Syllabus - American Literature!

AHS English Department Syllabus – Fall 2018

American Literature and Composition

Mr. Erik Fridborg & Mrs. Lindsay Civitella

Room 2214

Phone: (770) 975 – 6503 x7012214

Email Address: Erik.Fridborg@cobbk12.org     Lindsay.civitella@cobbk12.org

Blog: FridborgAmericanLit.blogspot.com

This course is designed for the student who has an interest in the interpretation of American literature. This examination is accomplished through argumentative and expository writing. This course integrates writing, grammar and usage, speaking and listening. It includes a variety of literary genres: short stories, novels, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. I will utilize our school blog daily to communicate and provide resources. Please check out the amazing resources there!

Required Text: Students will be assigned a consumable textbook that closely aligns with the Georgia Standards for ELA. Textbook will remain in the classroom, unless homework is assigned.  

Students will also need to obtain a copy of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We will be utilizing this text to explore the American Dream, graphic novels, and conflict. If you need assistance acquiring this text, please reach out to Coach Fridborg or Mrs. Civitella. Students will need this book no later than August 10th.

Grading: The gradebook will be updated weekly. Formative grades are those where your student is practicing the standard(s). Summative grades are those where your student is proving mastery of the standard(s). Please monitor your student’s progress via ParentVue. Information for login may be obtained through the counseling office.

A: 100-90                       B: 89-80                            C: 79-74                        D: 73-70                     F: 69 and below

We are an EOC course. The grading will be as follows:

Formative assessments – 30%

Summative assessments – 50%

EOC – 20%

Make-up Policies and Late Work

·       Late work may be turned in for ½ credit (½ of the actual grade earned) for up to 5 days from the assignment due date.  A zero will be recorded in the gradebook until the assignment is turned in.  On the 6^th day, if the assignment is still not turned in, no credit will be awarded for the assignment.

·       When absent, students are expected to make-up or arrange to make up missed assignments. Please check our class blog – there are valuable resources there.

Tutoring: If you need additional help, please come see me. We can arrange before or after school, or during Buc Block.

Supplies: Students will need tools daily to be successful in this course. It is an expectation that students arrive with:

·       Pencil

·       Blue or black pen

·       Highlighter

·       Spiral/Composition Notebook

Teachers will provide supplies to complete group projects; however, your students may prefer their own: scissors, glue stick, markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils.

Class Rules:

1.       Be in the classroom when the bell rings

2.       Come prepared with supplies to learn

3.       Be respectful of teachers and fellow classmates

4.       No food or drink

5.       Cell phones remain in backpacks unless BYOD is announced by the teachers.

Cell Phone Policy: Allatoona is utilizing CCSD’s Bring Your Own Device Policy. Students may bring their own tablet or cell phone as a learning tool, and will only be permitted to use this when announced by the teacher. If BYOD is not in place during instruction, I will take up the device and turn it into the front office, as outlined in the Student Handbook on pg. 16.

Movies and Media: We firmly believe that multimedia assists in bringing the literature alive for students. We will be watching film clips of stories we read, and in some cases, will be watching the entire movie. All movies will have a subsequent assignment and purpose in their viewing. Please review the movie permission slip (attached), sign, and return to me no later than August 3^rd. If you have any questions, please contact me.

What will we learn?

Reading *Short Stories – We will read several short stories in class and for homework.  You will be required to complete assignments aligned with these stories. *Non-fiction and informational texts – We will read several pieces of informational texts, such as newspaper articles, biographies and other essays.  *Novels – We will read at least three novels in this course: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. These novels connect to our unit themes.  

Writing I will give you the guidelines and rubrics (grading scale) for all of our writings.*Response to literature – You will be required to write short essays about selected works of literature.  We will write these in and out of class.*Autobiographical – You will be required to write an autobiography about your life.  *Compare and contrast – You will be required to compose at least one essay in which you compare and contrast two or more things.  *Persuasive – You will be required to compose a research paper in which you will argue one topic. *Warm-ups – Students will be writing daily as their warm up. This may be in the form of journals, literary analysis, or vocabulary.

We look forward to working with your child! American Literature is a subject that we are both very passionate about teaching. We hope that through this course, your child will explore and enjoy the dynamic stories, writings, and projects encompassed in this course.