English IX: Experiencing Literature

Instructor Jason Di Giulio, M.F.A. Phone 802.274.1312

E-mail [email protected]

Text:
Experiencing Literature, EMCP, Grade 9.

Description:
English IX will help students become skilled and critical readers of works written in a variety of periods and genres.
The course will also help students become skilled writers, composing for a variety of purposes. Through critical
reading analysis, students will determine how the resources of language contribute to effective writing.

Course Content:
 Write essays for the following purposes
 Compare / contrast
 Definition
 Cause and effect
 Literary analysis
 Expression

 Interpret and evaluate both fiction and nonfiction in world literature according to their historical, social,
and cultural context

 Respond to writing selections by analysis of structure, diction, point of view, syntax, voice, and purpose

 Synthesize and evaluate works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry

 Increase knowledge and use of vocabulary

 Acquire and use grammar, punctuation, and usage rules

 Read literature, paying attention to literary elements as well as relating literature to own lives

 Participate in class discussions, acknowledging others’ points of view as asking questions, build on
them, and express unique opinions

Course Materials
 Blue or black ink pen and pencil
 Clasp folder or three-ring binder for class notes
 Assorted essay preparation materials
 Journal

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  Flash drive or other media saving device
 Textbook, as needed
 Class notes
 Book or essays we are reading
 Assignment book
 Personal reading book

Course Policies
 Attendance: Class attendance is vital. Frequent absence will adversely impact grades. When absent, check
with a reliable classmate for handouts or assignments missed. Handouts will be in the in-folder at the front of
the room, as well as on the side shelf near the pencil sharpener.
 Tardy: The CMHS Tardy Policy will be strictly enforced.
 Late Work: Late work will be accepted from students and a -10% penalty will be applied for each day the
material is late. This includes weekend days, as students are invited to send their assignments via email.
 Plagiarism: The CMHS students handbook covers plagiarism. Plagiarism is claiming someone else’s work
as your own. If done, the CMHS plagiarism policy will be strictly enforced.
 Homework: Work in English comes not as a steady stream, but as sizable chunks. Students must learn to
pace their assignments over the weeknights or major writing assignments over the weekends in conjunction
with work from other class and extra-curricular-mandated time. Students are expected to read daily, and have
essays on books read outside of class approximately once per month. Students should be reading, on average,
about 300 pages per month outside of class.
 Extra Credit: There is none.
 Grading: We use a Total Points system for grading. Students earn points for each thing they do. Those
points then are compared against the total points possible to earn in a given grading period. The result is their
‘grade’. Students commonly earn:
 100 points for a test or a quiz
 10 points for homework
 200 points for an essay
Class Procedures:
 Notebook: All students will have a notebook. This acts as a file-retrieval system. Use a divider system to
allow a place for a list of assignments, a section for at least a page of notes from class each day, and a final
section for class handouts. Notebooks will be graded sometime during the marking period and are worth a
test grade.
 Journal: Students are expected to write at least two 45-minute entries in their journals each week. These
journal entries must have dates and sequential page numbers. The specific requirements for the journals will
be announced weekly.
 Typing: All essays will be typed. Computers are available during TAP, after school, and at the town library.

Course Outline:

Unit 1: The Folk Tradition in Literature

Echo and Narcissus / Walker Brents
The Story of Dædalus and Icarus / Ovid, tran. by Rolfe Humphries
The White Snake / Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The Prodigal Son / from The King James Bible
Goha and the Pot / retold by Mahmoud Ibrahim Mostafa
The Fox and the Crow / Æsop

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The Silver Pool / Ella Young
John Henry / retold by Zora Neale Hurston
Steal Away and Go Down, Moses / Anonymous

Unit 2: Poetry
The Bells / Edgar Allan Poe
The Song of Wandering Aengus / W. B. Yeats
Local Sensibilities / Wing Tek Lum
A Simile / N. Scott Momaday and Metaphor / Eve Merriam
Boast Not, Proud English / Roger Williams
Birches / Robert Frost
Song / Gabriela Mistral
The Creation / James Weldon Johnson
from the Odyssey / Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald

Unit 3: Short Story

The Monkey’s Paw / W. W. Jacobs
To Build a Fire / Jack London
The Most Dangerous Game / Richard Connell
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World / Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Good Deed / Pearl S. Buck
Everyday Use / Alice Walker
The Devil and Daniel Webster / Stephen Vincent Benet
Gwilan’s Harp / Ursula K. LeGuin
The Gift of the Magi / O. Henry

Unit 4: Drama
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet / William Shakespeare

Unit 5: Nonfiction
from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings / Maya Angelou
California Palms / Lê thi diem thúy
from Black Elk Speaks / Black Elk and John G. Neihardt
Speech to the Convention ... / Sojourner Truth
I Have a Dream / Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thinking Like a Mountain / Aldo Leopold
The Obligation to Endure / Rachel Carson
An Encounter with an Interviewer / Mark Twain

Unit 6: Informational and Visual Media

from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men / James Agree
For the Future of Florida: Repair the Everglades!/ Joette Lorion
Ghost on Everest / Jerry Adler
Best Sky Sights of the Next Century / Bob Berman
Four Steps to Finding Facts / Trevor Owen and Ron Ownston

Novels:
A Separate Peace / John Knowles

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Of Mice and Men / John Steinbeck
The Chocolate War / Robert Cormier
Fahrenheit 451 / Ray Bradbury

Films:
“The Chocolate War” (1988)
“Romeo and Juliet” (1968)
“A Separate Peace” (2003)
Selections from the Voices and Visions project / Annenburg/CPB

Resources:
For help with MLA style writing, format, and documentation – see owl.eglish.purdue.edu

Evaluation:
 Rubrics are distributed for each type of writing. Students should examine these to determine specific needs
for each assignment.
 Each unit will feature at least one exam and at least 1 quiz per week.
 Each novel will feature at least one quiz and one exam
 Students will complete a major piece of writing at least once each month.
 Web2School is updated daily. Parents and students are encouraged to check it often to see what work is
missing, what current grades are, and to catch a problem before it becomes too large to handle.

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Please sign and return this page to
document that you have read the
syllabus for English IX.

Parent Signature:
Email:
Student email (if available):

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