American Literature

Instructor: Kimberly Meaney

Email Address: kim.meaney@carteretk12.org

Website: http://www.carteretcountyschools.org/chs/fptwebs/kmeaney/index.htm

Eleventh Grade/English III—Course Overview

Curriculum:  This course aligns with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, which outlines the goals of the class as follows: “Students in English III analyze United States literature as it reflects social perspective and historical significance by continuing to use language for expressive, expository, argumentative, and literary purposes. The emphasis in English III is critical analysis of texts through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and using media.”  This course focuses on American Literature with emphasis on analysis of historical literature and young adult literature.  There will be weekly exercises and quizzes in vocabulary from the Vocabulary Workshop that will be issued in class; a grammar workbook will be issued as well.  Elements of Literature and Elements of Language are the literature and grammar texts for this course.  These textbooks are also available online and I encourage students to access them often. If you do not have Internet access at home, your child will be able to borrow them for use at home. Come to class prepared to learn about the literature of our nation!!

REQUIRED NOVELS:  Ethan Frome                             Required Plays:  The Crucible                                      

                                                TheGreat Gatsby                                                                          Our Town                                                      

                                         The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

                                         To Kill a Mockingbird

Research Paper:  The research paper for eleventh grade will be a precursor to the Senior Project.  

Supplies: Students will need the following materials.  If you have difficultly obtaining any of these items, please let me know and I will assist you. 

·         1 2-inch three ring binder

·         1 journal (composition book)

·         flash drive (optional but highly recommended)

·         sticky notes

·         3x5 note cards

·         five (5) dividers for binder, with tabs labeled as follows:

o        DLS (Daily Language Skills)   

o        VWS (Vocabulary Work Shop)

o        GUM (Grammar, Usage, Mechanics)

o        R/WWS (Reading/Writing Work Shop)

o        Graded Work

·         black or blue ink pens (NO GEL PENS)

·         #2 pencils

·         highlighters (at least 2 different colors)

·         colligate level dictionary or access to an online dictionary for use at home

Cheating

• Intellectual dishonesty is intolerable. The following are some examples:
  • Copying another’s work
  • Allowing another to copy your work
  • Giving answers to classmate
  • Plagiarism in all its forms
    • TurnItIn.com is no joke!

o        Consequences

§         Zero on the assignment

§         Unsatisfactory conduct grade for the six weeks grading period

§         Notification of administration and parent/ guardian.

Behavioral Expectations: Students are expected to behave as professionals who are here to learn.  Students will receive a professionalism grade each week in class.  This grade will be based on a student’s performance in four areas:  preparation, participation, politeness, and pushing themselves.  

• Preparation:
  • Bring all materials to class.
  • Do not interrupt the class to borrow a pencil, pen, or paper.
  • Be in your seat and working when the bell rings.
  • Go to the bathroom before you get here (Students will be issued 2 bathroom passes each six weeks).
• Participation:
  • Raise your hand.
  • Contribute to group/ class discussions.
• Motivation
  • Use all your class time wisely.
  • Work until I dismiss you.
  • Always stay on task in groups.
  • Try. Try hard. Try very hard.

• And . . .

• Don’t have side conversations—they’re distracting.
• Don’t talk when your classmates are working quietly—again, distracting.
• Stay awake in class.
• Always raise your hand to speak when your teacher is talking.
• Make this room a place where we are all comfortable taking academic risks.
• Work to create a community in the class.
• Be nice and show respect.
• You may have a bottle of water in class; food, soda, and grooming are prohibited.
• Follow all CHS Handbook policies and procedures

Intellectual Honesty:  Academic dishonesty is not tolerated.  Cheating includes all of the following:  copying someone else’s work, allowing someone to copy work, and giving answers to a classmate.  Any form of cheating will result in all of the following consequences: a zero on the assignment, an unsatisfactory conduct grade for the six weeks grading period, and notification of the principal and parent.

Website

• If you have any questions about a given night’s homework, check your teacher’s website.  You can access it from Croatan’s homepage.  Because teachers keep pages updated with assignments, you should know that it’s only a hop, skip, and click from MySpace to www.carteretcountyschools.org/chs; ignorance is no excuse for missing work. 

Attendance/ Make-up Work

• Regular attendance in all classes is an expectation.
• Students are responsible for making up missed work.  You must make arrangements with your teacher within two days of the absence (2 days, see CHS Handbook). 
• If a student is absent and wants to know what he or she missed, he or she has three options for finding out:
  • Before school
  • During lunch
  • After School
• Plan to make up missed quizzes and tests in your teacher’s room after school—arrive by 2:40.
• If a student is not in class for a test or major assignment and is in the Alternative Learning Center (A.L.C.), the student must take the test or do the assignment in A.L.C. at that time.  It is the student’s responsibility to make these arrangements with the assigned teacher.
• If a student is assigned A.L.C. he or she is also responsible for coming to the assigned instructor before school that day to get any work you need.
• Students will not make up quizzes or tests during class.
• If a student is absent, he or she is expected to be prepared for class when he or she returns, which is to say that being absent is not an excuse for not having an assignment announced prior to the absence.  The only exceptions are assignments announced on the day a student is absent; those assignments would fall under the make-up work policy.

Homework:

·         It is the student’s responsibility to write down and keep up with homework assignments.

·         Homework is only accepted at the beginning of class; late homework is not accepted and will result in a zero.   

·         Late projects or compositions (major assignments) will be accepted, but ten points will be deducted for each class period the assignment is overdue.  

·         Completing homework is fundamental to the student’s success in this class.  For this reason, consequences for not doing homework are serious and strictly enforced. 

o        1^st time without homework: verbal warning, which should not be taken lightly

o        2^nd time without homework: lunch detention

o        3^rd time without homework: lunch detention parental contact (a note home, email, or phone call)

o        Multiple day lunch detentions or after school detention will be given for each subsequent time the student fails to complete a homework assignment

Grading:

I use a grading program that allows students and parents to check grades online as they as posted.  The website is http://chs.myegrades.com  and you can log on using your school Novell computer username and password. 

            Grades:

• Major assignments: 60%
  • Includes participation, double-entry journals, essays, exams, seminars, notebook checks, homework average, and projects
• General assignments: 40%
  • Includes quizzes (count twice), short papers, homework, class work, daily preparation

*Students may be exempt from the exam.  See student handbook for details.

 I have read and do understand the expectations for this course.

Student Name _______________________ Signature_________________________

Parent/Guardian Name_________________ Signature_________________________

Please provide a secure email address to which I can send updates on your child’s progress.

Parent/Guardian Email______________________________

If you do not have a secure email address, please provide a phone number where you can be reached in the afternoon.

Parent/Guardian Phone Number________________________