Honors Eleven English ~ American Literature
Modified on Monday, March 31, 2008
Homework Journals
It will be difficult or impossible to pass the remainder of this course without maintaining an accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date journal. Students are encouraged to take detailed notes on the following:
- Reading assignments (especially when a Study Guide is not provided)
- Lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and film showings
- Class discussions and exercises
Each student should reserve an entire three-hole, lined spiral notebook for the course and should maintain this notebook in a three-hole, loose-leaf binder with ample pockets for saving handouts. Naturally, journals should arrive with students at every class.
Reading Assignments
Students are encouraged to make a practice of reading every assignment twice. The “second pass” solidifies key moments, themes and ideas from a text. Take notes in your journal as you read, and make hand-written copies of passages that stand out as crucial excerpts. With handouts, students are encouraged to underline, highlight and/or make notes in the margins. Unless otherwise noted, handouts are yours to keep, and all such documents are considered fair game when it comes to quizzes and tests.
Lectures and Guest Lectures
There will be lectures from time to time, including occasional guest lectures. To learn by attending lectures is an important prelude to unversity study; further, lectures offer key opportunities to students who are auditory learners.
Because the contents of Honors English 11 lectures are fair game on subsequent quizzes and tests, full attention and accurate note-taking are essential responses. Those who disrupt lectures with inappropriate noise or comments will – in order to protect the interests of those more intent on achieving academic success – be excused from class, with disciplinary referrals to the WHS administration and phone-calls home regarding rude or inappropriate behavior.
Film Screenings
Films or film-excerpts will be shown from time to time as a means of enriching students’ sense of historical context for works of literature under discussion. For example, segments from The Great Gatsby (1974) and from related films will support our discussions of The Jazz Age. The contents of all films and film-excerpts are curriculum-appropriate and family-appropriate; furthermore, parents and guardians are welcome to pre-screen any and all films-segments shown during the course. (See Mr. B for the exact segments to be used.)
In-Class Process Time.
Time will be provided at the discretion of the teacher for students to read, deal with group assignments, proofread essays, perform research, and discuss issues pertinent to success in the course. Students are encouraged to use Process Time wisely, and not to compromise success by wasting time in conversations, schmoozing, etc. Mr. Bratnober’s observation of student behavior during Process Time contributes to each student’s Participation Grade in the course.
Class Blog
The class blog contains valuable information on the course, including enrichment materials, music, video clips, and tips about resources regarding American Literature. Mr. Bratnober will make an effort to update the blog from time to time. (The blog, however, may not be the ultimate, up-to-the-minute authority on the unfolding calendar of daily assignments – for this, see ONLY the walls of Rm. 201.)
See the Course Syllabus for additional information, including the WHS English Department policy on plagiarism.
