1) If I were to describe the class in one word, my first choice would have to be "demanding". This English class definitely requires a lot of work and dedication if the student wants a decent grade. If the student wants an excellent grade, the class requires a ton of work. The second word I would use to describe the class is "useful". Learning to make a web site did not totally apply to an English class, but it is a very good skill to have and I'm glad I know how to do it.
2) The class lived up to my expectations because I learned a lot from it. I learned more about how to analyze novels when we did the research paper and the Asher Lev project. And of course, I learned how to make a web site!
3)The only area where the class fell short of my expectations was the vocabulary that we had to do. The lesson in the books were long and pointless, because the only part of the vocab lesson that actually concentrates on the words in that lesson is the "Using the words". I think that this section is the only one that students should need to do, because it is the only one that might actually help you on the vocab quiz.
4)The thing I will remember most about in twenty years is the digital portfolios. I am really glad that we did this project, because I'm sure that in about ten years, we will all be very happy that we know how to make web pages. As the world depends more and more on the internet, it will be more and more useful through the years.
5) One thing about this class I'd like to forget is the near-impossible Crucible quizzes, where we had to identify who said certain quotes. I found that very hard to do, because I didn't read the play line by line, but more as a novel. I didn't pay much attention to who said what, because I was concentrating more on the flow of the story. The only other thing I would like to forget are those horrible vocab lessons. They take such an incredibly long time to do, and in the end you don't gain anything from most of the lesson. Nobody should ever have to go through that kind of torture!
6) My advice to you is not to make the students do the entire vocab lesson. I also think that after a piece of writing or a project is handed in, it should be added to the digital portfolio immediately. Putting the paper on the site should be part of the grade. This way, when exam time comes around, students won't have thirty papers to add tags to and upload.
7) My advice to freshmen would be to not procrastinate at all, especially on long term projects or papers. Since there isn't tons of time to do those assignments, students should pace themselves. My other advice is to revolt against authority if Mr. Luizzi tries to make you do the whole vocab lesson!!!
8) My final thoughts are that this was a successful year. You go to school to learn something, and if you learn at least one useful thing from a class, it was worth it to spend forty minutes there every day. I learned lots of useful things in English class this year. Obviously, the hard word paid off just as I thought it would.