English 11: American Literature Instructor: Kody Partridge Email: kodypartridge@rowlandhall.

org Telephone: 801-455-3280 The literary history of this nation began when the first settler from abroad of sensitive mind paused in his adventure long enough to feel that he was under a different sky, breathing new air, and that a New World was all before him with only his strength and Providence for guides. With him began a different emphasis upon an old theme in literature, the theme of cutting loose and faring forth, renewed under influence of a fresh continent for civilized man (Literary History of the United States, xv). Summer Reading: The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls) Assigned Works: Hawthorne Short Stories (Nathaniel Hawthorne) Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), 20 Under 40: Stories from The New Yorker (Deborah Treisman), The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (Ken Kesey) Other Texts: We will also read other short works by American writers as well as works of non-fiction, including short personal essays, analytical essays focused on the world of media, political speeches, and historical documents. We will also read poems by American poets. _____ Course Content: This course will explore the American Voice. What is it? Where does it come from? Who defines it? Why is it unique? Who can claim ownership of it and why? To answer these questions, students will read a variety of texts, including novels, poetry, short stories, and essays. To help guide us, we will look at the interplay between the historical and the poetic, the political and the literary. For this reason, we will trace the chronological development of American literature, but we will not let it dictate our exploration. (At times, we will examine two works at once that speak to each other and to us from different historical contexts.) We will look at how ownership and influence over the evolution of language has often led to power in the history of our country. As you come to understand who defines the American Voice, you will gain both perspective and insight into our nations history as well as learn to access some of the power that language grants to those who participate in its evolution. In this course, I will value your ability to develop an informed opinion and to engage in civic discourse with others, which is one of the most important skills you can have as a member of our democratic society. Successful mastery of this skill will require not only thoughtful preparation and skillful execution, but also the ability to hear and listen to the opposing point of view. To help you gain this skill, students will be required to (1) analyze and respond to wide range of texts, including visual texts, (2) expanding your working vocabulary not only of English but also of literary and rhetorical devices, (3) recognize key allusions, (4) ask questions and draw inferences, (5) search for critical information and synthesize it, (6) generalize from specifics, (7) support a claim with evidence, (8) review grammatical elements, particularly those stressed in SAT exams. All of these skills will help you move from summary to analysis, which is a critical goal of this course. Writing: I will assign students to complete a number of different writing assignments, including but not limited to in-class writing prompts, response papers, formal essays (analytical and narrative), and a short research paper that follows the guidelines of MLA documentation. The in-class writing prompts will help students prepare for the SAT II exam. The response papers will provide a place to explore a question, defend a stance, think through an argument, make a connection to your life, or challenge

what you've read or heard. The formal essays will demand that students learn to have patience with their own writing and to work on crafting their ideas with care and substantiating their claims with credible sources. Revision: Because students can learn from revising their work (and because the formal essays constitute a significant percent of their final grade), students may revise any of their formal essays and resubmit them for a higher grade (up to an A minus). Students have one week to revise a paper. [Note: Students should correct all editing errors, but to earn a higher grade, students must revise the content of their essay.] Vocabulary: All students need to be competent readers and writers, and therefore, it is critical that students have access to a wide range of words. For this course, you will need to familiarize yourself with the vocabulary common to analyzing literary and rhetorical devices that an author might employ. In addition, you will work on expanding your working knowledge of the English language by mastering a list of words I have compiled by perusing texts preparing students for the demands of the SAT test. (We will also look at the etymologies of the words we learn, in particular, those derived from Latin and Greek.) You will be quizzed periodically to encourage you to incorporate these words into your working vocabulary. The list for each trimesters final exam will be compiled from the cumulative vocabulary list. Testing: Although written responses to the assigned readings will be an important means of evaluating a students mastery, it is critical that students are reading the assigned material. A strong reader has an important foundation for mastering the act of writing. For this reason, students will take a number of quizzes and multiple-choice style tests. [Note: Since standardized tests use multiplechoice style tests, I think it is critical that students have opportunities to hone their test-taking skills.] Grades: Final grades will be determined from the following areas: in-class participation (10%), homework (10%), quizzes as well as tests (35%), formal and informal writing assignments including response papers and literary analysis (30%), and the trimester final exam (15%). _____ Community Expectations: I expect that everyone respect one another at all times. No exceptions. Class Participation: I also expect you to come to class having read the assigned text and prepared to take a short reading quiz and/or write an impromptu reflection/response as well as engage in a rigorous discussion. (I tend to avoid lengthy lectures because I prefer that students engage each other and that different voices and points of view can be heard.) As juniors, you should be intellectually curious and prepared to question and dismantle stereotypes in thinking and in language. You must make an effort to attend every class on time and with the appropriate materials, i.e., pen and/or pencil, 3-ring binder (with loose leaf paper), and the text to be discussed. Please leave cell phones, iPods, and other gadgets in your locker. If I see them, I will confiscate them. Students can carry a water bottle and/or a small snack, but it must not cause any disruptions, or I will rescind the privilege. (If a student is late because he or she is buying a snack or returning from lunch, he or she will be marked tardy.) Since we are now a laptop school, I will expect students to have their laptops with them and to be prepared to work on them and to email me in-class assignments and notes. However, I also expect students to maintain their focus on the discussion and work at hand. Any student working on an assignment for another

class or surfing the net can expect that they will lose points for participation and that they have lost the right to work on their computer for that class period. Participation Points: Because of the rigor of this course, students must be prepared for each class. I will periodically check to see that students have their materials with them in class: text, laptop, notebook (with notes and handouts), assigned homework, and a writing utensil. The students who come to class with these materials and are prepared for the discussion will earn ten points. Students who come to class with some of the required materials but are not prepared to engage in the discussion will earn seven points. Students who come to class but do not have materials and are not prepared will earn one point. These points cannot be recovered. Students who have an excused absence will not be held accountable for this particular check. Students who have an unexcused absence will not receive credit for this assignment. Since it is critical that students come to class having read the assigned text and are willing to engage their peers in a meaningful discussion, the English department has created a rubric for evaluating a students level of engagement and contributions. The periodic checks as well as the evaluation will be recorded throughout the trimester and will constitute 10% of their final grade. Outside Communication: According to school policy, students and teachers are expected to check their email twice a day once in the morning and once in the afternoon before departing from school. This expectation will help students, teachers, and administrators communicate critical information to each other. In addition, I will expect students to check the class website on Veracross for any updates regarding readings, homework, and/or clarifications before they leave for the day. If a student needs to contact me and it is after 3:40, then he or she may contact me at home. My telephone number is 801-455-3280. If I do not answer, I encourage students to leave me a detailed message (including their telephone number) so that I am able to return their call when possible. However, if a student calls after 9:00 p.m., he or she should expect that I might not respond until the following day. Attendance: Any absence excused or otherwise disrupts the learning process. Our in-class discussions and activities cannot be reproduced. Therefore, every effort should be made to attend class and to be prepared on a daily basis. I will, of course, work with students who have an excused absence and help them catch up, but students must also understand the schools consultation policy and be accountable for making up the work. Excused Absences: (1) If students know that they will be absent from school (for the entire day), they should schedule a time beforehand to meet with me and get the work. If an unexpected absence occurs, it is the responsibility of the students to follow the schools consultation policy. In other words, students should look at the homework and class notes posted on the class website, attempting to be prepared for the following class period. In addition, students must arrange to sit down with me so that I can answer their questions and clarify my expectations. (It is not the responsibility of the teacher to track a student down.) (2) If students attend some of their classes and are only missing a particular class or two, they must turn in the homework to me before they leave (or late points will be deducted accordingly). (3) If students are missing an extended period of school, they should meet with me beforehand to discuss homework and then use the class website to check for updates. I will, of course, abide by the policy for consultation days for collecting the make-up work. However, it is critical that students work on assignments while they are away. Procrastination will not serve them. Unexcused Absences: If students are not excused from an absence, their grade will be impacted. Students who miss a quiz will not be allowed to take it. Students who missed a test will have points

deducted from their score. Students who failed to turn in an assignment will have points deducted from their grade as outlined in my discussion of late work. In addition, students should read the schools new policy on unexcused absences. Tardies: Consistent with Rowland Hall policy, students will receive a detention for the third tardy and for every subsequent tardy. A written excuse for tardies must be presented when a student arrives in class. The policy states that after 15 minutes, a student will be considered absent. Students who arrive after this time (without a note excusing them) will be held accountable for any missed work. A student who is tardy cannot make up a quiz. Office Hours for Consultation: On Mondays and Thursday, I can be available to meet with students during lunch. On Tuesdays and Wednesday, I can also meet with students during the consultation period: 9:46 to 10:09 a.m. In addition, students can arrange to meet with me before school or after forth period. However, students must contact me at least 24 hours in advance by email, by telephone, or in person to schedule an appointment. Be judicious and plan ahead so that I can help you succeed in this class. Late Work: Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date, including essays, which must be submitted in hard copy form and stapled. When you have finished your paper, as a precaution, you can email it to me as an attachment before class begins. Then print your paper and submit it at the beginning of class. If, for some reason, you cannot print it before class, I will not take points off it you have sent me an email with the paper attached. In this case, for full credit, you must still print and submit a hard copy by 3:00 pm of the day it is due. Anything else is considered late. Students can submit late work (except for work designated as part of their in-class participation), but students will lose 10% for each day an assignment is late. All late work must be submitted in hard copy. If not submitted in printed form, your essay will continue to lose points. To be clear, I will not accept work later than one week after the due date. (In case of extenuating circumstances or an emergency, please come talk with me, and I will work with you. Do not wait until the due date. Procrastination is not a reasonable excuse.) I will follow the consultation day policy as outlined in the student handbook for excused absences. Once again, students who miss class need to schedule a time to meet with me and make up any missed work by the deadline set during the appointment or else it will be considered late. Students who do not schedule an appointment run the risk of having points deducted because it is late or losing the opportunity to turn in the assignment. (To identify an assignment as late work, I will always enter the assignment so that it ends in the number one, i.e., 85.1 or 10.51.) _____ Academic Integrity: Although a few assignments and projects will be collaborative, I expect that most assignments will reflect your own work. Therefore, unless instructed, you should plan on working independently. In terms of formal essays written outside of the classroom, any acts of plagiarism will result in a failing grade and an appointment with the Academic Ethics Committee. I, ________________________________, pledge that I have read this disclosure statement for American Literature and will do my best to adhere to the guidelines outlined within it. [A final note: Please keep this signed disclosure statement in your English folder/binder for quick reference.]