Update Aug. 28

In Class

Bellwrite: What does it mean to have agency? What does it mean to be an agent (think about real estate agents, secret agents, etc.)? How does a love of agency influence the way a writer communicates?

We discussed "Mother Tongue," considering Amy Tan's argument that non-standard English is not a reflection of intelligence or ability, but rather can be a source of beauty and creativity.

Homework

None

11th Grade Syllabus

11^th Grade English: The American Argument

Mr. Dye, 2013-2014

Course Description

This course is an exploration of American argument. A keystone of local self-government, argument must be considered from an agency perspective. Because rhetoric—the art and nuance of argument—is a powerful tool for influencing agency, it must be wielded responsibly and kept in check. Students in this course will develop a sensitivity as readers and writers to the dynamic interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects. Furthermore, students must learn to argue from true premises founded in revealed doctrinal truths. Students who want to be powerful communicators as they build the Kingdom of God on earth must understand how to appeal appropriately and effectively--and with the witness of the Spirit of Truth—to those they would persuade, invite, and influence for good. Ultimately this course will help students practice participating as humble and courageous Christians in the American argument.

To this end, students in this course will study a variety of both fiction and literary nonfiction texts. They will analyze both the textual elements and the contextual situation of the readings, examining how authors develop a relationship of trust with their readers, use evidence-based appeals to reason, and craft language to draw upon their reader’s emotions and previous knowledge. The course readings have been organized in five thematic units:

1)      Argument and Democracy

2)      American Land

3)      American Faith and Fear

4)      Liberty and Justice for All

5)      I Pledge Allegiance

6)      Shakespearean Argument

Through the course of these units, it is hoped that students will critically and heartily examine significant ideas that will help them develop and strengthen their conviction and readiness to “give a reason for the hope that is in them” (1 Peter 3:15).

Course Objectives

This course is intended to support parents in helping their students do the following:

1)      Communicate effectively as they work to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

2)      Understand how knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and faith in Jesus Christ establishes a foundation for more truthful, charitable, and hopeful argument.

3)      Develop a love, understanding, and appreciation for America and the Founding Fathers.

4)      Become aware of historical and contemporary American arguments communicated through fiction, literary non-fiction, and images.

5)      Foster the rhetorical awareness that will allow them to evaluate arguments and more readily discern between right and wrong, truth and error.

6)      Develop self-discipline through timely and honest completion of all assignments, humility by seeking to understand others, and courage by standing for convictions.

7)      Act as Christians when participating in argument.

 

Anchor Scriptures

Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-42

No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.

2 Nephi 32:2-3

Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Alma 31:5

And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.

Content Overview

 

Semester 1

Unit 1: Argument and Democracy

Leading Questions:

·         How does our language change according to our audience and purpose?

·         How do changes in language represent an ongoing relationship negotiation?

·         What is the work of language?

·         What is argument?

·         What is evidence?

·         How is logic used and abused for the sake of argument?

·         How does argument relate to democracy?

·         How does argument relate to councils?

·         Is literature argument? Are images argument? Is everything an argument?

·         In engaging in argument, how do we honor individuality while seeking unity?

·         How can we invite the Holy Ghost into our argument? How should reason and revelation relate?

·         How do Christians balance truth and tolerance in argument?

Texts:

·         The Crucible (Miller)

·         Excerpts from Democracy in America (de Tocqueville)

·         Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision

·         Excerpts from Joan of Arc’s trial

·         “Truth and Tolerance” (Elder Oaks)

Writing Focus: argumentative essay

Unit 2: American Land

Leading Questions:

·         What is the proper relationship between man and the earth?

·         What type of stewards ought we to be of the land and resources we obtain?

·         What is the proper role of government in regulating our stewardship?

·         How has the American land been viewed and portrayed historically, and what assumptions underlie those perceptions?

·         What is the Providential purpose and covenant for the American continent?

·         According to American Transcendentalists, how is our relationship with the land a spiritual and governmental concern?

·         What local issues in regards to our stewardship of the land should Utah citizens be aware of?

·         How is our relationship with the land an extension of our relationships with one another and with God?

Texts:

·         Excerpts from Walden (Thoreau)

·         Essays by Emerson (“Nature,” “Self-Reliance,” & “The American Scholar”)

·         Excerpts from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Annie Dillard)

·         Columbus’s Letter Concerning the First Voyage

·         “The Artificial Wilderness” in 1491 (Charles Mann)

·         Journals of the Lewis and Clarke Expedition

·         Lyrics of “America the Beautiful” (Katharine Lee Bates)

·         John Winthrop “City Upon a Hill”

·         American Landscape painting and photography (Hudson River School, Bierstadt, Ansel Adams)

·         Excerpts from Silent Spring (Rachel Carson)

·         “The Environmental Ethics of Mormon Belief” (George Handley)

·         Current event articles on environmental issues in Utah (i.e., air quality, oil fracking, urban sprawl, sustainability)

Writing Focus: personal essay

Unit 3: American Faith and Fear

Leading Questions:

·         What is the relationship between America’s Calvinist heritage and its sense of fear?

·         What is the language of fear?

·         What is the providential purpose of fear and how can we respond well to it?

·         How are humor and fear used to prompt social change?

·         What are the uses and abuses of humor and fear?

·         How can humor reveal or distort the truth?

·         How do superficial and fundamental fears differ?

·         What is bad faith? How does Twain unveil and conceal societal bad faith in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

·         What is good faith? How does faith respond to fearful events?

·         How can we increase our faith?

·         How does knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and faith in Jesus Christ establish a foundation for more truthful, charitable, and hopeful argument?

Texts:

·         The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)

·         “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (Jonathan Edwards)

·         The King Follett Sermon (Joseph Smith Jr.)

·         The Tale of Ichabod Crane (Irving)

·         Poems and/or short stories (Poe)

·         “The Tongue of Angels” (Elder Holland)

·         FDR’s Inaugural Address

·         George W. Bush on the “War on Terror”

·         Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)

·         The humor of Ronald Reagan

·         “Humor in the Bible” (Steven Walker)

Writing Focus: Expository essay

Unit 3: With Liberty and Justice for All

Leading Questions:

·         What are the responsibilities of citizens towards an unjust law or government? Can civil disobedience be reconciled with rule of law or does it undermine the foundations of democracy?

·         How was Harriet Beecher Stowe influenced by, and how did she influence, the abolitionist and feminist movements?

·         What about her novel made it the best-selling novel of the 19^th century?

·         How did the context of the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation shape their messages?

·         Are we living in a post-racism America?

·         Whose role is it to protect minority rights—national or state governments?

·         How did the early American feminists both promote and damage the causes of liberty and justice?

·         What does a truthful understanding of gender require of Americans today?

Texts:

·         Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Stowe)

·         “Aint I A Woman” (Sojourner Truth)

·         Joseph Smith’s presidential platform

·         “Gettysburg Address” (Lincoln)

·         Emancipation Proclamation

·         “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (King)

·         “I Have a Dream” (King)

·         “Civil Disobedience” (Thoreau)

·         Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action and marriage

·          “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” (Fuller)

·         Selected poems and writings of Eliza R. Snow

·         Lyrics of “O My Father” (Eliza R. Snow)

·         “Brethren, We Have Work to Do” (Christofferson)

Writing Focus: Synthesis Essay 

Unit 4: I Pledge Allegiance

Leading Questions:

·         What are the character traits of a true American hero?

·         Heroes or pilgrims?

·         Who creates a hero? What is an unsung hero?

·         What can we learn from the examples of the Founding Fathers, Mormon pioneers, and missionaries?

·         Who deserves to be considered an American hero? How can you use visual images to communicate your reasons for your nomination?

·         How does testimony (or witness) relate to argument?

·         What is conviction and how is it obtained? What is allegiance?

·         How can we increase our allegiance to our God and country?

·         What would God have me do? For what cause would He have me take a stand?

Texts:

• John Adams (McCullough)

• Student selected readings and images of American heroes

Writing Focus: argumentative essay

Unit 5: Shakespeare’s Argument

Leading Questions:

·         How was Hamlet a part of a larger conversation? (with Elizabethan society, with Protestantism)

·         What argument(s) is Shakespeare making in the play?

o   What does it mean “to be” and “not to be” in the play?

o   How does acting within the play serve to reveal and conceal the truth? What is required to be a faithful mirror to others?

o   What does the play say about madness?

o   How does the play grapple with the question of death and what do the questions and answers reveal about Shakespeare’s worldview?

o   According to the play, what are the root and surface causes of the corruption of society?

·         What do various productions of the play reveal about their audiences?

Text:

Hamlet (Shakespeare)

Writing Focus: literary analysis essay

Assignments

Bellwrites

How we start class sets a tone. Each day you will have a bellwrite prompt on the board. It is your responsibility to be seated and working on the bellwrite when the bell rings. You will have approximately 5 minutes to write as much as quickly as you can. This is a place to try to get all your thoughts down on paper. Even if you are still unsure of what you think about the topic, just start writing and think on paper. During this time the teacher will greet students and take roll. This is time for quiet writing, not talking with classmates.  If you are tardy, it is your responsibility to sign in and submit a late pass before quickly taking your seat and getting to work. You must keep your bellwrites in your working notebook. From time to time they will be collected and graded.

Commonplace Books

You are required to obtain a commonplace book. This may be the composition notebook provided for you or another small writing journal of your choice. The commonplace book is a place to record the very best and most important of the ideas you encounter. When you feel the Spirit inspire your thoughts, you will want to record those ideas in the commonplace book. When you read a quotation that rings true, you will want to record it in the commonplace book. Because this book is a record of your most sacred learning, it is for you to use across all your classes, not just for history and literature. Because the commonplace book is a permanent record, it needs to be tidy and orderly. It is not a place for note taking or doodling. Each Friday, you will have some time to write or copy down what is most important from what you have learned that week. The commonplace book will be submitted with the “Small Plates” notebook at the end of each term.

“Small Plates”

When Nephi delivered the plates to his brother Jacob, he indicated there were two sets of plates: a larger set for the detailed history of the people and a smaller set for “the things which I considered to be most precious” (Jacob 1:2). Likewise, each term students keep a working notebook with all the notes and day-to-day assignments. These are the “large plates” which should be stored in the classroom “cubbies.” At the end of each term, students will also compile “small plates” record of the things which they consider to be of greatest value.  These small notebooks will include evidences of the student’s most valuable learning—samples of best work, evidence of progress, and work which is most important to the student. Along with each item in the “Small Plates,” the student is required to give a brief introduction including a justification for why it has been included. The small plates along with the commonplace book will be of equal value to a final exam in the calculation of term grades.

Homework

Homework will generally consist of reading. Students are expected to annotate every reading in a way that enhances their engagement with the text. Annotations will be checked from time to time and included in the grade. Pop reading quizzes will also be given.

Other homework assignments will include memorizations, word studies, papers, and creative projects.

 

General Policies and Procedures

Classroom Scriptures

Each student is expected to have a personal copy of the scriptures to keep at school. They are an integral part of our learning and must be brought to class daily. Electronic scriptures are acceptable.

Submission of Assignments

In the past I have tried allowing students to submit assignments electronically, but inevitably it created more problems than it was worth. Thus, hard copies of assignments are required. All assignments, unless otherwise specified, must be typed.  They should be in MLA format with Times New Roman font size 12. If your printer is broken, please plan to pay to print your assignment at the school library.

Electronics in Class

Laptops may be used in class for appropriate educational purposes such as typing a paper, taking notes, looking up information related to a class discussion, or creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Laptops may not be used for accessing social networking sites, email, Pinterest, games, etc. Misuse of electronics will result in loss of privileges and a parent conference on honesty.

Appropriate use of laptops is a matter of personal integrity—will you do the right thing even when the teacher is not looking?

Late Work Slips

Each student receives 3 late work slips per semester. These may be stapled to a late assignment and turned in up to 3 days late. Students may redeem unused late work slips at the end of the semester for extra credit on the final exam.

If a pattern of late work develops, the student and parent will be invited to conference with the teacher.

 

Absences

Students are responsible for getting work from the teacher in advance if they know they will be absent.  In the case of an unexpected absence, students should contact a classmate to find out about class assignments.  They should also speak with the teacher after school or during lunch the day immediately following the absence.

It is inappropriate for students to stay home from school the day projects are due in order to complete them.

Tardy/Hall Passes

You will receive 3 tardy/hall passes per semester. Each pass may be used to excuse a tardy or a quick visit to the bathroom/locker. Arriving tardy and leaving the classroom distracts from learning, so please be considerate as you come and go. Quietly fill out the pass and leave it in the in-basket on Mr. Dye’s desk. Please do not visit in the hallways or distract other classes. Unused tardy/hall passes may be redeemed at the end of semester for extra credit on the final exam. If you run out of passes, you will be required to come after school to visit with Mr. Dye the day of the incident.

 

Classroom Care

Our building, worth millions of dollars, was gifted to us by generous donors who frequently visit our school. Please help us show respect for this gift by doing three things:

1)      Clean up after yourself each day in the classroom. Please store personal items (including jackets, notebooks, and backpacks) in your locker and not in the classroom.

2)      Don’t lean back in chairs and avoid banging the walls.

3)      Eat food in the classroom only during approved class celebrations. Please eat lunch and snacks in approved areas of the building.

 

Uniforms

Students who wear the uniform correctly will be admitted to class. Proper wearing of the uniform shows respect for self, classmates, teachers, and education. The uniform is an outward reflection of an inward commitment to unity, modesty, neatness, and dignity.

Emergency Drills

Although emergency drills are routine, we must take care to practice them as if they were the real thing. During building evacuation drills students must line up in a straight line with the teacher at the head. Students must not wander to visit with friends. Timely accounting for each student and orderly conduct are essential in a real emergency.

Communication with Parents

Daily assignments and tests/quizzes will be graded and entered into Edline weekly. Extended papers, which often require more time to grade, will be returned to students as quickly as possible.

A class blog will be updated at least weekly with information about class and assignments. Please check it regularly for updates: dye11.blogspot.com

I welcome feedback from parents. Class pacing is a delicate balancing act and the more information I have about what is happening in students’ lives outside of school, the better I am able to adjust. The best way to reach me is by email or in person.

About the Teacher

Mr. Dye feels it is an honor to be part of American Heritage School.  He is passionate about literature, history, mentoring, the restored gospel, and youth.  Prior to joining American Heritage School, he taught history and English at Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy where he served as Socratic Department Chair, Student Council Advisor, and Accreditation Steering Committee Member.  Mr. Dye earned a master’s degree from BYU in instructional psychology and technology. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities with an emphasis in philosophy. Mr. Dye has published articles on topics related to technology in teacher training, museum education, and undergraduate mentoring. Mr. Dye served a mission in Colombia and then married his sweetheart Kadee in the Provo Temple.  When not teaching, he can be found playing with his three (and a half—due in December!) young children, camping with his Boy Scouts, installing sprinklers in his yard, and running with his wife. His interests include nature writing, world religions, art history, photography, and foreign film. Mr. Dye appreciates the opportunity to work daily with students to tune hearts and hone minds for service to their families and communities.

bdye@ahsmail.com

Update Aug. 27

In Class:

We have been reading an essay by Amy Tan entitled, "Mother Tongue." This essay has invited us to consider the various "Englishes" we all speak, according to who we are addressing and in what situations. We considered the various aspects of our language that change as we shift from one "English" to another, including such things as tone, assumptions about background knowledge, sentence length and complexity, vocabulary, use of slang or jargon, pacing, formality, degree and manner of emotional expression, and pronunciation. We noted, for example, the changes that occur between conversational language and the language of prayer.

We learned that every communication involves a fluid interaction of three elements: the purposes of the communicator, the intentions and understanding of the listener, and the message itself. As any one of these three elements changes, it also influences the other two. To illustrate this point, we examined the course description in our class syllabus and tried to identify the intended audience--was it written primarily for students, parents, other teachers, school administrators, or someone else?

These are our first steps taken in developing a rhetorical awareness (an awareness of the art of argument). We will finish discussing the essay by Amy Tan in class tomorrow.

Homework:
Read the remainder of the syllabus and complete the student information sheet at the end of the packet. Students may bring in a copy of their personal narrative from History class in place of this information sheet if they prefer.

Read and annotate the remainder of "Mother Tongue" in preparation for our discussion.

AP:
Students are writing a timed essay in response to an actual AP test prompt. This will establish a baseline for student's ability to argument. We will then examine sample essay responses with their corresponding AP exam score in order to understand some of the elements of effective argument.

Welcome

Welcome to your class blog. You may come here for up-to-date information on what we are doing in class and details about assignments. I look forward to a great year together.