American Experience

Course Overview

Course Description

This course is a tech-integrated Junior English course. In this course, we will continue to develop our reading comprehension skills as we encounter works from each of the following periods and movements in American literature: Colonialism, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, Harlem Renaissance, 20th Century Contemporary, and 21st Century Contemporary.

Our skills in writing will continue to be developed through the writing of a variety of expository and creative papers with a special focus on the research process and the thesis-based research paper. Critical analysis of film, student presentations, and academic discourse activities will provide us with opportunities to further develop literacy in a variety of media beyond print. Individual needs and interests will receive special attention.

In addition to independent reading selections, the print and non-print texts (films/ multimedia resources) associated with this course can be found here.

Competency-Based Education: Jr. English

Embracing a competency-based approach to learning, learners will have the opportunity to experience a rigorous and personalized year in English. To learn more about district-wide competencies, English standards and related best-practice research, click here.

Demonstrating Competency

Throughout each semester, learners will complete formative work in the context of their study of American literature. Learners will use this formative work to demonstrate competency as critical and creative thinkers. This will be reflected in a series of summative assessments across a variety of genres.

Semester-End Assessment

A capstone, the Semester Portfolio & Symposium is the semester-end assessment. This will offer learners the opportunity to demonstrate competency as communicators, collaborators, problem solvers and self-directed learners.

If/When Absent

If/when absent from class, learners should:

  • Refer to the make-up work policy as written in the LHS Student Handbook (look under INFORMATION tab).

  • Use resources posted in the Weekly Workflow, Google Classroom, and X2/Aspen to discover what was missed and needs to be completed.

  • Connect with Mrs. Juster, as soon as possible, to develop a plan and get back on track.

Mrs. Juster's Contact Information and Office Hours

  • Email: ejuster@londonderry.org.

  • Extra-Help: Available after school most Mondays through Wednesdays. Of course, if these times don't work for you, reach out and we'll work something out.