Honors American Literature: Mr. Wodnick’s Course Expectations
The best way to contact me is via email:
I envision this course as an examination of the identity of America. What is America? What does it mean to be an American? How have great minds in the past and present answered these questions? How do these authors connect to our own experiences as Americans?
Some Friendly Advice: Success in this course is really pretty simple. If you follow the advice below, you’ll not only do well grade-wise, but you’ll be introduced to a whole world of exciting ideas and characters and probably have your view of yourself and your country deepened, your mind expanded, and your skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking and thinking significantly sharpened.
1. Read with interest: Read attentively and actively— set aside the time when you focus best for your reading. Read with a pen in hand and allow yourself time to record your ideas and questions. If you find your mind wandering or cannot hear a reader’s voice in your head, return to your reading at a time when you can focus your best attention. Find a sacred reading space where you will not be disturbed by your insatiable need to communicate with others and give the author a chance to speak to you directly. Each text we encounter is a gift for your mind—but you need to learn how to read with interest in order to receive it.
2. Be prepared: Coming to class prepared every day is crucial. Most obviously this means bringing a notebook and writing utensil every day. But on a deeper level, it means completing each assignment with the maximum level of effort and interest. I believe that great literature exists to spark conversation, and to encourage discovery. In this class, we will enjoy spirited and uncharted conversations about great literature, but you cannot participate in these discussions if you are unprepared. Do yourself and your classmates the courtesy of coming to class each day with the ability to contribute your unique perspective to our conversation. I assign work that’s designed to be thought-provoking and challenging. If it’s not, you’re not doing it right. Come and see me. I’ll help you get the most out of it.
3. Cooperate with others: Play nice. Treat the other students (and me, too!) the way you’d like to be treated. When there’s a cooperative project, do your fair share of the work. Don’t belittle others’ ideas and contributions. Listen to everyone in the room with the respect and attention they deserve as human beings. Everyone has something worthwhile to share; if you give them your full attention, it will be rewarded. Be attentive during discussions and enthusiastic in all class activities. Be creative, take risks, trust me and be trustworthy.
4. Be willing to ask questions: The most compelling and valuable work arises from genuine curiosity and discovery. I don’t expect you to know everything. I don’t expect you to always be right. I do expect you to stay open-minded and curious and bring your questions up to the class for discussion. I won’t always have an answer, but I promise to do my best to help you use your questions to pursue worthwhile discoveries. Remember, your learning is as much your responsibility as mine. Let’s cooperate.
YOU WILL SUCCEED if you follow the advice above!
Classroom Procedures:
§ Please purchase a 3-ring binder, loose leaf paper and something to write with.
§ Students are expected to arrive on time and prepared, with their notebook and any other necessary materials. This means that you are in your seat with your materials when the bell rings.
§ It is my expectation that all students will contribute positively to our class. This means being not only attentive but also active during all discussions.
§ Do not abuse the bathroom pass privilege. I expect that you will take the pass only when necessary, and that you will be back to class within five minutes. Do not take the pass during a fellow student’s presentation. Do not raise your hand as if you’re answering a question and then just ask to use the bathroom. Simply leave when you need to and return quickly. Also, please, when you take the pass, return the pass.
§ When you’re absent from class, it’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get make-up work in to me, and to see me about scheduling make-up quizzes, etc. If I do not hear from you the day you return, don’t expect me to track you down. You will simply be given a zero for work that is not made up in a timely fashion.
§ ALL homework, major assignments, and important documents will be posted online.
http://www.northernhighlands.org
Click on Faculty/HW on the left, and then click on Wodnick, J.
§ I have no tolerance for plagiarism or cheating. I fully enforce the school policy on academic integrity and we will adhere to MLA citation rules.
§ I would like all of my students to succeed in this course. I will be available before school, after school or by arrangement for extra help. I am always willing to discuss any concerns you have with regards to the course or to your progress.
Readings may include, but not be limited to:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman
Various authors: Short stories, poems, essays, films
Some thoughts on technology:
· You will be expected to check your student email on all school days.
· All assignments, important documents and deadlines will be posted online. If you’re unsure about a deadline or misplace a document, check my website. (Note: I may make modifications in class. Be attentive to possible changes.)
· Oftentimes, our technology fails us. If you have problems with your computer or printer at home, I expect that you find a solution before you come to class. This might mean writing an assignment by hand, using a smartphone to access something online, going to a friend’s house, library, or copy store, or using the printer in the school library before homeroom or during lunch.
· Cell phones and other digital devices may not be used in class unless I’ve specifically permitted you to do so. They will be confiscated if they are being used without permission.
· We will be using many digital tools including google drive, turnitin.com and blogger.com. You are responsible for keeping track of your passwords.
GRADES: Grades will be determined by your performance in each of the following categories:
MAJOR ASSESSMENTS (about 75%): These mark significant milestones in your learning experience, and thus impact your grade the most significantly
1. BLOG: Each student in the class will maintain an online blog that only I will have access to. Your blog is your space to ponder texts as you read them, and to ponder the larger themes of the course as they apply to your everyday life. At times, you may be encouraged to take excerpts from your blog and employ them in class, or share them with classmates in other ways. I’ll check in on your blog progress occasionally throughout the semester, providing feedback and direction when I feel it’s necessary. What I expect in your blog is not only a thorough attention to the details of our assigned texts but also a curious, open-minded approach to each text’s larger themes and an awareness of how the ideas covered in class discussions touch on the real world around you. Your blog should include, but not be limited to, specific prompts that I will occasionally discuss in class for you to complete at home. Your blog is fundamentally your own space, though, to be employed as a way of exploring ideas thoughtfully for yourself, and opening up a dialogue with me. You will not receive grades on individual blog posts; instead, you will be assessed at the end of the semester on how thoroughly and thoughtfully you fulfilled the spirit of the blog as described above.
2. TIMED WRITING: ESSAY TESTS are valuable in that they encourage you to focus your mind and express a coherent idea efficiently. You will usually be allowed to bring in notes and/or your text, but to do well on a test, you need to come in well-prepared, having done the reading, paid attention in class and grasped the literary concepts and themes that have been the focus of the unit you are being tested on. You will always be expected to make up any test you miss as soon as you possibly can. Be prepared to set aside time after school for this; I rarely allow make-ups during class.
3. PROCESS WRITING: The most effective way to improve your writing skill is to become a more conscious, “process-oriented” writer. Determine what impact you’re trying to have on a reader, and make conscious choices to hone your diction, style and organization in order to achieve that impact. Your process writing grade will be determined by how effectively you work on the process pieces you’re assigned throughout the semester. To achieve the highest score, each process piece must undergo meaningful, substantive revisions in content, diction, syntax, and style. Writing conferences must be marked by your understanding of the assignment's goals, and your willingness to make substantial changes in your initial drafts in order to achieve those goals. Finally, the piece itself must demonstrate a successful command of the writing skills that have been focused on throughout the assignment. Generally, process pieces of writing will take a long time to unfold, and you will have many opportunities to discuss their evolution with me as the year progresses.
4. PROJECTS: Usually done in teams, and often involving unconventional class presentations in response to literary works and themes, these will probably end up being your most memorable and challenging assignments. Be attentive to the rubrics you are provided with, and above all, be prepared on the day you are scheduled to present! Why do team projects? We live in a world filled with other people, with whom we must interact. Your ability to work in a team setting is an important skill to hone. Also, it is through the extra effort you take in responding creatively to all your assignments that your most lasting memories of this class will be created. Projects, if done in the right spirit, are not a chore but an experience. Please note: enthusiasm is both contagious and rewarding.
MINOR ASSESSMENTS (about 25%): These are everything else: quizzes, homework assignments, classwork, etc. Below are some of the typical minor assessments you can expect to receive.
Classwork: Occasionally, I will assign some work to be completed in class, usually in teams, and I will count this work as a minor assessment grade. These grades usually benefit active participants who show enthusiasm and curiosity, and an ability to follow directions.
Quiz: A rare event, usually dealing with the required vocabulary portion of the curriculum. Quizzes will test your basic knowledge of a certain topic that has been covered in class, will usually be announced in advance (but not always!), and will count as much as a single homework assignment.
Homework Assignments: Sometimes, homework will be graded simply by whether or not you have the assignment when you walk into class. In this situation, you will receive a 100 for having the assignment, or a 0 for not having it. There will, however, be times when I collect and look more closely over a piece of writing you’ve done for homework. In these situations, your work will be graded according to the following scale:
4 (100) This response shows independent intellectual curiosity and a vivid writing style as well as a thorough, thoughtful analysis of the given prompt. This response will use direct quotes from the passage in question and/or represent a highly original take on the prompt. A 4 is a rare event to be celebrated, an achievement—it is not the “default” grade, to be given out simply for completing an assignment.
3 (85) This response is an acceptable answer to the given prompt, but lacks some of the originality, style or intellectual interest of a 4 point response. Direct quotes (if needed in the assignment) are referred to accurately, but not used in such an original or thought-provoking manner as a 4 point response. Don’t be disappointed by a 3; it’s what people usually get.
2 (70) This response is lacking in some key areas. It does not fully respond to the given prompt or indicate a thorough and thoughtful reading of the passage. If direct quotes are used at all, they are used inaccurately or without making much sense. This response demonstrates a lack of effort or understanding or does not participate fully in the spirit of the assignment.
1 (50) This is an incomplete or unacceptable response, which seems hurried or thoughtless or indicates that you haven’t read the passage in question—this is the sort of grade you can expect if you scribble your homework down in the cafeteria moments before class begins.
N/C A no-credit response is one in which it seems clear that you’ve completely misunderstood the assignment or done it in a way that doesn’t satisfy the intentions of the assignment, even though you’ve done a thorough and thoughtful job. N/C responses count as a 0, but may be made up by the following day for a new grade.
0 May not be made up. You receive a zero when you do not have the assignment at the time it is collected. There are no excuses for not having your work. Just take the zero, and do better next time. No hard feelings.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS, both major and minor, lose 10 points for every school day they are LATE.