By Sophia Doan and Donya Vandersteen
Walking into room 23 on the first day of sophomore year, we were easily intimidated by the baseball bats adorning the room, the sign that declared “beware all hope ye who enter here” and the intimidating face of Mr. Hadley.
Since we are survivors of endless essays, frustrating quick writes, and long Hadley lectures, we are here to help your own transition into the world of English II Honors! Here’s a list of everything you need to pass (and maybe get an A in) English II Honors!
- Don’t be cocky: Walking in from English Honors I, it’s easy to think you know everything. Wrong. Be prepared to get unpleasant grades on the first assignments, miss your first English teacher and rethink all of your life choices! It’s completely normal to get bad grades on the tests and essays in the beginning of the year, we promise it gets easier as the year goes on.
- READ THE BOOK (on time!!): Hadley is not joking when he tells you to read the book at the beginning of the year. Staying on top of the reading is crucial for understanding what he is lecturing about, which is so important for the tests and essays!
- Pay attention (don’t fall asleep): Having Hadley’s first period class made it very tempting for us to fall asleep last year. While you may question the importance of his lectures when he starts describing the entire plot of the Devil’s Advocate or playing clips from Star Wars, the things he says will 100% be on the test. (Sometimes including questions of his personal opinions on the characters).
- Turn in the assignments on time (even if he doesn’t make you): Hadley is very forgiving on due dates with quickwrites, often only taking a few points off. However, when you fall behind in that class, it’s so hard to get your grade back up. Stay on top of those smaller assignments, they all matter!
- If the canvas date says it was due a year ago, DON’T PANIC: He often forgets to change the due dates from the previous year, so if an assignment says missing, make sure to check the year before you panic!
- Check Canvas for test dates: After confirming the year is correct, you should stay on top of looking out for tests. Sometimes he forgets to mention it, or it gets lost in the lecture, so looking for dates near the end of the book is crucial, so you have time to study and prepare for tests and essays.
- It’s okay to get bad grades (especially at first): On the essay we wrote on the second day of school, we both got D’s. Adjusting to Hadley’s grading scale is difficult at first, so keep in mind that your grade won’t be affected for long.
While it’s easy to feel like studying is pointless if you don’t understand the book, we have some amazing studying tips specifically for Hadley’s tests!
- The night before the test, read all the spark notes chapter summaries: Even though Hadley advises against using spark notes instead of reading the book, quick summaries before the test can be really helpful.
- Use quizizz for practice tests: For all of the books from last year, we easily found quizzes to review, giving us a more interactive studying experience.
- Wake up early and watch video summaries and quizizz: One of our best study tips this year was to wake up early in the morning, get starbucks, and cram before the test. The information would be fresh in our memory and we’d be more awake!
- Ask students who had that class for last year for help: Feel free to reach out to any of us