Ms. Diana Di Rico
dirico.diana@bcchsnyc.net
www.dirico12english.wordpress.com
12th grade Honors English, Baruch College Campus High School
Dear Seniors,
Welcome to your fourth and final year of high school. I am thrilled to have the honor and privilege of teaching
this particular cohort of students. As many of you know, some of the greatest loves of my life are teaching,
learning, reading, and most importantly, people! I so enjoy getting to know my students as we explore the
complexities of literary texts and consider the universal questions asked of us. My hope is that this year in
Honors English you read with a more critical and collegiate eye, you think in a more open-minded way, and
you write with a more polished, sophisticated tone. You will become ready for college and all of its reading and
writing demands, but you will also hopefully become ready and excited for all that lay ahead in the future.
Essential Questions (inspired by a discussion with David Records; co-written with Sam Munson)
★ Why are masks in all their forms so central to literature? At what point does a character's mask become
reality? At what point does yours?
★ Does innocence, as portrayed in fiction, reside in the way a character is? Or only in what he or she
does?
★ Can violence be a liberating act? Or does it always lead to deeper isolation?
★ For the imprisoned, is escape possible? Or do the trapped bring their prisons with them?
★ Why are classic themes of the absurd, alienation, and rebellion ever-present in literature?
★ How does voice and narrative technique vary from author to author?
★ Who are you? What do you want in life? What compromises are you willing to make?
We will begin the year studying and writing personal essays, while focusing on those collected by novelist
Wally Lamb in I’ll Fly Away. As you put the finishing touches on your college essays, we will look at literatures
most famous high school anti-hero, Holden Caufiled in Catcher in the Rye. Our study in rebeliion and alienation
will not end there, though, as we move our attention to the Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. During the holidays
we will read a classic story of the original Scrooge, while contemplating living life amorally. Our reading journey
takes us next to the more absurd, as we study Franz Kafka’s magically real The Metamorphosis. In the
second half of the year we will consider not just outsiders, but social constructs and the results of operating
outside of the expectations when reading Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita and Richard Writght’s Native Son. At the
close of year, as you prepare to leave the walls of BCCHS, we will look at what drives us all and read a variety
of short stories and Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
My guiding values and principles as an educator:
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I work to create a learning environment that is engaging, authentic, and student-centered.
I believe education is a collaborative process whereby the educator and learners work together to
create the learning experiences.
I think success is a result of passion plus effort. Both are necessary for results.
I strive to communicate clearly and kindly. Please do the same. Communication is key.
I am not just a literature teacher, and you are not just a student. Bring your own passions and
interests into the course.
Grading Policy and Class Expectations
25% Attendance, Classwork, and Participation
You are expected to attend class each and every day, arriving on time and prepared to work/learn. Frequent
and/or unexcused lateness or absence will significantly lower your grade. Your materials should be organized,
and your daily hw or reading assignment should be taken out at class’s start. During class, it is imperative that
you take notes not only on what is said/written by the teacher, but also - and perhaps more importantly - on
what is said/shared by classmates. Your notes should not be merely filled with text summary and terminology;
literature notes should be an ongoing capturing of your and our thoughts, questioning, and imagination.
Discussion is a daily expectation, in both groups and as a whole-class. Active listening is critical. You will be
assessed not only on the frequency of your contributions, but also on their quality. You are expected to ask
questions, to share passages and evidence, to build on the ideas of others, and to agreeably disagree and
debate.
25% Homework
Much like in other years of English at BCCHS, your daily HW for literature is often reading paired with notes or
logs of some sort. This will continue, though the reading pace and volume may seem more challenging (but will
ultimately help you prepare for the demands of college courses). Reading notes can be done in pen on
looseleaf (no pencil, ever). Any written assignment, however small or large, should be typed with a
professional heading, double-spaced and printed before class. HW should be written carefully and thoughtfully
and proofread before class. This is also true for when a hw is to post to our class blog at
www.dirico12english.wordpress.com.
Homework Grading Scale as follows:
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9
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0
Excellent quality. Thoughtful and well- organized. Includes evidence and originality. Professionally written.
Very good homework. Time and effort are apparent. Evidence is included. Thinking is apparent.
Well-done. Assignment meets the basic requirement and shows satisfactory thought and effort.
Assignment fails to meet basic requirements and may be missing a component. Carelessly completed.
Not well done or thoroughly completed. Lacks evidence, thought or effort. Grammar/mechanics problems.
Incomplete – work is not done completed and therefore cannot receive a passing grade.
HW assignments that are missing, plagiarized or turned in late receive a zero.
50% Quizzes, Tests, Essays, Projects, Term Papers
Half of your grade is based on the higher-stakes assessments that accompany each unit. Quizzes and tests
will be given often to assess your understanding of the reading, terminology and theories being taught.
Occasionally, pop quizzes will be given. Essays are expected to be thesis-driven, organized, evidence-laden,
and carefully written. Grammar and conventions matter now more than ever as you prepare to begin college
and careers. All work should demonstrate professionalism, critical thinking, and growth. You should be working
to become more and more articulate and stylized in your voice. Projects will also be assigned and allow for
greater creativity but nonetheless depend on critical analysis of texts and essential questions. A term paper,
research paper and mid-terms will announced a great deal in advance of due dates. If you are absent or late
on the day of a test, you must speak with me within 24 hours to schedule a retake. Unexcused latenesses on
quiz or test days result in a deduction of 10 points.
A note about Academic Integrity:
Your ideas are the best ideas, and the only ones we want to hear from your mouth and in your writing. There is
a zero tolerance policy for cheating, plagiarism and any/all forms of academic dishonesty. Any student who is
found to be cheating, copying, stealing, and/or presenting someone else’s ideas as his/her own without giving
proper citation/credit will receive a zero on the assignment. If you use the words or ideas of any person other
than yourself, you must always cite the source. Parents/guardians will be contacted regarding all incidents of
academic dishonesty. If one student copies the work of another student with his/her consent, both are
responsible and will be held accountable.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to reading, thinking and working alongside all of you.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me at any point with questions, concerns or help. I close with a quote that I
believe to be true: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's
skin, another's voice, another's soul,” by Joyce Carol Oates. I hope you either already feel this or can get this
same sense throughout this year.
Sincerely,
Diana Di Rico
Please remove and return the bottom portion of the course letter to Ms. Di Rico by Monday, 9/8.
Students and guardians:
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course.
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