Suffield Academy English IV

Course Overview, Fall Term:                                                       

English IV is designed to prepare students for undergraduate English and literature courses.  Accordingly, the course is organized according to several objectives. Primarily, we work to refine students’ skills as critical readers and writers. To this end, we study several challenging short stories, the lyric poetry of William Shakespeare and John Donne, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In addition, we devote considerable time to the college application process, including as a major assignment the drafting and revising of at least one college-application essay. 

Major Objectives / Skills Emphasis

English IV Curriculum Map

Course Units

Weeks

Short Story Unit  (Number of stories varies, per instructor; non-fiction essays may be  included.)  Common required stories:  Joyce, “Araby”; Conrad, “The Secret Sharer”

 

1 - 3

Poetry Unit: Donne / Shakespeare’s Sonnets

 

 4 - 5

Shakespeare’s Hamlet 

 

6 - 9

      

Common Assignments

Common Assignment

Week(s)

Notes

Summer Reading Evaluation

 

1

Diagnostic assessment, effort grade      (In-Class)

Short Story Paper

 

2

Short essay or outline (emphasis on structure and process)

College Essay Draft  

         

3

Draft

Poets— Major Essay

 

5

Close-reading of poetic devices related

Final College Essay

 

6

Final Version

Hamlet Essay  

 

8

Major essay (thematic)

Term Exam

 

9

Cummlative of trimester's work

 

Suffield Academy English Department

Statement on Academic Integrity and Acceptable Practices for Student Work

            The English Department places a very high value on academic honesty. Plagiarism, the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to the source, is seen as contrary to the central purposes of student work in English classes and is treated as a major school rule violation. Individual teachers discuss with their classes the philosophy and policies of the English Department in relation to academic integrity at the outset of each school year. In addition, students are expected to understand the following guidelines:

      At all times, students should follow their teacher’s specific directives regarding appropriate use of primary and secondary resources; in many instances, teachers will expect students to confine their reading to the primary source only. In addition, students must understand the importance of the acceptable use of technology—and that unacceptable use may carry academic as well as disciplinary consequences. Given Suffield's open access to information technology, students should remember that even cursory browsing of Internet sites related to an assigned text will influence their consideration and interpretation of the work.

      Teachers may encourage group work and peer-editing on certain assignments; however, students should understand that unauthorized cooperation is also prohibited. Individual teachers will clearly establish appropriate boundaries for collaboration on specific assignments. When in doubt, students should assume that an assignment—whether a routine vocabulary exercise or a major, analytical essay—is intended as an independent task. 

I have read thoroughly and understand the policies of the English Department regarding academic honesty and acceptable practices for student work.

________________________________                    _____________________

Signature                                                                     Date

________________________________                            _____________________________ 

Printed Name                                                                      English Class / Teacher