English Language Arts III

About the course!Course Description!

This course is designed to meet the needs of all students in making them college and career ready. It continues to expand and reinforce the skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of literature, writing, language, and research. Students will read fiction, drama, poetry, and nonfiction. Students are expected to write critically and analytically.!

Prerequisites!

ELA I and II!

Learning Objectives!

• Read closely to determine a text’s purpose, using implicit and explicit evidence to draw conclusions.!

• Interpret and analyze the language of a text in order to determine meaning.!

• Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media.!

• Write for a variety of purposes in order to achieve meaning, purpose, and effect. !

• Synthesize information and perspectives from other texts, verbal and visual, into your own arguments. !

• Demonstrate stylistic maturity in your own writing.!

• Reflect upon and critically assess your own work, applying writing and revision strategies purposefully and strategically.!

• Collaboratively discuss, analyze, and evaluate texts. !

• Research a variety of topics using academic databases and other academic, credible sources.!

• Apply learning activities and topics to real-world situations.!

10 Keys to Earning an A!

If a student pays mindful attention to these, the likelihood of achieving an A is high.!

• Approach class with an inquisitive mind.!

• Complete all assignments on time.!

• Participate actively in discussions.!

• Read and understand all class procedures, policies, and assignment instructions.!

• Keep track of all graded work.!• Strive for integrity and maturity in

your work and interactions with others.!• Use email and My Big Campus daily.!• Use all of the school and community

resources that are available to you.!• Understand that excellence is not an

entitlement but rather the end result of hard work.

Smithville High School! ! ! English Language Arts Department!

Instructor Dr. Paul Restivo!restivop @smithville.k12.mo.us!816-532-0405!B.S. in English Education, Kansas State University!

M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Missouri!

Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership, Walden University!

Required Texts Literature, Prentice Hall!The Things They Carried, O’Brien!The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald!Plainsong, Haruf!One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey!A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare!The Bluest Eye, Morrison!

Required Materials • textbook/novels!• 3-ring binder with

dividers (writer’s notebook)!

• notecards!• pens, pencils!• planner (paper or

digital)!•dictionary

(app on phone is sufficient)!

Required Technology

• Ability to save as .doc and .pdf.!

• Printing capabilities!• Internet access to

MyBigCampus.

Reading Workload You will read an average of 50 to 70 pages per week. This estimate includes chapters from novels, passages from articles and the textbook, as well as Independent Reading requirements.

Writing Workload You will write three to four major process papers each semester. These papers, along with shorter pieces, are revised and included in a portfolio that represents each semester's work.!

Online at www.mybigcampus.com/groups Blocks 2A, 4A, and 4B

Your success in this course depends largely on your commitment to reading all of the required

course readings, carefully reading all assignment instructions, and reading over your own work

before submitting it.

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Grades and Types of Assignments

Turning in your work!Paper Format!

Submit all essays and other appropriate assignments in MLA style. If you are unfamiliar with MLA style, we will cover this in class, but you should also consult Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL). Google it. !

File Format!

Save all files as .doc. Mac users can export Pages files to .doc. !

Plagiarism Check!

Occasionally, I will ask you to submit your essays to turnitin.com to help you avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined in your student handbook as to intentionally or unintentionally “steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own, use another’s production without crediting the source, or present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” (See page 9 in handbook.)!

Length of Essays!

These will vary depending on the assignment, but your essays are usually 3 to 6 pages. Keep in mind that you are participating in scholarly discourse. Responses should reflect thoughtful and critical thinking.!

Revising Your Work!

From the first draft to the final portfolio, each essay passes through three stages: drafting, peer review, revision; grading, instructor feedback, revision; more revising, student reflection, and publication. Note the emphasis on and the cyclical nature of REVISION. !

Grading Time and Feedback!

Smaller assignments are usually graded within a week of their completion with minor feedback. Essays might take a bit longer (usually two weeks) since these receive detailed feedback. If, however, you want more immediate feedback, you can meet with me outside of class to read over your work with you.

DISCUSSIONS

During novel study, you will engage in student-led class discussions at least once a week. I do not give reading quizzes over novels. Instead, you prepare for discussions by reading the material and generating two types of questions: literature questions and language questions. Students are rewarded for actively participating—a balance of speaking, listening, thinking, and inquiring.!

20% of Semester Grade

PROCESS ASSIGNMENTS

Process assignments include all work completed that helps you to prepare for the larger formative essays and final. This consists of work turned in for topic generating, brainstorming, prewriting, first drafts, revision practice, and a variety of work to help keep you accountable for the successful completion of your major essays and portfolio. !20% of Semester Grade

ENRICHMENT ASSIGNMENTS

Not every assignment leads to an essay. However, several enrichment activities are intended to help supplement or enhance the learning throughout a unit. This includes vocabulary study, collaborative activities, writer’s notebook work, creative writing activities, articles of the week, scholar slips and independent reading (Reading Counts). !

20% of Semester Grade

ESSAYS/PROJECTS

You will write multiple variations of essay types, primarily in practical forms, like argumentative and narrative. Typically, you will receive peer feedback on the first draft and instructor feedback on the second draft. This second draft earns the grade. A final draft is submitted in the portfolio later in the semester for a separate assessment. !

20% of Semester Grade

FINAL PORTFOLIO OF WORK

The portfolio is an ongoing semester inquiry project that begins with your individual inquiry and culminates in an argumentative portfolio of synthesized written work. This work includes revisions of your essays as well as other assignments. This project also includes a written reflection of your growth and a socratic-style defense. !20% of Semester Grade

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Course Calendar !Quarter 1Theme: What is truth?!Understanding Thesis!Writing with Unity!Textual Evidence!Analyzing Rhetoric!Fiction/Nonfiction/Metafiction!Express and Reflect in Writing!Take a Stand in Writing!Anchor Text: The Things They Carried!Formative Assessment: Position Paper!!Quarter 2!Theme: What is the American Dream?!Organizing Ideas!Writing Effective Beginnings and Endings!Close Reading Strategies!Inform and Explain through Writing!Inquire and Explore through Writing!Maturity in Prose!Anchor Text: The Great Gatsby!Formative Assessment: Synthesis Argument!Semester Summative Assessment: Project-Based Portfolio; Metacognitive Letter; Socratic Discussion!!Quarter 3!Theme: What pressures exist in society to conform and/or rebel?!Literary Text Structures!Writing Paragraphs the Right Way!Incorporating Smooth Transitions !Constructing Effective Sentences!Evaluate and Judge Through Writing!Analyze and Interpret Through Writing!Anchor Texts: Plainsong; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest!Formative Assessment: Narrative Writing Project!!Quarter 4Theme: What is Beauty?!Diction and Tone!Figurative Language!Mastery in Discussing Literature!Anchor Texts: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Bluest Eye!Formative Assessment: Proposing a Solution!Semester Summative Assessment: Project-Based Portfolio (and ACT); Metacognitive Letter; Socratic Discussion!

The Serious Stuff!ATTENDANCE You must be present and active in order to be successful in this class. If you must be absent due to illness, family business, or school activities, please use the course website to remain current. !

READING COUNTS To encourage lifelong reading interest, you can choose books of your own to read throughout the year. You must earn at least 16 Reading Counts points per quarter. Points start over at the beginning of each quarter. (See page 13 in student handbook for more.)!

MAKE-UP WORK You have two consecutive class periods to make up an assignment for each day missed. If you have an excused absence on the day a long-term assignment is due, the work is due the day you return to class. If you have an excused absence due to a school activity, your work is due before you depart. (See page 15 in student handbook for more.)!

LATE CREDIT/EXTRA CREDIT Any work that is late or beyond the make-up work grace period will receive half credit. Late work will not be accepted after the current quarter ends. I offer extra credit at various times throughout the year. However, the credit is not applied to your grade until the end of the semester, and it will not be applied if you are missing required assignments. !

TECHNOLOGY Appropriate and scholarly use of technology (computers, mobile devices, internet, etc.) is

required. Do not abuse its power to get ahead (i.e. plagiarize). Cell phones and other devices are permitted for learning purposes at times that I allow. There should never be texting or using social media. I reserve the right of separating you from your technology if it is distracting to others or you. !

SCHOLAR SLIPS Throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to earn “scholar slips,” which reward positive behaviors and habits in the classroom. This is a graded component of the class. Each quarter, you will earn full credit if you have 15 scholar slips in your possession. (See the separate handout for earning and losing scholar slips.)!

WRITER’S NOTEBOOK You need a 3-ring binder that serves as your Writer’s Notebook throughout the year. You will use this every day. Please decorate your cover to be specific to you. Then, using dividers, create the following sections: 1) Topics, 2) Language, 3) Craft, 4) Revising, 5) Writing. You’ll need paper in each of those sections. See me if you need a binder or additional paper.!

DECORUM It is important to us that we all get along. Much of this class involves discussion; many conversations invoke debatable topics that are current. We enjoy mature, civil discourse that respects all ideas and avoids personal attacks. If a particular conversation offends you, please talk with me. Also, at no time should there be negative comments or gestures toward other classmates.!

If You’re StrugglingStep 1. Check Your Resources The first thing you should do is consult your resources: textbook, notes, graded work, classmates, My Big Campus, etc. !Step 2. Q&A, Email If you have a private question (e.g. grades), email is usually the best bet if we’re not in class. If your question is not private and others could benefit from the answer, please post it to Q&A on My Big Campus, which is under the Discussions heading. I will answer the question there. Your classmates also can answer your questions.!

Step 3. Conference Conferencing is a good idea if we need to!spend more time discussing your progress. Please set up a time to meet face-to-face. !

Final Word of Encouragement!

I embrace a philosophy that insists you think critically throughout the class and that you work to be a self-regulating learner and not reliant solely on the instructor for success. I want you to take learning seriously and not see it as drudgery. I will do my best to help you achieve, and I expect your best as well.!

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