From the Honeoye Central School mission statement . . .
“Honeoye Central School will be an innovative leader in education, where we
inspire our students to achieve individual success through a rigorous and
challenging academic environment.”
In English 11 we live by three classroom rules:
1. Be respectful to all.
2. Be responsible for your words, actions, and choices.
3. Be positive.
In action, this is how the rules “look”:
1. Raise your hand to be recognized.
2. Refrain from interrupting others.
3. Show respect for each person in the room.
4. Never use profanity or crude language.
4. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Materials you will need each day:
1. Literature book (if directed to bring it)
2. Your every day notebook for your personal use
3. Pen (blue or black – pencil is not allowed)
4. Notebook paper
Interactive (spiral notebooks) to keep in Room 210:
You will need between 5 and 10 one-subject spiral notebooks which you will
use exclusively in and store in the classroom. You will set up your
interactive notebook as directed in class. You will store all handouts, tests,
and quizzes in these interactive notebooks. At the end of the year, they will
serve as your study guide for your ELA Regents exam.
Our focus in English 11 is American literature, and how it reflects and
connects to United States History. Throughout the year we will practice the
skills of successful listeners, speakers, readers, and writers as we work in
the following units that will prepare you for success in the Comprehensive
English 11 Regents examination:
Introduction to English 11: poetry and prose analysis strategies; 6 + 1
Writing Traits review; spelling, grammar, usage review.
The Crucible (a play by Arthur Miller)
Short fiction including works by Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Faulkner, Harte,
Crane, Anderson, Hemingway, Carver, and Erdrich.
The Great Gatsby (a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Of Mice and Men (a novel by John Steinbeck)
Death of a Salesman (a play by Arthur Miller)
Fences (a play by August Wilson – We will be traveling to GEVA Theater in May
to view a performance of Fences.
Slaughterhouse-5 (a novel by Kurt Vonnegut)
The Things They Carried (a novel - “creative non-fiction”- by Tim O’Brien)
Multiple Intelligences-based research project related to Things They Carried
and the Vietnam War. Another option is to read additional war novels like
Catch-22, The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Farewell
to Arms, and analyze society’s reaction to the wars during their eras.
We will examine essential questions as we read each literary work.
The essential questions for the first week include . . .
What writing skills will make me successful in English 11?
What reading skills do I need to tackle this sort of reading?
What strategies can I use to analyze what I read and connect it to my life?
How can I use the 6 + 1 Traits and other strategies to write effectively and
express myself clearly?
Your report card grade is the final average of all the different work we do.
Here is an example of a typical quarter:
Homework average: based on the percentage you complete and hand in on time
(see homework policy below)
Quiz average: based on the average of your quiz grades with the lowest dropped
Major test: usually one per unit
Writings: varies by unit
Project and/or presentation: usually one per unit
Homework Policy:
Your homework grade = the percent completed and handed in on time.
The entire assignment complete and on time = 100%
Half-done = 50%
Not handed in on time = 0.
No late credit. However, you can erase a “0” by staying after school and
completing an alternate assignment. You must come in on the day you missed
the assignment.
If absent when an assignment is due, hand it in when you return to school.
If you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to see us about
work missed and what you must do.
I urge you to actively invest yourself in your education. June and the
Regents exam will be here before you know it. Please feel free to seek help
when you need it. I wish you a stimulating and productive year.