multicultural literature syllabus - goldercollegeprep ·...

2013-‐2014

Keep this document in the ‘Reference Materials’ Section of your binder. 1

Freshman Multicultural Literature Syllabus—Semester 1

I. Introduction—Your Instructor Ms. Tenorio [email protected] (312) 265-‐9925 x 4208 Room 208 Office hours: Wednesdays 3:45 – 4:45

II. Class Overview

In Multicultural Literature, students will read, analyze, and create meaning from texts written by people living in America. This class will explore what it means to be an American in a multicultural society by analyzing novels, short stories, poetry, memoirs/biographies, essays, articles, and other nonfiction texts. Class content will be discussed and analyzed with particular attention to developing skills and habits that help create strong readers. Through active participation with the text, students will gain insight about the American culture while improving reading skills.

III. Class Goals

• Become critical readers and thinkers • Participate meaningfully in reading and in discussions about our reading • Learn from and challenge our classmates’ thinking • Form and support arguments about literature and other texts • Increase at least 3 points on the EXPLORE test • Meet or exceed last year’s 9th grade reading scores on the interims • Take risks and challenge your own thinking

IV. Materials and Texts

Students are expected to bring the following materials every day to class. Being prepared daily will be assessed in the participation category of your grade.

• Current class novel/text and independent reading book (books must be kept in a gallon-‐sized Ziploc bag at all times)

• Student Agenda • Pens (blue or black ink) • Highlighter • 3-‐ring class binder with the following tabs:

-‐Vocabulary Study -‐ Supplemental Readings -‐Notes (with loose leaf paper)

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-‐Reference Materials -‐Tests/Quizzes

V. Class Grading Students earn their overall grades according to performance assessed in the following areas in the chart below. Letter grades earned correspond to the following percentages: A: 100%-‐90% B: 89%-‐80% C: 79%-‐70% D: 69%-‐60% F: 59%-‐0%

Grading Categories Description of Requirements % of Final Grade Quizzes Quizzes will include vocabulary, reading

strategies, and comprehension quizzes from our readings in class and for homework. Expect weekly quizzes.

20%

Participation Participation is broken down into categories: being prepared with materials for class, binder checks, focus during independent reading, and participating in daily discussions.

20%

In-‐class Assignments In-‐class assignments can vary depending on the text being read, but may include: writing in your readers’ notebooks or completing a close reading writing assignment about the texts we’ve read.

20%

Homework For full credit, homework must be completed thoroughly and turned in on time.

10%

Projects, Essays, and Socratic Seminars

There will be two projects throughout the semester. There will be 2 formal essays based on reading strategies and the books for the first semester. Socratic seminars are student-‐led discussions that take place at the end of each class-‐wide read novel. There will be 5 Socratic seminars this semester.

25%

Final Exam The final exam will test reading skills and strategies, as well as writing about texts, and vocabulary studied thus far.

5%

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VI. Homework Policies Students will receive homework every class period. It is expected that all homework assignments, including readings, worksheets, and projects, will be turned in on the date due. For any assignments not turned in on time, students will receive LaSalle to be attended that day. For daily assignments, up to full credit will be awarded for work that is completed on time and meets grading criteria. Assignments that are turned in late will receive a 10% deduction for each additional day after the initial deadline. For example, an assignment that was due on a Monday but was turned in on a Wednesday could only receive a grade of 80%. Late homework must be placed in the red folder outside the door before entering class for that day.

For long term writing assignments and projects, late work will be accepted with the penalty of the deduction of points. Students may turn in long-‐term assignments one class late to earn half credit for that assignment. LaSalle will also be assigned on the day that the project is not turned in.

If a student has a question on an assignment, it is appropriate to speak with Ms. Escamilla or Ms. Peisach before the class period that the assignment is due. Either speak with Ms. Escamilla or Ms. Peisach before or after school or email questions to the addresses provided above. Emails received after 8:00pm will not receive a response until the following morning.

VII. Absence Policies If a student misses a class for any reason, he/she is responsible for collecting and completing all missed classwork and homework. Copies of all handouts and a summary of class activities will be available outside of room 317. All completed work must be turned in according to the due date assigned. Students who are absent have an equal number of class periods missed to make up their missing work. Thus, if a student misses one day, they have one class period to turn in their work for full credit. If a student misses three days, they have three class periods to turn in homework for all three days. **If a student fails to pick up his/her homework packet before entering class, he/she can lose points in the participation category. It is NOT acceptable to collect missing homework right before class begins, nor is it acceptable to talk to the instructors at the start of class about absent work.

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VIII. Behavior Expectations: All expectations set forth in student handbook apply at all times. Most notably:

Procedure Expectation

Start of Class Students are expected to be in their seats with all classroom materials on their desk BEFORE the bell rings. Once you walk in the door, there is NO TALKING. Students must:

1. Pick up any handouts found on their rows. 2. Write down the homework on their agendas. 3. Place homework on the right hand corner of their desks.

And begin working on the DO NOW immediately and silently. Hand Raising Students are expected to raise their hands to be acknowledged, unless

otherwise indicated by instructor (e.g. during discussion). Personal Needs Personal needs, such as visiting lockers or going to the bathroom should be

taken care of before class begins. Students will be given two bathroom passes per semester to use in the case of an emergency.

Classroom Cleanliness Students are expected to keep the room clean and throw away all their trash.

Dismissal The teacher dismisses the class, not the bell. Materials Students are expected to bring supplies to class everyday. Academic Integrity Students are expected to honor other people’s work by giving credit in the

form of reference and/or footnotes for any borrowed words, ideas, or opinions, and by including quotation marks when copied exactly. Whether deliberate or accidental, plagiarism is a serious and punishable offense. Students will receive 4 demerits with any offense of academic dishonesty (plagiarism or cheating).

Movement of Papers Homework will be collected at each student’s individual desk. It must be out and ready to go by the time the bell rings. If a student is searching through their materials for the assignment or writing their name on the assignment when the teacher is coming around to collect it, there will be a deduction in participation points for unpreparedness.

Movement of the Room Students may not leave their seats unless told otherwise by the teacher. When the teacher asks students to leave or move their desks, students must do so in a timely fashion (30 to 45 seconds). There is NO TALKING when students are leaving or moving their desks.

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IX. Semester Unit Plan Calendar: What is Social Justice? *Dates and assignments subject to change at the instructors’ discretion. Anticipated Dates Class Novel/Author Goals for Week Major Assessments Week 1 (Aug 19-‐23) Warriors Don’t Cry

Melba Patillo Beals Learning procedures Enjoying reading Best Reading Strategies

Student Reading Inventory

Week 2 (Aug 26-‐30) Warriors Don’t Cry By Melba Patillo Beals Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe

Understanding social justice and social classes Making inferences and supporting it with details Using text features to read nonfiction texts

Week 3 (Sept 2-‐6) Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe

Reading with a purpose Skimming and scanning a text Identifying the main idea and supporting it with details

Week 4 (Sept 9-‐12) Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe

Using text evidence to support the main idea or inference Using context clues for unknown vocabulary

Week 5 (Sept 16-‐20)

Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Activating background knowledge How to question the text or author Understanding language of the text

Finish Getting Away with Murder Socratic Seminar #1—Getting Away with Murder

Week 6 (Sept 23-‐27)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Drawing conclusions/generalizations and analyzing characters Using context clues for unknown vocabulary

Week 7 (Sept 30-‐Oct 4)


Understanding author’s purpose Locating important details and citing strong text evidence for main ideas and inferences Analyzing complex characters Using context clues for unknown vocabulary

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Week 8 (Oct 7-‐11) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Determining theme and analyzing the development of it Main idea and author’s purpose and important details Point of view and narrator

Socratic Seminar #2—Part I of To Kill a Mockingbird

Week 9 (Oct 14-‐18) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Theme-‐based project Point of view and narrator Inferring and supporting the inferences

Open-‐end response #1 (writing about yoru reading) Quarter II Interim Theme Project

Week 10 (Oct 21-‐25)


Drawing conclusions about people and ideas Identifying relationships between characters

End of Quarter 1

Week 11 (Oct 28-‐Nov 1)


Identifying relationships between main characters Sequencing events and understanding the importance of them

Week 12 (Nov 4-‐8) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Determining theme and central ideas Drawing generalizations and conclusions about people and ideas Analyzing how characters change and advance the plot

Week 13 (Nov 11-‐15)


Author’s approach and tools used Determining theme Sequencing Drawing conclusions and generalizations

Finish To Kill a Mockingbird

Week 14 (Nov 18-‐22)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Activating background knowledge Drawing conclusions and generalizations about people and ideas Citing strong text evidence to support ideas/inferences

Socratic Seminar #3—Part II of To Kill a Mockingbird

Week 15 (25-‐29) No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Make inference about details Infer author’s purpose

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Week 16 (Dec 2-‐6) No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Understanding author’s approach Cite strong text evidence Analyze how complex characters develop and advance the text Develop theme/central idea

Week 17 (Dec 9-‐13) No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Determining theme/central idea Citing strong text evidence Drawing conclusions and generalizations about people and ideas

Open-‐ended Response #2 Quarter II Interim

Week 18 (Dec 16-‐20)

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Point of view and author’s purpose Making inferences about details used and author’s purpose Citing strong text evidence

Finish No Choirboy Socratic Seminar #4—No Choirboy

Week 19 (Jan 6-‐10) All texts and supplemental readings

Review standards and ideas from the Social Justice Unit

End of Unit Project

Week 20 (Jan 13-‐17)

All texts and supplemental readings

Review standards and ideas from the Social Justice Unit

Socratic Seminar #5 Final Exam

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Multicultural Literature Syllabus Agreement Signature Document I have read and understand the above classroom procedures, expectations, and agreements for Freshman Multicultural Literature. I agree to uphold the expectation of scholarship, discipline, and honor set forth. Student Name: __________________________________________________

Class Period: ____________

Date: ________

Student Signature: _________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name:

__________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature:

__________________________________________________

Best way to Contact Parent/Guardian:

(please provide phone number or email address; both, if available)

__________________________________________________ Phone Number __________________________________________________ E-‐mail Address

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