PebblebrookHigh School

Be Amazing: Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships!

English DepartmentSchool Year 2012-2013

COURSE TITLE: American Literature INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. Ruthann Rust

EMAIL: PHONE: 770-819-2521 ext. 237

SCHOOL WEBSITE:

TEACHER BLOG:

LEARNING GOALS: This year’s school goals focus on improving both reading comprehension and written expression. American literature will provide a myriad of opportunities for students to meet these goals through independent, small group, large group, teacher-led, and student-led educational experiences.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Traveling thematically through key American themes, we will explore and analyze how geography, culture, historical events, and language help to shape American texts. Outside novels, online articles, grammar and writing mechanics, the comprehensive research paper, and selected composition assignments comprise the content of the course. Students will also participate in various writings and activities to help build a strong foundation for writing and communication skills. Technology will also be present in our course in various forms and will require student and teacher participation.

GRADING POLICY:

Reading...... 25%

Writing…………………………...... ………25%

Speaking and Listening...... ………………………15%

Language………………………...... ………………10%

Common Assessment…………………………...... 5%

EOCT……………………………………...... 15%

Final Assessment………………………………...... 5%

PINNACLE ACCESS TO GRADES: It is strongly encouraged that you keep your Pinnacle login information in a safe place and that you have access to the information when needed. You will not be given grade reports outside of the ones provided every six weeks. It is preferable, in order to save paper, that you and your parents regularly access your grades for all courses through the Pinnacle website.

**PARENTS SHOULD CONTACT THE GUIDANCE OFFICE IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THEIR PINNACLE PASSWORD AND ACCESS INFORMATION.**

Please note that when you are viewing grades in Pinnacle that a blank grade column for your child has no effect on their grade. If the space is blank your student may not have turned in that assignment due to absence or the teacher may not have entered grades for that assignment at that time. An “X” means that the student is exempt from an assignment at the discretion of the teacher.

TEXTS/READINGS:Central Text: Prentice Hall Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The American Experience

Supplemental and Parallel Texts: In addition, we will survey selected short stories, poetry, Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Loewen’sLies My Teacher Told Meand Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

POSSIBLE FILM(S):The Crucible, Last of the Mohicans, The Great Gatsby, A Streetcar Named Desire, along withvarious historical documentaries, and author biographies.

NOTE:As stated above, material covered in this course may contain mature language or themes. Parents should take an active role by investigating course material. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments Signature of the attached syllabus acknowledgement form indicates awareness of course material and the responsibilities of the student.

TEXTBOOK ASSIGNMENT: Please be aware that each student will be assigned a textbook from the class set. The text will remain in the classroom at all times. Please note that students are responsible for their textbook. If the textbook is lost, due to any reason, students will be required to pay the fines associated with replacing the text.

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:

There are many ways to evaluate (grade) your progress in class. Some of the ways in which students will be evaluated are:

Formative Assessment:

  • Class discussion
  • Teacher-student conferences
  • Journals, Quick writes, and Summarizing
  • Voice Lessons (writing exercises)
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Exit Tickets
  • Daily Reflections
  • Online discussions and activities

Summative Assessment:

  • Quizzes
  • Weekly Reading Comprehension
  • Tests
  • Essays
  • Presentations
  • Projects

WRITING:

During our time together you will be writing several different pieces working toward creating a portfolio of your writing to share with an authentic audience.

  • Literary analysis writing
  • Timed writing
  • Creative writing
  • Expository writing
  • Technical Writing
  • Argumentative Writing
  • Narrative Writing

PARTICIPATION: ALL students are expected to actively and thoughtfully contribute to class discussions.

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is ESSENTIAL to your success in this course. It is YOUR responsibility to come to school and "plug in" to the learning community. Being here does not mean simply filling the seat.

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ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE POLICY:

A student who is present and actively participates is more likely to be successful; however, if a student is absent, he/she has the number of days absent plus one day to make up assigned work. If the student does not make up the work, a zero will be given for the missed work. All a student has to do is ASK, and I will be happy to designate a time for make-up work.

If a student has an unexcused absence, all work will be assigned a zero in Pinnacle unless the absence becomes excused. Remember, that IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK FOR AND TO MAKE UP ANY MISSED WORK! Please check the blog for all missed work.

Any student who misses class for OSS or ISS must turn in his/her work the day he/she returns to class. Students in OSS must have their work picked up in the main office.

LATE WORK POLICY:

It is my expectation that you will turn in your work on time. However, in the event of an absence or an emergency, late work will be accepted upon completion, but will result in a lower grade. .All major assignments/projects will be penalized 10% each day late.Late class work and homework assignments only receive half credit the next class period

TARDY POLICY:

To avoid being counted tardy, students must be seated and ready for class when the bell rings. School policy states that students may receive warnings, teacher detentions, SaturdaySchool, In-School Suspension, and Out-of-School Suspension for repeated tardiness. COME TO CLASS ON TIME! Students will now be required to use the Late Arrival System to obtain tardy slips for admittance to class. The LAS requires students to enter their lunch identification number and prints a slip to submit to their teacher to gain admittance to class. Students are allowed a total of threetardies before administrative action will be taken. Please note that this system does not allow for threetardies to one class before administrative action is taken; rather, the LAS accumulates all tardies to school, to classes, to homeroom, and from lunch. Therefore, it is possible for a student to earn five tardies in one day.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Cheating is considered a serious matter. The parents of a student who has been involved in cheating will be notified and the student will receive a grade of zero for the test or evaluation period, and a grade of U in conduct.

For this course, cheating is defined as, but not limited to, the following acts:

  • Copying anyone’s answers to questions, exercises, study guides, class work, test revisions, or homework assignments.
  • Taking any information verbatim from any source, including the Internet, without giving proper credit to the author, rearranging the order of words and/or changing some words as written by the author and claiming the work as his or her own, i.e., plagiarism.
  • Looking on another student’s paper during a test or a quiz.
  • Having available any study notes or other test aides during a test or quiz without the teacher’s permission.
  • Writing test and unit information on desks or any other item viewable to the student during a test (ex. Shoes, hand, clothing, book bag, the back of the chair in front of the student, and small pieces of paper).
  • Collaborating on assignments when independent work is expected.
  • Using cell phones, iPods, or any other electronic device to send test answers or information to other students (ex: calculators or paging devices).
  • Having a parent, guardian, family member, or friend complete research or assignments for you.
  • Sharing test information with the teacher’s other students

Grade Recovery: You may re-take any assignment, within one week, on which you make a grade of 73 or less.

EXTRA HELP:I am available before school by appointment on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (7:45-8:10). I will be available after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:

All conferences must be setup through the Guidance Office and will be scheduled before or after school. You can reach the guidance department at 770-819-2524. Please do not visit teachers in their classrooms before or after school to discuss your student’s progress as scheduled conferences are the best way to conduct these types of meetings.

EXPECTATIONS:

  • Arrive on time, with materials, and ready to work
  • Show respect to your peers, teacher, and classroom visitors (ex: administrator or substitute)
  • Students will exhibit mature behavior and not require corrective action
  • Stay on task and focused.
  • Participate with the online discussions and activities.
  • No food, cell phones, hats, iPods, CD players, PSPs, or other electronic devices should be seen during class.
  • Participate in class discussions and complete all work on time.
  • Remain seated without walking across the classroom while instruction is taking place.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

  1. Paper
  2. Pen and highlighter
  3. 3 ringed 1 ½ - 2” binder for handouts, notes, and supplemental readings
  4. 5 divider tabs
  5. Journal/Composition Book
  6. Required textbook/outside reading materials
  7. Post-it Notes
  8. Two packs of index cards 3x5 or larger (lined or unlined)
  9. 4GB flashdrive

COMPOSITION REQUIREMENTS:

  • All work should be completed with care and reflect grade level insight. Illegible work and papers without the proper identification will be returned to students for revision.
  • Student name, teacher name, class, and date should appear in the upper left-hand corner of all assignments per MLA style.
  • All final draft essays should follow the standard MLA manuscript format for written composition. Major writing assignments should be typed. The computer lab (room 907) and the media center computers are available before and after school for word processing. Please see me for more information.

E-MAILING ASSIGNMENTS:

Sometimes I will require you to send assignments to my personal e-mail to be assessed. DO NOT send any work to my county e-mail address because it may be marked as SPAM and I will not receive it. Send work to:

EOCT Notice:

You must be present for the EOCT. If you miss a section of the test and do not make up the missed section on the assigned make up day, you will not receive a grade for this course until the EOCT has been completed. You may not make arrangements to take the test early or during any other time than during your regular class time.

Please note that, if need be, adjustments to the Syllabus will be made in order to best serve the needs of the students.

SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TEACHER:Mrs. RustCOURSE: American Literature

PLEASE VISIT MY BLOG TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE CLASS SYLLABUS AT

PARENTAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

  • I understand the academic integrity policy as stated in this syllabus.
  • I have reviewed the class syllabus and understand the grading policy.
  • I give my child permission to view the listed movies, and any other movies chosen by the teacher at or below an R rating that are related to the curriculum of the class.
  • I give permission for my child to read the class readings noted in the syllabus.
  • I understand that my student is responsible for selecting his or her own sustained silent reading text.
  • I give my child permission to participate in the online blog.
  • I am willing to be contacted by e-mail, phone, and regular mail regarding my student’s progress.
  • I will contact my student’s teacher at any time regarding any concerns with the class curriculum or my student’s progress.
  • I have viewed the required materials for this class.
  • I have access to the Internet and will access the Pinnacle parent feature to check on my child's progress.
  • I understand that teachers will make every effort to post grades within two weeks upon receipt of student work. However, posting of grades for common assessments/tasks may take longer than two weeks.

STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

  • I understand the academic integrity police as stated in this syllabus.
  • I have reviewed the class syllabus and understand the grading policy.
  • I will participate in the online activities associated with the blog.
  • I will model mature behavior
  • I will positively and actively participate in my education and take all make-up work responsibility upon myself to ensure my success in class.
  • I will bring all of the required materials to class (pen, pencil, textbook, paper, and folder).
  • I will contact my teacher at any time regarding any concerns or questions concerning the class curriculum or my personal progress in her class.

Student Name: ______

PLEASE PRINT

______

(Student Signature)

______

(Parent Signature)

______

(Parent e-mail and preferred contact telephone number) PLEASE PRINT

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