Honors
World Literature
Mr. Robert Ayres
20010-11
Course Overview
First
Semester:
Literary
Terminology and
The Princeton
Review’s pre-PSAT Verbal Skills Diagnostic
Weekly Lecture on Great Works of World
Literature/Monthly
Online Grammar/Usage Unit
Review of the Thesis-Driven
Anchor
Active
Lord of the
Flies
and
Cry, the Beloved Country and Formal
The Fall and a Thematic Collage
Antigone and an In-Class
Final
Second
Semester:
Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar
and
an
An
Independent/Group Project and Research Paper
Group PowerPoint Presentation #1
High School
SAT Verbal Practice
AP Test
Practice—Focus on Poetry
Bless Me, Ultima and a series
of Socratic Seminars
Student Persuasive Speeches
Our Final
Note that RUSD-approved and -mandated
assessments run throughout the school year.
The assessments, capable of providing a diagnostic source of
information, measure abilities in reading comprehension and writing. I expect to administer a minimum of two RUSD
assessments each semester. In addition,
we will use the district-chosen literature anthology to address any language
arts standards not covered in our novels and plays.
Grading:
89.5 - 100 = A
79.5 - 89.4= B
69.5 - 79.4= C
58.5 - 69.4= D
Students
earn the majority of their grade on compositions and projects. Active Reading Notes, verbal and literary
elements exams, and oral presentations largely comprise the balance of the
grade. I will not issue extra credit for additional assignments to raise a
grade; rather, I will occasionally allow extra credit within an assignment for a specified level of achievement. Weekly extra credit is available on the
“Honors Discussion Board” area of the class web site. Parents may obtain weekly grades by accessing
the class web site on the weekend.
Attendance:
Students
have the same number of days to make up an assignment as they were absent for
an excused absence. In instances
of unexcused absences or simply not turning in an assignment on its due date,
minor and major assignments may be turned in late. They are, however, subject to the following
penalties: one day late results in the loss of one full grade; two days late
results in the loss of two full grades; no assignment will be accepted after
two days have passed.
Homework:
Assignments
will be given in class on the daily PowerPoint and are available by Sunday
evening on the class web site in the “Literature Information” area of the site.
Materials
Needed:
I
strongly recommend students purchase the literary texts under study. This allows for marginalia and others forms
of written notations in the text itself.
While expensive, the Handbook to Literature text is a resource
that will serve the students through high school and college. If not affordable, students may also use the
online literary terms link on the main page of my Web site to have access to a
majority of the assigned terms or visit my room at lunch to copy words and
definitions from my master list.
Hours:
I advise students to seek extra help and
clarification of assignments by making an appointment to meet with me at lunch
or after school. I enjoy working with
students and consider it an intelligent decision on your part to use me as a
resource so that you may be successful in this demanding course. Parents may meet with me by appointment during
my sixth period conference or before or after school.
Communication:
Class web site address: www.epic333.net
I
will send home a personalized, computerized grade printout for any student upon
request. I try to return phone calls
within a 48-hour period. If you have not
heard from me, please call again.
Classroom
Rules:
TH
Students need
to be in the room when the final bell rings.
No cell phones, MP3 players or ear buds, or other personal
technology are allowed in the classroom.
Please do not bring food, drink (water
is fine), or gum into our classroom.
Students must arrive prepared to
work. A pen, pencil, three-ring notebook,
and the book we are studying are minimum requirements. I will send students out of class who do not
have these required materials.
Students are required to seek out the
teacher before or after class to obtain work missed due to an absence.
As students will be given ample
opportunities to collaborate and discuss coursework with each other, I will
expect each student’s full attention when I am lecturing or working with
students. In short, when I am addressing
the class, students should listen.
Stay in your desk unless you have asked
permission to move.
If
a student cannot follow a rule any one of the following or a combination
thereof may occur:
Teacher-issued detention
Phone call home
Dismissal to the On-Campus Supervision
Room
Teacher-issued referral and parent
conference
Robert
A. Ayres
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