English 2 Honors

Welcome To English 2 Honors!

Please click here (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to see the complete course syllabus and course map.

To see the calendar, go here: semester 1 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., semester 2

Please click here to go to the Google Classroom site (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., where the daily lesson plans and assignments and documents are.

To see the Daily Slides that go along with class each day, go here: quarter 1 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., quarter 2, quarter 3, quarter 4

For complete instructions on how to sign up for both the Canvas Parent app OR the Canvas site as a parent “observer”, please feel free to distribute these instructions: link (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Teacher Contact

Mr. David Lange dlange@hinsdale86.org 630-570-8350

If you wish to meet with me, please schedule an appointment in advance so that I can make sure that I’m available. If you feel like you are struggling, don’t wait; contact me so that we can get things straightened out.

Course Description

Geared towards students who show strong motivation and high academic achievement, English 2 Honors helps students develop critical thinking skills and effective oral and written communication skills. Students are expected to work on long-range assignments and to be consistently active in class discussions. Research fundamentals -- topic generation, source evaluation and attribution -- are taught in conjunction with the library staff.

Learning Goals

By the end of the school year, English 2 Honors teachers want students to be

  1. independent and strategic writers who show evidence that they
  • Have developed confidence in generating words to express their ideas
  • Have learned to make their writing better through revision
  • Can write in the following discourses: narrative, exposition, argument, and can synthesize their learning in multiple genres
  • Have developed an understanding of how genres blend -- how narratives can argue and how great nonfiction often informs through a strong narrative line
  • Have used writing to deepen their understanding of both fiction and nonfiction reading
  • Have improved their syntax

(2) independent and critical readers who show evidence that they

  • Have increased the volume of their reading
  • Have increased the complexity of their reading
  • Can self-select books to read and have developed an identity as a reader
  • Have developed the stamina to read for an hour or more at one sitting and track their thinking over the course of a long book
  • Can deepen their understanding through writing and discussion in book clubs and whole-class discussions
  • Can read with understanding: what does a text say? What does the text mean? How is it said?

Supplies

A notebook or binder

Hi-liters - blue, yellow, green, yellow (suggested)

Texts

Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

Jhumpa Lahiri Interpreter of Maladies

William Shakespeare Macbeth

Jerome Shostak Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop (Level E)

Independent Reading Books (student choice - texts can be borrowed from library or purchased)

Book Club Selection (student choice - texts can be borrowed from library or purchased)

Electronic Devices

I’m a big fan of blended learning. We will use tablets/Chromebooks and other digital resources throughout the year. There are many times when we will be “analog” -- using pens and paper and books and our voices. Every class will begin with this analog time. My expectation is that phones are stored (zipped in a backpack, not in a pocket) when the bell rings. Tablets should remain stored until the teacher asks students to log on.

Grades

Grading Scale:

90-100% = A

80-89% = B

70-79% = C

60-69% = D

Below 69% = F

English Department Grading Principles

  • We value students' attendance, behavior, motivation, and positive attitude.
  • Grades will be based on what the students are able to show they have learned. Therefore, at least 80% of a student’s course grade will be comprised of summative assessments. Extra credit will not be given.
  • Retakes and revisions of assessments are allowed for formative assessments at the individual teacher's discretion, but not for summative assessments.
  • Students will be provided multiple opportunities for formative practice before major summative assessments (such as unit tests, papers).
  • Students will be provided feedback after the formative assessments. "Feedback" could come as whole group and/or individual feedback.
  • There will be times when students are expected to do practice work outside of the school day.