This year (2015 - 2016), I'm teaching the following classes:
English 11 (Regents)
Introduction: For the third time in my career--at least!--we are facing a "new" Regents exam in English. And this one is supposed to be the ultimate in assessing whether or not our students are "college and career ready"--at least when it comes to language arts.
Well, having had a look at last year's pilot version of this new Common Core Regents exam, I can tell you that the powers-that-be have stolen much of what's on there from AP exams. Lucky for me, I taught AP for about seven years, so I know the skills the state is looking for. And those are the skills I'll be focusing on in class.
To that end, students can expect a lot of group work that focuses on text analysis. All the things they've learned in 9th and 10th grade will still be in play. This includes Evidence-Based Claims, Arguments, Counter-arguments, and research. It sounds tough--and it is--but if we break complex tasks down into smaller bites, we generally find they're doable.
I'm not an apologist for Common Core. The standards themselves aren't all bad, but how they were rolled out in New York has been atrocious. Ultimately, though--like it or not--this is the way our students will be assessed this year. To that end, I'm like Mickey Goldman, trainer for Rocky Balboa--I show the students our enemy and train them how to beat it.
Well, having had a look at last year's pilot version of this new Common Core Regents exam, I can tell you that the powers-that-be have stolen much of what's on there from AP exams. Lucky for me, I taught AP for about seven years, so I know the skills the state is looking for. And those are the skills I'll be focusing on in class.
To that end, students can expect a lot of group work that focuses on text analysis. All the things they've learned in 9th and 10th grade will still be in play. This includes Evidence-Based Claims, Arguments, Counter-arguments, and research. It sounds tough--and it is--but if we break complex tasks down into smaller bites, we generally find they're doable.
I'm not an apologist for Common Core. The standards themselves aren't all bad, but how they were rolled out in New York has been atrocious. Ultimately, though--like it or not--this is the way our students will be assessed this year. To that end, I'm like Mickey Goldman, trainer for Rocky Balboa--I show the students our enemy and train them how to beat it.
Grade: 11
Length: 40 weeks
Evaluation: written works, Regents-based assessments, classroom presentations
Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 10
Credit: 1
Cinema
This is a half-year senior elective English course. Students will be exposed to the history of American films, who makes them, how they're made, and cultural issues surrounding the "Art Form of the 20th Century." In a nod to Common Core standards, films will be treated as literature and reviews will be prepared in the EBC format. We'll also be incorporating a lot more in-class tech this year, including movie chat rooms in real time (for quick discussion and feedback). I'm also hoping to provide animated educational videos that can be reviewed as often as necessary. The final project can be a film, a screenplay, a research paper, or a summative essay.
Grade: 12
Length: 20 weeks
Evaluation: ENC film reviews, assessments, projects
Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 11
Credit: 1/2
Freshman Comp I (SCCC course)
This is a writing-intensive course in which students will draft and revise college-level essays. Students will study the conventions of academic prose, examine various methods of organization and development, and learn research skills. Students must earn a grade of C (73) to receive college credit.
Students who successfully complete this course will learn to write clear, coherent texts within common college-level forms. They will demonstrate the ability to revise and improve these texts. In addition, they will be able to research a topic, document sources, and organize supporting details.
In evaluating student performance, the instructor will use the following guidelines:
Essays should contain a clearly stated or implied thesis.Essays should demonstrate good overall structure.Essays should contain logical relationships between the theses and supporting paragraphs.Students should participate fully in the revision process.The course will develop the following skills:
the ability to write clear, grammatically correct sentencesthe ability to write coherent, unified, well-developed paragraphsthe ability to write well-organized essays unified by a clear thesisthe ability to revise and editthe ability to quote, paraphrase, and summarize effectivelythe ability to develop and write forceful argumentsStudents will be given reading and writing assignments throughout the semester. Students are responsible for all assignments made in the required textbooks, and are required to submit essays on the assigned dates. Conferences to discuss the student's work and progress may be scheduled by the student or the instructor. The course will consist of:
Some study of grammatical problemsDiscussion and development of ideas, often based on outside readingsThe examination and explanation of different styles and methods of writingFundamentals of Speech (SCCC course)
Students who successfully complete this course will develop proficiency in oral discourse and evaluate oral presentation according to established criteria. Students will all learn to find and use a variety of sources of information for speeches. Students must achieve a C average (73) in order to receive college credit for the course.
The course will develop the following skills:
overcoming fears of speakingovercoming fears of allowing appropriate silencedelivering speeches with poise, comfort, and confidenceorating speeches written by othersthe use of visual aids during a speechthe ability to perform well in a question and answer format * * *