English III Adv.
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English III Advanced
American Literature
Sue Churchill
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American literature is one of the most important courses you will have at Woodford County High School.  American literature is your heritage.  It enriches our understanding of ourselves and our culture.  This course will be a broad survey from colonial to modern literature.  It will include drama, poetry, novels, and short stories.  You will respond to these works from American literature in a variety of ways--creatively and analytically, formally and informally, in writing and orally--to strengthen your critical thinking and communication skills.  One of the central goals for the semester is to produce written pieces for your writing folder that will prepare you for senior English and the senior portfolio.  I love this teaching this class, and I look forward to a great semester working with you!!!

Please read this syllabus carefully so you will be aware of my plans and policies for this class.

TEXTS

In class, we will use Elements of Literature as our primary text. You will be given The American Experience to use at home, and, happily, will not have to carry a heavy text with you at all times! In addition to the poetry, short stories, drama and non-fiction selections in those anthologies, we will read Arthur Miller's drama The Crucible, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. 

SUPPLIES

One 3 ring binder for keeping handouts, assignments and class notes.  You will use this notebook to study for exams.  Please place this syllabus in the front of your binder. 

Loose-leaf notebook paper for binder.

(NO WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS ON SPIRAL PAPER ACCEPTED.)

Blue or black pens; pencil, markers or other ink colors are NOT acceptable.

Dividers for binder marked: “Vocabulary/Usage” “Notes,” “Writer’s Notebook,” “Quizzes,” “Homework,” and “Drafts.”

One file folder–-You will need this for turning in your formal writing assignments with all accompanying materials, your “essay packages.”  You must turn in TWO copies of each formal writing assignment, one for filing in the WCHS central office.

  GRADES

Homework assignments must be legible, neat, and turned in on time in order for you to receive credit.  Late homework will only be accepted in case of excused absence.  All essays must be double spaced, titled, and typed.  Only one side of the paper should be used for any assignments.  On tests, I ask that you write only on every other line, both for your ease in correction, and mine in reading. I will lower the grade for major papers 10% for each day, except in the case of excused absence.  After the 4th day late, any paper turned in can receive at best a failing grade of 60%.   BE AWARE THAT IT WILL BE VERY HARD FOR YOU TO PASS THIS COURSE IF YOU HAVE A “0" FOR ANY PAPER.

The percentages and grading scale that I will use to determine your final grade are below:

92-100 = A                          35% Writing

83- 91 = B                           10% Homework and class participation           

74- 82 = C                           25% Exams, quizzes, projects and presentations

65- 73 = D                           20% Summer Reading

64 and below = F                 10% Final Exam

Participation Points  
Participation is extremely important to your learning and the vitality of our class, so I will be giving at least two participation grades worth up to 50 points each.  The grade for your participation will be determined as follows:      

 46-50 Student contributes daily with enthusiasm, sharing ideas, asking questions, and answering questions posed by the teacher.  Student avoids off-task talk.  Highly cooperative and productive in group work.    
 42-46 Student contributes frequently to class discussion, 2-3 times a week (as described above), avoids off-task talk, is cooperative and productive on group tasks.  
 37-41 Student contributes to class discussion occasionally as described above, avoids off-task talk, is cooperative, but sometimes passive in group tasks, letting others do more work.  
 32-36 Student rarely contributes to class discussion in any way.  Sometimes engages in off-task talk.  Contributes very little to group work and occasionally distracts members of other groups.  
 0-31 Student does not contribute to class discussion, frequently engages in off-task talk, does not contribute to group work, and sometimes sleeps.  

MAKE-UP WORK
It is your responsibility to take care of make-up work when you are absent. You should contact me or another student to find out what you missed.  My home phone number is 873-6861.  If you or your parents have questions, you may call me at that number before 9 p.m. NOTE: After you have been absent, you will need to stay after school for make-up assignments.  I cannot go over missed assignments with you during class, while I am teaching new material.

PLAN OF STUDY
January:    “THE AMERICAN DREAM”

                Early American Literature (Colonial)
                Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"

                Writing Project:      Oral History!!



February: “DIVERSITY”

 “Revolutionary” Literature
19th century non-fiction by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Ralph
       Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.  
“Letter from the Birmingham Jail”-–Civil Rights literature

Writing Project:   Ad Analysis Essay


 March: “PLACE” AND AMERICAN POETRY

Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, selections from the poetry of Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot, John Crowe Ransom, Robinson Jeffers, poets of the Harlem Renaissance, William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, E.E. Cummings, and contemporary poets

Writing Project: Research

 


April: NOVEL -- RETURN TO THE AMERICAN DREAM

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  

  Writing project:  Poetry

May: TYING IT ALL UP: 20th Century Fiction
                Short stories by Ambrose Bierce, Katherine Anne Porter, Ernest Hemmingway, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty. .Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
                       

                           Writing Project: On Demand Writing

                           Final Exam

 

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This page was last updated on 09/05/2007 .
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