CONTACT INFORMATION:

Saint Benedict says that a monastic rule should have “something for the strong to strive for, but nothing for the weak to flee from.”  Thus, it may be that my teaching style or method of discipline does not seem to fit the needs of your son. If you think this is the case, please tell me, and I will do my best to adjust.

If you need to reach me, you can do so over phone by calling (314) 434-2557 ext. 213.  Or you can email me at fraugustine@priory.org .  Email is far the better way of reaching me, since I don’t have my own telephone.

English, Form I, Classroom #4
School year 2005-2006

Fr. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.
BA, Rice University, Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations
BA, MA Oxford, Theology

GOALS:

READ & WRITE

-gammar (Yep. It's necessary.)/ sentence diagraming(You'll love it.)  
-rhetoric (It's often overlooked.)
-oral lnterpretation: pronunciation, vocal intonation (i.e. reading aloud)

READING LIST:

CHANGES: I have decided NOT to have my students read the following books: A Spell for Chameleon, Monster, or Hiroshima. Instead, I have chosen the following two books: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and The Golden Compass  In addition, I will have them read a number of short stories chosen from the works of Earnest Hemmingway, William Faulkner, Bailey White, Edmund Spenser, David Sadaris, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and others.

PLEASE READ THE BOOKS AND STORIES THAT YOUR SONS ARE READING.  NOTHING ON OUR READING LIST IS LIMITED TO THE CATEGORY OF “JUVENILE LITERATURE,”  SO I HOPE YOU WILL FIND IT ALL INTERESTING, AND WANT TO DISCUSS THESE BOOKS WITH YOUR SON.

I also require

A DAILY JOURNAL
-1/2 page-1 page per day (Occasionally, I will give journal assignments during class time)I require 30 pages at the end of the first term, 60 for the second term, and 80 for the third term.  The journal counts as a test grade.

1000 PAGES OF OUTSIDE READING
Each term, the number of pages will increase by 500.  The books can be on any topic the student chooses, with the exception of comic books, newspapers, picture books, and magazines.  Each student will be asked to write a short descriptions of every book he reads., and turn in a list of these books at the end of the term signed by his parents.

GRADING SCALE:

Tests:  %40
Quizes: %25Homework: %15
Class Participation:  %20

NOTE: A student who makes an "A" in Class Participation will always act in a way that is:  appropriate, obedient, enthusiastic, alert, and well-prepared.

Appropriate behavior:     20/25
Obedient:                        24/25
Alert:                               17/25
Well-prepared:                23/25
Total Score:                    84/100

DISCIPLINE: In my opinion, demerits take up time and energy that might better be spent teaching.  Therefore, I only use them in extreme cases.  Instead, I assign “Loser Points” which I record on my palm pilot, and which cost a student five points of the Class Participation Grade.  I will make “Anti-Loser Point Assignments” periodically, and “Deep Thought Awards” sometimes count against them as well. 

READING LIST:
The Outsiders
Tom Sawyer
Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Raisin in the Sun
Introduction to the Short Story
AND ALSO…
the following new books:

The Curious Incident Of the Dog in the NightTime, by Mark Haddon

Awards: Book Trust Teenage Fiction Award; Whitbread Book of the Year Award;Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2003; Children's Book Award; The Literary Fiction Award

The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman

Awards: Best Book for Young Adults citation from American Library Association; Carnegie Medal; Guardian Children's Fiction Award; Publishing News British Children's; Book of the Year Award.