Cory NickelsHELLO Panthers! This is my 23rd year teaching Advanced English. I currently teach Pre-AP 8th Grade English. My classes entail high order thinking, critical thinking, analysis, high level reading (novels, short stories, and poems). It also includes advanced writing skills/techniques. Some of the novela, novellas, and short stories that will be read/abridged/analyzed/discussed are as follows: "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire (this novel teaches about being diverse and different. As a society, we must learn that everyone is different. We may not agree with their choices, but we must respect them. We will delve into the life and times of Oz and analyze the good traits like empathy that we need to adhere to), "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell, "The Diamond As Big As the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald", "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway, "Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway, "Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, many poems by Poe, Brooks, Frost, Angelou, etc... All of these selections have content that contains information that that we can use for class debates. Debating and getting up in front of one's peers is imperative. Classes will be held to a much higher standard, as well as the highest expectations. Rules will be adhered to at all times. These include, but are not limited to, District rules, RMS rules, and teacher's rules. Students will be given "Hard" due dates that will be adhered to. Pre-AP classes will also be exposed to the Research Process. Students will follow the MLA/APA writing processes throughout the year.If you have any questions, please email me at cory_nickels@ecboe.org We are going to have a GREAT year!