American Literature & Composition Syllabus

Mrs. Glover (Room 406 West Hall)

Ash567@gmail.com

678-525-8905

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

My name is Ashley Glover, and I will be your child’s American Literature & Composition instructor this fall. I would like to briefly tell you about myself, my beliefs about education, and some expectations I have for my students in this course.

Education is extremely important to me; I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Leadership from the University of Georgia in 2006, and I obtained my Master’s of Art in Teaching English Education from Kennesaw State University in 2008. I view learning as an adventure—one that is ongoing and never, ever boring! I will do my best to make my lectures and assignments fresh, creative, and interactive J

Here are some basic expectations I have for my students:

• Tardiness.

Being on time means that you are through the door BEFORE the bell rings.

I am one of those people who always struggled with being on time. However, in the professional world you just have to make it happen. So, in preparation for the rest of your professional lives, MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE ON TIME! You get 3 (THREE) freebies (because stuff happens J). After that, you will receive detention for every unexcused tardy you incur.

• Rudeness. Rude behavior can be defined by any and all of the following:

Cell phones in class à just don’t do it. Keep them off (or leave them in your locker). Don’t text, don’t make personal calls. If I see it or hear it, I have to take it up.

Talking out of turn à DO NOT talk while I am talking or while one of your peers is talking. If you have something to say, raise your hand. There will be some occasions where I will give you permission to talk quietly to one another if we finish an assignment ahead of schedule, but you will lose this privilege if you consistently break this rule.

Being mean Don’t be mean. There is a difference between playing/joking and being hurtful. Make sure you know the difference, because if I see or hear anything derogatory towards one of your peers, it’s an automatic detention. I don’t put up with it. Period.

Foul Language I personally find foul language offensive, and believe that all of my students are far more capable and creative when it comes to their vocabulary than to resort to obscenities. If I hear you using inappropriate or foul language, it will result in an automatic detention.

• Apathy.

Apathy is not appreciated in our classroom. I put a great amount of energy and thought into our lessons, and so I need you to be awake, alert, and focused in class.

Sleeping is not appreciated. I will ask any sleeping students to stand for the remainder of the class period.

If you don’t understand something, ask. If you need extra help, email me or stay after class to arrange a time for us to work through it together.

• Late work.

Again, life happens, and sometimes you won’t turn something in on time. This should be a very RARE occasion, however, because I will subtract 5 points off for every day you are late with an assignment/project.

If you are more than 5 (FIVE) days late with an assignment, it becomes a zero.

If you have a valid reason for something being late (illness, family emergency, etc…) you must provide documentation (i.e. written note) by your parent/legal guardian. It is also Cobb County’s policy that if you miss more than three consecutive days of school you will need a doctor’s note.

• Make-up work

I have a red folder on the table in the back of our classroom that has the words, “MAKE UP WORK,” written in bold, black letters across it. This is where you should look to obtain any handouts, worksheets, or assignments that you might have missed while you were out.

Check the blog! I update my blog daily before 5 pm, and you and your parents can keep up with our daily schedule, assignments, readings, and notes. It might be a good idea to get the email address/phone number of someone else in the class who can be a good source to copy notes from if you happen to miss a lecture day.

*Note: These are the ONLY times I am available for make up tests/quizzes. Please don’t ask if you can come during your lunch period – I have classes and planning and unfortunately cannot cater to all of your different schedules. Thanks!

• TESTS/QUIZZES: if you are out on a test day, you will be expected to make up the test within 3 (THREE) school days of your return. You will need to email me to arrange a time before school on one of the following days to make up tests/quizzes:

o Mondays (7:05-8:00am)

o Wednesdays (7:30-8:10 am)

o Fridays (6:45-8:05 am)

Course Description: The American literature course introduces students to the ways in which events in American history affect literature and culture in the United States. The goal is to help each student develop his or her self-knowledge of language arts as a whole. This will take place if we achieve the following objectives:

¨ Each student will be well-read in the study of American literature and its literary movements.

¨ Each student develops a willingness and ability to share opinions on paper, in class discussions, and in peer group activities.

¨ Students develop skills in the areas of analysis, criticism, evaluation, and interpretation.

¨ Students enjoy the experience of learning about literature and composition through a variety of activities and projects.

¨ Students continually study for the state-mandated writing exams and, consequently, are better-prepared for the SAT and ACT.

Required Assignments: In this course we will not only explore authors and works which are significant, but the literary movements/eras which made them important as well. We will also prepare intensively for the SAT with warm-up activities and weekly vocabulary quizzes.

¨ Vocabulary words and definitions are due every Wednesday/Thursday (block day) and the quizzes are every Friday.

¨ During the study of a major literary work, students should expect a reading quiz the day after the assigned reading.

¨ The course will be run chronologically. The following is a rough time frame for the course, and a tentative schedule of novels / short stories / authors we will read, based on availability and time:

Unit #	Literary Movement/ Era	Unit Title/Timeline	Authors/Texts
Unit One	Native American / Puritan Literature	Beginnings to 1750	Miller’s The Crucible, Native-American myths
Unit Two	Revolutionary/ Colonial Period	“A Nation Is Born” 1750 to 1800	Primary documents: speeches, pamphlets; poems, autobgrphy
Unit Three	Light and Dark Romanticism / New England Renaissance	“A Growing Nation” 1800 to 1870	Emerson, Thoreau, Fireside Poets, Whitman, Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville,
Unit Four	Realism/Local Color/ Regionalism and Naturalism	“Division, Reconciliation, and Expansion” 1850 to 1914	Twain’s Huck Finn, Chopin, Crane, (Zola), Wharton, Bierce, London, Harte, Gillman, *Dickinson
Unit Five	Modernism	“Disillusion, Defiance, and Discontent” 1914 to1946	Hemingway (5 short stories), Eliot, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Hughes, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
Unit Six	Post-Modernism	“Prosperity and Protest” 1946 to Present	Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, MLKs Letter / Civil Disobedience, O’Brien, Dillard, Cold Sassy Tree, A Streetcar Named Desire

Thank you so much for taking the time to explore our class expectations, procedures, and course outline. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at 678.525.8905, or via my email address at ash567@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Ashley D. Glover