American Literature: Coach Hutchinson jhutchinson@reicher.org Course Syllabus

Course Description: This course is an overview of the literature of our country throughout its history. Through literature, we will examine themes, trends, and issues that have occurred and still exist in our country today. We will also examine literary elements, genres, and various authors as we travel through literary history.

Grades: A weighted grading system will be used to determine final grades. Daily work is worth 5%, quizzes are worth 15%, tests are worth 50%, and papers are worth 30%.

Classroom Procedures:

Student will bring textbook, notebook, and pen/pencil to class. No one will be allowed to leave class to get “forgotten” items.

Seating arrangement will be your choice but I reserve the right to change seating assignments if the need arises.

Please do not ask to use the restroom during instructional time. If there is time at the end of class, restroom breaks will be allowed.

Late assignments for the first day late will lose 21 points for each day it is late. On the second day you will earn a zero, but you can still turn in your assignment for evaluation. Homework is due on the day assigned. If homework is not submitted, it will be on my desk by 8:00 the following morning.

Gum will not be allowed at any time. Any infraction against policies will result in the student meeting with me after school.

Please be respectful to others!

Make-up Work: Student is responsible for getting assignments and notes that were missed due to absenteeism. For each day you are absent, you will be given two days to complete assignments. For example –if you missed three days of school, you will be allowed six days to complete missed assignments. You are responsible for getting all assignments prior to missing class due to an extracurricular event!

I will be in the school from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm every day. Feel free to come to me for questions or help from 7:15 to 7:30 and from 3 to 3:30 or during my prep period. If this does not work, talk to me. We can work something out that works for both of our schedules!

Standards and Benchmarks:

Vocabulary Benchmarks

The student acquires, understands and uses vocabulary through explicit instruction and independent reading. The student appropriately uses these words in writing. (Elaborate and assess)
The student determines the meaning of unfamiliar words and metaphors by using dictionaries, context clues and reference books. (Elaborate and assess)
The student knows several ways to determine the meaning of unknown words, including applying knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, suffixes, word roots and word origins. (Elaborate and assess)
Comprehension Benchmarks
The student monitors comprehension and knows how and when to use strategies that clarify understanding of a text. (Elaborate and assess)
The student understands and evaluates the purpose, accuracy, comprehensiveness and usefulness of informational materials. (Elaborate and assess)
The student analyzes a variety of nonfiction materials selected from journals, essays, speeches, biographies and autobiographies. (Elaborate and assess)
The student summarizes and paraphrases the main idea and supporting details. (Elaborate and assess)
In a persuasive text, the student traces the logical development of the author’s argument, point of view or perspective and evaluates the adequacy, accuracy and appropriateness of the author’s evidence. (Elaborate and assess)
The student makes inferences and draws conclusions based on explicit and implied information from texts. (Elaborate and assess)
The student evaluates the clarity and accuracy of information, as well as the credibility of sources. (Elaborate and assess)
The student identifies, understands and explains various types of logical fallacies. (Elaborate and assess)
The student synthesizes information from multiple selections in