Syllabus

American Literature at Havre de Grace High School Your instructor for this course is Ms. Ericca Barnett. You may contact Ms. Barnett as needed via Havre de Grace’s main office at 410-939-6600, via e-mail at Ericca.Barnett@hcps.org, or through Edmodo. Purpose and Essential Questions American Literature, at Havre de Grace High School, is an intense literature course designed to introduce and deepen students’ familiarity with influential American works. These pieces of literature unearth the various histories, cultures, and events of America’s people and invite students to garner their own understanding of times past. This course also fosters the communication skills, critical reading abilities, presentation proficiency, and academic/professional writing experiences that are essential to success in school, as well as the world beyond the academic realm. This course will also focus on fostering the skills necessary for students to excel on their SATs. Throughout this yearlong course, we will work together to examine American Literature by answering the following Essential Questions: Readings, Resources, and Skill Development As we work to develop our understanding of American Literature and the context in which it was written, we will study a variety of authors as well as genres. This exploration of America’s literature will include discussions about the texts, the authors’ voices/purposes, and cultural frameworks. Our journey through American Literature will take us through the following units:
 * 1) //What is American Literature and why is it important?//
 * 2) //How can American Literature help us understand events of both the past and the present?//
 * 3) //How can American Literature help us to understand ourselves?//


 * //Unit 1: Origins and Encounters 2000 BC – 1620 AD//
 * //Unit 2: From Colony to County 1620 – 1800//
 * //Unit 3: The Spirit of Individualism 1800 – 1855//
 * //Unit 4: Conflict and Expansion 1850 – 1900//
 * //Unit 5: The Changing Face of America 1855 – 1925//
 * //Unit 6: The Modern Age 1910 – 1940//
 * //Unit 7: War Abroad and Conflict at Home 1940 – Present//

As we work with the various texts of this course, our class will be engaged in the process of building the following skills:


 * //Critical Reading Strategies//
 * //Academic Writing for form and fluency//
 * //Professional Writing//
 * //Definition, identification and analysis of literary elements//
 * //Research strategies//
 * //Vocabulary building//
 * //Grammar building//
 * //Public speaking, discussion and, presentation skills//

Independent Reading

Students will be held responsible for bringing books, of their own choosing, to class, each day, for Independent Reading time. The time students spend reading their books will be graded for participation. Students will also be required to sign up for Shelfari (http://www.shelfari.com/), in order to engage in the class book club and submit their mandatory book reviews. Ms. Barnett will be conducting individual book conferences to check in with students and discover more about their reading styles, preferences, and achievements.

Materials As a student in Ms. Barnett’s class, you MUST have the following materials:

□ **Pens, Pencils,** and **lined notebook paper** □ One **three-ring binder** (1-inch) to be devoted to this class **__ONLY__**. Students will receive hole-punched handouts and must place these sheets in their binders. A spiral notebook or folder will not do, in this instance. The notebook should be divided into the following sections with **tabbed dividers**:
 * Notes
 * Classwork
 * Handouts
 * SAT Vocabulary/Literary Terms

// *Please Note: There will be a notebook check at the end of the second week of school. //

Classroom Rules
 * 1) Respect the teacher, one another, and our classroom.
 * 2) Actively and thoughtfully, engage in class activity.
 * 3) Follow directions and class procedures.
 * 4) Arrive on time and prepared to work.
 * 5) Take responsibility for your actions.

Classroom Procedures


 * LATENESS**

2. If you arrive late to class, sign the Late Book at the door. This is to ensure that Ms. Barnett correctly records attendance for the day. 3. Proceed to your seat and join the class in our work, immediately. 4. The consequences for late arrival are as follows:
 * 1. IN ORDER FOR INSTRUCTION TO TAKE PLACE, YOU MUST BE IN CLASS, ON TIME, EACH DAY. IF YOU DO HAPPEN TO ARRIVE LATE, KNOW THAT, YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO MAKE UP ANY OF THE WORK YOU MISSED, WITHOUT A PASS.**
 * Print your name, the date and the time of your arrival, as well as the reason for your lateness legibly in the book.
 * First and second offenses: You will receive warnings.
 * Third offense: You will receive a phone call home.
 * Fourth and subsequent offenses: You will receive zeroes for daily participation grades each time you are late for class.


 * RESTROOM USAGE**


 * **STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE FIVE BATHROOM PASSES AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH QUARTER. PASSES CAN EITHER BE EXCHANGED FOR ACCESS TO THE RESTROOM OR CASHED IN AT THE END OF EACH SEMESTER FOR EXTRA CREDIT.**


 * ABSENCES**

1. When you return after a legal absence, you must bring a note from home or the doctor’s office. 2. It is YOUR responsibility to speak with Ms. Barnett about making up all missed work. 3. The work we do in Honors British Literature is extremely important, and any unexcused absences will seriously threaten your progress in this class. **Five** unexcused absences will lower your grade, and **fifteen** unexcused absences will ensure your failure for the term.
 * Legal absences include sickness, court order, death of a family member/ friend, or a doctor/dentist’s appointment.


 * DISMISSAL**

Ms. Barnett dismisses the class. The clock/bell does not. No one may leave the room until all books are returned to their proper locations, materials are put away, and all required classwork is turned in to the teacher. Students will be dismissed when the classroom is restored to order.


 * HOMEWORK/ LATE WORK POLICY**


 * 1) Homework must be submitted to Edmodo //before// the class period begins, unless Ms. Barnett indicates otherwise. Homework that is not turned in, at the predetermined time, but still on the due date, will incur a 25 percent deduction.
 * 2) Late homework assignments (assignments not handed in on the due date) will NOT be accepted, UNLESS you have a note from a parent/guardian to verify your LEGAL absence from class.
 * 3) Late major writing assignments and class projects will be accepted at the discretion of the teacher. Policies could include but are not limited to:
 * 4) Late projects are subject to a 25% penalty for each day it is late.
 * 5) No late projects will be accepted.


 * ACADEMIC DISHONESTY**

Our classroom will be a haven for the free expression of thoughts and ideas. However, you MUST give credit (cite) the sources of your inspiration, thoughts, etc… Ms. Barnett has a zero-tolerance policy, regarding academic dishonesty. If students have compromised their academic integrity, Ms. Barnett will award them a zero, on the assignment/project/essay/etc.. in which they faltered. Academic dishonesty falls into the following categories:
 * 1) Cheating
 * 2) Plagiarism
 * 3) Fabrication
 * 4) Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
 * 5) Denying Other Access to Information of Material
 * 6) Falsifying Records and Official Documents.

Ms. Barnett will provide a handout that defines each of the categories above. If we work together, we can avoid both intentional as well as unintentional Academic dishonesty.


 * FOOD AND DRINK IN THE CLASSROOM**

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EAT OR DRINK IN THE CLASSROOM AT ANYTIME. This policy is in the interest of keeping our learning environment clean.

** CONSEQUENCES **
 * Level 1: Verbal Reminder**
 * Ms. Barnett will remind the individual causing the disturbance of the rule he/she is violating
 * Level 2: See Me**
 * Ms. Barnett will privately conference with the student.
 * Level 3: Time Out: Self Evaluation**
 * The student will go to the class time out area and complete a self-evaluation form. The goal is for the student to refocus her/his behavior and rejoin the class. Ms. Barnett will also contact the student’s parent/guardian at this level.
 * Level 4: Detention**
 * The student will serve 30 minutes of after school detention and complete a consequence essay assignment with Ms. Barnett. The completed consequence essay must be signed by a parent or guardian and returned. Additionally, Ms. Barnett will contact the student’s parent/guardian at the level.
 * Level 5: Parent Conference and Referral to an Administrator**
 * The student will be referred to an administrator for disciplinary action.

***These consequences provide a GUIDELINE for dealing with student misbehavior or disrespect. Ms. Barnett may choose to adjust consequences or skip levels as appropriate.***

Grading Policy Grades in Ms. Barnett’s class will be calculated using Edline and will be broken down as follows:
 * Classwork Assignments: 15%
 * Homework assignments: 15%
 * Participation: 10%
 * Quizzes and Tests: 25%
 * Writing Assignments and Projects: 35%

Extra Credit and Revision Work No extra credit will be given in this course, except in special circumstances, as Ms. Barnett deems it appropriate. If you are concerned about your grade, you may request extra help from Ms. Barnett, who will assist you based on your needs. A student who is failing because he or she has chosen not to complete the work assigned, who has been chronically late, or who has not been attending class WILL NOT, under any circumstances, receive extra credit work. A student, who has earned a failing grade on a major writing assignment, project, or test attempted in good faith (meaning you have contacted the teacher for help well in advance of the due date), may choose to revise the work or retake the test in order to improve his or her grade. This revision or retake must be completed within one week of the date that the graded assignment was handed back to the student. At no time, however, may a student who did not initially submit an assignment “revise” their grade of zero for a passing score.

Technology

Ms. Barnett is thoroughly convinced that the integration of technology, in the classroom, will enrich our educational process in a variety of ways. Students will have multiple opportunities to use the technology that they know so well and apply it to learn as well as express what they have learned in class.

Though technology will, undoubtedly, enrich the academic elements of the course, it can also be used to aid in increased organization and the reduction of waste. Bearing this in mind, Ms. Barnett is requiring students to register for Edmodo. This unique tool allows teachers to effortlessly integrate multimedia elements to assignments, provide feedback quickly, and to remain academically connected to students, outside of the boundaries of the classroom.

In efforts to increase student access to materials and information, everything that we do in class will be available to students, online.

Some of the websites we will be using are listed below:

Coach Classes Ms. Barnett will be available for coach classes to provide students with additional help or to assist them in making up work that was missed during an absence. Students who wish to attend coach classes may attend during the posted coach class time or may schedule time individually with Ms. Barnett.
 * 1) Symbaloo (Visual Website Bookmarking) - http://bit.ly/oUnegt
 * 2) American Literature Notebook - @http://bit.ly/qgd4RK
 * 3) Edmodo - @http://edmodo.com