11- 1 HD American Literature

Literature: American Literature (McDougal Littell) hardcover and CD versions

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Your Summer Reading book (Slaughter-house Five or The Turn of the Screw & Daisy Miller)

üEssay Writing

üQuizzes and Tests

üHomework (chiefly vocabulary and grammar)

üA Notebook of Literature/Idea Responses

üA Speech

üGroup Projects

üCumulative Final Exam (20% of your grade) Want to skip the final exam?! See below.

Objectives: You will be able to state the influences Puritanism had on American values and analyze the influence of it on modern times, relate the ideals of early American democracy from the writings of the time, demonstrate the influence of early American writing on the formation of our democracy. You will also learn how persuasion is used effectively, including why speakers use loaded language, emotional appeals, and logic.

Readings: "From Plymouth Plantation," "The Examination of Sarah Good," "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" other speeches by J. Edwards, poetry by Anne Bradstreet, "Speech in the Virginia Convention," "Declaration of Independence," "The Crisis," and political speeches by notable American presidents and presidential candidates.

Objectives: You will be able to outline the rise of the Romantic period in American letters, state the characteristics of Romanticism, and understand Gothic, Southern Gothic, and Transcendentalist movements in American literature.

Readings: "The Devil and Tom Walker," excerpts from "Self-Reliance," from "Civil Disobedience," from Walden; essays by Margaret Fuller and Mohandas Gandhi; "Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Minister’s Black Veil," "A Rose For Emily," and "The Life You Save May be Your Own."

Objectives: You will recognize a truly American style of language, examine American cultural, historical, and literary development, understand the regionalism of the period, identify the elements of Realism and Naturalism.

Readings: "I Hear American Singing" and excerpt from "Song of Myself;" from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," excerpt from "The Red Badge of Courage," and selected Emily Dickinson poems.

Objectives: Identify the elements of Realism and Naturalism and analyze these influences on American fiction today. You will explore the literary style of a classic author (Mark Twain) and explore reactions to his most famous – and most controversial – book. You will also look at emerging feminist stories.

Readings: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, "The Yellow Wallpaper," "The Story of an Hour," "A Wagner Matinee," "The Open Boat," "April Showers," and excerpt from The Autobiography of Mark Twain.

* Drinks are OK; food is not.

* Listen politely while others are talking. Be considerate of other people’s opinions. We will have some lively class discussions and it is up to you to make sure they proceed in a polite way.

* No cell phones. This is school policy. Phones should be in your purse or pocket during class. If your phone is a problem repeatedly, I will take it to the office.

*iPods are OK when I say they are (e.g. during independent work time). They are not allowed during tests or quizzes.

* No backpacks in the classroom. This is school policy.

* Be on time to class. See the Panther Planner for tardy policy information.

*You should come to class each day with a pen or pencil, your journal, and your book.

Consequences for breaking the rules could include: an in-class warning, a conference in the hallway, a seat change, a call home to your parents, and/or a referral to your principal.rules regarding appropriate classroom behavior may consist of any or several of these, depending upon the seriousness of the violation: warning, being moveanother seat, being sent from in-school, being sent to your pr iGrading

Should you or your parents want to contact me, I’m available at 330-7714, ext. 51093 or by e-mail at kmills@mccsc.edu. I will be posting grades on-line; these can be accessed from the South home page (www.south.mccsc.edu) You will need to know your password to access your grade. You can access my web page with info on class assignments and due dates at http://kmills.mills.googlepages.com/home