Syllabus

Now let's explore the power of positive inner voice by reading together a poem by Mary Oliver, "Hummingbirds." Then we can talk about how we can use the small moments in our lives to understand bigger ideas about life and living.

Now let's view a video by Richard St. John, who interviewed many people to learn the keys to success in life. What's the claim being made? What elements of success do you already possess, and what goals do you feel will be valid for you to attempt in your senior year? Let's consider this as a springboard for creating a positive classroom climate and opportunities for self-directed learning this year.

Course Objectives

In this course, you will grow as a literate learner by naming and defining key constructs of literacy, including communication models, communication technologies, literacy terminology, message design, and symbol systems. You'll compare and contrast different theoretical frameworks and define structural features and intents of multimodal texts. You'll have opportunities to reconceptualize learning as a long-term, thinking-centered process and speak, listen, interpret, read, and write as a significant means in which to reflect on our own thinking processes.

Specifically, you'll develop structures for discussing, analyzing, and composing texts, compose and deliver several presentations to the class of varying lengths, survey online research databases, and think more clearly and effectively by:organizing your ideas in a well-structured, succinct, and creative manner. You'll have time to learn how to design argument statements so that your voice emerges as an extension of you and your ideas. It's important to consider how good writing comes from rewriting as a way to improve your writing and thinking and rethinking.

What is a “text?”

For the purposes of this syllabus, “texts” transcend print, are multimodal, and encompass a wide variety of twenty-first century literacies. Texts comprise written, visual, audio, digital, and video texts and include such artifacts as speeches, assemblies, films, television shows, commercials, cartoons, music lyrics, music videos, video games, e-mails, web pages, social networking, instant and text messaging, children’s books, satellite radio broadcasts, comic books, graphic novels, magazines, advertisements, and full-length novels.

Personal Narratives/ College Essays

Most seniors at FHS need to provide a clear writing sample to colleges and universities as part of the application process. We will spend many sessions together during the first term in workshops. You'll read mentor texts from contemporary and classic authors, determine their structure and thematic subtexts, and write your own original composition with similar contexts. You will compile several short writing pieces, and you decide what is the best to submit as a reflection of your own literacy learing.

What will my Senior Year Reading be Like?

There are so many good texts to read online! If you don’t know how to download a free Kindle app to your personal technology device, I can teach you quite quickly. We’ll increase our abilities to annotate texts as a way to deepen our critical reading skills. You need to bring your notes via your Chromebook in whatever form works for you, although I'll be modeling different textual annotation methods indicate of college-level work.

What’s the Difference between 12 College Preparatory English and 12 Honors English?

The 12 College Preparatory English and 12 Honors English tracks differ in textual and curriculum requirements, pacing, complexity of reading assignments, requirements for using scholarly research, and expectations for academic discourse contributions. Both tracks are accessible for most FHS seniors; it’s up to you to decide what your year will look like in rigor and other demands on your time. Dr. Carolyn teaches both courses and would welcome any student in either course. Here is a sample overview of our English 12CP semester.

Description

Introduction to Writing and Critical Reading

Active print and digital learning in introductions, journaling, website creation, think-

aloud’s, responding to texts, online reading strategies, annotating, outlining,

researching, editing, revising

Common assessments across English 12 classes include a reading pre-assessment to gauge each student's ability to decode and encode texts

Personal Narrative and Engaging in the Writing Process

In-class freewriting

Considering mentor texts

Conforming to conventions of the genre

Revising and responding to peers

Final submission

Publishing to an electronic portfolio

Common assessments across English 12 classes include a paragraph pre-

assessment to gauge each student's ability to write with voice

SAT Review and Preparation

Practice your college literacy and writing skills

+ assess how well you analyze and solve problems

+ demonstrate your growth

Non-Fiction Reading Participation

Demonstrate your participation in reading short non-fiction articles and

stories by taking a series of multiple choice reading checks

+ participation in comprehension activities

American Literature Curriculum:

Divergent Voices

Engage in the newest Common Core standards and curriculum

Move through digital learning modules

Read texts of different lengths from various genres

Apply theory to analysis and interpretation

Sample learning events:

· reading checks

· dramatize key passages

· perform/ film a poetry slam

· compare texts by eras, genres, ideologies