Course Syllabus

Junior English

 

Overview

 

Welcome to Junior English! I am looking forward to getting to know you all through your writing and thinking in this course. This course is designed to continue to challenge you in your reading, writing, thinking and communicating skills. We will look at the world of literature through poetry, short stories, and two longer works: the book of nonfiction Downeast, and the novel the Nickel Boys. One book explores the experience of five young women growing up in Downeast Maine, and all that it means to live in this place. The other fictionalizes the real life of experience of boys and young men who were incarcerated in an abusive Juvenile Detention Center. Though these books are vastly different in content, theme, and style, we will think of them in both contrast and comparison, exploring what it means to grow up in a society that often overlooks you, and to dire consequences.

If you’ve taken a class with me before, you know my classes are discussion-oriented. You learn as much from your classmates as you do from me. There are so many different ways people choose to express themselves. We will focus on written and oral/verbal skills, and how to execute an effective presentation. My goal is that you leave this class with skills not just for future English classrooms, but with skills you can apply to current and future employment, social situations, and being a productive citizen of our community. 

Goals

 

My goals are as follows:

 

-that you will enjoy the reading we do for this class. Or, if you don’t find it enjoyable, you will at least find it beneficial!

 

-that you will gain and develop confidence in participating in discussions about difficult topics like censorship, disability, grief, etc. 

 

-that you will find richer and more fruitful ways to interact with literature. 

 

-that you will develop skills as thinkers, readers, writers, and speakers that can be applied to a whole variety of different future circumstances and situations. 

Outcomes

 

-An introduction to the conventions of academic discourse, such as writing a thesis statement, incorporating and discussing source material and evidence, doing and incorporating research, etc. 

 

-A level of comfort in, or at least coping skills for the discomfort of, classroom discussion, either small or large group discussion. This means being able to articulate your thoughts about a text, being able to ask good questions, being able to disagree respectfully and reponsibly, etc. 

 

-A development of the skills of literary analysis and interpretation, including reading for symbolism, interpreting figurative language and imagery, and applying contextual and historical knowledge to your understanding of a text. 

 

-Comfort in presenting knowledge to the class, utilizing public speaking and presentation skills. 

Assessment

 

-There will be a variety of graded homework assignments. Most of the reading and smaller writing assignments will be graded based on completion to the best of your ability. If I feel you haven’t put your best effort into an assignment, the assignment isn’t completed, or isn’t your own work, then points will be deducted.

 

-There are several larger assignments in the class: a poster, a presentation, two essays, a Socratic Discussion, and a poetry presentation. These will be graded based on completion and quality. Again, I assess quality of work based on your own ability. My goal is to encourage growth, not uniformity. 

 

-You will receive a weekly participation grade. Participation looks different for different students. Some students are comfortable speaking in the full-class discussion. Other students only want to speak in small groups. Others are terrified of speaking in the group, so I may only hear their voices once or twice. You should be working each week to participate in some form, so that we’re all benefiting from your expertise! If your behavior leads to you not being present in class, then your participation grade will reflect that. 

 

-Late policy: I have what I believe is a fair and manageable late policy. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class. Do not take class time working on a homework assignment, or you will lose participation points! You have until the end of the following schoolday to get up to 95% of the assignment’s value, two schooldays to get up to 90%, three schooldays to get up to 85%, four schooldays to get up to 80%, and five to get up to 75%. After that, you can still turn assignments in for up to 70% of the credit due within the first or second half of a course. That being said, I am still assessing the homework assignment based on the parameters listed above; if the assignment is late and incomplete, you still may not receive all 70% of credit. A general rule of thumb in my classes is that if you do the work on time and thoroughly, you will pass my class. 

 

A.I. Disclaimer

 

Because this is a class focused on developing your reading and writing ability, the use of Artificial Intelligence to assist you in reading and writing will count as plagiarism, unless the teacher has specifically said otherwise about an assignment. A.I. can, and will, be a useful tool for your future reading and writing needs. However, if we are going to improve your current skill set, we need to do so without the “shortcuts” A.I. offer us. If you are unsure if the program you intend to use to help you with an assignment is AI or banned by this class, consult your teacher. “I didn’t know” is not a valid excuse for turning in a piece of work that has used A.I. inappropriately. See the community guidelines around A.I. for more information. 

Help

 

One of the most important skills you can learn as students is asking for help. If you’re overwhelmed by homework, ask for help. If you don’t understand an assignment, ask for help. If you feel you’ve been graded unfairly, are worried about your standing in class, are just too shy to speak, come talk to me about it. I can only guarantee a positive experience for you in this class if we have open communication.