Mission Statement

Students engage in challenging tasks in which they draw upon personal strengths and diverse experiences, create
meaningful connections, and develop innovative problem-solving skills. With the confidence and character gained from
these experiences, students pursue their individual passions and participate responsibly and effectively in their

Course Name: Junior Honors English

Teacher Name: Jennifer Love

Contact Information: Office Email: jlove@d127.org Office Phone Number: 847-986-3610

Office Location: 2200 (English Office) Voicemail Number: 5533

Office Hours: 4th and 8th Hours

Before and After School in 2200
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Materials Needed: three-ring binder (w/ tab divider inserts, at least 5)
loose-leaf notebook paper
highlighters
academic planner

Texts: The Scarlet Letter

Selected essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau (Given out in class)
Selected works by Herman Melville, Charles Chesnutt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, Mark
Twain, and William Faulkner (Given out in class)
The Great Gatsby
The Glass Menagerie
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Things They Carried
Course Description: Junior English is the study of American literature as viewed through
the lens of the American experience—historical, political, cultural and economic. To that
end, the students will follow a fairly chronological sequence of such events to better
recognize what exactly makes up the “American experience” and how this experience has
expressed itself in the particular art of literature. Within these works of literature, they
will analyze the rhetorical and stylistic tools the authors use, examining not only what
these writers argue but how they argue it. The students will write a variety of essays this
year – narrative, expository, argumentative, and thematic. Using the recursive writing
process, they will develop highly analytical and cohesive essays that are effective because
they develop a voice and structure appropriate to the purpose, audience, and subject of
the essay. Overall, this course is designed to sharpen the students’ analytical skills, make
them more aware of authors’ stylistic and rhetorical choices, and strengthen their own
writing abilities.

Grading Scale:
Percentage Grade Percentage Grade

98 – 100% A+ 78 – 79% C+

93 – 97% A 73 – 77% C

90 – 92% A- 70 – 72% C-

88 – 89% B+ 68 – 69% D+

83 – 87% B 63 – 67% D

80 – 82% B- 60 – 62% D-

0 – 59% F

Weights:
40% Formal essays, major projects, research paper

25% Tests/quizzes

15% Other assignments (homework, vocabulary, in-class

journals, minor projects/group work, participation)

20% Final exam