Advice to Incoming Honors English Freshmen

1. Advice to Incoming Honors English Freshmen From the Pros: The 2000-2001 Honors English Nine Students Before you start, remember: The ideas and italicized quotes you find throughout this presentation come from actual Honors students who know what you need to succeed.

2. Work Hard! Tip #1

3. It takes maturity to get through this class. You will have to be mature to make it through your year of Honors English. This does not mean your experience won’t be fun, however. For starters, participate in class! This will make your experience extraordinary and much more enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to say what is on your mind, either; you never know what enlightening conversation may be sparked by wild suggestions. Maturity will also earn you the teacher’s attention and respect. Always do your best: you’re an Honors student – you obviously have the brains, so put forth the effort. Never ‘just complete’ an assignment. Always go beyond what is expected of you. Work Hard!

4. What to Expect Expect to be challenged in Honors English Nine! There will be a lot of work, but none of it will be wasted time. The teacher only gives you work that matters. Take advantage of all your opportunities and don’t be fooled by the fact that you no longer have “busy work.” Another thing to expect, one which overwhelms some students, is the number of papers you are required to write. Almost everything you study will result in a paper, so be prepared. Work Hard!

5. Freedom In what you write: Be prepared to have more freedom in what you write. Many students have to get used to the idea they aren’t always given completely specific directions and they need to create their own ways to do things. Be sure to know how you are being graded though: that isspecific. In what you read: In the upcoming year, you’ll have your share of books to read. What is different is that there will only be one due date, not certain dates where specific chapters must be read. Be organized and ready for anything. Be sure you read the books and plays. If you don’t, you will be dumbfounded. Most importantly, use your freedom wisely! Even though there may sometimes be periods where no homework at all is assigned, other times you may be bombarded, and, in those situations, procrastination leads to stress. Work Hard!

6. Have the Right Attitude! Tip #2

7. Have an Open Mind Take Risks! In Honors English, you’ll never be punished for thinking outside the box! Be willing to take risks: This is the most important thing you can do. You never learn anything new by doing the same things over and over. Be prepared to disregard the old rules and try something new. Have the Right Attitude!

8. Enjoy the Class and Your Classmates More than a few students will tell you that Mr. Maite is an extremely laid back teacher, but you had better work your butt off. When you do, you will find the class more relaxed and fun in return. Enjoy yourself and try to learn, because if you don’t, you’re wasting 50 minutes. More importantly, know and become accustomed to your classmates. Don’t be shy; express yourself! Making friends in class will be vital to your success, for you will learn just as much from each other as you will learn from the teacher. Probably more! Have the Right Attitude!

9. Learn How to Fail Do not worry about getting a bad grade; instead, learn from mistakes. The goal of this class is constant improvement, and a bad grade does not always mean you had a bad idea. Learn from constructive criticism and fix your papers to earn a grade more to your liking. Have the Right Attitude!

10. How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

11. Thinking and Learning Be ready to think more deeply than you have ever before. Figure things out for yourself first, read between the lines, and form your own opinions. And, don’t only form your own opinions – be ready to back them up with strong thinking and proof. Further, one of the most important skills taught in Honors English is to not anticipate what the teacher wants. Instead, think for yourself. You will find that this is what the teacher wants. The learning at this level is more active... You’ll find that your classmates are allowed to talk more than the teacher. The learning is also more independent. Learning the information given to you and finding more information is basically up to you. How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

12. Working with Others Working with others in Honors English will be another skill you must master if you wish to succeed. Realize that more people than just the teacher will be reading and grading your writing. Further, the class plays a very important role in all aspects of the class. In-depth class discussions will be where most of your learning takes place. So, make friends: you’ll be glad and less stressed when group projects come around. How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

13. Working with Technology • An English Odyssey Knowing how to use Mr. Maite’s website, “An English Odyssey,” will be essential throughout the year in English if you wish to succeed. In this one place, you will find every assignment and due date as well as hundreds of web pages to help you with your writings and projects. How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

14. Working with Technology • Summer Reading Get on top of your summer reading! This once painstaking assignment has been modified by actual Honors students to be something much more useful and less boring to you and the teachers. Most importantly, when writing about the reading, speak your mind! Teachers don’t want to hear plot summaries as much as you don’t want to write them. Look below for the link to summer reading success. Click to go to the home page for summer reading: How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

15. Working with Technology • Student Portfolios Of all the other exciting opportunities you will come across in Honors English, one of the students’ favorites is the online portfolio: creating your own personal website and keeping track of all your work you do in the school year. A student summarized the feelings of most the students who tried this by saying, They are really fun to do and not very hard even if you’ve never tried making a website before. Try not to become frustrated with your online portfolio. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Do not be afraid to ask for help. The knowledge of technology you will gain from this class is incredible and will help you in the future. Besides, it’s now part of the curriculum! Click here to see all of Mr. Maite’s students’ online portfolios and websites. How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

16. Other Helpful Student Hints and Advice • Don’t BS stuff. You cannot get away with making things long, elaborate, but unfocused anymore. • Know how to use a comma! • You better know your grammar. You won’t be tested or have many worksheets, but if you make errors in your final papers, you’ll pay for it big time. Those are the tests! • Master the basic essay form; you’ll grow from there. • Quizzes and tests aren’t routinely given over books, so you must ask questions if you don’t understand something. Teachers assume you know to do this, and they will move on quickly. • Make sure in class discussions that what you have to say is relevant. • Expect harder grading and higher expectations! How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

17. Have an exciting year! We all wish you the best of luck in Honors English in the upcoming year. The time will fly by very quickly if you’re learning and having fun. Good luck with the summer reading assignment and your new adventure into high school English. Enjoy the Year! (And Try to Learn Something) How to Be an Effective Honors English Nine Student

18. Advice to Incoming Freshman 2000-2001 Honors English Nine Students Under the rule of Mr. Maite May 29, 2001 Power Point presentation by Robert McQuiston, Inc. Artwork thanks in part to Abbey Loy For class information, visit Mr. Maite’s website at http://home.insight.rr.com/englishodyssey/