11th Honors American Literature

11th Grade Honors American Literature 2007 -08
Year long Syllabus
Instructor:
Sally G. Sebastian
sebastian@fultonschools.org

Texts and replacement costs:
Prentice Hall Literature Diamond Level $70
Prentice Hall Grammar $60
Supplemental texts $15

Course Description
In 2004 the Georgia Department of Education adopted new Georgia Performance Standards for grades 9-12. Consistent with state curriculum, the Fulton County Schools English language arts curriculum implementation aligns with state standards. The content standards for this course are clustered by strands: Reading and Literature, Reading Across the Curriculum, Conventions, Writing, and Listening/Speaking/Viewing.

American Literature and Composition will continue to build on the reading and language curriculum established in tenth grade. Throughout this course, students will have opportunities to develop and expand their knowledge of American literature and demonstrate their mastery level of new learning through performance tasks and assessments. At the completion of this course, students will take the American Literature and Composition End-of-Course Test required by state law.

Reading and Literature
Focusing on a chronological study of American literature, students will develop an understanding of the importance of various periods of literature that characterize and reflect the American experience.

Reading Across the Curriculum
To encourage students to become life-long readers, the curriculum includes standards that address both academic and personal habits of reading. Students will read approximately one million words per year from a variety of subject disciplines including language arts. In the English language arts classroom, students will learn the vocabulary of literature, writing, and listening, speaking, and viewing.

Writing
Expository writing is the focus for eleventh grade; however, students will continue to produce a wide range of writings including polished narratives, persuasive pieces and technical documents. Students will practice both timed and process writing

Conventions
Students will increase their knowledge of the conventions of language in reading, writing, and speaking. They will demonstrate their control of the rules of English

Listening/Speaking/Viewing
Students will continue to develop their critical listening skills as well as their speaking through presentations and interactions with the teacher and other students.

The complete list of all the Performance Standards for the course is available online at www.georgiastandards.org/english.aspx under American Literature and Composition.

Course Focus
· Extensive writing (process and timed)to include a major research project
· Extensive reading of American texts, both fiction and nonfiction
· Understanding of the origins and complex nature of American culture and literature
· Close reading and critical analysis of all selections
· Awareness of connections among literary movements and selections
· Ability to make meaning from texts
· Understanding and application of literary terms
· Thinking independently


Academic Expectations
One of the most important goals of this class is to produce independent thinkers who will be lifelong learners.
We will be engaged in the “great conversation” throughout the year and will attempt to answer the overarching question: “What does it mean to be human?” It is imperative that class members participate fully by asking questions, offering opinions, requesting clarification or all three.

Note: Students who fail to maintain a satisfactory average will not be recommended for AP Literature. An honors student’s need to request recovery is a clear indication that the student is misplaced and that a course change needs to be effected.

Learning is a process that includes both successes and failures, thus should not be punitive; therefore, not all work will be graded by the instructor. In no way does this policy limit the stringency or the high standards in the classroom. Students are expected to attend class regularly, to be focused, to present work on time, and to participate in creating an atmosphere conducive to intellectual curiosity and to tolerance and respect for differing opinions. All guidelines for behavior outlined in the student handbook will be honored in the classroom.

GRADING POLICY:
Grades will adhere to the Fulton County grading scale (Honors points are added at the county level): A = 90-100 B = 89-80 C = 79 – 70 F = below 70

Grades will be determined on the basis of accumulated points out of the total possible. Values are as follows:
In class essays: 50 – 100 points
Quizzes: 10 – 30 points
Compositions: 75 - 150 points
Homework: 10 – 50
Participation: 10 – 100 points (including online discussion groups)
Tests: 75 – 150 points
EOCT: 15% of grade (Spring semester)
Final exam (Fall semester): 15% of grade

LATE WORK:
Assignments are due as scheduled. Submitting work late is a bad habit that should be avoided. NO late homework will be accepted. NO EXCEPTIONS. Late papers and projects are subject to a 20% penalty per day, including weekend days.

MAKE UP WORK AND ABSENCES:
Regular attendance is crucial to success in this class. We will move at a rapid pace and most of the learning comes from the exchange of ideas in class discussion. Because of the heavy academic load of the instructor as well as of the students, time available for make up work is limited. It is best not to miss any class except in the case of a true emergency. The STUDENT, not the instructor, is responsible for making up any work missed. You must arrange to make up work within one week of the date you return by using a calendar designated for that purpose. After that, no make up will be allowed. Lengthy absences will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PLAGIARISM STATEMENT:
Plagiarism is the use of another’s words or ideas and the representation of them as entirely one’s own. Acts of plagiarism might include, but are not limited to:
Ø Using words or ideas from published source without proper documentation
Ø Using the work of another student (e.g. copying another student’s homework, composition, or project)
Ø Using excessive editing suggestions of another student, teacher, parent, tutor, or paid editor
Excessive editing occurs when well meaning parents, siblings, teachers, tutors, etc. provide their own ideas, words, phrases, or revisions to your paper. To avoid excessive editing, those who wish to help should do so by cueing and questioning. For example: “What exactly do you mean here?” “Can you find a better, stronger word?” “This seems unclear; can you rephrase it?” Such questions stimulate the writer’s thinking and allow him or her to write independently and to find his or her unique voice.

Plagiarism on any project or paper will result in a zero for the assignment and an Honor Code Violation. Unless strictly stipulated by the teacher, collaboration on written work is not acceptable. Students who willingly provide other students with access to their work are in violation of the Honor Code. Providing other students with access to work includes reporting contents of quizzes, timed writing, and other exercises done in class prior to those students’ coming to class. In addition, accessing essays provided on line by any entity is considered plagiarism and subject to an Honor Code violation.
Your instructor takes the Honor Code seriously.

Course of study:
We will read various selections-essays, poetry, fiction-- in our literature textbook. I will supply other selections as needed.
Novels and longer selections may include, but are not limited to the following:
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Billy Budd by Herman Melville
Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Walt Whitman’s poetry
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Fences by August Wilson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Wit by Margaret Edson
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

In addition, each semester students will be required to read independently 2 (3, if time allows) selections of their choosing with permission of the instructor. There will be time in class for some reading; there will be assignments as responses to the independent reading.

Please note: selections may be changed, added, deleted, or rearranged in response to student needs, interests, and the exigencies of time. The syllabus may be amended or changed as well. All changes will be at the discretion of the instructor.



Communication:
Parent Conferences: While I welcome communication with parents, students at this level should make every effort to resolve issues independently prior to a meeting with parents and the instructor. I can be reached at sebastian@fultonschools.org

RECOVERY POLICY:
Students are responsible for contacting the teacher concerning recovery opportunities.
FULTON COUNTY RECOVERY POLICY:
(High School version)
Provision for Improving Grades
1. Opportunities designed to allow students to recover from a low
or failing cumulative grade will be allowed when all work required
to date has been completed and the student has demonstrated
a legitimate effort to meet all course requirements including
attendance.

Students should contact the teacher concerning recovery
opportunities. Teachers are expected to establish a reasonable time period for
recovery work to be completed during the
semester. All recovery work must be directly related to course
objectives and must be completed ten school days prior to the
end of the semester.

2. Teachers will determine when and how students with extenuating
circumstances may improve their grades.


CHATTAHOOCHEE HIGH SCHOOL GUIDELINES:
Recovery is available to students with a cumulative grade below 74% after a minimum of two (2) major grades. The maximum grade a student can earn for a recovery activity is 70%. There will be only one recovery opportunity per failed major assignment or test. The individual teacher will determine the means of recovery. THE STUDENT MUST INITIATE THE PROCESS WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS OF NOTIFICATION OF A FAILING GRADE ON A MAJOR ASSIGNMENT/TEST.