Course Information and Details
English 12
Mrs. Amanda Holliday
Room : Cameron 323
Email : [email protected]
Phone : 910-538-2233
Office Hours : F and G periods and during flex by appointment
Mrs. Amanda Holliday
Room : Cameron 323
Email : [email protected]
Phone : 910-538-2233
Office Hours : F and G periods and during flex by appointment
Welcome to your final high school English class! I hope to use this course as a bridge from high school to whatever life holds for you next year. I do not assume that you already know how to succeed in a college course, but I believe you are ready for something “more” – more freedom, more challenge, more responsibility. As we progress through our course of study together, keep in mind that learning – in high school and beyond – begins with you. This means you personally engage in all we do. I am here to guide you and help you in every way I can.
COURSE GOALS: We have three main goals over the course of this year:
COURSE STRUCTURE: Similar to your English 10 and English 11 courses, our approach to improving our thinking and communication skills will be centered around the study of essential questions that surround us every day. With each unit, we will read one longer anchor text and many shorter pieces that offer different perspectives on our essential question. In addition, English 12 is very much designed to prepare you for college level Rhetoric and Composition courses in which you will be asked to do writing of all different kinds - from literature based analysis to persuasive essays to more narrative pieces. As such, writing will be an essential component of this course in many different ways.
ANCHOR TEXTS : Below is the list of longer works we will be studying this year. You should have purchased each one - either in paper or electronic form. Please do not wait until we begin our study to purchase the book.
MATERIALS : It is totally up to you what kind of binder/ notebook you bring to class. You will need something for papers/handout, but if you prefer note taking online - I am all for it. My expectation is that you come to class each day with the following :
FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT : The purpose of feedback is to let us know how we are doing with a particular skill - be it on the stage, in the classroom, or on the soccer field. We give and get feedback all the time on how we are doing; I will do the same with your writing, reading, and oral expression. A grade will not always accompany your feedback because we are still in the learning stages. This is called formative assessment. I will also assess your skills towards the end of a unit or project in order to give you a sense of your progress. These letter grades will communicate to you your level of mastery of a skill at that particular time. This type of assessment is called summative assessment.The skills you will be assessed on align with the grade categories you will see on your grade reports :
SCHOOL POLICIES (from the US Handbook) RELEVANT TO THIS CLASS
EXAM EXEMPTION: Seniors with an A- (90%) average in on-level or honors courses in the second semester and with no more than eight absences for the entire school year in a specific course may be exempted from the spring exam for the course. These exemptions apply to both on-level and honors courses, but do not apply to AP courses. All non-school related absences, such as sickness, appointments, and trips, count toward the eight absence exemption rule. Your allotted 3 college visits do not count towards this absence policy. Exemption status will be determined five days before exams begin for all classes.
TARDINESS : Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Students who arrive after the tardy bell must report to the US office for a tardy slip before coming to class - no exceptions.
LATE WORK :
ABSENCES: Any student who is chronically absent from any class during a semester endangers his or her academic standing. If a student misses five classes in the same subject in the same semester, parents will be contacted. On the ninth absence in a class in a semester, the student will receive a five-point deduction in his/her semester grade. On the seventeenth absence in a class in a semester, the student will receive an additional ten-point deduction in his/her semester grade.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
ATHLETICS & CLASS COMMITMENTS
If I could leave you with one piece of advice this year - it would be to find ways to CONNECT and to TAKE RISKS. This will be a very student centered classroom meaning my job is to guide you - not to be the one who imparts all great knowledge and wisdom. This class is about exploring your own ideas and hearing and learning from those of your classmates. You hold the control to your own learning and success. What will you choose to become this year and beyond? It will certainly be a year of exploration, endings, and beginnings. I look forward to seeing where you end up.
COURSE GOALS: We have three main goals over the course of this year:
- To promote independent study and student directed learning
- To promote effective collaboration and successful use of technology
- To promote critical thinking by: reading closely, thinking deeply, and writing analytically
COURSE STRUCTURE: Similar to your English 10 and English 11 courses, our approach to improving our thinking and communication skills will be centered around the study of essential questions that surround us every day. With each unit, we will read one longer anchor text and many shorter pieces that offer different perspectives on our essential question. In addition, English 12 is very much designed to prepare you for college level Rhetoric and Composition courses in which you will be asked to do writing of all different kinds - from literature based analysis to persuasive essays to more narrative pieces. As such, writing will be an essential component of this course in many different ways.
ANCHOR TEXTS : Below is the list of longer works we will be studying this year. You should have purchased each one - either in paper or electronic form. Please do not wait until we begin our study to purchase the book.
- Life of Pi - Yann Martel (ISBN : 0-15-602732-1)
- Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (ISBN: 0-451-52771-2)
- Othello - William Shakespeare (ISBN : 978-0743477550)
- The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (ISBN: 1-59448-000-1)
MATERIALS : It is totally up to you what kind of binder/ notebook you bring to class. You will need something for papers/handout, but if you prefer note taking online - I am all for it. My expectation is that you come to class each day with the following :
- Writing Notebook -- I will ask you each to have a composition book or spiral notebook (1 subject, not thick) for use in class. It will stay in class and be used for focused free-writing and thinking activities.
- Anchor Text Book -- Whatever anchor text we are currently reading and discussing - you need it with you at all times.
- Laptop/ Electronic Device -- As you all have a laptop this year - either a personal or school-issued one - we will be making continued use of these learning tools nearly every day - through our class website, Google Drive, Poll Everywhere, and a variety of other online tools.
FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT : The purpose of feedback is to let us know how we are doing with a particular skill - be it on the stage, in the classroom, or on the soccer field. We give and get feedback all the time on how we are doing; I will do the same with your writing, reading, and oral expression. A grade will not always accompany your feedback because we are still in the learning stages. This is called formative assessment. I will also assess your skills towards the end of a unit or project in order to give you a sense of your progress. These letter grades will communicate to you your level of mastery of a skill at that particular time. This type of assessment is called summative assessment.The skills you will be assessed on align with the grade categories you will see on your grade reports :
- Written Expression (formal essays, writing prompts, online blog posts)
- Oral Expression (presentations, class discussion, projects)
- Critical Reading (reading responses, comprehension checks, multiple choice quizzes)
- Individual Project
- Collaborative Project
- Participation and Preparation
SCHOOL POLICIES (from the US Handbook) RELEVANT TO THIS CLASS
EXAM EXEMPTION: Seniors with an A- (90%) average in on-level or honors courses in the second semester and with no more than eight absences for the entire school year in a specific course may be exempted from the spring exam for the course. These exemptions apply to both on-level and honors courses, but do not apply to AP courses. All non-school related absences, such as sickness, appointments, and trips, count toward the eight absence exemption rule. Your allotted 3 college visits do not count towards this absence policy. Exemption status will be determined five days before exams begin for all classes.
TARDINESS : Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Students who arrive after the tardy bell must report to the US office for a tardy slip before coming to class - no exceptions.
LATE WORK :
- Major assessments submitted late will receive a 10% deduction and will not be accepted after 3 days.
- Late homework will not be accepted.
- Students who are at school but fail to take an assessment the day it is assigned (or see teacher to arrange another time) will receive a 15% deduction and will take the test the following day.
- Under special circumstances, such as illness, teachers may grant extensions.
ABSENCES: Any student who is chronically absent from any class during a semester endangers his or her academic standing. If a student misses five classes in the same subject in the same semester, parents will be contacted. On the ninth absence in a class in a semester, the student will receive a five-point deduction in his/her semester grade. On the seventeenth absence in a class in a semester, the student will receive an additional ten-point deduction in his/her semester grade.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
- The CFA standard is that each student will live as a responsible person. If evidence of unauthorized collaboration, plagiarism, or cheating is discovered in this course, the procedure will be as follows : teacher will discuss concerns with student, teacher will report concerns to both parents and US administration, and student will appear before Judiciary Council for appropriate consequences to be determined.
ATHLETICS & CLASS COMMITMENTS
- Homework should be due the next day after an athletic contest (designated late or not). Each student is responsible for getting daily homework assignments before they leave. This is part of time management and planning ahead.
- Each athlete must turn in all academic assignments due the day of a game before leaving school.
- Each athlete must check with his or her teachers to get all assignments prior to dismissal and is responsible for completing the assignments made during his or her absence.
- If a student athlete is going to miss a test because of early dismissal, he/she must take the test during a study hall prior to his/her dismissal. Only the faculty member teaching the class or the Upper School Director can make an exception. All tests must be completed by the date and time determined by that faculty member, or that student athlete will be suspended for the next game.
If I could leave you with one piece of advice this year - it would be to find ways to CONNECT and to TAKE RISKS. This will be a very student centered classroom meaning my job is to guide you - not to be the one who imparts all great knowledge and wisdom. This class is about exploring your own ideas and hearing and learning from those of your classmates. You hold the control to your own learning and success. What will you choose to become this year and beyond? It will certainly be a year of exploration, endings, and beginnings. I look forward to seeing where you end up.