BFHS 2026-2027 Modern Literature Syllabus

Teacher: Mr. Tyson Abaroa             Room: 202

Email Address: tabaroa@bfcsaz.com        

Website: https://sites.google.com/bfcsaz.com/mrabaroa/welcome  

SYLLABUS NOTE

Students are responsible for knowing the information outlined in this course syllabus. Please keep a copy of this document and refer to it. Information may be subject to change; the instructor will notify students of any changes in course requirements or policies, and changes will be posted on the class website.

COMMUNICATION POLICY

Please use my BFCS email address to communicate with me and label all messages with a subject that includes your class hour. Please end your email with your first and last name. I urge you to contact me as soon as you have a question or a concern via email. Please don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help with an assignment in case I am unable to get back to you right away. I will respond to emails within 24 hours during the school week. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

As students prepare to enter adulthood, they will explore the relationships between themselves and government, society, family, and the self through the study of great modern works, including All Quiet on the Western Front, Fahrenheit 451, All My Sons, and The Lord of the Rings, among others. Students will also learn the fundamentals of literary analysis and discuss and engage in a variety of writing activities focusing on argumentation, interpretation, analysis, rhetorical strategies, exposition, structure, and style.

Note: All sections of this Modern Literature course are eligible for dual enrollment college credit through Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Students will be receiving more information as we head into the semester on how to register with CGCC if they wish to take advantage of this dual enrollment opportunity!

READING SELECTIONS

Students must have the book in class on the day it is due – please plan accordingly. Note that the texts are listed in the order that they will be read throughout the year.

• All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (978-0449911495)

• Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (978-0060850524)

• Night, by Ellie Wiesel (978-0374399979)

• The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom (978-0800794057)

• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (978-1451673319)

• Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka (978-0393347098)

• A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (978-0679755333)

• All My Sons, Arthur Miller ( 978-0141185460)

• The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (978-0544003415)

In addition, in Quarter 3, students will participate in a book club in which their book club group must select one of the following novels. 

• Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (978-0141439662) 

• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (978-0553212754)

• As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (9780679732259)

• Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (978-0143038092)

** Additional reading selections and poetry will be handed out by the teacher**

REQUIRED MATERIALS

• 12th Grade Reader

• Blue or black pens for ALL submitted assignments (Other colors can be used for notes)

• Red pens (for corrections) 

• Highlighters (highly recommended)

• Prong Folder/Notebook for writing assignments 

• Loose leaf notebook paper, college ruled (can be in a notebook, but be able to tear it out to turn in bell work or assignments)

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Grading is figured using a weighted system. Your grade will be based on a combination of effort and progress toward the following: 

GRADING CATEGORY

WEIGHTED VALUE

GRADING SCALE

Discussions

25%

100% - 90%

A

Quizzes/Exams

20%

89% - 80%

B

Homework/Classwork (one-day assignments)

15%

79% - 70%

C

Essays

20%

69%- 60%

D

Final Exam

20%

59%-Below

F

COURSE CONTENT

• Novel Discussions & Socratic Seminars: Throughout the course, students are required to participate in Socratic Seminars and Novel Discussions which allows them to develop their reflective thinking skills and oral communication using self-generated questions. As seminars are a key component of instruction at Benjamin Franklin High School, points for missed seminars may only be made up through both of the following:

  • Completing a written assignment given to the student upon their return to class and submitting it within the time given for an excused absence (counts for 60% max of  total possible points)

  •  Attending a conference period or after school on the following Wednesday (Room 222) of the missed seminar to participate in a make-up discussion with peer(s) and/or teacher (counts for remaining 40%); students who do not attend conference for any reason, can only receive up to a 60% on the missed seminar.

• Tests and Quizzes: Assignments in this category include but are not limited to: grammar and vocabulary quizzes; socratic seminars; and novel exams. All quizzes and tests can be retaken for additional credit (except the final). 

  • Grammar Quizzes: These quizzes will be given throughout the year and will focus on the skills discussed during our weekly grammar practices. 

  • Writing Quizzes: These quizzes are generally an analysis paragraph in response to a specific prompt. Students are required to integrate at least two quotes of evidence from the text and support their claim with reasoning. 

  • Novel Exam: At the end of every novel, students will take a multiple choice exam or an in-class writing assignment that will focus on the major concepts and themes discussion during our Novel Discussions. 

• Essays and Long-Term Assignments: Assignments in this category include but are not limited to: in-class and extended essays; and extended projects. These assignments will allow you to develop arguments using textual evidence to support your claims for whole works as well as portions of a text. All work is due on the due date and must adhere to APA formatting norms, including margins, font, font size, and title requirements. Email submissions are not permitted unless otherwise noted.  All essays and major assignments are mandatory and must be completed in order to pass this course. Essays may require more than one draft, as well as revisions and edits based on teacher and peer feedback. 

• Homework/Classwork (one-day assignments including in class activities and assignments): Students should anticipate homework every night, as well as most weekends, except for R&R weekends. Homework will mostly consist of reading and response writing which creates the foundation of the classroom discussion. As a result, sometimes homework assignments change with the pace of the class. The teacher reserves the right to change the assignments accordingly. Homework is due on the scheduled due date. In-class assignments and activities often have due dates that are assigned as the class progresses. 

  • Reading and Annotating: Students will have reading every night. While students read, they are required to do the following: 

    • Annotate their text. For each text, students will be given annotation expectations.

    • Take notes as needed and answer any assigned reading questions for the chapter/pages (the number of questions will depend on the text and assigned reading). Notes are turned in at the end of the unit, usually the day of the test.

  • Reading Schedules: This document will have the due dates for each assigned reading. As students read through the book, the teacher will check the annotations and mark their completion on this document. Then, this document will be submitted at the end of the novel (typically on the day of the test). 

  • Literary Response Questions: These are questions students should ponder as we read the book and discuss it in class. Then, by Saturday, students must submit an analysis paragraph answering the question using evidence to support their reasoning. 

• Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities will be offered sporadically throughout the year. While extra credit can help a student’s grade, students should not depend on extra credit.

LATE WORK POLICY

Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. Please place assignments visible on the upper corner of your desk. The instructor accepts late work after it was due for reduced credit. If you are absent, you have two days for every one day of absence to submit your work for full credit. You are responsible for any material covered. Please check the class website and get the notes from another student as soon as you return, and then meet with the teacher, if needed. Regardless of if the work is from an excused absence or is just being turned in late, students must complete a late work slip to show accountability for turning in that assignment. 

Should a student have an excused absence on the day of an assessment, they will have one school week to make-up the assessment. After this time has lapsed and a student has not made arrangements to make-up the assessment, a score of zero will be entered into the gradebook.

**Long-term assignments are to be turned in on the due date, regardless of student attendance, unless prior arrangements have been made with the teacher.**

TARDY POLICY

Students are expected to arrive to class on time and be working on bell work when the final bell rings. Habitual tardiness will result in detention after the 3rd tardy and for each tardy accrued, thereafter. 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM 

“It is more honorable to fail than to cheat.” – Abraham Lincoln

Academic integrity is not just an educational matter but a moral one as well. A major aspect of classical education is instruction on growing in character and our goal of becoming a virtuous person. With this in mind, BFHS takes very seriously the willful misrepresentation of another student’s work as their own. This includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (intentional or unintentional), cheating on exams, and use of AI, and copying the work of other students.

Every effort will be made by the teacher to discern intentional plagiarism from unintentional plagiarism. In the case of the latter, remediation will take place between student and teacher in order to review how to properly cite others’ work. This is not a punitive measure but rather an opportunity for the student to understand and correct his/her citation skills. On the other hand, intentional plagiarism and cheating will result in a zero on the assignment, suspension, removal from extra-curricular activities or leadership positions held in the school, and, in the case of repeat offenders, corrective action.

BFHS uses a variety of tools to uphold academic integrity via plagiarism similarity reports and generative AI probability. Any papers submitted with a plagiarism similarity report of 25% or more and/or returned as 25% or more of “qualifying text…[being] determined to be generated by AI” may not be accepted for credit. Suspected papers will be reviewed by the teacher and could result in a conference with the student and/or parent. Consequences can include but are not limited to referral to administration and a score of 0 on the paper. Students are encouraged to draft all of their written work using their school Google account and Google Drive. This allows teachers the ability to check version and revision histories to help mitigate plagiarism (intentional or unintentional) as well as the use of generative AI on a portion or all of the writing assignment.

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

All school rules will be upheld in this classroom. You will find the instructor holds all students accountable, and expects:

• Positive language at all time (this instructor has a ZERO tolerance policy for discriminatory language)

• Daily preparedness for class (arriving to class on time, bringing required supplies, completing assigned work)

• Contribution to class discussions

• Appropriate input and involvement in group tasks

• Attentiveness and preparation for presentations

• Preparedness for minor tasks that build towards larger tasks

• Appropriate, professional, respectful behavior during engaging discussion and class activity

• Respect for the opinions and property of each of your classmates (assume positive intent)

• Students to attend Conference or Tutoring when struggling

  • Tutoring will be held during conference time, after school on Tuesday from 2:35-3:30, or by appointment. You must schedule a tutoring appointment with Mr. Abaroa in advance. If you can’t find Mr. Abaroa before or after school, he may be in room 222. 

  • For more information, see our Family Handbook.

FOOD AND DRINK

Students are not allowed to eat in the classroom. Water is permitted in a bottle with a closable lid.  

BATHROOM POLICY

Students are expected to remain in class for the duration of the class. However, in emergency situations, if you wish to go to the bathroom, please excuse yourself quietly. Each student will then sign out and use a given bathroom pass. Each student will receive four passes per semester. Upon returning to class, the student must re-enter the classroom quietly, sign-in, and get back to work. Students are not allowed to go to the restroom in the first ten minutes of class, the last ten minutes of class, or during a test or quiz. Only one student can go to the bathroom at a time. 

CELL PHONES

Cell phones and all other electronic devices (with the exception of calculators being used for academic purposes) are to be powered off and kept in students’ backpacks during the entirety of the school day. Phones and other electronic devices are not permitted to be used in the school building between the hours of 7:00 am –3:30pm. Phones are permitted outside of the school building before and after school only.

BEHAVIOR PLAN

For the sake of an orderly classroom and quality educational experience, it is necessary to expect students to conform to a uniform standard of conduct. The goal of school discipline is to correct undesirable behavior. When a student refuses to amend behavior while on school grounds, corrective action may be needed. In most circumstances, the following disciplinary process will be followed:

• Level One: Student is notified by the teacher that behavior is not meeting class expectations. The student is given the opportunity to correct the behavior.

• Level Two: After a student is given the opportunity to correct the behavior and there is no change, the student will be given additional strategies and direction from the teacher to meet class expectations.

• Third Level: After three opportunities are given to correct the behavior, the teacher will contact home via email, and the student may be assigned detention. 

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

I would be happy to write you a letter of recommendation. It is considered polite to give recommenders at least two weeks notice before the due date, but more time is always better. Please provide me with a resume. 

FOR PARENTS
In an effort to help your child be more successful in class and as a part of our BFHS community, I would like you to use the following parent tools:

• Powerschool: student grades and attendance are housed here; please note that grades are updated a minimum of once a week.

• Teacher Website: features a weekly agenda with due dates, classwork/homework, and resources.

TEACHING LITERATURE RHETORICALLY

At Benjamin Franklin High School, the English department strives to select literature that touches on deep themes and profound moral truths that relate directly to the human condition. As such, we, as a school, adamantly seek to lead our students to that which is true, good, and beautiful. However, for students to be able to fully recognize what is true, good, and beautiful, sometimes they need to be able to see its inverse.

We have a moral obligation to learn from the human experiences of the past; we cannot understand where we are going unless we know where we have been. We do that by studying past humans who have lived, how they addressed their current issues, and how they imagined their futures. The best way to do that is to read what they wrote and to try to understand it from their time period.

To that end, we teach literature rhetorically:

From literature, we learn about the transformative power of stories, the gift of imagination, the pleasures of reading, and the importance of craft. From rhetoric, we learn about critical reasoning, the structure of arguments, the tools of persuasion, and the significance of context. Combining the two gives students the best of both worlds. (Jennifer Fletcher, Teaching Literature Rhetorically)

Through explicit guidance, our teachers provide students with a controlled environment in which they can carefully guide their students through difficult themes. Where other schools may shy away from such a task, our students get to confront and develop healthy and correct responses to and/or rejections of hatred, selfishness, bigotry, and rage. Studying novels wherein the characters have experienced those traumas, we inoculate our students and inculcate them with ideals of wisdom, self-control, respect, and love for those around them.

Upon our students' graduation, it is our hope the literature and philosophical concepts we have discussed will have prepared them to enter the world as virtuous adults, adults who cling to what is good while knowing how to identify and firmly reject what is morally unjust. 

RELIGION IN THE CLASSROOM

At Benjamin Franklin High School:

• We understand each student brings their own personal belief system with them to the classroom; we seek to help them understand history as part of the human experience, we do not seek to change belief systems

• We recognize the distinction between devotional expression/belief and the study of diverse devotional expressions

• We understand religions are internally diverse

• We acknowledge religion is embedded in the human experience

• We recognize how and why political, economic and cultural lenses are intertwined within religion

• We accept our knowledge claims are "situated"; they arise out of particular social and historical contexts which are not the same as universally accepted claims/truths

• Studying religion, in context, allows us to analyze power/powerlessness in regards to world events