Redkudu

It looks like we have similar difficulties with book supply. After looking at your list of suggested readings, I realized I probably should explain why I do not use some of the more classic works on my reading list, like Huck Finn, etc. This is because they are on the reading lists for our AP courses. Our AP team is oddly protective of these books - they rarely allow them to be read in the on-level classes due to fear of lack of resources. I fight this battle every year I teach English II and Macbeth, even though it is in the textbook. Every department has their quirks, I suppose.

I was interested in your note about elections, and am embarrassed to say I almost completely overlooked this, and can only hope I might have remembered it sooner rather than later. But hey, that's one point in favor of collaboration! I'd like to know more about your plan for that. It's an ideal time for studying persuasive techniques, logical fallacies, and rhetoric, as well as bringing lots of good non-fiction (news sources, etc.) into the classroom.

As to your questions:

Reading Novels In Class or Out of Class

1. Do you prefer one over the other?
I prefer out of class reading. That way, class time can be spent examining specific passages and practicing whatever writing component corresponds to the reading. Reading in class is difficult with as many different ability groups as we tend to get. If they read silently, it's almost impossible to time a lesson. It could be left until the end, but then you end up with students who haven't finished, and who will rarely complete the work at home.

2. What are your expectations of students when you assign out of the class readings?
First, that they read the material. This is the most difficult obstacle. Then that they annotate sample portions to bring back into class examples which illustrate concepts we are studying. Unfortunately, I find this doesn't often happen. It's often difficult for students to catch the concepts as they go along (a great number of our students are poor readers, so simply translating what they've read into meaning can be challenging enough), and asking them to re-read on their own is an exercise in futility.

Grammar
1. How do you normally cover grammar in class?
We are discouraged from "formally" teaching grammar in any form. I've begun to ignore this, and can tell you a great number of our teachers are beginning to ignore this as well. I've yet to develop a truly effective method for grammar, but I typically begin at the bottom with the 8 parts of speech and build from there. I use examples from what students are reading to illustrate what they are learning, and have them identify examples in their own writing as well.

Writing
1. Are you a literature teacher or both literature and writing? I know some schools separate the curriculum out.
I am both.

2. How do you normally incorporate writing into your schedule?
I've tried numerous things. This year is going to be a whole new ball game for me, as I've gathered all my data and ideas from previous years and am putting into practice a lot of personal research I've done in the near past for a very new way of going about things. As you mentioned, I'm going to move away from narrative writing as a focus, and work harder on analytical writing. My 4th and 5th 6 weeks will probably involve a lot of personal exploration through writing, but my goal is to have developed a strong writing foundation through the first 3 weeks which may bring greater recognition to writing purposefully and connecting literature to a) other literature, b) current events, and c) students' lives.

Academic Vision
1. What is your overriding goal for your students in English III?
I would like my English III students to build a strong foundation in the works which created a nation, defined its government, and fueled controversy, as well as develop the ability to speak and write purposefully on how those works continue to shape America (both nationally and in the eyes of the world). I would love to see my students make great strides toward more complex and accurate writing. I would like to see them begin to take notice of the connections between literature and their lives, becoming especially aware of how current events may reflect the past, and how current events are going to affect them personally within a year or two as they leave high school.

Now I have a question for you, Ms. Q. In what ways do you feel your background in History ed. has informed or enhanced your perspective of American literature, and what portion of that do you bring (or hope to bring) to your students?

EDITED to add: What excerpts from "Gatsby" were in your text, and what was the context in which they were presented?