Mr. Greg Lance, San Mateo Middle College
Office: East Hall Building 12, Room 205
Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 8-11 am, 2-3 pm, and by arrangement
Office Phone (w/ Voicemail): (650) 574-6537
Email: glance@smuhsd.org
Junior English focuses on the reading and understanding of American literature, vocabulary development, writing, and skills of rhetorical analysis. Course goals include:
• furthering your appreciation and understanding of literature;
• developing your writing, reading, researching, thinking, and speaking skills;
• preparing you for college level work, the SAT, and perhaps even the AP Language Exam
Literature- We will use literature to improve your reading and critical thinking skills and identify and discuss American values and culture. We will explore questions related to how society shapes the individual and how individuals shape society. Literature we read this year will include: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; Kindred by Octavia Butler; The Great Gatsby by F.S. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. We will also work with a variety of poetry, short stories, essays, and speeches.
Writing—You will frequently be asked to write both short and extended essays. In particular, focus will be on
• writing to support a thesis while doing literary or rhetorical analysis
• analyzing and synthesizing different sources in writing a research paper
• practicing timed writing in preparation for the SAT/ACT tests
• some creative, personal essay and poetry writing where we can fit it in
The Community Service Project is a year long assignment. Through it, you will develop important skills by networking and engaging with members of our community. For the initial stages, you will be locating and working with an organization meeting a need in our community about which you can get passionate. Eventually, you will take what you are learning in the field with research done on-line and in the library to write a research paper about a very real problem.
Vocabulary- You will have vocabulary quizzes every two weeks or so. A strong vocabulary will unlock higher levels of reading for you, improve your writing and speaking, and raise your scores on SAT exams. You are encouraged to add to these lists above and beyond what you are assigned in class. Hard work can really pay off here. Flash cards are not required, unless you have scored less than a C on a previous quiz.
Critical Thinking- One of the goals of reading and discussing literature is to hone your thinking skills, to develop your ability to look closely at what you read and notice patterns and flaws. Literature can sometimes provide the opportunity to reflect and apply those same skills to our own lives. We will also develop your skills of rhetorical analysis, breaking down the strategies a writer or speaker is using to influence the audience in politics, advertising or everyday life.
Class Projects/Community Service: Literature has the potential to inspire action. In the past, students in this course have put on a Kite Festival that raised a thousand dollars for an international aid organization and raised more than a thousand dollars to provide microloans to impoverished women in Guatemala. I look forward to seeing where literature takes us this year!
Course Expectations for Junior English:
Trying—In this class we have a rule; you have to try. The only failure is to do nothing. To come into class having misinterpreted but attempted an assignment is not a failure. A blank piece of paper is. Actually, your “misinterpretation” may sometimes be a unique insight. Try.
Reading--You are expected to read, cover to cover, the novels and other forms of literature assigned. Your opinion on the text is not valid, your experience is incomplete, your integrity has been compromised if you try to somehow get by without actually engaging in the lives and world’s this literature offers up to you. Read.
Cheating/Plagiarism
Often, cheating or plagiarism happens in moments of desperation. Part of maturing from adolescence to adulthood is being able to seek help or act before things become desperate or managing your life so that the moment of desperation doesn’t come. If you are confused, overwhelmed, or kind of bored, come to me or your advisor sooner rather than later. I have all the respect in the world for those who will do this. On the other hand, copying the work, words or thoughts of your classmates, scholars, SparkNotes, etc. and offering them as your own is disrespectful and an affront toward your teacher, your self, and your education. Work that is the result of dishonesty will receive a zero with no opportunity to make it up. Be honest and seek help early to avoid this.
Late Work—I want students to learn to behave as responsible adults. Students communicating about an occasional problem in an honest or straightforward way will have no problems. Chronic problems in this area will result in penalties. Major deadlines for essays, tests, and projects must be met.
The Community Service Project
This is a requirement in this course and U.S. History. You must pass each portion of this assignment with a C or better in order to pass this class.
Grading: Projects/Tests/Essays are 50% of your grade, homework is 35%, Vocabulary and Reading Quizzes are 15%. An “A” indicates excellent/model work. A “B” indicates good, solid work. A “C” is average work. Passing grades are A, B and C. No Ds are issued as final grades. Turning in work matters, and so does its quality!
Attendance: You are expected to be in class and on-time.
Contact: I am in my office by 8:00am most days and many afternoons until 3:00. I check email several times a day and sometimes at night. Send emails to glance@smuhsd.org . My phone is 574-6537. An email alerting me to a message you have left will result in my calling back sooner. Students, please don’t hesitate to ask for help! Parents, please feel free to contact me for any reason! I am excited to be a part of the Middle College and look forward to a great year working with you!
