Honors English II
World Literature with Competitive Change Cadets
Course Information
Teacher: Ms. Cunningham | Room 315| Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology
Meets Monday-Friday of the Spring 2014 Semester
Office Hours: Ms. Cunningham– Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 2:30-4:30
E-mail: anas.cunningham@cms.k12.nc.us
Note: Ms. Cunningham reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus should the need arise.
Vision
Students must feel valued and validated as an individual and hold each other accountable for class wide success for Ms. Cunningham’s Community of Competitive Change Cadets to function properly. Transformational and meaningful change cannot occur with isolated exposure to excellence. Readiness for life depends on the successful implementation and internalization of the following four elements so my students can meaningfully compete with other students on a national scale.
- 1). Mindful, reflective, engaged, and active thinkers
- 2). Cogent, competent, and analytic writers
- 3). Mindsets of grit, perseverance, curiosity, and passion
- 4). Development of personal empathy and impassioned eloquence
Big Goals
- EOC: 100 % of change cadets will earn a 4 on the EOC.
- Reading: 85% of cadets will achieve mastery on AP aligned multiple choice questions from released AP exams.
- Writing: 100% of cadets will write on a 5-7 level range according to the AP writing rubric.
- Competitive College Readiness: 100 % of cadets will score at least an 8 on the ACT writing prompt
Please note that students’ accomplishment of these goals will undoubtedly and inarguably make students highly competitive on a national scale with students from across the United States. Each goal represents a facet of how students can utilize their personal experience in articulate and meaningful ways to best prepare them for advanced courses and succeed in college.
Ms. Cunningham’s Journey to the Cardinals Nest:
Greetings! I am beyond excited to be your Honors English II teacher this year. The course delves into the issues and organizational systems that exist throughout the world so students will think critically on how to approach and solve pressing issues. Students’ understanding and engagement with rhetoric and the powerful effects of diction will propel them to craft arguments based on evidence that develops their opinions in academic writing. Honors English II focuses on the purposes and uses of writing and how the conventions of language construct identity, society, and conflict so students can identify specific rhetorical strategies that develop either an author’s main point or tone throughout the text.
My hometown is Potomac, Maryland, located approximately thirty minutes from Washington D.C. I attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and I double majored in English and Political Science. Throughout my academic career, I have been seriously committed to debate, Model United Nations, and serving as a Freshmen Orientation leader for incoming students. My passions outside of the classroom include a deep love of cycling and hiking, as well as, playing basketball, football (go 49ers!), softball, racquetball, and ultimate Frisbee.
I believe in holding and maintaining rigorous standards for success so that students dramatically improve their writing and gain an enormous amount of knowledge they can use in college and in their personal lives. No challenge will be unconquerable because I commit to showing students exactly how to achieve success in my class, on the EOC exam, and on a personal level. Urbanologist,Yi Fu Tuan, writes that “What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place when we get to know it better and endow it with values” so it is my goal to make classroom 315 a place in which students feel safe, challenged, respected, valued, motivated, and passionate to make a significant impact on the world.
Honors English II Course Description
English II has two major components:
1). Preparation for College Entrance Exams and College Writing. The writing assignments will be excellent preparation for the writing component on the SAT, which you will take in your junior year. Additionally, English II will prepare you for AP English Language and Composition when you decide to take the course next year.
2). Critical analysis of World Literature: The tenth grade units of study focus on world literature in order to broaden the literary landscape of high school students. The units begin with an investigation of culture, working toward a definition and an understanding of the commonalities and differences among human cultures as represented in literature, media, and non-fiction from around the world. Students read widely and deeply, and are asked to write about and research ways cultures communicate and the conflicts that sometimes arise between cultures. Students will examine pieces of world literature in a cultural context to appreciate the diversity and complexity of world issues and to connect global ideas to their own experiences. Students will continue to explore languages for expressive, informational/explanatory, critical argumentative and literary purposes, although emphasis will be placed on explanatory contexts.
Honors English II Course Objectives
Third Quarter:
Unit 1: Effective Essay Composition
Unit 2: Literary Elements
Unit 3: A World of Ideas
Fourth Quarter:
Unit 4: The Author’s Craft
Unit 5: World Classics
Unit 6: Research Project
Ms. Cunningham’s Super Classroom Expectations
Expectations English II is a highstakes course, and accordingly, you will be asked to come every day, to be highly engaged in class discussion and material, and to try your absolute best on every assignment. I will do my absolute best to help you in any way I can. You have to be committed to you own success in order to pass this course and to move on to your junior year of high school. Also, do not be afraid to ask questions, the most meaningful forms of learning come from open discussion and dialogue, and that is why I am here, to help shape your thinking and to prepare you for a bright future.
Rules Cardinal Cadets always…
1) Treat others with courtesy and respect
2) Come prepared and are on time
3) Give 100% and ask for help when they need it!
Materials Students should be prepared for class with paper and a writing utensil. For this class students will also need a 3 ring notebook, dividers, and one spiral notebook.
Writing Utensils All tests, quizzes, minor papers, or project drafts will be submitted in pen (blue or black ink only) or pencil. Any assignment typed must be in Times New Roman font, size 12, black. (Time in class will be granted for major assignments with typing required.)
Timing Class will start on time and end on time. The teacher will dismiss the students. Students will not pack their belongings until the teacher provides that direction. Do not get out of your seat, whether in class or the Computer Lab unless told to do so.
Homework Homework will be posted on the board and will be given nightly. The purpose of homework is to prepare for or expand upon what is happening in class. Always check for homework.
Late Work Late submissions of assignmentswill receive a reduced grade. It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to get all notes and assignments, as well as, to make up all tests, quizzes, and homework. All work must be turned in within one week of missing class.
In accordance with CMS policy, late assignments will be accepted. However, also in accordance with CMS policy, the instructor has the authority to penalize such late work. In this course, you should expect to receive no more than 50% credit for work that is a maximum of five [5] academic days late [10% daily reduction]. The instructor will grade the work—and, as always, mark off for errors, omissions, and incorrect or incomplete items—then asses the penalty. In all cases, no student will receive greater than a 1% on any late assignment that is more than five [5] days past due.
Required Texts The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (must be purchased or downloaded by student)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Please note that Ms. Cunningham will have multiple copies of the text available, but students are encouraged to either purchase the novels/play or obtain an electronic copy of the novel/play, or locate the novel/play at the local library.
Course Themes Mini Unit—Cadet Change Champions
- 1). Self vs. Society
- 2). Self vs. Others
- 3). Self vs. Nature
- 4). Self vs. Self
- Mini Unit—EOC Preparation
Grading Overall letter grades follow the POB school-wide scale (A 100-93, B 92-85, C 84-77, D 76-70, F below 70). The weight breakdown in our class is as follows:
Formal (tests, quizzes, seminars, projects, essays)……………. 70%
Informal (homework/class work)……………………………………. 30%
Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism entails passing “any portion of another person’s thoughts or writing—whether quoted verbatim or specifically rephrased—as your own original work” (phrasing from Professor Nick Davis’ English 386: Henry James and Film course at Northwestern University). Re-submitted essays must be completely revised and edited based on teacher’s comments, not a recopy of the first essay. Parents and students must sign the syllabus and submit the form to Ms. Cunningham on the second day of the course. Students caught plagiarizing will receive an automatic failing grade and be referred to administrative staff for further consequences. Ms. Cunningham retains the right to allow students to earn the opportunity to resubmit the paper if the student writes a 250-word reflection on why the plagiarism took place and what consequences are involved with plagiarism at the college-level. Students who do resubmit a paper can only receive a maximum 71 score on the new paper. Parents and students must initial the plagiarism section to indicate that they are aware of this policy:
_____________________________
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Initials
_____________________________
Students’ Initials
Retakes “Failure is not an option.” Simply put, your mastery of the material we cover is the primary focus for us as teachers in the English department. As such, any student who scores below a 77% on a test has the option to retake that test with a “qualifier.” To do this, you must spend a total of one hour in a remediation/re-teaching session conducted by the teacher or his department designee before taking the re-test. You will be held accountable for your work during a re-teaching session, and this must all happen (re-teaching session, associated work, and re-test) within five days of the original test date. Student is responsible for addressing teacher about any and all retakes. This is not the responsibility of the teacher.
Extra Help For extra help, concerns, questions, etc., I am available after school everyday. We can set up other times on a case-by-case basis—be mindful that Wednesdays are staff meeting days.
Home Contact Expect me to call or email home and discuss your progress with your parents/ guardians. They are a key part of the learning process.Information on class happenings will be sent home on a regular basis, in addition to being available on a classroom website. Beyond that, students and their supporters can contact me via the following:
Email: anas.cunningham@cms.k12.nc.us
Phone: (240) 678-8389
Finally English class is a process. Each piece of work that you do prepares you for the English II EOC, for success in high school and college, and for the world beyond POB.
Behavioral Expectations
- Students will be in the classroom and ready to work when the bell rings. We have the opportunity to expand our learning horizons and will take advantage of every minute. Our time is precious.
- Raise your hand to be recognized. With so many students it is impossible for Ms. Cunningham to answer questions if everyone is talking at once. Additionally, you are not to speak when Ms. Cunningham is speaking. Speaking when she is speaking will result in a warning and then a reduction in Deering Dollars.
- Students will be given 3 bathroom passes per quarter. Ration these passes, for once they are gone, you will be not allowed to go to the restroom for ANY reason. Going to the bathroom is for emergencies only.Class attendance is mandatory. If you are not in class, you are absent. You are responsible for all work you miss while you are not in class.
- I am available to you throughout the day: before, during, and after school. Issues of any nature will be kept between the student and the teacher but will not be discussed during class (especially grades). Class time is for class work; any issues will only be discussed outside of our time together as a group.
- Appropriate language will be used at all times. When in doubt, don’t say it. Classroom courtesy is of paramount importance in room 315—disrespect, rudeness, and intolerance of any kind will not be tolerated.
- Concerning iPods, cell phones, electronic devices, etc.: do not have them out in class.
POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES
- Participation/ Class Points
- Positive Phone Calls Home
- Homework/ Quiz Passes
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
1. Verbal warning
2. Reduction in Deering Dollars (5 per Infraction)
3. Lunch Detention with Ms. Cunningham
4. Removal from room and parent contact
5. Administrative referral
Major infractions may result in more severe consequences being used immediately at the discretion of the teacher.
The New English II EOC
As part of the introduction of Common Core State Standards, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has moved the English End-of-Course Exam to the end of English II. Although for years this exam took place at the end of English I, Common Core aligns its standards for English courses in high school by combining the expectations for English I with English II. Students can expect significantly more difficult material on the EOC this year as compared with previous years. EOC preparation will take place throughout the semester as part of thematic learning units. Students who do not pass the EOC but are passing the course will submit a portfolio of work for promotion.
After you finish reading through our Honors English II Syllabus, please take a moment to write your thoughts on the syllabus. In the space below, write your impressions of the course, what the expectations mean to you, any questions you may have, and whether any information is unclear. Ms. Cunningham is prepared to radically transform the educational experience of students enrolled in her course, please engage with her on how she can best support you and your student.
anascunninghamdotcom 