HONORS ENGLISH 10
MISS TAYLOR KANE
Back to School Night 2015-2016
Welcome!
• First, THANK YOU for taking the time to come meet me and walk two days in your
student’s shoes!
• On an index card, please write your name, your student’s name, your e-mail, and any
questions you have or things you’d like me to know about your student!
• An overview of our (brief) time together:
• About Me and Communication
• Course Overview and Course Goals/Objectives
• What a Typical Class Looks Like
• Grading and Phoenix
• What We’ve Done So Far
• What’s to Come
• Edmodo—Feel free to join our community!
About Me…
• Bachelor of Arts in English with concentrations in Secondary Education and Theatre Arts at
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
• Areas of concentrated study: British Literature, Medieval Literature, Shakespaere,
Photojournalism, Theatre Education, Digital Literacy, Multi-Modal Writing, Creative Writing
(Fiction and Poetry)
• Prior teaching experience includes work with the Duke University Talent Identification
Program which holds classes for gifted and talented middle and high schools students,
Substitute Teaching grades K-12 in a variety of subjects, and Honors English 9th and AP
Language/Composition 11th at a Performance and Visual Arts Magnet School in North
Carolina.
• First year at Loudoun County High School. I teach 3 sections of Honors English 10 and 2
sections of Photojournalism I, II, and III. I also advise and manage the Lord Loudoun
Yearbook and the LCHS Novel Institute (up and coming!).
• E-Mail Miss Kane: Taylor.Kane@lcps.org
Course Overview and Objectives
• Course Description: This course will focus primarily on a survey of British Literature from
the Anglo-Saxons to the Modern Age. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis,
study of vocabulary, grammar, literary terms and devices, and writing instruction.
Students will be expected to complete weekly writing assignments as well as read 25-50
pages of our selected text per class meeting.
• Course Objective: The main goal of this class is to prepare students for the language
demands of English 11 Honors, AP English, and college level courses. Students will be
required to participate in thought-provoking discussions upon the completion of each
text.
A Typical Day in Class…
• We start with a Warm-Up of either writing, grammar, or reading instruction.
• These are done independently in the students’ daybooks. We then go over the work together
and either share in small groups or with the class as a whole. Some entries are more reflective
and personal, so we do not share those aloud.
• “Team Meeting”—What’s the game plan for the day, what’s the homework, what’s
upcoming?
• Daily Lesson (led by me) on Writing, Reading, Grammar—this varies dependent upon
what progress we have made. For example, we might do an exercise together on our
class text or students may have an introductory lecture to the contextual material.
• Independent Work and/or Group Work—Students will then work to process and apply
the material that was taught
• Individual/Group/Class Presentations or Discussions to reinforce/apply the material
• Writing or Research in Computer Labs, Libraries, on laptops
Grading and Phoenix
• Grading for this course will be two-fold: Formative Assignments (daily and weekly work)
which lead up to Summative Assignments (comprehension and final understanding
markers). All assignments will be graded on a “point system” with Formative Assignments
serving as 0% of the final grade and Summative Assignments serving as 100% of the final
grade. While Formative Assignments do not necessarily “count” towards the final grade,
successful completion is imperative to ensure mastery of skills in preparation for Summative
Assessments. An overview of types of assignments and their characterization is as follows:
• Formative Assignments—0% of weight
• Homework, short writing assignments, draft completions, peer reviews, journals, all Daybook activities
(grammar, warm-ups, quick-writes, etc), and weekly reflections
• Summative Assignments—100% of weight
• Quizzes, Tests, Group and Individual Projects, Final Essays/Writing Projects
• Honors Assessment: Per the LCPS policy, all Honors English 10 students will complete an Honors
Assessment Portfolio which we will work on throughout the year and will be due during the second
semester. This assignment includes: The Big Question Essay Project and a Writing Reflection.
What We’ve Done So Far
• An introduction to the course
• British Literature Cultural Guessing Game!
• An overview of our yearly theme: IDENTITY
• Identity Mapping and Webbing
• Draft 1 of the “Where I’m From” Poem with the help of slam poet Rudy Francisco
• Introduction of Quarter 1 Independent Reading Project and Vocabulary Unit #1
• Currently: Diagnostic Tests for Writing, Grammar, and Reading
• These scores will appear in Phoenix once all students have completed. They are DIAGNOSTIC
and do NOT count towards the final grade. They are merely a marker for where the student
stands at the beginning of the course.
What’s to Come?
LITERATURE:
WRITING/OTHER:
• Quarter 1
• Daybook Entries Daily (Formatively checked at
random)
• Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, “The
Wanderer”
• I.R.P.—British Fiction (novel, play, short stories, or poetry)
• Quarter 2
• Frankenstein
• I.R.P.—Nonfiction Literature
• Quarter 3
• Shakespearean Sonnets and Macbeth
• I.R.P.—Dystopian Literature
• Quarter 4
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the
Looking Glass
• I.R.P.—Student Choice from “Student Libraries”
• Daybook Summative Checks (3 per quarter)
• Vocabulary: SAT Words, Greek and Latin
Roots/Affixes, Words pulled from our assigned texts
• Writing: Daily, Reflective, Journalistic, Ekphrastic,
Analysis, Research, Timed Writing, Persuasive
• Class Discussions/Debates/Socratic Seminars
• The Big Question Project (Quarter 3)
• Ongoing Writing Portfolio
• Multi-Genre Projects
• Technology, technology, technology!
• Social Media Profiles, PSAs, Websites, Blogs, etc
Join Our Classroom Community!
• Edmodo:
• www.Edmodo.com
• Create a free parent account!
• Access Code: pph4es
• I will always upload all notes/handouts/presentations/etc to Edmodo for viewing at
anytime. This is also where I will keep updates on homework and due dates for
assignments.
Thank you!
• Please write any questions or comments/concerns you have on the index card you picked up on your way in!
• My contact information:
• Taylor.Kane@lcps.org
• Availability for conferences:
• Please e-mail and we can set one up in-person or over the phone! 
• Suggested Donations:
• Tissues
• Hand Sanitizer
• Sticky Notes
Have you purchased your yearbook? If not, consider purchasing one today before the price goes up on
September 18th!