Erin Pellarin

epellarin@piedmontclassical.com
English Eleven: American Literature and Composition

Course Description: This course builds upon skills of grammar,

punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in written and spoken English, and
focuses on the composition of effective and thoughtful essays of many
varieties. Students will also study various works in American literature and
will learn how to effectively analyze these works, as well as to articulate
cogent and mature arguments. Students will be challenged and asked
questions that require them to refer to what they have read with an
emphasis on speaking and writing effectively. This will foster critical-thinking,
problem-solving, and skillful analysis. Along with these skills, students will be
presented with study skill tools to enhance their learning and to help them
be more successful in and out of the classroom. Finally, students will be
presented with ideas and texts that will foster growth in the whole student as
we wrestle with questions posed centuries ago but that remain relevant in
lives and nations, in particular, today.
Textbook: Literature, The Readers Choice, Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 2000
(American Literature)
Needed: Pens (any color except red), pencils, loose leaf notebook paper,
single subject spiral notebook (journaling), one-inch binder (or you may
share a binder with another class), three-hole pocket folder, highlighters
(yellow, blue, pink), dividers.
Grading Scale and Breakdown of Grading: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C =
70-79, D = 60-69, F = < 59 Engagement (homework, discussion, classwork,
etc.) 50%; Tests/Projects/Major Essays 35%; Quizzes/Minor Essays 15%. All
students will be permitted to make corrections by asking for an alternative
assignment within two days of receiving a grade. Students will complete the
alternative assignment for a possible total of ten points. Some classes may
be mixed, meaning that CP and Honor students will be in the same class.
Students enrolled in my Honors classes will be held at higher standards with
higher expectations. Honor students will be expected to think critically in
more depth and detail. Assignments will differentiate in length, due dates,
and grammar and content expectations. If your student needs help in my
class, I am available most days before school and after school on Thursdays.

I will communicate with parents and students through Power School Parent
Assist, My School Website, and Remind 101:
General Classroom Expectations: My English classes are based on
reading, discussions, and questioning. Consequently, my classroom needs to
be a safe space where students feel free and encouraged to discuss tough
questions and to disagree. Disrespect to me or another student for any
reason will not be tolerated. In the upcoming year we have a lot of material
to master, so everyone must do his/her part to make sure that we all learn in
a safe, friendly classroom. This includes being responsible for completing
your work, participating in discussions, and monitoring your behavior in
critical discussions. If you become disruptive, hostile, or disrespectful, I will
verbally correct your behavior. On the second occurrence, I will contact your
parents. On the third occurrence, you will be sent to Mrs. Cobb. Phones must
be on silent and put away while in my class unless otherwise instructed. If I
see your phone, I will ask you to put it away. If I see it again, I will take it and
you can pick it up after class. If I see it again, I will take it and your parents
will have to pick it up for you.
Attendance: Daily attendance is essential to academic success. Students
are expected to attend school daily. In the event that a student needs to miss
school, the absence may be excused if the absence has 1) been approved in
advance or 2) falls into one of the excused absence categories. A parent note
is required within three days of the students return to school to be excused.
Class work and homework that is missed due to an unexcused absence may
be made up, but it will be recorded at no more than 50%. Students are
responsible for obtaining all missed work. Tardies: Students are expected to
be in class on time. Excessive tardiness disrupts classroom instruction and
exhibits disrespect to me and the other students in class. Three or more
tardies in one quarter will be considered excessive. Parents will be notified if
tardiness becomes excessive and Mrs. Cobb will be notified. Class time
missed due to excessive tardies may need to be made up. Late Work: I do
accept late work up to three days past the original due date for 50% of the
grade.
Unit One: Summer Reading: A Streetcar Named Desire
Unit Two: Beginnings and Change: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God (Jonathan Edwards)

Assignments: Students will complete an in-class tone exercise, focusing on

vivid word use and imagery, and then extend this assignment into a personal
narrative (slice of life story).
A New Nation
Unit Three: Breaking Free: Speech to the Second Virginia Convention,
from the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Assignments: Students will compose a personal essay in which they reflect
on the meaning of freedom (or breaking free). Students will pay close
attention to argumentation style and using vivid, detailed language.
Unit Four: Gaining Insights The Devil and Tom Walker (Washington
Irving), The Ministers Black Veil (Nathaniel Hawthorne), selections from
Edgar Allen Poe
Assignments: T.B.D.
The Civil War and Its Aftermath
Unit Five: The Union is Tested: My Bondage and My Freedom (Frederick
Douglas), And Aint I a Woman (Sojourner Truth), The Gettysburg
Address(Abraham Lincoln)
Assignments: Students will compose a persuasive essay on a relevant topic
in their literary groups. This essay will be written in well-defined sections so
as to illuminate the essay-writing process. Essays will be workshopped
among groups before being revised and finalized.
Unit Six: Two New American Voices: Selections from Walt Whitman,
Selections from Emily Dickinson
Assignment: Students will compose a poem of their own based on the style
and content of Whitmans and Dickinsons poems. Students will follow a
rubric and will have the opportunity to present their work in class.
Regionalism and Realism
Unit Seven: The Energy of Everyday: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County (Mark Twain), The Story of an Hour (Kate Chopin)
Assignments: Students will write an expository, argumentative essay on one
of the poems read in either Unit Six or one of the stories in Unit Seven. This

essay will make careful use of literary analysis and effective composition
strategies. Students will compose this essay both in and out of class.
Unit Eight: Billy Bud (Herman Melville)
Assignments: Students will write a journal entry for every reading selection.
Entries can include explanations for interesting quotations, personal
connections to the text, or questions concerning the text.
Beginnings of the Modern Age
Unit Nine: New Directions: Selections from William Carlos Williams,
Selections from Robert Frost
Assignments: T.B.D.
-The Harlem Renaissance: Selections from Langston Hughes
Assignments: In their literary groups, students will create a creative
(visual/dramatic) response to Hughes poetry.
Midcentury Voices
Unit Ten: Personal Discoveries: A Rose for Emily (William
Faulkner) selections of poetry
Assignments: T.B.D.
Unit Eleven: Acting on an Idea: Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)
Assignments: Students will compose a personal narrative essay in the form
of a college application essay. Students will conclude this unit with a strong,
effective, workable essay for the general college application.
Toward the Twenty First Century
Unit Twelve: Generations: Ambush (Tim OBrien), Kitchens (Aurora Levins
Morales), Bread (Margaret Atwood)
Assignments: T.B.D
Unit Thirteen: Variety is Richness: Selected poems, The Names of
Women (Louise Erdrich)
Assignments (Unit 12 and 13): During the final two units, students will
complete an in-depth research project on an American author of their choice.

Students will choose an author, pick a specific focus, complete extensive and
correctly documented research, draft a paper with an original claim, receive
feedback, and complete revisions. This assignment will be counted as a
portion of the final exam.

***This syllabus is subject to modification at any time