Happy New Year!
How wonderful it is to start the first day of September with a new set of classes and the delightful challenges that attend the academic year. After almost thirty years as a teacher, I still find the first month of school to be exciting and a bit overwhelming as I get to know my students, their interests, and their strengths.
I will be teaching freshman English I to college prep and honors students this year. Additionally, I will have one class of AP senior English. The literature and writings that will be done in each of these classes will cover diverse genres, cultures, times, and voices. Students will respond to the literature in writings, projects, and discussions that will demonstrate their understanding and growth as students of world literature.
Freshman English:
The freshman English I course is designed to be a survey course, offering students a wide range of literary styles and topics to read and analyze. In order to give the course a structure, we focus on the hero's journey. Most novels and short stories feature a 'hero' - some character who is going on a physical, emotional, or spiritual journey in order to learn about him/herself and the purpose of one's life. We define a hero and name our heroes in the first few classes of the school year, continuing to refine our definition as we experience more literature throughout the year. Eventually, we begin to see the heroic qualities in each other, as we identify our own journeys in our own lives.
For the first couple of month's of the freshman course, we will concentrate on the hero as he/she faces physical challenges. The literature will come from our classroom anthology, Elements of Literature, and will include several great adventure stories such as "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Sound of Thunder." In each of these stories, we will identify the hero and the character traits that demonstrate his/her heroism.
AP English:
Students in my AP English class received their syllabus for the year on the first day of school which provides the list of unit themes and texts that we will be studying this year. I collected their papers and projects on the first day and will be providing them with opportunities to share their work and ideas about this diverse literature.
Along with my colleagues, Mrs. Joyce and Mr. Farrand, I attended an informative workshop run by the College Board this summer that was very helpful in my planning and preparing for this course. A wide variety of literature and writing experiences await our AP students as they embark on this challenging course of study.
I have titled the first unit "The Invitation." During the first few weeks of classes, we will explore literature about literature, poems and essays written about the writing process and the effects literature have on readers.
My schedule:
Block 1 - REA
Block 2 - AP English
Block 3 - English I honors
Block 4 - English I honors
Block 5 - English I
Block 6 - REA/duty
Block 7 - English I
Block 8 - English I with Mrs. Fisher
