Solon High School
Honors American Literature
Mrs. Bush
2010-2011
This year in Honors English 11, we will study writers who have shaped our nation from colonists and Puritans through the present. Required readings for this course include selections from the Glencoe Literature: The Reader’s Choice - American Literature text, The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Raisin in the Sun. We will study these classic works in predominately chronological order. Writing, consisting of literature-based essays, journals, and creative pieces, will comprise 50% of the course.
Goals for the Class:
1. Create a non-threatening environment where you can flourish.
2. Promote a love of learning that will transcend your high school career.
3. Appreciate the classics of American Literature.
4. Begin to see the connections between literature and its social context. Notice how literature is both influenced by and influences the time period in which it is written.
5. Integrate reading and writing.
6. Discuss important themes and how they relate to current life.
7. Make connections between American Literature and American History.
8. Develop as a reader, writer, and thinker.
9. Advance your abilities of communication.
10. Prepare for various upcoming tests: PSAT, SAT, ACT, etc.
Expectations:
1. Meet the aforementioned goals. This necessitates acting in a responsible manner: doing assigned work, not talking while others are talking, realizing a divergence of opinion can be positive. (i.e. DEMONSTRATE RESPECT)
2. Be in assigned seat with needed materials when bell rings. (no tardies, no passes)
3. Do your best; seek help when you do not understand.
4. The work you hand in must be your own. Plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment, plus other penalties as per the school policy.
5. Submit all work on time.
6. No food or drink.
7. Follow all rules in student handbook.
Disciplinary Actions for Minor Infractions:
If the above expectations are not met, the following course of action will be instated:
1. First infraction = verbal warning/teacher conference
2. Second infraction = 30 minute teacher detention + phone call to parents
3. Third infraction = office detention
Any severe violation will result in an immediate referral to the office.
Teacher Detentions - Arrange for and serve a 30-minute detention within three days. Otherwise, an office referral will be sent.
Materials – Please bring a pen or pencil, lined paper, a designated English binder or folder, and a “good eraser” to class each day.
Grading - The grading scale that I will use in this class is the same as the school grading scale: 90 -100 A, 80 - 89 B, 70 - 79 C, 60 - 69 D, 0-59 F. I do not round grades. If you want an A, plan to have a 90% or higher. Many of your writings for this class will be scored using the Solon Writing Rubrics; however, other writings will utilize student-created rubrics and teacher made scoresheets. Assignments which “extend” the basic assignment in a meaningful way will receive As, assignments which meet the assigned criteria will receive Bs, and assignments which do not meet the expected quality level or criteria of the assignment will receive Cs, Ds, and Fs.
Writing Assignments – Type four lines of info in the upper left corner of the first page: your name, assignment title, due date, name of course. Please use a header with your last name – page number in the upper right corner of each page. Include a creative title, centered above the first line of text for each paper. Please remember to underline the titles of books, plays, magazines, and CDs, but to quote the titles of short stories, poems, articles, and songs. Also remember that when you write the title of your paper or poem at the top of that work, it does NOT get underlined, quoted, or italicized. Solon teachers will again use turnitin.com as a plagiarism check. Papers not received by midnight on the day the paper is due will receive a 10% reduction in points. Papers not turned in by the time the papers are returned will receive a zero.
Solon’s Writing Lab – The writing lab, staffed by an English teacher or National Honor Society student, is located in the Media Center. Visit the writing lab for assistance on extended papers and assignments. You should take your assignment sheet with you to the writing lab, so it is clear to the teacher what is required. It is also helpful if you ask a specific question about your paper. (i.e. Do I need to add more specific examples to prove Pearl’s impishness? NOT: How’s this?)
Tests - As per Solon’s testing schedule, whenever possible English tests will be given on Mondays and Wednesdays. There is usually a review session held the day before the test. To discourage absences on test days, make up tests will be harder than in-class tests. Report to the Testing Center to make up tests within three days. As per the school policy, any tests not taken within the allotted time will receive a zero. (If you miss a vocabulary test, come to my room at 7:30 am the following day to make it up.)
Late Assignments - In the effort to encourage you to hand in your assignments on time, late assignments will only be worth 50% of the original number of points for five days after the original due date of the assignment. This policy applies regardless of whether or not you are absent. If you have had more than five days to work on an assignment, I expect it to be handed in on time. If you are not in school, you may have someone drop it off in my school mailbox or email it to me by 3:15 p.m. (NOTE: A late assignment receives a 50% reduction in points.) If the assignment is not handed in within five days, you will not receive any credit.
Absences – Please reduce absences to fewer than three per quarter. If you are absent, please check your calendar or solonschools.org or call a classmate to determine what occurred in class. If you are going to be absent more than three days in a row, call the guidance office and I will send your assignments home. Also, if you are only absent part of a day, your assignment is still due on the original day. Please deliver it to me or drop it off in my mailbox before you leave for the day or when you arrive at school.
Missed Quizzes - Oftentimes we will have pop quizzes to verify that you completed the reading. If you are absent on the day of a quiz, your next quiz will count double. (You need to make up vocabulary and other tests however.)
Americandreamer.net - my personal website created for your use in this class. It contains information on the texts we will be studying, the assignment sheets for the major projects we will complete this year, and additional resources to help you with the SAT, ACT and writing contests.
Saving Class Materials - I strongly advise you to save class materials in an organized fashion (notebook, file folders, etc.). You will be expected to review previously taught material for the midterm and final.
Portfolios - We will continue to use writing folders in this class. Throughout the year we will collect all of the writing done in this class for purposes of data collection and reflection.
Writing Contests – In the past, my students have been very successful at winning writing contests. I will provide multiple contests for you to enter, regardless of which genre of writing you prefer (poem, essay, play, short story, etc.). If you enjoy creative writing, or if you already have some pieces that you’ve written that you like, this assignment is for you.
Summer Reading - Over the summer, you were required to read The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager and The Crucible. We will begin discussing these texts this week, and we will have a test next week. If you did not attend this school last year, please notify me at the end of class today so that parallel arrangements can be made.
Research Projects – During second semester you will be asked to create a Multi-Genre Project. It has been a perennial favorite, so I think you will enjoy it.
Career Passports - The State of Ohio now requires all juniors to complete a career passport, which is actually a worthwhile assignment. This passport consists of information on your plans beyond high school, a resume, and reference letters. A career passport should be helpful to you as you apply to colleges and search for jobs. You may want to begin thinking of what you want to do with your future, if you haven’t already.
I am looking forward to having a great year with you!
