Welcome! This course will challenge you to think critically, providing preparation for the Comprehensive English Regents, which you will take in January. Throughout this course, you will hone your writing skills as delineated by New York State and become close, careful readers of literature. As we come to define the American experience in literature, Ihope your appetite for learning becomes insatiable.
Our Course Objectives:

To engage in a community of literacy
 To enjoy and to experience literature on a personal level

To develop and articulate the meaning of abstract concepts
 To read, write and think critically

To develop a repertoire of American literature, including fiction, non-fiction and visual texts

To become conscious of literal, figurative and personal connections to literature through critical reading, writing, collaborating, reflecting and revising
 To understand and articulate how literary elements and devices work simultaneously to achieve an effect
 To successfully use and understand literary terms and devices as evidenced in writing
 To demonstrate written mastery, proficiency and development of writing through creativity, analysis, synthesis and risk-taking
 To become conscious of the unifying principles of thesis statements and topic sentences as well as the use of transitions and parallel structure to achieve coherence

To become an objective reader of your own writing
 To review all notes and assignments regularly to formulate your meaning of the course theme, the American experience
 To keep a portfolio to assess personal growth and learning
Supplies:
One three subject, college-ruled, perforated, spiral notebook that has a three hole punch (to insert in binder)
One three-ring binder for class handouts
Several black or dark blue pens
Five packs of post-it notes

One two-pocket folder for collected homework
A highlighter (for reviewing notes and process pieces)
Literature Selections for first semester may include:
Lowell’s “Our Fathers Fought for “Rappaccini’s Daughter”
Liberty”
The Pledge of Allegiance
Whitman’s “I Hear America
Singing”
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Jackson’s “The Lottery”
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
Hughes’ “I, Too”
Tagliabue’s “The Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria; and Many
Other Cargoes of Light”
The Declaration of Independence
Miller’s The Crucible
Selections from Hawthorne’s Short
Stories:
“Young Goodman Brown”
“The Ambitious Guest”
Steinbeck’s Letter to Clara. Booth
Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
Selections from The Snows of
Kilimanjaro:
Lazarus’ “The New Colossus”
Laviera’s from “American”
“A Clean Well-lighted Place”
“Nick Sat Against the Wall”
Preamble to the Constitution of The Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
United States Selections from Babylon Revisited:
“Babylon Revisited”
“Winter Dreams”
Grading Policy:
Products: 50%
Products are long-term projects (the research paper), lengthy essays
(papers), final drafts of edited essays and full-period exams. Each major work of literature or cluster of shorter works will be followed by an exam, project or paper.
Particular emphasis is placed on proper MLA citation and the avoidance of plagiarism, which carries serious consequences, as outlined in the student handbook.
If you are absent the day a product piece is due, you must have a written note from a parent or a doctor. Be prepared to submit the product piece or be prepared to take the exam the day you return to school.
Process Pieces: 40%

The short-term assignments you complete for this class (in-class or at home) contribute to your understanding of the course theme and of your learning. For example, class notes, journal entries, textual annotations, literature circle notes, responses, drafts, revisions and quizzes on reading assignments aid in the development of critical thinking and in its application to lengthier assessments. As a result, not all homework is graded. However, it helps prepare you for the following class(s). If checked homework is not completed on the day it is due, you will receive a zero.
If you are absent the day a process piece is due (written) or given (a quiz), you must hand it in or take it the day you return. You are responsible for submitting the work or for arranging time to take the quiz immediately. If you do not make up the work upon your return, you will receive a zero for that process piece.
Quizzes may concern class notes and/or reading assignments.
Class Mark: 10%
The class mark is exactly what it says; class work, participation, cooperation, effort, preparation and punctuality culminate in a grade.
Class Preparation-You must bring to class every day:
A black or dark blue ink pen
Your post-it notes
Your two-pocket folder
Your spiral and binder with all of the previous notes
Your copy of the text(s) you are reading for English
Your Student Agenda
If in doubt, bring it!
Class Participation:
You must participate in class because your ideas and questions help others confirm or revise their own. Articulating your thoughts can also help you formulate them. Small group collaborations contribute to your participation grade. However, I will always encourage you to contribute to whole class discussions.
The Collaborative effort is designed to give you added support in achieving your academic goals. In order to do so, you are required to meet after school, twice a month. There is a rotating schedule that will be implemented. Remember, you are required to attend these conferences and you must come prepared to go over the current notes and assignments. You will have the schedule in advance, so if you have other commitments, reschedule them.

Please see our September Calendar; dates for exams, projects and essays are delineated.