Writing a Personal Essay

Brevity publishes well-known and emerging writers working in the extremely brief (750 words or less [sic]) essay form. We have featured work from two Pulitzer prize finalists, numerous NEA fellows, Pushcart winners, Best American authors, and writers from India, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, Malaysia, and Japan. We have also published many previously unpublished authors, and take a special joy in helping to launch a new literary career.

That’s what the editors at Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Fiction have to say about their online literary journal.

Here’s your assignment: Write a concise personal essay (750 words or fewer) about a significant relationship in your life. It could be a relationship with a person, a group, a place, an object, or something else. In writing your essay, consider using the literary elements that we have investigated, particularly voice, organization, storytelling, description, and reflection. All of these elements should contribute to characterizing the relationship and to thematic development. (Use the class readings as models.)

A complete first draft is due on Tuesday, September 30.

Here's a link to the grading rubric.

Note from Friday, September 26: Today in class we discussed and gave great personal examples of how we might embed vivid, suggestive, and revealing details in our personal essays.We also discussed and gave examples of how these details can work together to create a story. And, finally, we talked about the importance of reflecting on the stories and details to draw out their complex, nuanced significance: what do the stories and details reveal about us and the relationship we're focusing on?

Here's what we didn't get to on Friday that I hoped we would:
I was hoping we'd have time to look at the first chapter of Fun Home and at the creative nonfiction we read in Brevity and discuss how these personal narrative essays (or mini-memoirs) use the title, narrative voice, storytelling elements, detail, reflection, and organization to develop a complex, nuanced theme. 

So, if you're feeling stuck, you might take a look at the voice, style, organization, storytelling, details, and other strategies in your favorite narrative essays. Ask yourself, How can I use these strategies to tell my own story and convey my own understanding of myself and a relationship?

And below you'll find the self-assessment / peer-assessment questions that we'll use to guide our revisions on Tuesday (9/30).



What makes a personal essay successful?

• Title (explicit? suggestive? symbolic? ironic?)
• Voice and style (“a living voice” that uses “verbal nuance” and shows “self-awareness”)
• Detail: (create detail that is vivid and suggestive: emotional detail; physical description of people (characters), places, and objects; literal and figurative imagery; dialogue; the exact name of people, places, things)
• Storytelling (compelling, suggestive events with “tension”)
• Reflection (“constructing meaning” with “unreconciled tension,” “complexity” and “self-awareness”)
• Organization (chronological, episodic, spatial, circular, etc.)

All elements contribute to the purpose, which in this case is to use the elements of personal essay writing to characterize a relationship that is important in your life.

Below are some prompts that will help you with the self-assessment and peer-assessment of your draft. Start with a self-assessment due Wednesday, October 1.

What's the best way to do this?

1. Use the color coding on the website to highlight words, phrases, sentences in your essay that address the prompts: Title, Voice and style (“a living voice”), Storytelling/anecdote/vignette, Details, Reflection, Organization.
To highlight in Google Docs click on the A to the right of the B I U near the top of the page. After clicking select "highlight." (Or, similarly mark up your paper draft.)

2. Click on the "Comments" button in the upper right corner. To respond to questions about title, voice, storytelling, details, reflection, and organization. You don't have to answer all the questions but you want to do an awesome job being thoughtful, reflective, and specific about the questions you do answer. (Or, similarly comment on your paper draft.)
It's a good idea to start each comment with the area(s)  you are addressing; for example: Storytelling and Reflection--I think I did a good job making my story about the first time I came to Gloucester vivid but I'd like some feedback on how I could do a better job reflecting on exactly how the experience affected me and, in many ways, changed my life. Or, here's another example: Organization/Reflection--I like the ending that I've written; it puts closure on the story, but I'm wondering if I need more reflection in the end. Have I done a good enough job drawing out the significance of the story I've told?


Title
Give a sense of the relationship between the title and the essay.

Explain how it is either explicit (stating something about the essay directly) or suggestive (implying a more symbolic and/or playful relationship with the essay).

Voice and style (“a living voice”)
Describe the voice and style of the essay.

Mark or write down places where the voice and style is particularly apparent and effective.

Explain how the voice and style suit the topic and themes.

Are there any dead metaphors or clichés? ("At the end of the day..." "When all is said and done...") Or phrases that might be clichés? Where? (Note: Playing with clichés, using them ironically, or bringing them back to life can be an effective technique, but this is hard to do.)

Are there any immature language patterns? (“In this essay I will…”) Where?

Does the essay show signs of “verbal nuance”? Where? What words seem very precise and suggestive? What words might be reconsidered and sharpened?

Describe the tone. How do you know? Does the tone suit the topic and themes?

Storytelling/anecdote/vignette
Where do you see evidence of storytelling? 

Where is the storytelling vivid? Where might it be more vivid? 

Where does it create tension or drama? Where might the tension or drama be heightened? 

Where is the storytelling suggesting something about the relationship? What is suggested?

Details: emotional detail, physical description (imagery) of people and places, precise names for people and things, dialogue
Where do you see vivid, precise detail that suggests something about the relationship (or that characterizes the relationship)?

Where could the detail be sharper, more suggestive?

Has the writer helped the reader experience her/his world? Where?


Reflection: what does it all mean? why does it matter?
Where are the compelling insights into the relationship? 

Are they implied? Where? Are they stated? Where? 

What theme or themes seem to emerge from the essay?

Organization
Describe the organization and how it contributes to the essay’s effectiveness.
 
Is the organization straightforward? Inventive? Explain.
 
Is the opening effective in relation to the purpose?
 
Is the end effective in relation to the purpose?

The final draft is due Friday, October 3 by pumpkin time.

Personal Narrative Writing at Brevity Magazine: Analyzing Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative Writing at Brevity Magazine

What are the features of engaging, insightful personal narrative writing?

1. Go to brevitymag.com
2. Choose a personal narrative to read.
3. In the comment box below summarize the narrative you chose and explain how the author uses narrative strategies to explore a theme. (Narrative strategies include narrative point of view, narrative voice, plot (an arranged sequence of events), structure, characterization, setting, vivid and suggestive imagery, significant objects (and/or symbols), dialogue, etc.) Due by class time Monday, September 22.

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4. Then, read what your peers have written in the comment box. Based on what you read choose another personal narrative to read at brevitymag.com.
5. Now, respond to what a peer has written about the story with a comment of your own. The comment should be substantial, which means it should demonstrate an understanding of the story and an understanding of your peer's comment, while also offering something significant and new. Due by class time Tuesday, September 23.

(Remember that our goal here is to understand what makes personal narratives work (or not work), so we can write effective analyses and write our personal narratives.)

Six-Word Memoirs: Getting Started with Memoir & Personal Essay Analysis and Writing

Why do we tell stories about ourselves? Why do we read stories about other people?

In this unit we'll explore memoir and personal essay writing, building up on our reading of The Faraway Nearby and All Souls this summer. 

To get started, we're going to have some fun while doing some self-exploration and self-expression by writing six six-word memoirs.

Here's the assignment:


Tonight you're going to write six six-word memoirs (or memoir vignettes).
Type or hand write neatly. Bring to class tomorrow (Friday).

Let's start with some definitions.

A memoir is an account of one's life, including personal experiences and observations of one's surroundings. Memoirs differ from autobiographies in that they tend to focus (1) on memories from a particular section of one's life and/or (2) on personal development, whereas autobiographies tend to focus (1) on one's life as a whole and/or (2) on one's life as history.

A memoir vignette is a scene from one's life that leaves the reader with a particular impression of one's self, one's development, one's environment.

So each of your six-word memoirs could sum up a particular section of your life, or show personal development, or focus on a particular scene from your life that leaves the reader with a strong impression of yourself and/or your environment.

How to get started?

You might begin by brainstorming particular moments in your life that have stayed with you. These moments could be big and personal. Running away from home for four hours on a Sunday. Going to Boston on the train with friends for the first time. They could be big in your environment. The birth of a sibling. The remarriage of a parent. They could be small but memorable. The sight of tall ships in the harbor when you were six. The feeling of cold water on your back when your tent started leaking on a camping trip. Etc. You could weave in some general statements about your childhood too. I was too scared to talk to adults when I was young. I thought a lot about how to stay out of hell.

Then choose some parts of your brainstorm to shape into six-word memoirs. Think seriously about word choice, punctuation, and syntax. Consider connotation (the association words have beyond their literal meaning) and tone (ironic? contemplative? dour? witty? objective? emotive?).

Here are some examples from my reflections on this class:
My Southie memories are not MacDonald's.
Spent summer thinking about food, ecosystems.
My self is a nesting doll.

Also, follow these links for more examples of six-word memoirs. Be prepared to talk about some six-word memoirs that you've read. Think about word choice, sentence structure, imagery, detail, characterization, as well as ethos, pathos, logos: all that the rhetorical strategies we've begun studying this year.

Six-word memoirs at Smith magazine.

Six-word teen memoirs at Smith magazine.

Six-word memoirs from Not Quite What I Was Planning.
(The above link has an audio story about six-word memoirs too.)

A heap of six-word memoir stories at the National Public Radio website.

(At some sites the six-word memoirs are accompanied by photographs or drawings. If you'd like you could create some art to go with your six-word memoirs.)

Rhetorical Analysis: Analyzing Words and Sentences for Style

Analyzing Style: Words and Sentences

STEP ONE
First, read a whole bunch of short passages written in different styles. Read at least a dozen.
You'll find some here by scrolling down and clicking.
You'll find more here.
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STEP TWO
Choose two passages whose diction (types of words used) you will compare. Write or type the passages, authors' names, and book of origin into a word processing document.

And choose two other passages whose sentences (structure, syntax, length) you will compare. Type the passages, authors' names, and book of origin into a word processing document.

Next, write (or type)* everything you notice about the words used in the first two passages. Think about the formality, language of origin, register, and connotations. Then, speculate about what might be rhetorically and artistically significant about what you have noticed about the words used. Write** down your ideas.

Then, write (or type)* everything you notice about the sentences used in the second two passages. Think about the sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Think about syntax (standard, inverted, periodic). Think about the sentence length. But most importantly try to describe the way the sentence works. Does it start off with an independent clause and then add on additional description and information? Does it begin with a series of dependent clauses before revealing what the sentence is really about? Does it employ listing? Are there any digressions, pauses, or delays on the way to completion? Then, speculate about what might be rhetorically and literarily significant about what how the sentences are constructed. Write** down your ideas.

* Write/type what you notice on the left side of double entry notes.
** Write/type your ideas about the significance of what you've noticed on the right side of double entry notes.

Bring the notes to class on Thursday, September 11.
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STEP THREE
Finally, write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the word choices and significance of the word choices in the first two passages. And write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the sentence structures and the significance of the sentence structures in the second two passages. (It's okay to mention other rhetorical choices, like sentence structures, when analyzing diction (also known as, word choices); and it's also okay to mention other rhetorical choices, like diction, when analyzing sentence structures.) Post these paragraphs in the comment box below before class on Tuesday, September 16. (Note the changed due date.) Use your first name and last initial. Make sure it's clear which passages you are analyzing; identify the authors and titles.

As we talked about in class, try to write paragraphs by beginning with a comparative idea--something like this, "Although both passages convey ideas about problems in education, James Cook's "I Wanna Bore Ya" uses outdated slang to satirize his own failures as a teacher, whereas Kurt Lichtenwald's essay "Are You Kidding Me?" relies upon incendiary taboo diction to convey an aggressive critique of widespread incompetence." After establishing the big comparative idea--the thesis!--then go back and forth, shuttling between the two passages to develop the idea and support it with appropriate quoted evidence. (Your analysis should be as thorough as possible.)

Syllabus and Policies

AP English Language & Composition

Syllabus 2014-2015

James W. Cook

Gloucester High School

Gloucester, MA

Course Overview

AP English Language and Composition at Gloucester (MA) High School is an introductory college-level course in which you will study rhetorical analysis, argument, and synthesis through composition activities (prewriting, writing, self-assessment, peer-assessment, and revising) and close reading of demanding texts with an emphasis on nonfiction.

Through active, analytical reading you will identify and explain rhetorical strategies and techniques used by authors in a variety of language-based and visual texts (memoirs, essays, speeches, plays, novels, letters, comics, photographs, documentaries, etc.). You will also employ those strategies and techniques in your own expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions for a wide variety of purposes and audiences. Furthermore, you will extend these rhetorical strategies and techniques into researched argument papers in which you will evaluate and synthesize several reference texts to develop and support a sophisticated central position with appropriate citation of primary and secondary sources.

To achieve these goals you will progress through a series of units in which you will learn rhetorical strategies and techniques and apply your understanding of these techniques to a diverse range of texts from graphic memoir to documentary film, from twenty-first century advertisements to eighteenth century satire, from English drama of the renaissance to essays about your own city, Gloucester Massachusetts. The reading and analysis of texts will lead to the production of your own writing, including timed one-draft writing of the sort required on the AP exam and processed writing, requiring pre-writing activities, drafts, self-assessment, peer-assessment, written and oral feedback from the teacher, and extensive rewriting.

The objectives and approaches presented in this course overview were written in close consultation with the latest AP English Language and Composition Course Description, other AP Central materials, and AP English Language and Composition: Workshop Handbook.

Unit 1: Introduction to Rhetorical Analysis of Memoir (All Souls), Researched Argument (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), and Hybrids (The Faraway Nearby)

                                                                        summer seminars and term one

Essential Questions

What is rhetorical analysis? How can a reader analyze a text in order to determine the implicit and explicit arguments it makes? How can a reader analyze a text to understand how the writer’s choices (choice of language, organization, details, etc.) contribute to an argument?

One rhetorical strategy is to employ several different stories to illustrate a point. How do authors use stories to construct an argument? How can research contribute to this strategy?

Summer Assessments and Activities

Completing pre-seminar rhetorical analysis and argument responses for each of the three summer reading books, completing rhetorical analysis activities during the seminars (or at home) for each of the three summer reading books.

Some other activities*

Studying rhetorical analysis vocabulary and concepts (including SOAPSToneS); analyzing style, syntax, and diction in passages of prose; creating a visual to communicate the analysis.

Some other assessments

Creating a rhetorical analysis web, taking a rhetorical analysis vocabulary quiz.**

Unit 2: Memoir & Personal Essay Analysis and Writing

                                                                        term one

Essential Question

Why do people tell personal stories? Why do we read stories about other people? How do writers convey personal stories to explore ambivalence and ambiguity? How do writers convey personal stories to make arguments?

Some activities*

Annotating a graphic memoir (Fun Home) and personal essays (“On Seeing England for the First Time”), writing six-word memoirs, practicing elements of analytical writing, giving peer’s feedback on writing.

Assessments

Writing a rhetorical analysis (Q2) of a personal essay, writing a personal essay of your own, taking a memoir & personal essay vocabulary quiz.**

Unit 3: Satire as argument

                                                          term one

Essential Question

How (and why) do writers use humorous and satirical language to make an argument?

Some activities*

Annotating satirical writing (“A Modest Proposal,” “The Devil’s Dictionary”), annotating using SOAPSToneS, participating in graded discussions.

Assessments

Writing a rhetorical analysis essay (Q2) about a satirical essay, writing a satirical dictionary, taking a humorous & satirical writing vocabulary quiz.**

Unit 4: Shakespeare’s drama as literature and argument

                                                                        term two          

Essential Questions

What does Hamlet suggest about the ways people respond to trauma, tragedy, injustice, and loss? How does Shakespeare use literary and rhetorical strategies to explore the ways people respond to trauma, tragedy, injustice, and loss? How do the choices actors and directors make affect the meaning and message of drama? What’s so great about Shakespeare anyway?

Some Activities*

Analyzing soliloquies; analyzing performances; tracking images, motifs, and patterns; writing a soliloquy; participating in a quotation linking activity; reading/performing passages/scenes.

Assessments

Writing a rhetorical/literary analysis of a passage (Q2), creating a Hamlet film proposal and screenplay excerpt, taking a Shakespearean drama vocabulary quiz.**

Unit 5: Allegorical novel(s) as literature and argument

                                                                        term two/term three

Essential Questions

[What does Lord of the Flies suggest about the relationship between ignorance, understanding, human nature, and human civilization?]

[What does Grendel suggest about the ways people shape their lives (and understand their lives) in response to circumstances beyond their control?]

How do authors use symbolic characters, objects, and imagery to explore themes and develop arguments?

Some Activities*

Tracking characters and motifs through novels; analyzing literature using psychological, biographical, and anthropological lenses; exploring ideas by writing fiction (The O’Maley Experiment); participating in oral arguments about issues derived from literature

Assessments

Writing an analytical letter (Q2) in the voice of an author, writing an argument letter (Q3) to an author, taking rhetorical/literary analysis and applied vocabulary test(s)

Unit 6: Midyear Exam Preparation

                                                          term two

Essential Questions

How can we use our understanding of rhetorical analysis to prepare for the midyear exam?

Some Activities*

Studying vocabulary, practicing AP Exam multiple choice question

Assessments

Taking the midyear exam (consisting of rhetorical analysis vocabulary, AP Exam multiple choice questions, and a rhetorical analysis (Q2) essay

Unit 7: Advertising as argument

                                                                        term three

Essential Questions

How do advertisements (and, more broadly, marketing campaigns) employ rhetorical strategies? How do advertisements turn people into consumers and identities into commodities? Do you identify with certain products and brands? Is consumption a social good (promoting economic growth) or a social vice (promoting environmental harm and economic disparity)? What is cool? How do advertisers use cool?

Some Activities*

Analyzing and annotating essays, articles, comics, art, advertisements, documentaries, etc.; creating “maps” of readings, positions, strategies, etc.; practicing narrative openings; practicing “synthesis” writing strategies, incorporating evidence from multiple sources; giving feedback to peers about writing.

Assessments

Writing a synthesis essay (Q1) on consumerism and commodification.

Unit 8: Dystopian novel as argument

                                                                        term three

Essential Questions

How (and why) do some authors use the elements of dystopian fiction to comment on social issues? What does Feed suggest about the ways technology affects human identity and relationships?

Some Activities*

Reading and annotating fiction (Feed) and non-fiction (from You Are Not a Gadget and Present Shock) about the effects of technology on human identity and relationships.

Assessments

Writing an argument essay (Q3) on technology.

Unit 9: Writing researched arguments on social issues

                                                          term three

Essential Questions

What are the most important social issues facing us today? How can writers combine research strategies and writing skills to develop effective arguments in response to social issues?

Some Activities*

Learning research strategies including searching through electronic data bases, evaluating the quality and reliability of sources, taking double-entry notes, citing sources; learning argument writing strategies, including writing and revising a thesis/position, weaving quotations and other evidence into supporting paragraphs, organizing longer writing assignments, writing persuasive conclusions, etc.

Assessments

Writing an annotated bibliography and researched argument with works cited page.

Unit 10: Analyzing researched arguments on social issues

                                                          term four

Essential Questions

How do authors use rhetorical strategies to develop book-length arguments on important social issues, such as economic justice, food justice, the effects of technology, etc.?

Assessments

Writing a passage analysis journal (practice for Q2) on a non-fiction book-length argument of your choice.

Unit 11: AP Exam final preparation

                                                          term four

Essential Questions

How can we use our understanding of rhetorical analysis, argument writing, and synthesis writing to make final preparations for the AP Exam?

Activities & Assessments

Completing AP Exam multiple choice packets; practicing Q1, Q2, and Q3 essays; studying test taking and essay writing strategies.

Unit 12: Gloucester Project

                                                                        term four

Essential Questions

What are key aspects of Gloucester art and culture in the past and present? How is Gloucester art and culture significant to us and others? (How has it been significant in the past?) What are some of the recurring tensions in Gloucester art and culture? How is Gloucester art and culture connected to people and places beyond Gloucester?

Some Activities

Studying an overview of key aspects of Gloucester art and culture, conducting research on a particular aspect, making maps, writing poems, analyzing art, learning about “real world rhetoric”

Assessments

Creating an annotated bibliography, a research-based argument, a personal essay, and real world rhetoric (a documentary, or a website, or a curriculum, or a letter writing campaign, or some other form of real world rhetoric)

*Most units will also include entry/exit ticket assignments, graded discussions/arguments, processed writing (pre-writing, draft, self/peer-assessment, revision),  grammar tutorials/quizzes, and AP Exam multiple choice questions.

**Sometimes vocabulary from different units will be combined into one quiz or test.

Note about the SAT: AP reading comprehension practice will help you with SAT reading comprehension, AP argument writing (Q3) practice will help you with the SAT argument essay in the writing section, essay editing and grammar practice will help you with the SAT writing section.

Mr. James Cook's AP English Language Policies

1. Know the policies in your Compass.

2. Show respect, take responsibility, try hard, have integrity, be engaged

·   This is a college-level class. If you act like a young adult I will treat you that way, at least as much as I am able to do within the confines of a high school. Show respect for yourself, each other, me, other teachers, administrators, staff members, the room (including Chromebooks, desks, floors, walls, etc.), and the equipment (books, etc.)

·   Take responsibility for your own education and behavior. In an AP class this means using all the resources at your disposal to demonstrate a mastery of skills and information. Off task behavior is simply unacceptable.

·   Put forth a good faith effort especially when tasks are particularly difficult.

·   Don't copy other people's work. Don't plagiarize. In other words don't cheat. And don't make up fictional excuses. In other words don't lie.

·   I promise to work hard to make sure lessons are purposeful and relevant to your life. If you can read well, write well, and think critically you will have more control over your own life. I can help you with that. I also promise to work hard to make sure we read, write, and think about big questions that human beings have long been concerned with, especially this one: How do people respond to trauma, injustice, and wrongdoing? In return I ask that you engage with the work we do in class and the work I ask you to do outside of class.

3. Staying organized

           A large three-ring master binder in which you will keep unit binders/folders from completed units and graded processed papers, projects, tests, quizzes, and homework from completed units. (Keep processed papers and projects for the entire year. Keep graded tests and quizzes for the semester. Keep returned homework assignments for the term.)

·         (Optional but recommended.) Smaller three-ring binder, pocket folder, or manila folder for each unit. I recommend using smaller binders for units so you can bring that binder to class every day but leave the heavy master binder at home.

·          The folder or binder you bring to class daily should contain a source of paper.

·          You will also be responsible for bringing whatever book(s)/text(s) we are reading to class each day.

·          Use your school handbook to record homework assignments. Homework assignments are written on the right side of the whiteboard at the front of the class.

             Bring a pen or pencil to class. (Pens and pencils cost $.25 in 2207.)

             Remember your assignment Chromebook number. Keep your Google Docs organized.

 

4. Grading

30% UNIT-WORK GRADES (Formative Assessments)

These assignments assess your learning along the way.

·          This category consists of reading check quizzes (Did you read and understand?), vocabulary homework (Are you learning the words?), annotated texts or notes, blog/forum comments, steps in the writing process (pre-writing, drafts, reflections), open response writing, discussion or group work preparation, some student-led discussions, some teacher-led discussions, group activities, practice AP questions, etc.

·          Individual assignments (of the type cited above) will be graded using the following system:

The work is considered advanced (90-100, A-range, check-plus) if the work is complete and shows exceptionally thorough and thoughtful understanding of concepts and mastery of skills; the work is considered proficient (80-89, B-range, check) if the work is complete and meets expectations by showing sufficient understanding of concepts and mastery of skills;  the work needs improvement (65-79, C/D-range, check minus, 2 on 4-point unit) if the work is nearly complete and/or shows partial understanding of concepts/skills; the work triggers a warning (<65, F) if the work is incomplete and/or shows little to no understanding of concepts/skills.

70% END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT GRADES (Summative Assessments)

These assignments assess your learning after a process of learning, practice, and feedback.

·          Grades on unit tests, unit projects, and papers for which you are expected to write more than one draft will be worth 200 points.

·          Grades on content quizzes, single-draft take-home essays, in-class timed essays, most graded discussions, etc. will be worth 100 points.

·          Grades on independent reading products (notes, passage responses, papers) will vary in weight over the course of the year.

·          These assignments will be graded using rubrics, including nine-point the AP English Language rubric, six-point SAT essay rubric, four-point MCAS-style response rubric, discussion rubrics, and others that students will become familiar with throughout the year.

  

Note: Keep all graded or checked work in your binder or folder. Formal papers and major projects should be kept for the entire year. Graded tests and quizzes should be kept for the semester. Checked homework assignments should be kept for at least the term.

               

5. Late work

Unit Work (especially homework)

·         Unless you are informed otherwise, homework that is completed late but before the end of the unit will be accepted but for reduced credit. (The grade will be reduced from advanced to proficient, proficient to needs improvement, or needs improvement to warning.)

·         Unless you are informed otherwise, homework that is completed after the end of the unit will not be accepted.

 

End-of-Unit Work (especially papers and projects)

·          If you are between one and five school days late with an end-of-unit assessment your grade on that paper or project will be reduced by ten points.

·          If you are more than five school days late with an end-of-unit assessment you may receive a passing grade (65) on that paper or project if you discuss the lateness with me , you turn the assignment in a week or more before the end of the term, and the work meets requirements.

·          Not doing an end-of-unit assessment is not an option.

6. Tardiness and Truancy from Class

·          If you are late to class (meaning you arrive at your desk after the bell and after I have begun the day's lesson) you may be asked to stay after school.

·          If you are late by more than seven minutes you will be marked absent from class. This is school policy as set forth in the student handbook.

·          If you are discovered to have skipped class a zero will be added to your unit-work grade. (This consequence is in addition to the consequences outlined in the student handbook.)

7. Absences and make-up work

·          Work missed due to absences is your responsibility. The absence policy for GHS is outlined in the Compass.

·          On the day you return to class, you will be expected to take tests, quizzes, participate, and turn in any assignments that are due on the day of return or had been due during your absence, so long as the due date was announced or posted before your absence.

Note:  These policies are subject to change.  All changes will be announced in class.  Students will cross out the changed language and write in the new.

8. Class Blogs & Emails

·          The class blog can be found at http://apenglangghs2016.blogspot.com. You are responsible for checking the blog regularly.

     Email questions to jcook@gloucester.k12.ma.us

          (Share summer reading Google documents (last day is today) with jcook@gloucester.k12.ma.us.) Share future Google documents with jcook@gloucesterschools.com.

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After reading the policies, use the comment box below to write your first name and last initial followed by the sentence "I understand Mr. James Cook's AP English Language policies."

Ask me questions if you have questions.