English 10 Course Overview:
English 10 is a class that continues to build upon skills students have learned throughout their education. We focus most intently on independent reading, blended writing skills, and learning new ways of analyzing content. To promote interest, I offer as much choice as possible in reading materials and writing topics while covering curriculum standards.
Students will be reading and writing every day to achieve several goals:
Further develop problem-solving skills and thought processes
Increased vocabulary understanding
Increase close/critical reading skills
Further develop writing skills
Develop presentation and communication skills
Develop an awareness of outside information and knowledge
Required Texts and Possible Class Readings
Choice Reading and Book Club Reading in High School English:
Students will read independently daily. During independent reading and book clubs, students will choose their reading materials. Students will have access to the school’s Library Media Center, Mid-Continent Public Library, teachers’ classroom libraries, and their own personal collections. The goal for students is a compulsion to read—for pleasure. We hope you will talk with your child about what they are reading. If you want to know more about the books they choose, please try the School Library Journal website, the American Library Association website, Amazon.com, or call.
Possible Whole Class Readings
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
English 10 Major Units of Study
Independent Reading and Book Clubs
Digital Composition Short Unit
Whole Class Memoir: Night by Elie Wiesel
Independent Reading and Book Clubs
Kindest Kansas Citian Essay Contest
Rhetorical Skills: Speeches and Essays
Writing Unit: Flash Fiction
or Whole Class Novel: Animal Farm by George Orwell or Looking for Alaska by John Green (TBD)
I use a reading/writing workshop style of instruction, which involves a great deal of student-directed choice. Grades will follow the school grading scale but will emphasize final projects. This means there will be a lot of expected, stamina-building writing building towards independent writing. These will be seeds for the larger writing projects and assignments.
Late/Missing/Absent Work Deadlines