Making the Most of Your Senior Year English

Making the Most of Your Senior Year English Course Choices A presentation for Maine West Juniors Jan. 2007

Senior Year Changes at MWHS: Information You Can Use! Over the course of the last two school years, all of District 207’s high schools have discussed a new philosophy of enrollment in senior English courses. Following these discussions, all three schools have decided to organize senior year course work (in English) on a semester-based model, so every English course (except AP Eng. Lit. and beginning in 2008 – 2009) will be eighteen weeks in length. Some Features of This Change: • Each senior student will have options for completing two different courses in his or her senior year • Even though the stipulation to complete two semesters remains, seniors will be able to pick among a variety of possibilities AND learn both reading and writing techniques, strategies, and skills • This new scheme will ready you better for the “choice” you will find in coming years as you move to higher educational settings – both for college and for job training

Senior Year Changes at MWHS: Information You Can Use! (cont. ) SEMESTER I or II (reading, , close contextual reading, reading strategies, etc. ) SEMESTER I or II (writing, , communication, writing process, etc. ) Chicago Authors Senior Composition Eng. IV/E (British Literature) Journalism [also open to grades 10 & 11] Eng. IV/W (World Literature) Adv. Journalism [also open to grades 10 & 11 ; note the prerequisite] Modern World Literature Creative Writing [also open to grades 10 & 11] Latino-American Literature Seminar [also open to grades 10 & 11] Film Study Rhetoric of American Song Lyrics The table at the left explains the “scheme” of enrollment for seniors. This table can be found in the new course planning booklet that students will receive soon. Also, your English teacher will share with you a photocopy of the English portion for your reference this week. You can find a. pdf copy of the English portion of the course planning guide on the web; the url is http: //webpages. maine 207. org/staff/RJONES/Crse. Des. En g 08 -09. pdf. Note that beginning with school-year 2008 -2009, ALL seniors (who will not enroll in AP or Journalism/Adv. Journalism) MUST enroll in one course from each of the columns, listed in the table at the left. So, a senior might enroll in Chicago Authors and Film Study or Latino-American Literature and Creative Writing or Modern World Literature and Journalism. But, he or she could not take British Lit. and World Lit or Creative Writing and Song Lyrics, for instance.

Senior Year Changes at MWHS: Information You Can Use! (cont. ) So, now the process to follow during the recommendation period (Jan. 7 – Jan. 18, 2008): 1) Review the course descriptions for English courses in class with your teacher’s guidance. 2) If appropriate discuss your course interests with your parents, friends, and current and former teachers. 3) Decide which two courses you feel best about – what would you most like to take next year? (Oh, and do not overlook our two new courses – Latino-American Lit. and Song Lyrics. ) 4) Be prepared to notify your current English teacher as to your course request later this week. He or she will collect this information from you in order to make the most informed decision about a recommendation for English classes for 2008 -2009. 5) Remember, your teachers are working for you and with you, but English teachers will have the final say in the recommendation process – overall this process is a partnership, though. 6) Make note of the courses you like, and be prepared to verify these when you meet with your counselor later in the registration process.

Senior Year Changes at MWHS: Information You Can Use! (cont. ) A few final notes: • • • The decisions you are making regarding your course work DOES NOT determine the order of your schedule. In other words, you will not have the ability to choose in which semester you take a course but only which courses you will take for the year. Please, take the opportunity to carefully consider your options – we want you to make an informed decision! Again, all of the information you need, copied from the “Course Planning Guide” is on the internet. Take a look: http: //webpages. maine 207. org/staff/rjones/. If you have any questions about this process or these new procedures, speak to your current English teacher and/or Dr. Jones, English Department Chair (office B-202; rjones@maine 207. org) Good luck – make good choices!