10th Grade Syllabus

10^th Grade Core Description/Syllabus

Mr. Dye, 2013-2014

Course Description

 

Tenth Grade Core at American Heritage School blends three subjects:

1)      World History II (1500 A.D. - present): The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times

2)      Literature: The Bonds of Liberty

3)      Writing Portfolio: From the Abundance of the Heart

Organized with history as a backbone, the curriculum uses great pieces of literature to “flesh out” the history. Along the way, students write about what they are experiencing as they study history and literature.

In History, students will consider the events which laid the foundation for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the subsequent unfolding of the dispensation of the fullness of times. Historical developments from 1500 to 1800—the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Glorious Revolution, and the American Founding—demonstrate how the Lord prepared the peoples and nations of the earth for the Restoration.  Subsequent events from 1800 to the present show how restored priesthood keys set the stage for the great latter-day work of gathering Israel and building the kingdom of God on earth in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Through their study of the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, New Imperialism, the World Wars, and the Cold War, students will consider how historical developments during the past two centuries have furthered the work of the Lord in 1) spreading political, economic, and social liberty; 2) preaching the gospel to all peoples; 3) gathering Zion through temples; 4) strengthening families; and 5) restoring truth in all realms of labor, inquiry, and expression. Students will simultaneously note how the Adversary attempts to 1) limit political liberty, create economic bondage, and pervert social liberty; 2) hinder missionary work; 3) impede temple work; 4) destroy families; and 5) eliminate the very concept of Truth. This historical perspective will help learners understand how to use their liberty to be useful in the Lord’s hands in building the Kingdom of God on the earth.

If through their study of history students gain a knowledge of how to build the Kingdom of God, then through their study of literature students will develop the heart necessary to do so. In advising a troop of actors, Hamlet states that the purpose of acting is “to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.” This argument can be generalized to literature, for great literature enables readers to see themselves more clearly. It allows them to polish the “dark glass” of self-deception which distorts their ability to engage in true and joyful relationships. Indeed, literature is liberating, but not, perhaps, in the sense in which that word is invoked in our modern world.  Literature does not liberate us in the sense of opening our eyes to relativistic definitions of truth, morality, and beauty; rather, it brings into focus the bondage we must escape as well as the bonds we must take up order to enjoy true liberty. Through various works of literature this year, learners will learn to recognize the bondage in which we, often unwittingly, find ourselves entangled, and the bonds to which we can willingly submit which will enable us to give and receive love. To this end, students will develop careful analytic skills in both reading and writing about literature.

Student learning from history and literature will culminate in Writing Portfolio.  They will come to experience writing as a relational activity: not one done in isolation, but a process which can be used to build the kinds of relationships they care about—with their friends, with their family, with future employers and college admissions, and even with their Father in Heaven. The best writing is ultimately an act of heart, an act of giving. Students will develop both the skills and the dispositions necessary to think well and to serve others through the power of the written word. They will practice writing in a variety of genres and for a variety of purposes and readers—emails, argumentative essays, literary analysis essays, poetry, short stories, research papers, résumés, summaries, tributes, etc. They will experience writing as a process of revision and empathic anticipation, and they will become more sensitive to the elements of language which enhance communication—voice, word choice, sentence structure, organization, and conventions. Class will be organized principally as a writers’ workshop.  Improvement in writing abilities is the product of multiple cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision.  The teacher will use the tutorial approach to individualize writing feedback.  Occasionally the teacher will share “mini-lessons” to provide class-wide instruction. To succeed in this class, students should actively seek and use feedback from a variety of sources including the teacher, peers, family members, and other trusted adults.

 

Anchor Scriptures

History

Jacob 5: 71-74

And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.

And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things … even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.

Literature

Doctrine and Covenants 88:125

And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.

John 8: 31-34

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Writing Portfolio

Matthew 12:33-35

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

 

Course Objectives

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

1.      Be useful in the hands of the Lord in building the Kingdom of God on Earth.

a.        Investigate how individuals from history have consecrated their unique talents and circumstances to further the work of the Lord and apply principles learned to the student’s own service in hastening the work of salvation.

b.        Select and memorize passages of literature, including scripture, writing them on the heart for the Spirit to draw upon while serving others.

c.        Practice learning the language of the Spirit by recording truths received through inspiration and personal revelation in a secure place and acting on them.

2.      Increase faith in and knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.

a.        Through works of high-quality literature, vicariously experience and reason about the choices that lead to either bondage or bonds of freedom.

b.        Discover how significant developments in world history during the 19^th and 20^th centuries reveal both the hand of Providence in gathering Israel home and the hand of the Adversary in leading Israel astray.

c.        Understand and accomplish divine purposes for writing, including establishing and strengthening relationships, remembering/recording, planting the seed of faith/self-government, persuading, and providing wholesome recreation.

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

a.        Tune the heart and strengthen interpersonal relationships by experiencing the eight loves of literature: love of learning, God, good character, country, home and family, God’s word, the Chain of Christianity, and other people.

b.        Understand and appreciate the philosophical development and historical impact of America’s Providential Constitution and the mission the nation fulfilled in providing a fertile seedbed for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days.

c.        Analyze the rhetorical strengths of the writings of the Founding Fathers and the scriptures and use both as models for composition.

4.      Develop the basic academic knowledge and skills necessary to be able to make self-education a life-long pursuit.

a.        Develop charitable, empathic, and critical listening and reading skills and use them with confidence.

b.        Improve reading comprehension through self-directed vocabulary development and word studies.

c.        Demonstrate knowledge of foundational developments of world history from the 16^th through the 20^th centuries, and understand how historians construct historical narratives.

d.        Flexibly use the six (plus one) traits of writing for different audiences and purposes, with a particular focus on distinguishing between formal and informal voices, effective use of coordination and subordination, and careful introduction and analysis of evidence in argument.

5.      Learn to reason and discern between right and wrong, truth and error.

a.        Compose literary analysis essays that provide unique, grounded, and truthful interpretations of high-quality literature using convincing textual evidence presented persuasively.

b.        Analyze primary source documents to uncover the authors’ assumptions/logic and compare ideas with truths from scripture, words of modern-day prophets, and the seven FACE principles.

c.        Identify and avoid abuses of writing (i.e., manipulation, self-aggrandizement, deception); use written language truthfully to bless and uplift.

6.      Develop character and self-discipline of mind and body.

a.        Demonstrate integrity by keeping the commitment to wear the uniform properly and live by the honor code.

b.        Develop self-discipline through timely submission of assignments that reflect the student’s best work.

c.        Develop self-discipline by engaging in sustained intensive learning, particularly when the task is challenging.

7.      Conduct themselves in all aspects of life as Christians.

a.        Develop an appreciation for and recognition of literature (and by extension, entertainment) that is “virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy”.

b.        Relate events in world history to the students’ own efforts to hasten the Lord’s work as young family historians and young missionaries.

c.        Serve classmates by providing edifying, timely, and specific feedback on peer writing.

d.        Show gratitude for the gift of our building by eating in appropriate times/places.

Content Overview

Semester 1

Unit 1: Foundations

            Revelatory History (1 Nephi 13-14; Book of Revelation)

            Anchor scriptures

            Unpacking the Seven FACE Principles

            Study skills: organizing homework, discussion, summarizing, annotating for discussion

            Writing: emails (formal voice, purposeful punctuation)

Unit 2: Roots of Liberty and Corruption

Renaissance, Age of Exploration and Conquista, Scientific Revolution, Protestant Reformation

 Excerpts from Fire in the Bones (Wilcox)

Hamlet (Shakespeare)

Study skills: notetaking for studying, annotating for writing

Writing: poetry, introducing and analyzing evidence, inductive outlining

FACE Principle 3: America’s Heritage of Christian Character

FACE Principle 4: Conscience is the Most Sacred of All Property

Unit 3: Enlightened Revolutions

            Glorious Revolution, American Founding, Restoration of the Gospel, French Revolution, Napoleon

Doctrine and Covenants 134

Les Misérables (Hugo)

Study skill: managing study time, notetaking

Writing: literary analysis essay, argumentative essay

FACE Principle 2 The Christian Principle of Self-Government

FACE Principle 5: The Christian Form of Our Government

Semester 2

Unit 4: Foundations II

Jacob 5; Doctrine and Covenants 110

Anchor scriptures review

Study Skill: rewriting notes

Unit 5: Gathering

Industrial Revolution, New Imperialism, History of LDS missionary work

Pride and Prejudice (Austen)

Cry, the Beloved Country (Paton)

Study Skill: team collaboration

Writing: oral presentation, cause and effect essay, research

FACE Principle 6: How the Seed of Local Self-Government Is Planted

Unit 6: Signs of the Times

WWI, Interwar Years, WWII, Cold War, Middle East, Spirit of Moses and Elijah

The Chosen (Potok)

The Screwtape Letters (Lewis)

Writing: tribute, college entrance exams, résumé, short stories

Study skills: effective goal setting and tracking, intro to speed reading

FACE Principle 7: The Christian Principle of American Political Union

FACE Principle 1: God’s Principle of Individuality

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 5-10 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 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 an inexpensive composition notebook or any small writing journal. 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 for history and literature. 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, and extended writing 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 term. 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 term 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: dyecore.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.

bdye@ahsmail.com

Parent Signature and Information

 We have read and understand this syllabus:

Student Name                  __________________________        Signature _______________________

Parent Name                     __________________________        Signature________________________

Home Phone                     ___________________________________________________

Parent Cell Phone(s)                      ___________________________________________________

Parent Email                                       ___________________________________________________

2^nd Parent Email                                ___________________________________________________

 

Volunteer Opportunities

1.       I am interested in driving for one of the following field trips (please circle):

a.       Utah County Jail

b.      Hill Aerospace Museum

 

2.       I would be interested in helping with one of the following class celebrations (please circle):

a.       Les Misérables celebration: breads and spreads/musical karaoke (November)

b.      Christmas celebration

c.       Pride and Prejudice etiquette dinner: formal dining, multi-course meal (January: evening event)

d.      Missionaries around the world celebration (February/March)

e.      Back from the future celebration (end of the school year)

 

3.       I have musical expertise and would be willing to help the 10^th grade class prepare some musical numbers for the 10^th grade devotional and/or for the Christmas sing along. Please explain.

 

 

4.       I have experience in editing papers or writing instruction and would be willing to help grade student work for ___________hours per week.

 

5.       I have expertise in an area relevant to this course and would be willing to be a guest speaker or help in another way as noted.

 

 

 

6.       I know someone with first-hand experience related to the Cold War. Please explain.

Student Information

Please note, I will keep your responses confidential. I am simply interested in getting to know you so I can help you be happy this school year.

1.       Name_______________________________________

 

2.       What are your interests?

 

 

 

 

3.       What are some of your long-term goals for school, work, life?

 

 

 

 

4.       What are some of your short-term goals? (goals for the next few months)

 

 

 

 

5.       Do you consider yourself a reader? Explain. (Favorite book?)

 

 

6.       How do you feel about writing?

 

 

7.       How do you feel about history?

 

8.       To what extent does this statement describe you? “I am at AHS because I really want to be.” Please explain.

 

 

 

 

9.       To what extent does this statement describe you? “I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Please explain.

 

 

 

 

10.   What challenges do you think you are likely to face this school year (educational or personal)?

 

 

 

 

11.   Describe an accomplishment of which you are proud.

 

 

 

12.   What is something else you think I should know about you?