Sophomore World Literature Disclosure Statement

Sophomore World Literature is a reading and writing-intensive course that will expose students to a wide range of literature, authors, styles, cultures, time periods, ideas, and writing techniques.

In addition to the short stories contained in our classroom set of A World of Stories and the sophomore summer reads Haroun and the Sea of Stories and First They Killed My Father, we will read the following novels – Life of Pi, The Power of One, The Alchemist, Siddhartha, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. We will also read The Tao te Ching daily, as well as study the haiku form and some of its masters. Additionally, we will study many of the teachings of Joseph Campbell that relate to our course. Finally, we will regularly read and listen to essays from NPR’s This I Believe series. Students can expect nightly reading assignments, small and large group discussions, vocabulary, in and out of class writing assignments, projects, quizzes, and tests. The students should keep all books, assignments, and notes for the duration of the semester, as we will often go back to these texts and ideas and build upon them.

The course will focus on excellent literature from a wide variety of authors, religions, and places, and the common theme that ties them all together is that at the heart of each piece lies a distinct philosophy about life, faith, God, or the human spirit. During the course of the semester, students will examine these philosophies as they cultivate and articulate their own personal philosophy. This will culminate with our class participating in NPR’s This I Believe program.

This is my third year teaching at Judge, my eleventh in the diocese, and I must say that this course has become my favorite. I taught middle school English, literature, and religion at JE Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School for eight years, and I have been on the boys’ basketball coaching staff here at Judge for the last 15. This will be my fifth year as the head coach of the freshman boys’ basketball team. I have a degree in English and a Utah State Teaching License from the University of Utah and a Masters of Teaching degree from Grand Canyon University. I have published work in Today’s Catholic Teacher, Teaching K-8 Magazine, The Salt Lake Tribune, Middle Ground, and The Utah Council of Teachers of English Journal. I am married, and my wife, Laura, and I have three children: John Marshall, Jacob Atticus, and Sarah Astrid.

I’m happy to discuss any issue with you. My voicemail extension is 237, though I think I’ll be easier to reach via email at jbaird@judgememorial.com.

Grading:
We will use Judge Memorial’s standard grade scale. Students’ grades will be determined, in general, using the following point system:
• Major writing assignments: 100 points.
• Minor writing assignments: 25 to 50 points.
• In-class writing assignments: 10 points.
• Quarterly Prayer assignment: 100 points.
• Preparation: 100 points for the quarter.
• Participation: 100 points for the quarter.
• Vocabulary Bell Work: 100 points for the quarter.
• Reading Due dates and points will vary.
• Other assignments, tests, and quizzes will have point values that vary.

Homework Policy:
All work (assignments, reading, etc.) is due at the start of class. Late work, in most cases, will not be accepted. In general, there won’t be extra credit assignments; however, when there are, they will be made available to the entire class.
All writing homework should be word processed. In the event you have computer problems (printer dies, etc.), do one of the following things BEFORE CLASS: email me the assignment (jbaird@judgememorial.com), bring it to school on a disk or jump drive and print it in the lab, or hand write it. If you email me something, I would suggest pasting it inside the email document as well as sending it as an attachment to ensure everything gets through. Be sure to notify me of what you’re sending in the subject box. If you don’t do one of these things before class, the assignment is late and won’t be accepted. I would suggest printing a hard copy, because if the email you sent me didn’t get to me, there’s nothing I can do about it.

You can follow what we do each day in class or check up on homework by going to my blog at bairdenglish.blogspot.com. Just look for the entry with that day’s date. If you are absent, you are expected to check the blog and are responsible for any homework listed there the day you return. Simply being absent doesn’t excuse you from the work, especially the reading. I will post assignments there that you can copy and paste into your word processing program as well.

Important Things to Know:
• You will typically have nightly reading assignments. You can expect to cover around 100 pages a week. Manage your time well and break your reading up into smaller chunks.
• You can expect to have a finished piece of writing (multiple revisions and a finished draft) due every two to three weeks.
• The semester exam is worth at least10% of your semester grade, and will cover and combine all of the things we studied throughout the semester.
• We will begin class the same way every day: at the bell, you will check the board and begin the assignment listed there (typically vocab work). After 5-10 minutes of this, we’ll have prayer and proceed from there.

Necessary Materials:
You need to bring the following items to class each day, beginning tomorrow:
• Our class text. The second week of school we’ll start Life of Pi.
• Our Vocabulary book.
• A 3-ring binder (two-inch width recommended) with five sections: notes, terminology, finished drafts, in-class prompts, and assignments. Include plenty of loose-leaf paper for assignments and notes.
• Blue or black pens, as well as a red pen for editing.
NOTE: Because of the nature of our daily prayer routine, you also need to bring the Tao te Ching with you to class each day. This is a key part of your participation grade.