School Year: 2025–2026
Email: srobinson@goddardusd.com
Welcome! In this course, we will study American literature from the 1800s to today using MyPerspectives and Google Classroom. Together, we will build reading, writing, and critical-thinking skills.
• Walt Whitman & Emily Dickinson – Selected poems
• Ralph Waldo Emerson – “Nature” & “Self-Reliance”
• Nathaniel Hawthorne – “Young Goodman Brown”
• Laurie Halse Anderson – Speak
• F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby
• Arthur Miller – The Crucible
• Summer Reading: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
• Additional short stories, essays, and nonfiction
Daily Points (Participation)
5/day, 25/week
SSR Reading & Logs
10 points each
Notebook Journals
10 points each
Freewriting Assessments
40–60 points
Presentations / Projects
40–100 points
Socratic Seminars
40–60 points
Essays
100–150 points
MyPerspectives Assessments
10–60 points
GrammarFlip & Final Grammar Assessment
40–60 points
Final Exam
up to 200 points
Rewrites: Essays may be revised after an individual conference held outside class time. Rewrites without a conference will not be accepted.
Daily Points: Earn up to 5 points per day for being punctual, prepared, engaged, and on task. Phone misuse results in losing the day's points.
SSR: Bring a fiction book (200+ pages) and complete reading logs.
Notebook Journals: Completed in class and kept in the classroom.
Freewriting: Graded on depth and effort, not perfection.
Socratic Seminars: Prepare in advance. Missed seminars require a make-up meeting.
• Be kind and act with integrity
• Phones away unless directed
• Use Chromebooks for class tasks only
• Come prepared (charged Chromebook, notebook, book)
• One person out at a time
• No hats or hoods
• Print essay drafts ahead of time (3 copies)
Phones must be stored away. If I see it, I keep it until class ends—no exceptions.
Missed class? Check Google Classroom.
Late Work: -50% penalty unless we’ve discussed an extension in advance.
No late work accepted in the last 2 weeks of the semester.
Original work is required. Plagiarism or AI‑generated work = 0 + Skyward write‑up.
Cheating or copying = 0 + disciplinary referral.
AI tools like ChatGPT can support brainstorming and idea development, but your writing must reflect your own thinking and voice. Your effort, revision, and growth matter more than perfection.
Email to schedule help before/after school, during advisory, or via WebEx. Include class period and three time options.
Honors students complete additional writing assignments, including narrative essays and a revision portfolio. Details will be posted second semester.
Please note - like any course that evolves over time, this syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes will be communicated to students as class progresses. Questions or concerns on expectations are always welcome.