•515-961-9510 ext. 2117
• kendall.burns@indianola.k12.ia.us
Hello!
I’m happy to welcome you to my Advanced English 10 class!
This course is a required graduation requirement at Indianola High School. Throughout the year, students will complete a wide variety
of writing and reading assignments. They will also review basic grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary skills; and from time
to time they will give brief, informal presentations to their classmates. The course is designed to help students prepare for future AP
and college course work. It is assumed that students taking Advanced English 10 as opposed to English 10 possess the necessary
writing and reading skills to complete course assignments without excessive remedial instruction on the part of the instructor.
Course Outline:
Semester 1 A large portion of the work during first semester focuses on reviewing writing skills which must be mastered
before tackling AP Language and Composition, a course which most Advanced English 10 students take their junior or
senior year in high school. Though the assignments in themselves are not terribly long, each one requires students to focus
on the numerous strategies good writers use to plan, organize, and write a well-crafted piece of writing. Some of the
material will be review, but much of it will be new to Advanced English 10 students. Each unit begins with a pretest to see
what students know and don’t know about a unit’s material. Throughout each unit, students’ progress is both formally and
informally evaluated so as to determine whether or not we need to spend more time on specific skills. And at the end of each
unit there is a test or project to help us see how much of a unit’s material students have actually mastered.
While students are reviewing these writing skills, students will be reading the four novels in T. H. White’s tetralogy The
Once and Future King. Each Friday students will take a reading check quiz to ensure that they are completing their reading
assignments and study guide questions, followed by a question/answer session and whole class discussion.
In addition, on the first day of each week, there will be a spelling/vocabulary test. Students will receive a spelling list each
Monday. ACT/SAT vocabulary words will be received one day at a time at the beginning of each class day in the form of a
“Daily Warm-Up” activity. ALL spelling and vocabulary words are fair game for subsequent tests, so students should avoid
memorizing the assigned words for “one time” only. In other words, students SHOULD NOT CRAM their spelling and
vocabulary words. They will need to remember them for the long haul.
Unit I: Basic Paragraph Skills Review
Elements of a basic one-paragraph essay
 Elements of a good topic sentence
Limited/narrowed down subject
Precise opinion/overall impression
 Different kinds of support and methods of elaboration
Examples/illustrations
Anecdotes
Descriptions
Concrete versus abstract details
Definitions
Reasons
Statistics
Statements by authorities
 Reworded topic (conclusion) sentence
 Unity
 Coherence
Transitions words and their functions
Explanations
Direct references/reminders of the topic sentence’s opinion
Correctly used punctuation
Unit 2: One Paragraph Essays With Subtopic Sentences
Elements of complex paragraphs
 Similarities of a basic one-paragraph essay to a complex one-paragraph essay
 Differences between a basic one-paragraph essay to a complex one-paragraph essay
-Subtopic sentences
Reasons why
Ways how
Times when
Things that
-Transitions: style and construction
Outlining Complex Paragraphs
Differences between editing and revising
Using borrowed information in a piece of writing
 Finding useful and reliable sources of information
 Recording sources of information
 Incorporating borrowed information in a paper
-Introducing borrowed material
-Quotes
-Paraphrases
-Summaries
-Citing borrowed information
 Recognizing and avoiding plagiarism
Unit 3: Review of the basic Five-Paragraph Essay
Steps in the Writing Process
Elements of the Five-Paragraph Essay
 Introduction
-Hook/Lead
-Thesis Statement
-Blueprint: What it is and what it looks like
 Central paragraphs
-Additions to the topic sentence
-Transitions
In the topic sentence
Between items of support
 Conclusion
-Transitions
-Summary of main points/Reference to thesis
-Clincher
Outlining with Roman numerals
 Reading and using Roman numerals
 Using parallel format in an outline’s structure
Semester 2 At the beginning of second semester, students will receive more details about the skills to be studied in the
following units.
Unit 1: Poetry
Elements of Poetry: Metaphor, Imagery, Sound, Diction, and Theme
Types of Poetry, Traditional and Contemporary
Oral Interpretation
Researching the Life of a Favorite Poet
Reflecting and Writing Analytically About Poetry
Unit 2: Antigone, by Sophocles
Ancient Greece: Government, Culture, and Religious Beliefs
Ancient Greek Drama
 Purpose
 Parts and their functions in Greek Theater
 Actors
 Sets and stage scenery
 Impact on modern theater
Sophocles and his plays
 The story of Oedipus
 Antigone
Characteristics of Greek Tragedy
Moral Dilemma
Unit 3: Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
Review of Shakespeare’s Life and Times
Review information on Shakespeare’s plays
Review information about the Globe Theater
Julius Caesar in Real Life
 Ancient Rome: Its People, Government, and Culture
 Caesar’s Rise to Power
 Caesar’s Reign in Rome
 Caesar’s Assassination
Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s Play: Similarities and Differences to the Real Person
Unit 4: Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck’s Life and Times
 The Great Depression: The Loss of the American Dream
 Migrant Workers
 People’s Attitudes Toward the Mentally Disabled
The Novel
 Themes: Difficult Choices, Friendship, Loneliness, Discrimination, Human Rights
 Focus of Literary Analysis and Discussion: Theme, Characters, Setting, Symbolism
Second Semester: We will continue to have spelling and vocabulary tests each Monday. On Fridays, however, you will need to
bring either a non—fiction book, autobiography, or biography of your choice to read. At the end of each quarter, you will submit
a book report on the book you have read. You will receive 20 points each Friday for reading your chosen book. If you forget your
book and read something else, you will earn only 10 points. If you have no book at all, you will receive 0 points. If you go to the
library during reading time to get a book to read, you will lose a percentage of your points commensurate with the number of
minutes you are absent from the class and not reading.
Required materials that should be brought to class every day:
1. Good quality, loose-leaf lined notebook paper (not spiral notebook paper) for placing in your English 10 binder.
2. One 1 inch (or larger) three ring binder for daily work, note-taking and storing handouts.
3. Pencil/pen (black or blue ink only, please)
4. Selected book for Friday reading days.
5. Disk or flash drive for saving work typed on school computers
Grades
Grades are divided into weighted groups:
 Unit tests, major projects or writing assignments, and quarterly book reports are worth 30% of each quarter’s
grade.
 Quizzes and graded homework assignments are worth 20% of each quarter’s grade.
 Completion point homework assignments are 30% of each quarter’s grade. Points will NOT be awarded for
incomplete work or for work that has not been done according to the instructions for the assignment.
 Participation and class preparation is a teacher observation grade worth 20% of each quarter’s grade Merely
attending class does not count as participation. Participation means answering questions and becoming part of
class and small group or partner discussions. I note who participates and who does not. An average grade for
participation is not given for silence or just sitting back and letting others do the work. I know that some
people are shier than others, but I do encourage you to toss in your two cents' worth on a regular basis.
The following work habits and behaviors are considered when awarding participation and preparation points:
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Student comes to class on time.
Student brings all necessary supplies to class: pen, pencils, books, worksheets, notebooks, assignments.
Student comes to class having completed assignments required for full class participation.*
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Student stays focused on classroom activities and avoids straying off task or preventing others from
participating or completing assigned tasks.
Student listens attentively to teacher and classmates. Good listening behaviors are demonstrated through asking
clarification questions, following directions, volunteering to answer questions and avoiding inappropriate
interruptions.
Student participates equally and cooperatively in a positive, constructive, and respectful manner and avoids use
of putdowns, impolite behavior, or remarks.
Absences do not count against students’ participation points unless the absences are unexcused.
*Students coming to class without an assignment required for participation in a day’s lesson will lose all participation
points for that day.
The grading scale for this class is as follows:
93 - 100 = A
92 - 90 = A87 - 89 = B+
83 - 86 = B
80 - 82 = B77 - 79 = C+
73 - 76 = C
70 - 72 = C67 - 69 = D+
63 - 66 = D
60 - 62 = D0 - 59 = F
Final Exam Information At the end of each semester, Indianola High School conducts final exams. Since the purpose of taking
final exams at the high school level is to expose students to the experience of taking final exams like those they will
take at the college level, all Advanced English 10 students must take the final exam, no exceptions. The final exam
is worth 15% of the semester grade.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Plagiarism The American Heritage Dictionary defines “plagiarize” as, “to use and pass off as one’s own the ideas
or writings of another.” Plagiarism is a serious offense, and plagiarized assignments will automatically receive
zeroes with no option for redoing the work or making up the subtracted points. To avoid this consequence, students
should make sure that their work is their own and in their original thoughts and words. Material borrowed from
others must be properly cited. Students not knowing how to correctly do this should see me or another English
department staff member for help.
Cheating Cheating on assignments or tests is an unacceptable way to earn a grade, regardless of a student’s chosen
method. Plagiarizing, use of crib sheets or text messages, copying or photocopying another person’s work, having
someone else do your work for you, or giving someone permission to copy your work or use your ideas are some
common examples of cheating. Work completed with the aid of cheating will receive zeroes with no option for
redoing the work or making up the subtracted points.
Assignment Due Dates
Most assignments are due at the Beginning Of a Period (BOP) so that we can use the assigned work for planned class activities. If an
assignment is due at the beginning of class I will expect students to have it finished and ready for use during the class period. I will
record assignments as “late” if they are not completed when the bell rings. Some assignments are due by 3:30 on the day they are due.
I will indicate on the board when assignments are due. Assignments due at the beginning of the period will be labeled BOP
(beginning of period). Assignments due by 3:30 are to be put in class assignment bins in my room.
Late Assignments
Most work is assigned in sequential (1, 2, 3) order. Each assignment builds on a previous one. Therefore, we need specific rules for
dealing with late assignments.
Late BOP assignments and completion point assignments will be penalized 50% of the allotted points. Not having a BOP assignment
with you, will also result in your losing participation points for that period. Graded assignments or projects will be docked 10% for
each day they are late (ten percent is equal to the grade being lowered one whole grade per day). Thus, it is not wise to turn in
assignments after their due dates.
Students involved in extracurricular activities need to plan ahead for classroom absences and take care of their work ahead of
time. If an assignment will be due on a day they will be gone, they will need to submit their work for evaluation prior to being absent
or, at the very latest, the day they return.
Students who have excused absences from school will follow school policies in the student handbook for making up missed work.
Once the class has finished a new unit and begun a new one, students will not be allowed to complete work for a previous unit unless
their absence from class has prevented them from completing it on time.
Extra Credit
Because I allow students to redo completion point assignments for full credit, and sometimes allow retakes on tests, I do not offer
extra credit.
Tardies
1. Please come to class on time with all of your materials. If you need to leave the room between periods or at the beginning of a
period to get materials you have forgotten, I will count you tardy.
2. If you are not in your seat when the bell rings, you will be counted tardy, unless you have a pass from a staff member or decide to
use one of your Oops! cards.
Oops!
You will each receive an Oops! Card. You may use this card three times. It may be used three different ways.
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To leave the room to get a forgotten assignment or class material without penalty.
To turn in a daily assignment late without penalty.
To turn in a major writing assignment or project one-day late without penalty.