English 2200 Introduction

English 2200 is an individualized study of grammar, usage, sentence-building, capitalization and punctuation. Progress through the English 2200 textbook can be viewed something like a quarter-long Chutes and Ladders game. The big difference, however, is that your progress through English 2200 is not up to chance; it does not depend on the throw of dice.

In English 2200, YOU control whether you get to climb up a ladder to shortcut to the next unit or whether you slide back to revisit a unit for better understanding before progressing. Your progress is completely dependent on your own study habits, discipline, and motivation. The teacher is useful as a person to explain difficult sections, as a resource for more information, as the test grader, and as a record keeper of your progress.

The Rules

• Plan to complete just over one unit test per week to finish the English 2200 unit on schedule. There are eleven units plus a halfway test and a final test. The first two units can usually be completed in one week, and the halfway and final tests can be done within a week in which you have taken a regular unit test, so I've allotted twelve weeks for this unit.

• Test days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You do not need to take a test on each test day. You are in control here. Plan your time so that you accomplish slightly more than one test/week over the next 12 weeks. (If you have fallen behind by Thursday of a week, you will be "encouraged" to get ready to take a test.)

• Each unit has two test versions. If you score 90% or better on the first version of a unit test, you may go straight to the next unit without taking the second version. If you score below 90% on a unit test, prepare to take the B version before moving on to the next unit. (Chutes and Ladders, remember?) If you do NOT do extra studying and preparation before taking version B, you will probably earn the same score as you did on the first, +/- 2 points.

  • Students use the two versions of each unit test in different ways. Some always take the first version before they tackle the unit just so that they can see what is on the test before they start studying the unit. Others study first and then use the first version of the test as a real test--hoping to earn a 90% or better so that they can slide on up to the next unit. If not, then the second version of the test is always there as a fall back option. Either way seems to work successfully. Use what works for you.

  • There are only two ways to progress from one unit to the next, and you control both methods. (No dice or spinner here!) You either score 90% or better on the first test, OR take both versions of each unit's test before you move to the next unit.

• You may take two different unit tests during one test day. However, you may not take an A and B version of the same unit test in one class period. (Without additional studying, you'll earn just about the same score.)

• Please do NOT write in the English 2200 textbook. If you need to write down the answers as you study a lesson, use notebook paper.

• If you finish the English 2200, you may bring to class other things to work on, or I have an extra credit reading activity. To earn the extra credit points, you read a book I assign, take a test that yields three scores, and your scores can be used to replace scores in the gradebook that are lower than you would like. I'll explain more about this when we get to this stage.

Updated: 8/27/09