Day 1 Feedback Questions

Whats the difference between the work this year and last year?

Like I mentioned in class, it will follow the same format as your freshman year. See the curriculum map on the link to the right. Since this is a pre-honors class, we will be using reading and writing strategies such as SOAPSTONE I learned during the AP English course I took over the summer. We will be using more strategies to delve deeper into the text instead of just touching on a wide variety of text. The new textbook will also have text we haven't seen in your freshman class last year.

How are you?

I'm okay. I caught a cold two days before school started and I'm just getting over it. Must be the stress of the first day of school.

Are we going to use our books more?

It depends on the material we encounter. Sometimes a story might segway to a news article or speech not available in the textbook.
How much work do we get?

It might be less than what you had last year. We want to focus on quality instead of quantity.
Are we required to participate in the Def Jam this year?

I am leaning towards making it a requirement. I think as freshmen last year we had an excuse to sit out Poetry Jam as spectators because we were "new". I think we need to step up to the bat this year to set an example for the freshmen. That way they can entertain you for the next two years!
Are we going to use the textbooks a lot?

At least until the 3rd quarter.
Will we be making another movie?

I think we should try an expository format. Any suggestions? It will give us the opportunity to hone our video editing/ production skills.
Is the bellwork going to be from the news?

Not as much as last year. It depends if the news articles/ reports are relevant to the literature in the textbook or if it warrants special attention because of situations that directly affect our lives in some way.
Is it easy to get an A?

With the right effort, goals, and attitude; anything seems easy to accomplish.
Why is character counts only worth 5%?

I expect that you have matured a bit since last year and have a deeper sense of responsibility. This also means that the other 5% of your grade (character counts was 10% last year) will go into the effort placed in your work rather than your behavior.