Instructor: Miss Teri Johenan Email: tjohenan@gmail.com
Our School’s Mission: Through community, parent, teacher, and student partnership, it is the mission of Grand Canyon Prep to empower students to fulfill their promise by promoting life-long learning and career potential through academic scholarship, character development, and active citizenship.
Room: 2
Time: 1 st Hour on “A” Days
Phone: (480) 233-3622
Required Materials:
Office Hours: M/W/F 12:15-1:45; T/TH
9:30-11:00
 2” binder
 Notebook
 Two-pocket folder
 Pen or pencil
 Flash Drive
 Loose leaf paper (Make sure you have enough – we will be doing a lot of writing!)
 300 3x5 or 4x6 index cards – you will need them for vocab words AND research projects
Course Description:
The focus of this class will be to prepare you for college or the world outside of
Grand Canyon Prep. The class will help you polish your writing and become more intuitive about literature. Throughout the year you will study Plato, Voltaire, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. You will also be reading books of your own choosing and creating mixed media projects. Writing your own published piece of work (senior thesis or the literary criticism paper) will take up a great deal of your year, but you will have a finished product that you can take pride in. Finally, weekly vocabulary and grammar lessons will help broaden your skills and educate you for the future that lies ahead.
Scope and Sequence:
1 st Quarter – Introduction to Philosophy
The focus of this unit is to become familiar with the nature of philosophy. We will be examining ethics, justice, freedom, social contract, and leadership. The main themes discussed during this unit will keep returning during the remainder of this school year, so understanding is critical. The primary texts for this unit will be Plato’s The Republic and
Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha.
2 nd Quarter – The Hero and the Monster

The thematic purpose of this unit is to explore our perceptions of good and evil. We will also study the literary device known as the double, used to represent good and evil within the same character. Comparing a work from the past (Beowulf) to more modern works
(Frankenstein), students will explore such questions as How is evil defined? How is good defined? What is a hero? Does the definition of hero change with time and culture? How
can man sometimes be both hero and villain?
3 rd Quarter – Social Protest and Society’s Invisible
The focus of this unit will be man's conflict with society and his struggle to express personal values and achieve self-fulfillment in the world. Universal questions addressed in this unit are What does it mean to be invisible in society? Is suffering what makes us stronger? Is there meaning to be found in a life of suffering? Without love, without people, what is a person? What gives man his dignity? Does society have the right to control the
individual for the greater good? Students will also then lead a seminar on an assigned topic related to the novel and create a museum piece based on their understanding of the novel.
The primary text for this unit will be Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man.
4 th Quarter – Thoughtful Laughter
The focus of this unit will be the examination of satire and its relevance and importance to society. Universal questions for this unit are What is the purpose of satire? How can it be
used for social criticism? What is “thoughtful laughter”? How do we define satire? The primary texts for this unit will be Voltaire’s Candide and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of
Being Earnest.
Attendance Policy:
Regular and prompt attendance is crucial for your academic success. I expect you to be present and on-time to my class daily. Please avoid missing class unless you are ill – you will miss critical information if you are not there. Attendance will be factored into the participation portion of your grade.
Behavior Guidelines:
1.
Please enter the room quietly with all your materials and take your seat. If you are unprepared for class, your grade for the day will be lowered.
2.
Check the board for bell work – if it is there, please do it. I will be checking to see if it is complete. Failure to complete this will result in a lowered grade for the day.
3.
Please attend to any personal needs (bathroom, water, etc.) before entering the room. I will allow one person at a time to use the restroom or get a drink of water once 45 minutes of the class have elapsed.
4.
You may keep a bottle of water with you. Please keep it capped when not in use.
5.
During lectures there is only to be one person speaking at a time. Please raise your hand if you would like to contribute to the conversation – this is encouraged.
6.
Be polite and respectful in both word and deed.
7.
Please do what Miss Johenan says the FIRST time.
8.
You may talk quietly during group work.
9.
Push yourself!
10.
Be creative with what we are doing and have fun!

Cell Phone/Electronic Device Policy:
Cell phones and iPods/mp3 players will be collected at the beginning of each class and kept on my desk. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action by the administration.
Grade Breakdown:
Participation: 10%
Homework: 40%
Essays/Quizzes: 30%
Midterm: 10%
Final: 10%
Grade Scale:
90-100: A
80-89: B
70-79: C
69-below: F
Homework Policy:
Your homework is to be complete when you come to class on the day it is due. Failure to do so will result in detention, a lowered grade on the assignment, and a lowered grade for that day’s attendance and participation grade. Daily assignments will be accepted NO LATER than one calendar day past the due date, and larger projects or essays will no longer be accepted after three days. Repeat offences will result in a “P” grade for your final grade.
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating, plagiarism, or any other kind of breach of ethics will not be tolerated in this class. Anyone caught committing such an act will be subject to the school’s strict consequences for such acts. Students caught cheating on an exam or assignment will receive a zero for it on first offence.
PLAGIARISM (the use of a source or another’s idea without citing/giving credit to that source) is a form of cheating, so remember to cite ALL sources (ie. Books, internet sites, people, etc.) from which you may have obtained information, whether you directly quote them or not. You will be held responsible for plagiarized works you submit, including discussion postings, essays, and any other class work
About Miss Johenan:
Teri was born and raised in the Chicago-land area. She holds a Bachelor of Music in
Clarinet Performance from DePaul University and a Master of Music in Clarinet
Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She has extensive experience in orchestra as a principal clarinetist as well as with the auxiliary clarinets. Her primary teachers include Wagner Campos, Howard Klug, and Julie DeRoche. She has been teaching privately, as well as coaching chamber groups and running sectionals, and is very excited to be returning to the Grand Canyon Prep team to continue building a music program and to share her life-long love of music with her students. She will also be teaching AP Art History, 8 th Grade English, 9/10 English, Mythology, and Music.