Tell me why you signed up for an honors-level Language Arts class for senior year.  You can either:

• Write a brief paper (2 pages minimum, MLA), 

• Shoot a video of your own TED talk (3-5 minutes), or

• Write a sonnet series (6-8 sonnets should do; choose any sonnet form you want).  

Both writing pieces should be double-spaced, 12 font.  Avoid telling me what you think I want to hear: honesty, for me, is more valuable than flattery. Choose authenticity (this does not mean the use of crude language) over the cliché.  Of course, if you are a walking cliché, I also understand that can be authentic as well.  

If you have an better idea about how to present this information, email me at gpeace.hhs@catoosa.k12.ga.us to propose your alternative.

Some Questions You Could Address:

• What have your past experiences in English classes been like? What have you liked, and what have you disliked? What have teachers done that's been effective for your learning (or not)? 

• What's your relationship to reading? How has it changed over the years?

• What would an ideal Honors Literature class look like to you? 

• What art (books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels, paintings, etc.) has had a profound effect on you, and what relationship, if any, does it have to works you've read, watched, or listened to in your past English classes? 

Why It is Important: This is our first impression of you as a student. Your choice of assignment (paper, video, sonnet) will tell us something about you but so will how you present yourself in your work. Will you take advantage of the freedom offered here and turn in something that shows thought, creativity, and personality?

Read a book from a fairly current New York Times bestsellers list (2019-2022; avoid the children and YA lists), from  or from Mr. Peace's curated list of recommended books.

Then, complete one of the following:

• Write an essay in which you justify why it should be or why it should not be a NYT bestseller. Length: 3-4 pages.

• Create a music soundtrack that traces one character’s development or exemplifies a theme of the book. Then, explain your choices in writing. Submit the soundtrack (via Spotify or YouTube playlist link) and your writing for full credit.  Length of explanation: 2-3 pages.

• Compose and record original music and/or lyrics that either trace one character’s development or exemplify a theme in the book. Then explain your choices in writing. You will submit the recording and the writing piece.  Length of explanation: 2-3 pages.

• Create a two- or three-dimensional representation (artwork, sculpture, photographs, graphics, video) of a character or theme of the book. Then explain your choices in writing.  Length of explanation: 2-3 pages.

• If you have another, more exciting idea about how to present your engagement with and analysis of the book you chose, again feel free to email me at gpeace.hhs@catoosa.k12.ga.us to pitch your idea.

 All writing should be in MLA format. 

Why It is Important: This is our second impression of you as a student. You'll notice that we've tried to give you as much choice as possible when it comes to what you read this summer. That's intentional: your choice of book can tell us quite a bit about you. More importantly, though, the work you turn in allows us to see where you're at when it comes to reading, writing, and thinking critically, which further allows us to adjust our teaching as the semester begins. What can you already do well (thanks to your own efforts and the efforts of Mrs. Cosby, Tollett, McCole, et al.)? What needs some work? As we read your work, we'll be thinking about how to built on the former and target our teaching towards the latter.