American Literature
College Prep II
Mr. Morgan Room 8221
Mr. Thomas Morgan
1501 Old Shell Road
Mobile, Alabama 36604
morgant@mcgill-toolen.org (Email is my preferred method of communication)
This course provides a survey of American Literature and works by various
American authors. We will study a variety of types of works including
novels, plays, short stories, non-fiction essays, and poetry. We will not only
focus on the works themselves, but also the themes connecting these
works together. Writing will be emphasized with a focus on literary
analysis and essay composition. We will target vocabulary enrichment by
the use of Vocabulary Workshop Level E. By the end of the year, we will
complete the prescribed vocabulary program.
School policy will be strictly followed in my class. If you have any questions
regarding school policy, and this sheet does not answer your questions,
you will find your answer in the student handbook.
Texts:
Prentice Hall, The American Experience Common Core Edition
Vocabulary Workshop Enriched Edition, Level E
Novels needed:
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Materials needed:
Three ring binder, dividers, blue and black pens, highlighter, paper
(if any other color of ink is used besides blue or black you will need to redo it.
Also. If I cannot read your work you will need to redo it).
Grading System: The grading system used in this class is the points
system. Each test, quiz, homework assignment, bell ringer, etc. will be
assigned a certain number of possible points. Your points will accumulate
until the end of the semester. At the end of the semester, your total
number of points will be divided by the total amount of points possible. This
will give you a final average. With this grading system, every number of
points is important and one zero can greatly affect your overall average.
Keep this in mind throughout the semester. Points are awarded depending
on the level of difficulty of the assignment. You will be updated on your
progress throughout the year. If you have questions about your grade, feel
free to come and talk to me before or after class.
Homework: 10 points
Quizzes: (5-20) points
Bell Ringers- (10-20) points
Tests- 100 points
Projects: (50-100) points
Essays: 100 points
Class participation and daily work: 5 points
* point values are subject to change
Make-Up Work: If you have an excused absence, it is your responsibility
to ask me before or after class (before school is even better) to make up
any and all missed assignments and tests within two days of your
absence. Do not ask what you missed once class has begun. Make-up
tests will generally be given before and after school (this will be in Mrs.
Maddox’s room because I will have parking lot duty immediately after
school). You will be given the days you were absent plus one day to get
your makeup work turned in. Again, it is your responsibility to get your
make-up work. If your absence is not excused, you will NOT receive credit
for the assignment, but you will be required to complete the assignment.
Assignments/Homework/Vocabulary Tests: Homework will be assigned
regularly. Homework will be due at the beginning of class the next day. If
your homework is not complete by then, you All assignments and
instructions will be announced and discussed in class. Homework will not
be accepted after the due date. Throughout the year, students will be
given tests. All tests will be announced in advance to give students
adequate time to prepare. With this said, students will be given
unannounced quizzes regularly to ensure they are keeping up with
assigned reading. The only way to prepare for possible unannounced
quizzes is to complete the reading assignment prior to class. Vocabulary
assignments and quizzes will be announced on a bi-weekly basis.
Beginning of Class Procedure: Please enter the room quietly, in full
uniform. Have the necessary materials ready. If you have homework, turn
in your homework upon entering the Once you are seated, please begin
the bell ringer. You will have a few moments to complete the bell ringer,
and then we will go over the material as a class. When I am ready to begin
class, I will expect the same from you.
Tardiness: The tardy bell rings for a reason. Students will be expected to
be in their seat and prepared to work when the bell rings. Otherwise, it will
result in a tardy. Excessive tardiness (five or more) will result in a
Discipline Office referral.
Technology; Students are allowed to use iPads, Kindles, etc. if they are
being used for classroom purposes. If a student is caught playing games,
taking pictures, etc. on their device it will immediately be taken up. Any
devices being used for unauthorized purposes will be sent to the Discipline
Office and will be dealt with according to school procedure. The student
using the device is then revoked of their privileges and will not be allowed
to use the device in class for the rest of the year. CELL PHONES WILL
NOT BE USED IN THIS CLASSROOM. Any student caught using their cell
phone will be disciplined according to school policy.
Bathroom Procedure: You are only allowed to use the restroom when I
am finished with the day’s activities. The teacher reserves the right to
suspend or revoke bathroom privileges due to excessive use or
inappropriate behaviors in the hall to and from the bathroom.
Classroom Behavior and Rules:
BE RESPECTFUL. Students will be expected to respect
themselves and their peers at all times. Disruptions take away
valuable class time and will not be tolerated. Students should
become familiar with the rules in the student handbook and abide
by them. Students are not to talk unless their hand is raised and
they are called on or the teacher gives permission. Talking while
the teacher is talking is extremely distracting to myself and the
other students.
BE POSITIVE! Keep hands, feet, objects, and negative
comments to yourself. Bullying, talking back, etc. will not be
tolerated. Treat others the way you want to be treated,
BE RESPONSIBLE. Come to class prepared, prompt, and ready
to learn. Remember, coming to class unprepared (i.e. forgetting
homework, writing utensils, books, notes, etc.) can greatly affect
your grade. You will not be given materials by the teacher.
BE SMART. Cheating is not only unacceptable, but not worth the
consequences that will result. You will be given a “0” immediately
and parents and administration/discipline will be notified.
*If your name appears on the board for a disciplinary reason, you
will be required to stay after school for my detention.
Classroom Consequences: if Rules are not followed…
1st Offense: Verbal Warning
2nd Offense: Teacher /Student meeting after class or school
3rd Offense: Parent Phone Call
4th Offense: Detention= through the Discipline office (which will be
added to a discipline record)
Scope and Sequence
Sophomore College Prep II 2013-2014
First Semester
Summer Reading- ** Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees **
Literature: **William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew **Unit One:
Gathering of Voices, Literature of Early America- Anne Bradstreet,
William Bradford, Edward Taylor, William Byrd, Jonathan Edwards** Unit
Two: A Nation is Born- Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas
Paine, Phillis Wheatley** Unit Three: A Growing Nation, Nineteenth
Century Literature- Washington Irving, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
William Cullen Bryant, Meriwether Lewis, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry
David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman **Hawthorne’s novel The
Scarlet Letter**
Vocabulary- Units 1-4 first quarter and units 5-8 second quarter.
Grammar- Units in English Workshop: Chapters 8, 10-15
Composition- Students should expect various essays throughout the
semester. Requirements and element for these will be announced in class
in advance (narrative, descriptive, and literary essays, paragraph, and
essay process review).
Second Semester
Literature- ** Unit Four: Division, Reconciliation, and ExpansionStephen Crane, Bret Harte, Mary Chesnut, Jack London, Kate Chopin,
Mark Twain. **Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ** Unit
Five: Disillusion, Defiance, and Discontent, The Modern Age- T.S.
Elliot, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Thomas Wolfe, Earnest
Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston
Hughes ** Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby ** Unit Six: Prosperity and
Protest, The Contemporary Period- Flannery O’Connor, William Stafford,
William Wordsworth, Gwendolyn Brooks, Martin Luther King, Jr. ** John
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
Vocabulary- Units 9-12 third quarter and units 13-15 for fourth quarter
Grammar- English Workshop: Chapters 16-23
Composition- Continued literary essays