1. LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 9 Open House 2011-2012 School Year

2. Welcome! Thank you for visiting your student’s school this evening! Should you have additional questions about this course, please feel free to contact me:  Email: laura.sauer@okemosschools.netlaura.sauer@okemosschools.net  Phone: 517-706-4949

3. Course Objectives: Critical Thinking and Metacognition  Establishing and reflecting upon learning goals  Reflecting upon strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing, speaking, and listening  Challenging one’s own ideas and perceptions as well as those of others  Applying critical thinking skills to the world at large

4. Course Objectives: Reading  Moving beyond basic recall of material to analyzing deeper components  Connecting “big picture” ideas to other disciplines and the larger world  Practicing critical reading strategies, such as making connections, questioning, and analyzing author’s purpose  Practicing close literary reading to identify plot structure, characterization, figurative language, symbol, theme, and rhetorical devices

5. Course Objectives: Writing  Considering the rhetorical situation and tailoring writing to the situation  Practicing writing as a recursive process  Honing the skills of research, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis of information, and documentation  Demonstrating logical thinking about, development of, and communication of ideas through writing  Refining skills concerning grammar and style

6. Course Objectives: Speaking and Listening  Participating collaboratively in small groups  Participating in student-led, teacher- facilitated discussions  Choosing communication patterns appropriate for the audience, purpose, and subject of a situation  Practicing effective presentation techniques and listening techniques

7. Course Objectives: Digital Literacy The new ELA common core standards require use of technology as part of the writing requirements: W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. Source: "English Language Arts Standards >> Writing >> Grade 9-10." Common Core State Standards Initiative. Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2011. Web. 20 Sep 2011.

8. Course Website & Teacher Web Page  Students post forum responses and interact with peers in both Lit Comp 9 classes via the Lit Comp 9 website: Okemos High School Lit Comp 9  Students may download handouts and receive assignment updates through my teacher web page: Mrs. Sauer’s Web Page

9. Course Information: Absent Work  To obtain make-up work, students may download handouts from the web page or get them from the L/C 9 tray.  Work that was due at the time of a student’s absence must be turned in the day of return (provided the student had advance notice of the assignment).  Students have 2 days for each day absent to complete work.

10. Course Information: Late Work  All assignments are expected to be completed and turned in on time.  Students are given three late passes every quarter. These may be used once each to turn in a late assignment without penalty. Late assignments turned in without a pass will receive half credit.

11. Reading Selections  Elements of Literature: Holt, Rinehart, Winston  To Kill a Mockingbird  The Odyssey  Romeo and Juliet  A Raisin in the Sun  Independent reading selections  Lit circle readings (if time permits) Should this list change, you and your student will be notified via my web page and in class.

12. Teaching Philosophy Among many things, I believe in catering my teaching to the students in my classroom. I am always investigating best practices and strategies for making content accessible to students. I believe in providing students with challenging curriculum and learning experiences, in preparing them for the academic expectations ahead of them, and in preparing them to be critical members of our society. In so doing, I hope to cultivate active, participatory citizens capable of reaching their potential.

13. Thank you! Thanks for coming to open house! I look forward to a wonderful and rewarding school year with your students!