PISCATAWAY TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS
Course Syllabus 2015-2016
Course Title: English II Honors
Textbooks: Prentice Hall The American Experience, Sadlier-Oxford Vocab E
Teacher: Mr. Adrian Lojko (vlojko@pway.org) 732-981-0700 ext. 7170, room D243
Materials: Dedicated English notebook with at least 100 pages, a pen, a stack of post-it notes, an open
and inquisitive mind!
Course Description:
English II Honors is an accelerated, common core aligned, five-credit survey course that explores
the American Literary Tradition in a chronological manner. Students will read, analyze, and
respond to important works of American Literature, while also examining core themes and
authors. Also included will be the reading of challenging contemporary non-fiction articles that
relate to the subject manner. Students will continuously use the writing process as well as the
writers workshop model to hone their own work as they compose works ranging from intertextual expository essays to narrative stories, all of which will help students prepare for the skills
assessed on the PARCC test. Also included will be vocabulary study related to literature and SAT
Prep as well as an outside reading text for each marking period.
Course Scope and Sequence:
Approximate
Time Frame
Titles/Topics/Skills/Activities
Unit 1: Society: Shared Values
Essential questions:
 What does it mean to be an American and what are the origins of core American
values?
 How can hysteria affect a community?
 What is groupthink and how does it affect individual decision-making?
Marking
Period 1 –
Sept. to Nov.
Literature:
 Native American creation myths
 Puritan sermons and poetry
 Arthur Miller’s The Crucible
 Selected short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne (“The Minister’s Black Veil”,
“Young Goodman Brown”)
 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Skills:
 Students will improve their comprehension of complex texts
 Students will improve their use of descriptive techniques in narrative writing
Core Activities:
 Socratic seminars: students will demonstrate their ability to independently
discuss course content among their peers (will continue throughout the year)
 Writing: summer reading essay, PARCC essay prompts, original creation myths,
 Vocabulary: students will take periodic vocabulary tests and be expected to
incorporate new vocabulary into their writing (will continue throughout the
year)
Unit 2: Leadership and Authenticity
Essential questions:
 What makes a good leader and how does a strong leader persuade his or her
people?
 What role does the democratic process play in American government?
 How can we better understand and improve our own selves?
Marking
Period 2 –
Nov. to Jan.
Literature:
 The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
 Speeches by Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, JFK, and Barack Obama
 Excerpts from Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence
 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Skills:
 Students will improve their comprehension of complex texts
 Students will learn rhetorical strategies that will help them craft persuasive
arguments
Core Activities:
 Writing: PARCC Essay prompts
 Writing and delivering original persuasive speeches (standard or TED format)
Unit 3: Independence and Self-Expression
Marking
Period 3 –
Jan. to Mar.
Essential questions:
 What road did American writers take to develop a style of their own?
 How did the Transcendentalists help shape the American spirit?
 Are people essentially good or evil at heart?
Literature:
 Selected short stories by Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel
Hawthorne
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Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
Poetry by Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
Selections from Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451
Dead Poets Society by Peter Weir
Skills:
 Students will improve their ability to analyze poetry by practicing close reading
 Analyzing poetic effects, responding to imagery, poetic sound devices, figurative
language
 Students will improve their comprehension of complex texts
Core Activities:
 Writing: PARCC Essay prompts, introduction to frame & case expository essay
writing
 Group project: Students will collaborate on a pamphlet that modernizes the core
beliefs of the transcendentalist writers
Unit 4: Literature: a Mirror or an Escape?
Essential Questions:
 Can works of literature be used to change people’s perception of the world?
 Should literature be used to confront or escape reality?
 What role does the world around us have on our lives?
 Humor can be entertaining, but how can it affect us in other ways?
Marking
Period Four
– April to
June
Literature:
 Short Stories: Stephen Crane’s “An Episode of War”, Ambrose Bierce’s “An
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
 Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Skills:
 Recognizing and translating dialect
 Recognizing and understanding tone and voice, especially when used to identify
and understand satire
 Students will improve their ability to research independently and properly
integrate that research into their writing
Core Activities:
 Literary analysis essay on Huck Finn
 Research project: students research contemporary articles and have a debate on
the validity of Huck Finn as an educational text
Classroom procedures and expectations:
1. All school rules apply; please review the student handbook. Please pay careful attention to the
electronic device policy, attendance policy, behavior expectations, and dress code.
2. Students should not bring any food or drink into the classroom.
3. Being on time means being ready in your seat by the bell and being attentive means remaining in
your seat until the bell rings. At all times attempt to maintain your student responsibilities of
punctuality, attentiveness, effort, and inquisitiveness.
4. Late homework and class work will be accepted for half credit up until 24 hours after it was due;
major assignments will be accepted with a 20% deduction from the grade that you would have
received on the assignment. After that, the assignment will continue to drop 10% daily, including
on weekends!
5. If you are absent, email me or check the website/remind101 for missed work. HW reminders
should be posted by 4pm daily.
6. Work can be handed in via email or on paper; You can also cc: yourself on the email. That way, if
anything goes wrong, you can show me the initial email to prove that you sent it out. Larger
projects will be completed using google drive (drive.google.com). Students are required to have a
google account in order to submit this work.
7. The majority of the work in class will be accessible electronically. Having a working computer,
internet connection, and printer will be an important part of doing well in this course. If you do not
have reliable access to all three of these, know that the English writing lab is open before and after
school each day, and students who work in this lab will have access to late bus passes. All major
work must be typed unless otherwise noted. If this is an issue, please see me.
8. Plagiarism (taking another person’s work and passing it off as your own without citing the original
creator) is a serious academic infraction. In the rare event that it does arise, students should
expect an automatic zero and a phone call home. More than one infraction may place the
student’s satisfactory completion of the course in jeopardy. This also includes copying on tests and
quizzes. Please see the student handbook for more information.
9. For additional help with grammar, research or MLA format, consult the PHS Writing handbook
available on the Piscataway English department webpage.
10. We will be cultivating a class atmosphere where you should feel comfortable sharing your work and
opinions with others. As a result, you are expected to treat your teacher and classmates with
respect and remain attentive throughout the class. When in doubt, refer to the golden rule: “Do to
others as you would have others do to you.”
11. If at any time, you seek clarification on any class work or concepts (e.g. grammar), please come see
me. I am available after school by appointment.
12. Socratic seminars are important parts of the class, and, as such, will be a significant source of
points. Please follow the guidelines listed in the Socratic seminar handout, which you will receive
prior to your first seminar.
13. I truly believe that each and every one of you can (and will!) produce outstanding work. Therefore,
the most important expectation is that you do all the work that you are asked to do, keep a positive
attitude, and you complete it to the best of your ability. If you do so, I know you will be very
satisfied with the results!!!!
Grading Distribution:
 HW: 10%
 Writing & Projects: 45%
 Tests & Quizzes: 20%
 Vocabulary: 15%
 Class Discussion and Group Participation: 10%
Please contact me anytime with questions! I look forward to having a great year!
Parent Contact Sheet
American Literature Academic
Mr. Lojko / Ms. Artist
I have reviewed the syllabus and class expectations for American Literature with a
parent or guardian. I am aware that this sheet WILL BE MY FIRST GRADE, and that
grades can be accessed at any time online through the Genesis module. If I am absent, I
know that I am responsible for completing missed work, and that assignments will be
posted online (as soon as the web service is available). I can email my teacher with any
questions at any point. Finally, as much of my work will need to be completed
electronically, if I have any computer/internet/printer issues at home, I know that I can
access the writing lab or library before and after school in order to complete my work
electronically.
Student Name: _____________________________________
Student Signature: _____________________________________
Student contact email (please print clearly): _______________________________
Parent Name: _____________________________________
Parent Signature: _____________________________________
Parent contact email (please print clearly): _______________________________
Parent contact phone # _____________________________________
Additional questions or comments:
Grade: _____ / 20 points (full credit for completing this on time)