English Language Arts 1-2

Ms. Maxwell in Room 518

Be kind. Stay engaged. Work hard.

Hi! I'm Holly!

I am a passionate and innovative English teacher who is dedicated to engaging and empowering my students. I love to design authentic learning experiences that creatively trick students into learning. Previously, I taught in Zhengzhou, China at an international high school (Kinglee) for four years. I have taught a wide variety of English courses including English I (9th grade), English II (10th grade), American Literature (11th grade), AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, Speech, 7th grade ELA, and Non-Fiction: An Introduction to Rhetoric. In my free time, I love to travel the world, read, practice yoga and meditation, and hike through the boundless beauty of our natural world. This is my second year at Sandra Day O'Connor High School, and I am excited to create a positive learning community in which ALL students feel supported, safe, and confident as they socially, emotionally, and intellectually grow!

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ELA 1-2 Course Description

English class provides essential skills in reading comprehension and reading strategies, literary

analysis, grammar (usage and mechanics), and formal and informal writing. Elements of fiction and non-fiction will be covered through a variety of sources, including short stories, novels, plays, poems, articles, videos, internet, etc. Writing will cover fundamental grammar usage as we explore several writing styles, including a number of essay assignments.

For this class, we will regularly use Canvas.

If you would like to sign-up for access to canvas, please click on the link below.

Log In to Canvas

dvusd.instructure.com

Cultivating Creativity

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Blackout Poetry

Students used pages from To Kill a Mockingbird to isolate then piece together single words or short phrases from these pages to create lyrical masterpieces that illuminate some kind of larger idea, message, or theme. Then, they added an illustration or design that connects to their poem. Finally, they wrote a literary analysis paragraph that explain how the them of their poem was developed and how it directly connects to big ideas and themes from To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Socratic Seminars

The Socratic Seminar is named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, who believed in the power of social learning and deliberate discussion. Socrates believed that humans learned best from questioning and discussion. He believed discussion helped individuals critically think through complex ideas and learn better than they could on their own. You can think of a Socratic Seminar as an “intellectual discussion,” but you can also see it as a conversation where you “think out loud” and “talk it out.” Essentially, it is a student-led discussion over a text or big idea.

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Speed Debating

To practice our study of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos), students engaged in a variety of mini-debates with both silly and serious topics. Each main argument was allotted 30 seconds and each rebuttal was 15 seconds. Students used their knowledge of rhetoric (the art of persuasion) to challenge their peers.

Freshman Writing Bootcamp

Our year will focus heavily on supporting students as they develop into effective and thoughtful writers. The link below provides the "Freshman Writing Bootcamp" comprehensive notes that we will utilize throughout the entire year.

Freshman Writing Bootcamp (Student Workbook)

docs.google.com

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Required Materials

Fully charged iPad
Writing Utensil
English Notebook
Highlighters
Ear buds/headphones
A positive attitude :)

ELA 1-2 Curriculum Grading

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Language (20%)

Vocabulary instruction and tests

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Reading (35%)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Various short stories, selections of poetry, and non-fiction articles
Independent reading selection

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Writing (35%)

Creative Writing/Narrative Essay
Explanatory/Informative Essay
Argumentative Essay
Literary Analysis Essays

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Speaking and Listening (10%)

Socratic Seminars
Small group/whole class discussion
Literature Circles
Formal Debate

Classroom Wishlist

Currently, I have a small, but evolving, classroom library that is available to all students. My goal is to inspire and cultivate a love of reading both in and OUTSIDE of the classroom. If you would like to donate, I have linked my "Classroom Amazon Wishlist." Every donation is greatly appreciated!