AMERICAN LITERATURE CP                                                                                                           Mrs. Newton

American Literature is our literature, the literature of those men and women who lived here before the European explorers came, the literature of those who came here hundreds of years ago, and the literature of those who came to this country last year.  Not only does American Literature tell the stories of the people who live in our country, but it also defines who we are as a society and as individuals.  It is the literature of our past, present and future.

As we explore the literature that represents us, we will examine how the historical and social contexts in which the literary works were written shaped the writer and his or her writing.  At the center of these studies, the ways in which culture (religion, politics, race and gender and socio-economic issues) impacted and continues to impact the literature written in our country will be an important focus.  In addition, with each text, we will follow the development of the “American Dream” and the role of the individual in society.   By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the major enduring authors, characters and themes that represent the American voice in American Literature.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

GOALS FOR THE COURSE:  During this course, you will…

• Explore, discuss, and write about the development of the “American Dream” and the American identity in short stories, drama and novels.
• Explore, discuss, and write about the role of the individual in the American society.
• Connect American Literature to its historical and social contexts.
• Respond to the literature in poetic, analytical, and expository forms.
• Actively participate in daily discussions of the literature and outside resources.
• Organize formal and informal oral presentations: Powerpoint presentations, debates, and dramatic performances.
• Express a perspective on major American issues: family, war, racism, ecology, class, economics, gender

LITERATURE: (Possible texts)

Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury  (summer reading)     Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald                     Their Eyes Are Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston

The Crucible, Arthur Miller                                    The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain                              A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams

Short Stories by: Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway, Henry James, Edgar Allen Poe, Alice Walker

Poetry by:  Maya Angelou, Anne Bradstreet, Lucille Clifton, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Linda Pastan, Steven Wallace, Walt Whitman

Essays by: Jonathon Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau,

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS:  I would recommend a three-ring binder to organize all of your handouts.  You will receive many photocopies of literary excerpts

GRADING:

At the end of each marking period, your term grade will be calculated.  Your term grade is based on EVERYTHING that you do in this course.  In other words, homework, class work, reading quizzes, tests, papers, projects, journal entries and class participation will all make up your grade.  This year I will use a point system.  Prior to an assignment, I will tell you the point value associated with the assignment.  The point value attached to each assignment reflects how heavily the assignment is weighted.  The point values for each assignment can fluctuate during the course of the semester.  (All point values and percentages listed below are approximate.)

GRADING BREAKDOWN

Homework- 1-5 points each or 10% of you term grade

•         Assignments will be posted on my white board in 224 at the beginning of the class, and will be regularly updated on my website.  If you still have questions about homework, you should email me at newtone@doversherborn.org.

• Homework will be checked or collected at the beginning of the period.  If you do not hand in your homework when it is checked or collected, you will receive a zero for that homework assignment.   Nightly reading is homework!  Turn your nightly reading into active reading by taking notes, asking questions, or quoting your favorite quotations in your reading journal.

DYRTs (Did You Read This?)-  10-15 points each or 15%-20% of your term grade

• Periodically throughout the year, you will have unannounced reading quizzes.  These reading checks are intended to help you keep up with your nightly reading and to help me assess reading comprehension and difficulty.  You are encouraged to use nightly reading notes on the DYRTs.  (Note:  Notes used on the DYRTS must be personal notes.  You may not use Sparknotes or your best friend’s notes on DYRTS.)

Vocabulary/ grammar- 20 points each or 15% of your term grade

• This year, in place of a vocabulary book, you will receive a list of the1000 Most Commonly Used SAT Words.  Once every 8-day rotation, you will have a quiz on a list of 30 vocabulary words.  Do not lose your packet or your vocabulary lists!

Discussion/ Participation- 5% of your term grade

• Your voice is important!  As a member of this class, it is essential that you contribute your ideas to class discussions and group work activities.  You will be responsible for using nightly responses to the literature in the class discussion. Be prepared to share your insights into the literature with your peers.  Your participation will be included in your term average. You can participate in the following ways: reading aloud, responding to classmates’ ideas, posing questions, sharing your ideas, and taking meaningful notes.

Writing- 50 to 100 points each or 25-30% of your term grade

• Throughout the year, we will have both in class and take home writing assignments.  These assignments will range from creative assignments, to analytical essays, to persuasive essays, to personal narratives.  All take home writing assignments will be due at the beginning of the class.  You may not print assignments at the beginning of class.  If your paper is not printed out and ready to hand in (i.e. you are printing it out as class is beginning), you will lose ½ of a letter grade. 
• When you hand in a final writing assignment, you will pass in the final copy, the rough draft, the editing sheet, and all brainstorming sheets (printed and stapled).  Although I will read and comment on papers before the due date, I will not read entire drafts the day before a paper is due.  Plan accordingly and write your drafts early. 

• Late papers and projects- For every day a paper or project is late, it will be dropped one whole letter grade.  Papers over five days late will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

• Computer/printer problems? If you have a problem with your printer, please come to school early to print your paper.  If your computer suddenly crashes, you may handwrite your paper, and then turn in the typed copy after you talk to me.

Turnitin.com and Criterion

·         We will be using two computer programs to assist our writing, Turnitin.com and Criterion.  These programs require you to submit your writing online during assigned timeframes.  Please manage your time responsibly in order to meet the deadline requirements.  Before the first assignment, I will instruct you on how to use both of these programs.

Major quizzes/Tests/Projects- 50 to 100 points each or 25-30% of your term grade

• Binder checks- It is important to keep your binder organized because you will have binder checks.  When I check your binder, I will look for all of the notes we have completed in class and all of the assignments you have done at home.  (All binder checks will count as a quiz.)

• In addition to take home papers, you will also take tests and quizzes on the books that you read.  The purpose of these tests and quizzes is twofold: to assess your reading comprehension and your ability to analyze the subtext with literature. The type and the length of each test will vary from unit to unit (types of tests:  quotation explications, character identification, character analysis, essays). 

• For each book, you will also have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge in a more creative form, or through a project.  Types of projects will also vary based on the book you are reading.  It is the hope that these projects will give you an alternative means to express your knowledge and insights about the literature. 

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES:

Plagiarism/ cheating/ Sparknotes-

• All issues of cheating and plagiarism will follow the procedures listed in The Student Handbook.  Plagiarism is any attempt to pass off another person’s words, ideas or thoughts as your own words, ideas or thoughts.  Give the proper people the credit that they deserve and use footnotes.  If you have questions about citing sources, please see me with questions.  Please read the attached photocopy from The Student Handbook’s policy on cheating and plagiarism.

Please review and understand:

• If you use someone else’s words, you must quote them and document your source.
• If you use someone else’s ideas, you must document them in the paper and in a Works Cited
• If you read a piece but do not use it, you still must document it in a List of Works Consulted.
• If you need quotes to support your ideas, find them by yourself in the work you are reading. Do not go online and take someone else’s work. Remember, finding those quotes is part of GRAPPLING with the text, and it is a critical college skill.
• Do not use any part of anyone else’s paper. 

• SPARKNOTES:  Since many of the texts that we will be reading in this class are classic American texts, there are many websites that dumb-down the reading of these literary works.  By relying on these websites to complete your reading, not only are you letting someone else think for you (remember Fahrenheit 451), but you are also letting someone else define for you what it means to be an American.

•  Additionally, the reading and analyzing that you do for this class prepares you for the SAT, ACT and college.  When you take shortcuts to avoid completing all of your reading, you are missing the chance to prepare for these tests and for the future.

Absent-

• When you are absent, it is your responsibility to make up and hand in your missed work.  See The Student Handbook for the absence policies.  Reminder- If you are dismissed from school, arrive late to school, or on a field trip your assignment is still due on that day.  It is up to you to turn in your assignment.

The Student Handbook-

• Since I will adhere to all of the policies and procedures in The Student Handbook, please read it carefully.

Extra help-

• I will be available for extra help after school on Mondays and Wednesdays 2:15-3:15 in room 224.  If you would like to meet on another day, please come and arrange a time with me.  In order to ensure that I do not waste your time, if you would like me to read a draft, please let me know before you come to extra help.

Mrs. Newton                 Room 224         Email: newtone@doversherborn.org