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The Forum
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Dear Students and Families, Welcome to the Forum. This class will blend Honors Civics and Economics with Honors English II and aligns to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for both. The course will be taught by Ms. Shore (Civics and Economics) and Ms. Quiñones (English II). We are challenged and excited by the prospect of bringing together two diverse subjects, which you as former ninth graders know, we are fond of doing at CEC. The name of our course derives from the objective of the class: to discuss, write about and understand our nation's political and economic system and to draw comparisons with those of other cultures. The Forum of ancient Rome was the center of government and culture, where citizens argued and expressed new ideas. We hope to create the same environment in our classroom. All tenth graders will take the NC Civics & Economics EOC at the end of the year; the exam will count for 25% of the final grade and is a high school exit standard. Students should also be prepared to write at length about issues dealing with citizenship and the running of our country, as well as how we compare to other countries. This intense writing focus will help us to prepare for the NC 10th Grade Writing Test given in March. Another major component of English II involves the study of World Literature. As anyone who has traveled knows, becoming familiar with the cultures and political systems of other countries only serves to make us more understanding of our own. We have some fundamental expectations for our students, including diligence in becoming critical readers and successful writers. We expect students to work fastidiously at sharpening their skills of communication by use of the written word especially as they evolve into college students and work force contenders. Another expectation paramount to this course, and one not as pertinent to grade nine, will be the memorization of events and names crucial to the development of our nation. As much as we resist rote memorization at CEC, the fact is that our students must know key events, dates and names in our country’s economic and political history. We, as teachers, will do everything possible to make events, dates and names relevant, to increase understanding. Weekly quizzes and unit tests are to be expected, not because we enjoy administering them, but because students will be required to recall knowledge in this fashion on the EOC, and we have a responsibility to train them.
We look forward to an exciting year. Sincerely, The Forum Staff Ms. Stacy Quiñones Ms. Leah Shore Stacy.Quinones@craven.k12.nc.us Leah.Shore@craven.k12.nc.us Wish List
Chart paper, clorox wipes, white board erasers
The FORUM
Craven Early College
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