Assignments in college prep English are opportunities for students to acquire, develop, and refine critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for college-level courses.  For many college prep English students, the way to obtain successful marks has remained a mystery for far too long and I think it's my job to demystify the process.

Assignments are intended to be challenging; however, for students to be successful in completing assignments the expectations for success need to be clearly communicated.  In addition, what is required to achieve a passing grade must too be clearly communicated.

Thus, I provide clear rubrics to students at the beginning of every class and I take seriously all feedback students give me on how to refine my communication regarding class assignments.

• Assignments are due by 4:00 p.m. on the due date.
• Students are expected to spend at least six (6) hours per week outside of class time to read the relevant chapters and complete the assigned 5-paragraph essays and Research Assignment.
• To help students prepare to get the most out of lectures, a detailed class schedule is below with chapter and page number information for students to read before class.
• As a way of scaffolding students into academic writing, the first two assignments are intended to be completed in groups; however, a student may choose to work independently.
• To prepare students for writing research essays at the 100 level, the final assignment requires students to spend substantial time using the YC Library to produce a Research Binder demonstrating information literacy and critical thinking skills.