Syllabus
English 11
Teacher: Guy Moyer, Room Number: 334, Email via Jupiter, Tu. 3:00-3:30, School Phone Number: 958-3000
OCSI Web Address: https://sites.google.com/a/ocsi.org/dr-moyer-s-classes/
Course Description
English 11 surveys American literature, primarily of the 19th and 20th centuries, so as to potentially reinforce content of the U. S. history class. Literature to be read includes (but is not limited to) The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Graham’s The Testament, the writing of Edgar Allan Poe et al. In addition to developing an awareness of major writers in American literature, students will develop grammar and revision skills relevant to their writing. They will also improve their vocabulary in a manner relevant to the SAT and their future success in college. In addition, students will employ class content to further analyze selected works through character development, theme, and compare/contrast essays.
Course Introduction
English 11 will first consider core concepts in literature and apply them to John Grisham’s incisive multiplot novel The Testament (approx. 3-4 weeks). We will then shift to approximately 6-8 weeks of writing study, which will utilize our English 11 textbook The Language Network and which will in part reinforce the work of those taking the college writing class. For if students are to write about literature, they must write effectively—where ultimately the distinction is not one between college or high school writing, but rather good or bad writing. This is especially relevant for anyone someday expecting to attend college.
This should better prepare our return to literature sometime early in the second quarter and facilitate our consideration of literature throughout the academic year, which will at times include close readings of stories. This will also include consideration of what the author is saying to us, whether about himself/herself or society. The class website (http://childsinc.com/drmoyer) provides useful review/preview of major course content. Passwords for this website will be provided in class. The site will also be made accessible on the OCSI website.
Everything you have learned in high school will suddenly become a precious commodity the day you start college. Writing skill and the greater content of this class are potentially a part of that. Another potential part of that is where your life’s attentions have been focused during the years leading up to college. I wish everyone in this class divine blessing and encouragement in the work ahead.
Class Texts & Resources:
Applebee, Arthur N., et al. The Language of Literature: American Literature. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal, Little, 2002.
The Testament, Grisham
The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald
Instructor Handouts
Class Website
Language Network and potentially its workbook. Other reading to be provided later in school year.
Students may be required to place book covers on OCSI textbooks.
Required Materials:
Lined Writing/Notebook Paper
Pencil(s)/Pen(s) (blue or black ink)
Notebook(s)/Folder(s) (for collecting class handouts)
Plain White A4 or Letter Paper (for typed assignments—submitted in hard copy)
Class Schedule:
Quarter 1: Preview of literary concepts, The Testament, essential writing skills
Quarter 2: The Scarlet Letter & Puritans, Poe/early nineteenth century American literature
Quarter 3: Poe/nineteenth century American literature (cont.)
Quarter 4: The Great Gatsby, twentieth century American literature, poetry
Expectations and Rules:
Come to class on time, be seated, and be ready to listen and work.
Bring all necessary supplies/reading to class and submit assignments on time.
Turn off and put away all electronic devices, including cell phones.
Water is allowed in the class, but food/other drink is at the instructor’s discretion.
Follow school rules and any other rules announced in class.
Be considerate and use good adult common sense in the classroom. Talking in class not only potentially robs yourself, but it can also distract/rob others.
Attendance/Tardy Policy:
Regular attendance and punctuality are important for success in this class. An excused absence does not necessary excuse a student from making up work. (The class website should prove most useful in this regard.) The school handbook provides more information regarding attendance and course credit.
Academic Vocabulary:
Some of the vocabulary terms that will be encountered in this class potentially include:
Narrative Point of View Simile/Metaphor
(Objective, First Person, Third Person) Synecdoche/Metonymy
Diegesis (Intra-/Extradiegetic) Dialect
Focalization Literary Criticism
Frame Narrative "Lost Generation"
Unreliable Narrator Poetic Meter
Invasive/Ambivalent Narrator Ballad Stanza
Situational/Dramatic/Verbal Irony Romanticism
Satire Realism
Plot/Denouement Coherence & Cohesion
Multiplot Novel Sentence Structure/Transitions
Protagonist/Antagonist Parallelism/Agreement/Consistency
Character/Setting/Theme Topic, Thesis, & Transition Sentence
Literary Allusion & Intertextuality Register & Subjective/Objective Case
Allegory
Grading:
Major Grades: 60%
(essays, exam, prstn, major online events et al.)
Minor Grades: 40%
(quizzes, homework/class participation)
The class participation grade includes demonstrated class preparedness and effective contribution to the daily activities and agenda of the class. Attendance (unexcused) and punctuality may also count toward the class participation grade.
Class essays should employ relevant writing content of the first quarter. An “A” paper (90-100) evidences the skills considered in class in a manner that is well organized and demonstrates good coherence and cohesion in effective formal English. A “B” paper (80-89) attempts the above, but in total or in one or more aspects is, in the instructor’s judgment, appreciably flawed. A grade of “C” or lower represents work that is, in the instructor’s judgment, more severely flawed.