Language Arts 12 Syllabus Fall 2016/Spring 2017 Ms. Cook, Mr. Drury, Mrs. Marshall

Language Arts 12 is an Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC)—a comprehensive, college-prep class, teaching the Common Core standards. This course was developed by the California State University system and has been adopted by the Norwalk-La Mirada District.

Changes may be made.

Semester 1

Unit 1—Beowulf (reading) Unit 2— Siddhartha (reading) Unit 3— The Value of Life; Shakespeare play (Hamlet) (reading); Persuasive Essay (writing)

Semester 2

Unit 4—Fiction focus, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (reading); Analysis Essay (writing)

Unit 5—The Canterbury Tales (reading); self-reflective personal tale (writing)

Assessment

Student assessment will include, but is not limited to: tests, quizzes, writing (formal and informal), close reading questions and notes, and participation in class activities.

Independent Reading Requirement

Quarter 1—(ERWC Unit) Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Students will read this short book (200 pages), working through the study guide as well as completing occasional check-in assignments and quizzes in class. After reading, students will complete a timed-writing essay in class and take an exam on the book.

Quarter 2—Students need to complete 600 pages minimum for this assignment, reading books of their choice. There will be occasional check-ins in class to assess progress. The page requirement can be met reading more than one book if desired. The book tests on these pages will be one-on-one with the teacher, and typically take no more than a few minutes to complete (see Independent Reading Requirements for full details).

Quarter 3—Same as Quarter 2. Quarter 4—Bless Me Ultima