9th Lit Homework

Hi everyone,

You can check out the example annobib we came up with in class on the resources page.  It's just the annotation part, but you should have the rest because we did it together in class.

Your homework is to complete this form and be ready to research in the Media Center tomorrow:

Research Topic Form

Week 5 Yearbook

You have your first assignment!

Our test will be on Thursday!

If you have any questions ask Mrs. Bundschu or your Year 2 ASAP.

9th Lit Week 5

Hi Everyone!

Next week we're going to be in the Media Center on Tuesday, so you need to get your research topic approved on Monday in class.  If you don't pick one by Monday, your teacher will pick one for you.  Don't make me pick one you may or may not care about--we want you to research something you do care about.  Come in on Monday with a social issue that you would like to research.

We will also start our next unit, consisting of a variety of short stories, starting with "The Most Dangerous Game" on Wednesday.  Check out the calendar for more details.

Happy Friday!

Week 4 Yearbook

Hello everyone,

We spoke in class today and talked about grade repair opportunities.  Students will have a test next Friday that will cover all of the topics we've discussed thus far.  This will replace any work grade or quiz grade thus far that they need to.  The test will cover:

• 10 Rules of Photography
• How to Upload and tag Photos
• Caption Writing
• Angles
• Characteristics of Good Journalism including details and angle
• How to interview including open and closed questions
• Layouts

Week 4 9th Lit

Hello all,

It was wonderful to meet so many of you last night and to get so many emails.  Thank you!  I'll respond to those who emailed me as quickly as I can.

This week we're finishing Anthem, learning how to begin research, and getting ready for our Dystopian Test set for Friday.

Tomorrow, we'll be meeting in the classroom and review for the test.

Next week, we'll be going to the Media Center on Tuesday and writing our annobibs there.

Happy Wednesday!

Picture Day tomorrow

Hello All,

Since Picture Day is tomorrow, I will have a substitute in class while I coordinate the entire school to get their pictures tomorrow.

I have stressed and stressed to the students that I don't give busy work and I expect them to work hard tomorrow so we can continue strong on Wednesday.  Please reinforce this at home.  With block schedule, we don't have time to lose between now and the 15 1/2 weeks away last day of the semester (that number just keeps going down...).

Happy Monday!

Week 3 Yearbook

Hi All!

I'm really excited with our the theme and progress of our book are coming together.

I want to remind you that if you haven't finished your picture page, that's been due.  I need you to finish it so 1) you can get a good grade on it and 2) we can do the next step with that page.  Be ready for Monday--we're going to use those pages!

You can also check out the calendar to get an idea of what all is going on in class this week.

Picture Day is Tuesday and I'll have a sub that day.  However, to keep us on track, during 4th Block we'll have a pretty awesome (if I do say so myself) assignment to complete about good journalism.  Some volunteers will be helping be during 2nd period with Picture Day itself, but I'll need all students on point during 4th with that assignment.  We'll need to discuss it in class on Wednesday to keep pace, so finish it at home if you need to (you shouldn't need to if you spend your time wisely).

Happy Friday!

Week 3 9th Lit

Hi All!

I've updated the calendar with the major plan for next week.  As I've been telling students in class, as we're adjusting to block schedule we're finding that our pacing will have to be adjustable--sometimes we move through activities quicker or slower than I anticipate, so the calendar might have to be adjusted as needed.

Did you notice when the quiz would be?  Based on your responses in your Student Surveys, that was the most popular day.  So that day it is!

Have a great weekend!

PS:  Don't forget your homework!

Week 2 9th Lit

Hi everyone!

Just a quick reminder about your homework tonight!  

• You're to finish reading and notetaking "The Lottery" (copy linked on the blog).  
• You need to finish the discussion questions to the best of your ability.
• You need to attempt to diagram the plot of the story. Try to find the point of highest tension for the Climax.

All of this is so we can continue our class discussion and have a fun activity as our opening tomorrow.  If you're not prepared, we'll have to have a boring class :(

Students who worked hard in class today, have a lot less homework tonight.  Although as a reminder, you have homework every night.  If you finish the tasks above, what should you do? ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Week 1 Done! Yearbook

Congratulations on having your child make it through the first week of school!

I wanted to go ahead and touch base with you.  This week we focused on breaking down the elements of a yearbook, elements of theme, elements of photography, and started working with our yearbook software.

Some students have been rock stars in the class, doing everything I ask of them, following along, helping other students, completing all of the work, everything!  Some students have been taking their time getting back into the swing of things.  It is a lot of information for the first week of school, but in yearbook, our deadlines and responsibilities start coming hard and quicker than you can imagine.  We have to hit the ground running.

Some students are already ahead of the game and have finished most of their homework for the weekend, but please double check that your child is on track.

1. They need to go over the syllabus with you so that they and you are clear about the expectations of the class.
2. They need to complete the Welcome to the Class Student Survey that is linked on the blog.
3. They need to get you to complete the Parent/Guardian Survey on the blog.
4. They need to upload their practice pictures to eDesign, tag them eDesign Practice, put the on their practice page, and label them with which rule of composition they showed in their picture in a caption. (Due by Monday, I'm checking it first period).
5. They need to look through their assigned theme list and try to think about the feeling of the school.  Write down some themes that they think they could use to express the feeling of the school (ie: tradition is a boring theme, but we have traditions because we're a family, what themes could we use to express this feeling of family?).
6. They need to come to class prepared to discuss a theme for next year based on their homework.

All of these links can be found on the Yearbook Resources page of the blog.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me or leave me a voicemail. 

I really look forward to working with you to have an amazingly successful year together.

Sincerely,

Kim Bundschu

Week 1 Done! 9th Lit

Congratulations on having your child make it through the first week of school!

This week we focused on breaking down our reading by closely reading 2 poems and our summer reading assignment.  We worked on annotating (marking up) our texts and looking for specific things: connections, questions, figurative language (specifically similes, metaphors, personification, and imagery), and grammar (sentences and prepositional phrases).  Some of this is a review from years' past, some of this is kind of new for some students.  

Some students have been rock stars in the class, doing everything I ask of them, following along, helping other students, completing all of the work, everything!  Some students have been taking their time getting back into the swing of things.  We had a group discussion today about their effort and our goals as a class.  I recommend you also discuss this with your child.  Unlike in middle school, you have to pass ALL of your classes to move on in high school, and your GPA for college matters starting right now.  I know that every student in my classes can earn an A, but it's up to them to put forth the effort to earn that A (you can ask them about my experiences in my chemistry classes.  Yes, plural).  I know how hard it is to be a student, and I know the effort you have to put into each class.

Some students are already ahead of the game and have finished most of their homework for the weekend, but please double check that your child is on track.

1. They need to go over the syllabus with you so that they and you are clear about the expectations of the class.
2. They need to complete the Welcome to the Class Student Survey that is linked on the blog.
3. They need to get you to complete the Parent/Guardian Survey on the blog.
4. They need to make sure they've annotated their Summer Reading for 5 connections, 5 questions, figurative language (underlined and labeled, i.e.: S if it's a simile), and circled any vocabulary they didn't understand.
5. They need to respond to the quickwrite prompt about the tone in the Summer Reading article "There Will Come Soft Rains."  The instructions for the prompt were covered in class and can be found on the Tone and Mood PPT linked on the blog.

All of these links can be found on the 9th Lit Resources page of the blog.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me or leave me a voicemail. 

I really look forward to working with you to have an amazingly successful year together.

Sincerely,

Kim Bundschu