Please take the time to consider and respond to the following reflective questions.
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
37 comments:
Please take the time to consider and respond to the following reflective questions.
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
The Kite Runner was the most beneficial text I read this year because it had a lot of important themes and it was very enjoyable to read. I actually felt like I learned something when I read it unlike other assignments.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
Chaucer. Self- Explanatory.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
This was over-qualified for an Honors course. We did not have the same level of work as the other honors seniors and even the AP students agreed that we were doing more.. Unfair.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
Combining all of the Connection sections is imperative, I believe, because sometimes it was hard to think of specific text-text or other connections but if it was relatable in any way you can write it in a more generalized section
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
The Kite Runner because it was just a good book, and one that I not only tolerated but enjoyed reading.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
I think this was a good ratio because you do a lot of grammer / vocabulary at younger years so it was refreshing to finally move on.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
I think I will be fairly confident for my first college English course, I will definitely employ connections to the literature I read there so that I can understand it more.
-Alison Lynch
1. I found that the most beneficial text I have read this year is “The Kite Runner” and I also learned how to deeply analyze texts and poems which, I believe, will greatly help me in the future. On my college placement exam, I had to analyze sentences and paragraphs. I now see that this will help me in the future, even though it seemed dumb at the time.
2. The least beneficial activity has been the Chaucer one. It was a waste of time.
3. I think that the work itself was at Honors level but the workload amount was a little more than expected. I have never taken an AP English class but, I feel as if the workload would be the same amount.
4. Switching the note form to portrait from landscape.
5. I would preserve “Lord of the Flies” for decades to come. I chose this novel because it has a lot of hidden meaning and symbolism which I really like. I enjoyed reading this novel and I believe other kids will too.
6. I feel that this ratio is appropriate because we did do so much grammar last year that it evens off this year with the amount of analysis of literature.
7. After this course, I feel pretty confident going into my college English class next year. I feel as if I will be able to complete more creative, different tasks better and will definitely know how to write good theses. I also feel that my analyzing and evaluation of literature is much better.
1: I think 1984 was the most constructive, educating, enlightening novel we read. It offers a point of view second to none. And, all the thesis statements have helped so much.
2.chaucer. I liked it, and I would like to take a class on it in college, but I did not like the assignment.
3The rigor is comparable to a higher caliber honors class, or an ap class. I took AP english last year, and I do feel as if this year was closer to AP than Honors. But there's nothing wrong with working hard, and learning.
4 while reading and after reading divisions, this is imperative because interruptions in the reading are the most counterproductive thing for me.
5 1984. Hands down. Simply because of how eye opining it is
6 Yes. Lower order thinking is reserved for lower grades, where higher order thinking should be required for upperclassmen
7 I have great confidence, you have definitely prepared me well, and AP english last year helped a lot aswell.\
_david littlefield
1: I think 1984 was the most constructive, educating, enlightening novel we read. It offers a point of view second to none. And, all the thesis statements have helped so much.
2.chaucer. I liked it, and I would like to take a class on it in college, but I did not like the assignment.
3The rigor is comparable to a higher caliber honors class, or an ap class. I took AP english last year, and I do feel as if this year was closer to AP than Honors. But there's nothing wrong with working hard, and learning.
4 while reading and after reading divisions, this is imperative because interruptions in the reading are the most counterproductive thing for me.
5 1984. Hands down. Simply because of how eye opining it is
6 Yes. Lower order thinking is reserved for lower grades, where higher order thinking should be required for upperclassmen
7 I have great confidence, you have definitely prepared me well, and AP english last year helped a lot aswell.
_david littlefield
1. The Kite Runner was the most beneficial book because I actually enjoyed reading it and remember the book well.
2. The Chaucer blog assignment because I only did it to complete it I did not actually learn anything.
3. This course has been more work than both of my other AP classes.
4. Getting rid of having to do an illustration on the note taking form is imperative because many people are not artistic.
5. The Kite Runner is an important book because it was actually an enjoyable read and has to do with the war going on now.
6. As seniors in high school we should already know grammar so we do not need to focus on it.
7. I am very confident going into English 101 and will use every skill I have to pass the class.
-Justin Iadarola
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
I enjoyed The Kite Runner. The book was the best that we have read all year and I learned a lot about other cultures and their languages.
2.
English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain. The least beneficial was probably the Chaucer assignment. It was difficult to interoperate exactly what the text was trying to say.
3.
As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.). For the majority of the year I feel as though the workload was higher than most honors classes I had previously taken. This isn’t necessarily bad.
4.
After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection. Eliminate the illustration section.
5.
If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why? 1984, it teaches a valuable lesson that remains important throughout the ages. Whether reading the book in 1990 or 2020, the message is still the same.
6.
This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain. I feel this ratio is good. Grammar and vocabulary is just simply memorizing something and spitting the knowledge back. Higher order thinking, although sometimes frustrating, forces you to think outside of the box.
7.
For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level. My reading skills have never been the best but I consider myself to be a decent writer. I am not very worried about English in college.
Michael Costa
Dan Freedman
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain. I liked 1984, the idea behind the book of a ‘negative utopia’ makes me fearful of what the world could possibly change into if people stop paying attention to who has power.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain. I think War was the least beneficial assignment, It was a good idea but I was never lured in by the idea and it just never registered for me.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.). Your class was great.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection. Major Plot Points
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why? 1984 because it shows a plausible future that people should be aware of.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain. I think it is appropriate, grammar and vocabulary can be learned while evaluating pieces of literature if done right,
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level. After your class I understand the amount of dedication needed for college.
1.The Kite Runner and all activities/discussions have been very beneficial. I think this because it showed us of another culture,and it was one of the FIRST books I wanted to read on my own time.
2.I felt that the least beneficial assignment was the Chaucer assignment. I feel that it was OVERLY time consuming, and I did not get enough out of it.
3. I feel that this class was a bit harder than my expectations considering my other Honors English courses in the past were easier. However, when I compare it to my AP class this year, it seems that this class was perfect speed and maybe the most suitable Honors English class I have ever taken.
4. One modification to the note forms is a "Questions" section should be added so students can get a chance to reflect parts of the story they do not understand with the class.
5. I would preserve The Kite Runner. I feel this way because it has a lot to do with modern day problems in Afghanistan which I think everyone should learn about. Also, a majority of my classmates genuinely loved the text.
6.I feel that evaluating literature is more important than vocabulary and grammar. At this level (as seniors) vocabulary is easy to mesmerize and grammar should have been covered in previous years. More students need help decoding a book, not learning how to use a comma.
7. I feel I will do well at English 101. I will apply my note taking qualities (along with a form...) which will easily help me break down the novel.
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
I enjoyes the kite runner very much because it was interesting unlike most of the text in the schools books.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
Don't hate me...Chaucer. It was long, unnecessary and very time consuming.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
Ms. Stanton shoved me in this class so i was scared to be in Honors english. But it was pretty good. Hard...but good.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
I l iked my groups idea of having a predictions section.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
The Kite Runner because it was so interesting.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
Yes, Vocab isn't as important when you're in a higher level.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
Your class being so hard has prepared me for College courses.
8. We started this course with a "Dinner Party"; let's end with one:
________________________ is attending a state school.
_________________ is majoring in some form of education.
___________________________ thinks the prom was lame.
___________________________________ loved the prom.
___________________________________ would like to be married by the age of 25.
___________________________________ is attending a private school in a distant state.
___________________________________ is still afraid of young children.
___________________________________ will come back to NHS to visit his/her former teachers.
___________________________________ painted a sweet ceiling tile.
___________________________________ is nervous about his/her college roommate.
___________________________________ will always remember Hassan.
___________________________________ now sees the world through an Orwellian lens. ]
___________________________________ is having cell-phone withdrawal.
___________________________________ has a cool college mascot.
1. The Kite Runner was the most beneficial because it was actually interesting and meaningful. The writing style of Hosseini was different and enjoyable to read.
2. The Chaucer unit was the least beneficial because it was too long and boring. I did not learn much from it and it was just a stressful situation.
3. This class felt like it should, an honors class. The work load was definitely less than AP English was, but not too much less where it was boring. I was still challenged on the things we learned without being overloaded with work.
4. The question section should be in there because everyone wonders something while reading, and it will help prepare for DFs.
5. Either The Kite Runner or The Things They Carried should be preserved because they seem to strike real emotions amongst the readers.
6. Yes, this is appropriate because grammar and vocabulary are boring. We should all know basic grammar by now, and vocabulary is picked up along the way during these many years of school.
7. I think English 101 will not be challenging because writing is much easier with the ability to create a thesis for anything. Also, seeing the deeper meaning in everything will definitely help in college, as well.
1. I believe 'The Kite Runner' has been the most influential book that we have read this year. I think it teaches valuable social lessons and also has a great message.
2. The least beneficial unit was 'Chaucer.' The assignment itself did not relate to anything we were learning in class. The assignment was time consuming and not beneficial to the class.
3. I thought this was an AP class...
No, but seriously. This class was really rough. I felt as though it was just the right amount of challenge but you could have let up a bit toward vacations and holidays. I feel that we deserved a bit of a break every now and then. Overall, I enjoyed the class, challenging or not.
4. I think the whole front page is the most important. Characters and key plots should be first on the list because they are what holds the text together. I don't think anything should be written away, just improvised.
5. I would select 'Reservation Blues.' This book was very important and taught social injustice. How people view certain races and ethnicities really make an impact on how they live. The book kept me reading and I actually enjoyed discussing it.
6. I feel it was a perfect balance. We learn about grammar and vocabulary in our first English years. I think this year was a great year for analyzing reading.
7. I think English 101 will be a joke compared to this class. I am fully prepared and extremely confident that I will succeed in college.
1. I believe 'The Kite Runner' has been the most influential book that we have read this year. I think it teaches valuable social lessons and also has a great message.
2. The least beneficial unit was 'Chaucer.' The assignment itself did not relate to anything we were learning in class. The assignment was time consuming and not beneficial to the class.
3. I thought this was an AP class...
No, but seriously. This class was really rough. I felt as though it was just the right amount of challenge but you could have let up a bit toward vacations and holidays. I feel that we deserved a bit of a break every now and then. Overall, I enjoyed the class, challenging or not.
4. I think the whole front page is the most important. Characters and key plots should be first on the list because they are what holds the text together. I don't think anything should be written away, just improvised.
5. I would select 'Reservation Blues.' This book was very important and taught social injustice. How people view certain races and ethnicities really make an impact on how they live. The book kept me reading and I actually enjoyed discussing it.
6. I feel it was a perfect balance. We learn about grammar and vocabulary in our first English years. I think this year was a great year for analyzing reading.
7. I think English 101 will be a joke compared to this class. I am fully prepared and extremely confident that I will succeed in college.
1) I think the most beneficial assignment of the year believe it or not was the research paper cause although long, it allowed me to take something i was interested in and look into it to come up with orbible conclusions to solve a problem.
2)The Chaucer blog was terrible because it was long, grueling, not fun, and just plain unessecary.
3)I feel like this course was more than i expected. There was a lot of work in this course, more so than i heard there was in the senior ap english class. I did more work in this class than in my ap calculus class.
4)Instead of a sumary i feel that 4 or 5 important plot point is better because then people will analyze the text while they are reading and will get the meaning of the book better.
5)Beowulf because i feel like that book was and is an important part in storytelling historyand i was dissapointed not to read it this year. Bring It BAck!
6)Yes because as an honors senior if you dont have good vocabulary and poor grammar you dont belong in the class in the first place.
7)I do not plan on taking english 101 in college but if i take any type of course that has anything to do with english i feel well prepared.
1. The Kite Runner was the most beneficial text to me. It was really interesting and entertaining to me this year. It was a fun book to read, and it taught me a lot about the war and what happens in Afghanistan. It was the only book I actually liked reading in high school.
2. The Chaucer blog assignment was definitely the least beneficial assignment this year. I still don’t understand what it had to do with anything that we learned about. It was pointless and unnecessary.
3. It didn’t meet my expectations at all. It was a lot harder than I expected it to be, and the level of work seemed to be more of that of an AP class. My other Honors classes’ haven’t had this much work for me to do. A lot of the work you assigned also seemed to be just busy work and didn’t relate a lot to English classes.
4. I think that you should change it to a portrait style form, instead of landscape. It was annoying to write on the landscape papers and they didn’t fit as well into my binder.
5. I would select The Kite Runner, because it was actually an interesting book to read, and I really enjoyed it. It was the only book throughout high school that I actually looked forward to reading and I couldn’t put it down.
6. I think the ratio is fair, because we have been learning a lot of grammar all through high school. By now, we should know the basic grammar and spelling skills. Analyzing literature is something we’ll probably need to know for college literature classes.
7. I will be pretty confident going into my college English class. I have heard from my parents that my English class in college won’t be as hard as this class was.
- Hannah Clark: C Block
Robert Southworth
1. The most beneficial process in English this year was the thesis writes. I always had trouble creating good thesis', and the extra practice helped.
2. CHAUCER
3. Mr. Kefor's English class had the most work outside the classroom of any class I took this year. Compared to my AP classes, the reading and projects outside of the class were the most time consuming.
4. The "plot points" summary concept. I hated writing full sentences and bullet points are more helpful to memorize.
5. "The Great Gatsby" American classic.
6. Vocab is horrible. However, I feel when reviewing literature that most of it is repetitive. But vocab is worst so stick with the same ratio.
7. I feel pretty confident. The only thing I worry about is my writing skills cause I have never been a strong writer.
1. The most beneficial assignment was a way to be good again. I liked it.
2. Chaucer was horrible; it made me think about dropping out.
3. This class was very challenging I feel like you should teach AP.
4. I think there should be pre and post reading sections, because it disrupts the reading.
5. 1984, just because of the meaning behind it.
6. Less evaluating more vocab please.
7. I have a vast bank of confidence in English after this year I am definitely ready.
-Derek Schwartz-
1. For me the most beneficial assignment was thesis fusion. Although I didn't really like it sometimes I found it to be helpful when creating thesises for essays and other writing assignments.
2. The least beneficial assignment I thought was random article readings about Sweden etc. Even though some were interesting I thought that there was really not point in reading them.
3. I feel that the rigor in this class was fit for an honors level. My last years honors class had a little less work but the two are around the same level.
4. For the note taking form I think that the question/prediction sections will be the most helpful. They will help with both discussions and RVs and RAFTS.
5. The Kite Runner and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. They were the books that I actually enjoyed reading and didn't mind doing the assignments for them. Both have interesting story lines and kept my attention.
6. I liked that we didn't spend much time on vocab and grammer. I think that the analyzing will be more beneficial in the future with college level English classes. Also, I never enjoyed doing vocab and I liked how my senior year I didn't have to do much with it.
7. I feel comfortable moving on to my college English class. I think my English class this year had prepared me well and I believe that everything we did will help me in the future. Although some of the stuff we did was boring and annoying I thought all of it prepared me well. I feel more confident now in writing an essay and analyzing literature.
1. A way to be good again because it required knowledge of the text on a higher order thinking level.
2. CHAUCER WAS USLESS. Sorry but Chaucer was equivalent to standing in a portopotty while getting rolled down a hill.
3. The work load in this class was way more intense than I thought. It seemed like I was in an AP class or something.
4. The during reading and post reading section that way you’re not interrupted as much.
5. What is the What. That was really the only book I read and actually got into.
6. Yes because majority of the vocabulary I have no use for nor are they common enough to care about.
7. I am very nervous because I have horrible work ethic, however, I will take my advanced thesis writing skills you have taught me and dominate English 101
--JOEY WILKES
1. The most beneficial assignment this year was definitely the thesis writes. Having to do thesis sentences every class made me a stronger writer.
2. The least beneficial assignment was the Chaucer Blog.
3. I think that the workload in this class has definitely been larger than my other classes but overall it wasn’t as bad as other classes I have heard about.
4. I think that the RAFT idea is really interesting. I think that it will help the students connect with the text.
5. The Things They Carried was my favorite text over all four years. I loved hearing the stories of all the soldiers.
6. I think the ratio is appropriate and I would suggest anything different.
7. I think that I will have a much easier time in English 101. This class has helped me prepare for that class.
1) The most beneficial text of the year in my opinion was The Kite Runner. The Kite Runner gave me life lessons and showed me that friendship is more important than being popular or doing what society wants you to.
2) The Chucher blog was useless in my opinion. It was way to long and painful to complete. It made me want to never think about english again. In my opinion, the only use for it would be punishment.
3) I think the course ended up being alot harder than I had originally expected. The hardest part was keeping up with the work during the beggining of the year. By the end of the year I learned to manage my time so it got a little bit easier.
4)The revision I would say is a must need would be the as you read summary section. It is great for not forgeting facts.
5)Of mice and men has been my favorite because it tells a great story of friendship. It also shows that people should follow their dreams.
6)I think the ratio was perfect because literature is much more important in my opinion.
7)I am nervous as heck because i'm not the best English student and I struggle with grammar. I hope for the best and i'll work hard!
--Connor O'Sullivan
1. The most beneficial assignment was when we wrote our college essays. It was very helpful because it motivated me to begin my essay and it was the most useful and practical to my life. Also, it was helpful when you had examples and spent a class walking us through the process. Also, I find that I am now better at writing thesis statements because of the practice I have had continuously throughout the year.
2. I did not like the Chaucer assignment.
3. Yes, the level of rigor is at least an honors. Compared to my AP Calculus class, I have done more work in here.
4. I would get rid of the specific connections and make them just general connections.
5. I would select The Kite Runner or the Glass Castle. I enjoyed both of the books and it held my interest the longest.
6. I think the ratio is appropriate. I have integrated vocabulary from previous years, which I have found useful when writing essays and for the SATs, but at this point doing vocabulary sheets is just a waste of time and is degrading to by ability.
7. I will not have to take an actual English class in college; however, I will be required to write essays and papers. I feel that I will use the process of writing research papers (breaking them down), grammar skills, and strong vocabulary and sentence variations.
1) My favortie book of the year was the passage from "Flow". I found the insights very interesting and it made me think the most.
2)I did not enjoy the Chaucer assignment at (except for the rap video, that made me laugh). I honestly spent more time on the blog assignment than on the research paper and I feel that it should have been graded more heavily based upon the amount of work.
3) The level of work was on on par with prior honors courses and at times harder.
4)I would add an "RV Question" section so that as students are reading they can prepare at least one question. This will save time in class for the actual RV as I feel that we always run out of time.
5) I would keep Lord of the Flies because the kids can directly relate to the adolescent characters.
6)Since most vocabulary is acquired through reading, I think the ratio is fine as it is.
7)I feel fully confident to enter an English 101 even though I will never have to take one.
1.The Kite Runner was the most beneficial topic because it was a really good book and we didn’t speed through it like we did with other things in the class and I will remember it forever.
2.Chaucer was the least beneficial thing this year. I literally spent so much time during this and it was miserable. When we were doing this assignment I had very little time to do other class’s homework and studying and it consumed my life at the time.
3.This honors level course was harder than I expected it would be and the AP English students said they had it easier than us. This class was harder than AP Calc, Honors Physics, and French 5 put together.
4.On the note taking forms you need to get rid of multiple connection boxes and just make one connections box where you need two connections to anything.
5.You should keep the Kite Runner. It was the best book we read all 4 years.
6.It was an appropriate mix of grammar and evaluating literature.
7.I feel I can write a thesis for anything we need to do in college but this class made me not want to take English in college.
1. The most beneficial assignment was the research paper; we picked our own topic that was interesting to us and were responsible for our own research.
2. This year, 'Chaucer' was the least beneficial assignment; it had very little connection to anything that we were doing. The assignment was challenging but was also pretty much impossible...
3. This class seemed more rigorous than a regular Honors class in comparison. Personally, I feel like we did more work that the AP English class.
4. I think that the notetaking form needs to have a 'while you read' section and a 'post reading' section. It is too difficult to try and focus on everything the form looks for currently while reading.
5. Of Mice and Men, while it was depressing, was a really good text and had a lot of deeper social context. There was a lot of room for discussion.
6. I like discussing literature more so than learning grammar and vocabulary so i really liked the ratio that we covered for each. I felt like we could have read more literature this year, though.
7. I think English 101 will be a joke next year; I feel prepared for it and I feel like it couldn't possibly be as much work as this course was so i feel like I am prepared for it.
1. The most beneficial text of the year was The Kite Runner because it kept us interested while exposing us to a very distinctive writing style that uses innumerable literary devices throughout the book.
2. The least beneficial, assignment was definitely Chaucer because it was far too time consuming to be graded so lightly and I don’t feel that I learned anything at all from it.
3. To be honest, I was surprised with the rigor of this class. I purposely didn’t take AP this year because I didn’t want to deal with that much work and this class had just as much, if not more, work than the AP class.
4. The most important modification to the note-taking form I think is having the summary section be turned into a set of bulleted plot points.
5. I would preserve To Kill A Mockingbird because I enjoyed it the most and it highlights issues from our country’s past.
6. I think it was appropriate because by now, we all should know how to use correct grammar and vocabulary. Going over grammar/vocabulary all the time would have just been repetitive, annoying and boring.
7. If I have to take English 101, I will go in with a very high level of self confidence. I would use the writing skills I have learned throughout my high school career including thesis writing which you have so kindly drilled into my brain.
1. The Metacognitive assignment was the most beneficial assignment this year. Not many teachers provide an assignment that makes the student think about themselves. This type of thought is often critical in self-development and allows you to better think about your future and better relate to the assignments and readings of the curriculum.
2. The Chaucer assignment was the least beneficial assignment this year. The work load was a little much and the set up, while trivial and lengthy, was, to me, mediocre and below our level of intelligence.
3. While the class has failed to meet my expectations, some assignments have been harder than honors level, while others have been lower than honors level. So on average, I would have to say that the class met the work load expectations of an honors class.
4. A flashback/foreshadowing section would be a great addition to the note-taking forms because we are constantly being asked to compare past and present events within the text, and predict what will happen next. Also, many key turning points within a novel often go unnoticed because the prior events and lines that were connected to them were forgotten.
5. I would first like to rant about the lack of Hamlet, Macbeth, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and a few other texts that I feel are key to the high school educational growth curve. If I had to preserve on e text, I would preserve Lord of the Flies because it provides insight into a dystrophic society without parental guidance. The characters may be a bit young, but they still exhibit the behaviors that would be expected in an adult society in the same situation.
6. This ratio is more appropriate for our level, but I feel that the literature should have incorporated more poetry, one or two harder texts, and a little bit of philosophy. By focusing on the literature, you incorporate in the vocabulary and grammar and you provide vocabulary and grammar that are above the curriculum level, providing more thought and education with each reading.
7. I feel very confident approaching English class in college and will use my reading level and love of poetry and music to aid me in my writing, my interests in philosophy to aid me in my higher order thinking and thesis statements, and my love of famous/popular quotations to aid me with my connections to the works and provide me with a wide variety of concepts, phrases, and events that I can incorporate into my assignments throughout the class.
1. I think the research paper was most beneficial because I got to choose the topic and I secretly enjoy writing.
2. I hated Chaucer, it was a cool project and topic but the way we went about doing it was not too cool. I wish we spent more time in class on it.
3. Yes the rigor was quite rigorous. It had more work than AP classes and i did not expect the amount of work I had for this class.
4. Put the thesis at the end. It is daunting and once people see they have to write a thesis statement they immediately dread reading. If it is at the end you will have all the info you need already writen, therefore; a thesis is easy to make.
5. Keep all Freshmen books, especially To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men and Romeo+Juliet. Sophmore year books stunk but if i had to pick a favorite it would be A Tale of Two Cities. Huck Finn is by far the best book Junior year, so keep it. Senior year 1984 is the best book, and definitely needs to be preserved. Overal, To Kill a Mockingbird is the best and most important book.
6. Yes it was appropriate because Honor Senior students should know proper grammer by now.
7. I am 90% confident I will do well in Enlish in college, the only thing that will hurt me is my lack of reading. As long as I read I will do just fine.
8. Emily Hasting still fears young children with a firey passion.
Conor Regan
1. i think the most beneficial assignment of the year was the research paper. i do because i had to put a lot of effort and time into doing it and got to pick my own topic so i learned from it as well.
2. the least beneficial was probably the chaucer because it was just obnoxious and so much work and time consuming and boring.
3. i think the level of rigor has met my expectations. compared to my other classes english this year was the hardest class i have.
4. i think doing a build your own thesis with it already being there and us filling in parts of it was a really good idea and would benefit us in the long run because it would kind of train us to write a good thesis statement.
5. i would perserve the book the things they carried. for some reason i loved that book and wanted to always keep reading it. it always kept my interest and i was never bored reading it.
6. i think we should have spent a little more time reviewing the vocab because we never really ever went over it and some words i had no idea what they meant or anything so it made it difficult. other than that i think the ratio was good.
7. i am not 100% sure ill do okay in that class, but i am confident that i will do alright and do just as good as i did in english this year.
1. I think the most beneficial assignment was learning about thesis statements. I think this because I wasn't very good at figuring out how to comprehend a lot of tect into one sentence, and have it apply to everything that was going on. Learning how to write relevant thesis statements has helped me be able to figure out how the rest of a paper should look like.
2. I think the least beneficial assignement was Chaucer. I didn't even really understand why we were doing it, and it was tedious.
3. Yes, I think the rigor of this course definitely met my expectations. I had to work hard and new assignments kept me on my feet.
4. I think that you should only include one real-life connections in the book instead of three. That way, students can focus on that one connection and not have to do three sloppy ones.
5. I would definitely choose the Kite Runner to be preserved. It was extremely interesting and it kept me invloved in it throughout the whole book.
6. No, I do not think this should be adjusted. I think that focusing on analyzing and evaluating are much more important in the long run than grammar.
7. I am very confident about going into English in college. I feel that I have learned a lot in this class and over my four years at Norton High.
Emily Hastings
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
I think the most beneficial assignment of the year has been the process of writing college essays and learning how to properly write thesis statements and properly putting them into essays or papers. Writing my college essay not only taught me more about writing essays but it also got me into college :)
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
The least beneficial assignment, english-wise, has been the chaucer assignment because it was assigned in a manner that made all of us dread doing it. If it was spread out more and done with groups or partners it would have been more fun and beneficial.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
I feel that the rigor of this course exceeded my expectations because there were nights where I had more homework in this honors class than in my AP classes. Even though I had more work in the class, though, it was interesting and fun which made me look forward to english class whenever I had it.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
After viewing the new ideas for the note-taking forms, I think an important addition/modification is the addition of predictions and higher order thinking questions. It is important because if a reader can understand what is happening in a story and make predictions based off of what they are reading, it shows that they are understanding the material.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
One of my absolute favorite books of this year was The Kite Runner. After reading it it became my favorite book by far and I think it is important because it gives us, as students, a new insight on different cultures and lifestyles and opens our eyes to the reality of what really happens in other parts of the world. Also, it is interesting and grabs the attention of the reader and I think that most students will enjoy and appreciate it.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
I think it was good that we didn't spend so much time on vocabulary and grammar because in earlier grades we spend so much time on them that by the time senior year approaches we know how to use grammar and soem vocabulary is necessary but not every single week. I think it was appropriate because we had more time to read the books and study different pieces of literature which made the classes go by faster and made it more interesting. (usually..unless we were reading Beowulf or something boring..)
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
I think I will be extremely confident once I get to "English 101" because throughout this year we've incorporated everything that we've learned into one (a.k.a Research Paper, blog assingments, etc) which makes me feel that i've mastered the techniques we've learned throughout the year. Also, I think it will be good advantage to go into college coming from an Honors/basically AP course because I will know more vocabulary and know how to write more efficiently than others who were in different types of English Classes. I also feel that the books that we have read such as 1984 and TKR will somehow be brought up again in college english courses.
you're welcome.
1. I think the most beneficial assignment was the research paper because it was good practice for college.
2. I think the least beneficial assignment was the thesis statements that we did. I didn't realy understand the purpose of them and they didn't seem very helpful for me.
3. I think that this class was actually kind of easy. I liked this, though, because i really had no motivation as a senior.
4. I definitely think that the summary and the character list are imperative. I also think that the personal connections are helpful.
5. I would preserve The Lord of The Flies, The Kite Runner, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
6. I feel that this was a good ratio. Spelling and grammar are emphasized a lot in younger grades and are'nt necessary in our senior year.
7. I think I'm prepared for English 101, but I'm still nervous nonethless.
Erin Callahan
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
The most beneficial thing about the class was note-taking forms. They were very helpful in pin pointing the important characters and events that took place in a book.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
Although the Chaucer blog wasn't as brutal and painful as everyone says I didn't feel what I learned from doing it was very beneficial. I basically just got it done as quickly as possible and didn't really care about what it was about.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
Basically we were an AP class.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
Thesis statement at the end would be much more beneficial. At the beginning is threatening. At the end it's like a sum-up of everything in the reading.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
Of Mice and Men. One: The characters of the book are very relateable to people a person deals with in their life. Two: The things that happen can be a lesson everyone can take away in reading. Three: The paralells in events that happen and life lessons are cool and something people that read will take through life.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
I think analyzing and evaluating is very important, however, when it came time to take the next vocab quiz I found I often struggled and wished we went over vocab more in class.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
I think I will do great.
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
I really liked writing the many, many thesis statements this year. They have really helped me in my overall writing skills and my thesis writing ability.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
This is difficult. I really was overwhelemed by the Chaucer blog assignment, but the content was not bad. It was all due at once and I had really poor time management.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
I feel like this course was challenging, but not too challenging for and honors level course. It was a little bit more intense than my other honors level english classes in high school, but it is my senior year so that should be expected. I heard that our class was more intense than the AP english class, but I think that was more because of the teaching in that class.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
I thought that the notetaking form was pretty much good how it was, but if I had to change something...maybe putting the thesis sttement at the end, or combining the text-to0text connections and the text-to-self connections because it was sometimes hard to come up with ideas for both.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
I would probably preserve The Kite Runner. The book was actually modern and told a good story. It was not Shakespeare or another annoying book.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
I think that this ratio is fine and appropriate for our level. I think that analyzing literature will be more beneficial for me in college than the vocab and grammar, as we have done a lot of this in our past English in high school.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
I will approach the class with a lot of confidence. I thnk that the class will be much easier after taking your class. I believe that the thesis writing will be very useful for me and will help with the papers I have to write in college.
1. English-wise, what has been the most beneficial, constructive assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
I think the Senior Reading has given us a chance to do our own thing while being limited with the selection of novels. The freedom to choose what we want to read is one way of making those with senioritis read.
2. English-wise, what has been the least beneficial, assignment, process or text of the year? Explain.
CHAUCER! If you do this assignment again, try not to do it when everyone is applying to college. It may have been more beneficial to me if I could have focused soley on this assignment and not everything with college at the same time.
3. As an Honors student, do you feel the level of rigor in this course has met your expectations? Compare and/or contrast the rigor with your experiences in other classes (Level One, Honors, AP, etc.).
I think it has been more challenging than a level one English class. When I moved up to honors I was expecting a challenge though so this hasn't necessarily been a bad thing.
4. After viewing the note-taking revisions, identify at least one modification or addition that you see as imperative and justify your selection.
I don't think the illustration section is really important, at least to me. If you get rid of that you could add a section for additional information that doesn't fit into other categories.
5. If you could preserve one text from the English I-IV curriculum for the next decade, which would you select? Why?
Keep What is the What because it adds something new to the mix. Most of the books we read are older and dry so this changes things up. It also gives people a different perspective on the world.
6. This year, most of our time was spent analyzing and evaluating pieces of literature; far less time was spent on vocabulary and grammar; do you feel this ratio is appropriate at your level, or should the ratio be adjusted? Explain.
I think it is appropriate. We're at the age where we can look up unknown words on our own and take on more responsibility for our education.
7. For college-bound students: describe the level of confidence with which you will approach “English 101” and the skills you feel you will employ to succeed at the college level.
Originally, I was signed up to AP English, but I ended up dropping it over the summer. I think I've gotten a lot more out of this class than I would've in AP. We've had a lot of challenging assignments, but in the long term we all will benefit. Going into "English 101", I feel like I'm well prepared to succeed in that class. The assignments we do aren't something you'd find in every other english class, which is good because it gets us all to think outside the box.
-Kristin Murray
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