Welcome to ENGLISH 12!
English 12: Course Overview and Expectations
Mrs. Vanscoy
Welcome to your final high school English class! The aim of this course is to bridge your high school learning to whatever life holds for you next year. As it is your final year of high school, I believe you are ready for something more – more freedom, more challenge, and thus, 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 fully 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: Our approach to improving your thinking and communication skills will be centered in and 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 the essential question. In addition, English 12 is 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, both formal writing and daily writing will be essential components of this course.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS and 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 to purchase the books.
Overarching Questions for the Year: What is the purpose of a good education?
Essential Question
Anchor Texts
Primary Assessment
Unit I: In what ways can writing transform truth?
The Things They Carried, O’Brien
Selected Poems & This I Believe
College Essay
Unit II: How do our perceptions limit and strengthen us?
Life of Pi, Martel
Short Stories
Multi-genre Project
Unit III: Why do we lie to ourselves and each other?
Othello, Shakespeare
Analytical Essay
Unit IV: At what point is the pursuit of progress harmful?
Frankenstein, Shelley
Synthesis essay
Unit V: What’s my message to the world?
Sample TED talks
TED Talk
Unit VI: How should we respond to injustice?
The Kite Runner, Hosseini
Persuasive Essay
Unit VII: What is the purpose of a good education?
Selected Essays
Reflective Analysis
MATERIALS: It is up to you what kind of binder/ notebook you bring to class. You will need something for papers/handouts, but if you prefer note taking online, that works too. My expectation is that you come to class each day with the following:
EXAM EXEMPTION: Seniors with an A- (90%) average in regular 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. All non-school related absences, such as sickness, appointments, and trips, count toward the eight absence exemption rule. Exemption status is determined five days before exams begin.
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.
My paramount advice for this year - find ways to CONNECT and to TAKE RISKS. 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 you grow.
Mrs. Vanscoy
Welcome to your final high school English class! The aim of this course is to bridge your high school learning to whatever life holds for you next year. As it is your final year of high school, I believe you are ready for something more – more freedom, more challenge, and thus, 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 fully 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:
- To promote independent study and student directed learning
- To engage in effective collaboration and successful use of technology
- To build critical thinking skills by: reading closely, thinking deeply, and writing analytically and creatively
COURSE STRUCTURE: Our approach to improving your thinking and communication skills will be centered in and 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 the essential question. In addition, English 12 is 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, both formal writing and daily writing will be essential components of this course.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS and 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 to purchase the books.
Overarching Questions for the Year: What is the purpose of a good education?
Essential Question
Anchor Texts
Primary Assessment
Unit I: In what ways can writing transform truth?
The Things They Carried, O’Brien
Selected Poems & This I Believe
College Essay
Unit II: How do our perceptions limit and strengthen us?
Life of Pi, Martel
Short Stories
Multi-genre Project
Unit III: Why do we lie to ourselves and each other?
Othello, Shakespeare
Analytical Essay
Unit IV: At what point is the pursuit of progress harmful?
Frankenstein, Shelley
Synthesis essay
Unit V: What’s my message to the world?
Sample TED talks
TED Talk
Unit VI: How should we respond to injustice?
The Kite Runner, Hosseini
Persuasive Essay
Unit VII: What is the purpose of a good education?
Selected Essays
Reflective Analysis
MATERIALS: It is up to you what kind of binder/ notebook you bring to class. You will need something for papers/handouts, but if you prefer note taking online, that works too. My expectation is that you come to class each day with the following:
- Writing Notebook: Choose either a composition book or spiral notebook (1 subject) for use in class.
- Anchor Text Book: Be sure to bring the anchor text we are currently reading and discussing every day.
- Laptop/ Electronic Device: Carry either a personal or school-issued.
- Writing Utensils: Select your favorite implements of creativity—pencil, pen, highlighter, etc., just be sure to be prepared to write.
- Written Expression (formal essays, writing prompts, online blog posts)
- Oral Expression (presentations, class discussion, projects)
- Critical Reading (reading responses, comprehension checks, multiple choice quizzes)
- Collaboration (online participation, group work, in class participation and preparation)
EXAM EXEMPTION: Seniors with an A- (90%) average in regular 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. All non-school related absences, such as sickness, appointments, and trips, count toward the eight absence exemption rule. Exemption status is determined five days before exams begin.
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.
- 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.
My paramount advice for this year - find ways to CONNECT and to TAKE RISKS. 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 you grow.