Proposed English Dept Web Page:
Sixth Draft, Sunday 5/16/99

The English Dept at Nobles has taken on the task in Spring of 99 of developing its own web site of information and links; this is being coordinated by Sarah Snyder, Tim Carey and Alden Mauck. We are meeting on Monday May 17th (9-12 AM) as a computer dept/English dept retreat day to work on this project. We hope that teachers who attend this session will come for all three activities so that we can build teamwork ("together everyone achieves more") between the two departments:
  1. Hour One: Short Presentation of Spec Sheet Skills followed by hands-on (one person on one computer) session on these skills
  2. Hour Two: Short Presentation of our web page to date followed by hands-on work on creating more documents (word processing and/or powerpoint) that will be posted on the web between hour two and hour three
  3. Hour Three: Exploration of our web page (two people at each computer) both in terms of curriculum links and the new items that have been posted from hour two

Topics for everyone

  1. Plagiarism Statement
  2. Style Sheet
  3. Standards for Grades
  4. Annotated Curriculum Links (categories)

Topics that vary by grade

TOPICS Grades 7/8 Grades 9/10 Grades 11/12
Grammar 7-8 Other sites to explore: A or B or C or D
Study Skills 7-8**
On Line Sites 7-8** 9-10** 11-12**
Wiggins/Little Paper 11/12**
Writing Expectations 7-8** 9-10** 11-12**
Literature Ideas 7-8** 9-10 11-12**
Expected Tasks 7-8 9-10 11-12
Writing Samples 7-8 essay or 7-8 critique 9-10** 11/12**

Important Skills for all English Teachers as we head towards Y2K

Categories (DWPC)
  1. headers, e.g. date at top left, page number at top center, your name at top right ... W (SS)
  2. tabs and margin markers (avoiding spaces, using the 4 tab markers, 3 margin markers for writing variations with columns, etc) ... W (SS)
  3. use of spelling checker... C (SS)
  4. on-line dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopedia ... P (SS)
  5. how to cite sources ... W (SS)
  6. footnoting on ClarisWorks ... W (SS)
  7. outlining on ClarisWorks ... W (SS)
  8. use of graphics in ClarisWorks
  9. use of columns in ClarisWorks
  10. powerpoint for presentations ... how to use/how to create C (SS)
  11. using a file server on campus (personal use and/or academic course)

    Proposed Spec Sheet as a joint computer dept/english info sheet

Outine (first draft)

  1. general statement about writing
  2. types of writing
  3. grammar
  4. rules (syntax, quotations, agreement...)
  5. plagiarism statement
  6. standards for papers (A papers contains...)
  7. web sites (Shakespeare references...)

Document #1 in progress (need context and electronic version)


Course Objectives
UWC 4, UWC 5, UWC 7
The First-year Writing Program provides instruction to students in the following areas:
Rhetoric
Rhetoric, a discipline with its beginnings in ancient Greece, is the study of how arguements are formed, presented, and recieved. Rhetoric provides writers guidance in how to discover available proofs for arguement (invention), how to choose and organize the most effective proofs (arrangement), and how to cast an arguement in language appropriate to the writer's audience and persuasive intent (style). Through instruction in rhetoric, students learn how to situate and to account for their beliefs within a range of alterante perspectives and differing points of view.

Document #2 in progress (need context and electronic version)

Reading and Responding to Student Texts
[from Louise Phelps, "Images of Student Writing: The Deep Structure of Teacher Response."
pedagogical hermeneutics: "the complex pattern of interpretive practices that links teacher reading to student writing."
Questions the frame our reading of student texts:
1. What am I doing when I am reading a student paper?
2. Why am I doing it--what are my goals?
3. What is the nature of the text I am reading?
4. How do I read?
5. How is my reading related to other actions?
6. For whom do I read?
7. How is my reading
Individual Presentations (some in Powerpoint, some in text)

Info from Alden Mauck (to be used in different locations


English Department: (opening blurb)
In grades seven (Class VI) through ten (Class III), students take full-year, comprehensive English courses in which they study literature in its major forms (short story, novel, poetry, drama, non-fiction); they also learn and practice the fundamentals of the English language (grammar, mechanics, vocabulary, spelling) and develop their proficiency in writing. In grades eleven and twelve, students choose from a variety of electives according to their needs and interests. The entire sequence of English courses from grades seven through twelve provides for the progressive development of passion for literature and the abilities to think, to talk and to write about the texts.
The academic challenges and opportunities change from grade to grade, course to course and from class to class. There are however some common expectations and tecniques listed below.

Frequent writing

Daily discussion of literature in the classroom

Quizzes and tests, announced and unannounced, "quests for knowledge," writing in class, oral reports, class leaders of discussion, memorization, recitation and "sparking"

Exams

Wiggins and Little papers are required for all juniors and seniors

AP Examination for interested and eligble juniors and seniors

Independent Studies are half credit courses usually taken by seniors and juniors who are passionate about literature. Independent Studies are intentionally half credit courses so as not to replace the student's required English class.

Department Goals:
The English Department at Nobles pursues several connected objectives and goals: First, to train students to read with understanding, insight and appreciation; second, to encourage students to incisive thought; third, to teach students to discuss clearly and to write forcefully. The English teachers at Nobles strive to produce students who are sophisticated readers, analytical thinkers and scholarly writers. All these goals are intrinsically woven into the program.
The selection of required literature, the process of active reading that is taught in Classes VI and V and insisted upon in the upper school and an expectation of substantial independent reading contribute to the first goal of close and active reading. We try to foster an appreciation for the language, style, nuance, technique and voice of the literature that we teach.
The quality and range of discussion possible in small classes create an environment of questioning, curiosity, disagreement and discovery as we move from the experience of reading to the sharing of opinions and interpretations. In the classroom, we encourage and depend upon student interest and involvement and discussion as essential means to teach and to promote the skills of investigation, discovery, analysis and synthesis. We advocate active listening as well as speaking and use the seminar format as both philosophy and pedagogy.
An emphasis on frequent writing at every grade level is the main underpinning of the third goal. Writing is a teachable skill and the department is well aware of the importance of helping students to improve their writing; teaching writing is a large responsibility, both in terms of commitment and of time and a large portion of every English course is devoted to writing. While there is variety in the writing assignments, the emphasis is always on creativity, originality, thoroughness, persuasion. Attention to writing is not reserved to its status as an essential skill; it is also the arena of stating and defending original and critical thinking and exploring the experiences that literature provides. Quality writing requires the student to share a piece of him/herself whether the assignment be literary criticism, non fiction or fiction.
Ultimately, we strive to prepare the students for success in the college English classes that they will encounter after Nobles and to encourage them to include literature in their lives long after college is over.

Department Policy Regarding Academic Honesty

Regarding academic dishonesty, the English department follows the standard Nobles policy that all of the academic disciplines use as the guideline and this is the basis for our reactions to cheating on tests, quizzes, in class writing assignments, homework and any other assignments or activities; this policy can be found in The Guide. Additionally, the department offers the following statement on plagiarism, as it specifically applies to student writing in an attempt to teach and to clarify what constitutes plagiarism in an English course.
The Dictionary offers this definition of the act of plagiarism:

plagiarize (verb). To steal (the language, ideas, or thoughts) from (another) representing them as one’s own original work.

What this means to the students of Nobles taking an English class is this: When you are assigned a paper (Literary criticism, non fiction or fiction), you may talk to a peer, parent or another teacher about the ideas and interpretations as you are formulating them. You may also have a peer, parent or a teacher other than your English teacher read your paper for you as an editor/critic and incorporate their critical comments and advice into a later draft of your paper. You may, and sometimes must, read other critical opinions, interpretations and reviews of the text that you are writing about.
However, you may not use the ideas or interpretations of a peer, parent or another teacher as the central focus of your paper or as a specific section of a paper; you may not insert without quotation marks a phrase, sentence or paragraph written by a peer, parent or teacher and claim it as your own. In addition, you may not lift ideas or interpretations from any text without proper acknowledgement and notation i.e. footnotes or end notes and bibliography. This includes books, magazine articles, radio, television, film and the Internet.
Specifically, you may not use MonarchNotes or CliffNotes or any other synopsis/summary of a text as a source for ideas discussed in class and written in papers unless it is with the knowledge and permission of your teacher. You may search the World Wide Web for information that you use in your paper as long as you cite the source of the information. You may not search the WWW for “pre-written”or “custom” paper for text that you then use in your paper or as your paper.
If you have any questions, be sure to ask your teacher to address them before rather than after a paper is turned in.

Regarding Multicultural Literature and the Canon

The Nobles English Department embraces the concept of diversity in its broadest definition as a purpose and an objective; we hope that as teachers, we are diverse in our use of techniques and texts and various in our styles and interests. We are fifteen, or so, different individuals of different races, genders, ages, religions and responsibilities; this makes for a dynamic and interesting group of supportive colleagues. This is not merely good fortune; it is a deliberate goal of the department and of the school. Attention to issues of diversity influences our hiring, shapes our curriculum and effects our pedagogy.
In terms of curriculum and choice of text, the department strives for a balance of Canonical and Multicultural works without attempting to judge, to categorize or to rank the relevance or impact of the literature that we discuss with colleagues and that we teach to our students. The selection of the literature that we teach is a thoughtful and balanced process that takes into account the goals of the total English curriculum and includes literature that is Canonical as well as the Multicultural.

Grading Statement

This department sets high standards for the involvement, effort and work of the students that we teach. We resist, however, the notion that unrealistic and draconian assignments and accompanying like grades are the necessary precursors to an environment of shared, rigorous and appreciated learning. Within the department the means for assessment of student writing and participation vary and are specific to the purposes and the goals of the assignment and of the teacher. However there are certain shared principals, techniques and expectations of assessment that are departmental.
Feedback on papers is an essential form of assessment and, along with a grade, shows the student his/her development as well as areas that require attention or improvement. The criticism is always meant to be constructive and balanced and qualitative, aimed at helping the student to improve his/her writing and not merely to provide the means for grade justification. Some teachers within the department will comment on students’ papers but not provide a visible grade on the paper so that the students will focus on the comments and suggestions that are offered. Other teachers will use the portfolio as the chief assessment tool in assessing and grading writing.
The teachers in the department will also use journals with writing from traditional tests and quizzes to assess the student’s ability to write.
Participation in class that includes engaged, supportive and “active” listening as well as a willingness to share opinions and interpretations is taken inot account by each teacher as an essential piece of the English class experience and so the grade for the student’s involvemnet and approach.


Expected Tasks: Classes VI and V

 Classes VI & V: The Middle school classes provide a fundamental keystone to reading, discussing and writing skills as well as the discovery of literature as a testimony to life. Some of the expected tasks and techniques are:
Active reading; dissector/detective with pen; writing process of outline, prewriting, revision (examples: examination of each verb, use of action verbs etc.); kinds of writing: analytical, 5 paragraph model, poetry, fiction; poetry and dramatic recitation; memorization; "leader of the class" and other discussion tasks; weekly vocabulary, grammar test study; notebook organization, use of art.

Expected Tasks: Classes III and IV

Classes VI & III: Classes IV and III make up the first years of the secondary school experience and emphasis is on creating a knowledge base of the necessary terminology and genres as well as accentuating analytical interpretation in the students’ reactions to the literature. Some of the expected tasks and techniques are:
Check for literary comprehension; focused discussion- active reading to sharing of opinions and interpretations; spoken analysis; presentations to the class and other discussion skills models; reflection writing to "jump start" discussion; "jigsaw" technique- small groups bring diverse perspectives, scenes, reactions to the larger group; recitations and memorizations - poetry and Shakespeare; projects as well as papers - maintaining creative and critical emphasis; knowledge of literary genres and the terminology specific to each genre; kinds of writing: journals, portfolios, fiction, poetry, critical literary analysis and writing with a thesis; reinforcement of organizational and time skills as tools that deter passivity and disorganization; group writing; set designs; surprise and experimentation.

Expected Tasks: Classes I and II

Classes II & I: Classes II and I have the essential objective of raising the students' skills to the level necessary for college standards and expectations. Many skills are touched upon in all six years while others are specific to a grade level or even a specific course. Some of the expected tasks and techniques are:
Memorization of poetry; greater exposure to literary criticism; weekly vocabulary; attention to skills for individual students; sophisticated literary criticism and the ability to create and substantiate original scholarly interpretations; timed writing; AP prep and mock AP writing; ability to engage and to learn during a lecture; “I”Search papers; note taking and maintaining a notebook; insistence on existential realities and global awareness in literature- family, madness, psychological selves, identity constructs (race, religion, gender, class, sexual orientation etc.); heightened expectations and rewards of discussion; meshing of creative and critical discussion, thinking, writing. Independent study of a specific topic, theme, era or author.