American Literature B - English 11-12
Course Description:
This is the second course in a two-course sequence and has been redesigned to align to the Common Core Standards. Two major themes for this semester are “Becoming My Own Leader” and “Leading Others." Students will address several essential questions related to these themes while reading a variety of works by American authors. In addition to major works, students will read short stories and informational texts, engage in poetry analysis, view informational videos, and write for various purposes. Larger writing assignments include an argument essay, a narrative essay, and a business email. As a supplement to these assignments, students will partake in grammar challenges where they learn about grammar concepts and develop a mastery of their use. In addition to building their writing skills, students learn several reading strategies such as how to use graphic organizers to extract important information, take Cornell notes for an informational text or during a lecture, and summarize to monitor comprehension. Furthermore, students will explore several rhetorical devices and strategies like characterization, allusion, word choice and diction, setting, symbolism, point of view, and more.
Course Details:
| Course Title (District): |
American Literature B - English 11-12 |
| Course Title (NCES SCED) : |
American Literature |
| Course Provider : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Content Provided By : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Online Instructor Provided By : |
Michigan Virtual |
| Standards Addressed : |
Michigan Merit Curriculum, Common Core State Standards, National Collegiate Athletic Association |
| Alignment Document : |
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZedwLvYfMZuue8of77l_fLz8AoA3IMbqlxcThP9sUwU/edit?usp=sharing |
| Academic Terms : |
Semester, Trimester, Accelerated, Open Entry / Fixed End |
| NCES SCED Code : 01054 |
| Subject Area : |
English Language and Literature |
| Course Identifier : |
American Literature |
| Course Level : |
High School (Secondary) |
| Available Credit : |
0.5 |
| Sequence : |
2 of 2 |
|
How To Enroll:
Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or
registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration
Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for
the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the
registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with
your school after submitting a registration request.
Start Registration Request
Additional Course Information:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (888) 889-2840
Additional Cost: $0.0
Additional Cost Description: Students will be responsible for locating a print or online version of the following books:
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
- The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (links to online versions of this text are provided in the course)
In addition, students may need to locate some short stories, essays, and poems.
After completing this course students will be able to:
UNIT 1: Becoming My Own Leader
- identify their current responsibilities and develop plans for managing future responsibilities
- activate prior knowledge and build a personal connection with unfamiliar texts
- use graphic organizers to write a variety of paragraphs
- understand, identify, and evaluate the effectiveness of several literary and rhetorical devices like characterization and word choice
- use systematic approaches to analyze poetry
- understand temperament types and apply what they learned to the lives of characters as well as their own lives
- conduct and gather research using secondary sources
- develop an effective argument essay with claims and counters claims
- create a works cited page and parenthetical documentations using MLA format
- use graphic organizers, Cornell notes, and summarizing to guide them through readings and help them to think critically about literary and informational texts
Unit 2:
- use comparison and contrast for evaluation
- understand, identify, and evaluate the effectiveness of several literary and rhetorical devices like dialogue, symbolism, allusion, and point of view
- evaluate how the passage of time alters perspectives
- understand and identify the elements of a persuasive business email
- construct a persuasive business email
- understand and identify the elements of a narrative essay
- construct an effective narrative essay
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses
| Academic Content Standards and Assessments |
Rating
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Comments |
| The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. |
Fully Met
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The syllabus outlines clear objectives for each unit and also includes a great topic outline as well. |
| The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. |
Fully Met
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| The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. |
Fully Met
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| Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. |
Partially Met
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| Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. |
Fully Met
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There is a pacing guide, a reading pre-test, course introduction, and quiz. |
| Course Overview and Introduction |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. |
Fully Met
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The course overview is great! |
| Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. |
Fully Met
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| Legal and Acceptable Use Policies |
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Comments |
| The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. |
Fully Met
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| Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| Privacy policies are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| Instructor Resources |
Rating
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Comments |
| Online instructor resources and notes are included. |
Partially Met
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Online instructor resources are included, no notes are included. |
| Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. |
Fully Met
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Clear rubrics and examples are included. |
| Accessing Course Effectiveness |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. |
Fully Met
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| The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. |
Fully Met
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| Course Updates |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. |
Fully Met
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| Certification |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. |
Fully Met
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| Instructor and Student Support |
Rating
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Comments |
| Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. |
Fully Met
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| The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. |
Fully Met
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| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. |
Fully Met
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| The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. |
Fully Met
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| Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional and Audience Analysis |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. |
Partially Met
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Most of the assignments appear to be the same - read and response. |
| Course, Unit and Lesson Design |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. |
Fully Met
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| Instructional Strategies and Activities |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. |
Fully Met
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The overarching theme, "Becoming My Own Leader", lends itself to engagement since the assignments are based on the students themselves. |
| The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. |
Partially Met
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| The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. |
Partially Met
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| Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. |
Fully Met
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| Communication and Interaction |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. |
Fully Met
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| The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. |
Fully Met
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| The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. |
Fully Met
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Most of this would occur via feedback on assignments. |
| Resources and Materials |
Rating
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Comments |
| Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. |
Partially Met
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| Evaluation Strategies |
Rating
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Comments |
| Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. |
Fully Met
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| Feedback |
Rating
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Comments |
| Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. |
Fully Met
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| Assessment Resources and Materials |
Rating
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Comments |
| Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. |
Fully Met
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| The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. |
Fully Met
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| Course Architecture |
Rating
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Comments |
| The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. |
Fully Met
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| The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. |
Fully Met
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| User Interface |
Rating
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Comments |
| Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. |
Fully Met
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| Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. |
Partially Met
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Some use of audio files would help address diverse student needs. |
| Technology Requirements and Interoperability |
Rating
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Comments |
| All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. |
Fully Met
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| Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. |
Fully Met
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| The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. |
Fully Met
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| The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. |
Fully Met
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| Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. |
Fully Met
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| Accessibility |
Rating
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Comments |
| Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). |
Fully Met
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| Data Security |
Rating
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Comments |
| Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). |
Fully Met
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Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review:
07/18/2014
NSQ National Standards for Quality Online Courses: Fourth Edition (2025)
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Rating
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Comments |
| A1: A course overview and syllabus are included in the course. |
Fully Met
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| A2: Minimum computer skills and digital literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated. |
Fully Met
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| A3: The instructor’s biographical information and information on how to communicate with the instructor are provided. |
Fully Met
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| A4: Learner expectations and policies are clearly stated and readily accessible within the introductory material of the course. |
Fully Met
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| A5: Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided. |
Fully Met
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| A6: Grading policies and practices are clearly defined in accordance with course content learning expectations. |
Fully Met
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| A7: The course instructions articulate or link to a clear description of the technical support offered and how to obtain it. |
Fully Met
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| A8: Learners are offered an orientation prior to the start of the course. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| B1: The course objectives or competencies are measurable and clearly state what the learner will be able to demonstrate as a result of successfully completing the course. |
Fully Met
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| B2: Where applicable, the course content is aligned with accepted state and/or other accepted content standards. |
Fully Met
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| B3: Digital literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. |
Fully Met
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| B4: Supplemental learning resources and related instructional materials are available to support and enrich learning and are aligned with the content delivered. |
Fully Met
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| B5: The course content and supporting materials reflect different perspectives and provide non-stereotypical forms of representation. |
Fully Met
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| B6: The course materials (e.g., textbooks, primary source documents, Open Education Resources “[OER])” that support course content standards are accurate and current. |
Fully Met
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| B7: The course is free of adult content and avoids unnecessary advertisements. |
Fully Met
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| B8: Copyright and licensing status for any third-party content is appropriately cited and easily found. |
Fully Met
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| B9: Documentation and other support materials are available to support effective online course facilitation. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| C1: The course design includes activities that guide learners toward promoting ownership of their learning and self-monitoring. |
Fully Met
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| C2: The course’s content and learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies. |
Fully Met
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| C3: The course is organized by units and lessons arranged in a logical sequence. |
Fully Met
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| C4: The course content is appropriate to the reading level of the intended learners. |
Fully Met
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| C5: The course design includes introductory assignments or activities to engage learners within the first week of the course. |
Fully Met
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| C6: The course provides learners with multiple learning paths as appropriate, based on learner needs, that engage learners in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| C7: The course provides regular opportunities for learner-learner interaction. |
Fully Met
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| C8: The course design provides opportunities for learner-instructor interaction, including opportunities for regular feedback about learner progress. |
Fully Met
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| C9: Course instructional materials and resources present content in an effective, engaging, and appropriate manner. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| D1: Learner assessments align with stated course, unit, or lesson-level objectives or competencies. |
Fully Met
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| D2: Valid course assessments measure learner progress toward understanding of content. |
Fully Met
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| D3: Assessment practices provide frequent and varied opportunities for self-monitoring and reflection of learning. |
Fully Met
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| D4: Assessment materials provide the learner with the flexibility to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways. |
Fully Met
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| D5: Rubrics that clearly define expectations for varied levels of proficiency are created and shared with learners. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| E1: Course navigation is logical, consistent, and efficient from the learner’s point of view. |
Fully Met
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| E2: The course design facilitates readability. |
Fully Met
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| E3: The course provides accessible course materials and activities to meet the variable needs of learners, following Universal Design for Learning principles. |
Fully Met
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| E4: Multimedia in the course is easy to use. |
Fully Met
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| E5: Vendor accessibility statements are provided for all technologies required in the course. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| F1: All technologies and tools included for use as part of the course ensure that learner privacy is protected in accordance with the Acceptable Use Policy and applicable law. |
Fully Met
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| F2: The course tools further the learning objectives and course competencies. |
Fully Met
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| F3: The course technology allows for customization and personalization. |
Fully Met
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| F4: The course operates within a platform to score and record assessments and calculate earned course points or grades. |
Fully Met
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| F5: Courses utilize emerging technologies that can enhance the learning experience, prioritizing learners and outcomes. |
Fully Met
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Rating
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Comments |
| G1: The course uses multiple methods and sources of input for assessing course effectiveness. |
Fully Met
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| G2: The course is regularly reviewed to ensure that the course is current and relevant. |
Fully Met
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| G3: The course is updated on a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness based on the findings from ongoing reviews. |
Fully Met
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Review Conducted By: Quality Matters
Date of Review:
05/23/2025
Unit 1: Becoming My Own Leader
• What are My Responsibilities, and How do I Balance Them?
• Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”
• characterization
• How Do I Balance My Responsibilities with Who I Am?
• Temperament types
• “Danse Russe”
• Word Choice and Connotation
• How Do I Change My World?
• Krakauer’s Into the Wild
• Romanticism
• Emerson’s “Self-Reliance “
• Thoreau from Walden
• Poetry Analysis
• Longfellow’s “Psalm of Life”
• Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change”
• Argument Writing
Unit 2: Leading Others
• What rules or principles do I use for how I treat others?
• Codes of Conduct
• O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
• Comparison and Contrast
• Dialogue
• How can I use my talents to create new opportunities for myself and others?
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
• Symbolism
• Allusion
• How can I effectively articulate my opinions and perspectives?
• T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
• Point of View
• Rhetorical context
• Business writing
• Narrative Writing
| Term Type |
Enrollment Opens |
Enrollment Ends |
Random Draw Date |
Enrollment Drop Date |
Course Starts |
Course Ends |
# of Seats |
Course Fee |
Potential Additional Costs |
|
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
04/01/2025 |
06/06/2025 |
05/23/2025 |
08/01/2025 |
100 |
$350 |
$0 |
|
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
04/01/2025 |
06/13/2025 |
05/30/2025 |
08/08/2025 |
100 |
$350 |
$0 |
|
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
04/01/2025 |
06/20/2025 |
06/06/2025 |
08/15/2025 |
100 |
$350 |
$0 |
| Drop Policy |
Completion Policy |
Term Type |
Enrollment Opens |
Enrollment Ends |
| Students have 14 days from the enrollment start date to drop the course and receive a full refund. No refunds are given after 14 days. Drop dates are calculated and what is posted is the last possible drop date for enrollments created within the enrollment window. |
Students may access their course from their enrollment start date to their enrollment end date. A completion is a 60% final score or higher. |
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
| Students have 14 days from the enrollment start date to drop the course and receive a full refund. No refunds are given after 14 days. Drop dates are calculated and what is posted is the last possible drop date for enrollments created within the enrollment window. |
Students may access their course from their enrollment start date to their enrollment end date. A completion is a 60% final score or higher. |
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
| Students have 14 days from the enrollment start date to drop the course and receive a full refund. No refunds are given after 14 days. Drop dates are calculated and what is posted is the last possible drop date for enrollments created within the enrollment window. |
Students may access their course from their enrollment start date to their enrollment end date. A completion is a 60% final score or higher. |
Accelerated |
01/02/2025 |
06/27/2025 |
Students can use chat, email or private message system within the course to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance.
https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
