English 11: Wed. Sept. 24th

If you were absent today, please pick up a copy of the novel, Lord of the Flies, in the Learning Commons and bring a favourite book to read during our USSR time. We started with the vocabulary words, gesticulate and clamber, yesterday, and I handed out Vocab. notebooks so you can pick one up from me.

Assessment for USSR in English 11

• Read widely (fiction, poetry, non-fiction, drama, biography, How-to, fantasy, science fiction, politics, religious, philosophy) ETC
• Read daily 15 pages a day will earn you an extra book a month
• Read 30 pages a day and you will earn two books
• Read 45 pages a day and you will read three or more books per month
• Longer books 600 pages or more will equal two books
• After each book, complete a Response form: What Did You Think About the book? Did it open your eyes? Bore you? Surprise you? Why? Be specific and use examples from the text. 
• I will collect the forms at the end of each month. 
• Participation is a big part of the mark so attendance is crucial. Arriving on time is key. Settling into your book as soon as class begins and reading steadily are a big part of the mark. 

There was an enormous study reported in the Globe and Mail regarding what makes people successful. The largest and most consistent factor is a person's ability to read. 

Read to Succeed is our motto this year. 

I find starting a book the biggest challenge to reading but once I have read the first 50 to 100 pages, I am hooked. Force yourself to get started and read quickly at first until the settings, characters, and style become familiar. 

Choose books that keep your attention. Ideally,  choose books that you cannot wait to get back to. 

I also handed out the course outline today. Ask me for a copy if you have been absent or if you have just recently joined the class.