Lang/Lit II

About the Teacher: Ms. Harrison is not only an amazing teacher but she is an amazing person. She checks in with her students and makes her class plan based on what her students feel comfortable doing. She takes mental health very seriously and wants to make sure that her students stay healthy with a low-stress level. Instead of a lot of homework, the class learning style focuses heavily on class discussions and group analysis. There are very few tests and quizzes, and close to no homework.

The Odyssey: In this class, you will be reading Homer's, The Odyssey. I would strongly recommend taking notes while you read. Ms. Harrison will usually read it aloud, so you can easily take notes. If you are not a great reader and Ms. Harrison is not reading to the class, you can find recordings of her reading everything on her Canvas page. You want to include the major points of the plot and all the characters that are introduced. You will be tested on the book when you are finished, so study it well! The test is not too hard if you pay attention and take notes in class.

About Me Presentation: This presentation will be given at the beginning of the year, and I have a couple of tips. My main tip for you is don't stress about presenting it to the class! If you are nervous, chances are everyone else is too! Presenting things can be really scary, but you just need to keep in mind that all your classmates have to give one too. Just take a deep breath in your nose... and out your mouth. You are gonna do great. Please reach out if you need help with anything!

Vocab Units: You will be given a new vocab list of about 15 terms every week, and be quizzed at the end of the week. I would strongly recommend creating a Quizlet to help with memorizing these! Again, if you need any help memorizing these, please reach out; I would be happy to help!

First Semester Final: For this final, you will receive a study guide with everything that will be on the test! She will select 15 vocab words that you have already covered in the class, and there will be some coverage on the parts of speech. On the final, there will be a few short stories for you to read, then there will be some questions about them. These questions will ask you about the irony showcased in the story, and they will also ask you about indirect vs. direct characterization. This final is really not something to stress over, but I understand that bug tests like this can be really stressful for some people. Everything that is on the final is on the study guide, and Ms. Harrison will always answer any questions you may have about the final! You got this!

-Sofia Cordes

What is this class?

Lang-Lit 1 Honors is a class offered during Freshman Year. It is taught by Mr. Friedman, who truly cares about helping his students learn how to write and analyze literature. It is considered to be difficult due to the workload, although it is truly up to the student how much they will struggle throughout the year. Mr. Friedman expects students to be studying, working ahead, doing their homework on time, and putting in their best effort. If you meet these expectations, you will easily succeed and take a lot of knowledge that you will be able to apply in other literature classes.

What will you see?

Although I am unaware if there have been changes to his curriculum or teaching style since my Freshman Year, some major components of the class are vocabulary lists, reading the books or text provided, taking notes on readings, minor writing assignments, in-class discussions, occasional quizzes and tests, study-guides for major texts, and essays. In terms of vocab, you will get a list of 20 to 40 words, which will be tested in a random order on quizzes. It is advised that you collaborate with classmates to make a Quizlet to help you study. You will read several small texts for the short stories unit, as well as poetry for the poetry unit. There is also a Greek mythology Unit and a few others. Remember to take notes during the lectures he gives, as well as to always pay attention. During these lectures, he will answer questions and call on students to answer and display their knowledge of what they read. There are 2 quizzes for every vocab list, quizzes for the poetry unit, quizzes over the major texts, tests over the major texts, and a final exam. For some of these major texts, Mr. Friedman will provide a study guide, which is essential to doing well on these tests. Essays are the significant part of the class that differentiate the class from others in this year. There are 4 essays per quarter, the lowest of which is dropped from your grade. Students are given two to three weeks to complete each one and are given time in class to work on them. Mr. Friedman is open to answering questions, giving you suggestions, and helping you to understand the requirements or improvements necessary for your essay. However, you must take this class seriously and care for what you are learning, putting effort into all of your work. It is not necessarily easy, but you can make it easy for yourself by getting ahead and working hard.

Units:

• Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus/Antigone

• Short Stories

• Odyssey/Greek Mythology

• Poetry

• Romeo and Juliet

• The Scarlet Letter

Summer Homework:

There is summer homework for all Lang-Lit 1 Honors classes. You will have to read Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. You will be given an essay prompt to write an essay about. Antigone is read during Semester 1.

Tips/Advice:

• Pay attention and be respectful in class.

• Do not cheat and be honest.

• Take notes on everything said during the lectures, whether they be on literary content, grammar, or writing.

• Start assignments, essays, and projects the day they are assigned. Working ahead and staying on task pays off!

• Create and use Quizlets to study for vocab quizzes, exams over the texts you read, and the finals. It is a helpful tool.

• Do not be afraid to ask questions about topics discussed or about your essays as you write them. Mr. Friedman is there to help you if you are not understanding how to write something or what something means. (At the end of each quarter, Mr. Friedman will meet one-on-one with students to talk about their grades, understanding, writing essays, or struggles in the class.)

• Feel free to talk to students who have already taken this class in the past. They can give you more advice on the class and how you can succeed in it!

-Joaquin Atoche Cordova

Info:

Language and Literature I is designed for the student who is competent in language arts; this course presents a wide variety of literature, including poetry, short and long fiction, nonfiction, and reference materials. In addition to comprehension, evaluation, and application, students are provided strategies for the appreciation of literary elements. Writing instruction focuses on the organization, drafting, and revision of multi-paragraph essays with the use of standard format, citation of sources, and conventions.

Summary:

• Mrs. Cottingham gives instructions clearly.

• There will be a vocabulary quiz almost every Friday. There will be 12 vocab quizzes each semester.

• Students just have to learn 5 new words for Vocab quizzes in Semester 1. In Semester 2, students have to learn 10 new words and also have to remember the previous words in order to get good grades on the Vocab quizzes.

• There is homework almost every day.

• Includes many group activities and discussions.

• Easy to get an A+ if you follow Mrs. Cottingham's instructions, do the homework perfectly, and do well on quizzes.

• There will be very few tests in this course along with the vocab quizzes. There will be just 1-2 tests each semester.

• There is one extra-credit opportunity each semester.

• The three main books you are going to read are The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Romeo and Juliet.

Tips:

• Utilize your time in class to do the homework.

• Pay attention during discussions, the topics discussed in class will sometimes be in the tests.

Helpful Resources:

• Lang/Lit 1 Syllabus

• Vocabulary words for semesters 1 & 2

-Yasaswi Priya Challa

Info:

A tough yet helpful course with an amazing teacher. Infamous for the amount of homework that is also known to improve your reading and writing skills immensely. This class is fundamental for AP English classes but it can also be useful for improving reading skills, expanding vocabulary, and learning how to write strong emails, college essays, and resumes.

Summary:

• Mrs. England is a lenient teacher who encourages asking questions

• Many resources if help is needed

• A good mixture of class discussions and individual/partner work

• Time-consuming yet beneficial homework

• Sets you up for college and employment

Tips:

• Participate in class; it will help you understand the material more

• Ask questions; Mrs. England always wants to check your understanding and help you if you're not absorbing the material

• Annotate everything you read; this will make the following assignment much easier

• Study for vocab quizzes; not caring about these quizzes can make you drop a letter grade or two. Plus you get to expand your vocabulary

Helpful Resources (WIP):

• Quizlet

-Emma Lauterbach