Course Syllabus
a-g English 11
Sections 1010 & 1010.2 & 1011 & 1011.2
Location: Online
Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus that will be used in the Parent/Student Orientation course.
Class Information
Instructor: Debbie Nishihama
Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org
Office Hours: Mondays, 1 pm - 2 pm or Tuesdays, 9 am - 10 am
- Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 14, 2023 for Monday's class and August 15 for Tuesday's class
Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/1/23 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)
- Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 8, 2024 for Monday's class and August 15 for Tuesday's class
Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/19/24 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline.)
CWCS’s a-g English 11 online course offers students the opportunity to study at home while employing technology as a learning tool, meeting with other students in a virtual classroom, and receiving live instruction from a teacher.
Course Overview: This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards in complex American literature. Students will learn to think, analyze, and write thoughtful essays about literary and informational texts. They must complete assigned readings, essays, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is important that they attend class regularly, arrive at class on time, and come to class prepared to participate in meaningful discussions about literary and informational material.
The state standards require students to read stories and literature and more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills required for college, career, and life success.
The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in various content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.
Curriculum: Required curriculum may be available at the Learning Center on a first come basis. If needed, ESs can order curricula using the OPS catalog with the most up-to-date pricing. Students will need:
Textbooks: Students will be using the online version of Collections; the publisher is Houghton Mifflin. The traditional text and the online version come as a package that includes the student edition (hard copy), a Close Reader and a Performance Assessment booklet. When students check-out the package, they will receive a username & password for the digital component. The digital version and the texts will be available for check- out from the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Integrated Online Student Edition has all the features of the print edition plus Digital Collections which provide comprehensive standards instruction in writing, speaking and listening. Close Read Screencasts provide an audio and visual model of an analytical conversation about the text. In addition, the media resources such as History®, Lifetime, A&E, and Bio are seamlessly integrated into the digital offering. The digital tool also includes the FYI site, which provides curated, contemporary informational text for additional reading and instruction. Digital tools within the eBook enable students to annotate the texts they are reading, save their notes and annotations and then use those notes in the development of compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows for device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices).
Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed on using their online textbook's digital components.
Novels:
I provide a PDF for each novel listed below; however, if you desire a physical copy, you can link to Barnes & Noble below and let your ES know
1st Semester
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Pit and the Pendulum
2nd Semester
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Fahrenheit 451: A Novel by Ray Bradbury
Materials:
- Working external headset with mic (computer speakers do not work successfully with the Canvas setup). Plug-in headsets (rather than Bluetooth) work best with Jigsaw. After the third week of class and no headset, students may begin to lose participation points for the class. Class is much more engaging if all students can talk in class using their mic.
- Binder Paper
- 1" Binder
- Pencils & Erasers
- Composition Notebook
Requirements:
- Class textbook/workbook
- Gmail Account and ability to open/create Word documents and pdfs (Adobe Acrobat Reader).
- Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs are the only acceptable writing programs.
- Reliable Internet access
- Canvas Login link: https://cwcs.instructure.com/login/canvas
CWCS English Department Homepage
Grading: Students will be graded on the following criteria
|
Attendance/Participation |
15% |
|
Tests & Quizzes |
25% |
|
Writing & Projects |
40% |
|
Final |
20% |
Important ~ If an assignment is not submitted by the due date, students will automatically receive a zero for that assignment. This procedure is in place to ensure that each student's grade reflects accurately throughout the semester.
Grading Scale:
|
100 |
A+ |
|
92-99 |
A |
|
90-91 |
A- |
|
88-89 |
B+ |
|
82-87 |
B |
|
80-81 |
B- |
|
78-79 |
C+ |
|
72-77 |
C |
|
70-71 |
C- |
|
68-69 |
D+ |
|
62-67 |
D |
|
60-61 |
D- |
|
Below 60 |
F |
Attendance: Attendance is required. The Truancy Policy applies to Canvas courses. An unexcused absence may be counted as a truancy.
- Excused Absence is defined as:
The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets. - Unexcused Absence is defined as:
An absence that does not accompany a parent phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.
*If there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the teacher must still be notified prior to the start of class; allowances may be made depending on the circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances: car accident, sudden illness, etc. Students should arrange a "backup plan" in case of unexpected computer problems the day of the class (i.e. make pre-arrangements to go to a neighbor, friend, relative, library, etc.) When students are absent, they must email the instructor or another classmate to obtain the homework assignment.
Absent/Late Work: Please email the instructor through Canvas if you will be absent. Students who turn in assignments late will not receive a grade higher than 75%.
Daily Homework: All of the work for this course is assigned and graded by the instructor. All assignments will be submitted through Canvas. You can submit a Word document, PDF or Google Doc (download as a PDF and upload to Canvas). Emailed assignments will not be accepted. All communication will be made through Canvas’ messaging feature.
*Please Note: Assignments are subject to change. Students enrolled in Canvas classes should log into the course regularly for up-to-date and detailed assignments. Students who are not enrolled in Canvas classes and who are using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides’ weekly assignments.
TurnItIn
Turnitin is the most effective online technology for managing submitting, tracking, and evaluating student papers online. Turnitin provides originality checking, interactive grading, and peer review and allows instructors to deliver rich, personalized feedback in less time, encouraging notably higher student engagement.
Important Dates 2023-2024: (see also 2023-2024 School Calendar Final)
Aug. 7: First day of school
Aug. 14: First day of fall Canvas Classes
Sept. 1: Add/Drop date
Sept. 4: NO CLASS: Labor Day
Oct. 5 -6: NO CLASS (non school days)
Nov. 10: NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day
Nov. 17- 24: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break
Nov 27 - Dec 1: Last Class session this week (a-g)
Dec. 4 - 8: Last Class session this week (all other classes)
Dec. 4 - 8: a-g Finals Week
Jan. 5: First day back to school
Jan. 8: First day of spring Canvas classes
Jan. 15: NO CLASS: MLK Holiday
Jan. 19th: Add/Drop date
Feb. 15 - 19: NO CLASS: President’s Day Observance
March 22 - 29: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK: SPRING BREAK
April 29 - May 3: Last class session this week (a-g)
May 6 - 10: Last Class session this week (all other classes)
May 6 - 10: a-g Finals Week
May 17: Last Day of School
Pacing Guide – 2023-24
This Pacing Guide is Subject to Change
Check Canvas each week for Weekly Assignments, including:
- Weekly Reading Comprehension Questions
- Collection Tests
- Performance Task Writing
- Novel Assignments
Fall 2023
|
Weeks 1 & 2 |
COLLECTION 1 ~ Coming to America Read: from Of Plymouth Plantation pg 5 |
|
Week 3 |
Read: Coming of Age in the Dawnland from 1491 pg 23 |
|
Week 4 |
Read: from The Tempest pg 37 Novel: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Reading Schedule Posted in Canvas) This is a 2-week assignment ~ No class next week |
|
Week 5 |
Labor Day |
|
Week 6 |
Read: Balboa pg 77 |
|
Week 7 |
Read: "Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans" pg 87 |
|
Weeks 8 & 9 |
COLLECTION 2 ~ Building a Democracy READ: The Declaration of Independence pg 111 Read: The United States Constitution: Preamble and Bill of Rights pg 125
|
|
Week 10 |
READ: “The Federalist No. 10” pg 129 |
|
Week 11 |
READ: “Thomas Jefferson: The Best of Enemies” pg 141 |
|
Week 12 |
READ: “Colonial American Poetry” pg 151 |
|
Week 13 |
READ: “A Soldier for the Crown” pg 159 |
|
Week 14 |
COLLECTION 3: The Individual and Society READ: “Growing Up Asian in America” pg 157 READ: “Song of Myself” pg 177 |
|
Week 15 |
Thanksgiving Break |
|
Week 16 |
READ: Emily Dickinson’s “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” pg 200 “Because I could not stop for Death” pg 201 “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” pg 202 & “The Truth’s superb surprise” pg 203
READ: from “Walden” pg 207 |
|
Week 17 |
READ: from “Against Nature” pg 221 READ: from “The Minister’s Black Veil” pg 225 READ: from “The Pit and the Pendulum” pg 249
|
|
Week 18 |
A-g Finals Week (Project Due) |
Spring 2024
|
Weeks 1 & 2 |
Collection 4 Second Inaugural Address Seminal Texts | Where are we? Unification Speech Analysis Two Week Assignment | No Class Week 2 |
|
Week 3 |
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Persuasive Writing Techniques | Ethos, Logos, & Pathos |
|
Week 4 |
Declaration of Sentiments Author’s Purpose How to Support Your Claims in Writing The Latin Root ‘ject’ |
|
Week 5 |
Building the Transcontinental Railroad MLA Formatting Persuasive Words & Phrases in Writing Misplaced Modifiers |
|
Weeks 6 & 7 No Class Week 7 |
Rungate, Rungate How to Find Cause & Effect in a Reading Selection Finding Evidence in a Reading Passage Watch: The 54th Massachusetts (Online Textbook) Structure in Literature Collection 4 Test Performance Task |
|
Week 8 |
Collection 5 Introduction to American Realism To Build a Fire Methods of Characterization |
|
Week 9 |
From the Jungle Food Product Design from Fast Food Nation Determining the Author’s Point of View Fahrenheit 451 |
|
Week 10 |
The Lowest Animal The Lowest Animal Discussion Satire in Literature Parallelism in Literature Anaphora in Literature Fahrenheit 451 |
|
Week 11 |
The Story of an Hour Types of Irony Evaluating an Author’s Point of View Compare Text & Media Literary Devices You Need to Know Literary Devices Assessment Collection 5 Test Fahrenheit 451 |
|
Week 12 |
No Class | No Homework | Spring Break |
|
Week 13 |
Collection 6 Winter Dreams Syntax Fahrenheit 451 Test |
|
Week 14 |
Minding Wall & The Death of a Hire Man Interpreting Literary Meaning Matching Reading Strategies to Different Text Tupes Critical Reading Strategies Practice How to Analyze a Literary Passage |
|
Week 15 |
Tinker vs Des Moines Independent Community School District Free Speech for Though Vietnam War & Protests The Players of Tinker vs Des Moines The Decision |
|
Week 16 |
The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine Etymology Reality Check Story Elements: Science Fiction Nuances in Word Meaning |
|
Week 17 |
Prepare for final |
|
Week 18 |
a-g Finals Week |