Introduction
My name is Mr. Washmon. You may call me Mr. Washmon, Mr. W., or Mr. T. Do not call me mister; I will ignore you. I am originally from Corpus Christi, TX. This will be my fifth year as an educator, but only my fourth as an educator in Texas.
I will challenge you in a number of ways this year. If you survive, you will be better for it. If you do not survive, I will give you a great funeral oration (Obviously, I mean this metaphorically because you will all physically survive). I expect you all to work hard, maintain your stamina, and remain engaged in learning throughout each day-all year long. No Limits. No Excuses. Are you ready? Here we go…
Course Materials
Behavioral Expectations
Because this is a junior-level class, you should conduct yourself as responsible young adults: careful listening, mutual respect, and extreme courtesy are essential in maintaining a class where all members feel comfortable participating. Guidelines:
Grading and Academic/Personal Accountability
The grading system is very simple; you do the work as well as you possibly can- and you do it all- and I will not have to use the Avada Kadavra spell on you! For those of you who will try to defeat the system anyway, here is the weighting for English III courses:
Late Work
Late work is not accepted. No exceptions.
Each assignment you complete will be assigned a value that fits its weight and breadth in the span of the course. Here is a tentative list of assignments you will complete throughout the year. (See Assignments page)
IN MY CLASS, WE WORK IN UNITS, PRIOR TO EACH UNIT, EXPECTATIONS FOR ACHIEVEMENT& LEARNING WILL BE GIVEN AS EACH UNIT IS INTRODUCED. JUNIOR LEVEL ENGLISH IS AMERICANLITERATURE. WE WILL STUDY AMERICANLITERATURE AS HISTORICAL PIECES, NOT NECESSARILY THROUGH THE TIMELINE.
Timeline of American Literature and American History Research via web searching
Early American – Colonial
Colonial Revolutionary – Age of Reason
Romanticism
Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism “Civil War Era”
Regionalism – Realism –Naturalism
Modernism & Post Modernism
Contemporary/Later Contemporary/Into the 21st Cent
Review of literature vocabulary, note-taking skills, literary elements, Levels of Questions, SOAPSTone, etc. (to be used throughout the year)
Traveling through American Literary History (studied historically)
Early American Study
Historical Research on Puritan time period & Religion – web searching on Puritan period of American History – building group power points for peer teaching tools
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (possibly)
film on The Crucible and PORTIONS OF SCARLET LETTER
poetry – student written on subject matter and presented to classmates…posted for publications – prompting pieces with class discussion
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
Artwork of the period – to go with REWRITE A SCENE FROM THE PIECES USING FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE LEARNED
Timed Writing – Expository and Persuasive – prompting pieces with class discussions
Critical Essay
Colonial Period to Revolutionary Study
Historical researching time period of French-Indian War in America then into American Revolution – building group power points for peer teaching tools
The Last of the Mohicans by: James Fennimore Cooper (studied as the French-Indian period of American History with film
Johnny Tremaine (studied as American Revolution piece), possibly film clips
clips of the film The Patriot for reality vs. fiction discussion board
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
Artwork of the Revolutionary War
Critical Essay
Romanticism in American Writing Study – Short Works Study – Short Stories, Poetry, Arts of the Period!!!
Gothic vs. Romantic & types of writing within the period
Research of the period comparison of the writings
Selected poetry of Romantic Period of American Literature
Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving
Black and White short films on writers and works
novel selected from the period
Short story unit on individual short story & critical writing on individual short story
Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism “Civil War” Study
Historical significance of the time period - web searching &posting – building group power points for peer teaching tools
“Follow the Drinking Gourd”
“Go Down Moses”
“I Will Fight No More Forever”
Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights, etc.
Poetry& Writings from the period – student writing!
Artwork of the Civil War
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (studied as historical Civil War piece)
film Cold Mountain (Charles Fraisier’s Civil War adaption)
Critical Essay
Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism Study
Continued historical significance of time period of freedom impost-Civil War – web searching & postings
Slave Narratives and Native American Speeches/Narratives
Gettysburg Address, etc.
Short stories: Wharton, Chopin, and others of the period
Selection from “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair
Selected poetry of the period
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain parts
Modernism Study
Researching the explosion of the writing time
Langston Hughes, e.e.cummings, Robert Frost, Katherine Anne Porter, and other selections of poetry and stories of the period
Harlem Renaissance – Major Works and Pieces
Music and Artwork of the Harlem Renaissance Period
Minority Poetry Pieces
Dead Poets Society Poetry and Poetry Pairs
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, including film
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, including films
A River Runs Through It by Norman McClean, including film
Contemporary/Later Contemporary/Into the 21st Century Study (continued from Modernism)
Old Man and the Sea Hemmingway’s last work! – Cuba 1953 Pulitzer Prize Fiction
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
13 Days to Glory (The Alamo) by Lon Tinkle
Artwork of the period – moving into war periods WWI and WWII (discussion of propaganda in artwork and media)
My name is Mr. Washmon. You may call me Mr. Washmon, Mr. W., or Mr. T. Do not call me mister; I will ignore you. I am originally from Corpus Christi, TX. This will be my fifth year as an educator, but only my fourth as an educator in Texas.
I will challenge you in a number of ways this year. If you survive, you will be better for it. If you do not survive, I will give you a great funeral oration (Obviously, I mean this metaphorically because you will all physically survive). I expect you all to work hard, maintain your stamina, and remain engaged in learning throughout each day-all year long. No Limits. No Excuses. Are you ready? Here we go…
Course Materials
- iPads and selected iPad apps including: Notability, Subtext, Schoology, NearPod, ClassDojo, Prezi, and any others we discover throughout the year
- Composition notebooks-please steer away from spiral notebooks
- Blue or black ink pens-no gellies
- Highlighters
- Pencils for annotation only-don't write essays with these
- Your own copy of each book we read this year-you will be given plenty of time to get these-if you have financial difficulty, please see me after class
Behavioral Expectations
Because this is a junior-level class, you should conduct yourself as responsible young adults: careful listening, mutual respect, and extreme courtesy are essential in maintaining a class where all members feel comfortable participating. Guidelines:
- Be here, on time, and prepared.
- Participate.
- Follow all procedures and rules at all times.
- Respect yourself, others, and property.
- You will also adhere to all the rules and procedures outlines in the CHS student handbook and Mr. Washmon's Student Expectations Contract.
Grading and Academic/Personal Accountability
The grading system is very simple; you do the work as well as you possibly can- and you do it all- and I will not have to use the Avada Kadavra spell on you! For those of you who will try to defeat the system anyway, here is the weighting for English III courses:
- 100 points per six weeks based on projects
Late Work
Late work is not accepted. No exceptions.
Each assignment you complete will be assigned a value that fits its weight and breadth in the span of the course. Here is a tentative list of assignments you will complete throughout the year. (See Assignments page)
IN MY CLASS, WE WORK IN UNITS, PRIOR TO EACH UNIT, EXPECTATIONS FOR ACHIEVEMENT& LEARNING WILL BE GIVEN AS EACH UNIT IS INTRODUCED. JUNIOR LEVEL ENGLISH IS AMERICANLITERATURE. WE WILL STUDY AMERICANLITERATURE AS HISTORICAL PIECES, NOT NECESSARILY THROUGH THE TIMELINE.
Timeline of American Literature and American History Research via web searching
Early American – Colonial
Colonial Revolutionary – Age of Reason
Romanticism
Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism “Civil War Era”
Regionalism – Realism –Naturalism
Modernism & Post Modernism
Contemporary/Later Contemporary/Into the 21st Cent
Review of literature vocabulary, note-taking skills, literary elements, Levels of Questions, SOAPSTone, etc. (to be used throughout the year)
Traveling through American Literary History (studied historically)
Early American Study
Historical Research on Puritan time period & Religion – web searching on Puritan period of American History – building group power points for peer teaching tools
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (possibly)
film on The Crucible and PORTIONS OF SCARLET LETTER
poetry – student written on subject matter and presented to classmates…posted for publications – prompting pieces with class discussion
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
Artwork of the period – to go with REWRITE A SCENE FROM THE PIECES USING FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE LEARNED
Timed Writing – Expository and Persuasive – prompting pieces with class discussions
Critical Essay
Colonial Period to Revolutionary Study
Historical researching time period of French-Indian War in America then into American Revolution – building group power points for peer teaching tools
The Last of the Mohicans by: James Fennimore Cooper (studied as the French-Indian period of American History with film
Johnny Tremaine (studied as American Revolution piece), possibly film clips
clips of the film The Patriot for reality vs. fiction discussion board
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
Artwork of the Revolutionary War
Critical Essay
Romanticism in American Writing Study – Short Works Study – Short Stories, Poetry, Arts of the Period!!!
Gothic vs. Romantic & types of writing within the period
Research of the period comparison of the writings
Selected poetry of Romantic Period of American Literature
Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving
Black and White short films on writers and works
novel selected from the period
Short story unit on individual short story & critical writing on individual short story
Transcendentalism/Anti-Transcendentalism “Civil War” Study
Historical significance of the time period - web searching &posting – building group power points for peer teaching tools
“Follow the Drinking Gourd”
“Go Down Moses”
“I Will Fight No More Forever”
Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights, etc.
Poetry& Writings from the period – student writing!
Artwork of the Civil War
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (studied as historical Civil War piece)
film Cold Mountain (Charles Fraisier’s Civil War adaption)
Critical Essay
Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism Study
Continued historical significance of time period of freedom impost-Civil War – web searching & postings
Slave Narratives and Native American Speeches/Narratives
Gettysburg Address, etc.
Short stories: Wharton, Chopin, and others of the period
Selection from “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair
Selected poetry of the period
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain parts
Modernism Study
Researching the explosion of the writing time
Langston Hughes, e.e.cummings, Robert Frost, Katherine Anne Porter, and other selections of poetry and stories of the period
Harlem Renaissance – Major Works and Pieces
Music and Artwork of the Harlem Renaissance Period
Minority Poetry Pieces
Dead Poets Society Poetry and Poetry Pairs
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, including film
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, including films
A River Runs Through It by Norman McClean, including film
Contemporary/Later Contemporary/Into the 21st Century Study (continued from Modernism)
Old Man and the Sea Hemmingway’s last work! – Cuba 1953 Pulitzer Prize Fiction
Poetry found and posted on time period – paired poetry exercises
13 Days to Glory (The Alamo) by Lon Tinkle
Artwork of the period – moving into war periods WWI and WWII (discussion of propaganda in artwork and media)