Pre-AP English 10
Corey McCartney
Office: 425.408.7450
Classroom: 425.408.7570
Email: cmccartney@nsd.org
Website: www.nsd.org/cmccartney
2015 – 2016
Room 230
Description
Pre-AP English 10 exists to further our reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking – skills
necessary for working with the more complex material and tasks found at and beyond the high
school AP level. We will explore a range of literary genres across various mediums, working
with fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, speeches and journalism. Through analysis we will
examine reading, writing, and rhetorical technique. These studies will regularly be
accompanied by work in related fields such as ethical theory, psychology and sociology. This
class places an emphasis on student choice so as to foster genuine enjoyment and appreciation
of its content. We will think independently and engage actively as we hone existing skills and
develop new ones. This will certainly be a productive, enjoyable year in English!
Texts:
Writing Analytically, Rosenwasser & Stephen
Common Threads, Repetto & Aaron
Reading the World, Koza et al.
This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
West With the Night excerpts, Beryl Markham
Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence & Robert Edwin Lee
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Films:
This Boy’s Life (select scenes) (R) (1993)
Of Mice and Men (PG-13) (1992)
Inherit the Wind (NR) (1960)
The Truman Show (PG) (1998)
Schedule
September
Emphases: Memoir, Context & Beginning Literary Analysis
Summer reading: This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff
Overview of course and classroom culture
Introduction to puppies
The Analytical Frame of Mind
Reading Analytically
Introduction to Writing Analytically, Rosenwasser & Stephen
Overview of Socratic Seminar
Library skills & research literacy
October
Emphases: Ethical Theory, Point-of-View & The Analytical Essay
Film: This Boy’s Life
Question types and how to formulate them
Interpretation
Ethical Theory & Normative Morality
Introduction to editing technique and The Writers’ Workshop
Reasoning from Evidence to Claims
Project: Analysis of Character Morality
November
Emphases: Characterization, Tone, Imagery & Figurative Language
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
West With the Night excerpts, Beryl Markham
Project: Sensory Characters
Film: Of Mice and Men (1992)
December
Emphases: Rhetoric, Logical Reasoning & Sound Argumentation
Rhetorical analysis: political speeches & various media
Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence & Robert Edwin Lee
Film: Inherit the Wind (1960)
January
Emphases: Research Literacy, Case Writing & Debate
Introduction to Public Forum debate
Finding, Evaluating, and Citing Sources
Debate topic selection and research
Project: Case Writing & Debate
February
Emphases: Psychology & Epistemology
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Introduction to Psychology
Project: Psychology Mask
March
Emphasis: The Revised Thesis & The Synthesis Essay
Finding and Evolving a Thesis
Project: Psychology Synthesis Essay
Advanced essay editing
Introduction to Epistemology
April
Emphasis: Film Analysis
Introduction to film analysis: concepts & terminology
Film: The Truman Show (1998)
Project: Student-choice film analysis essay
May
Emphases: Cultural Studies & Poetry
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Various poems
Project: Poetry Writing
June
Emphasis: Student-Choice Literature
Project: Student-choice book selection
Student-led literary analysis project
Course reflection
Necessary Materials
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Dedicated English notebook
Dedicated English organizer/folder
Planner/calendar
Pens, pencils, highlighter, sticky notes
Personal book copies (including e-books) encouraged but not required
Technology in the Classroom
Turnitin.com
Significant assignments will be submitted electronically. Please use your school Google apps
email account when registering. To enroll:
Website: http://www.turnitin.com
Course ID
Period 1: 10444989
Period 7: 10445001
Password: owls
Personal Electronics
Phones, tablets, etc. may be utilized as classroom resources, but only at appropriate times and
for appropriate purposes. It is a class objective that all students develop excellent judgment for
this. Repeated poor judgment will quickly result in the loss of this resource. When not
instructed to do so, please ask permission before using a device in class.
Assessment & Policies
The grade you earn in this class is an indicator designed to reflect your achievement in reaching
objectives that will be clearly specified. Your involved participation, pride in work, open
mindedness, and willingness to grow intellectually will create your success in this class.
Classwork (e.g. freewrites, note taking, in class writing): 20%
Homework (e.g. Socratic Seminar prep work, research, text annotation): 20%
Test & Quiz (e.g. reading puppies): 10%
Performance (e.g. essays, Socratic Seminars, presentations, debates): 50%
Deadlines
If you fail to meet a deadline on an assignment, then it is likely due to one of two reasons: (1) If
you have been absent, then you will be given the number of days absent as the number of days to
make up all missed work for full credit. One exception to this is for in-class participation, which
occurs in class only (e.g. seminar, debate, puppy). An absence during an in-class participation
assignment will result in an alternate assignment will be assigned. (2) If you have not been
absent, then 10% will be subtracted from the grade of the late assignment for each class day
that it is late. No assignment will lose more than 50%, no matter how late it is submitted.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking another’s work or idea and submitting it as one’s own. Plagiarism
is a serious offense and will result in receiving no credit for that assignment and contact with
home. Collaboration and plagiarism are different things. If you are ever unsure of what
constitutes plagiarism, just ask.
Grading Scales
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
100–93%
92–90
89–87
86–83
82–80
79–77
76–73
72–70
69–67
66–60
59–0
+
100%

75
+
90
0
50
4.0-3.8
3.7-3.4
3.3-3.1
3.0-2.8
2.7-2.4
2.3-2.1
2.0-1.8
1.7-1.4
1.3-1.1
1.0+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
Attendance & Tardiness
Arriving less than 10 minutes late is marked as tardy.
Arriving more than 10 minutes late is marked as absent.
Unexcused absences will receive a phone call home from the WHS attendance desk. Attendance
errors are resolved by the student collecting the appropriate form at the attendance desk,
getting the teacher’s signature, and returning it to the attendance desk. Regarding school
attendance policies, see WHS Handbook.
Classroom Principles
A vibrant classroom culture requires that each student takes full responsibility for oneself
through awareness and self-monitoring with only occasional helpful feedback from peers and
teacher. Some essential rules will be established at the beginning of our class, and additional
rules will be dispensed and enforced as is necessary to fully protect the emotional, intellectual,
and physical well being of all class members. Rules are limitations, and progress will be
hindered by having too many of them in our class. It should be a shared goal of all class
members, then, to always act responsibly, respectfully, and keep additional rules unnecessary.
This is a classroom of shared inquiry -- a safe environment for reading, writing, speaking,
listening and exploring.
Thank you for being a member of this class and for helping to make it our own. It’s truly exciting
to think of the fun and rewarding year that we have ahead of us in Pre-AP English 10!
Kind regards,
Corey McCartney
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please sign below if you have read and understand this syllabus.
Student Signature:
_________________________________________________________________ Date _________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature:
_________________________________________________________________ Date _________________________
I give my permission for my child to view the film This Boy’s Life (R). If no, an equivalent
assignment will be provided:
Yes
No
_____________ (initial)
I give my permission for my child to view Of Mice and Men (PG-13). If no, an equivalent
assignment will be provided:
Yes
No
______________ (initial)
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