Honors American Literature Expectations

Thesis:  As Honors American Literature students, one needs to be disciplined, willing to push oneself outside of one's comfort zone, and have a basic grasp on the elements of writing.

       Discipline is a crucial element students in this class must possess.  Some students, because they are naturally very smart, are used to procrastinating:  they are able to crank an essay out at the last minute, or read an assigned chapter very quickly.  With this class, however, pure intelligence will not suffice.  There will be larger, more complex projects.  These will require time management as well as a great deal of thought and analysis. Students who don't have the self-discipline to manage a lengthy paper or work on a big project will not complete it to the level expected.  For example, the summer assignment had many parts, and the reading, journal entries, annotations and essay could not be done in one night.  One needed to allow adequate time to pick out the important quotes for the dialectical journal, and to digest the meaning of the annotated passage.  Time and thought are something a student in Honors American Literature must be willing to give. 

        Creative thinking, as well as a positive attitude, is also key to succeed in this class.  There will be more than just the standard assignments most are used to, such as research papers and analysis essays on books.  It might be that a project is thrown at students they're uncomfortable with.  Already, Mr. Provenzano has made it clear he loves technology and that there will be assignements that involve the usage of unfamilar tech-y gadgets in the future.   Accepting this challenge and following it through to the best of one's ability is expected.  It may be expermenting with a foreign material/tool, or tackling an intimidating piece of literature.  Either way, innovative thinking and determination is required.  As ambitious students who seek academic growth, it's expected to have the ability to push onesself outside that comfort zone and perservere to get the job done.

A good basis of knowledge on the elements of writing are required.  It would be a waste of time to spend class reviewing the basics for everyone else who was ready to take their writing to the next level.  Everyone should have a firm grasp on how to write a solid essay. Included in such an essay is a good thesis, well-researched information to back it up, and a strong conclusion.  Correct grammar and punctuation usage, is, of course, also critical.  In an essay, the writer wants to sound knowledgable and well-spoken, and in order to do that, they must also possess a broad vocabulary.  Staying on topic and answering the question directly will also aid in the success on an essay.  These skills are expected of Honors American Literature students.