|
I. Course Description
Sophomore English is a "survey" course, designed as a continuation of the fundamentals addressed in Freshman English. The course covers grammar, composition, literature, drama (tragedy) and poetry. Where the emphasis Freshman year is on composition, Sophomore English focuses on literature, or more specifically, on writing about literature. It stresses mastery of rhetorical skills as well as literary analysis and appreciation. Students will broaden their experience and understanding of a variety of nuances in writing styles through their reading, thinking and discussion. They will also further develop their critical writing and thinking skills. In addition, students learn to view literature as an expression of their own "humanness" as they encounter several of the timeless questions, issues and ideas that confront the world today.
II. Student Outcomes
A. Grammar, Usage and Mechanics
Sophomore grammar study will begin with a review &concepts and terms from last year:
- parts of speech
- parts of a sentence phrases, clauses, verbals
- simple, compound, complex, compound-complex sentences
- coordination & subordination
- pronoun case
- agreement
Further, the emphasis in sophomore year grammar, usage and mechanics is put in the context of effective writing and revision. The student will demonstrate his understanding of effective grammar by recognizing, defining and avoiding problems in:
- verb usage/tense
- sentence completeness (R/O, Frag)
- possessives
- modifiers (superlatives/comp.)
- subjunctive mood
- punctuation
- pronoun antecedents
- active & passive voice
- parallel constructions
B. The Writing Process
1. As with the freshman writing program, sophomore composition begins with teaching writing as a whole process (from pre-writing techniques to editing the final draft)
2. The student will begin with a brief review of the 4 modes of discourse and various methods of development (cf. The Freshman Curriculum)
3. The student will be required to write a minimum of 2-4 formal paragraphs during the review period of the first semester; these paragraphs will demonstrate his command of the above items (1 and 2).
4. As in Freshman English, the student will demonstrate his ability to revise the rough draft of paragraphs and/or essays, editing effectively for errors in grammar, usage and mechanics. *N.B. Teachers should use the 5 Error Rule for final drafts (5 errors=failure or a mandatory re-write)
5. The student will continue to build a writing portfolio which will follow him throughout his remaining three years.
C. Essay Writing
1. The student will demonstrate his proficiency in producing original essays that employ -though not necessarily smoothly - various techniques, such as:
- introductions and conclusions that utilize various elements (such as anecdotes, quotations, questions, startling facts/statistics, etc.)
- transitions between sentences (as an explanation of a point, for example, leading into an example) and paragraphs.
- N.B. There should be no 1-sentence paragraphs (even as a transition)
2. The student will be required to write a minimum of 8 multi-paragraph essays throughout the year.
3. The student must type all formal essays and understand that the 5 Error Rule is applied to all such essays.
4. When a week is given for a particular essay, there is no excuse for a LATE paper -even if it is an excused absence.
D. Literary Study
1. Sophomore literary study begins with the various terms studied in the freshman curriculum. The goal of the sophomore literature study is increasing insight and commentary in the study of novels, poetry, and fiction.
2. The student will demonstrate proficiency and comprehension of a particular work by discussing, identifying and using - where applicable - the following:
- plot structure
- protagonist/antagonist/foil
- theme / point of view
- characterization
- symbol
- setting
- thesis/blue-print/clincher
- mood
- irony
- conflict
- allegory
E. Vocabulary Study
1. The student continues to mark the connection between vocabulary and effective reading, writing and test-taking skills.
2. Sophomore vocabulary begins with the first 500 words in the card collection.
|
