BARBARA CLARK

English 1; English IV; Gender and Sexuality Alliance Co-Advisor

Homeroom: Room 14

I am happy to welcome your son or daughter to my class. Students will be looking at a number of historical and contemporary writers, will be watching two or three films in the course of the year (TBA, G to PG-13), and will also be doing quite a lot of in-class writing and discussion. A course syllabus will be sent home in early September. For now, just a word about homework: Literacy research shows that the most effective way to improve reading skills and scores, and to foster a lifelong reading habit, is for students to spend as much time as possible reading books that they have chosen, books in which they have high interest. Therefore, a Reading Log for student-selected books will usually be the only homework I assign. A completed Reading Log should be signed by a parent prior to each Monday class. There is a small lending library in my classroom, and, of course, West has a fine library. I also recommend Title Wave New and Used Books in the Northern Lights Center as a source of good, plentiful, inexpensive literature. It's possible to open an account there and get store credit for books you've finished reading. No one can learn much half-asleep or hungry, and our day starts very early. Making sure that your student has had at least eight hours of solid sleep, and has eaten a healthy breakfast, every day, is the single most important, practical thing you can do to help him or her succeed in school. It has been my experience that high school students, even seniors, are not too old to need help making good choices about adequate rest and nutrition.