661 Honors Literature Writing Syllabus

661 Honors Literature & Writing Syllabus Freshmen

Each student is responsible for his/her own learning. Clearly, not all materials can be covered in class. For example, studying for quizzes/tests and planning out projects must be done at home. You will only get out of this class what you, yourself put into it. If you are unclear on expectations or need help starting an assignment then you must ask for help (in person or via email); be an active part of your own education! With this in mind, this is what you can expect throughout the year:

September-November: INTRODUCTION: rules and expectations, syllabus, get to know you activities, introduction to the Collins Writing Program, sample writing piece, grammar sheet, Mad Libs activities, and grammar quiz. We will also initiate SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) and select a novel from the library (bring one from home or borrow one from me as well).

SUMMER READING: Summer Reading form (quiz grade), individual visual project, mini presentation, and type 4 essay

SHORT STORIES: elements of short stories, story plot outline, and essay format. For each short story there will be a vocabulary quiz, study guide questions, writing activities, and small project/group work. At the end of this unit there will also be a type 4 essay and unit test. Grammar focus activities include: identifying parts of speech, common grammar usage and MLA format.

These are the stories we will be reading:

1. “The Colomber” 3. “Marigolds” 2. “The Most Dangerous Game” 4. “Poison”

Two additional stories from the theme Expect the Unexpected will also be read. Study guide questions and short individual projects can be expected. A take-home test and type 3 essay will follow.

1. “The Gift of the Magi” 2. “The Cask of Amontillado”

November-March: GREEK MYTHOLOGY & THE ODYSSEY: Introduction to the epic poem, epic hero, mythology, and myths, myth presentations, research project on an assigned god/goddess, create your own god/goddess project, creative writing, read The Odyssey, selected vocabulary, understand character and place names, map project, Part 1 and Part 2 quizzes (averaged together for a unit test grade), Odysseus vs. Suitors debate, and type 4 thematic essay. Students will also read an excerpt from Oedipus and write an additional type 3 essay on tragic heroes. Grammar focus activities include fragments/run-ons, tense agreement and analysis of words derived from history and Greek mythology. March-May: SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA & ROMEO AND JULIET: Introduction to Shakespeare and his times, dramatic conventions, vocabulary/words from Shakespeare’s era (to review and become familiar with), three act projects, translate Shakespeare’s language into modern day language, view the Zeffirelli version (prior to quizzes, as a review) and modern movie version (at completion of unit), study guide questions, act projects, and creative writing. There will be a quiz after each act (acts IV and V will be combined); the four quizzes will be averaged as a test grade. A research paper on some aspect of the 16th century will be completed which will contain correct in-text citations from a variety of sources and a correctly formatted works cited page. Grammar focus activities include comma usage and apostrophes.

June: POETRY: introduce specific poetic devises, connect poetry to music, favorite song presentations, read poems as examples of poetic devices, create our own examples of poetic devices, practice different creative writing activities, and analyze the meaning behind poems. All creative writing activities will be organized into a final portfolio.

SUPPLEMENTAL READING: Supplemental reading is a school-wide program at McCann. Three additional novels will be assigned which will be read outside of class. Two will be specifically assigned, while the third will be a free choice selection. Students can expect a different project to accompany each of the supplemental reading novels.

SUSTAINED SILENT READING (SSR): SSR will be done each day in the classroom. This program is participation based and designed to help students find a book to read. Each class will start with 10-15 minutes for silent reading from a book of your choosing (a different book can be selected every few days in the hopes that you'll find one you like). A log of what you read during SSR will be kept and turned in at the end of each quarter for a quiz grade. Any extra entires will count as bonus points toward this assignment.

** Each student will have a folder kept in the classroom. Any test, quizzes, projects, essays, old class materials, etc will be kept within it. Quizzes, tests, and any written work will be logged within the folder in order to track progress. The student will be able to take the folder with him or her at the end of the year as a review for the final exam.