11 Grade American English

Teacher: Miss Brinker Room Number: 215 Email: name@abcschool.org

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Course Description:

This course will take us through American

literature from the time Abraham Lincoln lived in the white house to the time of Michael Jackson. In this syllabus there are five specific aspects of this class I want to cover. They are as follows:

Course Schedgule

Book List

Assessment Options

Grading Policy

Work Required

Book List: Throughout this course you will be asked

to select three books to read. Each book must fit the time period in which we are currently learning about and must also be approved by me a week after the assignment has been mentioned in class. Because you have the option to choose your books, take this opportunity to use some of the different technologies available on computers in our classroom or download some of the options for technology posted on my class website. You can read the book yourself or have the book read to you; be creative and have fun!

Grading Policy:

I grade based on the system viewed below. As an aside,

because many of you will be taking advantage of alternative options for class showing what you have learned in class, please make sure you look at the explanation for Participation. Also, note that I do not give students pluses or minuses. Meaning, a 90 is still an A, just like a 79 is still a C. Grading in general is just to show you how you are progressing and what you can work on. Putting pluses or minuses on assignments distracts from the main purpose of grading, to show where students are at, and puts un-needed stress on a + or -. A B F 100-90 89-80 59-50 C D 79-70 69-60

1. Participation: 50

2. Assessments: 100 3. Homework/Projects: 250 Overall, the class - each semester - will be out of 400 points. For participation, each student will have many opportunities, outside of outright talking in class, to show that they are participating in what we are learning. These opportunities will be described as the year wears on but they include writing a short blurb and putting it in the purple mailbox next to my desk, setting up a time to meet with me before, after, or during school (times will vary), and discussing in a small group and then having someone else explain what was said.

Work Required:

For this class, students will be asked to

do four homework assignments for each book read and one project when each book is completed. Again, we will talk more about this in class, but each of you will have options for what your homework assignments and projects can look like. These options are as follows:

Oral Presentation: For projects and homework assignments (when I have been told ahead of time), time will be made in class so that students can verbally share required material. Acting: For projects, students will be able to act out what they have learned/the material required for the project.

Written: Students will be given the

opportunity write a paper or short blurb (for homework) on what they have learned.
If you choose this options check our class website for different writing technologies you could use! Other Creative Method: If there is a method of delivering the information required for the assignment that is not stated here, set a time to meet with me and we can talk about it.

Assessment Options:

Students will have the opportunity to pick two

kinds of test formats. Tests can either be taken in the typical pen and paper format (multiple choice, essay, fill in the blank, etc.) or they can ask for a visual version of the same test. For both options, the questions, content required, and difficulty level will be identical. The only difference between the two is that, for the visual test, the questions will be asked through visuals (charts, color, diagrams, different font sizes, etc.). For BOTH test options, students will have the ability to use the laptops to access the test digitally in order for it to be read to them. That is an accommodation I allow for all of my students. As an aside, the computers will be put on testing mode and access to the Internet will be disabled to ensure students do their own work.

Course Schedgule:

The schedule for this class has yet to be determined. As

it is, this class was created to be more free flowing. As long as we are meeting the objectives for everyday when the lessons occur, scheduling them a semester or year in advance does not matter much to me. If you are someone who needs a schedule far in advance, let me know and I will give you a rough draft. Each weeks schedule will be written on the whiteboard each Monday. Extras: School Policy: All school policies will be uphold in this classroom. Our overarching policy on bullying, hats in school, proper language, and cellphones in the classroom still apply when you walk through my classroom door. As such, discipline will be handled in the same way as is handled throughout the rest of the building:

First Offense: Reminder of policy Second Offence: Second warning Third Offense: In school suspension ext) My hope is for this class that we never need go beyond the second step!

IDEA/ Disability needs: Information for students with documented disabilities will be given to me at the beginning of the school year. All accommodations will be adhered to and carried out as is directed by law. To get to know those of you better who need specific things, please come and talk to me if you feel comfortable. As I have or will soon explain to all of you, I have personal experience with having a learning disability and would LOVE to aid you in anyway I can. However, I cannot help if I do not know what needs helping