Extra Help:

Monday-Friday before and after school or by appointment

Welcome to English 12! I am so excited to teach and learn alongside each of you this year! English 12 is a course in British Literature that encompasses literary works from the Anglo-Saxon Period through the 21st Century. The goal is to expose students to a variety of works and to situate them within their social, historical, and cultural context to foster deep understanding and interplay with the texts. Using the literature as both model and inspiration, students will explore relevant themes and concepts through class discussion, written analysis, and research-based learning.

Required Texts (still subject to change)

  • Beowulf,The Canterbury Tales, Macbeth, Frankenstein, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Alice in Wonderland

Grading Policy

  • Total points system
  • LONG-TERM GRADING will be used—the end of the marking period is when the bulk of the teacher evaluation will occur formally, though feedback on student progress will occur throughout the entire year
  • Rubrics will be used for most major projects, writing tasks, and reading responses
  • Class participation/cooperation (approx. 10% of total grade) is a hefty consideration at the end of the marking period. Due to the nature of this course, this grade is often determined holistically at the end of the marking period and can have a major effect on the final grade.
  • NOTE: Everyone starts at a 0 for class participation/cooperation. See below on how you will be scored.

How to Earn Participation Points

  • Being respectful to teacher and peers
  • Encouraging classmates and/or group members to participate in discussions
  • Contributing to class discussions and group-work
  • Staying on task

How to Lose Participating Points

  • Being caught off-task
  • Sleeping during class
  • Using your cell phone or abusing the use of technology
  • Being disrespectful to teacher and/or peers (e.g. speaking without permission, not allowing a group member to voice his/her opinion, insulting someone’s thoughts or opinions, etc

School Supplies Needed for English 12:

  • An agenda pad
  • A 3-ring binder (if you prefer to have hard copies instead of electronic handouts)
  • 3-hole paper punch for binder (if using a binder)
  • Mini post-it notes for annotating the books
  • Pens and highlighters
  • An active school computer account login

Classroom Policies and Procedures:

  • When you walk into the classroom, directions for the start of class will be on the board. Please get started immediately—do not wait for the bell or my cue!
  • Check my website for assignments and information often (at least once per day). Bookmark it!
  • Check your email address daily, as I will sometimes email resources or homework assignment information.
  • If you miss class, it is your responsibility to check the website or contact me to obtain the assignment or class materials.
  • TARDINESS: Refer to the student handbook. On-time means at your desk and ready to listen for class instructions, not walking through the classroom door at the start of class.
  • Finish eating before you enter class.
  • Keep your cell phone in your book bag on silent mode. If I see you using it, I will confiscate it.
  • Please remain seated at all times. It is a distraction if you get up to throw out a piece of paper or something in the middle of class. If you have any trash, please keep it on your desk until the end of the class period. Please do not open or close any windows without asking for permission.

Handing in Assignments

  • It is imperative that all work be handed in during class time on the assigned due date at the time of my request (if you ask to get the work from your locker or print it, it is LATE).
  • For every CALENDAR day that an assignment is late, I will deduct 5 points from the grade earned.
  • PLAGIARISM:Please refer to the school handbook.

Technology

Technology at MTHS is used for educational purposes. In Ms. Lentino’s classroom, Chromebooks are to be used for the facilitation and advancement of information that is pertinent to the successful completion of the English curriculum.

At NO TIME will a student use technology tools to surf the Internet for non-educational purposes, email students, play a game, or do anything except the task assigned.There will be severe consequences for violating these rules!

WHAT TO EXPECT IN HUMANITIES RESEARCH

The ability to choose: No longer will you be constrained (limited) to one option in any of your required tasks. You now have the freedom to bring your own interests, technology, new presentation mediums - the possibilities are limitless - into our classroom.

Forming connections to yourself: You will have the unique opportunity to incorporate your own personal interests into our classroom. That means when we are presenting our projects, no two will be the same.

Project-based learning: No longer will you be given the same ‘read-discuss-answer questions-take a test’ model that you are comfortable with. You will receive an overarching question or research-based task that incorporates the reading but also allows you to create a project presentation where you actually give most of the input! This could be anything from choosing how you will present to creating your own rubric to connecting the reading to your own (or your group’s) personal interests. It will all make sense once we start.

Creating rubrics & self-assessing: You will be doing a lot more self-assessing as you work on each of your projects. You (or you and your group members together) will create the ways in which you want to evaluate yourselves; this means you will continually hold yourself to a higher standard. I will also be evaluating you.

Researching: Because you will have access to a Chromebook each day, you will be completing lots of research to use in your projects. Research goes hand-in-hand with critical thinking. This will help you next year, in college, and in many years to come. You will become MLA experts by the end of the year!

Enhancing leadership skills: By the time this year is over, you will realize that you have fulfilled your potential to be a leader. Because you will be taking full ownership of all of your work in our class, through research, collaboration, and presentation, you will have gained leadership skills without even realizing it. These are, again, skills that will help you next year, in college, and in many years to come.

Having the ability to read or listen online: Although I am more than willing to give you a hard copy of each novel we read, you now have the ability to choose if you want that hard copy or if you want to read your book online or on an e-reader, if you have one. You also have the ability to listen to the novels if that is what you prefer. I have links to some, but I’m sure you can find the ones I am missing.