Kelli in TN Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I am working on my letter of recommendation for my daughter for a scholarship competition. I have attached a scope and sequence to the letter explaining how we laid out her history/literature/composition/art appreciation/etc in a interdisciplinary way. I also listed all of her literature. And then I sort of panicked. During 9th grade we did the Ancients. We used Smarr for her lit but she did not keep pace with the course. They were tough pieces of literature for a freshman and we had to slow it down a bit. All said, she only made it through 8 works. They were tough reads (Epic of Gilgamesh, Book of Job, Bullfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Illiad, Oddyssey, Tragedy of Julius Ceasar) and I felt very satisified with that level of work when she completed it. But now there is this competition and what if her level of work is no where close to the kids coming from the upper ranks of their public and private schools? What if she is out of her league and I just don't know it? What if she is NOT well read and I just thought she was? In 10th grade she read 12 works, 11th grade she read 14 works and in 12th grade I let her choose all of her own reading and she completed 25 "works" ranging from The Metamorphosis to Marley and Me (which is not really a "work" but does demonstrate that she likes a variety of reading material, right?) and everything in between. So, since she accomplished more as she matured and as, frankly, the material got easier to understand as she moved closer to modern writing, we are probably okay with her lists? Right? Please say yes. So, if you have survived my panic attack thus far and you have an idea what a "normal" number of works per school year might be, can you comfort me or warn me that we are woefully short or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I am working on my letter of recommendation for my daughter for a scholarship competition. I have attached a scope and sequence to the letter explaining how we laid out her history/literature/composition/art appreciation/etc in a interdisciplinary way. I also listed all of her literature. And then I sort of panicked. During 9th grade we did the Ancients. We used Smarr for her lit but she did not keep pace with the course. They were tough pieces of literature for a freshman and we had to slow it down a bit. All said, she only made it through 8 works. They were tough reads (Epic of Gilgamesh, Book of Job, Bullfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Illiad, Oddyssey, Tragedy of Julius Ceasar) and I felt very satisified with that level of work when she completed it. But now there is this competition and what if her level of work is no where close to the kids coming from the upper ranks of their public and private schools? What if she is out of her league and I just don't know it? What if she is NOT well read and I just thought she was? In 10th grade she read 12 works, 11th grade she read 14 works and in 12th grade I let her choose all of her own reading and she completed 25 "works" ranging from The Metamorphosis to Marley and Me (which is not really a "work" but does demonstrate that she likes a variety of reading material, right?) and everything in between. So, since she accomplished more as she matured and as, frankly, the material got easier to understand as she moved closer to modern writing, we are probably okay with her lists? Right? Please say yes. So, if you have survived my panic attack thus far and you have an idea what a "normal" number of works per school year might be, can you comfort me or warn me that we are woefully short or something? I would post this over on the high school board. I've heard SWB talk numerous times and as I remember: 8 works is minimum. 12 is good 16 is stellar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 She's in good shape, Kelli. Ya done good, girlfriend! Wish her luck for me! Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hop on over to your favorite internet seach page and search on the following words "high school," "english," "syllabus." You can try adding "9th grade" or "ninth grade," but the variations on that will probably filter out a lot of pages that might be helpful to you. I do this every now and then and keep a file of samples so that I can check what we're doing against those benchmarks when I panic now and then. For example, here's one syllabus that shows the students reading from a literature textbook and completing six other works: http://www.fccps.k12.va.us/GM/outlines/english/mears9CP%20Syllabus.pdf Here's another one that shows a literature text and two novels: http://www.rockdale.k12.ga.us/personal/bbrumback/9/Pages/Syllabus.aspx Here's one that lists "excerpts" from a bunch of stuff, plus four full works: http://teachers.sduhsd.net/cfox/eng9Hsyllabus.html'>http://teachers.sduhsd.net/cfox/eng9Hsyllabus.html'>http://teachers.sduhsd.net/cfox/eng9Hsyllabus.html'>http://teachers.sduhsd.net/cfox/eng9Hsyllabus.html Here's a link to the description of the Keystone English 1 course, which seems to require readings from the text plus Animal Farm: http://teachers.sduhsd.net/cfox/eng9Hsyllabus.html And here's one more that requires the text and four complete works: http://www.quincypublicschools.com/docs/academics/English/Gr9/0102%20Eng%209%20Standard.pdf Eh, I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. It sounds like your daughter did just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 She did fine! Here they only complete 4 works for honors English. I've did an exhaustive search of AP Language and Composition syllabi the other day and they were mostly a combination of short stories, essays and about 4 novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Kelli, I think the list of 9th grade lit is impressive. I consider that a great base for a high school freshman. You both did good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I'm no expert, so don't take this too seriously. Here's what I read in high school - and I went to one of the top 100 high schools in America: The Scarlet Letter Mythology Julius Caesar (sp?) and Heart of Darkness . Notice the period. That's it. Feel a little better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Thanks everyone. I do actually feel a little bit better about it now. Gah. This stuff is stressful. I am awfully glad there is a gap between this kid and the next. I need to rest for a few years before we start this college application and scholarship thing all over again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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