Summer 2016 Syllabus
Dr. Cohen – Room 424 eac4885@lausd.net
Course Description:
Survey of American Literature
from early Native American through contemporary writers, with a focus on how
different eras in American literary history have defined and reacted to “The
American Dream.”
Essential Questions:
Throughout the course, we
will use literature (as well as some music, film and visual art) as the focus
of our reading, writing and discussion in examining the following Essential
Questions:
Essential
Question: How does
American literature reflect the evolving voices of its people?
Culminating Paper: After reading several informational and
literary texts, write an essay in which you identify and describe a common
thread in the American literary voice and how it is reflected in three
different texts. Support your discussion with evidence from the texts.
1.
What was the
“Columbian Exchange”? Why is it
considered an aspect of “proto-globalization”? How is trade and information
exchange reflected in texts, folk and foodways? What is the role of literary mediums (books, moving
images, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram) in ongoing cultural exchange
and collaboration?
2.
What is “The
American Dream”? How and why has
it evolved over time? What is the tension between multiculturalism and
nationalism?
3.
What does it mean
to be American? What events have
shaped the “American Experience”?
Does a unified “American Experience” exist?
4.
How do the
differences between collective and individual histories affect perspectives in
American story-telling (through literature, art, music and film)?
5.
What are our
responsibilities as readers and writers in an American society?
Required Materials
-
Binder
with paper and a separate section for English class
-
Composition
Book for Projects
-
Google docs and LAUSD mymail account
-
Pens (blue or black ink), Red, and Yellow Highlighter
-
American Literature Text
Book, Writer’s Choice
-
Novel/play being read by entire class or team (when appropriate)
-
There Eyes were Watching God by Nora Zeale Huston
-
Turnitin.com registration
Grades:
Your grade will be calculated
according to a Mastery Grading point system. Every assignment, including class participation, is an
opportunity to earn points.
You will earn points through the following:
-
Preparedness for and participation in class discussions and activities (AAA
Study Skills) 10%
-
Papers/Essays (Brainstorm,
Roman Numeral Outline, Draft, Peer Review, 12-step revision) 40%
-
Homework assignments 10%
-
In-class assignments 30%
-
Portfolio Presentation/Final Exam 10%
Grades
and weighting system is posted in MISIS. You are responsible for monitoring
your grades! Keep a log in
your composition book as directed!
A REMINDER ABOUT
GRADES: I do not “give” grades. Whatever grade you EARN in this class
will be determined by your work this term.
Homework:
Use
a planner or in which you’ll write all of the assignments. Organization and preparedness are
skills you will need regardless of your post-secondary plans.
-
Homework will be writing compositions, studying for quizzes, or reading
and dialectical journaling. DO ALL
OF IT.
-
Major assignments drop by one full grade EACH DAY they are late.
-
Some work can NOT be made up, especially the oral assignments.
-
See me before 8:45 or during Lunch about make-up work, not right as the
class is about to begin.
-
Papers will be
submitted to turnitin.com for plagiarism checks
-
Use Google
docs so your work is accessible anywhere!
-
Some quizzes
may be given on Google forms.
Please NOTE: While we will be addressing
grammar and vocabulary independently, keep in mind that the #1 way to learn
grammar and vocabulary is by READING.
It gives you more instruction about these components than anything else
will. The more you read, the more
you’ll notice when something doesn’t “look” or “sound” right.
Absences/Tardies:
If
you are tardy to class, I will be keeping track. If it becomes habitual, I will call home, refer you to your
counselor, and/or lower your work habits/cooperation grades. You also may not be able to make up
assignments missed due to unexcused tardies. 3 tardies equals a U in
cooperation.
As for absenteeism, you
cannot learn enough to pass this class if you are not IN the class. For all questions and make-up work
regarding absences, I am usually available by 8:40 and during Lunch. I will NOT track you down to collect
missed work. If YOU do not take
the initiative to keep up with your class work, therein lives the real problem.
Scope and Sequence: Semester Overview
(Subject to Change)
June 27-July 1 Authors Covered: Taos Singer , Lin Manuel Miranda ,
Olaudah Equiano, William Bradford,
Canasetego, Mary Jemison
PROJ: On-demand essay: Historical
Connections, Finding Your Own Voice, The American Voice
multiculturalism
and equity
Skills:
On-demand essay, Decoding a prompt, Annotation of a text, Collaborative
Conversations , MLA Formatting, Parenthetical Citations,
July 5 -8 Authors
Covered: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John
Adams, Abigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton.
Documents: Declaration
of Independence, Patrick Henry’s Speech
to the Virginia Convention, Excerpt from Declaration of Sentiments.
PROJ:
Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness: Persuasive Speech, Literary Terms
Review/Quiz
Skills: Identifying and utilizing Ethos, Pathos, and
Logos, varying sentence structure, examining and revising syntax,
July 11-15 Authors
Covered: Emerson, Thoreau, Walt
Whitman
PROJ: Argumentation Essay (Moral Viewpoints) and Literary Terms
exam
Skills: Identification of Narrator’s Voice,
Figurative Language Elements Review
July
18-22
Author Covered: Nora Zeale Hurston
PROJ: Culminating paper with revisions
and Dialectical Journal
Skills: Identification of
Tone and Mood, analyze themes to develop insight
into American
society.
July 25-29 Author
Covered: Nora Zeale Hurston
PROJ:
Skills Portfolio Presentation and Reflection
Guiding
Questions:
·
How does
tracing the development of a theme help me better understand the text?
(RL11-12.1, RL11-12.2)
·
How does
recognizing the impact of specific words in a text help me better understand
the development of a theme (s)? (RL11-12.1, RL11-12.2, RL11-12.4)
·
How does
the writer use voice to shape the audience’s understanding of a text?
(RL11-12.1, RL11-12.2, RL11-12.4, RL11-12.6)
·
How do my
peers help me better understand the connection between voice and theme?
(SL11-12.1, RL11-12.2, RL11-12.1, RL11-12.4, RL11-12.6)
·
How does organizing my understandings from my
readings, discussion, and analysis help me prepare for an on-demand essay? (W11-12.1, W11-12.4, W11- 12.9)
·
How do I effectively capture my analysis of a text
in an on-demand essay? (W11- 12.2,
W11-12.4, W11-12.9,)
·
How do I trace two or more central ideas in a
visual text? (RI11-12.1 or RL11- 12.1,
RI11-12.2 or RL11 -12.2)
·
How
do I analyze how two or more central ideas in a visual text interact and build
on one another? (RI11-12.1 or RL11-12.1, RI11-12.2 or RL11 -12.2)
