University High School Charter Language Arts Department

Honors Contemporary Comp. & American Lit.

Course Syllabus
With Modified 2020 grading scale

Ms. K. Mitchell, M.A. English Literature

(Semester Courses – Grade 11)
Email: kdm4952@lausd.net
Website: http://msmitchellsclasses.weebly.com

Course Description
Contemporary Comp: The major purpose of this standards-aligned semester course is to explore ideas, issues, and themes from contemporary
fiction, nonfiction, and informational materials and to focus on writing coherent and complex texts that convey well-defined perspectives and
tightly reasoned arguments. This is an honors course and will require more reading, analysis of literature, and proficient
writing skills than a regular level course. Students will read, write, speak, and think about the structure, style, content, and purpose of
contemporary literature, expository, and visual texts through different lenses and various perspectives to investigate personal, American, and
global views on current events, issues, and themes. As a means of developing the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for the
demands of college and work, students will engage in discussion to prepare oral and written arguments that provide all relevant perspectives and
consider the validity and reliability of sources. The California Reading/Language Arts Framework states that students in the eleventh grade are
expected to read two million words annually on their own, including a good representation of high interest, rigorous, and relevant contemporary
texts including magazines, newspapers, and online articles.

American Lit: American Literature and Composition is a semester-long reading and writing course that includes standards-based instruction
centered on recurrent themes and genres in United States literature from the colonial period to the present and reflects on the diversity of
American life. Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of
history and social science. The philosophical approach is the focus for the eleventh grade, as students analyze the philosophical arguments
presented in literary works to determine whether the authors’ positions have contributed to the quality of each work and the credibility of
characters. As a means of developing the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for the demands of college and work, students will
engage in discussion to prepare oral and written arguments that provide all relevant perspectives and consider the validity and reliability of
sources. The California common core Reading/Language standards states that students in the eleventh grade are expected to read two million
words annually on their own, including a good representation of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online articles.

In this course, there is a concentrated focus on writing. Two new compositions are introduced in the eleventh grade: reflective composition and
historical investigation. Reflective compositions require the student to explore the significance of a personal experience, event, or concern, while
maintaining an appropriate balance between describing the incident and relating it to a more abstract idea. The historical investigation report
requires students to use primary and secondary sources to compare different points of view regarding a single historical event and explain
reasons for the similarities and differences. Students are expected to write and revise a minimum of six academic compositions within the
eleventh-grade year. This course provides students opportunities to increase awareness of the audience, purpose, and progression of the stages
of the writing process and writing conventions to produce narrative, persuasive, expository, and descriptive texts of at least 1,500 words each,
including timed writing. This course fulfills a B requirement of the UC/CSU Subject Area Requirements.

COMMON CORE » READING & LANGUAGE STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE Grade 11-12
Focus Standards - For explanation of California Common Core standards, please visit: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/11-12/

CCSS.ELA- R.11-12.1 CCSS.ELA-L.11-12.2 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.5

CCSS.ELA-R.11-12.2 CCSS.ELA- L.11-12.3 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.6
CCSS.ELA- R.11-12.3 CCSS.ELA- L.11-12.4 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.7
CCSS.ELA- R.11-12.4 CCSS.ELA- L.11-12.5 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.8
CCSS.ELA- R.11-12.5 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.1 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.9
CCSS.ELA- R.11-12.6 CCSS.ELA-W.11-12.2 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.10
CCSS.ELA- L.11-12.1 CCSS.ELA- W.11-12.4
Units of Study
Note: Schedule and pieces may be modified as needed

Contemporary Composition – Semester 1

Unit # Unit Focus Possible Texts & Focus Skills Focus
1 Thomas Jefferson - “Declaration of Independence” pg 111 Persuasive appeals & techniques (logos, ethos,
pathos),
AGE OF REASON / Thomas Paine, “Crisis #1” (logos & pathos, alliteration, assonance, rhetoric,
ENLIGHTENMENT anecdotes & logical fallacies) target audience,
1750-1800 diction,
James Madison – “The Federalist No. 10 pg 129 figurative language,
THE REVOLUTIONARY logical fallacies,
AGE structuring argumentative / persuasive essays,
(1765 – 1790) Patrick Henry - “Speech to the Virginia Convention” essay format,
MLA format,
incorporating quotes

Assessment: Create persuasive pamphlets / create

persuasive ads / write a persuasive letter / Write a
persuasive essay on controversial issue (this requires
research)
2 THE INDIVIDUAL AND Washington Irving – Rip Van Winkle ( published in 1819)
SOCIETY Transcendentalism, Gothic literature, narrative poetry,
Edgar Alan Poe - "The Raven" & "Fall of the House of Usher" ( 1839 ) alliteration, assonance, allusion, paradox, anti-
HONORS - “Cask of Amontillado” transcendentalism, internal rhyme, atmosphere,
AMERICAN ROMATICISM symbolism, imagery, setting, elements of the short
& GOTHIC LIT. Nathaniel Hawthorne - "The Minister's Black Veil" & “Young story, fatalism, parables, individualism, period
(1800 - 1860) Goodman Brown” characteristics

RENAISSANCE Ralph Waldo Emerson - "Individualism & Self Reliance" ( 1841) & Assessment: Compare & Contrast Essay
(1840 - 1860) "Trust in the Inner Light" Produce COMPUTER GENERATED book on assigned
poets
Henry David Thoreau - "Civil Disobedience" / "Resistance to Civil Test
Govt." ( 1849 )

Romantic Poets –
Walt Whitman – “from Songs of Myself”( 1855 )

Emily Dickinson – “Because I could not stop for death” ( 1863 ) &
“much madness is divinest sense” (1862)

American Literature – Semester 2

Unit # Unit Focus Possible Texts & Focus Skills Focus
3 Reconstruction & The Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln Slave narrative, irony, imagery, repetition, denotation,
Realism The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln connotation, logos, ethos, pathos, rhetoric, feminism,
1850-1900 approx. What to the Slave is Fourth of July by Frederick Douglass satire, censorship, Marxism, regionalism, naturalism,
Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin: point of view, period characteristics
"An Occurrence at Owl..." by Ambrose Bierce - or alternate piece cult of domesticity, Female oppression
AMER. LIT. “The Lowest Animal” by Mark Twain – (SATIRE) Assessment: Persuasive Essay (Twain)
Novels: Analytical Essay (Douglass)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain OR Test
Frederick Douglass - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Literary criticism paper/feminist (honors only)
(1845)
4 MODERNISM William Faulkner - "A Rose for Emily" Free verse, personification, imagery, close reading of
Robert Frost – “The Death of the Hired Man” pg 447 NEW TEXT poetry (analysis), poetic meter, iambic…, metaphor,
THE HARLEM Ernest Hemingway - "A Clean Well Lighted Place" rhyme scheme, autobiography, dialect, idiom,
RENAISSANCE T.S. Elliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (honors only) metonymy, irony, hyperbole, tone, rhythm, lyric
(1920 - 1935 APPROX.) James Baldwin – “Going to Meet the Man” (Realism, Naturalism, poetry, repetition
PART OF MODERNISM Modernism) Assessment: Essay, Test & Computer generated
James Weldon Johnson - "Go Down, Death" project
AMER. LIT. Claude McKay - "America" & “ If we must die”
Countee Cullen - "Incident"
Langston Hughes - "Mother to Son" "The Weary Blues", &
"Harlem"(“Dream Deferred”)
 5 MODERNISM / William Faulkner - "A Rose for Emily" Jazz Age, American Dream, Symbolism, Theme,
DISILLUSIONMENT Allegory, Parody, Setting, class / social structure,
(1900 - 1950) Fitzgerald - Great Gatsby Period characteristics
“The Gatsby Curve” – NON-FICTION Assessment: Literary Analysis Essay
AMER. LIT. Literary criticism paper/Marxist(The Grt. G). &
Feminist (A Rose...)

6 CONTEMPORARY Letter from Birmingham Jail” – Martin Lither King, Jr.: logos, ethos, Assessment:
LITERATURE pathos Informative Essay current social issue
(1950 - PRESENT) Persuasive Essay
“I Have A Dream” - Martin Lither King, Jr.: logos, ethos, pathos

Others TBA

7 DRAMA Lorraine Hansberry - A Raisin in the Sun Drama Terms, dialogue, stage direction, McCarthyism,
(Subject to modification) theme

Arthur Miller - The Crucible Assessment: Current racial / social issue essay
(informative)

Representative Performance Outcomes and Skills

In this course, students will know and be able to:
 Engage in discussions to prepare oral and written arguments.
 Make reasonable assertions about the author’s arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
 Critique the power, validity, and truthfulness of arguments set forth in public documents, their appeal to both friendly and hostile
audiences, and the extent to which the arguments anticipate and address reader concerns and counterclaims.
 Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support
the claim.
 Analyze and interpret visual arguments in political cartoons and other persuasive visual texts.
 Write narratives, literary analyses, reflective compositions, and historical investigation reports.
 Deliver oral responses to literature, narratives, reflective presentations, reports on historical investigations, and multimedia
presentations.
 Analyze the clarity and consistency of political assumptions in a selection of literary works or essays on a topic (e.g. suffrage, women’s
roles in organized labor). (Political approach)
 Interpret and evaluate the various ways in which events are presented and information is communicated by visual image makers (e.g.,
graphic artists, documentary filmmakers, illustrators, news photographers).
 Analyze the techniques used in media messages for a particular audience and evaluate their effectiveness.

Materials Needed
3 ring binder (NO SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS PLEASE), paper (lined and white computer paper), colored pencils or crayons, black or blue
pens, red pen (for grading only), #2 pencils, flash drive & report covers with three-hole metal clasps.

Grading Scale – NO CURVE / NO ROUNDING

A= 90-100% D= 69% and below
B= 80-89%
C= 70-79%

Grading / Assessments - Note: Your work will be assessed based on quality, not simple
completion.

 Teacher-designed quizzes  Homework

and tests  Oral presentations and
 Essays and other student discussions  Class work
written texts  Participation  Group & individual projects
Late Work:
 I DO NOT accept late work. Turn it in on time, or you will earn a zero for the assignment. Those on a
team are expected to turn work in on the day that it is due – being on a team is not an excuse to turn in
assignments late.
LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
Tests:
 Tests on the literature consist of multiple choice questions and may include an essay prompt. There will be a test at the
end of each unit. You will need to make arrangements to take it early in the event of a planned absence.

***Please be aware that timeliness is of the utmost importance. Tardiness may affect your grade by causing you to miss
assignments given at the beginning of the period. Further, excessive tardiness will result in reduced credit for homework and or
detention.

Cheating
Cheating is defined as practicing fraud or deceit. It is a person who acts dishonestly, deceives, or defrauds. All of these behaviors
are frowned upon and prohibited in this class, as they display a lack of character and strong moral fiber. Anyone who is caught
cheating (looking at someone else’s test; attempting to use pre-copied notes or electronic devices to answer test questions; copying
someone else’s homework; or allowing someone else to copy their homework will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and
will be suspended from class for 2 days.

Plagiarism Policy:
I take plagiarism & cheating very seriously. Using someone else’s words as your own is immoral, unethical, and does nothing
to further your education. With the availability of search engines like Google that search in-text for documents, it is easy to
catch someone if they have bought or copied information from the Internet.

My definition of plagiarism is:

 Buying or borrowing a paper from someone and turning it in as your own work.
 Extracting the exact words from a document without placing the text in quotation marks and citing the author.
 Using someone else’s published ideas without giving them proper cited credit.
 Having a parent, friend, etc. write part or all of your paper for you.

If you are caught violating my rules on plagiarism, you will receive an automatic zero (0) on the assignment and be referred
to the proper authorities. Make sure your work is your own!

“What Makes Plagiarism a Serious Offense?

Plagiarists are seen not only as dishonest but also as incompetent, incapable of doing research and expressing original thoughts.
When professional writers are exposed as plagiarists, they are likely to lose their jobs and are certain to suffer public
embarrassment, diminished prestige, and loss of future credibility. The same is true of other professionals who write in connection
with their jobs, even when they are not writing for publication. The charge of plagiarism is serious because it calls into question
everything about the writer’s work: if this piece of writing is misrepresented as being original, how can a reader trust any work by
the writer? One instance of plagiarism can cast a shadow across an entire career.

Schools consider plagiarism a grave matter for the same reason. If a student fails to give credit for the work of others in one
project, how can a teacher trust any of the student’s work? Plagiarism undermines the relationship between teachers and
students, turning teachers into detectives instead of mentors, fostering suspicion instead of trust, and making it difficult for
learning to take place. Students who plagiarize deprive themselves of the knowledge they would have gained if they had done
their own writing. Plagiarism also can undermine public trust in educational institutions, if students are routinely allowed to pass
courses and receive diplomas without doing the required work.”

---"The MLA Style Center." Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty –. Web. 17 Aug. 2016
Student Expectations
1. COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNED DISTANCE LEARNING WORK – FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN A “U” IN BOTH
WORK HABITS AND COORPERATION
2. Students will come to class on time and be prepared to work (have all necessary materials). I define on time as in
your seat and ready to work BEFORE the tardy bell rings. BE HERE ON TIME. If you are late, you are to pick up
and complete a Demerit for Irresponsible Behavior (to be kept of file by the teacher). For every minute you are
late, you will receive 30 minutes of detention.
3. Take off hoods, hats and all other head coverings immediately.
4. Students with unexcused tardies may not receive full credit for the previous nights’ homework.
5. Coming to Attention: When the bell rings you are expected to end all conversations, immediately. I need to
take roll, and if I have to wait, you will owe me time, later.
6. When Class Begins: You must be in your seat, quiet, and beginning your daily journal or grammar assignment
when the bell rings. If you are not in your seat ready to start your work, you are tardy. Being tardy three times
earns a U in cooperation on your report card. These will also affect your class participation grade.
7. There should not be anything on your desk except the materials you are working with. No backpacks or purses
on the desks. I would also prefer if they are not in your lap. If the floor looks dirty, feel free to ask to sweep it.
8. Homework is an obligation for this class. Failure to complete your homework will result in a lower grade. Take
care of your beauty and bathroom needs BEFORE you get here. YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME BETWEEN CLASSES
AND DURING NUTRITION OR LUNCH. There will be NO HALL PASSES ISSUED….DON’T ASK. *In the event of an
extreme emergency, you will be allowed out of class. However, for every minute that you are gone, you will
owe double at the end of class.
9. There is no eating allowed in class. You may, however, have gum and drink water (no sweet drinks, please)
10. Raise your hand to speak or if you need help. DO NOT YELL across the room.
11. Moving around the classroom: You may only leave your seat with permission from me. NEVER just get up to do
anything unless I have given you permission. Do not raise your hand to ask about throwing trash away. Hold it
at your desk until the end of class. If you sit near a trashcan, do not throw papers in there from your seat. Do
not crumple up papers when you make mistakes. It is loud and disrupts the class; just set that piece aside and
throw it away as you leave the room.
12. Respect: In this classroom, every student has the right to express his or her opinions, thoughts, and ideas. This
should be done in a thoughtful and genuine manner. Although disagreements will certainly arise, it is never
acceptable to attack another person for his/her opinions.
13. Do not use foul, obscene, or offensive language in this classroom. Find another way to make your point. The
use of such language can hurt you severely in the future, so learn how to control your mouth now. Additionally,
when you use those words, you show a severe lack of respect for whomever you are talking to. Swearing may
be a habit of yours, but learn how to control it now. For every word your say that is a swear word, you will owe
me outside-of-class time, during your lunch or after school. A no-show will also affect your participation grade.
A research essay will be assigned to the whole class if profanity is used. There is a time and a place for
everything. School is not the place for the actions listed above.
14. Everything on my desk is my personal property. If you need something that is on my desk (the stapler, hole-
punch, or tissue) please ask, do not just take things.
15. Copy your homework upon entering class and then begin the warm up (journal) activity, IMMEDIATELY. Failure
to do so will result in loss of positive participation points.
16. Do all homework and classwork on time. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. There are deadlines in the real
world and you will practice meeting them, now. Three missed assignments will severely affect your grade, will
result in detention and will result in a U in work habits.
17. No makeup exams will be given. Be here on test days or make prior arrangements for excused absences.
18. Bring your own class supplies.
19. Honesty is the best policy: No matter what the circumstances, always be honest. Even if you have done
something wrong, it is best to admit it, because I will respect that, and often will forget any disciplinary
measures because of your honesty. However, I have the habit of calling those who tell lies liars. If you do not
want to be called a liar, do not lie. Take responsibility for your actions. If you do something and I ask you about
it, own up to what you did. This will be good practice for when you become an adult.
 20. Everything else: Before you do something, please consider whether it might be rude to others, including the
teacher. Do not sleep during class, no personal grooming during class (I will confiscate these items), and please
do not conduct another conversation (verbal, visual, technological, or written) while I am speaking. Especially
do not do these things when your classmates are speaking to the class. They are all very rude. Do not write or
pass notes in this class. If you need to tell someone something, do it during the appropriate times, not during
class. Do not spend your time drawing.
21. Turn ALL electronic devices OFF and keep them put away. No electronics may be used in this room unless
specifically assigned to do so by me. These items will also be confiscated and turned in to the Dean's Office.
THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE ON DURING CLASS TIME AT SCHOOL.
22. Dismissal: You may begin to pack up to leave when I tell you to. If you pack up early, I might make you get
everything back out.
23. The bell does not dismiss you, I do. You should leave your area as neat as it was when you arrived. Look around
before the bell rings to make sure your area is clean so I will not hold you after the bell to clean.

Thank you for reading and abiding by the rules and procedures of this classroom. These rules will not change, so if
you decide to follow them now, we will all have a better year.
 Honors Contemporary
Composition & American
Literature
University High School Charter
2019-2020

Please DETACH AND RETURN SIGNED CONTRACT to Ms. Mitchell

Classroom Contract
I, ______________________________________, have read the information in this syllabus. I have also
(Student’s name)
reviewed it with my parent/guardian. I understand and agree to the academic, behavioral, electronic and
other UHSC and classroom policies addressed in this syllabus.

Parents/guardians: I understand my student will view educational video clips in class from an array of sources
to enhance the curriculum and I agree to their viewing. I understand that if I need information about grading,
lectures, assignments, due dates, homework, or performances, this letter, Ms. Mitchell’s website, or my
(student’s) notebook contains that information.

I have read and understand the contents of this syllabus, and am fully aware of the (student please initial each):

 Grading policy ______

 Grade distribution ______

 Assignment deadline requirements ______

 Class rules and expectations ______

 Plagiarism & cheating policy stated within ______

PRINT student name ___________________________________________ Period #________

Parent/Guardian Signature _______________________________________ Date__________

Student Signature ______________________________________________ Date__________

Parent Phone Number: Home__________________ / Cell_________________ / Work__________________

**Please provide an accurate e-mail that you check regularly**

Student E-mail: __________________________________________________

Parent E-mail: ___________________________________________________