Tenth Grade Honors American Literature

Mr. Belasco's Tenth Grade Honors American Literature

Haven't we all had these days???

Course Description:

Welcome to Tenth Grade Honors American Literature ! I hope you find this course to be satisfying, productive, and, quite frankly, fun. We have much work ahead of us between now and June, and with our noses to the grindstone so to speak it’s easy to lose sight of our larger aims. This handout is intended to spell out in a general way what some of our larger purposes are for a course of this stature.

Part I: Among our many goals this year are several that pertain to reading and writing.

With literature, we might express our objectives this way:

1. To examine the elements and concepts that lead to the creation of a sophisticated work of literature, whether short story, novel, drama, or poem.

2. To recognize the limitations of plot and the need to strengthen this essential fictional element by other devices (character development, setting, point of view, dramatic and verbal irony, conflict, etc.).

3. To draw conclusions about themes of literary works; to think reflectively and seriously about these themes and speculate independently on related ideas; to apply our findings to individual lives.

4. To compare the literary devices available to the poet and the dramatist with those of the novelist and the short story writer.

5. To come to terms with literature’s “darker” side; to answer intelligently the oft-asked question, “How come these books are all so depressing?”

6. To understand in the larger sense why we read literature, talk about it, and write about it at all.

With writing, we might present our objectives as such:

1. To view writing as a developed discipline that includes collecting information, formulating ideas and determining their relationships, drafting paragraphs and arranging them in appropriate order, and revising (on occasion) with increased understanding and control.

2. To make judgements which show increasing intellectual sophistication in terms of logic and understanding

3. To strengthen those skills associated with superior writing: style, figurative language, humor, voice, and sharpness of focus.

4. To improve our ability to judge literature through themes of evaluation and argumentation.

Of course, there are other objectives that we will strive to achieve this year. We hope to heighten our awareness of language through a developing awareness of word choice (diction) and word meaning (connotation); we hope to develop a consistent tone and appeal through precise syntax and phrasing. We wish to speak clearly and expressively about ideas and concerns, to participate productively and harmoniously in both small and large groups, and to learn to listen in an active and respectful manner.

Part II: To achieve our larger goals for the course, we will need to do the little things on a consistent basis. We need to look carefully at individual pieces of literature in order to draw conclusions and raise questions about their worth (both stylistic and thematic). We need to write themes that call for the use of literary material as evidence and knowingly use detail as evidence to support generalizations. We need to experiment with various responses to literature that allow for independence and creativity. We need to study the language of literature to become familiar with nuance and subtlety; to gain appreciation for the little things writers do with sentence structures and sentence patterns, with tone, with words, and with images to shape our impressions and emotional response.

Part III: Each marking period will consist of the study of various works of American literature. Through close readings, class discussions, brief lectures, group explorations, and both in and out of class writings, we will work toward our larger goals. Your grade each quarter will be based on a variety of activities: in class essays, journal writing in response to independent reading, response papers (typically two to four pages in length), homework assignments, individual and/or group presentations, essay tests, and class participation. It is important to note that every assignment that you do counts toward your marking period grade.

Ø There will be no extra credit offered.

Ø Revisions may be allowed, but only occasionally and only at the teacher’s discretion.

Ø Make-up Policy: Because the class is work-intensive, because we meet every day, and because each class is vital to the preparation for the AP test your Junior year absences should be avoided at all costs. Late work will NOT be accepted. Make-up work, however, will be due two days following an excused absence. Exceptions: if you have been assigned homework prior to your absence, then that assignment is due upon your return; and, essays which have been assigned prior to an absence must be either turned in early, given to a classmate to turn in, or dropped off in my mailbox in the front office before school begins on the due date. Furthermore, extra-curricular activities are just that-EXTRA. That is, it is in addition to your curriculum, not in place of it. Therefore, the two days that you are allowed on an excused absence does NOT apply to an activity absence. If you are absent on the day of a quiz or test, then the quiz or test must be made up the day that you return. Uncleared absences mean that you will not receive the opportunity to make up the work and that assignment will be recorded as a zero. Again, late work is not accepted.
Late papers will be penalized.

Grading Scale:

Essays: 45%

Tests/quizzes/journal: 35%

Homework /classwork 20%

I will conference with you at least twice a year regarding your progress and ways to realize your potential. These will be scheduled after school.

Part IV: Specific information regarding this course.

1. Literature: each marking period students will read and discuss selected pieces of challenging and highly respected literature. Among writers whose work we will be discussing this year are Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, Natanial Hawthorne, Arthur Miller, Sarah Orne Jewett, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison (?), John Steinbeck, Henry David Thoreau, and Lorraine Hansbury

In addition to class readings, each student will be required to read at least one work of literature per marking period independently. Students may choose from titles on the AP reading list or select from among a widely diverse and talented array of novels. Plays, biographies, and autobiographies.

2. Writing: Students will submit a minimum of four compositions each marking period. These compositions will reflect diversity in the writing experience: analytical essays, personal narratives, book reviews, ,short stories, descriptive essays, informational and persuasive essays

Students will be required to keep a Response Journal. Each marking period, they write approximately 10-12 pages of “response” to their independent reading. These journals are exploratory in nature, giving students an opportunity to think through their understanding and uncertainties over issues and ideas raised in specific texts. They also serve as excellent source material for future compositions. Each student will be encouraged to revise periodically individual pieces of writing and eventually share and publish their work with the class. Students will write in-class essays two or three times per marking period in preparation for the Advanced Placement English Exam.

Online Grades (updated on Friday, 26-May-2006 )

Vocabulary List (updated as of 26-May-2006 )

Outside Reading Project Options (Due March 22, 2006)

Oneacross.com provides hints and answers to crossword puzzle based on the clue and the portion of the answer you have completes. This might come in quite handy on Sunday evening at 11:35pm.

Links to Helpful Literary Sites

Summer Reading: Welcome to the Class of 2007-2008

A. Book List With Descriptions

B. Requirements

C. Journal suggestions Dialectical Journal

D. Rationale for Journal Writing

E. Sample Journals

January 2006

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday