Honors Literature 11
Syllabus – Mrs. Starrett – T2
jstarrett@tvschools.org
Classroom Guidelines / Rules
 Respect yourself and others at ALL times. Lack of respect in any way WILL result in
disciplinary action!
 No talking while I am talking or another classmate is talking. Raise your hand if you wish
to speak or add to class discussion.
 Please wait until I am finished speaking and giving directions before raising your hand
with a question or comment. Patience reveals answers to your questions more often than
not!
 Stay in your assigned seat at all times, unless permitted to move about the classroom.
 Bring all materials needed to class, and arrive on time.
 No eating or drinking in this classroom (except bottled water).
 Do not draw or write on chalkboards or SmartBoard without permission.
 No lining up at the door – the bell dismisses you from your seat.
 Prepare for class and discussion mentally and physically. This also means…make sure
ALL electronic devices are turned off and out of sight!
**Students may receive a verbal warning for first offenses in breaking rules, classroom
disruptions and lack of materials. Second offenses shall result in disciplinary action.
Overview of the Course
Honors Literature 11 is an advanced course designed to prepare you for AP English 12
and college-level coursework. Even though taking AP 12 is not required your senior year, this
course will still be treated as preparation accordingly. The environment of an Honors Literature
course should be taken seriously; hence, disruptions, lack of motivation and effort, and immature
behavior will NOT be tolerated in any way!
This course focuses on American literature. Emphasis will be placed on literary
movements, the corresponding literature, reading comprehension and analysis, writing,
vocabulary development, and research. You will be expected to spend time outside of class
working on assignments and projects, doing research, reading and writing. Literature will be
handled in chronological order as we travel through a selection of classic and non-traditional
pieces of American literature by studying historical literary movements.
Expect to read at least one novel per quarter (some more) and additional reading
assignments from the textbook and other resources, write at least one formal paper per quarter,
and do at least one major research project for the year mixed with many additional projects and
assignments to expand your knowledge of American literature and the writing and research
process.
English Binder
You will need a 3-ring binder (at least 1 inch) to put classroom materials in. These will be
checked once per quarter. Five items will be chosen (unannounced until day of check), and will
be worth 5 points each for a total of 25 points for each binder per quarter. Items must be
completed and graded (if applicable). Divide your binder into the following sections:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
Vocab. Journal
History / Literary Movement Notes *I create through PowerPoint
Class Discussion Notes (literature and poems) *You will create your own from discussion
Assignments (in-class and homework)
Handouts / Class Info.
Tests / Quizzes / Study Guides
Vocab. Journal
Most days, we will start class with a vocabulary lesson. Lessons come from a variety of
disciplines, and will enhance your comprehension of unknown words on the ACT and SAT.
Lessons will be projected on the SmartBoard as you enter the room at the beginning of the
period. Please have a seat, get started, and remain quiet. Tip: Keep your journal organized by
keeping your lessons neat, dated and titled. You may or may not be required to turn in your
journal at some point.
Textbook
You will be assigned a textbook for this course. This book is YOUR responsibility! You
are expected to return it in the same condition that you received it. Cover the book with an
appropriate cover, put your name inside the front of the book and place it in a safe location when
you are not using it. Books may not be left in the classroom for any reason!
Novels / Supplemental Reading
We will be reading novels, short stories, poems and additional texts that are not in your
textbook. Some of the readings will be yours to keep and should go in your binder. Others
belong to the high school or me. This means, like your textbook, they should be returned in the
condition that you received them. You will be responsible for providing novels at your own
expense that are lost, stolen, etc. that have been loaned to you.
Homework / Make-Up & Late Work
You will have homework in this class! I will always check homework or ask for it to be
turned in at the very beginning of class on the day that it is due. If it is turned in after that time
(including later in the period or later that day), it is considered late. Work that is considered late
will receive ½ credit with needed deductions for incorrect answers and information.
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to come and see me to see what you missed. If
you are turning in make-up work, you are to write “ABSENT” at the top of your paper along
with the DATE(S) you were out. This allows me to cross-check your absence, and not deduct
late points. If you do not provide me with this information, your work will still be counted late.
If your absence was excused, you will be given the number of days you were out to finish
the assignment – For example: if you were out Mon. and Tues., you will be given 2 days to
complete make-up work. After that amount of time, it will be considered late. If your absence
was unexcused, I may or may not allow you to make up the work depending on your individual
situation.
Assignments & Individual /Group Work
Numerous methods will be used in this class to complete assignments. This includes
individual, partner and group work. When placed with a partner or in a group, you must pull your
weight! Slacking will not be tolerated and your grade will suffer accordingly, even though the
rest of the group’s grade may not. You are responsible for communicating to me any partner or
group issues you are having. Do not assume that I know someone isn’t doing their part – tell me,
instead. Be prepared to provide me with examples so that I have evidence of their lack of
participation and effort.
Plagiarism
We will be doing a significant amount of writing in this class. According to the
dictionary, plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and
thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work, a piece of
writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work, and/or
taking someone’s words or ideas as If they were your own.
Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated in any way, shape or form, and will result in immediate
disciplinary action as well as an automatic zero for the entire assignment or project.
Grading & Extra Credit
District Grade Scale will be used. Each assignment, project etc. will be worth a certain
number of points. To determine grades specifically, I divide the total number of points that you
earn by the total amount possible. The percentage will plug into the grading scale, and determine
your final grade. *Remember you have online access to your grades through Progress Book. Feel
free to always come and see me if you see a mistake or have a question about a grade that you
receive.
I am open to offering extra credit with some guidelines. I do NOT offer extra credit on an
individual basis. I only offer extra credit to the entire class, and those interested will have the
opportunity to complete it. I will decide when to offer it, and will make a class announcement to
let you know that the offer stands.
Missing Assignments
If you have a missing assignment, it is your responsibility to complete it; I will not track
you down (even if you were absent). Your missing work (graded assignments) will be placed in
the turn-in box under “missing”. When you return, you will need to fish through your class
papers, and take your missing work, complete it, and turn it in. *Remember to turn it in on time,
so late points are not deducted. If you lose it and need another copy, it becomes your
responsibility to get another copy. Copies of my originals can be made in the library at your
expense. The side board will be used for extras of all non-graded material – handouts, notes, etc.
If you miss notes, you need to copy them from my original (which will be hanging on this
board), and return it before class ends.
Restroom Breaks / Sign-Outs
Students must have permission to leave the classroom at any time. You will be given a
“Starrett Pass” at the beginning of each quarter. Each pass contains three free passes for use to
restrooms, water fountains, lockers, office, library, guidance, etc. I will sign and date when you
use each pass. Once you use all three for the quarter, you are out of passes. If you want to leave
the room after using all three, you must take a detention. Each quarter, you will start over with a
new pass and three free sign-outs. Lost passes will NOT be replaced, and you may not use
someone else’s pass.
Tardies
If a student enters the classroom after the bell has finished ringing, they are considered
tardy. However, students will be granted one “free tardy” per quarter (four per year). The will
automatically apply to your first tardy each quarter – you can’t pick when to use them. After
your “free tardy” has been used, you will receive a regular tardy for the ones following, resulting
in a detention. Once the next quarter begins, this systems starts over. You may not use your “free
tardy” as a sign-out pass to use the restroom etc.
Substitute Teacher / Guests
There will be times when a sub or guest speaker is here. In either case, you are expected
to represent this class in the most positive fashion possible, acting like the respectable TVHS
students that you are. If at any point I receive a negative note, or you are disrespectful, there will
be negative consequences for those individuals and possibly the entire class. At the same time, if
I receive a positive note, you may be rewarded in some way!
Welcome to Honors Lit! 
Tentative Honors Lit. - Reading List
Novels:
Summer: The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 1939 (set in late 1930’s)
The Crucible – Arthur Miller (This is actually a play, not a novel.) / 1953 (set in 1692)
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne / 1850 (set in the mid 1600’s)
The Jungle – Upton Sinclair / 1906 (set in early 1900’s)
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald / 1925 (set in 1922)
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger / 1951 (set in late 1940’s / early 1950’s)
Grendel – John Gardner / 1971 (set in the 4th century A.D.)
*This novel is used as a transition piece into senior English, which is World Literature,
rather than American.
*We may or may not have time to cover all of these novels during the course of the school year.
We also have much reading to do from our textbook and additional resources that specifically
correlate to historical literary movements that we will be covering (see list below). If I see we
will not get through the whole novel list, I will determine which novel(s) to remove based on
class progress.
Additional Reading (from textbook and other resources):
1.) Encounters and Foundations Up to 1800
a. from A Narrative of the Captivity (Mary Rowlandson)
b. from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (Jonathan Edwards)
c. from The Autobiography (Benjamin Franklin)
d. from Poor Richard’s Almanack
2.) American Romanticism (1800 – 1860)
a. The Devil and Tom Walker (Washington Irving)
b. Thanatopsis (William Cullen Bryant)
c. The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
d. The Cross of Snow (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
e. from Nature (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
f. from Walden, or Life in the Woods (Henry David Thoreau)
g. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
h. The Minister’s Black Veil (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
i. The Pit and the Pendulum (Edgar Allen Poe)
j. The Raven (Edgar Allen Poe)
k. Eldorado (Edgar Allen Poe)
3.) American Masters (Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson)
a. I Hear America Singing (Whitman)
b. From Song of Myself 10 (Whitman)
c. From Song of Myself 33 (Whitman)
d. From Song of Myself 52 (Whitman)
e. A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Grey and Dim (Whitman)
f. The Soul selects her own Society (Dickinson)
g. If you were coming in the Fall (Dickinson)
h. Tell all the Truth but tell it slant (Dickinson)
i. Apparently with no surprise (Dickinson)
j. Success is counted sweetest (Dickinson)
k. Because I could not stop for Death (Dickinson)
l. I heard a Fly buzz – when I died (Dickinson)
m. Much Madness is divinest Sense (Dickinson)
4.) Rise of Realism (Civil War to 1914)
a. From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Frederick Douglass)
b. From Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Harriet Jacobs)
c. I Will Fight No More Forever (Chief Joseph)
d. The Lowest Animal (Mark Twain)
e. To Build a Fire (Jack London)
f. Richard Cory (Edwin Arlington Robinson)
g. Miniver Cheevy (Edwin Arlington Robinson)
5.) Modernism (1914 – 1939)
a. The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter (Ezra Pound)
b. The Garden (Ezra Pound)
c. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (T.S. Eliot)
d. The Red Wheelbarrow (William Carlos Williams)
e. The Great Figure (William Carlos Williams)
f. This is Just to Say (William Carlos Williams)
g. Poetry (Marianne Moore)
h. what if a much of a which of a wind (E.E. Cummings)
i. somewhere I have never travelled gladly beyond (E.E. Cummings)
j. Soldier’s Home (Ernest Hemingway)
k. Winter Dreams (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
l. A Rose for Emily (William Faulkner)
m. The Leader of the People (John Steinbeck)
n. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
o. Nothing Gold Can Stay (Robert Frost)
p. The Death of the Hired Man (Robert Frost)
q. Tableau (Countee Cullen)
r. Incident (Countee Cullen)
s. The Weary Blues (Langston Hughes)
t. Harlem (Langston Hughes)
u. from Dust Tracks on a Road (Zora Neale Hurston)
6.) Contemporary Literature (1939 – present)
a. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner (Randall Jarrell)
b. from A Noiseless Flash - from Hiroshima
c. The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
d. The Fish (Elizabeth Bishop)
e. Mushrooms (Sylvia Plath)
f. The Bean Eaters (Gwendolyn Brooks)
*Same as the novels, we may or may not have time to cover all of the above readings. If I feel
we will not get through the list, I will determine which to remove based on class progress.