Mission Statement
Students engage in challenging tasks in which they draw upon personal strengths and diverse experiences, create meaningful connections, and
develop innovative problem-solving skills. With the confidence and character gained from these experiences, students pursue their individual
passions and participate responsibly and effectively in their communities.
Course Name: Junior Honors English
Teacher Name: Ms. Victoria Lobb
Contact Information:
Office Email: vlobb@d127.org
Office Location: 2200 (English Office)
Office Phone Number: 847-986-3300
ext: 5608
Teacher Website: http://central.d127.org/teachers/vlobb
Office Hours: 2nd Hour (Academic Resource Center); 4th & 5th Hours (English Office)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Materials Needed:
folder
notebook/loose leaf paper
blue or black pen
highlighters
academic planner
Texts:
The Scarlet Letter
Selected essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau
Selected works by Charles Chesnutt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, and Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Things They Carried
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Description
Junior English is the study of American literature as viewed through the lens of the American experience—
historical, political, cultural and economic. To that end, the students will follow a fairly chronological
sequence of such events to better recognize what exactly makes up the “American experience” and how this
experience has expressed itself in the particular art of literature. Within these works of literature, they will
analyze the rhetorical and stylistic tools the authors use, examining not only what these writers argue but
how they argue it. The students will write a variety of essays this year – narrative, expository,
argumentative, and thematic. Using the recursive writing process, they will develop highly analytical and
cohesive essays that are effective because they develop a voice and structure appropriate to the purpose,
audience, and subject of the essay. Overall, this course is designed to sharpen the students’ analytical skills,
make them more aware of authors’ stylistic and rhetorical choices, and strengthen their own writing
abilities.
Grading Scale:
Percentage
Grade
Percentage
Grade
98 – 100%
A+
78 – 79%
C+
93 – 97%
A
73 – 77%
C
90 – 92%
A-
70 – 72%
C-
88 – 89%
B+
68 – 69%
D+
83 – 87%
B
63 – 67%
D
80 – 82%
B-
60 – 62%
D-
0 – 59%
F
Weights
--formal essays, major projects, research paper – 40%
--tests/quizzes – 20%
--other assignments (homework, vocabulary, in-class
journals, minor projects/group work, participation) –
20%
--final exam - 20%