Introduction

This is a demanding survey course in Early through 20th Century American literature. Much of what we read during the first quarter will be religious, historical, and political in nature, given that there was no fiction, no drama, and little poetry produced in America until the 19th Century.

This course is intended for those who are preparing for a competitive four-year college or university after high school. There will be reading/note-taking and/or vocabulary homework almost daily. During class, we will have discussions of readings, individual and cooperative tasks, and hands-on, student-created projects. Voluntary participation by all students in oral discussions is crucial. There will be unannounced quizzes on readings due for the day, some collected homework, some homework checked by oral questioning, and some major tests. Formal essays, oral presentations and take-home essay tests will also be assigned throughout the year. Proper citations of research sources according to MLA format; proper sentence, paragraph and essay structure; and correct usage and mechanics will also be emphasized.

In addition to "college preparation," it is also a course goal to provide students, through our literary studies, tools that they can use in both private life as a person, family member, friend, etc.; and in public life as a citizen. As we are focusing on our country's own literature and culture in this course, the latter is particularly crucial.

I ask that both students and parents/families read over the following course information and fill out and sign the page given to students in class and return it to me.

General Advice

• If something is affecting your performance in my class, TALK TO ME. I have no way of knowing what is going on with you unless you tell me. You MUST take responsibility in this area!

• Set aside enough time to do homework assignments carefully. LOOK AHEAD ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE and plan your time. (Parents: the most helpful thing you can do is be aware of what is on this schedule; ask to see it; ask how the work is going.)

• Be hyper-organized. We often work with a combination of textbook, paperbacks, handouts, reprints, and study guides ALL AT ONCE, to enrich this class for your benefit. You have to be able to keep all these things straight in your mind.

• Be prepared and willing to participate spontaneously in class discussions; it is only through these that we can go beyond superficial analysis of literature!

• Have an awareness of what's going on in this country in terms of politics, social movements, culture, controversies, etc. Read a news magazine / newspaper.

• Be thoughtful enough to make the leap and apply lessons, themes, ideals, values, etc., from literature readings to your own life, present and future.

• Be willing to take each graded paper or project and use my evaluation of it to do a better job on the next paper or project.

• Requirements

Do not do anything that makes it difficult for others in the class to learn or for me to teach. (Always remember to LISTEN when someone else is speaking, SPEAK UP when it's your turn, and do NOT start side conversations.)

Follow the assignment schedules I give you (on handouts or on the board). Work for this class is made clear well in advance. Take all relevant books and handouts home every night, plan your time to allow for glitches, emergencies, etc., and have everything you need with you for each class at the beginning of the block.

Keep up-to-date notes both from your own reading and from class discussions / lectures. Most tests and quizzes (except for vocabulary) are open-notebook and not designed to be taken any other way.

You will need to have a LOOSE-LEAF (not spiral-bound), THREE-RING BINDER with some pages of lined paper. I hand out many information sheets, reprints, and Study Guides that need to be saved in an orderly fashion by adding them to your notebook. Bring it to class with you every day along with a writing utensil and the book(s) we are using.

Have a network password for use here at school and means to word-process or type papers at home. Have access to the World Wide Web at least three times a week outside of class (our library, your town library, home, etc.) There will be many times when I will ask you to download study guides from my web page, print them out at home, and bring them to class; if you are unable to print out study guides, you will need to tell me by a date given on your assignment schedule, and I will then print you up a hard copy (though it will probably not have spaces for answers, which you'll have to put in your notebook on a separate page).

Be in class every day. Do not leave class or school early without first informing me and passing in any work due, and do not make a habit of leaving early/coming in late. If you come in late or leave early and miss the class, check in with me and pass in any work due.

You must have a study partner who will bring things home to you when you are absent and discuss what went on in class, and for whom you will do the same. Most materials such as books, handouts and study guides (or URLS for them) are given well in advance of when you will need them; usually, your study partner will have only to e-mail you or talk to you on the phone.

Be where you should be in the curriculum at all times. I expect you to do the work regardless of absences (as is detailed in the MRHS Student Handbook). During absences, you are responsible for getting the notes and/or any alterations in the schedule from your study partner and for doing all assignments before you come back to class. I keep a Make-up Work folder at the front of the room below the TV; any tests or quizzes you miss will be in there, with your last name on them. I will also put in any handouts, worksheets, etc., that your study partner does not take home for you. Check this folder as soon as you come into the room after you miss ANY part of any class. If your class is held block 2, it may sometimes be shortened or canceled for some or all people. It is still your obligation to do the reading and writing assignments on the schedule independently; we will discuss them as time allows.

Absences/Late Work

Because students are required to take a class every block of every day, there are no free periods during the day to make up work other than during our class. Absences will inevitably result in your learning less from this class, both because of material missed on the days absent and because you must afterwards spend class time making up tests and quizzes, thus missing more class time. One exception to this is if you have an Academic Assist block in the Resource Room during which you can take missed tests and quizzes.

Full credit is granted only for those take-home assignments passed in during class on the due date. Classwork, quizzes and tests are granted full credit only if they are done on the same day the rest of the class does them. An exception will be made only in this case: if you have an admit slip from the office on the day you return to class after an absence or late entry. If the administration is doing things this year the way they did last year, a yellow slip means the absence will count towards the limit of ten; a purple slip means that it will not count. Either color will enable you to make up tests or quizzes missed without a penalty and turn in any homework due for full credit. You must present the slip or note to me of your own accord at the beginning of class on the day you return. You must then pass in any work due and take your tests/quizzes from the Make-up Work folder and complete them then and there in class. There are special procedures outlined in the Student Handbook for taking any time off from classes for reasons other than illness; please read these carefully and follow them. If you miss a class or part of a class due to lateness to school or dismissal from school, you will also need a yellow or purple admit slip, not just a green tardy slip, to be able to make up work for full credit.

I may grant partial credit for some late work, depending on the circumstances; three calendar days from the due date is the limit, however, and penalties will range from 10-25 percentage points off the grade if the late work is accepted at all. You may never hand in late an assignment whose answers we go over in class while you are present, of course. People who are absent chronically may eventually not be allowed to make up any work missed due to absences not excused by the administration.

Tests and quizzes must be taken with the rest of the class regardless of previous absences as well. You will need to contact me to ask for an exception if you were too ill to prepare for a test or quiz. Do not wait until you are sitting in class to try to discuss this sort of thing; that's much too late!

If you are going to be dismissed during a class, tell me before class starts so I can give you anything that I may be passing out later in the block. Do not simply get up and leave in the middle of class. This is rude and inconsiderate, not to mention disruptive. Likewise, if you are leaving school before class starts, see me prior to that.

If you know you are going to be absent from class, you MUST follow the procedure outlined in the Student Handbook for vacations during school time. This will entail that you tell me at least 5 days beforehand; I will see to it that you have all you need to keep up. You MUST complete the work I assigned you while you are out, passing it in upon your return. This will avoid your having to miss class to make-up work during the block. In the case of dismissals for sports or other school-sponsored activities, the same policy applies.

Special Rules for MAJOR Assignments, Tests, etc.

I am very suspicious of people who do not show up for class the day of a major project, paper, or test. It has been my experience that most of these people are using the time to do the work they should have been doing since the work was assigned days ago. Therefore, the following rule applies to ALL ASSIGNMENTS COUNTING 3 OR MORE TIMES: If you are absent from my class but were here another part of the day (for example, you are late to school, dismissed or on a field trip or sports event) and you have a MAJOR (counting 3 times or more) piece of work such as an essay or a project or take-home test due for me that day, please FIND ME and give me the paper/project before you leave or when you arrive. (Never just come into my room and leave work on my desk.) OR, put the work in a large envelope with my name on the outside and give it to a secretary in the office, asking that person to put it in my mailbox. (Keep a photocopy!) Otherwise, it will be considered late (see penalties above).

Cancellations, etc.

In case of snow days or other cancellations of SCHOOL (not just class) for EVERYONE, you may push the assignment schedule up one day. This does NOT apply if only your block is canceled or you are out of class for some activity, etc.

Grading Policy

All assignments will be given various "weights"--that is, grades for some will count once (brief quizzes, homework checks, etc.), some will count twice (short tests, in-class exercises), and still others will count three, four, or five times (major papers, projects, etc.).

You need to keep track of what is due, how many times it counts, whether or not you passed it in, and what grade you earned once the paper is passed back (questions answered on reading I generally do not collect because you need them; I either let you use them on a quiz or come around and check them).

Class participation in discussions will be counted at the end of each quarter as approximately 20 percent of the marking period grade. I cannot give you an exact formula, as the district is using a new on-line grading system for the first time this year.

The class participation grade will be based on my impressions of your contribution to class discussions throughout the quarter and on any other in-class activities not graded separately. Participation is not graded "on a curve"; the majority of a class may receive A's in participation if they consistently indulge in lively and thoughtful discussion, or most may receive F's if the class turns into a conversation between myself and three students (who obviously won't be receiving F's).

The final examination for this class will count as 20 percent of the course grade, though it usually consists of a final essay or project taking place over the last several days of the course, as well as what is done in the "exam block":

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Fill out the page I gave you in class and return it.

Thanks!