Honors English 11/12
Rosemary Dibben
(707) 965-6759, PrepEnglish@yahoo.com
English Dept.
PUC Preparatory School
McKibbin Hall, 1 Angwin Ave.
Angwin, CA 94508

Syllabus | First Quarter's AssignmentsRevised: Sept. 1, 2010
Week of August 16 to 20 (Beginning of first quarter and first semester)
MonFirst day of class: Class introductions. Distribute copies of course syllabus. Discuss who should take Honors English 11/12 and why. Journal Writing #1 (Be prepared to share #1 & 2 with classmates):
  1. What was the BEST part of your summer?
  2. Brag on yourself about something you've done in the last 12 months of which you are very proud.
  3. What I need to accomplish this school year . . .
  4. This year will be the same . . .
  5. This year will be different . . .

Hmwk: Finish reading course syllabus. Finish reading surveys. Send to Mrs. Dibben (PrepEnglish@yahoo.com) a photo of yourself doing something fun this summer. Due by Wednesday.

TuesCheck out Honors English Reading Lists for guidelines. Working together, make book choices for this year. Generate list of 10 books (5 British, 5 American) to propose to class tomorrow. Have reasons for your choices. Guidelines: Shakespeare, Dickens, Brontë, Austen, Hawthorne, Twain, Potok, and others to be identified in class (notes on board). I'll have copies of possibilities in class.
Hmwk: Complete your book list. Research, browse, discuss, read. . . . Figure out what YOU want to read in class this year. Be ready to share your list with classmates on Wednesday.
Wed

Discuss book choices. Finalize this year's reading list. Click here to see the Proposed reading list for this year.
Hmwk: Send photo of you having fun this summer to PrepEnglish@yahoo.com (for classroom bulletin board). Join Facebook group: PUC Prep English (for homework updates/reminders, assignment explanations, sharing student work, interesting links, etc.)
Leave notebooks in classroom for initial check. (For full credit, you need to have a notebook, your name on the front cover and/or spine, five tabs--correctly labeled and in right order, a syllabus in "Handouts" section, and Writing #1 in the "Journal" section.)

ThursNo Class: Whole-School Fine Arts Field Trip to SF.
Week of August 23 to 27
Mon[Week of Prayer] Re-design of writing bulletin board as review of the stages in the writing process. Partners? Research components for writing process bulletin board. Look for options, ideas, processes, etc. that make each step in the process come alive and seem real. Turn in sketch of your section of the bulletin board by the end of class. Begin first literary work: A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens.
Hmwk: Begin reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the First, Chpts. 1-4).
Tues [Week of Prayer] Continue working on writing process bulletin board. Do rough layout for writing bulletin board design.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the First, Chpts. 5-6).
WedNo Class: Whole-School Field Trip to Ball Game.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the Second, Chpts. 1-3).
Thurs[Week of Prayer] Continue working on writing process bulletin board. Begin putting up definitive elements.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the Second, Chpts. 4-9).
Week of August 30 to September 3
Mon Reading quiz (through p. 118). Writing bulletin board and/or reading
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the Second, Chpts. 10-14).
TuesComplete writing bulletin board.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the Second, Chpts. 15-18).
WedDiscussion about reading Dickens. What do you need to do to enhance your understanding of the novel? What conditions? What kind of reading? Read passage (pp. 117-118) to illustrate some of the challenges and also some of the magic of Dickens' writing.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (Book the Second, Chpts. 19-21).
ThursReading quiz (through Book the Second, Chpt. 21). Research political situation that led to the French Revolution. Begin developing timeline poster of events significant to the novel.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (through Book the Third, Chpt. 8).
Week of September 6 to 10
Mon

No School: Labor Day

Tues

Reading quiz (through Book the Third, Chpt. 8). Timeline poster of events significant to the novel. Essay options.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (through Book the Third, Chpt. 12).

Wed

A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Timeline poster of events significant to the novel. Essay options.
Hmwk: Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens (through end of novel AND "Afterward").

ThursFinish reading A Tale of Two Cities before class starts. A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Reading quiz (through end of novel AND "Afterward"). Essay options. Choose essay option. No hmwk.
Week of September 13 to 17 (Midterm)
Mon

A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Review of writing process as it applies to Honors English 11/12 essays. Thinking and organizing. Thinking stage of the writing process.
Hmwk: Begin organizing stage of the writing process. Cluster sheet. Thesis statement.

Tues

A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Check off cluster sheet and thesis statement. Continue organizing stage of the writing process with sentence outlines. Model sentence outline for essay about literature.
Hmwk: Complete sentence outline.

Wed

A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Check off sentence outlines. Begin drafting.
Hmwk: Continue drafting. Rough-rough draft should be complete by end of class tomorrow.

ThursA Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Finish rough-rough draft (by end of class today). Print out 2X-spaced hard copy of rough-rough draft for class on Wednesday. No hmwk (Let your essay sit quietly over the long weekend. Leaving it along for a few days will make revision easier/better on Wednesday.)
Week of September 20 to 24
MonNo Class: Standardized Tests
TuesNo Class: Standardized Tests
Wed

A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Self evaluation.
Hmwk: Revision based on self evaluation. Print out NEW hard copy to bring to class tomorrow.

ThursA Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Peer evaluation. Teacher essay conferences.
Hmwk: Revision based on peer evaluation. Print out NEW hard copy to bring to class on Monday.
Week of September 27 to October 1
MonA Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. Proofreading techniques and tricks. Review for test. Teacher essay conferences.
Hmwk: Prepare for test. (Continue essay revision.)
TuesTest: A Tale of Two Cities
Hmwk: Final draft
WedDue: Final draft of A Tale of Two Cities essay (with all previous drafts, in a pocket folder). Share with classmates. No hmwk.
Thurs 
Week of October 4 to 8
Mon 
Tues 
Wed 
Thurs 
Week of October 11 to 15 (End of first quarter)
Mon 
Tues 
Wed 
Thurs 

Syllabus | Assignments