American Studies: Honors English 11
Course Syllabus & Class Expectations
Mrs. Lovaglio, slovaglio@k12albemarle.org, 823-8700
Ms. Dresner, mad3tc@virginia.edu, Teaching Associate from UVA
Room B221
Overview:
2014-2015
Frederic Edwin Church, Our Banner in the Sky, 1861
English and history are blocked in the American Studies program to enhance your understanding
and appreciation of American literature, history, and culture. The two classes work together on
various projects and assignments throughout the year to help students explore the American
experience.
American Studies offers students a unique opportunity to learn in a collaborative setting. Two
teachers work together to plan, deliver instruction, and grade assignments. Students benefit from
having a smaller student/teacher ratio, more individualized attention, and two unique teacher
perspectives to aid their learning.
The eleventh grade English program is focused on American literature, but is accompanied by
intensive writing and vocabulary study. We will explore different types of formal and creative
essays, but most often will engage in the analysis of literature. You are encouraged to view
writing as a process and will be asked to revise and rewrite essays throughout the year. You
may be required to complete and turn in outlines and/or rough drafts in preparation for
developing polished, formal written work.
We emphasize vocabulary development in the junior year to help prepare you for the S.A.T. Nearly
every week there will be a vocabulary list that includes a variety of information about the meaning
and usage of twenty selected words. I will give quizzes emphasizing the new words, and will also
include selected words from previous lists. Vocabulary homework and quizzes are a regular part of
your grade. I highly recommend the use of flashcards to help you in our vocabulary study. I
have also uploaded all of our vocabulary words to a Quizlet site linked from my classroom
website for your use.
As juniors you will take two English SOL tests. You will complete the Writing SOL in March and the
Reading SOL in late May. The Writing SOL is comprised of a multiple-choice test and an essay. The
Reading SOL is only multiple-choice. You must pass these tests in order to graduate. This course
will prepare you to do well on the SOLs.
Curriculum:
The eleventh grade English curriculum provides you with a strong background for the rest of
your academic career. Our study of American literature is arranged chronologically, beginning with
the Native American literature that predates the Colonial period, and ending in the late Twentieth
Century. It will be necessary for you to come to class prepared, having read all assigned materials
before class, in order for valuable class discussions to occur. We will read short stories, poetry, and
essays from the anthologies The American Experience, Literature of the United States, and The
Short Stories: The First Forty-Nine Stories with a Brief Introduction by the Author, by Ernest
Hemingway. We will study the following longer works:
A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines (summer reading)
The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
My Antonia, Willa Cather
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
You will also have opportunities to pursue independent reading projects. Reading books of your
own choosing improves reading fluency and helps to promote a lifelong love of reading. I strongly
encourage students in my classes to select books on their own to enjoy throughout the year. A
creative project (or two) involving independent reading can also earn you extra credit points.
Materials:
You will need a three-ring binder with notebook paper (or a spiral notebook), a pen, a pencil, and
the text we are studying every day in class. Be sure to keep all notes, quizzes, tests, and
assignments, as you will need them to prepare for assessments! You should organize all
class materials in a three-ring binder using dividers, or in an expandable file-folder system.
Grading:
Your grade will be based on a points system:
Tests: 75 - 100 points
- Tests will be given at the end of each unit
Classwork: 5 - 25 points
- Classwork includes group and individual assignments
Quizzes: 10 -40 points
- Quizzes may be given throughout the course of each unit
Projects: 50 – 100 points
Homework: 5 – 15 points
Essays and other writing assignments: 50 - 100 points
*Extra credit opportunities will be offered throughout the year
Make-Up and Late Work:
Students are responsible for getting all make-up work if absent. Please come by my room before
or after class, during TAB, or during CARE to collect any make-up work. Make-up work is due the
following class period after returning from an absence. Late work will be accepted on major
assignments, but points (ten percent of the assignment’s numerical value) will be deducted for
each school day that it is late for up to five days. After the fifth day, the work receives a zero. If
we discuss a homework assignment in class, I will not accept that work late. Late work will NOT be
accepted after unit tests.
Exams:
Every student will take a first semester culminating exam that is worth 20% of the first semester
grade. Students with a 90% average for the second semester may be exempt from the final exam if
specific requirements regarding absences, tardies, etc. are met.
Honor Code:
Cheating and academic lies are honor code violations at Western. Students accused of violating the
honor code may be tried by the Honor Council. Please be aware that in this class, all of the
following are considered examples of cheating and are therefore honor code violations:
• copying someone’s homework or allowing someone to copy your homework
• studying for a make-up test from another student’s test
• talking or communicating in any other way during a test or quiz
• using a cheat sheet
• talking about a test or quiz that you plan to take with someone who has already taken
the same test or quiz
• copying someone’s words or presenting someone’s ideas as your own (plagiarism)
Please note that plagiarism includes presenting someone’s ideas as your own, not just someone’s
words. This is especially a danger if you turn to SparkNotes, Monarch Notes, Monkey Notes or any
other such summaries of literature. Students should not use these novel summaries as doing so
often leads to plagiarism issues. If you have questions about a book we are reading, come to me
instead of turning to literature summaries. When you are given an assignment, assume that all
work on that assignment is to be your own unless I tell you otherwise. If you have any
questions about what is permitted, please ask.
The WAHS Handbook outlines our school’s policy in detail, and adherence to the Honor Code is
extremely important to me. I will discuss plagiarism in detail in class. It is ALWAYS better to turn
in your own work, even if it is not perfect or is late. I want to hear YOUR voice and read about
YOUR ideas, not someone else’s.
Turnitin.com: Turnitin.com is an electronic repository for students’ written work that we will use
in our class. Turnitin allows you to submit papers to me electronically through any web browser. It
facilitates writing workshops through a peer review function and stores your work digitally so that
we can use it as a portfolio. Finally, Turnitin compares your papers to millions of other texts,
enabling careful monitoring of the originality of your writing to deal with plagiarism. I will provide
you with a separate handout to help you set up a Turnitin account (if you do not already have one).
Class Behavior & Expectations:
We are here to learn. We will be discussing and defining what it means to be an American, what
shared histories, experiences, and difficulties we have had that make us who we are. Our class as a
whole will be made up of students of different backgrounds and experiences as Americans.
Therefore, I expect your respect at all times- respect for your classmates and for me as your
teacher. I insist that all students be tolerant of all viewpoints and opinions. It is fine to disagree,
just be respectful.
In order to have a class where learning takes place, I need you here! Do not disappear and wander
the halls. As juniors in high school, you know that you have to be in class in order to be successful.
If you need to leave to use the restroom or get a quick drink of water, you must first ask permission
at an appropriate time during class and sign out, taking the hall pass with you. Be sure to sign
back in when you return.
This course will require a lot of hard work and genuine effort on your part. At the same time, I will
do all that I possibly can to help you. It is my goal that this course be challenging, but also very
meaningful. Please contact me if you are ever confused, overwhelmed, or just need help on an
assignment. You can always come talk to me before or after class, or call or e-mail if that works
better. If you genuinely need an extension on an assignment, you must contact me in some way
BEFORE that assignment is due, except in cases of emergency. I am committed to making this a
memorable and engaging class, as long as I have your help.
Class Contract for American Studies: English
Student’s Name: _________________________________
I have read and understand the course syllabus and class expectations. I agree
to abide by the class rules and to take responsibility for my work in American Studies:
English this year.
__________________
(Date)
_____________________________________________
(Student signature)
___________________________________________
(Student e-mail address- please print clearly)
Parent’s Name: ___________________________________
I have read and understand the course syllabus and class expectations for
American Studies: English. If I have suggestions, questions, or concerns during the
year, I will contact Mrs. Lovaglio at school (823-8700) or through e-mail at
slovaglio@k12albemarle.org.
__________________
(Date)
_____________________________________________
(Parent/Guardian signature)
How would you prefer to be contacted?
________________________________________________ E-mail address
AND/OR
______________________________________ Phone number