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Listen and learn!

* “Read the novels.”
* “I would tell them to take the end of novel assignments more seriously because it will help them prepare for the final. Also, the novels are actually pretty interesting, so
Read them!!”
* “Read the book because they are actually interesting and don't sparknote them. You will do a lot better at writing comparative essays and taking quizzes if you read the book.
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* “Do the reading before its due!!! Be prepared for anything…”
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“Make sure to read all the novels - don't slack off on them thinking that you have until IB exams to cram it all in. In truth, it’s better to read it with the class so that you can analyze it yourself, and then come to school and explore and share ideas with others.”

* “Even if you don't think the book in very interesting, just pretend to like it, and eventually, you'll get really involved in what's going on. I think what really caught my interest in the books this year was how enthusiastically people were talking about the events in P&P or
The Guide or To the Lighthouse.”

* “Actually read the book.
The homework isn't bad, it's standard and you know what's coming weeks ahead, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Journals are like math homework, you know you have it.

* “READ THE BOOKS. It is not that hard to set aside 30 minutes of your night to read the books. Otherwise, you are really going to struggle in this class. Make notes in your journal that you can study before an exam.”
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“READ THE BOOKS. It sucks to have to read them right before the IB test if you didn't do a good job to begin with already.
Take the journals seriously, they will help you study for the IB exam as well.”

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“To students, I would give two main pieces of advice: one would be to actually take notes within your own book, because though it is tedious now, it will immensely help for the Ib test. Also I would say to really try and go below the surface level on the journals that are given.
The homework is manageable, and everything is basically given ahead of time, if you manage your time well, the homework in this class will be a breeze.”
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* “I would read the books with sticky notes or write inside the books and pull out important symbols or ideas. I think pulling out quotes that you like and understand can also help you with the significant quotations assignment at the end of the book.”

* “NEVER EVER PROCRASTINATE ON THE
JOURNALS. I had this tactic where I did 3-4 journals over the weekend when I had plenty of time and did not have to do any of them on weekdays...which sounds kind of nerdy, but definitely feels good when you have no English homework on school nights!”
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* “I would HIGHLY recommend doing the journal assignments on time, whenever they are assigned. Finishing the journals will allow the students to have useful contributions to the class discussions, which I found to be the easiest way to get my ideas shared. This should be obvious, but I also hope that you stress how important it is to actually read every single book...I know some of my peers did not do this and were really stressed out when IB exams came around.”

* “I would tell them to keep up on journals. It's really easy to start slacking on them and then get really far behind. And that's a lot of points that you're missing just for being lazy.”

* “DO THE JOURNALS AND DO THEM WELL. A lot of times we'll be tempted to just quickly jot something down, but if they actually put a lot of time and effort into them, it makes preparation for Paper 2 much easier.”

* “The homework load is fair! Journals are very important by the end of the year! Take assignments seriously, because Mrs. Rollins doesn't assign busy work!
Start doing the outlines of the novels while reading!”
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“Not too much homework but do not procrastinate on the homework you do have or else it will drown you, especially if you have other IB classes.”
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“I would say that the classwork and homework were very reasonable. Often times Mrs. Rollins gave us due dates for assignments ahead of time, plotting out what we would be doing and when, so that we could adjust accordingly. That helped me in my own work ethic and thus the amount of homework we had was based on our own work ethic.”

* “I would tell them that it was both more interesting and much easier in terms of workload than English junior year. I found all of the books much more interesting as they weren't all like "stuffy" classics type books that we have previously read in high school. The homework load never got to a point where it wasn't manageable as long as I budgeted my time effectively. I would tell future students that if they procrastinate and all of that then they'll have issues getting things done and will have a harder time. Though I suppose that's the case for all classes really.”

* “It is a class that can both be fun and be a place where you learn a lot, but you have to be reading the book every night, doing the assignments and participating in discussions.
The homework is well distributed, there is a lot of work overall, but rarely (if ever) is there a lot of homework on a single night if you plan things out at all.
For the assignments that go with each book and are due at the end work on them as you go, don't wait until the end.”

* “I think its really important to keep up on the reading and journal assignments in this class. If you fall behind it can be a bit overwhelming to do them all, but as long as you do them on time they aren't a big deal. I think that this was a good class so there is nothing that they really need to watch out for.”

* “Commit 100 percent to the class, trust the teacher, do the homework if you can.”
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“I would tell them to spend a lot of time reading over their essays, and do their homework. This class is not an easy A, but you will do fine if you care about your grade and try your best.”
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* “DO NOT SLACK. I know it's your senior year, but you have to keep on going until the very end! When you hit second semester and you have been accepted to college, you will not have anymore motivation to do work... fight through it! I know it's difficult (trust me, I know), but you must must must power through the end of the year. :)”

* “Take this class seriously. While you might not be analyzing literature in your future, you need to know how to write and this class prepares you for that so put effort into it.”

* “I would advise them to not be afraid to talk to you and ask for help. I would tell them to carefully read your comments on tests and essays and make writing goals from themselves. This class is for students who want to improve their English skills, and I would not recommend that seniors take this class if that's not their intention. Also, I would recommend that they are active listeners during discussions, because the ideas shared in class often helped me write an essay.”
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* “Ask the teacher for help on any questions about writing assignments or any of the criteria on the rubric that you don't understand because Ms. Rollins is really friendly and explains things really well.”

* “Participate in class discussions, that is the best time to develop your ideas with help from your classmates, and Mrs. Rollins .
The homework is manageable, mostly just a nightly journal and sometimes an extended project like an essay or group project.
Try to make genuine connections between novels when asked to do so in your journal- just thinking that way makes you more prepared for the IB exam.”
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* “About classwork, I would say to pay attention during class discussions and actually take notes because they are helpful when writing essays.
The homework, which is mostly reading a book and writing a journal, will only help students because they will better understand the text and that is really necessary for success. Ms.
Rollins is awesome and will help you with your writing!!”

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“Be ready to do things on the fly! You may walk into class and suddenly have a socratic seminar.
Participate in class discussions because the more you add, the more you get out of them! Do your homework!! There isn't an unreasonable amount of homework. Even though the journals may seem like a lot when added to your homework load from other classes, they are beneficial and help your grade.
The teacher is great! Mrs. Rollins is enthusiastic and you can tell she loves her job/knows what she is talking about.”

* Ask the teacher for help on any questions about writing assignments or any of the criterion on the rubric that you don't understand because Ms. Rollins is really friendly and explains things really well.