There are two ways to earn extra credit in my English classes. Both of them involve serious reading and serious writing. (I do not believe in increasing a grade from, say, a “D” to a “C” because someone does twice as much “D” work. Quantity isn’t enough).

You can post your extra credit on Mosaic. Be sure to tag it “extra credit.”

There are two ways to get extra credit.

The first way is to “blog” responses to readings that I will suggest here every week. Your post will need to include an accurate summary of the original article, a quote from the article that includes what you consider to be the most important or most interesting language. You should set up the quote and then interpret it a bit in your post. You need to have a link back to the source article embedded in your commentary. If you meet these requirements well, a typical post will be worth 10 points.

The readings will be a little bit challenging--something you might not read on your own--but they won’t be longer than a typical magazine article. If they are, I’ll give more points. I’ll list all the posts made for extra credit on Mosaic (follow the link to “Extra Credit blogging” so that other PHS students who have read the same article can find and read your post. Y

The second way is for you to propose an independent research project. This can be an article that you are writing for a local newspaper. It can be a series of articles or blog posts on a topic that you want to research. It could be a family history project you are doing for a family event--a scripted powerpoint for your grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, or a biography of a grandparent just for the fun of it.  (If you do a powerpoint or something similiar, keep in mind that my interest will not be in pictures but in what you research and what you write). For independent projects, you may get me more involved if you want my help--reviewing plans, reading drafts, making suggestions, etc.

I will give the credit, though, only for the finished writing when it is posted on your blog.