Reply to S/O MCPS HS "Honors" English 9/10 courses

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In most schools it is only Honors English 9A. A few schools may still have the on-level course, but that's rare. And there are no standards for what constitutes the honors version of the course. A kid could take it and read mostly below-grade level texts.[/quote]

I wish I could figure out 9A vs H9A.  My kid is in Bridge and he is enrolled in 9A and I’ve been told no H9A.  I want someone to explain the difference.  What is going on in the H9A class that warrants the extra .5 gpa bump?  More in depth text analysis, more writing, higher expectations?

My kid has already complained that English is silly and it’s very easy.  For now, I’m looking at outside tutoring.[/quote]

Ugh, I'm sorry. There is no guidance as to how honors is different from regular. It's completely up to individual teachers. [b]And given that people are saying that honors classes are including graphic novels, it doesn't sound like it's rigorous at many schools[/b]. Can you meet with the department head at your school to ask that he move up to honors?[/quote]

Let’s not demonizes a book format that you clearly don’t understand.  Just because a book is a graphic novel doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of inclusion in a honors class.[/quote]

The graphic novel in question, the Magic Fish, has a Lexile level of 400HL. https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/book-details/9781984851598

HL is intended to be high-interest books for struggling readers. And yet MCPS is offering this to kids who were in CES and humanities magnets in 9th grade "honors" English, with no guidance to say that this should not be available in honors sections. Says all you need to know about MCPS.[/quote]

Just because a book has HL attached to its Lexile, doesn’t mean it can or should only be read by struggling reading.  It just means it will be appropriate for struggling readers.  The content of the book can and likely is of interest and appeal to a particular audience which in this case is Middle School.  And it can be used to illustrate both visually and in language a particular theme or idea that is being explored in the English class.

Should it be paired with other texts? yes.  Should additional work be given? Yes.  But again, it being a graphic novel doesn’t make it not worthy of the class.  Further, the PP didn’t specify a particular graphic novel, they made a generalization that because a graphic novel was included in the curriculum it couldn’t be on grade level.  That generalization is wrong as there are lots of graphic novels that cover an array of topics and themes that are perfectly in grade level.  That generalization would be like saying because a story is delivered in film format it can’t possibly have as much value as a book.[/quote]

You may enjoy both graphic novels and films, but these are not media that will develop the difficult human skills of reading comprehension, synthesis of written sources and writing.  Those are the focus of English class, not just "telling a story." - English teacher[/quote]

Interesting.  So if I gave someone a graphic novel and the images didn’t convey the text it wouldn’t be confusing? When we read we never create images in our minds of what is happening?  Editorial cartoons or Political cartoons don’t require comprehension of the image, text, and potentially understanding of the time/environment of which they are written?   Comprehension and synthesis is absent?

There’s no possibility of comparing and contrasting the message and intent of a text with that of an image?  Films aren’t visual interpretation of a text?[/quote]

Yes, they are a visual interpretation of a text, but we have a crisis where kids do not and cannot read actual text.  Those are the priority.  A one day video in order to compare it to a scene in Shakespeare?  Yes.  Graphic novels where kids can discern the story through pictures like a 1st grader?  Umm... no. [/quote]

[b]No one said that text shouldn’t be included[/b] in a class nor should students stop reading them.  It was indicated that just because graphic novels are included in the curriculum that it doesn’t automatically disqualify the class from being Honors level.  It’s what’s done with the medium that is important.  [/quote]

I AM the one saying that graphic novels have no place in high school English classes. - same English teacher above[/quote]

And thats your opinion.  Which you are entitled to possess.  Us with more open minds who understand how different mediums (including graphic novels) can be beneficial to study and analysis just hope you aren’t an English teacher for our kids.[/quote]

Of course, it's my opinion.  But you said "no one" said that text shouldn't be included, and I disagree.  You would be happy to have me as an English teacher, even if you don't think so.[/quote]

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