English III American Literature Course Syllabus

English III—American Literature Course Syllabus Mr. Chris Long Fall 2010 Email address: [email protected]

Course Description: The literature portion of this course deals almost exclusively with American literature. We will study American literature from its beginnings, tracing its earliest beginnings and its progression to modern day writers.

We will conduct historical research for the literary movements and time periods we discuss, learning how literature developed in our country in relation to historical events. Some of the information covered will be through lecture, but most will be as part of individual or group student research. Because there is a direct correlation between American history and American literature, you will be responsible for ALL historical material discussed in class.

Necessary Materials: 1. Textbook— Literature: The Reader’s Choice 2. Notebook—1” 3-ring binder with division pages for Notes, Vocabulary, Grammar, Research Paper, and Grades. 3. Loose-leaf Paper 4. Writing Utensils—I require that you write in black or blue ink. No strange colors, please! 5. Art Supplies—Some materials are located in each group of desks. Students are responsible for the care of these items. Missing or damaged items will not be replaced.

Class Activities: 1. Daily Oral Language (DOL)—Daily Grade (Counts One Time) 2. Journal Writing—Daily Grade (Counts Time) 3. Class Discussion 4. Lecture (You will be held responsible for all information covered in lectures.) 5. Oral Presentations—Daily Grade (Counts One Time) 6. Group and Individual Projects—Test Grade (Counts Two-Four Times) 7. In and Out-of-Class Readings 8. Tests—Test Grade (Counts Two-Four Times) 9. Vocabulary—Daily Grade (Counts One Time) 10. Semester Research Project—Major Grade (Counts as 50% of 3rd Six Weeks grade)

Grading Scale: 93-100 = A 85-92 = B 77-84 = C 70-76 = D Extra Credit 0-70 = F Opportunities:  Box Tops for English Department Fee Education The Rutherford County School Board has approved an RS Central English  ECU news Department fee for the 2002-2003 school year. Each English student is required to pay $2.  Carteret County news Homework  RS news Students who are absent are responsible for obtaining missed assignments through  Spirit Day my school web page. participation  RS Drive Class Outline (A tentative outline of what we will cover): participation I. From the Earliest Days  “Speaking of…” participation II. A New Nation III. The Civil War and Its Aftermath IV. Regionalism and Realism V. Beginnings of the Modern Age VI. Midcentury Voices VII. Toward the Twenty-First Century

Special Notes:  All RS Central High School policies and procedures will be strictly followed in my class.  ALL grades will count toward the six-week average. DO NOT ask me to drop or curve any grades. Also note that grades are based on whole numbers, with no “rounding up.”  No extra work will be given to boost grades at the end of the six weeks. Frequent extra credit opportunities will be offered; I suggest in advance that you take advantage of each and every one of them!  NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Students with excused absences may make up work within two days of their absence. It is the student’s responsibility to inquire about work missed. Make-up “grace periods” do not apply to work previously assigned (tests, projects, research papers, etc.). If you are present when the work is due I expect you to have it.  Upon returning from absences, students are responsible for obtaining missed assignments. I will not pursue you in an effort to have you make up your work.  Cheating, dishonesty, and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a Chill-Out referral, “F” for the assignment, and possibly an “F” for the six-weeks. More importantly, my trust of and respect for you will be severely damaged.  Students will write, “On all my work, my name affirms my honor” at the top of EVERY assignment submitted. Papers without this statement will be penalized 25 points.  “My World” (my computer, filing cabinets, large bookshelf, storage cabinets, and the area behind my desk) is strictly off-limits to you unless otherwise specified.  Remember that I dismiss you, not the bell. If time remains after a lesson ends, you may sit and talk quietly. DO NOT leave your assigned seat unless given special permission to do so. DO NOT gather at the door. DO NOT talk over announcements or intercom calls to my room.  Until all English fees have been paid, no soft drinks, water, gum, candy, or food will be allowed in my room.  Do not get out of your seat for any reason (to throw away trash, sharpen a pencil, etc.) unless I give you permission, after which time you may quietly accomplish the task.  Unless otherwise specified, only one person is allowed to speak at any given time—one of you (with my permission) or me.  When classmates are giving a presentation at the front of the room, walking in front of them is considered very rude. If, for some strange reason, you feel the need to come to my desk at such a time, give the classmate as wide a birth as possible, preferably walking to the extreme outside perimeter of the room.  Desks are to be kept clean at all times. If I find that a desk has been written on, all group members (from both classes) will stay after school to clean all desks in the room.  My floor is to be kept clean of debris, clutter, and books at all times. When/if a mess is left, the whole class will stay after the bell to help clean.  Books are to be protected from further deterioration by covering. Appreciable damage to/loss of books will result in fees and fines. Warning: A new books costs approximately $60!  Bathroom visits are a privilege and should be treated as such. Every effort should be made to visit one of the school’s MANY restrooms BEFORE you come to my class.  My trashcan is not a basketball goal—do not throw trash at it! When you have a piece of paper you consider trash, fold it and put it away until an appropriate time to dispose of it. DO NOT CRUMPLE IT!!  Students will not be allowed to leave my class to use the phone, visit the parking lot, retrieve lost property, or “talk to a teacher.” Students with notes from another teacher MAY be allowed to visit that teacher, but only if time allows.  Students are not allowed to use my class time to work on assignments from other classes. Such work will be confiscated and destroyed unless I give permission for students to work freely.  Should someone (a student, another teacher, a parent, etc.) visit our classroom, I expect you to quietly await the resumption of the lesson. Disrespect of visitors will not be tolerated.  THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS DRESS CODE WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED IN MY CLASS. Consequently, students who come into my classroom inappropriately dressed will find themselves on the first step of the RS Central Discipline Policy. Take time to familiarize yourself with the new dress code and discipline policies.  Cell phone use during my class time is strictly forbidden and will not be tolerated.  At the beginning and end of every class, I will greet you and wish you well. It is customary for you to show me (and any guest we might be hosting) the same courtesy.  The vast majority of possible infractions in my room can be avoided by asking yourself a few simple questions before you speak or act:  How will my words/actions affect the other people in the class? the school?  Will my words/actions lift others up or tear them down?  What do I want to accomplish by saying/doing this?  How would I feel if someone spoke to /acted toward me in the same way?  Am I proud of what I am about to say/do?  Would I be proud of what I am about to say/do if someone brings it up ten years from now?  Think before you speak or act. Remember, your words and actions affect others. Make a concerted effort to be a positive element at RS Central and in your community. Otherwise, please keep your thoughts and actions to yourself.

VII. Additional Notes  Students should be aware that I do not “give” grades in my class; YOU EARN THEM! Consequently, you can do as well or as poorly in this class as you wish. Though I want all of my students to perform well, I have no reservations in assigning appropriate grades to those individuals who refuse to put forth the effort necessary to help themselves earn “good” grades.

Tentative Semester Assignments

Due to inclement weather, student ability, and class size, it is very difficult to say exactly how much material I will cover. However, the following assignments are typical of my average English III classes.

From the Earliest Days  “Media Connection,” page 82  Unit Introduction, pages 36-44  Inspirational song  Group summary; class discussion  from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs.  Native American Project Mary Rowlandson, page 85  “Meet Mary Rowlandson,” Background,” and “Focus  How the World Was Made & Sky Tree, page 47 Activity,” page 84  “The Oral Tradition” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 91 Activity,” page 47  Analyzing Literature, 1-10 page 52  from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, page 100  “Living in Harmony with Nature,” page 53  “Meet Jonathan Edwards,” Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 100  The Iroquois Constitution, page 54  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 105  “Meet Dekanawida,” “Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 54  Offer of Help, page 107  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 58  “Meet Canassatego,” Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 107  from La Relacion, page 60  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 109  “Media Connection,” page 60  “Meet Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca,” “Background,”  A New Nation and “Focus Activity,” page 61  Unit Introduction, pages 118-129  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 66  Group summary; class discussion

 from Of Plymouth Plantation, page 68  Revolutionary War Project  “Meet William Bradford,” Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 68  from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and from  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 73 Poor Richard’s Almanac, page 130  “Meet Benjamin Franklin,” “Background,” and “Focus  Upon the Burning of Our House and To My Dear and Activity,” page 130 Loving Husband,” page 76  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 136  “Meet Anne Bradstreet,” “Background,” and “Focus  Aphorisms Activity,” page 76  To My Dear and Loving ______poem  Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, page 146  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 80  “Meet Patrick Henry,” Background,” and “Focus  The Pit and the Pendulum, page 292 Activity,” page 146  “Meet Edgar Allen Poe,” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 150 Activity,” page 285  “Media Connections,” page 151  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 305  Pamphlet  The Civil War and Its Aftermath  from The Crisis, No. 1, page 155  Unit Introduction, pages 316-327  “Meet Thomas Paine,” “Background,” and “Focus  Group summary; class discussion Activity,” 154  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 158  Civil War Project

 Declaration of Independence, page 168  from My Bondage and My Freedom page 328  “Meet Thomas Jefferson,” “Background,” and “Focus  “Meet Frederick Douglas,” “Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 168 Activity,” pages 328-329  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 173  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 335  Three Spirituals page 336  To His Excellency, General Washington, page 176  “Who wrote these spirituals?” “Background,” and  “Meet Phillis Wheatley,” “Background,” and “Focus “Focus Activity,” page 336 Activity,” page 176-177  Analyzing Literature, 1-12, page 340  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 180  “Interdisciplinary Connection: Music,” page 342  Representation of Columbia  And Ain’t I a Woman? page 344  Letter to Her Daughter from the New and Unfinished  “Meet Sojourner Truth,” “Background,” and “Focus White House, page 182 Activity,” page 344  “Meet Abigail Adams,” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, page 347 Activity,” page 182  “Media Connection,” page 343  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 186  from Mary Chestnut’s Civil War, page 356  from The Life of Olaudah Equiano, page 188  “Meet Mary Chestnut,” “Background,” and “Focus  “Media Connection,” page 187 Activity,” page 356  “Meet Olaudah Equiano,” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 361 Activity,” page 188  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 195  Letters to His Family page 362  “Meet Robert E. Lee,” “Background,” and “Focus  The Devil and Tom Walker, page 202 Activity,” page 362  “Meet Washington Irving,” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 365 Activity,” page 202  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 214  An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, page 367  Ghost story  “Meet Ambrose Bierce,” “Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 367  To a Waterfowl, page 218  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 377  “Meet William Cullen Bryant,” “Background,” and  “Media Connection: Television Script and “Focus Activity,” page 218 Commentary,” page 379  Analyzing Literature, 1-5, page 223  The Gettysburg Address, page 384  The First Snowfall, page 230  “Meet Abraham Lincoln,” “Background,” and “Focus  “Meet James Russell Lowell,” “Background,” and Activity,” page 384 “Focus Activity,” page 230  Analyzing Literature, page 386  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 233  The Gift in Wartime, page 388  Concord Hymn, page 238  “Meet Tran Mong Tu,” “Background,” and “Focus  “Meet Ralph Waldo Emerson,” “Background,” and Activity,” page 388 “Focus Activity,” page 238-239  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 390  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 241  “Comparing Selections,” page 391  Rubbing of local monument  from Self-Reliance, page 245  Whitman’s Poetry and from Song of Myself, page 401-402  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 248  “Meet Walt Whitman,” “Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 401  The Minister’s Black Veil, page 264  “Media Connection: Newspaper Article,” page 400  “Meet Nathaniel Hawthorne,” “Background,” and  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 405 “Focus Activity,” page 264-265  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 408  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 276  “Background,” and “Focus Activity,” page 409  Analyzing Literature, 1-15, page 416  The Three-Piece Suit, page 278  “Meet Ali Deb,” “Background,” and “Focus Activity,”  Dickinson’s Poetry, page 423 page 278  “Meet Emily Dickinson,” “Background,” and “Focus  Analyzing Literature, 1-8, page 282 Activity,” 423-424  “Comparing Selections,” page 283  Analyzing Literature, 1-12, page 427  Analyzing Literature, 1-10, page 430  Analyzing Literature, 1-12, page 433  Analyzing Literature, 1-12, page 437

 American Author/Senior Research Project