Course Syllabus

122 SOPHOMORE ENGLISH FOUNDATIONS Mr. Conte

Prerequisite: Freshman English Foundations

 

Grade Level: 10

1 Credit Course

 

Course Description and Rationale

 

Sophomore English Foundations continues to develop the skills begun in Freshman English Foundations. Through a mix of creative and analytical writing, short and long form reading, and focused skills development, students will become more thorough and more engaged readers and thinkers. The course will bring the students back to the roots of literature, and trace its way forward. We will study storytelling, poetry, short stories, and the novel, all the while asking two fundamental questions: what is truly worth knowing, and what tools do we need to know it?



Course Framework

 

  1. Reading Skills
  1. Skills practice
  2. group-reading and discussion
  3. examination of composing choices
  4. oral reading development
  5. direct grammar instruction and practice

 

  1. Writing Skills
  1. Daily Writing Journal
  2. Creative Writing projects
  3. Critical Writing projects
  4. vocabulary development
  5. Developing skills around investigative writing practices, such as the following: asking focused questions, forming informed opinions, developing critical skills around productive disagreement, moving from spoken word to written word, bridging the gap from ideas in our mind to ideas on the page. 







Course Materials

 

In this course, we will read a variety of short stories, poems, excerpts, and essays. We will also read The Giver, and another long work TBD. Students will have the opportunity to choose their own reading materials as well. In order to succeed in this course, students will need a notebook, folder, writing utensil, and reliable internet access at home. 



Assessment

 

Students will be assessed through a variety of assignments: daily writing journals, completion of homework, participation (which takes many forms), creative writing projects, and critical writing projects.  More information on how I assess these assignments can be found in the individual assignments as they are handed out.  We will create a classroom contract together on the first day of class, which outlines the expectations we have for each other in the classroom, and the expectations you have for me as the instructor. 



A.I. Disclaimer

 

Because this is a class solely 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.