School Year: 2016-17

Course Name / Gifted/Advanced American Literature / Course Code / 23.0510000G / 23.0510000AC
School Name / Dunwoody High School / Teacher Name / Heather Carter
School Phone Number / 404.874.8502 / Teacher Email /
School Website / http://www.dunwoodyhs.dekalb.k12.ga.us / Teacher Website / http://www.dunwoodyhs.dekalb.k12.ga.us/HeatherCarter.aspx

Course Description

This is a theme related, literature-based course focused on the study of American Literature from the Colonial Period to the late Twentieth Century. During this course, students will survey representative literary works for content, style, form, diction, historical context, and relevance to our time. In addition, composition, research, public speaking, standardized test preparation, and the use of current technology will be integrated into the semester’s study. Students will also be given the opportunity to improve grammar and usage skills. An emphasis will be placed on the development of critical and analytical thinking skills through classroom discussion and compositions. Students will complete several writing assignments during the semester, including analytical literature-based essays and a research paper. Outside reading and the study of vocabulary will also be required in this course.

Curriculum Overview

The following academic concepts will be covered. THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Unit 1: / Beginnings: Native American Literature, Puritanism and Rationalism (1620-1800) / Novel / Drama Units
The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Unit 2 : / Nineteenth-Century Literature: Dark Romanticism and Transcendentalism (1800-1860)
Unit 3 : / Post Civil War Literature: Realism, Regionalism, Naturalism (1860-1914)
Unit 4: / The Modern Period: Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance (1914-1950)
Unit 5: / Contemporary Literature (1950-Present)

BOARD-APPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Title / The American Experience (Prentice Hall)
ISBN / 0-13-131759-8
Replacement Cost / 61.97

GRADING SYSTEM: The DeKalb County School District believes that the most important assessment of student learning shall be conducted by the teachers as they observe and evaluate students in the context of ongoing classroom instruction. A variety of approaches, methodologies, and resources shall be used to deliver educational services and to maximize each student’s opportunity to succeed. Teachers shall evaluate student progress, report grades that represent the student’s academic achievement, and communicate official academic progress to students and parents in a timely manner through the electronic grading portal. See Board Policy IHA.

GRADING CATEGORIES / *GRADE PROTOCOL
Pre-Assessments Prior to Learning (Formative Assessments) - 0%
Assessment During Learning – 25%
Guided, Independent, or Group Practice – 45%
Summative Assessment or Assessment of Learning– 30% / A 90 – 100 ~P (pass)
B 80 – 89 ~F (fail)
C 71 – 79
D 70
F Below 70
DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS
STUDENT PROGRESS / Semester progress reports shall be issued four and a half, nine and thirteen and a half weeks into each semester. The progress of students shall be evaluated frequently and plans shall be generated to remediate deficiencies as they are discovered.Plans shall include appropriate interventions designed to meet the needs of the students. See Board Policy IH.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY / Students will not engage in an act of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, providing false information, falsifying school records, forging signatures, or using an unauthorized computer user ID or password. See the Code of Student Conduct - Student Rights and Responsibilities and Character Development Handbook.
HOMEWORK / Homework assignments should be meaningful and should be an application or adaptation of a classroom experience. Homework is at all times an extension of the teaching/learning experience. It should be considered the possession of the student and should be collected, evaluated and returned to the students. See Board Policy IHB.
MAKE-UP WORK
DUE TO ABSENCES / When a student is absent because of a legal reason as defined by Georgia law or when the absence is apparently beyond the control of the student, the student shall be given an opportunity to earn grade(s) for those days absent. Make-up work must be completed within the designated time allotted. See Board Policy IHEA.
SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS / Behavior Expectations: All students are expected to behave according to the following guidelines. If a student chooses not to respect these class rules, the teacher will assign detention or a comparable consequence, call the student’s parent, and if necessary, refer the student to the Assistant Principal of Discipline.
1.  Respect the people, equipment, and furnishings in this classroom.
2.  Be prepared for class each day.
3.  Do not leave the room unless you have permission and a pass from the teacher.
4.  Food and drink are not permitted in the classroom.
5.  Follow all DHS rules (no cell phones, iPods, book bags, etc)
Hall Passes: Students should not expect to run errands or attend to personal business during class. Every student who comes to class late must bring a pass from the attendance office explaining the reason for their tardiness. Students will receive exactly three hall passes at the beginning of the semester. At the end of the semester, for each unused pass, I will add ten points to a homework assignment, a classwork assignment, or a quiz.
Plagiarism/Cheating: Using the words or ideas of another person without giving credit for them is plagiarism. When multiple students turn in duplicate answers or compositions, all students will receive a zero. Essays obtained from a book jacket, the internet, or any other source will immediately receive a zero. Students should observe and abide by the policies outlined in the Dunwoody High School Plagiarism and Cheating Policy.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted. A student who is absent on the day an assignment is due must turn it in on the same day he or she returns to school or that work will not be accepted. If a student is absent on the day of a test or quiz, he or she will be expected to take that test immediately upon returning to class.
No Excuses Policy: Due dates are not flexible. Printer problems, absences, and other excuses do not absolve you from your responsibility to turn in work on time. If you experience printer problems or are absent for any reason other than a medical emergency that is documented from a physician or death in the family, you must email the assignment to me or arrange to have someone bring the assignment to me on the your behalf. I will grant exceptions for valid, documented medical and family emergencies only.
Make-Up Work Policy: Students who have an excused absence may make up work and receive credit. If an absence is not excused, a student will not receive credit for any work missed. In order to obtain missed work, students must check the class website to determine what occurred in class on that day. If students have any questions about the missed work or need any additional assistance, it is their responsibility to see the teacher before school during tutorial. Students have three days from the day they return to school to make up assignments given during their absence. If the student does not turn in the work by the end of the third day, a zero will be recorded in the grade book for that work.
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES / - a three ring binder (at least one inch thick) - five divider tabs
- blue or black ink pens - assigned textbook(s)
- pencils - loose leaf notebook paper
- highlighter pens (at least three colors)
EXTRA HELP / Tutorial days/hours: M-F, 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.
PARENTS AS PARTNERS / Daily assignments and due dates (both long term and short term) will be posted on the class website, which will be updated daily. While the website is a tool for students, parents may also find this useful.

PLEASE SIGN BELOW AND RETURN (Gifted/Advanced American Literature – H. Carter)

I have read the syllabus.

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