Assignments

You may have noticed on the syllabus posted on the Sungshin website that Assignments are worth 75% of your grade. (The other 25% is based on Attendance and Participation). I decided not to include exams because I do not want students to simply memorize details from the readings. Instead, I hope for students to demonstrate more creative thinking by making broader connections between the readings, modern society, and their own experiences.

I am still working on all the specific details regarding the assignments. The main evaluation criteria will be based on students' participation in small group discussions, which are also called literature circles. Each week, a different student will have a different role to fulfill in the discussion. Some of the roles will include:

• Reading Summarizer (prepare a short summary of the readings and make sure everyone understood the main ideas in the readings),  
• Discussion Starter/Provoker (create initial questions for discussion and follow-up questions to keep the discussion moving), 
• Vocabulary Builder (select and define key words from the readings), 
• Note-Taker/Recorder (keep notes on who said what during the discussion and summarize key points made during the discussions), 
• Discussion Wrapper/Presenter (bring ideas together and share ideas from your group with other groups in the class),
• Researcher (find out more background information about issues brought up during the discussions and try to answer new questions that were raised)

More details about the discussion roles will be provided once the semester begins.  There may be some changes to the roles as we move through the semester.

Students will also need to do some reflective writing. Again, I have not totally decided what this will involve yet, but it could be an informal journal where students write their own opinions about the readings. Another option might be more formal writing in response to specific prompts. Students' writing will be posted on the Edmodo website, so discussions can continue online and outside of the classroom.

I will also include some short quizzes to check general comprehension of the readings.

I decided to make assignments worth 75% of the grade so that there can be some flexibility and variety in how students are graded. Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in different ways. Please feel free to leave comments on this post if you have additional questions about the assignments.

Book selections

We will read two teen novels this semester written at a level of English that Sungshin students will be able to understand. Through these novels, we will discuss a wide range of themes including racism, prejudice, discrimination, inequality, social injustice, love, friendship, family, death, hope, perseverance, and many others. In addition to the novels, we will also read short articles from online newspapers and magazines that cover similar themes and topics, which will enable us to make broader connections between the books and modern society. We will read the following books this semester:


Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year--the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black--to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride, for no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess something no one can take away.









The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.














I hope you will join me this semester. We have a lot to read and discuss together! Please feel free to leave comments on this blog if you have any questions about the class.