Intro Letter

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Partners in Learning,

Welcome to American Studies! This year, our students will become immersed in the history, culture, and literature of modern America, from the colonial period to the present. I will partner with one of our illustrious history faculty to present a curriculum that ties literature and film to its historical context, inviting students to consider the “real-life” significance of the texts we read and how they contributed to the ideals and identity of America today. This collaborative approach is key to our school’s philosophy, and it is my hope that you will become an active member of our learning community, which extends well beyond the classroom. In order to facilitate communication and your knowledge about what goes on in your child’s classroom, I will send home a weekly newsletter with updates about our content, descriptions of classroom events, and samples of student work so that you get to see your children as I do—as brilliant learners!

That newsletter, along with additional updates and musings, will also be posted to our class blog, which you can find at the following URL:

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Check today and introduce yourself in the comments! This blog will provide a space for you to talk back—to me and to each other. I will use it to share thoughts, reflections, and connections to daily life in the form of links and videos from current media. It is my hope that you and your student will check the blog together and comment with your own insights about the contents of class that day or discussions you had about the material.

I am so excited to begin working with you and your student. In the following pages, you will find an outline of the course content as well as classroom policies, procedures, and expectations. These will all be further developed in the initial days of school. My door and my phone line are always open; you can reach me by e-mail or phone if you wish to discuss anything in a private venue.


Best Wishes,


Stephanie Sefcik
XXX-XXX-XXXX
xxxxxxx@xxxxx.com


Course Content

Novels

Your student will need to acquire a copy, whether by purchasing or borrowing, by the appropriate deadline on the class calendar.

The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

The Awakening (Kate Chopin)

Other Texts

Other short texts will be provided either in the textbook or in photocopy. These texts may include, but will not be limited to

Revolutionary War-era pamphlets and publications

Poetry from the Puritan era through the twentieth century (including the Harlem
Renaissance)
Short stories from the literary canon and from American pop culture magazines
(e.g. Flannery O’Connor and The Saturday Evening Post)

All texts will be studied both as literary texts and as artifacts of the cultural contexts and conflicts that produced them. Discussion may raise some politically or culturally sensitive issues, which is one of the reasons this class is reserved for seniors. We trust in a classroom community of respect and thoughtfulness, and your participation on the blog will help develop that community.

Behavior Policy

All rules are designed to keep students safe - both physically and emotionally - and to help each student learn and succeed in the classroom. We will start out the year with a discussion of the purpose of the rules and what they will look like in the classroom. In addition, rules will always be visible in our classroom as a reminder of the expectations for student behavior.

Expectations:
- Show respect to classmates and the teacher
- Show respect to yourself
- Show respect to objects and for time - your own and others’
- Bring all necessary materials to class
- Follow all school rules

Consequences are not intended to punish students. Instead, they are meant to create and maintain a safe environment that will promote learning for all students. Consequences will be a logical result of behavior. For instance, if a student’s cell phone is distracting him during class, I will take it away and keep it until the end of class.

Possible Consequences:
- Reminder of appropriate behavior
- Removal of student from situation
- Removal of distraction
- Written reflection on choice
- Individual conference with teacher to develop problem-solving strategy
- Conference with parent, student, and teacher

Grading Policy

Grades are directly connected to student mastery of the content and skills. During each unit, students will have opportunities to see what they are doing or understanding well and what they need to work on. At the end of the unit, students will complete a final assessment to demonstrate what they have learned.

Reading 25%
Writing 25%
Language 25%
Communication 25%

Reading
- Participation grades during reading workshop
- Literature circle tasks
- Reading quizzes
- Literature tests
- Journal responses to literature
- Outside reading activities

Writing
- Essays
- Writing Portfolio
- Journal

Language
- Vocabulary practice
- Vocabulary tests
- Grammar
- Spelling

Communication
- Discussion
- Presentations

Late Work:
Every assignment is designed for a reason. Since I carefully assign tasks at certain times in order to help you learn, it is important that you do the work at the time it is assigned. Completing each assignment at the appropriate time will help you understand and prepare for the next step. For this reason, late assignments will lose a letter grade for each day they are late. I will not take late assignments after four days because by that time they will not benefit your learning.

Absenteeism
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get your assignments from the makeup folder. I will gladly help you catch up on work, as long as you come to me soon after your absence.

Welcome!

Dear parents, guardians, and partners in learning,

Welcome to Ms. Sefcik's American Studies blog. On this blog, you will find newsletters, updates, calendars, and thoughts about our students and connections between our subject matter and real life.

Check often and comment regularly! This blog should be a venue for you to reach me and communicate with one another.

Today is a day for introductions; in the comments, tell us a little about yourself.

I'll go first!

I just moved here from Nashville, Tennessee, where I completed my M.Ed. at Vanderbilt University. I love theater, thai food, and white german shepherds. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor sports and keeping up with the latest young adult fiction. This year, I look forward to hiking in the beautiful North Carolina mountains when I'm not leading seminars and grading your students' brilliant and insightful papers!

Now it's your turn. What should we know about you? What do you look forward to this year?

--Ms. Sefcik