Indicators for Success

The students have been most successful in this course when they:

• have an A or a B in English 8 Advanced OR an A or B+ in English 8.
  • Your mastery of the essential critical reading and analysis skills is needed over the summer for the work you will complete before school begins.
  • Students need to read critically and independently for plot, character, setting, theme, main idea(s), evidence, structure, etc… as the advanced course emphasizes analysis and depth and that students will have read and understood the details on their own.
• have strong attendance record; few absences.
  • English 1 Advanced is a highly interactive course and much learning occurs during class time with our discussions and seminars. These cannot be recreated in a simple assignment.
• turn all work in on time.
  • Assignments have immediate learning value and must be completed in order to be prepared for what the class will be doing.
• have A’s and B’s on academic writing
  • This includes both essay development as well as grammatical and syntactical control and accuracy (on first evaluation, not on rewrites).
  • Writing is the #1 significant skill that we emphasize and the fundamentals must be mastered in order to be prepared for the depth and development that we will build in class.
• are comfortable participating in group and class discussions, particularly Socratic Seminars (see #2 above).
• are independently motivated to work beyond expectations.

Please consider carefully that this is the right course for you. There is no grade bump given to English 1 Advanced. If you are reconsidering your placement, you need to contact your high school counselor right away.