Digital Learning Department

Themes in Literature and Film encourages development of critical and creative thinking, writing (concepts and design, style, conventional accuracy, forms, process, and analysis), literature analysis, and film interpretation. Students will examine the relationship between various novels and films that reflect a multitude of issues in different cultures and time periods. They will be pushed to analyze novels and films through a concept approach. Students will think and write about space exploration, censorship, individualism, "walking in another's shoes," racism, youth at war, leadership, and comradeship. The required research and analytical papers will combine different aspects of reading and writing. Literature units include Wolfe's "The Limits of the Envelope," Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and Griffin's Black Like Me. Films include The Right Stuff, Dead Poet's Society, and  To Kill a Mockingbird.

Guardian permission is required to view these films prior to starting the course.

Students are responsible to obtain a copy of all novels and films. This course helps meet the state minimum requirements of English 3.0 credits. Please check with your district for more specific requirements.

State Standards and Learning Expectations

EALR 1: The student understands and uses different skills and strategies to read.

1.2  Use vocabulary (word meaning) strategies to comprehend text.

EALR 2: The student understands the meaning of what is read.

2.1  Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension.

2.3  Expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary and informational text.

2.4  Think critically and analyze author’s use of language, style, purpose, and perspective in literary and informational text.

EALR 3: The student reads different materials for a variety of purposes.

3.1  Read to learn new information.

3.4  Read for literary experience in a variety of genres.

EALR 1: The student understands and uses a writing process.  

1.1. Prewrites to generate ideas and plan writing.

1.2. Produces draft(s).

1.3. Revises to improve text.

1.4. Edits text.

1.5. Publishes text to share with audience.

1.6. Adjusts writing process as necessary.

EALR 2: The student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes.

2.1. Adapts writing for a variety of audiences.

2.2. Writes for different purposes.

2.3. Writes in a variety of forms/genres.

2.4. Writes for career applications.

EALR 3: The student writes clearly and effectively.

3.1. Develops ideas and organizes writing.

3.2. Uses appropriate style.

3.3. Knows and applies writing conventions appropriate for the grade level.

EALR 4: The student analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of written work.

4.1. Analyzes and evaluates others' and own writing.

Course Outline

• Unit 1: Space Exploration (2 weeks)
• Unit 2: Censorship and Individualism / Fahrenheit 451 (4 weeks)
• Unit 3: Censorship and Individualism / Dead Poet's Society (3 weeks)
• Unit 4: Walking in Their Shoes / Black Like Me (3 weeks)
• Unit 5: Walking in Their Shoes / To Kill a Mockingbird (3 weeks)
• Unit 6: Final Assessment (3 weeks)

Course Work

All assignments will be submitted through our learning system, on the assessment pages. We recommend working in a writing program, such as Word, on your home computer, saving, and then cutting and pasting your work into the assesement text boxes. Plagiarized assignments will receive no credit. Students who complete class successfully will have followed the timeline laid out in our checklist.

At the beginning of the course, you will want to obtain copies of these books. We strongly recommended that they are purchased new or used so that you are able to take notes on the pages, highlight, and of course, keep for your own personal library. Your final project requires quotes from the novels -- if you choose not to buy the books, be certain to keep a list of quotes you found meaningful to use in your final work.

• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
• Black Like Me, John Griffin  

Grading Description

A = 93 - 100%

A- = 90 - 92.9%

B+ = 87 - 89.9%

B = 83 - 86.9%

B- = 80 - 82.9%

C+ = 77 - 79.9%

C = 73 - 76.9%

C- = 70 - 72.9%

D = 60 - 69.9%

F = 0 - 59.9%

Note: Grades of D are not considered passing for Federal Way Public School students.

Important Note! The above grading scale will be used on all assignments. Grades of "D" are not granted credit in the Federal Way School Distict. Be certain to be aware of your home school district's credit requirements.

It is very important for students to know how their writing will be assessed; be certain to read all assignments closely.

A final passing grade (C) will be earned by meeting the standards for the course. To earn a B or an A, your writing will demonstrate a higher, richer, deeper level of understanding of the concepts taught.

Students may revise work to show achievement of the assignment's requirements, if they do so in a timely manner, and make all revisions in a different color type than the original assignment. Large numbers of assignments turned in at the end of the semester, and tests turned in at any time, may not be revised.

By turning in work steadily each week, you are given the feedback needed to revise work and the opportunity for additional learning with your teacher which can result in the highest grade possible. The opportunity is lost if you choose to wait until the end of the course to turn in the bulk of your assignments. Your grade will be negatively impacted if you turn in more than one unit's worth of work in a week near the end of the 17-week course. You will have lost the opportunity for revisions, feedback and the one-on-one teaching that you could have had throughout the course. If you have not turned in work each week, your teacher is unable to evaluate your learning and give you feedback in order to give you the opportunity to earn full credit.

Important Note! The above grading scale will be used on all assignments. Grades of "D" are not granted credit in the Federal Way School Distict. Be certain to be aware of your home school district's credit requirements.

It is very important for students to know how their writing will be assessed; be certain to read all assignments closely.

A final passing grade (C) will be earned by meeting the standards for the course. To earn a B or an A, your writing will demonstrate a higher, richer, deeper level of understanding of the concepts taught.

Students may revise work to show achievement of the assignment's requirements, if they do so in a timely manner, and make all revisions in a different color type than the original assignment. Large numbers of assignments turned in at the end of the semester, and tests turned in at any time, may not be revised.

 

Policies and Requirements

Academic integrity is essential to learning. Students are expected to complete their own work. Copying, plagiarizing, cheating or other methods of intentional deception are prohibited and may result in loss of grade or credit for the assignment or the course.

Expectations for assignment and course completion: IA students assume the major responsibility to be self-motivated, and to stay on target with the class. All work for the course must be completed at a passing level to earn credit, and must be completed within the school year or semester time. We expect students to consistently complete assignments for each class each week. Successful students use their class checklists to determine daily and weekly assignment schedules.

By turning in work steadily each week, students are given the feedback needed to revise and the opportunity for additional learning with their teacher resulting in the highest grade possible. This opportunity is lost if students choose to wait until the end of the course to turn in the majority of their assignments. Grades may be negatively impacted if work is submitted in bulk.

E-mail and software agreements: Students agree to maintain electronic integrity and face disciplinary measures if they do not abide by their promise.

Teachers reserve the right to make adjustments to the course content and expectations.

reserve the right to make adjustments to the course content and expectations.

 

Expectations

Students taking this class are expected to:

1. Contact their instructor each week by sending in several assignments. This lets the Internet Academy, parents and guardians, the school district, and the state know that students are attending class. It also helps students move at a steady pace toward completing the class in a reasonable amount of time. Students who do not meet this requirement will be withdrawn from the class.
2. Have the computer hardware and software necessary for the class work.
3. Communicate with the instructor in a clear, friendly, courteous manner. This includes signing communications with their full name and the name of the class they are in.
4. Communicate in Standard English. "e-english," the informal, lower-case, run-together communications used in chat rooms, is appropriate for the audiences and purposes of some e-mail. It is not appropriate for communicating with an instructor in class.
5. Turn in original work. Internet Academy teachers monitor for intentional deception through the use of an on-line subscription service and IA email archives. The consequences for intentional deception (copying, plagiarism, cheating, using someone else's work) may result in:
   • No credit for the assignment
   • Parent contact
   • Proctored testing
   • Failing the course
6. Do their very best work at all times.
7. Proceed at a steady pace toward finishing the class.
8. Have fun writing, reading, and learning!!

The instructor of this course is expected to:

1. Know the course material.
2. Communicate at least weekly with students and guardians in a clear, friendly, and courteous manner.
3. Respond to emails within a reasonable amount of time. It is your instructor's goal to answer QUESTIONS and HELP requests within one school day during the school week. Assignments will be graded and returned within three school days of receipt.
4. Be available for meetings and tutorials, and return phone calls promptly.
5. Keep accurate records.
6. Encourage and maintain high standards.
7. Help make learning fun!

Tech Support:

• Tech Help
  • 253-945-2249
  • helpdesk@iacademy.org

Weekly Contact Requirements: Students are expected to submit work each week following the provided checklist. They are also expected to maintain weekly communication with their teacher, ask for assistance when needed, and respond to e-mails from the teacher. If they are having trouble keeping up with the checklist, they should email their teacher immediately. The teacher is flexible and willing to work with students to meet their needs as they are communicated. If students are unable to meet these expectations, they will be dropped from the class for lack of attendance.