English 11: American Literature and Advanced Composition (20311) 2016­2017 Instructor Information Name:​ Rebecca Meyer, BS Office Location:​ 1134 Office Hours:​ 3rd and 8th or before & after school by appointment Email:​ [email protected] Office Phone:​ 262­677­4051 x 1128 Cell Phone:​ 414­704­1378 General Course Information Title:​ English 11: American Literature and Advanced Composition, Course Number: 20311 Department:​ English Credits:​ 1 credit Length:​ 1 year Elective or Required:​ Required Grade Level:​ 11 Semester:​ 1 & 2 Meeting Schedule:​ Periods 1 & 4­7 both semesters Prerequisites: Course Description:​ This course is designed to further develop composition skills as well as examine American culture as it is expressed through our unique American literature. Writing will focus on development of various kinds of expository essays as well as review and refinement of grammar and usage skills. All composition skills will be reviewed and taught from the philosophy that writing is a process and each step is critical in the production of unified, coherent papers. Often, American literature will serve as a springboard for essay ideas, but students will also have opportunity to explore subjects of their own choosing. The literary content of the class begins with the earliest of American literary tradition and culminates with a study of contemporary authors and their works. Various facets of American fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry will be examined as well as the varied periods and movements which characterize American Literature. Parent­Instructor Communication The instructor will strive to contact the parents when she observes tendencies including – but not limited to – the following: lack of academic effort, poor and failing grades, and classroom misconduct. Parents are urged to communicate with the instructor when they have questions and concerns. Please contact me by email or my cell phone. The instructor will make every effort to respond to phone calls and emails in a timely manner. Course Details Course Purpose:​ The American Literature strand of the course offers students the opportunity to expand their understanding and appreciation of prose and poetry created by American writers while the Advanced Composition strand of the course offers students the opportunity to expand their written communication skills. Page 1 of 5 Course Goals: In today’s global society, being able to communicate clearly by means of the written word is imperative. Students will gain greater skill in producing unified, coherent compositions, utilizing the writing process. Students will analyze the writings of American authors from a Christian perspective and apply our Christian beliefs to their own writing. Also, since its beginnings with Native American oral tradition, American writers have reflected and influenced the traditions, values, and character of our nation. Examining how these writers have used various literary elements in a variety of forms to portray America will lead students to a deeper understanding and appreciation of how literature works and our identity as a nation. Course Outcomes: The students will: ● incorporate the writing process in written communication while expressing their unique voice. ● produce five­paragraph expository essays ● support thesis statements by creating compositions that inform, analyze, persuade, and/or entertain. ● analyze different literary movements in American literature. ● locate and analyze themes in various works throughout the course. ● understand the role and responsibility Christians have in addressing the social problems of the world ● identify what makes American literature American. ● determine ways in which American writers and their works have impacted American culture today. Student Materials: ● Pearson – ​The American Experience textbook provided by KML ● Paper and pens or pencils (students are also encouraged to take notes on their device) ● 3­ ring binder for returned assignments and handouts ● Regular access to a computer with a printer ● During the course of the year, we will also read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ​
​The Great Gatsby, Zora Neale Hurston’s ​
​Their Eyes Were Watching God, and John Steinbeck’s ​Of Mice and Men. Copies of the novels will be provided for the students though students are welcome to bring/purchase their own copies of the novels for highlighting purposes. Instructional Strategies A variety of instructional strategies will be used including group discussions, individual and small group work, lectures, etc. Students will need to be active participants in their learning, engaging in meaningful discussion with the teacher and their classmates. Students will practice close listening skills to those in class, take beneficial notes, and think critically and analytically. Often in class there will be an essential question to discuss giving students an opportunity to voice their opinions but more importantly to provide evidence from the text to support their opinions. Assignments & Assessments Students will complete several writing assignments during the course with a focus on unified, coherent paragraphs and expository essays. Usually, students will have two to three days to complete a well written paragraph and seven days to complete an essay. Within those time frames, students will have the opportunity to meet with me on an individual basis for help. Final assessment for units will include multi­paragraph compositions, unit tests, or individual projects. Page 2 of 5 Grading The primary purpose of grades is to communicate student achievement to students, parents, school personnel, post­secondary institutions*, and employers*. *only if permission is granted by students and their parents KML Standard Grading Scale: 95­100% = A 93­94% = A­ 91­92% = B+ 87­90% = B 85­86% = B­ 83­84% = C+ 79­82% = C 77­78% = C­ 75­76% = D+ 72­74% = D 70­71% = D­ 0­69% = F Grading Policy: Grades will be entered into PowerSchool ​regularly. Compositions take much longer to assess than daily work or quizzes, so allow for more time before those grades are entered. The assignment description will not be entered into PowerSchool until right before they are due or when they are turned in. The final semester grade in this course is calculated based on all of the assignments given over the course of the semester. For this reason, the semester grade shown in PowerSchool is a better indicator of student achievement during the course than the quarter grade. Throughout the semester, each assignment, large or small, falls into a grading category and receives a different weight: Daily Assignments 15% Compositions 25% Composition Responsibility 10% Unit Assessments (Tests & Projects) 25% Quizzes 15% Semester Exam
10% Grading Procedures:​ Grades will be entered into PowerSchool regularly. Students are responsible for completing and submitting all work on time. ​Any assignment that is not received on time will be entered into PowerSchool as a zero (0%) and will be marked late (L) and missing (M). The zero (0%) will remain until I receive the completed assignment. Then the grade will be adjusted accordingly, including removing the missing (M) indication. Major Assignments:​ Failure to complete all major assignments in a course results in an automatic “F” for the course. All compositions and unit assessments must be completed in order to pass the course. If one or more of this type of assignment is not completed at the end of a semester, the student’s grade will turn to an incomplete until the assignments have been turned in. If that incomplete is not taken care of in a timely fashion, then they student may automatically receive a failing grade for that semester. ● All writing assignments will be given two separate grades. ○ Responsibility Grade: The first grade reflects the student’s responsibility in completing and submitting the assignment on time. This grade will be worth 5 points; the student will receive 5 points if the composition is turned in on time or 0 points if it is turned in after the due date/time. Page 3 of 5 ○ Composition Grade: The second grade reflects the student’s achievement on the composition itself, based on the description and/or rubric the student received when the writing was assigned. Late and Incomplete Work:​ If a student has gone two weeks or more without turning in a writing assignment, he or she will automatically receive an academic detention. Makeup Work: ​Students who are absent from class should email Mrs. Meyer that day or talk with her the day they return to receive assignments, notes, and/or handouts.​ ​It is the student’s responsibility to contact Mrs. Meyer to obtain all materials. Students who are in school but miss class due to a pre­plan are responsible for submitting work before the class period and also must be prepared for the following day’s class. If a student is absent on the day an assignment was due, he or she will have THREE days to make up that assignment, provided the absence is excused. ○ If three days pass without completion of the assessment, the grade will stand as an F. ○ It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with me as to when the assessment can be made up. ○ At times, students with extended excused absences may have a great deal of work to make up for several classes. If such is the case, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the instructor that there may be a problem with completing an assessment within the three days. In most cases, arrangements can be made to allow for more time. Extra Credit: ​No individual extra credit opportunities will be given in this course. If the instructor chooses to make an extra credit opportunity available, it will be communicated to and open to all students equally. Classroom Procedures Attendance:​ Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes in accordance with the attendance policy as outlined in the KML Student Handbook. In the event of an absence, it is the responsibility of the student to follow all necessary steps as outlined in the handbook. Tardiness:​ Students are expected to be in the classroom when the class begins in accordance with the tardiness policy as outlined in the KML Student Handbook The instructor will notify students if they have been marked tardy. Academic Dishonesty:​ KML expects all students will honor the principles of honesty and truth as taught in God’s Word. This means that all academic work will be done by the student to whom it was assigned without unauthorized aid of any kind. Research sources must be cited fully and accurately. The school reserves the right to use academic screening methods to check the authenticity of student work. Refer to the KML Student Handbook for additional guidelines concerning penalties for cheating. Behavior:​ The student will succeed when he/she… ● shows respect to their Savior, classmates, teachers, and classroom. ● communicates regularly with the instructor about homework or classroom procedures. ● diligently uses their God­given talents to complete assignments. ● comes to class regularly and participates often. Page 4 of 5 Academic Progress:​ It is the intent of KML that all students enrolled in this course should complete it successfully. The instructor will strive diligently to help students to succeed. When it becomes apparent to the instructor that a student has placed himself/herself in jeopardy of meeting the minimum requirements of the course, the instructor may begin the procedure outlined in the Academic Progress Policy of the KML Student Handbook in order to remedy the situation. Course Help:​ English 11 will push the student to grow in their individual reading and writing skills. In order to succeed, open communication with the instructor will benefit all involved. If there is ever a doubt or question regarding what is being asked of the student to perform the first step should be to ask Mrs. Meyer for help. God has given each student a unique set of gifts. Mrs. Meyer is always willing to help answer any questions so each student can expand their God given gifts in this course. Personal Electronic Devices:​ Besides your 1:1 BYOT device, any other personal electronic devices should not be visible in class. They may only be used if the instructor has given permission. Page 5 of 5