ENGLISH 3 American Literature

Engineering Academy RHS

2013-2014
Ms. Ives
Essential Questions: What does it mean to be an American?
What is the American Dream?
What do we need to know in order to become engaged observers
and participants in the American experience?
Course Overview
American Literature is a college preparatory upper division course designed to provide students with
a foundation in their American literary heritage. The scope of the course is broad, covering
outstanding authors and representative works leading to an understanding of what it means to be an
American and the role the American Dream plays in our values and beliefs. The course includes the
study of novels, short stories, drama, poetry, and nonfiction, and will focus on the continued
development of literacy skills: reading, writing, critical thinking and public speaking.
Literature
Our literary study will focus on diverse works, both fiction and non-fiction, poetry, plays, short
stories and essays, chosen for their relevance to our essential question: The story of us: what does it
mean to be an American? The American themes we will be exploring are:
THE AMERICAN DREAM: (Foundational works, , Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby)
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (The Grapes of Wrath, some works of Thoreau, John Muir, Annie
Dillard)
CHALLENGING AMERICA(The Things They Carried, Hemingway).
We will continue to develop and improve our reading and analytical thinking skills. We will be using
a Notebook to respond and reflect on our literary study. At times students will be asked to participate
in a Supplemental Reading Program that allows and encourages students to read books of their own
interests and for their own enjoyment.
Writing
Most of our writing this year will be related (sometimes loosely) to the literature being studied.
Writing assignments will cover the spectrum of styles and modes, from freewrites to polished process
pieces. Students will be expected to share their writing, both formally and informally, in front of both
small and large groups. We will continue to use the writing process (prewriting/brainstorming,
drafting, responding, revising, editing, evaluating, publishing and conserving) for all published
works. All written work, both in-class and as homework, must reflect and represent a students
original thoughts and ideas on the given topic. In addition, we will continue to study grammar and
vocabulary as necessary and relevant.

Reading Mondays
Mondays will be devoted to reading and the development of reading strategies. Every Monday
students will read from the text or be given a supplemental text (an essay, short story, poem, editorial,
etc) to read, annotate and prepare for class discussions. Reading Mondays are an opportunity to flesh
out our course themes as well as inspire original pieces of writing.
Block Days
American Literature reading and writing program is intended to prepare students for success in a
comprehensive college English class as well as performance on the standardized tests and tasks in
which most students will engage. On Block Days we will be discussing the literature, working on our
writing skills, and developing projects. Activities will range from individual assignments to small
group tasks to whole class seminars. All of these activities will be used to assess students knowledge
acquisition as well as skill development.
Assessment:
Skill development, knowledge of content,, life skills, and growth and improvement are the core
elements of your final grades. Your semester grade will reflect what knowledge you gained and what
skills you have mastered. The identified Content Knowledge and Skill Progression are aligned with
the Tam District Program Goals, the Common Core Standards and the 21st Century Skills Initiative.
Eighty percent of your grade will be based on specifically targeted learning goals. The other twenty
percent will be your Life Skills grade, which includes work habits, class participation, etc. You will
maintain Learning Goals as a way to self-evaluate throughout the year.
General Class Guidelines:
In order to be successful in my class, you must do the following:

Come to class prepared, with required materials and homework, ready to learn;

Participate in all class activities, including homework, classwork, discussions, group projects,
lab time;

Maintain a positive and respectful attitude towards your teacher, the class, your peers and
yourself;

Make an effort to work hard, improve and grow as a student and as a person.

Homework is assigned for a number of reasons:

review and practice of what we covered in class

prepare for the next class

learn to use resources such as libraries, reference materials, and websites to find information
about a subject

explore subjects more fully than class time permits

extend learning

integrate and apply learning

It is important that work is done on time in order to be prepared for each class. Doing and turning in
work on time also insures that you dont become overwhelmed by having to catch up on too much
work at once. Late work and major assignments may be turned for potential full credit up to the last
day of the each marking period. Any penalty will be a part of your life skills grade.
Materials
You must have the following materials each class day:
A spiral notebook
Binder or folder to store handouts and binder paper (can be shared with another class)
Assigned reading text
Completed homework
Pen (blue or black) and pencil
What Not to Bring/Use in class
NO Cell Phones (unless we are doing a texting activity)
NO I Pods/Digital gadgetry
No Food
These items will be confiscated for the class period, no questions. Put them away as soon as you
walk in the door.
Contact Information
cbrown@tamdistrict.org and eives@tamdistict.org
School Phone: (415) 453-8770, ext. 4604 Chizzie. ext. 4057 - Eugenia
Cell Phone: (415) 846-4486 - Chizzie
Lets have a great year!!!!