University High School

Course Expectations for American Literature Honors

Course Instructor Michael Granger UHS Classroom 220 mgranger@iusd.org 949.936.7659 Course Texts HOLT Literature & Language Arts, Fifth Course
The Crucible Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The House of Mirth The Great Gatsby The Catcher in the Rye [by Arthur Miller] [by Mark Twain] [by Edith Wharton] [by F. Scott Fitzgerald] [by J. D. Salinger]

Course Site

www.nobleexperiment.org Username: twotwenty Password: student

Suggested Materials

Ringed Binder Bound Notebook

(1.5 or larger, with tabbed dividers) (personally comfortable)

Loose Filler Paper (8.5 by 11 college ruled) Writing Utensils (pencils, pens in black and other ink)

Course of Study
These United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem Here are the roughs and beards and space and ruggedness and nonchalance that the soul loves. [by Walt Whitman, 1855]

Honors American Literature is an introductory course designed to expose you to a core selection from the literature which has and continues to express and shape our national identity. It is a survey classwhich means that we will examine an array of literature in a relatively short time. The focus of the class, though, is on encouraging you to think critically about the world you inhabit, to do so by reading the texts that come from that world, and to encourage you to express your thinking in writing. To this end, the course breaks into halves: Semester I which focuses on literary work from before the Civil War and Semester II which focuses on texts from the turn of the twentieth century and beyond. The two semesters are further divided into a series of historically-driven thematic units. Each semester, we will examine the chosen literature using the themes to focus our study. Given this, it is worth noting that success in Honors American Literature depends more on your ability to thoughtfully engage the material and effectively communicate your ideas than on your skill at accruing points on isolated work tasks. Your grade will come from my efforts to measure your functional reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills overall.

Assessment of Study
In order to achieve the goals stated above, your grade will be comprised, approximately, of the following: Guided Practice with Reading and Writing as well as Listening and Speaking
Assignments designed to foster the development of knowledge, understanding, and skill. To include classwork and homework as well as various projects and, of course, the course journal.

20%

Formal Reading Assessment

Examinations and quizzes given to assess your ability to understand and analyze text.

20% 60%

Formal Writing Assessment

Essays on a variety of prompts to assess your ability to think quickly and express your thoughts in writing.

__________________________ Granger 2012-2013, page 1 of 2

Though the course is shaped by a desire to inspire critical thought about America and its expression of itself, it is also driven by a desire to prepare you for future literary study both at University High School and in college. Therefore, embedded within your study will be considerable preparation for both the CAHSEE and the SAT.

Behavior
I am your teacher. You are my student. Its an old archetype for a relationship, but a good one. It makes us colleagues. And as colleagues, let us be honest with each other, but also respectful. And let us behave with integrity and honor. You may choose to what extent you engage yourself in this classroom, but all that you have to offer will be valued. Each day it will be my goal to assist you in dreaming and achieving your goalsand I hope they will be noble and lofty. Regardless, I hope we will finish each day better for the time we have spent together. Policies of Note All standards set forth in the Trojan Code of Conduct apply. Please follow all of the typical rules regarding everything from the dress code to cell phone usage. A few highlights (with some minor changes): Absences & Tardies: A parent or guardian must contact the school to excuse any absences within three days or you will be marked as truant. After five absences of any kind (excused or unexcused), you may be subject to measures of intervention by the school, district, or state. You are allowed two tardies per semester, penalty free. The third, fourth and fifth warrant detentions with me after school. Beyond that, the school indicates penalties. (The point: please be here, and be here on time.) Any daily homework, quizzes, or tests missed because of an excused absence may be made up. You have one day to make up the work for each day you were excused. Any daily homework that is not turned in on time or any daily homework, quizzes, or tests missed because of an unexcused absence will be given zero credit. However, any major assignments (work which you were given one or more weeks to complete) will be due on the assigned date regardless of absence. Late work will be accepted for one half the original credit, up to the end of the quarter in which it was assigned. Exceptions may be made for emergency situations, but only on a case-by-case basis. Academic Honesty: You are expected to turn in your own work and only your own work. In any form and on any assignment, plagiarizing work or allowing someone to plagiarize work violates this expectation Consequences are listed in the Trojan Code. I will pursue punishment.

Late/Make-up Work:

Help Should you have questions, you may feel free to contact me using either my e-mail address or phone number. However, your peers are often more readily available at odd hours of the late night and can be even more useful for certain types of questions. So, in order to help with the problem of missed or misunderstood work, and to help with the formation of study groups, copy below the appropriate information for two other students from the class.

Student Name Phone Number E-mail Address

____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________

Student Name ____________________________ Phone Number ____________________________ E-mail Address ____________________________

__________________________ Granger 2012-2013, page 2 of 2