Course Description Learning Objectives Required Materials Course ...
American Literature 2016-2017 Course Syllabus
Teacher: Mrs. Derdiger Email: [email protected] Textbook: Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature, Grade 11 Schedule: 3rd Block A Days
Course Description American Literature focuses on the study and analysis of literature written by authors living in what is now the United States of America over the last four-hundred years. This year’s American Literature class will explore the overarching topic of “Voices of the Under-Represented” as we read our course novels as well as short stories, excerpts, essays, and poetry. America has been known as “The Melting Pot,” a name given based on its wide array of citizens and non-citizens, who come from a wide array of backgrounds. This great variety of people has made America what it is today and is reflected in its literature. This is a defining aspect of American culture and thus will be the focus of our studies this year. Students will be writing responses to texts as well as essays as we explore the literature being presented. We will also discuss historical events during the time periods being discussed in order to deepen our understanding of the context in which these authors were writing.
Learning Objectives By the end of the course, students will be able to: Read literature at the 11th grade level. Analyze literature for theme, plot, purpose, style, rhetoric, and development. Discuss the relevance of historical context on a work of literature. Compare themes across genres, time periods, and texts. Write essays and responses to literature at the 11th grade level. Participate in collaborations and conversations with respect and responsibility. Meet the grade 11/12 reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards.
Required Materials ● ● ● ● ●
Pens, pencils, highlighters, and erasers Notebook and paper 3-Ring binder or folder to store and organize class materials and assignments Homework diary Electronic dictionary ● Laptop and headphones are highly recommended. ● Textbook: Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature, Grade 11
● Novels: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Course Schedule* Unit
Topics and Themes
Readings
Duration
Unit 1
Early American Literature (16001800)
-The World on the Turtle’s Back” by the Iroquois (p. 38)
5 weeks
Native American literature Early settlers The Puritans Revolutionaries
Unit 2
Assessment: Cube Project Beliefs, values, and religion in literature American Romanticism (18001855) The Transcendentalists Novel Study
Unit 3
Assessment: Newspaper Article Report on the story of Solomon Northup Romanticism to Realism (18551870) Literature of the Civil War Whitman and Dickenson
Assessment: Student choice menu
Unit 4
Regionalism and Naturalism (18701910) Regionalism Naturalism Female writers Assessment: Response to Literature The Jungle
-“Coyote and the Buffalo” as retold by Mourning Dove (p. 48) -“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” by Olaudah Equiano (p. 82) -“La Relación” by Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca (p. 72) -“Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford (p. 102) -Act One of The Crucible by Arthur Miller (p. 134) -“The Demons of Salem, With Us Still” by Victor Navasky (p. 218) -“Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry (p. 228) -The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson (p. 238) -“Letter to John Adams” by Abigail Adams (p. 262)
◊Novel Study: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup -“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (p. 370) -“Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau (p. 390) -“On Civil Disobedience” by Mohandas K. Gandhi (p. 400) -“Women in the Nineteenth Century” by Margaret Fuller (p. 404)
6 weeks
-“From the Preface to Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman (p. 540) -Assorted Walt Whitman poems -“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson (p. 548) -“My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickenson (p. 554) -“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas” by Frederick Douglas (p. 560) -“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs (p. 574) -“What Slaves are Taught to Think of the North” by Linda Brent (Harriet Jacobs) -“The Emancipation Proclamation” by Abraham Lincoln (p. 588) -“Speech to the American Equal Rights Association” by Sojourner Truth (p. 596) ◊The Jungle by Upton Sinclair -“Boyhood Days” by Booker T. Washington -Excerpt from My Ántonia by Willa Cather -Excerpt from American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings by Zitkala-Sa -Excerpt from The Awakening by Kate Chopin -Excerpt from How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis
5 Weeks
6 weeks
Unit 5
The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism (1910-1940) The Harlem Renaissance New Poetry The modern short story Journalism as Literature Assessment: Project Presentation on an author
Unit 6
Post Modern Literature (19401990) Modern American drama Responses to war Civil Rights and protest literature Assessment: Comparison Essay Film V. Literature
Unit 7
Literature of the New Millennium (1990-Present) Assessment: Personal Narrative
-“Harlem” by Langston Hughes (P. 880) -“I, Too” by Langston Hughes (P. 883) -“My City” by James Weldon Johnson (p. 888) -“If We Must Die” by Claude McKay (p. 890) -“Any Human to Another” by Countee Cullen (p. 894) -“How it Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston (p. 900) -Excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston -“Thoughts on the African-American Novel” by Toni Morrison (p. 910) ◊Novel Study: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -“Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall (p. 1214) -“Stride Toward Freedom” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (p. 1220) -“Necessary to Protect Ourselves” interview with Malcolm X by Les Crane (p. 1224) -“Revolutionary Dreams” by Nikki Giovanni (p. 1247) -“Why Soldiers Won’t Talk” by John Steinbeck (p. 1172) -“Adam” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (p. 1180) -“Ambush” by Tim O’Brien (p. 1196) -“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien -Excerpt from No-No Boy by John Okada -“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan (p. 1264) -“Broken Tongues” by Alex Dang -Excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer -“The Hurt Locker” and “What Every Soldier Should Know” by Brian Turner -“Ye Modern Woman” by Dasha Kelly
4 Weeks
5 weeks
4 weeks
*Course schedule subject to change
Grading Policy Grades are calculated according to the category weights listed below: Unit Assessments: 30% Homework: 30% Classwork: 30% Participation: 10% Participation will be graded using ClassDojo.com and students will be expected to create an account and register in the class using the code given by the teacher. Quarter 1: 40% Quarter 2: 40% Final Exam: 20%
Assignment Policy Assignment instructions and deadlines are posted regularly on RenWeb. Students are expected to check RenWeb each day for assignment postings, class announcements, and other updates from the teacher. Students are also expected to
complete and submit assignments according to assignment instructions as posted on RenWeb. Parents will be able to access all this information through the parent portal. All assignments should be completed and submitted before the deadlines as posted on RenWeb. Submitting assignments late will immediately result in a 10% penalty. Any assignment submitted more than two weeks late after a deadline may not be accepted for credit. All assignments that are submitted on RenWeb must be saved in the following format: Assignment Title, Class Abbreviation, Last Name, First Name Ex. ResearchPaper, IntroLit, DerdigerSara
Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Assignments or exams that show evidence of cheating or plagiarism will not be accepted and will receive no credit. Serious incidents of academic dishonesty will be subject to immediate disciplinary measures. All assignments submitted in this class must exhibit a student’s original ideas and language. Information that is borrowed from other authors and sources must be properly cited in MLA format. Failure to attribute ownership to rightful authors is considered plagiarism (as this is fraudulently claiming ownership of another’s work). Misappropriation of an artist or peer’s work and/or published images also constitutes plagiarism. Any work that makes use of another artists’ work and/or published images must show substantial development beyond duplication.
Behavior Expectations CLASSROOM CONDUCT All students are expected to respect each other, the teacher, and the classroom learning environment. This includes: ● Arriving to class on time (seated at your assigned desk with all of your materials before the bell is finished ringing at the start of class and at the end of break time). Students who arrive late to class without an excused pass, will be marked tardy. Tardy students are subject to the punishments outlined in the student handbook. ●
Following classroom rules and procedures as outlined by instructor Be safe. Be respectful. Be responsible.
●
Following behavior policies outlined in the HAS Student Handbook.
DEADLINES Aside from excused absences, NO excuses are accepted for late work. If assignments are submitted to RenWeb, students should prepare backup copies elsewhere online or on a USB in the event that a submission does not upload successfully. Students absent from class are expected to meet with the teacher the next day they are present in school to establish new deadlines for their makeup work. Students absent on days assignments are due must submit their assignments the next class day.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES With the exception of electronic dictionaries, no electronic devices can be used in the classroom without the permission from the teacher. At all times, students are expected to be attentive and prepared to participate and communicate with their teacher and peers. In order to maintain an engaged and productive learning environment, students are not
allowed to wear earphones/headphones during class. In addition, earphones and headphones are not permitted in the classroom and should be stored in students’ lockers. Many assignments and class activities will require students to use computers and access the Internet. Though school computers can be utilized for this purpose, it is highly recommended that students bring a personal laptop or other portable computer to school. Because using smartphones are prohibited in the classroom, the use of laptops will be permitted on a regular basis. Devices or accessories being used without permission will be confiscated for the duration of the class period or entire school day, at the teacher’s discretion.
CLASSROOM CLEANLINESS No food or drink (except water) may be consumed or brought into the classroom at any time. Students may bring water bottles to class. Any other food or drink found in the classroom will be confiscated.
DISCIPLINARY MEASURES Failure to comply with class or school policies and expectations may result in one or more of the following, depending on the frequency and severity of the infraction: ● Meeting with teacher outside of class to write an action plan. ● An email home to parents. ● Detention after school. ● Meeting with parents and school administration. ● Suspension from school. ● Other measures as deemed appropriate by the school administration.
Teacher: Mrs. Derdiger Email: [email protected] Textbook: Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature, Grade 11 Schedule: 3rd Block A Days
Course Description American Literature focuses on the study and analysis of literature written by authors living in what is now the United States of America over the last four-hundred years. This year’s American Literature class will explore the overarching topic of “Voices of the Under-Represented” as we read our course novels as well as short stories, excerpts, essays, and poetry. America has been known as “The Melting Pot,” a name given based on its wide array of citizens and non-citizens, who come from a wide array of backgrounds. This great variety of people has made America what it is today and is reflected in its literature. This is a defining aspect of American culture and thus will be the focus of our studies this year. Students will be writing responses to texts as well as essays as we explore the literature being presented. We will also discuss historical events during the time periods being discussed in order to deepen our understanding of the context in which these authors were writing.
Learning Objectives By the end of the course, students will be able to: Read literature at the 11th grade level. Analyze literature for theme, plot, purpose, style, rhetoric, and development. Discuss the relevance of historical context on a work of literature. Compare themes across genres, time periods, and texts. Write essays and responses to literature at the 11th grade level. Participate in collaborations and conversations with respect and responsibility. Meet the grade 11/12 reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards.
Required Materials ● ● ● ● ●
Pens, pencils, highlighters, and erasers Notebook and paper 3-Ring binder or folder to store and organize class materials and assignments Homework diary Electronic dictionary ● Laptop and headphones are highly recommended. ● Textbook: Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature, Grade 11
● Novels: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Course Schedule* Unit
Topics and Themes
Readings
Duration
Unit 1
Early American Literature (16001800)
-The World on the Turtle’s Back” by the Iroquois (p. 38)
5 weeks
Native American literature Early settlers The Puritans Revolutionaries
Unit 2
Assessment: Cube Project Beliefs, values, and religion in literature American Romanticism (18001855) The Transcendentalists Novel Study
Unit 3
Assessment: Newspaper Article Report on the story of Solomon Northup Romanticism to Realism (18551870) Literature of the Civil War Whitman and Dickenson
Assessment: Student choice menu
Unit 4
Regionalism and Naturalism (18701910) Regionalism Naturalism Female writers Assessment: Response to Literature The Jungle
-“Coyote and the Buffalo” as retold by Mourning Dove (p. 48) -“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” by Olaudah Equiano (p. 82) -“La Relación” by Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca (p. 72) -“Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford (p. 102) -Act One of The Crucible by Arthur Miller (p. 134) -“The Demons of Salem, With Us Still” by Victor Navasky (p. 218) -“Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry (p. 228) -The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson (p. 238) -“Letter to John Adams” by Abigail Adams (p. 262)
◊Novel Study: 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup -“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (p. 370) -“Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau (p. 390) -“On Civil Disobedience” by Mohandas K. Gandhi (p. 400) -“Women in the Nineteenth Century” by Margaret Fuller (p. 404)
6 weeks
-“From the Preface to Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman (p. 540) -Assorted Walt Whitman poems -“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson (p. 548) -“My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickenson (p. 554) -“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas” by Frederick Douglas (p. 560) -“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs (p. 574) -“What Slaves are Taught to Think of the North” by Linda Brent (Harriet Jacobs) -“The Emancipation Proclamation” by Abraham Lincoln (p. 588) -“Speech to the American Equal Rights Association” by Sojourner Truth (p. 596) ◊The Jungle by Upton Sinclair -“Boyhood Days” by Booker T. Washington -Excerpt from My Ántonia by Willa Cather -Excerpt from American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings by Zitkala-Sa -Excerpt from The Awakening by Kate Chopin -Excerpt from How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis
5 Weeks
6 weeks
Unit 5
The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism (1910-1940) The Harlem Renaissance New Poetry The modern short story Journalism as Literature Assessment: Project Presentation on an author
Unit 6
Post Modern Literature (19401990) Modern American drama Responses to war Civil Rights and protest literature Assessment: Comparison Essay Film V. Literature
Unit 7
Literature of the New Millennium (1990-Present) Assessment: Personal Narrative
-“Harlem” by Langston Hughes (P. 880) -“I, Too” by Langston Hughes (P. 883) -“My City” by James Weldon Johnson (p. 888) -“If We Must Die” by Claude McKay (p. 890) -“Any Human to Another” by Countee Cullen (p. 894) -“How it Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston (p. 900) -Excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston -“Thoughts on the African-American Novel” by Toni Morrison (p. 910) ◊Novel Study: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -“Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall (p. 1214) -“Stride Toward Freedom” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (p. 1220) -“Necessary to Protect Ourselves” interview with Malcolm X by Les Crane (p. 1224) -“Revolutionary Dreams” by Nikki Giovanni (p. 1247) -“Why Soldiers Won’t Talk” by John Steinbeck (p. 1172) -“Adam” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (p. 1180) -“Ambush” by Tim O’Brien (p. 1196) -“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien -Excerpt from No-No Boy by John Okada -“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan (p. 1264) -“Broken Tongues” by Alex Dang -Excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer -“The Hurt Locker” and “What Every Soldier Should Know” by Brian Turner -“Ye Modern Woman” by Dasha Kelly
4 Weeks
5 weeks
4 weeks
*Course schedule subject to change
Grading Policy Grades are calculated according to the category weights listed below: Unit Assessments: 30% Homework: 30% Classwork: 30% Participation: 10% Participation will be graded using ClassDojo.com and students will be expected to create an account and register in the class using the code given by the teacher. Quarter 1: 40% Quarter 2: 40% Final Exam: 20%
Assignment Policy Assignment instructions and deadlines are posted regularly on RenWeb. Students are expected to check RenWeb each day for assignment postings, class announcements, and other updates from the teacher. Students are also expected to
complete and submit assignments according to assignment instructions as posted on RenWeb. Parents will be able to access all this information through the parent portal. All assignments should be completed and submitted before the deadlines as posted on RenWeb. Submitting assignments late will immediately result in a 10% penalty. Any assignment submitted more than two weeks late after a deadline may not be accepted for credit. All assignments that are submitted on RenWeb must be saved in the following format: Assignment Title, Class Abbreviation, Last Name, First Name Ex. ResearchPaper, IntroLit, DerdigerSara
Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will not be tolerated. Assignments or exams that show evidence of cheating or plagiarism will not be accepted and will receive no credit. Serious incidents of academic dishonesty will be subject to immediate disciplinary measures. All assignments submitted in this class must exhibit a student’s original ideas and language. Information that is borrowed from other authors and sources must be properly cited in MLA format. Failure to attribute ownership to rightful authors is considered plagiarism (as this is fraudulently claiming ownership of another’s work). Misappropriation of an artist or peer’s work and/or published images also constitutes plagiarism. Any work that makes use of another artists’ work and/or published images must show substantial development beyond duplication.
Behavior Expectations CLASSROOM CONDUCT All students are expected to respect each other, the teacher, and the classroom learning environment. This includes: ● Arriving to class on time (seated at your assigned desk with all of your materials before the bell is finished ringing at the start of class and at the end of break time). Students who arrive late to class without an excused pass, will be marked tardy. Tardy students are subject to the punishments outlined in the student handbook. ●
Following classroom rules and procedures as outlined by instructor Be safe. Be respectful. Be responsible.
●
Following behavior policies outlined in the HAS Student Handbook.
DEADLINES Aside from excused absences, NO excuses are accepted for late work. If assignments are submitted to RenWeb, students should prepare backup copies elsewhere online or on a USB in the event that a submission does not upload successfully. Students absent from class are expected to meet with the teacher the next day they are present in school to establish new deadlines for their makeup work. Students absent on days assignments are due must submit their assignments the next class day.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES With the exception of electronic dictionaries, no electronic devices can be used in the classroom without the permission from the teacher. At all times, students are expected to be attentive and prepared to participate and communicate with their teacher and peers. In order to maintain an engaged and productive learning environment, students are not
allowed to wear earphones/headphones during class. In addition, earphones and headphones are not permitted in the classroom and should be stored in students’ lockers. Many assignments and class activities will require students to use computers and access the Internet. Though school computers can be utilized for this purpose, it is highly recommended that students bring a personal laptop or other portable computer to school. Because using smartphones are prohibited in the classroom, the use of laptops will be permitted on a regular basis. Devices or accessories being used without permission will be confiscated for the duration of the class period or entire school day, at the teacher’s discretion.
CLASSROOM CLEANLINESS No food or drink (except water) may be consumed or brought into the classroom at any time. Students may bring water bottles to class. Any other food or drink found in the classroom will be confiscated.
DISCIPLINARY MEASURES Failure to comply with class or school policies and expectations may result in one or more of the following, depending on the frequency and severity of the infraction: ● Meeting with teacher outside of class to write an action plan. ● An email home to parents. ● Detention after school. ● Meeting with parents and school administration. ● Suspension from school. ● Other measures as deemed appropriate by the school administration.
