Virtual Learning 2020-2021
American Literature II
Kashara Davis
Davisk@maconk12.org
Office Hours: TBA
Course Goals and Objectives: Through instruction which focuses on the objectives and content set forth by the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards and the Macon County Schools Curriculum Guide, students will become efficient and effective readers, writers, speakers, viewers, and listeners. This course spans from turn of the century literature to modern day American literature.
Virtual Supplies:
- iPad or computer
- Broadband or wifi access
- Note taking app of choice (Pages, Notes, or a 3rd party app)
(* Note due to COVID-19, the use of paper and pencil will be limited when school transitions to in class instruction. You may get a notebook or binder for your notes but assignments will still be submitted online.)
Classroom Novels (Most books will be provided to students through ebooks):
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1st 9 weeks)
Elie Wiesel’s Night ( 2nd 9 weeks)
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible ( 3rd 9 weeks)
Octavia Butler’s Kindred (4th 9 weeks)** Students may have to purchase the novel for the 4th 9 weeks.
Students are expected to have assigned reading completed before the start of each class session. The teacher may assign quizzes (announced or unannounced) to assess if students read the material.
Grading Policy: The following is the criteria for calculating grades. All assignments will fit into one of the categories below.
- Major Grades (Test, Projects, Essays) = 35%
- Minor Grades (homework, classwork, quizzes)= 25%
- Discussion questions and responses (online responses)= 20%
- Participation/Bellringers (daily)= 15%
- Acellus= 5%
Late Student Policy:
Class will start promptly each day. A student is considered late if they enter five minutes after the class starts online. Disciplinary action will be taken with students who are chronically late to online (or in person) class sessions.
Absent Student Policy:
Students are expected to attend virtual class sessions daily. Students who must be absent must communicate with the teacher prior to class. Students are responsible for completing missed assignments. Virtual class sessions will be recored and can be accessed through Google Classroom. Students must complete all assignments within 3 days of returning back to class.*** Students who contract COVID-19 will be given additional time to complete missed assignments.
Virtual Learning Classroom Procedures: The following is an outline of the procedures to be followed daily for virtual learning.
Students will meet at the scheduled class time on Google Meets. Upon entering the classroom the teacher will take roll. After the roll, students should log into Google classroom. Students will find an ACT English Bellringer daily in Google Classroom. Students will have 1 minute to complete the bellringer. Students and teacher will discuss the answer.
After the bellringer, students will have a “before strategy” to complete. This could be a wide range of activities and assignments. The before strategy is used to access where students are before learning the material.
Once students have completed the “before strategy”, the teacher will present a 5-7 minute lecture on the material for the day. During this time, students are expected to actively take notes and listen to the material ( information will also be on a Keynote for students to access daily). After the presentation, students will have a brief Q&A before moving to the “during strategy”. This will allow students to practice the material presented and deepen their understanding. Students are expected to be actively working during this time.
Lastly students will complete an “after strategy” . The after strategy will give students an opportunity to reflect on his or her learning for the day. The after strategy can be a wide variety of activities. After completing the after strategy, students will have a final Q&A session before being dismissed.
Virtual Learning Policies: The following are a list of expectations and guidelines to follow in the virtual classroom.
- Log on at the expected time daily
- Upon entering Google Meets please mute yourself
- Make sure cameras are on during class
- Dress appropriately for the classroom setting. No Bonnets
- Use the restroom before class starts
- No eating (small snacks are fine)
- No profanity in the online discussion or on the video chats.
- No leaving the class early unless given specific permission.
**** Cheating ****
Any student found cheating (submitting work from the internet or another student) will be given a grade of zero and face disciplinary consequences.
Discussion Questions and Responses:
On Monday of each week, students will be given a discussion question related to the topic. The response is due on Wednesday and must be at least 5-7 sentences in length to receive credit. The responses should be on topic and use grammatically correct sentences (a rubric will be provided). After completing the discussion question, students must thoughtfully comment on two classmates’ discussion response by Friday. The comment must address a specific statement and be at least 3-5 sentences in length to receive full credit. Students will be provided with examples of an acceptable response and comment.
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