Welcome to

Tong's Senior English

Homework Connection!
 

~Plato

Know Thyself. An unexamined life is not worth living. ~ Socrates/Plato

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For Rubrics and Handouts, please go to my School Page on our SRVHS Web Site http://www.srvhs.org/staff/teachers/rtong/index.html.

Click on the Calendar in the Upper Righthand Corner of this page for assignments, due dates and other information - or go to School Loop (link on the SRVHS web site).

The calendar in the upper right corner, as well as the ongoing list below it, will be your key to deadlines and other pertinent information.

Sign up with the "Notify Me" function at the top of this page so that you receive emails telling you when I have made revisions or added updates to this page.

Side Bar: Yikes! I continue to have formatting issues with this web site. Please excuse oddities in bold/normal formatting as well as indentation errors.

SENIORS!!! THIS IS YOUR YEAR!

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The New Three R's ~ It's all about Relevancy, Reasonability and Responsibility.

* * * If you have grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or writing questions, check out the Purdue On-Line Writing Lab (OWL) to see the rules and lots of examples. There are even practice tests to give you feedback. See The Link At The Top Of This Page!!! * * *

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English 12 Syllabus

English 12 Course Description:

English 12 course work emphasizes the development of analytical thinking, information gathering, and writing proficiency skills. First semester, our expository curriculum is designed by the Cal State system in order to prepare seniors for college-level analysis and reading. Second semester, we switch to a more literature-based curriculum in order to integrate the skills from the Cal State curriculum and over-lay these with the fiction and non-fiction reading/analytical writing to continue the college level preparation.

Our Senior Project, second semester, incorporates a variety of relevant research, interview, and writing skills as you explore in depth topics of your own individual interest and choosing. This project is designed to mark this point in time through looking back at your life and memories to see how these contributed in melding who you are today while giving you the opportunity to reflect on what is important to maintain as you venture forth into new arenas after graduation. Who are you? Who do you want to be? What personal traits and priorities are important to hang on to as you leave SRVHS?

Writing Lab

takes place on Mondays and Tuesdays. During these sessions, we use mini-lessons, workbook activities, and sentences-of-the-day to review and expand skills in the areas of grammar, etymology, vocabulary and writing/editing. Ongoing draft writing culminates with submission of final drafts (with rough drafts and teacher/peer comments attached) for assessment. Peer, teacher, and self response comments and conferencing during the draft-writing process are an important part of this process writing. Time will also be allocated for development of the Senior Project over the course of five months.

Writing Lab Skills/Activities (Mondays & Tuesdays)

News Articles

• Analysis 
• Summarization
• Paraphrasing
• Debate 
• Grammar 

Etymology/Language skills

• Sentence of the Day
• Vocabulary 

Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes

• "Confusables"
• Word Families 

Writing Skills

• Sentence Structure
• Paragraph Structure
• Word Choice

Writing Types

• Exposition
• Reflective Essay
• Response to Literature and Non-Fiction Writing
• Senior Project
• Resume/College Admissions Essay
• Editing Skills

Six Traits of Good Writing

• Ideas/Content 
• Voice/Originality
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Organization
• Conventions

(1) Into the Wild by John Krakauer (trade paperback edition) ISBN 0385486804

Beginning Date: December 2, 2009

(2) The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (trade paperback edition) ISBN 0316769177

Beginning Date: January 28, 2010

(3) The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (trade paperback edition) ISBN 0767902890

Beginning Date: March 9, 2010

(4) The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, adapted by Peter Kuper (graphic novel version to accompany in-class handout text) ISBN 9781400052998

Beginning Date: April 19, 2010

(5) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (trade paperback edition) ISBN 076790592X

Beginning Date: May 5, 2010

Purchasing Novels ~ For the past seven years I have asked students to purchase their own copies of each novel. Logistically and academically, having students own their books is valuable. (Please have your copies of the novels by the dates indicated for each book title above. I have indicated ISBN numbers for your convenience, but you may use other editions if you have access to those.) Shop around because book prices can vary, and you can often find copies in great condition that have been previously used, if you wish to save even more. (NOTE: Please let me know if you need to borrow a copy of any of these books; I will provide a book and you can take notes on a separate piece of paper or use sticky notes)

(1) Logistically: Each year I am able to design the curriculum in a logical sequence including new and contemporary titles without limitations of supplies or rotation schedules.

(2) Academically: When students own their books, we are able to really work on reading comprehension and note-taking skills through the use of highlighting and writing notes in the page margins of the novels as you learn vital annotation skills that colleges expect you to know. Asking students to take notes or use "stickies" is not nearly as effective, and can be quite cumbersome.

a) Reading Comprehension Skills: We are able to hone critical reading skills throughout the year using handouts based on UC Berkeley's approaches that specifically address this highlighting/note-taking/annotating process. Poets refer to this process as marginalia. ;-)

b) Essay Tests: One of the most challenging skills to teach students is how to write effective analytical, interpretive essays. A big step toward better analysis and logic is for students to be able to find evidence in the novels. Highlighting is invaluable for this.

c) College Preparation: Writing in books also correlates with issues identified by college professors who repeatedly point out that students are not used to writing and highlighting in their books during high school. When they arrive at college, students are resistant to writing in their books; it wastes time to train students at the college level in skills they should have acquired during high school.

d) Resistance to Reading: The larger trade paperbacks (with larger print, more white space and increased spacing between lines of print as opposed to the small mass market Perma-bounds) do impact students’ reluctance to read. When books are aesthetically appealing and the pages are larger with better spacing, it encourages students to want to read; we end up with much improved in-class discussions as well as increased learning.

Alternative to Purchasing Novels: I have some extra copies of the novels that students may borrow if necessary. Students would need to use stickies in these copies of the novels and write their reading notes on a separate sheet of paper with corresponding page numbers in order to receive the daily highlighting/note-taking credit.

Our class structure will center around student-directed and student-led in-class discussion. Participation, therefore, will be an important, vital part of this process, tantamount to success. Attendance must be a priority.

Oral analysis occurs during in-class instruction and small group discussions; written analysis takes the form of interpretive and reflective essay responses.

Skills we will cover during Core Lit instruction:

Reading Types

• Fiction
• Non-Fiction
• Essays
• Textbooks
• Articles

Reading Skills

• Identification and interpretation of symbolism, irony, foreshadowing, omens, and so on
• Use of logic; identification of fallacious reasoning
• Analysis of literal and implicit meanings
• Extrapolation to the real world

Oral Articulation Skills

• Logic/Debate
• Bias/Fact/Opinion
• Interpretive Presentation
• Original Prose or Poetry Presentation
• Commencement Speech

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Readers' Workshop takes place on Fridays. The period is set aside for reading books of your choosing, conferencing about independent reading, and/or meeting in book clubs. You must bring a book to class. (You may check out books from my in-class library, also.) It is important for you to pick books to read that you like (with your parental approval) so you will enjoy reading.

Note: Reading is very similar to playing sports; doing it is the only way to enjoy or to improve. You should read at home for at least a half-hour on a daily basis.

State Standards require high school juniors and seniors to read two million words a year outside of school. This is equivalent to 6,000 - 7,000 pages.

FYI: The effect of reading practice on student performance in school has been examined in research studies. Some of the key findings are as follows:

• High school students on average spend about as much time in reading practice as kindergarten students.
• Students in the top 5% read 144 times more than students in the bottom 5%.
• Students in the highest-performing states in reading engage in 59% more reading than those students in states in the bottom quartile.

Structure of Weekly Readers' Workshop

• Silent Sustained Reading of Independent Selections
• Reader Response Cards for Each Book
• Ongoing Listing of Books Read

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Grading Policy - Based on the standard percentage breakdown outlined on the course policy sheet, each of the following constitutes a portion of the quarterly/semester grade:

Core Lit/Writing Lab - Writing Lab (grammar, vocabulary, journals, highlighting/note-taking, writing assignments - rough and final drafts, speeches, debates, and Senior Project installments), and Core Lit (daily assignments, quick writes, enrichment projects and tests) and Readers' Workshop (reader response cards).

Readers' Workshop/In-Class Participation - Readers' Workshop participation, independent reading books, in-class participation, etc.

Attendance is important; you must be in class to participate. Tardies and absences negatively affect your participation grade since you cannot participate when you are not in class. Three cuts may result in being dropped from the class with an F; English is required for graduation.

English Department Policies:

• Late work receives an F.
• There is no extra credit

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Final Hints for Success -

• Do the work!
• Do the work!
• Do the work!
• If you have questions, come see me. Avoid unnecessary stress by communicating with me before problems arise.

Best of luck for a good year! I hope you have the time of your life!

~ Mrs. Tong