Week 5: Due Dates and Early Release

Hello All!

We are working on our first Embedded Assessment, due tomorrow, and it is definitely different than other assessments we've done before.  Make sure you are following the steps on page 57 of the textbook as well as the instructions on the Embedded Assessment graphic organizer.  Doing so will help you to have a stronger essay.

This week we're having our first early release day of the semester.  On Wednesday, you'll go to 1st and 2nd period then release to the buses.

Make sure you are working towards finishing your Independent Reading book outside of class.  The goal is to have it finished by Tuesday, September 5th.  How much have you read?

Our Vocabulary Quiz for Unit 2 will be on Thursday instead of Friday this week due to Labor Day weekend.  You can complete the online practice linked on the Resources Page of the blog.

Have you checked the calendar to see what upcoming activities we're doing?

Have a great week!

Week 3, Prizes, and Open House

Hello All,

Last week we finished up our Precourse Reading assignments in all classes and started working on our new Springboard curriculum.

A couple of reminders:

1. Every other Friday we will have a vocabulary quiz.  It is your responsibility to know, understand, use and ask questions about these words before the quiz.  We go over them in our warmups and it's a part of your responsibility even if you are not present for a day.
2. Next week we'll be starting our Independent Reading Assignment.  We'll be talking more about this on Monday in our On Level Classes, while Honors classes are aware that we will start Poisonwood Bible and they need to obtain a copy of the text.
3. If you want to win some prizes from Q100, click here to register.  Prizes will be given out after school, after the pep rally, on Friday.
4. You should be able to see your grades in my class.  Some grades are in, some are not.  I try to get the quick grades in first, but please give me time on the bigger grades to read and analyze them fairly.
5. Open House is next Tuesday.  I would love see you so much that I will give you extra credit if you bring your parents.  I will also give you extra credit if your parents show up without you, or if they email me.  The point of Open House is so that we can meet each other so I'd like to do that.  10th Grade parents should attend between 6:30-8.  
6. We've started our work in our Springboard textbooks.  I cannot post the link on here because the text is copyrighted, but I posted the link in the Resources Page, as you had to log in to see that link.  If you need to follow up with any homework from what we didn't finish in class, the Resources Page is where you find the Springboard Online Textbook link.

Also, the solar eclipse is today.  Please be careful as looking at the sun, during an eclipse or not, can make you go blind.  We've been talking about what you need to do to be safe in class and you can find more information at https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse2017. 

Happy Monday!

Week 2

Hello All!

This week we're focusing on making sure students get their Precourse Reading completed and edited up to my standards.  Parents: at home you should see your child reading Persepolis (and Kite Runner if in Honors).  You should see your child completing their Precourse Reading assignment in Google Drive--not Microsoft Word or any other word processing program.  Everything typed in this class will be using Google Drive and due on Turnitin.com.  On Level students are only completing the Precourse Reading Assignment for Persepolis, while Honors students are also completing one for Kite Runner in addition to the Major Works Data Sheets for each book.

Students, Socratic Seminar questions will be handed out later this week (as well as linked on the Resources Page), and you should be preparing for a class discussion about the topics and themes of the book(s).  Yes, you will be speaking aloud to your peers, sharing ideas.  Yes, this is for a grade.  Yes, you have to do it.  This assignment is to help us review the topics in the books for the test, as well as to get you more comfortable with speaking in front of and to your peers in your class.  You will be in groups of 10.  You can do this.  If you need to talk to me about nerves or anxiety, come see me before school and we can have a private conversation about it.

Happy Monday!

First Lab Day

Hello All!

Tomorrow we'll be in the 925 Lab in order to set up most of the accounts you'll need for the entire semester.  Make sure you arrive in class on time (it's next door to our regular classroom) and you use your time wisely to create and access your accounts so that you'll have time to begin to type up your Precourse Reading Dialectical Journal.

I'm linking the Resources Page in this message on your Student/ParentVue so that you can save the link.  Parents, if you save this link, you'll have access to all of the instructions, PPTs, graphic organizers, videos, etc., we use in the class.  Students, we'll talk about where and how to save this link as a part of your assignment tomorrow.

Happy Thursday!