American literature Essay

Instructor Information Instructor: Mrs. Katy Kownacki Office: Online! Office Hours: immediately following class sessions. Office Telephone: (571)344-3234 E-mail: kkownacki@fcps. edu Course Description The eleventh-grade student will be able to make and analyze informative and persuasive oral presentations, with attention to the accuracy of evidence and the effectiveness of delivery. An examination of how media influences beliefs and behaviors will be introduced. The student will continue to develop and expand vocabulary. The study of both classic and contemporary American literature will enhance the student’s appreciation for literature. The student will be able to identify the prevalent themes and characterizations present in American literature, which are reflective of history and culture. Students will also use nonfiction texts to draw conclusions and make inferences citing textual support. The student will be able to write clear and accurate personal, professional, and informational correspondence and reports for research and other applications. Grammar development will continue through the application of rules for sentence formation, usage, spelling, and mechanics. The student will develop informative and persuasive writings by  locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and documenting information following ethical and legal guidelines. Students are required to take the English 11Standards of Learning End of Course Test. Prerequisite/Co-requisite: English 10 Textbook & Course Materials Required Texts †¢Elements of Literature, Fifth Course Enhanced  ©2007 (http://my. hrw. com) †¢Elements of Language, Fifth Course  ©2004 (http://my. hrw. com) †¢The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. http://ebooks. adelaide. edu. au/f/fitzgerald/f_scott/gatsby/ Other Readings oThe Crucible is found in the online textbook oOther readings will be made available in the FCPS Online Campus Learning  Modules. Page 1 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus Course Requirements †¢Computer with Internet connection (DSL, LAN, or cable connection desirable) †¢Headphones and microphone †¢Word processing program (Microsoft Word recommended) †¢Account access to FCPS 24/7 Course Structure This course will be delivered entirely online through the FCPS 24/7 and Elluminate. You will use your student account to login to the course from FCPS 24/7 (http://fcps. blackboard. com). In your FCPS Online Campus course, you will access online lessons, course materials, and resources. At a designated time during the week, we will participate in a synchronous activity using our virtual classroom, Elluminate. In addition to traditional writing and vocabulary assignments, activities will consist of chats, blogs, discussion forums, emails, journaling, and wikis. FCPS Online Campus Access To access this course within FCPS 24/7, you will need access to the Internet and a supported Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox). To ensure that you are using a supported browser and have required plug-ins, you must finish the prerequisite technology mini-course before starting the online English 11 course. Refer to the FCPS Online Campus welcome letter for instructions. Technical Assistance If you need technical assistance at any time during the course, call Presidium 1-866-434-8880. Also email your instructor about the problem. You will need to find an alternate means to access the course (a friend’s computer, a parent’s computer, the library, etc). Important Note: This syllabus, along with course assignments and due dates, are subject to change. It is the student’s responsibility to check FCPS 24/7 for corrections or updates to the syllabus. Any changes will be clearly noted in course announcement or through instructor’s email. English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus PART 2: COURSE OBJECTIVES †¢COMMUNICATION: SPEAKING, LISTENING, MEDIA LITERACY oUse a variety of oral-communication skills and provide accurate evidence to give informative and persuasive oral presentations. oCritique and assess the effectiveness of persuasive presentations by others. oExamine how persuasive media messages influence audiences’ beliefs and behaviors. †¢READING oApply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative language to extend vocabulary development in authentic texts. oEnhance appreciation for literature by studying both classic and  contemporary American literature. oRead a variety of literary genres and informational texts to identify the prevalent themes in American literature that are reflective of American history and culture. oDevelop vocabulary and reading comprehension skills and apply those skills in other content areas, including history and social science, science, and mathematics. oIdentify the contributions of other cultures to the development of American literature. †¢WRITING oWrite in a variety of forms with an emphasis on persuasion. oProduce arguments in writing that demonstrate knowledgeable judgments and address counterclaims. oUse knowledge of genres, formats, purposes, audiences, and situations to produce clear and effective products that reflect use of all stages of a writing process. †¢RESEARCH oEngage in research that requires the selection, evaluation, use, and documentation of a variety of sources. oVerify the validity of all information and follow ethical and legal guidelines for using and gathering information. oPresent a research product that is clearly written and accurately documented according to Modern Language Association (MLA) standards. Page 3 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus. PART 3: TOPIC OUTLINE/SCHEDULE Important Note: Refer to the course calendar for specific meeting dates and times. Activity and assignment details will be explained in detail within each week’s corresponding learning module. If you have any questions, please contact your instructor. †¢Poetry and Short Stories oIntroduction/ Review of Literary Elements oVariety of short stories and poems by American authors †¢Drama oThe Crucible †¢Fiction oThe Great Gatsby †¢Non-Fiction oThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin oNarrative of Frederick Douglass oAutobiographical Notes essay by James Baldwin oLetter from a Birmingham Jail by M. L. King, Jr. oFrom Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau †¢Research oBackground information on F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. †¢Writing oThesis-driven writing (claim, assertion, commentary) oJournals oPoetry oLiterary Analysis Page 4 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus PART 4: GRADING POLICIES Graded Course Activities Visit the Eng 11 Units button in your FCPS Online Campus course for instructions and information about assignments. Students will submit work through the Assignments button, through the Discussion Board button, or via email. Click on the Assessments button to access quizzes and exams. Submitted work is available for view through the student gradebook in FCPS 24/7. Procedures for Submitting Work You use the Assignment Button to submit assignments. Name the document correctly by using the file naming convention: lastname_assignmentname_date. doc. Please add a header at the top of the document containing your name, the date, and assignment title. If I receive a document without a name, it will be returned (and then you run the risk of turning in a late assignment). When you email me, please type your name in the subject line and sign your emails with your first and last names. Save (and backup) all of your submitted work. You are advised to keep copies of everything, including emails that show the date and time that you’ve submitted your assignments. Late work must be emailed to teacher with an explanation. Late Work Policy ALL WORK IS DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON THE DAY IT IS ASSIGNED. Work received between midnight and 8:00 am the next day will be accepted, but with a ten percent reduction in the grade earned. Work received between 8:00 am and 11:59 pm that same day will be accepted, but with a twenty percent reduction in the grade earned. After 11:59 pm on the day after the work was originally due, no late work will be accepted. Discussion boards are NOT accepted late. Viewing Grades in FCPS Online Campus Instructor will update the online grades each week—typically 2-3 days after each due date. Grade Reports will be emailed to parents, students and counselors every week. Grade Reports will reflect the student’s quality of work by the scores on the assignments but will also contain missing assignment if the student is behind schedule to finish the class. Page 5 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus. *during summer school this is expedited since a single summer day is 8 academic days The grade percentage chart will be used to convert to letter grade reporting (chart below). Final Mark Each quarter will count as 20% of the final grade. The final exam will count as 1/5 of the final grade. Letter Grade Percentage Definition A 93-100% Designates the status of a student who consistently demonstrates accurate and complete knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS), and applies that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings A- 90-92% B+ 87-89% Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS), with some improvement needed in accuracy and/or consistency in performance, applying that knowledge to solve problems in a variety of settings B 83-86% B- 80-82% C+ 77-79% Designates the status of a student who demonstrates knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS), but requires additional practice and instructional experiences to acquire skills necessary to solve problems C 73-76% C- 70-72% D+ 67-69% Designates the status of a student who needs significant practice and instructional experiences to acquire the  knowledge of basic content and skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS) necessary to solve problems. As a final mark, it is not necessarily sufficient to meet the prerequisite requirements for the next level in a sequence of courses. D 64-66% F 0-63% Designates the status of a student who has not demonstrated the basic knowledge of content and/or skills specified in the FCPS Program of Studies (POS) and requires additional practice and instructional experiences in order to succeed. I * Designates the status of a student who has not been able to complete tasks that are major components of the quarter  grade for reasons considered appropriate by the teacher or team or by the principal or his or her designee. The student is required to make up work within a specified time period in order to convert this â€Å"incomplete† to a grade by the next quarterly progress report. *I (Incomplete) = May not be given as a permanent final grade. Page 6 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus Important note: For more information about grading, visit the grading and reporting policies at the FCPS website. Page 7 English 11 Summer Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus COURSE POLICIES Participation. Students are expected to participate in all online activities as listed on the course calendar. Consistent participation is required and submission of work is the evidence of that participation. Communicate If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let your instructor know as early as possible. As you will find, building rapport and effective relationships are key to becoming an effective person. Make sure that you are proactive in informing your instructor when difficulties arise during the year so that we can help you find a solution. Complete Assignments. All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through FCPS 24/7 unless otherwise instructed. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline or special permission must be requested from instructor. Extensions will not be given beyond the next assignment. Late or missing discussion assignments will affect the student’s grade. Understand When You will be Removed from This Course It is state law that a student will no miss 15 days of class. The instructor will notify parents and counselor at 5 and 10 days of no work submitted. At 15 days the student is removed from the course and returned to the counselor  for appropriate placement. Our goal is to get students to receive credit for graduation, and if online is not an appropriate environment, a return to face to face instruction is necessary. During summer school three days of non-activity will warrant dismissal from the course; your teacher will evaluate this after Sunday night. Inform Your Instructor of Any Accommodations Needed If you have a documented disability and IEP, and you wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact your instructor as soon as possible. IEP and 504 accommodations must be submitted to the Online Campus before the class starts. The Online Campus can be contacted by phone at (703) 503-7781 (Voice) or via email at onlinecampus@fcps. edu . Commit to Ethical Conduct As a student in this course, you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class Page 8 English 11 Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom. Page 9 English 11 Syllabus Fairfax County Public Schools— Online Campus FCPS Ethical Conduct for Users (SR&R regulation 2601) It is the responsibility of the student to: †¢Use only his or her account or password. It is a violation to give access to an account to any other user. †¢Recognize and honor the intellectual property of others; comply with legal restrictions regarding plagiarism and the use and citation of information resources. †¢Not read, modify, or remove files owned by other users. †¢Restrict the use of the FCPS network and resources to the mission or function of the school system. The use of the FCPS network for personal use or for private gain is prohibited. †¢Help maintain the integrity of the school information system. Deliberate tampering or experimentation is not allowed; this includes the use of FCPS network and resources to illicitly access, tamper with, or experiment with systems outside FCPS. The information systems and Internet access available through FCPS are available to support learning, enhance instruction, and support school business practices. †¢Refrain from using offensive, obscene, or harassing language when using FCPS network systems. †¢Abstain from accessing, changing, or deleting files belonging to others. Important Note: Any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will be reported to the administration office. Page 10