Honors Comparative World Literature Course Description
Teacher: Ms. Engelbrecht c.engelbrecht@laschools.net
Office hours: 2:40 – 3:10 p.m. daily
Phone Number: 663-2536
Classroom: A314
Texts:
1. Grammar, Usage and Mechanics Language Skills Practice, 4th course (workbook) Publisher: Holt*
2. Vocabulary Workshop Level E Publisher: Sadlier*
3. Elements of Language Publisher: Holt (class set only)
4. Hackler MLA Writing Guide (class set only)
5. McDougal Littell Literature Textbook (class set and check out a copy to keep at home)
*Students are required to bring books to every class unless otherwise instructed.
Supplies:
• One three-ring binder with organization tabs divided into the following sections: 1) syllabus & procedure
handouts, 2) curriculum handouts, 3) class notes, 4) passed back papers, 5) extra paper.
• One college-rule spiral notebook designated for this class only to keep all literature responses (a “Reading
Response Journal”) that will be submitted for grading.
• Two reams of college-rule notebook paper (one for your child to keep in his or her possession and one to be
added to the CSRC*.)
• Two boxes of number two pencils (one for your child to keep in his or her possession and one to be added
to the CSRC*.)
• One box of tissues (to be added to the CSRC*.)
• A flash drive (something that fits on your keychain so you will always have it is ideal.)
• Access to your school email account (required for a turnitin.com account and an Edmodo account.)
*The Classroom Student Resource Center is a designated place in the classroom for storing studentonly materials like loner pencils and highlighters, a stapler, a 3-hole punch, paper and tissues.)
Class Protocol: You will be expected to treat yourself and others with courtesy, respect, and
dignity at all times.
During this class, you will have the opportunity to learn and/or to increase your knowledge in the following
areas:
1. reading comprehension of a variety of literary genres;
2. grammar and advanced punctuation;
3. MLA-formatted writing skills;
4. rhetorical strategies;
5. media analysis / research skills;
6. discussion skills, including listening to others, formulating and defending your own opinions, and
defending others’ opinions.
Types of Assignments/Activities
 Literature responses (journaling)
 Discussion: Inner-Outer Circle Discussions, Socratic Seminars, and Speed Dating
 Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)
 Grammar and vocabulary exercises
 Reading Annotations and 3-collumn notes
 Graphic organizers and grammar practice
 Writing conferences (1 on 1 with the teacher) and peer editing
Types of Assessments
 Persuasive essays and in-class timed essays
 Research: traditional research papers and Multi-Genre Research Papers (MGRP)
 Reading, vocabulary, and grammar quizzes
 Multiple choice exams
General Expectations
 Please be seated and working when the bell rings. You will have 10 minutes of SSR, then 5 minutes to
respond in your writing journal. If you are not seated and working when the bell rings, you will be marked
tardy.
 No eating in the classroom, please, out of respect for those who may have food allergies and to keep the
critters out.
 Please turn off and place cell phones in your backpacks (NOT POCKETS) upon entering the room, and do
not use cell phones at all during class. It demonstrates poor manners and is generally just rude to
everyone in the room.
 Restroom use is fine; just make sure no one else in the classroom is gone, and unobtrusively use the signout sheet by the door. If you need to go somewhere else, such as to the nurse, check with me first. Please
go when it’s appropriate (not when I am teaching the whole class or when you are involved in group work.)
You may not leave the room for the first 15 minutes or the last 15 minutes of class so you will be present
for the announcements at the beginning of class and homework reminders at the end of class.
Unless unusual circumstances occur, work will not be accepted late.
Homework:
 You will have, on average, 60 – 90 minutes of homework every other night, or 30 – 45 minutes of
homework each night, depending on how you prefer to manage your time.
 The homework will prepare you for the next class period’s in-class assignments and discussions.
 You will choose a zero if your homework is not complete on its due date. You will also not be able to
understand what’s going on during the next class period and will not be able to participate in class if you
haven’t completed your homework. So . . . Always complete your homework before its due date.
Attendance:
 Excused absences: If you have had an excused absence, it is your responsibility, upon return, to turn in
work that was due on the day of the absence, to acquire the assignments that were given on the day of the
absence, and to complete the make-up work before the next class period in order to stay caught up with
the class. If you know of an absence in advance, notify me and get the assignments you’ll miss before the
absence. You may email me for information on make-up work, or you may come in during the academic
period.
 Unexcused absences: Unexcused absences, per LAHS policy, will result in zeroes for the assignments
collected and assigned on the day of the unexcused absence.
Tardies:
Students who arrive tardy are demonstrating disrespect for the class since late arrivals inevitably disrupt
students who are working on the writing prompts or who are reading (SSR). They are also demonstrating
disrespect for the number of contact minutes between the teacher and the students as required by the
NMPED. Thus, if you are tardy, please enter the room unobtrusively and begin work promptly. Additionally,
you will need to stay—after class—the number of minutes that you are tardy. It will be your responsibility to
stay for the appropriate number of minutes. If you leave class without making up your minutes, you will stay
double the number of minutes after the next class period.
Grading:
Notice: due to rising class sizes, I will have 115 to 140 students this academic year. In addition to forty hour
work weeks in the classroom, teachers attempt to grade 300 assignments per week and prepare for classes
at home. Additionally, I am the assistant debate coach for the LAHS Hilltalkers, so often I will be out-oftown for tournaments on the weekends.
In the interest of leading a balanced life that includes recreation and family as well as work, please allow 1-2
weeks for quizzes, journals, and smaller assignments to be graded. Please allow 3-4 weeks for essays,
research papers and other lengthy writing assignments to be graded.
Total points grading scale
 90%- daily work (discussions, journaling, quizzes, exams, projects, essays, etc.)
Examples of daily work gradebook entries:
Grammar Quiz Three- 20 points
Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-5 IOC- 50 points
Short Story Exam- 100 points
Research Paper Rough Draft- 100 points
Civil Disobedience Essay Outline- 30 points
Reading Journal Check Four (eight entries)- 80 points
Animal Farm MGRP- 175

10%- semester exam (Anywhere from 50-125 multiple choice questions, comprehensive)
I take an average of 2 grades per week (2 grades x 18 week semester = 36 opportunities for you to earn an A
in the class per semester.) This means that some activities, though they provide vital practice, may not be
scored in the gradebook. You are expected to complete all activities.
The grading scale is as follows:
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
0-59% F
Please check PowerSchool frequently to stay on top of your grade.
**Academic Integrity: Students are expected to complete their own work at all times. Copying, cheating or
plagiarizing is counter to the idea of “education.” Any student who copies, cheats or plagiarizes will be given
a zero for the assignment. Any student who copies, cheats or plagiarizes more than once will be given a zero
for the semester. Any student who allows someone else to copy, cheat or plagiarize will be given the same
consequences.
Extra Credit & Writing Center
The only extra credit that will be offered is 5 points for each take-home essay, research paper or written
project that you have edited and reviewed by Julie Parkinson in the Student Writing Center (E108). She is
available by appointment Mondays through Thursdays from 7:45 AM to 3:15 PM. You may email your paper
to her at j.parkinson@laschools.net no fewer than 24 hours in advance of your appointment so she will have
comments ready when you arrive. Your paper must contain Julie’s stamp on a draft and evidence that you
have implemented her edits on a clean, updated draft, submitted together to get the points. There will about
2-4 of these opportunities each semester, totaling 10-20 extra credit points.
No other extra credit will not be given for any reason, especially as last-minute grade
inflation. Grades will be based on effort and retention.
Edmodo and Turnitin.com
Edmodo Class link
Edmodo code
Ms. E’s Edmodo Profile
https://edmo.do/j/9ja2tk
Honors World Literature (A1 & A3): iqa32p
https://www.edmodo.com/home#/profile/9252537
I use Edmodo daily to remind students what they need to accomplish to be prepared for class. The library
feature (the book in the top left toolbar) has Microsoft documents including the syllabus and other
assignments that students can download.
To use Edmodo, students will need to go to edmodo.com and create their own profile for free and then enter
the class code above to enroll in my class. Parents are more than welcome to create a profile and enroll in
my class so they can receive my reminders as well.
Turnitin.com is a website I use to grade students’ essays. Students submit their essays to me electronically
using this website and I use tools on the website to make comments and edit for grammar. Students can
then view their comments, redraft their paper and resubmit. Microsoft office document is the preferred
format for paper submission. I will give you the turnitin.com codes for this class at a later date.
Essays and Research Papers
Students will be expected to type essays and will need access to the Internet in order to upload essays to
TurnItIn.com. If a student does not have access to a computer at home, the high school has computers
available for student use in the IMC and in the Writing Center. All essays will be written in MLA format and
should implement the grammar skills we practice as the year goes on.
Appropriateness of Reading Selections and other Literature
Below, I have provided a list of novels and texts that we will read this year. I advise that parents familiarize
themselves with these selections so that they can be active participants in studying and homework for this
course. This is an advanced course with challenging and mature material. If a parent would prefer that
his or her child not read a certain core text, four weeks notice must be given to find an
appropriate alternative text and create parallel curriculum.
I also have a classroom library with texts to suit a variety of reading levels and interests. Students may use
these books for routine 15 minutes of sustained silent reading to begin every class, and they are allowed to
choose books from this library to read if they finish class work with time to spare. Parents, please be aware
of what your child is reading and talk to your children about their reading selections.
Honors Comparative World Literature Syllabus
The following is a listing of class units scheduled for the year and tentative time periods for unit completion.
Please note that this syllabus is subject to change based on student ability and pacing. Homework, essays,
tests, and projects will be assigned accordingly. Grammar and vocabulary lessons will be ongoing
throughout the year. Students may purchase any novels listed for their own use, or they may check them out
from the book room in C wing.
Anchor Text
September
Focus Skills, Terms &
Elements
The Glass Castle by
Jeannette Walls
(Summer reading
assignment, 3 week unit)
Non-Fiction:
Interviews with Jeannette Walls
“Ethnographic Study of the Group Quarters Population in the 2010 Census: Homeless
Populations” by Irene Glasser, Eric Hirsch, and Anna Chan
“In Plain Sight: Poverty in America” by Martha C. White
“Held Captive: Child Poverty in America” by Julia Cass
“Social Stigma and Homelessness: The Limits of Social Change” by John R. Belcher
Elements of fiction
review: character,
setting, irony, tone,
diction, connotation,
imagery, conflict;
Memoire;
Autobiography, Motif
vs. Theme
Why should we be
tolerant of those
who look, practice,
and believe
differently than
we do?
Kite Runner by Khaled
Hosseini
(4 week unit)
Figurative Language
review: foreshadowing,
repetition, metaphor,
simile, parts of plot,
annotated bibliography,
research techniques,
Motif vs. Theme
What makes
words so powerful
and persuasive?
“Inauguration Speech”
by John F. Kennedy
(3 week unit)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi excerpts
Non Fiction:
“Afghan Ethnic Tensions Rise in Media and Politics” by Azam Ahmed and Habib Zahori
“The Taliban in Afghanistan” By Jayshree Bajoria, and Zachary Laub
“Children at the Border” by Haeyoun Park
“Kitty, 40 Years Later” By Jim Rasenberger
“Why Don’t We Help? Less is More, At Least When it Comes to Bystanders” by Melissa
Burkley
Kennedy Speech
Youth Speech
Russell Brand Speech
Barak Obama speech
Martin Kuther King “I Have A Dream” Speech
Miss Teen America Speech (logical fallacies)
When is it
appropriate to
disobey or
disregard the
government?
Antigone by Sophocles
(3 week unit)
Hamartia, Catharsis,
Choragus, Chorus,
Peripetia, archetypes,
Freytag’s triangle
How are race and
culture tied to an
individual’s
identity?
Othello by William
Shakespeare (3 weeks)
What behaviors,
roles, and
traditions define
gender?
Things Fall Apart by
Chinua Achebe
(3 week unit, begin last
week of December
classes, assigned reading
over Christmas Break)
Crito by Plato
Oedipus Veggie video (2004)
“Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer (2006)
Non-Fiction:
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, Excerpt
Ghandi Speeches and video clips
“On Civil Disobedience, Jurisprudence, Feminism and the Law in the Antigones of Sophocles
and Anouilh” by Susan W. Tiefenbrun
“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin
Scenes from O (2001) and Othello (1995)
Non-Fiction:
“Beyond Bullying: Pairing Classics and Media Literacy” by Angela Beumer Johnson, Linda
Augustus, and Christa Preston Agiro
“Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples
“The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats
“Marriage is a Private Affair” by Chinua Achebe
Non-Fiction:
“Chinua Achebe Writing Culture: Representations of Gender and Tradition in ‘Things Fall
Apart’" By Kwadwo Osei-Nyame
Gender in Nigeria Report 2012, British Council
October
Late October- Mid
November
Mid
NovemberDecember
January
2014-2015 Academic Year
Companion Pieces
How does
reflecting on our
past change the
present?
August
Timeline
Estimate
Thematic/
Essential
Question
END OF FALL
SEMESTER
Rhetoric; ethos, pathos,
and logos; logical
fallacies
Freytag’s triangle, aside,
chorus, meter, media
comparisons, elements
of fiction and literature
analysis
elements of fiction and
literature analysis,
conflicts: man vs. self,
man vs. society, man vs.
man, man vs. nature
Mid JanuaryMid February
Animal Farm by George
Orwell
(3 week unit)
1941 and the Man of Steel (2011) 90 minutes
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who (1971)
Propaganda Clips
Non-Fiction:
“Why Stalin Would Be Proud of Putin” By Victor Davidoff
Satire, fable, allegory,
propaganda, elements of
fiction and literature
analysis, additional
rhetoric
How are form,
diction, and
figurative
language used to
communicate?
Poetry
(3-4 week unit)
“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare
“Tonight, I Can Write” by Pablo Neruda
“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
“Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike
“The Carcass” by Charles Baudelaire
“An Old Silent Pond…” by Matsuo Bashō and “Winter Seclusion…” by Kobayashi Issa
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “The Red Wheelbarrow”
Group Analysis Centers: “The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “When I Heard the
Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman, “Invictus” by William Earnest Henley, “Nor Dread
Nor Hope Attend” by William Butler Yeats, “Nothing Gold can Stay” by Robert Frost, “Those
Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, “Love” by Czeslaw Milosz, “Mother to Son” by Langston
Hughes, “No Man is an Island” by John Donne, “Lesson” by Maya Angelou.
TPCASTT, meter,
scansion, feet, syllabus,
iambic, trochaic,
paraphrase,
connotation, theme,
stanza, rhyme scheme,
end rhyme,
enjambment, haiku,
sonnet,
February- March
What happens
when you blindly
follow the
leadership of
others?
March
English II End of Course Exams
Brave New World by
Aldous Huxley
(4 week unit)
To what extent
should ethics and
morals govern our
actions?
Frankenstein by Mary
Shelley (4 weeks)
April- May
April
What is the power
of conformity?
What freedoms do
we take for
granted?
END OF SPRING
SEMESTER
“Searching for Summer” by Joan Aiken
The Tempest by William Shakespeare excerpt
“Imagine” by John Lennon (1971)
Non-Fiction Pieces:
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas G. Carr
“Contesting the ‘Nature’ Of Conformity: What Milgram and Zimbardo's Studies Really Show”
by S. Alexander Haslam and Stephen. D. Reicher
“Twitter, Facebook now Tools for Big Brother” by David Rauf
“Post-Prozac Nation” by Sidhartha Mukherjee
“Are Scientists playing God? It Depends on Your Religion”
Ali, Sharief. “Keeping America Hooked on Drugs.” The Rebel Yell. February 14, 2008.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
“In America; Hounding the Innocent” by Bob Herbert
“Blundel’s Gravitator” by James Blundell
“The Birth of A Monster” by Kim A. Woodbridge
Persuasion: Ethos,
pathos, logos, elements
of fiction and literature
analysis
Elements of fiction and
literature analysis
Tentative List of Major Assessments:
Glass Castle Unit
1. Honors Summer Reading Assignment
2. Persuasive Essay
Kite Runner Unit
1. Reading Quizzes
2. Kite Runner Multi-Genre Research Project
3. In-Class Timed Essay
Speech & Rhetoric Unit
1. Speech Synthesis
2. Multiple Choice Question Exam
Antigone Unit
1. Persuasive Essay
2. Archetype Project
Othello Unit
1. Dramatic Interpretation
2. In-Class Timed Essay
Things Fall Apart Unit
1. Reading Quizzes
2. In-Class Timed Essay
Animal Farm Unit
1. Russian Revolution & USSR Leaders Multi-Genre Research Project
2. Reading Quizzes
3. Multiple Choice Question Exam
Poetry Unit
1. Poetry Analysis Centers
2. World Poetry Research Project
Sophomore English End of Course Exam
Brave New World/Frankenstein Unit:
1. Reading Quizzes
2. Analysis Essay
Spring Comprehensive Final Exam- May 25th- 29th
Fall Comprehensive Final Exam- December 15th -19th
Students will be responsible for checking out the required texts ON THEIR OWN TIME. Class time will not be used to check out novels.
Engelbrecht’s Tentative Book Dates:
Textbook Room Hours
Kite Runner: September 1st- October 1st
Antigone: October 20th- November 15th
Othello: November 15th- December 5th
Things Fall Apart: December 5th- January 20th
Animal Farm: January 20th- February 15th
Brave New World: March 20th- April 15th
Frankenstein: April 15th- End of school
Monday - Friday
7:50 AM to 12:00 PM
1:35 PM to 3:15 PM
Email Mrs. Baker with bookroom questions
b.baker@laschools.net
Parent Signature Form, Honors Comparative World Literature
Parent: Please check PowerSchool to make sure that the email address that is on file for you is correct. Data
input errors do happen! Email will be the main form of communication that I will use. If you need to make
changes to your contact information, please call 663-2510, or see Ms. Pacheco in the front office.
Please read all policies of this course completely. A copy is also uploaded to my teacher web page, which can
be found on the LAHS website.
Please sign indicating that you have read and that you understand the policies of Honors Comparative
World Literature. This will be kept on file. Thanks!
Student Name (print): ___________________________________________________
Period: ___________
Preferred Parent Contact Number: __________________________________________
Parent Email Address: __________________________________________________
Alternate Parent Email Address: ____________________________________________
Parent Signature: ______________________________________________________
Contribute to the Classroom Library
or the Classroom Student Resource
Center! Go to
http://amzn.com/sl/2A1T4WLJN7I69
to see the list of needed classroom
supplies and desired books.