COURSE STANDARD

English IV is the culmination of English studies at Woods.  Students will rely on their personal knowledge, interests, and curiosities to answer our essential question: how is British Literature (700 A.D. - 2017) relevant to my life?

Our units begin with an investigation of history and time, working toward a definition and an understanding of the commonalities and differences among British and American cultures, as represented in literature, media, history, and nonfiction from Anglo-Saxon to modern day Great Britain. By the end of the year, you will have studied works written in several genres by British authors from the Anglo-Saxon period to modern day and will have written extensively and critically on what you have read.

READING

Heroes & Outliers

Beowulf

The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

Selected Elizabethan Sonnets

A Natural Connection

Selected Gothic Short Stories

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Selected Romantic Poetry

Changing Society

Selected Brontë, Austen and Elliot

The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

Selected Victorian Poetry

Identity

Selected Bloomsbury Group

Selected Symbolist and Modernist Poetry

To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

DAILY SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS

To ensure success, students will rely on their notes, homework, class supplies, and the current reading. Failure to have all of the necessary materials and supplies each day will result in a loss of credit. Students are required to attend class each day ready to learn, which includes having all of the following items:                

• Pencils and pens (black or blue ink)

• Spiral or composition notebook dedicated to solely to English

• Planner/homework diary

• Binder or section in binder dedicated to English

HOMEWORK

Some of the assigned weekly reading will be done inside of class, but students should expect to complete the majority of the assigned reading outside of class. It is highly recommended (and in some instances, required) for students to take notes, highlight, and “sticky note” the text as they read. All other homework assignments will vary on a day-to-day basis. Homework (both electronic and hard copy) is due at the beginning of class.

READING QUIZZES

Reading quizzes will assess the quality of student reading. Students are to create quiz questions that are informed by the factual and analytical aspects of the text. Student questions will be formulated into bi-monthly quizzes. Make-ups for tests and quizzes must be made up within one week of the original date of the test or quiz.

LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAYS

Students will reference their notes, journals activities, and other classroom documents to approach writing as a process. Consequently, students will compose outlines, rough drafts, and essays that interpret and analyze the text. Final essays should examine literary elements, analyze the author's craft, and illuminate the overall message of the novel. In the instance that a student is unhappy with their grade, they’re welcome to approach me to discuss a rewrite.

INQUIRY ESSAYS

Every other week, students will receive a guiding question that helps them draw connections between the reading and their personal interests. The goal of the Inquiry Essay is to answer our essential questions. Students will formulate their answers through research, literature circles, classroom activities and reflection. The end result is an in-class essay that relates the text to their chosen point of relevance.

LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAYS

Students will reference their notes, journals activities, and other classroom documents to approach writing as a process. Consequently, students will compose outlines, rough drafts, and essays that interpret and analyze the text. Final essays should examine literary elements, analyze the author's craft, and illuminate the overall message of the novel. In the instance that a student is unhappy with his/her grade, they’re welcome to approach me to discuss a rewrite.

GRADE BREAKDOWN

T1: 25%            Classwork and Homework: 40%        

T2: 25%            Essays and Tests: 45%            

T3: 20%            Engagement: 15%     

Final: 20%    

Midterm: 10%

Senior Project: 20% of your T3 grade