Topics
in Literature
Ms. Fichera
2014-2015
Overview:
Welcome
to what I hope will be a great new opportunity to explore literature in a way
that you’ve never quite before. I am so
excited to get started! As you know,
this class is not going to function in the same way that your previous three
years of high school English have.
Instead, each of you will be working relatively independently (with my
support, of course) over the course of the school year. The idea is this: each quarter you will choose a particular
area of literary interest to study. Once
you have developed a plan, you will pursue this area of interest until the end
of the quarter, reading daily and posting to a blog bi-weekly.
Requirements:
1. Read
and write about your area of study five days a week. This should total approximately 80-100 pages
of reading and three pages of writing per week.
2. Keep
a composition book for each quarter. In
it, log the pages of your reading, take notes (this should be done in your own way, perhaps with thinking routines or
quotations but should not only be facts, though I imagine that there will be
some), and, once a week, record and define at least ten new vocabulary
words. I will check the vocabulary on
Thursdays.
3. Allow
me access to your composition book daily (I will check that you have written in
it each day).
4. Keep
a blog for class and post to it a minimum of twice a week. Each entry should be approximately 500
words. One should be more personal,
somewhat like a Quote Book entry (I will explain this if you have not been in
my class before.), and one should be more intellectual, analyzing what you have
read each week. I will check these on Tuesdays and Fridays. I’m hoping that
your blog is something that you will be really proud of, so make it
interesting! Add pictures, links, music,
etc. (and make sure to cite them!). Make it informative, but most importantly
make it your own. J
5. Be
prepared to talk to the class about your project periodically. These will be informal discussions unless we
decide on a formal presentation rather than an essay at the end of certain
quarters.
6. Be
passionate and independent.
Final Thoughts:
If
this seems like a lot, remember two things:
the topic is one that you have chosen yourself, so reading and writing
about it should not feel like work, and you will also be using your class time (fifty
minutes per day) in addition doing “homework” (about thirty minutes per
day). That’s a lot of minutes learning
about something that you care about, and I’m sure the time will fly by.
I have been dreaming about teaching
a class like this for ages! Hopefully,
this is the perfect time, and you are the right group. Obviously, because this is a pilot class, it
may require some alteration over time, but I’ve described my vision for its
success above. I hope that you are
genuinely excited to get started. I expect
to look forward to seeing you and hearing about your projects every day. J
"One
person with passion is better than forty people merely interested."
—
E. M. Forster
