American Literature Syllabus

Instructor: Ms. Day daykirst@msu.edu Classroom Atmosphere and Environment Hello! Welcome to American Literature! Consider this classroom a community at which you are free to speak your mind and share your individual opinions, as long as it is school appropriate. Please look at this class as a safe place to enjoy learning; I want to have fun, but when it is time to learn, we must get down to business. Every persons voice is equally important; thus, you must all give your classmates the respect you feel you deserve. We will have many class discussions, so please be prepared to listen to what others have to say while also feeling free to agree or disagree with various issues we will discuss this semester. Classroom Objective In this class, you will be working on your reading skills, close reading and analysis; writing, both process and product; as well as listening, class discussion and interpretation. You will have a chance to look at multiple different texts and genres that give you a larger understanding of the many complex events and situations we are pushed to face as people. The curriculum of this classes directly correlates with the Common Core Standards. Rules and Consequences Respect: In my classroom, I will tolerate nothing but respect to your classmates as well as myself. No cell phones or other electronic devices--you are not here to sit on your phone; you are here to learn. As a result, if I see you on your phone, I will give you ONE warning to put it away. Otherwise, if you continue to use your phone, it will be mine until the end of the day. Tardiness and Absences: As result of being five minutes (or more) late to class, three tardies is equivalent to one absence. After four absences, your grade with drop one percent for every missed class. Our class time is important and short; thus, you must come to class in order to do well and receive a good grade. Preparation: You MUST read for class. You will have frequent reading quizzes; you will not do well on these quizzes unless you do the reading. Also, I expect you to have the novel or textbook that is required for that day. I will let you know what books to bring each class for the following session. You should always have a pencil and paper in order to do many class activities If I feel that there is a constant repetition with one or more of the above guidelines, I will not hesitate to contact parents or guardians. If poor behavior in class continues, I will have no choice but to take it to the school administrators. Late Policy If you have a late assignment, you will lose ten percent for every day that it is late.

 If you are consistently turning in late assignments, it may hinder your overall grade. If you are late the day a large assignment is due (essay, project, ect.), you are required to get it to me somehow, even if that means by e-mail if necessary. In case of an emergency, please e-mail me and I am more than willing to be flexible with you. Plagiarism Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If anyone is caught plagiarizing it will receive an immediate zero on his or her assignment and will spend an hour in detention. Grading Homework and Quizzes Paper 1 Paper 2 Participation Exams and Projects 35% 10% 15% 10% 30%

The class structure is built to help you. As you can see, participation is 10% of your grade; so, be on time and voice your opinions! There will be many homework assignments and quizzes throughout the semester that keep you on task as well as gives me the chance to see what areas on the to clarify and expand on. You will have two essays. We will do many short writing assignments to prepare you for these essays. Before the actual due date of each essay, you will have many rough draft due dates as well as peer evaluation opportunities to perfect your paper. The number of exams and projects will to be determined by student performance in class as well as how quickly we move through the material.
***Note

to Parents: If parents have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I would be more than pleased to explain my reasonings of this grading scale further. Also, I am here to help you if there are outside issues that may be affecting student work--please let me know and I will try my best to be flexible with you. Your English classes are a place for you to express yourself, be creative and have fun with learning. The more our class acts like a community--respecting other peoples opinions, not speaking while others are speaking, positive reinforcement, etc.--the more we can have do fun activities and assignments. I am extremely passionate about English. My hopes are that, in some way, I can open your eyes to the beauty literature can bring and give you a chance to feel safe and comfortable in a classroom that supports frequent class discussions. Please do what you can to be one time; this type of interruption is not only distracting to me, but to your classmates as well. When it comes to major assignments, you will not be graded just on your final product, but also on the work you put forth--through rough drafts and peer evaluation--in order to create a finished product.