American Studies Language Arts Section 20072008

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American StudiesLanguage Arts Section2007-2008

• Mr. Olsen
• Skyline High School
• Sammamish, Washington

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Guiding Philosophies

• The history portion of this class will give you
  the facts about American history- here we learn
  what it was like to be these people.
• The purpose of this is to discover how our social
  history shapes who we are today.
• Understanding of the mindset of each generation
  also helps you understand the history- why people
  acted the way they did
• Finally, please be open-minded- it is easy to
  hate on historical mindsets, but perhaps more
  interesting and satisfying to try to get in their
  heads.

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Class Management

• Tardiness/ Absenteeism
• Minor Stuff
• Verbal Warning
• Calls Home
• Administration
• Good stuff!

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Resources

• In-Class Resources
• White boards, paper assignment sheets, spoken
  announcements.
• Web Site
• Contains assignments, calendars, vocab and
  grammar lists, announcements, etc.
• Library
• Surprisingly helpful and friendly!
• Writing Center
• See Humanities office pod for hours- sign up!
• Office Hours
• Prep period 4, or see me in my office after
  school.

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Structure of Course

• 5 Layers Going on Simultaneously
• Social/ Political/ Philosophical
• Taking notes, studying powerpoints, minor
  projects
• Reading/ Literature Layer
• Keeping up with reading
• Writing Layer
• Completing writing assignments
• Vocabulary Layer
• Studying vocab lists for Friday quizzes
• Grammar Layer
• Studying grammar review sheets/excercises for
  Friday quizzes

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Social/ Philosophical/ Political Layer

• Course generally broken up into 6 major sections
  Puritans, Rationalists, Romantics, Realists,
  Moderns, and Post- Moderns
• Most of these sub-divided into units (e.g. Post
  Modernists into Beat Poets Vonnegut).
• Each generation, you will see, adds a layer onto
  our identity, even as we reject much of what they
  were about.
• (Sept.)- Puritans (1600s- mid 1700s)
• (Sept.-Oct.) Rationalists (mid 1700s- 1800s)
• (Oct.)- Romantics- (mid 1800s)
• (Nov.-Dec.) Realists- (late 1800s)
• (Jan.) Early Modernists (1900-1918)
• (Feb.- Mar.) Late Modernists (1920s- 1940s)
• (April) Early Post-Modernists (1950s)
• (May) Post- Modernists (1960s-1980s)
• (Jun.) Post- Post Mod. (1990s- Present)

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Writing Layer

• All builds to the culminating Junior Project due
  in April.
• Each unit concentrates on one of the steps, and
  adds one on.
• (Sept.) Initial Research
• (Oct.) Thesis Generation
• (Nov.) Focused Research and Outlining
• (Dec.) Drafting (Paper 1 due)
• (Jan.-Feb.) Refining/ Editing (Paper 2 due)
• (March) Begin Junior Project
• (April) Finish Junior Project
• (May-June) Resume/ Cover Letter Writing, Paper 4
  due)

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Literature Layer

• To give you examples of how people of each period
  expressed themselves, you will read examples from
  each period
• (Sept.- Oct.) Puritans, Rationalists, Romantics-
  Selections from Lit Book ( Crucible)
• (Nov.-Dec.) Realists- Huckleberry Finn (Twain),
  More selections from Lit Book
• (Jan.) Early Mod.- O Pioneers! (Cather)
• (Feb.) Late Mod.- Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald),
• (Mar.) Selections from Grapes of Wrath
  (Steinbeck)
• (April) Early Post-Mod. Selections from Lit Book
• (May) Post- Mod.- Cats Cradle (Vonnegut)
• (Jun.) Post- Post Mod.- Book Club

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Vocabulary Layer

• 2 Main goals
• Enhance vocab for your own use in writing
• Enhance your understanding of reading
• All vocab taken directly from our class reading
• Vocab Quizzes on the last day of every week
  (besides Thanksgiving and Winter Break)
• Vocab List for each week on web site

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Grammar Layer

• Main idea is review- all of this is stuff thats
  been taught to you several times over
• But dont feel bad- I focus on areas that I see
  80 of students having trouble with
• Prep Activities/ Links on Web Site
• Quiz each week along with vocab

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Assessment- Semester 1

• Major Projects/ Papers 35
• Minor Exercises. 25
• Objective Quizzes/Tests 25
• Vocab/ Grammar Quizzes 15
• Semester Final 10
• Note Semester 2 includes the Junior Project,
  which is 15 of that semesters grade.

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Grades and Late Work

• Basmati regularly updated- at least once a week.
  (know your number!)
• Grading scale posted on syllabus.
• Unless Otherwise Posted Late work10 off for
  each day late, down to a minimum of 50 up to end
  of unit.
• No Late work accepted from previous unit- last
  day of unit is last day work can be handed in