British Literature 12th Grade Syllabus – Turner County High School
Course Title: British Literature
Course Description: This course is required of all students. Prerequisites are 9th Grade Literature and Composition, 10th Grade World
Literature and Composition, and American Literature 11th grade. Focusing on a study of British Literature, the student develops an
understanding of chronological context and the relevance of period structures in British literature. The student develops an
understanding or the ways the period of a work of literature affects its structure and how the chronology of a work of literature
affects its meaning Required course (1 credit / full year)
Teacher Introduction: Millie Puckett
Artium Baccalaureus AB Morehead State University
Major – Speech Communications-Mass. Com-Theatre
Minors –English
M.A. Miami (Ohio) University
Major- Rhetoric
Minor – Organizational Communications
M.A. Northern Kentucky University
Major- Secondary Education
Emphasis- English
College Board Certified in AP Language and AP Literature
Gifted Endorsement
Course Agenda and Direction: Content Standards to be covered – Common Core Georgia Performance Standards. Primary Test
Book is the British Tradition
9 Weeks Outline
1st Nine Weeks
READING FOCUS : Literary
THEME: A Royal Mess: An Examination of the Lives, Scandals, and
Impact of Britain’s Most Notorious and Noteworthy Kings and Queens
EXTENDED TEXT FROM BRITISH LITERATURE: Macbeth by William
Shakespeare
SHORT TEXTS FROM BRITISH LITERATURE:
1. Grendel, (excerpt chapter 2) by John Gardner—be advised of
strong language; use your own discretion in choosing excerpts
from this text.
2. Beowulf, by anonymous (translation determined by school)
3. The Seafarer by Burton Raffel
http://www.nexuslearning.net/booksenotes.com/beowulf.text
4. When I was Fair and Young by Queen Elizabeth I
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174926
5. To His Love When He Had Obtained Her by Sir Walter Raleigh
http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/sir_walter_raleig
h_2004_9.pdf
SHORT INFORMATIONAL TEXTS INCLUDING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
SOURCE DOCUMENTS FROM BRITISH HISTORY:
1. Holinshed’s Chronicles, Volume V: Scotland
http://shakespearenavigators.com/macbeth/Holinshed/index.html
2. Robin Hood
http://www.robinhood.info/robinhood.index.html
3. The Magna Carta
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magn
a_carta/
4. Elizabeth I’s Speech to the Troops at Tilbury
http://www.nationalcenter.org/ElizabethITilbury.html
5. The Martyrdom of Thomas a` Becket,1170
http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/becketgrim.html
6. History of the English Language http://www.merriam-
2nd Nine Weeks
READING FOCUS : Informational
THEME: The World as a Stage How Art Imitates Life
EXTENDED TEXT FROM BRITISH LITERATURE: Shakespeare: The World
as Stage by Bill Bryson
SHORT TEXTS FROM BRITISH LITERATURE:
1. “All the World’s a Stage” by William Shakespeare
(monologue from As You Like It)
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/all-the-world-s-astage/
2. from A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (available
in Prentice Hall’s British Literature Textbook)
3. from Utopia by Sir Thomas Moore (available in Prentice
Hall’s British Literature Textbook) Select portions of Utopia:
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/utopiaexcerpts.htm
4. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html 5.
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html
SHORT INFORMATIONAL TEXTS INCLUDING PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS FROM BRITISH HISTORY:
1. “To be or Not to be Shakespeare” by Doug Stewart
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/peopleplaces/shakespeare.html
2. Declaration of Reasonable Doubt by Derek Jacobi
http://doubtaboutwill.org/declaration
3. Elizabeth’s Act of Uniformity, 1559 (secondary source), use
excerpts to accompany the scenes from the film
http://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er80.html
4. Lord Chamberlain’s Men
http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/chamberlainsmen.
htm
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
1. Oxford English Dictionary: http://www.oed.com/
webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
1. How to conduct a TP-CASTT
http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/poem-aday/TPCASTT.pdf
2. Critical Approaches to Literature
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/courses/web/fall96/lit
crit
3. Macbeth DVD
4. Beowulf DVD
5.
WRITING FOCUS: Informative
The Importance of Anglo Saxon Artifacts and the understanding of the
literature of the period.
4-6 analyses Argumentative ELACC11-12W1, 4, 5, 6, 10
Research connection Brief or sustained inquiries related to the texts or
topics ELACC11-12W7, 8, 10
2-3 narratives Conveying experiences ELACC11-12W3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Routine writing Notes, summaries, process journals, and short
responses across all genres ELACC11-12W1, 2, 3, 9, 10
NARRATIVE
1. After reading chapter 2 of the novel Grendel, think of a time when
you have been misunderstood. Write a narrative about the incident, its
outcomes, and the lesson(s) you learned as a result. Relate your own
experience to that of Grendel citing textual evidence from the excerpt
to support and develop your thesis.
2. Choose a scene from Macbeth and become one of the following—a
maid, a knight, a foot soldier, a physician (or someone else you might
like to “become”)who witnessed the events in that scene—and re-tell
the story from your point of view. Although you may take poetic license
in the re-telling, make sure that the scene and the context are both
easily identifiable.
ROUTINE WRITING Notes, summaries, process journals, and short
responses across all genres
Summaries/note-taking
Close readings—analysis of selected short texts
TP-CASTT—analysis of selected poems
Vocabulary journal
Short response journal writings over designated pieces of text
Examine the use of kennings in Beowulf for hyphenated words/phrases
Analyze and discuss the evolution and history of the English language
Compare the tone of Queen Elizabeth I’s poem to those of Sir Walter
Raleigh
Write a “Grendel/Beowulf” rap, comic strip, children’s story, etc.
covering all the major events
Write a brief explanation of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy and pull
textual evidence from Macbeth as exemplars
Possible Extended Activities:
Write a parody of one of Sir Walter Raleigh’s poems
Quote Journal for Macbeth
Annotated bibliographies
1. Informational: Read excerpts from Beowulf and Grendel and analyze
the effect point of view has on narration. Make sure you explain point
of view in terms of both its literary purpose and its importance in
shaping an author’s style choices. Incorporate cited textural evidence
from both literary and informational text as needed to develop and
support your explanation.
2. Argumentation/opinion: Read and analyze Plato’s The Allegory of the
Cave. Choose a modern day situation that you believe best represents
the “Allegory” and create a visual/audio presentation that supports
your opinion. Make sure that your audience can make clear connections
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Poetry:
“All the World’s a Stage” by William Shakespeare
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/all-the-world-s-a-stage/
“On Monsieur’s Departure” by Elizabeth I
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/departure.htm
Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare http://www.shakespeareonline.com/sonnets/29.html
Sonnet 106 by William Shakespeare http://www.shakespeareonline.com/sonnets/106.html
Art/Pictures:
1. Chandros Portrait of Shakespeare
http://quotationsbook.com/assets/shared/img/6633/Shakesp
eare.jpg
2. Droeshout Portrait of Shakespeare http://www.williamshakespeare.info/images/droeshout-engraving.jpg
3. Shakespeare Bust at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-uponAvon
http://www.stratfordtownwalk.co.uk/assets/galleries/56/1wil
liam_shakespeare_bust.jpg
4. Thames River & Old London Bridge
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Old_L
ondon_Bridge,_River_Thames,_1745.jpg
5. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Fvxs4O09T_8/Sp1T9Yifs6I/AAAAA
AAAA6s/NRaDUPjN4_8/s400/old+London+Bridge.jpg
6. Elizabethan era London
http://elizabethan.org/compendium/art/london.gif
http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/12/elizabethan-southwark1.jpg
7. Theaters in London
a. Old Globe:
http://www.clt.astate.edu/wnarey/Shakespeare%20Surv
ey%20Pix/oldglobe.jpg
b. Modern Globe:
http://andyjs.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83421046653ef013
3f184c5d7970b-pi
c.
Swan Theater:
http://www.princeton.edu/~danson/GRAPHICS/Swan.jpg
Articles/Documents
1. Bill Bryson’s Biography
http://www.billbryson.co.uk/about.html
2. Declaration of Reasonable Doubt by Derek Jacobi
http://doubtaboutwill.org/declaration
3. The Mystery of Shakespeare’s Identity by Jumana Farouky
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1661619,00.h
tml
4. “Is This What Shakespeare Looked Like?” by Richard Lacayo
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1883770,00.h
tml
5. Martin Luther’s biography
o “Driven to Defiance”
http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/about_driv.html
o “The Reluctant Revolutionary”
http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/about_relu.html
Video/Film:
Elizabeth (1998 Film)
WRITING FOCUS: Informative
Research Paper on the real William Shakespeare
4-6 analyses Argumentative ELACC11-12W1, 4, 5, 6, 10
Research connection Brief or sustained inquiries related to the texts or
topics ELACC11-12W7, 8, 10
2-3 narratives Conveying experiences ELACC11-12W3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Routine writing Notes, summaries, process journals, and short
between Plato and your representation. The presentation should
include allusions to Plato’s “Allegory” and its major themes. NO
POWERPOINT. You should ensure that all still images, video clips, and
music underscore your argument and develop your overall message.
3. Argumentative/opinion: The Magna Carta is “widely viewed as one
of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy”
(http://www.archives.gov/documents). It was written in response to
landowners who felt they were being unfairly subjugated by King John.
Choose one of the following points-of-view (women, Jews, peasants)
and argue the merits or shortcomings of the document as it relates to
that particular group of people. Use textual evidence from The Magna
Carta and other research to help develop and support your argument.
4. Argumentation/opinion: The Divine Right of Kings. Shakespeare
would have been very familiar with the philosophy of “divine” rights.
Choose one of the major characters in Macbeth whose actions you
believe were influenced by Shakespeare’s knowledge of the philosophy.
Write a well organized paper defending your opinion. Make sure that
your argument is logical and contains textual evidence from both the
tenets of The Divine Rights of Kings and the play.
5. Informational/explanatory: Examine the various critical approaches
to literary analysis. In small groups choose one of the approaches and
develop a visual that explains the theme “A Royal Mess” and shows an
understanding of the approach. The visual should include connections
between and among the various pieces of literature, the royal
personages included in the unit, common themes and/or patterns
discerned, causes/effects of the royals’ actions and the possible impacts
that continue to shape our contemporary world. The visuals may
include technology; however, creative students may present murals,
collages, montages, skits, combinations of any and/or all of these.
3rd Nine Weeks
READING FOCUS : Literary
THEME: Good and Evil in Literature
EXTENDED TEXT FROM BRITISH LITERATURE: Frankenstein by Mary
Shelley
SHORT TEXTS FROM BRITISH LITERATURE:
1. Milton’s Paradise Lost (excerpts)
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (excerpts)
3. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert L. Stevenson
(excerpts)
4. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (excerpts)
5. Man Was Made to Mourn: A Dirge, 1785 poem by Robert Burns
SHORT INFORMATIONAL TEXTS INCLUDING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
SOURCE DOCUMENTS FROM BRITISH HISTORY:
1. Charles I of England http://www.british-civilwars.co.uk/biog/charles1.htm
2. The execution of Charles I of England
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pfcharlesI.htm
3. Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
http://www.hccfl.edu/media/173616/ee2luther.pdf
4. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/wollstonecraft/womanc.html#CHAPTERXIII
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
1. http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/epic.html
2. http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/epic2.html (Phillip
Allingham’s Notes of Heroic Poetry: The Primary and
Secondary Epic)
responses across all genres ELACC11-12W1, 2, 3, 9, 10
1. Informative/Explanatory: Art Imitating Life: It is often said that art
imitates life. Use examples from Bryson’s book to show how the
religious and political climates of England were evident in Shakespeare’s
writing. Moreover, consider the issues of Queen Elizabeth’s successor
and how Shakespeare’s plots often involved a monarch or an issue of
succession. Finally, consider why Shakespeare may have chosen to
include these elements in his plays.
2. Informative/Explanatory: Quote Me: How has William Shakespeare
impacted the English language? For hundreds of years, people have
speculated about Shakespeare’s impact on language. In fact, most
people have no idea how often we say a word or phrase that was first
coined by William Shakespeare. Write an informative/explanatory
essay to show Shakespeare’s impact on modern day language. Using
the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, select three to five notable
phrases to support your claim. Refer back to the text for further
evidence. Be sure to include the work that the phrase is from as well
as the date it was originally used.
3. Informative/Explanatory: Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Some of
Shakespeare’s most famous lines can be found in his sonnets. Read
Sonnets 18 and 130. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the theme,
speaker, and literary devices in each sonnet. Identify the problem in the
sonnets and their resolutions. Use evidence from each sonnet as well as
any support from Bryson’s novel, Shakespeare: The World as Stage.
4. Informative/Explanatory: Who is William Shakespeare? Students
will work in groups to create a 7 -10 minute video that summarizes the
life and works of William Shakespeare. Students should cover the
following eras of his life: the early years, the lost years, the famous
years, and his death. Include the authorship issue in the video. Provide
the viewer with claims on both sides of the argument (those that favor
Shakespeare as the author and those that cast a reasonable doubt on
the authorship). Use Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, or another
approved application to create the video. Students should make
mention of and use evidence from Bill Bryson’s novel Shakespeare:
The World as Stage. Create an engaging video with photos/images, a
voice-over, and music.
4th Nine Weeks
READING FOCUS: INFORMATIVE
THEME: The Language of Our Lives
EXTENDED TEXT FROM BRITISH LITERATURE: The Professor and the
Madman by Simon Winchester
SHORT TEXTS FROM BRITISH LITERATURE:
1. “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, poem
2. “A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed” by Jonathan Swift,
poem
Http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/nymphbed.html
3. “Strephon and Chloe” by Jonathan Swift, poem
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/strephon.html
4. “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence, short story
http://www.dowse.com/fiction/Lawrence.html
SHORT TEXTS FROM AMERICAN LITERATURE:
1. “The Man of the Crowd” by Edgar Allan Poe, short story
http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccernew2?id=PoeCrow.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/text
s/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
2. “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, short story
http://shortstoryclassics.50megs.com/cheeverswimmer.html
3. “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, short story
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/shortstories/UBooks/RipVan.shtml
4. “The Mutability of Literature” by Washington Irving, short
story http://www.bartleby.com/109/6.html
5. Excerpt from Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran
Foer (Pp. 1-4)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
http://www.paradiselost.org/5-summary.html
http://www.brysons.net/miltonweb/milton04.html
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/jung.html
http://www.youtube.com (Paradise Lost—preview prior to
sharing with students)
http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/collectiveconsciousne
ss.htm
http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradiselost/chapter-01.html
http://students.cis.uab.edu/msuca/finalpaperindex.html
http://ic.galgroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/Referen
ceDetailsWindow?displayGr...
http://www.english-ecorner.com/britishliterature/contents/workshop1/default.ht
m
http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Themes/index.html
http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html
http://www.homework-online.com/lotf
Focus: Informative/Explanatory
4-6 analyses Argumentative ELACC11-12W1, 4, 5, 6, 10
Research connection Brief or sustained inquiries related to the texts or
topics ELACC11-12W7, 8, 10
2-3 narratives Conveying experiences ELACC11-12W3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Routine writing Notes, summaries, process journals, and short
responses across all genres ELACC11-12W1, 2, 3, 9, 10
1. Epic poems often reflect “periods of upheaval, of struggle and
adventure (Allingham ).” Research the historical context for Milton’s
epic poem Paradise Lost. Explain how the poem reflects the “upheaval
and struggle” of Milton’s England. Use textual evidence from your
research and the poem to support your explanation. Be sure to cite
your sources correctly within the essay and to include a Works Cited
page if necessary.
2. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during a time of industrialization,
scientific discovery, and greater social awareness. One major theme
that continues to keep the novel relevant today is the one that deals
with the ethics of science and its role in a God-centered universe.
Explain the theme in terms of contemporary medical ethics issues and
support the statement that Frankenstein, the novel, continues to be
relevant. Your essay should include cited textual evidence to support
your thesis and assertions.
3. Research Sigmund Freud’s and Carl Jung’s views on the psychosis of
evil and the human psyche. Using your knowledge obtained during
your research, conduct a psychological analysis on one character or a
group of characters in the novel Frankenstein and write a
psychological criticism. Make sure your essay explains Freud’s and
Jung’s views and uses textual evidence to support any assertions.
4. According to Saul McLeod the nature vs. nurture “debate within
psychology is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of
behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e. genetic) or acquired
(i.e. learned) characteristics
(http://www.simlpypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html). Choose
either the nature or the nurture school of thought and write an essay
in support of your choice. Use textual evidence from at least three (3)
of the literary texts included in this unit and three (3) informational
texts to support your arguments and assertions. This essay must
include a Works Cited page.
5. Choose one of the Frankenstein themes you traced during your
reading of the novel. Develop a thesis statement based on the theme
and write an informational/explanatory essay over the theme.
http://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_num
ber/1553/everything-is-illuminated
SHORT INFORMATIONAL TEXTS INCLUDING PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS FROM BRITISH HISTORY:
1. “Five Events that Shaped the History of English,” blog by Philip
Durkin, Principal Etymologist at the Oxford English Dictionary
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/the-history-ofenglish?region=us
2. A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson,
http://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/
3. “The Joy of Sesquipedalians” from Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman,,
essay The entire essay is not available online, but most of it
can be read at
Http://books.google.com/books?id=hxcE7vJdgZkC&pg=PT13&
lpg=PT13&dq=anne+fadiman+%22the+joy+of+sesquipedalian
s%22&source=bl&ots=C176R1d97q&sig=9fFyTRdh5BYHEjrAmRbb4RJGI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FFh7T5SzMpGa8gTW
87D3BA&ved=0CFsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=anne%20fadima
n%20%22the%20joy%20of%20sesquipedalians%22&f=false
4. “OED will not be printed again” by Alastair Jamieson, news
article
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/79703
91/Oxford-English-Dictionary-will-not-be-printed-again.html
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
1. Oxford Dictionaries online
http://oxforddictionaries.com/?region=us
2. Articles for the history of the English language activity
A. “History of English”
http://www.ielanguages.com/enghist.html
B. The Great Melting Pot of Language
http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/023english.html
C. “The Origin and History of the English Language”
http://www.krysstal.com/english.html
D. Chronology of Events in the history of English
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words/chron.html
E. Brief History of the English language
http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/comments/
a_very_brief_history_of_the_english_language3/
F.
A Concise history
http://www.danshort.com/ie/ConciseHistory.htm
G. History of the English language, University of Toronto
http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/hell/
Lists of words recently added to the OED for the 1st writing
assessment
1. http://www.oed.com/public/newwords0312
2. http://www.oed.com/public/newwords1211
3. http://www.oed.com/public/newwords0611
4. http://www.oed.com/public/newwords0911
5. http://www.oed.com/public/update0311#new
6. http://www.oed.com/public/update1012#new
7. http:,//www.oed.com/public/update1009/september-2010update#new
8. http://www.oed.com/public/update1003/march-2010update#new
9. http:/ /www.oed.com/public/update0912/december-2009update#new
10. http://www.oed.com/public/update0906/june-2009update#new
11. http://www.oed.com/public/update0812/december-2008update#new
12. http://www.oed.com/public/update0809/september-2008update#rev
WRITING FOCUS: Argumentative
Remember you must cite textual evidence in support of your
assertions.
6. Research the universal theme good vs. evil as it relates to British
literature and write a well-developed informational/explanatory essay
over the topic. Make sure you cite textual evidence to support all
assertions.
NARRATIVE/RESEARCH/ROUTINE WRITING
NARRATIVE
1. Write about a time you have tried to change a rule or correct an
injustice. Make sure your narrative gives enough background
information for the reader to become empathetic with your plight. In
your narrative, use dialogue to express your arguments and the
responses. Make sure you correctly punctuate your dialogue.
2. One major theme in Frankenstein is alienation. The monster felt
completely alienated, alone, and misunderstood. Think of a time in
your life when you may have experienced any one, or all, of these
feelings and write about it. Make sure to include in your narrative the
approach you took in handling the situation and what lesson you
would like to share with readers. Remember not to “tell” us your story
but write in such a way as to make us empathize with you and
experience some of what you were feeling.
4-6 analyses Argumentative ELACC11-12W1, 4, 5, 6, 10
Research connection Brief or sustained inquiries related to the texts or
topics ELACC11-12W7, 8, 10
2-3 narratives Conveying experiences ELACC11-12W3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Routine writing Notes, summaries, process journals, and short
responses across all genres ELACC11-12W1, 2, 3, 9, 10
1. Argumentative: What’s in a word? Review new words added to the
OED in the past few years. Select at least 3 words, define them, find
quotes that use them in context (citing sources), and argue whether or
not they should have been added to the dictionary. Your thesis and
conclusion should argue what the ultimate goal of a dictionary should
be. Is it a collection of every word and phrase every used or a guide to
the best and most respectable words in the language? (links to word
lists in supplemental materials)
2. Argumentative: Should English be fixed or fluid? In chapter 4 of the
Professor and the Madman, Winchester mentions the debate over
whether the English language should be fixed like the French language,
or if it should be fluid, meaning that new words and new senses of
words can freely enter the language. After reviewing each of the
arguments, pick a side and present it in this essay. Use evidence from
the text and at least 2 outside sources to support your claims.
3. Informative: What’s in a word? Visual Vocabulary Multimedia
Presentation
Return to the word that inspired your short story, or select a new word.
Create a multimedia presentation to bring the word to life. The final
presentation should be between 3-5 minutes in length and must
contain:
Definition from OED
Part of speech
Related words
6-8 quotes with sources cited
o at least one quote should be from an audio clip
o at least one quote should be from a video clip
At least three images (or video clips) that illustrate its meaning
An excerpt from your short story (if applicable)
The presentation should begin and end with the definition to tie it all
together
4. Argumentative/Literary Analysis:
Writing assessment 4: compare the treatment of madness in 3 texts
read during the unit
Must define “madness” and related terms and demonstrate how
examples from the text fit that description
Analyze the treatment of madness and delusion in each text. Find
examples of moments where the line between reality and illusion (or
delusion) is blurred. Is it constructive, destructive, or both?
Summarize each story read and include a discussion of theme.
Compare the short stories read in the unit using the unifying theme of
delusion and madness – is it constructive or destructive?
(UP TO TWO ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS PROMPTS PER UNIT AT
INSTRUCTOR DISCRETION)
5. Argumentative: Tragic or not tragic? Was the murder worth it?
(Module 3)
In the first chapter of The Professor and the Madman, Winchester
makes the claim that the murder of George Merrett was not “wholly
tragic.” What is he referring to and what evidence does he use to
support his argument? Throughout the course of the text, does he
fully prove his argument? In an essay, trace the evidence Winchester
uses to support his claim, and analyze the logic and rhetoric of each
assertion to ultimately decide the validity of his claim.
1. Reflection: Write a reflection on the class debate over the use of
formal English. What was your opinion on the discussion questions
before beginning this unit? What was your opinion before the debate?
What was your opinion after the debate? Explain any changes in your
opinion. If your opinion remained the same, explain why you think this
is the case.
2. Narrative - Pick a word and write a story using it as a motif or part of
a theme using The Professor and the Madman as a model. Instruct
students to pick a word they are very interested in because this story
will become part of a larger project.
1. Begin with the etymology and definition of the word in dictionary
definition format.
2. Develop characters and use their dialogue and characterization to
make connections to your source word.
3. Make sure you have a coherent structure.
4. Use vivid imagery to support your interpretation of the word.
5. The story must have a conclusion – no cliffhangers!
Assessment Types: May include the following: announced quizzes, surprise quizzes, tests, quarterly exams, EOCT exams, and
projects. On a daily basis, students should prepare as if they expect a surprise quiz over either the material just covered or the next
lesson before it is covered in class. Take Home tests and quizzes may be offered for you may take with you.
Grading Scale and Policy:
Points shall be awarded for homework, cooperative leaning (group work), quizzes, tests, exams, and participation. Points earned
shall be divided by points possible and then multiplied by 100 for each grading period. Points possible may arbitrarily lowered to
establish a curve, at the discretion of the instructor. Letter grades will be used for reporting to parents/guardians for each marking
period. Letter grades will be based on the board mandated scale:
GRADING SCALE
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
F = Below 70
I = Incomplete
GRADING WEIGHTS for calculation of quarterly grades
Test = 40%
Daily Grades = 40%
Homework = 10%
Work Ethic = 10%
*It should be noted that attendance and participation in class are important and are counted as part of the points to be earned in a
class.
Standardized Testing Preparation: As a part of this course, significant effort will be directed towards the EOCT test.
ProgressBook: You and your parents should monitor your grades regularly by accessing the online grade book.
Materials: 3-ring binder, loose-leaf notebook paper, blue and black ink pens, #2 lead pencils, highlighters, USB flash drive, 3x5 index
cards.
Students need to establish a Gmail account, which is free. All major writing assignments must be electronically submitted.
AFTER SCHOOL TUTORIAL
Academic teachers will provide scheduled tutoring for all students for one hour per day, Monday-Thursday. Students who need
extra help are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. ALL STUDENTS ASSIGNED TO ISS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND
TUTORIALS FOR THE DAYS THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO ISS. After-school Tutorial runs from 3:30-4:30.
Monday
All Math Teachers
Tuesday
All Science Teachers
Wednesday
All English Teachers
Thursday
All Social Studies Teachers
Attendance Policy:
Make-up Work: If a student is absent (excused or unexcused), the student should approach his/her teachers before or after school
to request make-up work for the days the student was out. If the absence was excused, the student can receive up to full credit for
the work submitted. If the absence was unexcused, the student can receive a maximum of 70% on any make-up work submitted. All
make-up work must be requested within three days of the student’s return to school. The student will be allowed the same number
of days to complete and submit the make-up work as the student was absent (out three days, request work, due three days later).
Contact Information: TCHS phone 229-567-4377, e-mail: mpuckett@turner.k12.ga.us planning time – 4th period.
This syllabus is a tenative outline of this course and may be changed as deemed necessary by the instructor.