American Literature 1A - Wisconsin Virtual School
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[edit] Course Information
| Course Title | American Literature 1A |
| Course Number | 2719 |
| Section | 2720 |
| Format | Online |
| Start Date | Open Enrollment |
| End Date | Open Enrollment |
| Status | Open |
| Price | $355 |
| District Credit | 0.5 Credits |
| College Credit | 0 Hours |
[edit] Description
In this first-semester American literature course, students explore the themes of technology, language, illusion, and independence. Students read culturally diverse selections within such differing genres as the essay, short story, novel, historical writings, and poetry. Through multimedia presentations, selections provide vocabulary enrichment, textual insights, audio readings of excerpts to enhance the learning experience.
Students will develop critical thinking and writing skills by taking quizzes, completing creative projects, and sharing their thoughts in newsgroups, or one-on-one with the teacher or other students.
[edit] Prerequisites
None
[edit] Objectives
Students will:
- Explore American literature through an integrated language arts curriculum with reading, writing, listening, seeing, and speaking components.
- Investigate and respond to some of the major themes in American literature--technology, independence, illusion, and the power of language--and see how they encompass and are influenced by diverse historical, cultural, geographic, gendered, and class perspectives.
- Learn to see writing as a form of thinking, self-expression, and communication, and thus let purpose guide their organizational and rhetorical strategies.
- Learn how to conduct and use peer review for some pieces of written and artistic work. Learn grammatical and compositional information in the context of reading and writing.
- Develop an understanding of and respect for English dialects while also reinforcing the conventions of Standard Written English.
- Increase computer skills in a number of ways, including through word processing, navigating the course, participating in on-line class discussions, e-mails, and Web searches.
- Develop interpersonal skills through sharing work and ideas with other students in the class.
- Gain further understanding of themselves and others, and critically examine their own beliefs and attitudes through reading and discussion.
- Increase their awareness of the World Wide Web as an educational and informational resource.
- Have the opportunity to develop a sense of class membership, using the Internet to communicate with their instructor and classmates.
[edit] Required Materials
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
First Scribner Paperback Fiction edition, preferred. Simon and Schuster.
[edit] Syllabus
Students will learn about:
- Four major themes in American Literature, which have rich aesthetic, personal and socio-cultural dimensions: technology, language, independence, and illusion
- American literacy works from the eighteenth century to the present, with primary emphasis on twentieth-century works
- A large variety of genres: the essay, the short story, the novel, historical writing, poetry, autobiography, the play, nonfiction, the road narrative, and the tall tale
- How these four themes are shaped and influenced by race, gender, ethnicity, class, history, and regionalism
- Close reading and analysis of texts
- Connecting issues raised in these readings to a contemporary social or personal context
- How to write in different formats and genres
- Developing a good discussion in the class newsgroup
[edit] Number/Description of Projects, Exams, and Activities
4 Quizzes: At the conclusion of each unit, students will need to complete an on-line, computer-graded quiz covering the reading and vocabulary. Students will have two opportunities to take the quiz; the higher score will be recorded. Students will receive instant feedback regarding their grade on each quiz.
4 Projects: At the conclusion of each unit, students will need to complete one writing project. Upon completion, the project will be sent to the instructor for grading and feedback.
14 Newsgroup Activities: Before completing a unit, students will need to contribute to the discussions in the newsgroup several times. Questions about the various literacy texts in the course are included. Students may either respond to the question directly, or respond to some of their classmates' answers.
[edit] Course Provider
Wisconsin Virtual School
Support Contact Info
Name: Nancy Kind
Phone: (877)689-1772
Email: wvs@wisconsinvirtualschool.org
Fax: 715-453-7519
Hours: Regular Business Hours for Phone Contact
