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English One Honors

Blocks 2,5, and 6

English One

Block 1

ABOUT THIS CLASS

"A book must be an axe for the frozen sea within us" - Franz Kafka

The practice of daily reading practice is an important skill for a 9th grade student to cultivate. I will assign weekly reading assignments in order to help you develop the ability to read clsely and independently, In most cases, these assignments will be given in place of traditional "homework". Students will be given reading check quizzes to ensure that they complete the reading. The indepedent reading requirement is approx. 150 pages per week for honors and 100 pages per week for regular-level classes.

NaNoWriMo was a HUGE success. 57 students in my classes COMPLETED novels, and our word count was an astonishing 1,793,457 words!!!!

In the three weeks leading up to winter break, we will be reading both The Fault in Our Stars and and the poems referenced in the text. Students are now allowed to take the book home, and Honors-level students should complete their reading by December 16th. Regular-level students will have until after break to finish and completely annotate the book.

I've started assigning weekly vocabulary. We are using a program called Vocabulary for Achievement that presents vocabulary in a format in a way that is very similar to the verbal section of the SAT. Student have to apply the vocabulary words they learn to a comprehend a reading passage on their weekly quiz.

November is National Novel Writing Month! All 9th grade students will complete a 30,000 word novel. Now is the time to start brainstorming ideas.

WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON NOW

Write Your Novel Here

In English One, we will explore the theme of THE JOURNEY. Anchor texts include but are not limited to the following:

Romeo and Juliet
The Odyssey
The Count of Monte Cristo
Catcher in the Rye
The Fault in Our Stars
A Tale of Two Cities*
Animal Farm*
The Road*
Frankenstein*

* Honors-Level Texts