Thank you for visiting my Honors English IV page. This page contains information for students and parents regarding expectations for the course and extensions that distinguish honors from standard.  

 

Honors English IV is a rigorous course for seniors which fulfills the English IV graduation requirement. It is best suited for students who are intrinsically motivated and who enjoy reading, writing, and deep literary analysis.

 

Honors English III is a strongly recommended prerequisite for Honors English IV. Students who earn a B or better in Honors English III are likley well-suited and well-prepared for Honors English IV.

 

Honors English IV students will be required to complete much of the course reading independently outside of class. Students will be expected to arrive in class each day fully prepared to discuss assigned reading in detail. It will be imperative for students to utilize active reading strategies and to seek out secondary resources in order to ensure a thorough understanding of the course material. 

 

 

Standards and Objectives

 

The focus of Honors English IV is to prepare students for the pace and rigor of university classes.  Students will be expected to explore many of the core concepts of the course independently and to arrive in class prepared to express and defend their ideas. Students should advocate for themselves and take ownership of their own educational opportunities.

 

In the documents tab for the course website, parents and students can find the class syllabus, which contains grading information and behavioral expectations.

To access the Parent Curriculum Documents, please follow the link below.

https://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/Page/33225

 

 The English IV course is separated into four thematic units: Madness, Mayhem, and Malevolence; Conforming the Chaos; Matters of the Heart; and Leaving a Legacy.  

The Common Core breaks the English curriculum into four sections: reading literature, reading informational texts, writing, and listening/speaking.  For honors classes, fulfilling these standards looks different than it does in a standard classroom. For example, students will often read longer and more complex texts in honors classes when compared to standard classes.

Each honors class will be required to complete an honors paper or project. Also, each English class will be required to complete a culminating research component which requires students to synthesize many of the skills from the class. When compared to standard classes, students in honors classes will be required to utilize more informational texts as sources for their research. Students will also have more stringent guidelines and expectations on the rubrics associated with the research component.

The research component will also include a speaking/presentation component. Students in honors classes will be required to demonstrate their comprehensive knowledge of their chosen research topic as well as the ability to satifsy presentation requirements as outlined in the research presentation rubric. These expectations will be more stringent than the expectations for a standard class.

 

 

The English Department at CMHS follows a consistent, department-wide plagiarism and late work policy as outlined in the course syllabus.  Grade category percentages are different for honors classes versus standard classes. These category weights are also outlined in the course syllabus. In an effort to mirror the typical expectations of a university course, more emphasis is placed on tests and less weight is awarded to classwork.

 

All English IV classes (standard and honors) culminate with the English IV NCFE, which is a state assessment meant to measure a students level of content mastery in relation to the Common Core standards.