Mrs. Maxson is in her ninth year teaching at Fairlawn.  Previously, she taught English and Latin for six years at Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney. She holds an Associate Degree in Dance from Sinclair Community College, a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from Wright State University, and a Master's Degree in Education from Wright State University. She is excited to be teaching English, directing the drama department, coaching the Academia team, coaching the JustWrite and Power of the Pen teams, and working as the Muse Machine advisor.  Mrs. Maxson is also a licensed ZUMBA instructor and believes as teachers it is our mission "to help our students by inspiring lifelong learning, advancing knowledge, and strengthening the community."

Summary of Courses:

ENG 9 (Freshmen English):  This course is designed to help students improve reading, writing, and presentational skills as outlined by Ohio Department of Education.  Students will focus their reading on short stories, poetry, a novel, a play, informational texts, and other media.  Students will also be engaged in different types of activities to help all students learn at their best abilities and their progress will be monitored by a variety of methods which include, but are not limited to:  quizzes, tests, essays, journals, participation, projects, etc.  Students are required to keep a bound composition book throughout the year and read one outside book within their Lexile ranges.

ENG 10 (Sophomore English):  This course is a continuation of ENG 9.  It builds on the skills worked on in ENG 9, but extends them by making students more independent in their thinking, writing, and communicating as outlined by the Ohio Department of Education.  Students will be reading fiction, nonfiction, a play, and novel, informational texts, speeches, historical documents, and other works to help them increase their vocabulary, comprehension, and understanding of the English language.  Students are required to keep a bound composition book throughout the year and read two outside books within their Lexile ranges.

ENG 11 (Junior English): This course focuses on college readiness and American Literature and how its development changed throughout our country's history.  Students will begin with Native America writings and study the literature of our nation up through modern times.  Using the Ohio Department of Education Standards as a guide, the students will learn and develop skills to see themes constant and changing not only in the literature, but also in the culture of our country.  They will hone research and writing skills to investigate historical documents, evaluate classic literature, and create their own works of American literature.  This course is offered for college credit through Edison Community College and students are required to keep a bound composition book throughout the year.  In addition, they will be reading two outside books within their Lexile ranges that will have requirements about time frame and genre.

ENG 12 (Senior English):  This course focuses on college readiness and British and World Literature.  Using the Ohio Department of Education Standards as a model, students will be asked to read, work in groups, evaluate, present, write, establish, and support their ideas while working with pieces from all over history and the world.  Students will be engaged in projects, writing activities, and discussions that they will not only participate in, but also lead. They will also work to perfect their professional writing skills, interview skills, and creative presentation skills as they dissect different genres and types of literature. This course is offered for college credit through Edison Community College and students are required to keep a bound composition book throughout the year.  In addition, they will be reading two outside books within their Lexile ranges that will have requirements about time frame, nation of origin, and genre.

JOURNALISM:  Journalism will be an elective class occasionally offered for seniors and  juniors.  Sophomores wishing to take the elective must get my permission.  The class will focus on reading, evaluating, editing, creating, and publishing nonfiction writing.  The class will use primarily current event articles from reputable sources (New York Times, Flocabulary.com, National Geographic, CNN, etc.) to examine how professionals write, how articles are chosen, and what makes an article worthy of publication.  The class will also reach out into the Fairlawn community for its own news to write about and seek avenues for publication, such as The Sidney Daily News, The Fairlawn Newsletter, and possibly the yearbook.