Honors

Honors Syllabus

The honors experience is intended for students to make the most of this class and to learn as much as possible during our time together. Honors students will read challenging texts, write for a variety of audiences and take on crucial roles in class projects. Honors assignments are graded and have the potential to have a significant impact on a student's final grade. Honors credit can positively impact a student's grade point average.

Required Honors Activities

• • Maintain an honors portfolio,

  • Complete all honors reading, writing and project-based assignments,

  • Attend all honors meetings,

  • Assume a leadership role in class projects, and

  • Manage personal honors assignments & schedules.

Honors Reading

• • One major novel

  • One major non-fiction selection

  • One major work of your choice, such as a collection of poetry, a biography, or a subscription to a publication, etc.

Writing

Honors students will create and follow a plan to help them grow towards their personal goals as writers. Progress and work towards these goals will be documented in class and in student portfolios.

Portfolios

The main purpose for honors in this class is to create avenues for exceptional growth. This may mean that we offer credit and recognition for those who take on significant challenges or show remarkable progress. It may mean that we help students succeed in academic risks and we foster creativity. This may also mean that we create opportunities for students to go beyond ordinary class expectations in a variety of ways.

Students must explain, showcase and curate evidence of their growth, progress and challenges in a portfolio. This is led by the students and must be user-friendly and understandable to someone who is not in this class (or inside of the student's mind). Student should curate their work so it is clear and easy for a parent, teacher, advisor (or really anyone) to understand.

Students may do some or all of the following:

• • Showcase their work in the context of their personal goals,

  • Showcase their work in the context of personal reflections,

  • Showcase their work in comparison to previous attempts, drafts or examples,

  • Showcase their work in comparison to professional or other high-quality examples.

Deadlines & Technicalities

Honors students must opt in before February 21, and honors rosters may not change after that point.

Please print the syllabus at the bottom of this page, complete it, sign it, and return it to school by Feb. 21, 2014.