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Mr. Dale Williamson |
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FAQFrequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
What does the English I End of Course Test involve? Basically, the English I EOC tests each student's READING COMPREHENSION and GRAMMAR SKILLS. According to the N.C. Department of Pubic Instructions website, "[t]he North Carolina End-of-Course Test for English I is used to sample a students knowledge of concepts as specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for English I (Content Standards) and to provide a global estimate of the students mastery of the course material in English I. The end-of-course test must be administered during the last week (block schedule or summer school) or the last two weeks (traditional schedule) of the instructional period." For detailed information, including sample questions, go to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eoc/english1/. Does every freshman taking English I have to take the Englsh I EOC? Yes. It is one of five state tests that North Carolina expects every student to pass with proficiency. For the English I EOC, proficiency means that each student must earn an 80 or better on the end-of-course exam. What will we read in English I? In English I, we cover the major LITERARY GENRE (fiction, nonfiction, short story, novel, Epic poetry, poetry, mythology, plays). The works that we read will primarily focus on American and British authors, with some Ancient Greek works thrown in. Englsh I is, in many ways, an introductory/survey literary course. English II focuses on world literature, Englsh III deals solely with American literature, and English IV concludes with British literture. Will English I students have to write papers? Yes, yes, and yes. Writing becomes increasingly more important and more challenging the further one moves up the academic ladder. We prepare students for life after high school, so writing is an essential aspect of high school English. Do we take a lot of tests and quizzes in class? Quizzes count 15% and longer tests/major projects count 40%. Students can expect to take one or two shorter quizzes each week and about 3 or 4 longer unit tests for each grading period. All quizzes & tests will focus either on reading comprehension, grammar, or vocabulary skills. All tests will be announced at least two days in advance. Most quizzes will be announced in advance, but there may be some unannounced quizzes. Do we use Cornell Notes in English I? Yes. We will not always use Cornell Notes, but I do want to at least expose and encourage students to use this valuable notetaking system. To help explain what the Cornell System is, I need to quote from the Virginia Tech website: "The Cornell system for taking notes is designed to save time but yet be highly efficient. There is no rewriting or retyping of your notes. It is a "DO IT RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE" system. 1. First Step - PREPARATION Use a large, loose-leaf notebook. Use only one side of the paper. (you then can lay your notes out to see the direction of a lecture.) Draw a vertical line 2 1/2 inches from the left side of you paper. This is the recall column. Notes will be taken to the right of this margin. Later key words or phrases can be written in the recall column. 2. Second Step - DURING THE LECTURE Record notes in paragraph form. Capture general ideas, not illustrative ideas. Skip lines to show end of ideas or thoughts. Using abbreviations will save time. Write legibly. 3. Third Step - AFTER THE LECTURE Read through your notes and make it more legible if necessary. Now use the column. Jot down ideas or key words which give you the idea of the lecture. (REDUCE) You will have to reread the lecturer's ideas and reflect in your own words. Cover up the right-hand portion of your notes and recite the general ideas and concepts of the lecture. Overlap your notes showing only recall columns and you have your review" (http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/cornell.html). How does Mr. Williamson determine student grades?
Is there are tardy policy in Mr. Williamson's class? Yabetcha! Be on time to class and be in your assigned seat by the time the tardy bell rings. Tardies will be handled as follows: 1. First tardy: Student gets verbal warning from teacher. 2. Second Tardy: Student gets verbal warning from teacher. 3. Third Tardy: Student is assigned a 15-minutes after-school detention with the teacher. Failure to serve detention results in a referral to the Dean of Students. 4. Fourth Tardy and every tardy thereafter: Student is referred to the Dean of Students. Does Mr. Williamson take attendance in class each day. Yes. Yes. You better believe it, yes. Good attendance is essential for good education. If you're not in my class when you're supposed to be, then I mark you absent (unless the absence is a documented excused absence). Can students use their cell phones in class? How about those iPods? Students ARE NOT PERMITTED to have CELL PHONES, iPODS, PAGERS, CD PLAYERS, or ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES on campus. As an employee of the New Hanover County School System, I am expected to follow the school board policies, so do us all a big favor and DO NOT BRING any electronic devices to our classroom. Per school board and Laney policy, if I see anyone with a cell phone, iPod, pages, CD player, or any other electronic device, I am required to take the device and give it to the Dean of Students. The parent of the student must then come to Laney to retrieve the device. So, lets keep it simple: out of sight, out of mind. Do students have to wear Laney student IDs while in class? Each and every student must wear a Laney student ID around his/her neck each and every day in class. If you forget your ID, I must contact the Dean of Students and a new one will be issued to you at a charge of $5 per ID. So, WEAR YOUR LANEY IDS TO CLASS EVERY DAY! I have to wear mine. Does English really matter in the real world? YES!. Sure, you may never remember a single quote from any of the stories we read, and you may never be in a situation where you have to analyze a poem. HOWEVER, it's not just about the literature and the writing assignments; the literature and writing we do in English are tools to help you build upon your CRITICAL THINKING and COMPREHENSION skills. The best-paying jobs require strong communication skills. A lawyer needs to be able to read and UNDERSTAND the laws as they are written in order to present his/her case to a jury. A doctor needs to constantly read and UNDERSTAND current medical research data in order to make informed decisions about his/her patients. When YOU buy your first car or house, YOU will need to have the necessary skills to read AND UNDERSTAND the loans you sign in order to purchase that dream car or house. At this level of your education, reading means COMPREHENSION. In other words, do you UNDERSTAND what you just read? So, yes. What we do in English I does matter in the real world, and it will continue to matter for the rest of your life, so take it seriously. |
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