the American ideal of homeownership, exploring such subtopics as gentrification, the creation of suburbs, the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, and recent trends in homeownership. We will evaluate and analyze the information and arguments presented in the unit texts and form our own arguments in response to these texts. We will focus on a more focused subtopic of homeownership and write an argumentative essay that makes a claim about that subtopic and how it influences the viability of the American ideal of homeownership for all Americans.

 

Week 22, 23,& 24 - Students first consider the American ideal of homeownership by responding to a series of quotations.  Students then explore the development of the suburbs in American by reading and analyzing “The Dark Side of Suburbia” and “The Rise of the Suburbs.”   Students build knowledge about mortgages by reading “How Mortgages Work” and then read and analyze texts related to the Subprime Mortgage Crisis of 2008.  Finally, students read a wide variety of informational text that reflect current trends in homeownership.  Students work to find the central ideas within these articles and analyze the reliability of these sources.  Students use the information gathered from these texts to participate in an initial whole-class discussion in response to the unit question: Is the dream of homeownership attainable for all Americans?

Week 25 - Students view a video on the 1934 Federal Housing Act that will help them build knowledge about the Federal Housing Administration and their role in homeownership for all Americans. Students then read “Everything You Need to Know about the Affordable Housing Debate” in order to gain knowledge about affordable housing in America. Students also read “Where Should a Poor Family Live” and “Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate” in order to analyze the arguments made by the authors. Students then form their own claim about the role of the government in housing.

 

Week 26 & 27 - Students read “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. Students analyze and find connections between this poem and the idea of homeownership. Students watch videos and read, analyze, and evaluate the perspectives of narratives that describe racial tensions in the suburbs and minorities’ inability to buy a home. Students also read Martin Luther King Jr.’s thoughts on fair housing in Chicago and explore the topic of gentrification.  Students participate in a Socratic seminar that analyzes the topic of gentrification.

 

Second Semster (fourth 9 weeks) Homeownership continued

 

Week 28 & 29 -  Students complete the culminating writing task.  Through reading of unit texts and additional research, develop a perspective and argumentative position in response to the unit question -  Is the dream of homeownership viable for all Americans?- within a more focused subtopic area.

 

Using information from your reading, develop an argumentative thesis supported by a series of evidence-based claims, including at least one counterargument to an opposing perspective or position. Organize your thesis, claims, and evidence into a unified, coherent, well-reasoned argument that addresses a specific purpose and audience.

Application - We will each select a task that is related to one or more of the units we have studied in the course. We will conduct research to extend our understanding of the texts and/or topics of one or more units. We will express our understanding by creating a product and delivering a presentation which summarizes our research and explains our product.

Week 30 - Students learn about the specific goals of the Application Guidebook. Students select a task and begin conducting research for their task. They engage in a discussion with various partners to reflect on their research and understanding and develop a plan for conducting additional research in preparation for their culminating task.

Week 31 - Students continue conducting research. They also brainstorm and create an outline for their culminating task product. They also work with a partner to evaluate the content and ideas of their outline before they create a draft of their product. Students begin creatng a draft of their culminating task product.

 

Week 32 & 33 - Students publish their product and create a draft presentation.

 

Week 34 - EOC

 

Week 35 & 36 - Students deliver their presentation to share their research and product and explain how their task connects to learning earlier in the course. They also reflect on their work, the work of their peers, and the course.

 

 

 

TPSS Board-Approved Grading Scale

 

A 93% to 100%     B 85% to 92%    C 75% to 84%      D 67% to 74      F 66% & below

 

Multiple Opportunities: Learning items and point values with frequency

 

 

Late Assignments: For each assignment that is late, 10 points will be deducted from your grade for each day it is late not including weekends. After an assignment is 1 week late, it will not be accepted.

Absences:  See school policy in student handbook.

 

MAKE-UP WORK & Extra Credit Policy

I do not give extra credit work. When you stay on top of your assignments, extra credit is not needed.

 

You will have one day for each day you are absent to makeup work before points are dedicated for lateness. For example, if you are absent 2 days, then you will have 2 days to make up assignments without points being deducted from your grade. 

 

Tardy: School tardy policy is strictly reinforced in the classroom. *Challenge yourself everyday.