English 12A Syllabus
Mrs. Pruden
Room 202
Contact Information
Email: prudent@ccabr.org
Phone: School 231-796-9041 ext. 292
Classroom Rules
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All handbook rules apply
No food or beverages allowed in class (only water)
Come to class prepared to learn (have all needed materials)
Be on time for class (not running into the room as the bell rings)
Respect others and their property (Bullying will not be tolerated)
Treat the classroom and supplies with care (if you borrow it-return it, clean-up
after yourself)
Classroom Procedures
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Class begins when the bell rings. We will begin each day with a warm-up writing or
grammar exercise which relates to what you will be learning that day.
 Please refrain from using the pencil sharpener during presentations or when a student or
staff member is speaking to the class.
 Please refrain from interrupting class instruction. If you need to talk to me outside of your
class period, stop in during my plan period or after school. Coming into the classroom
during class time disrupts learning.
 If you finish with an assignment early, use the additional time to read or work on other
homework.
Grading
25% Tests
25% Papers
20% Presentations/Projects
15% Quizzes
10% Homework
5% Participation
Late Work Policy
Homework is due at the date and time given. The highest grade a student will receive for late
work is a C- unless extenuating circumstances are present (tragic event, ongoing illness, etc.).
Students who do not meet homework deadlines will receive an extended learning opportunity.
Please refer to the student handbook for the late work/ELO policy and the absence/make-up
work policy as I follow the school guidelines for these issues. We will be going over this
information on the first day of school.
Class Supply List
 1 Pkg. ruled note cards
 1 Folder with tangs
 1 Textbook cover
 1 Pkg. pencils
 2 Boxes of tissues
 1 Pkg. lined paper and binder or spiral notebook with pockets
 1 Flash drive for use in lab
 1 Composition book for journaling
Any of the following can be submitted for extra credit during the semester (5pts. each, up to
25pts. total)
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Boxes of tissue
Hand sanitizer
Packages of pencils
Packages of college-ruled paper
Cleaning wipes
 Paper towels
Videos
Hotel Rwanda 2006 PG
The Odyssey 1993 PG 13
Arabian Nights 2000 Hallmark Television
Various educational clips from The History Channel, A&E, PBS, and The Biography Channel
Reading and Writing
Each week students will be reading various informational pieces and incorporating them into
their journal writing. In order to prepare students for college and career, the NAEP recommends
a balance of reading and writing across the curriculum as follows;
Reading
30% literature
70% informational
Writing
40% persuasive
40% expository
20% narrative
Course Schedule (Subject to change)
Week One
Grammar: Pretest, parts of speech review
Writing Focus: The writing process, folktales
Writing Assignment: Writing pretest, The Iguana analysis
Literature: Unit One-The Iguana, Tselane and the Giant, and Anansi folktales
Presentations: Introduction exercise
Week Two
Grammar: Parts of speech review
Writing Focus: Task, purpose, and audience, maintaining consistency in style and tone
Writing Assignment: The Iguana analysis
Literature: Unit One-Sundiata, Life in Benin (clip from Amazing Grace), Half a Day, and Tribal
Scars
Presentations: Modern slave trade
Week Three
Grammar: Punctuation review
Writing Focus: Using concise language and eliminating wordiness and redundancy
Writing Assignment: College applications
Literature: Unit One-The Voter, The Rain Came, The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses, The Return,
My Country, and All That You Have Given Me, Africa
Presentations: The modern slave trade
Week Four
Grammar: Sentence diagramming review, producing complete sentences (avoiding fragments
and run-ons)
Writing Focus: Using parallel structure
Writing Assignment: Persuasive writing-The Stupid Giant
Literature: Unit One-Excerpts from An Ordinary Man
Presentations: The modern slave trade
Week Five
Grammar: Frequently confused words
Writing Focus: Recognizing and correcting inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood
Writing Assignment: Persuasive essay
Literature: Unit One-Excerpts from An Ordinary Man, Unit One test
Presentations: None
Week Six
Grammar: Sentence diagramming, verb tense
Writing Focus: Plagiarism, collecting and citing evidence, and recognizing bias
Writing Assignment: Research paper
Literature: Unit Two-Excerpts from the Iliad, The Odyssey
Presentations: None
Week Seven
Grammar: Sentence diagramming, correcting pronoun errors (number, person, and vagueness)
Writing Focus: Organizing information
Writing Assignment: Research paper
Literature: Unit Two-The Odyssey, Apology
Presentations: Greek history
Week Eight
Grammar: Sentence diagramming, editing (recognizing deviations from Standard English)
Writing Focus: Editing
Writing Assignment: Research paper
Literature Unit Two-The Odyssey, Oedipus the King
Presentations: Greek history
Week Nine
Grammar: Using phrases and clauses/correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers
Writing Focus: Revising for effectiveness
Writing Assignment: Research paper
Literature: Unit Two-The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe, from the Aeneid, and the Odyssey
Presentations: Research topics
Week Ten
Grammar: Sentence diagramming, common spelling errors
Writing Focus: Publishing
Writing Assignment: Research paper
Literature: Unit Two-The Trojans, The Burning of Rome, and The Odyssey
Presentations: Research topics
Week Eleven
Grammar: Proper capitalization, abbreviations
Writing Focus: Technical writing
Writing Assignment: Technical writing
Literature: Unit Two-The Odyssey and Unit Two test
Presentations: Product presentations
Week Twelve
Grammar: Sentence diagramming
Writing Focus: Technical writing
Writing Assignment: Technical writing
Literature: Unit Three-Gilgamesh, The Thousand and One Nights
Presentations: Product presentations
Week Thirteen
Grammar: Agreement errors
Writing Focus: Elegy
Writing Assignment: Scholarship writing, cover letter
Literature: Unit Three-Elegy for a Woman of No Importance, The Diameter of the Bomb
Presentations: None
Week Fourteen
Grammar: Direct and indirect objects
Writing Focus: Human rights issues
Writing Assignment: Informative writing
Literature: Unit Three-Mahabharata, Panchatantra, The Kabuliwallah, and The Weed
Presentations: Human rights issues
Week Fifteen
Grammar: Sentence diagramming
Writing Focus: Human rights issues
Writing Assignment: Persuasive writing
Literature: Like the Sun, The Wagon, and novel choice
Presentations: Human rights issues
Week Sixteen
Grammar: Fixing common errors review
Writing Focus: Novel review
Writing Assignment: Novel review
Literature: Novel choice
Presentations: Novel presentations
Week Seventeen
Grammar: Exam review
Writing Focus: Exam review
Writing Assignment: Writing post-test
Literature: Novel test, exam review
Presentations: Novel presentations
Week Eighteen
Grammar: Exam review and post-test
Writing Focus: Exam review
Writing Assignment: Writing post-test
Literature: Exam review
Presentations: None