Ms. Russell
August 31, 2016
Welcome to Sophomore
English (aka Honors Literature and Composition II)
In preparation for diving
into the curriculum next week, you may want to dedicate a ¾” binder for English
with pockets for handouts. Additionally,
please bring your copy of The Other Wes
Moore to the first couple of weeks of class. We will be using the text to
examine the author’s use of vocabulary and his incorporation of a variety of
literary elements in creating two parallel narratives. On Thursday, September 8 our in-class written
assessment will be an informal written response to what you find particularly
compelling about the text. You may want
to think about how a particular aspect informs your perspective on a social
issue or on human nature itself.
Alternately, you may want to discuss an affinity you have with one or
both of the Wes Moore’s experiences.
Throughout the year we
will often take a few minutes of class or homework time for journal-type
responses to a variety of writing prompts that relate to either the literature
under study or our own shared experiences predicated on the flow of the
year. Prompts that you find or
construct for the class will be among the selections for our quick writes. Contribute
one prompt per quarter with a brief comment about your selection. At the close
of each quarter you will choose one of your responses to expand and deepen into
a formal writing assignment. Your
revision may take the form of analytical essay, poetry, dramatic dialogue or
personal narrative.
As we make that leaping
transition from the languorous rhythms of summer to the vigorous pace of the
school year, let’s enjoy the gift of our upcoming long Labor Day weekend. If
you reach for something to read or feel inspired to write, then make your
choices to please yourself.
I look forward to the
extraordinary opportunity of getting to know you as you express yourself in
writing, class discussion, and our individual conferences. Here’s to having a
great year together.
Writing Prompt #1:
“Challenges are what make
life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” Joshua J. Marine
