Ending Week 7 and February Break

Hello All,

As we finish up these last few days before the break, stay strong!  Progress reports will be sent home the week we come back.

After tomorrow's assembly, we'll be completing the next step of the Capstone Project.  The step by step instructions are already on the Resources Page.

An optional assignment is on the Resources Page to help recover your Precourse Reading grade.  Yes, it involves reading a book, but it's a short book, my copy is 167 pages.  See the assignment for details.

Honors students, we'll also start reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver tonight.  On average, you should be reading about 19 pages a night to stay on target for our final assessment.  By the Monday we return, you should read through page 134 (if you're reading the 1998 Harper Perennial version) and you'll stop in "Book 2" at Adah's chapter that starts "Walk to Learn.  I am Path.  Long one is Congo."  There will be a quiz when you get back on Monday.

I hope you have a fantastic break!

Looking towards Weeks 6 and 7 and Next Year's English Classes

Hello All!

I've updated the calendars with the tentative plan for the next 2 weeks.  Yes, those are tests coming up.  Yep, presentations, too.  You can do it.  I believe in you.

We need to talk about next year's placement.  Moving up from our World Literature classes, you have 3 options.

1. On Level American Literature -- your standard 11th grade literature class that is a requirement for graduation with an EOC.
2. AP Language -- the Advanced Placement course that focuses on the language of English that includes what you need for your American Lit requirement for graduation and an EOC.  If you pass the AP test in the spring, it counts for college credit.
3. AP American Studies -- the year long Advanced Placement courses that combines AP US History and AP Language with American Literature in an A day/B day class that discusses the documents from American History for both their literary and historical merits.  It counts as your American Lit graduation requirement as well as your American History requirement.  You will take the American Lit EOC and for each AP Test you pass in the spring, it counts for college credit.

Please talk over your placement desires with your families and be prepared to let me know what you wish to be placed in next week.  AP classes are a lot of work, but if you're willing to do the work, they are worthwhile endevours.  

Parents, if you have any questions or specific requests, please email me and let me know.

Happy Friday!

Looking for Writing Fair Entries

If you are interested in submitting a piece of writing please contact me asap so we can make sure to get your entry in.  We need your entries before Valentine's Day.  See the official rules below.

2017-2018
Cobb County School District Writing Fair
PURPOSES
The purposes of the Writing Fair are (1) to encourage students K-12 to develop writings that represent their best efforts, (2) to provide a context for schools to support and celebrate the writing successes of all students, (3) to encourage and recognize student achievement in writing throughout the system
HOW TO ENTER
Each participating school may hold a local school Writing Fair using guidelines/criteria outlined in this packet. Each school judges, selects, and submits one winning entry per grade level within your school. Submit local school winning entries with the entry form attached. Make sure all entries follow all guidelines and all signatures have been signed. (Use provided checklist)
WHAT TO WRITE: Students entries may include:
a. Short Stories
b. Poetry
c. Essays/Literary Criticism/Analysis
d. Journalism
e. Academic/Research Reports
f. Personal Narratives
g. Any Other Original Student Writing
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES
1. Entries must be student generated
2. Entries must be single authored.
3. Entries must not exceed five pages – FRONT ONLY – 8 ½ X 11 paper
4. Entries can be typed or neatly written. (If typed must be Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced).
5. Entries must be original (no copies are needed). We recommend making copies for your records and also if student and/or parent/guardian wants a copy.
6. Do not bind, make a cover for, decorate, laminate, or otherwise alter the original paper on which the entry is written.
7. Student # on top right corner of EACH page of the entry. PLEASE DO NOT PUT NAME OF STUDENT, TEACHER, OR SCHOOL ON PAPER.
8. Entries must be accompanied by an official entry form. Entry forms must be filled out completely and signed by the student, parent, and teacher. Any entry submitted without ALL signatures will be disqualified.

Week 4 and Open House Tonight

Hello All!

This week we've finishing up our Precourse Reading Assignments and are starting to look towards the future.  

On Level was in the Learning Commons today to pick out their Independent Reading Book.  This will be a long term assignment that students should do when they finish with their other assignments and should be a book that they want to read.  They will be given the assignment they need to complete when they finish the book next week.  For now, just begin to read your book and bring it with you to class every day.

Honors started discussing Archetypes in order to prepare to read Oedipus.  They will be working on their Archetype Mini-posters over the weekend.  

Next week all classes will also be starting our Springboard assignments.

This is a reminder that I will give students extra credit for Open House if they:

1. Bring their parents to Open House
2. Have their parents attend Open House
3. Have their parents email me, just touching base.

I will not give students extra credit if they come to Open House without their parents, but I will say hi.

Open House starts at 6:30 tonight.  Students, make sure your parents have access to your schedules.  You can text them the room numbers or take a screen shot of your schedule on Student Vue.  

I hope to see you tonight!

Adjustment for Snow Days

Hello all,

With the snow days coming at a very inopportune time for our assignments, I feel that an adjustment is important to set you up for the best possible chance of success. I hope you've used your time well.

If you turn in your Precourse Reading final drafts (under the Revision 1 assignment) today, you will earn extra credit. If you turn it in by Monday before 11:59pm, it will be considered on time. I understand that some people have lost power and others don't have internet at home, and with the weather, it would be difficult to travel to a location that has internet. I made this decision to be fair to the students who did the work by the due date, as well as those in circumstances that would make completing the assignment challenging. Either way, this gives you plenty of time to have an amazing product. I'm looking forward to reading your analyses. (If you overwrite your assignment, I can only see the most recent submission, so if you resubmit after today, you will not earn extra credit.)

On Level, we will have our Socratic Seminar on Monday. Have your answers to the Socratic Seminar questions answered and be prepared to discuss. The test will be on Tuesday.

Honors, we will have our Socratic Seminar the day we return to school, whether that is Friday or Monday.  The test will be the day after, either Monday or Tuesday. Be prepared. Have the answers to your Socratic Seminar questions written and ready to go.

The Socratic Seminar questions can be found on the Resources Page.

If you have any questions, please feel free.

Week 0.5 Down!

Hello All!

It was lovely to meet you all this half week and I'm looking forward to an amazing semester with you.

Next week we'll be going over more specifically what I'm looking for in the Precourse Reading assignment, because I want all of you to earn an excellent grade on this first major assignment of the semester.  We will be working on it in class, but On Level should preread the first chapter and Honors should read the first half of Persepolis.

Next week we'll be starting our Unit 1 vocabulary (the list is already linked on the Resources Page if you want to preview it) as well as reading through Persepolis (and starting Kite Runner, Honors).  On Wednesday we'll meet in the Media Center to work on all of our electronic accounts we'll need this semester.

Next week our Errand Pass system as well as the cell phone policy will go into place.  Make sure you're familiar with the expectations on the Syllabus, including the Surveys, as well as with the other classroom procedures.

Also make sure you check the calendar for your class to see when upcoming quizzes or assignments are due.

As a head's up, in Advisement today students were given their Report Cards for last semester.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Welcome to World Literature Spring 2018!

Hello All!

I'm very excited to have you in my class at Campbell High School.

First up, let's discuss how you use this blog.

This tab is Weekly Updates.  It will just give you an overview of what we have planned in class this week.  It is used for a quick updates and head's ups.

Our updates will often refer to the Resources Page.  This is an online document that I will upload EVERYTHING for this class, including (but not limited to) important links, copies of assignments, copies of handouts, powerpoints, videos, anything we use in class.  If there is a digital version (and I do try to work in digital versions whenever possible) it will be linked on the Resources Page.  You can get to the Resources Page one of two ways.  1.  I will send the link to you in a Student/ParentVue message.  2.  You can click on the Resources Tab and follow the instructions.

The Calendar tab for your class one of the most useful places on this blog.  I use my calendar as my agenda.  It will show you all of the activities we do through out the day.  This is important because it not only shows you what is upcoming in our schedule, but is also where you will get the information you missed when you are absent.  If you have any questions about what you missed, you can email me at kimberly [do] bundschu [at] cobbk12 [dot] org or discuss it with me before or after class (not during) when you come back, however, I will expect that you first checked the calendar.  I put a lot of time into getting that information to you and appreciate it when you use it.

The names of activities should be the same on the Calendar, the Resources Page, and in Synergy to make it easy for you.

Next up, let's talk about your first assignments.  All of these assignments will be linked on the Resources Page by the first week of school.

World Lit and Honors World Lit

1. You will get a grade when you complete the Student Survey.  This is your first homework assignment.  
2. You first major assignments will be from a novel study of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and if you are in Honors, you are also responsible for The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  This includes, but is not limited to, your Precourse Reading Assignment which will be checked on day 1, and fully submitted on August 11th, as well as several small and large grades.  You will need to bring this book to class every day, either physically or electronically.  This means you will need to obtain a copy of the book, read and analyze it.
3. You will get your errand passes for your parents/guardians completing the Parent/Guardian Survey AND you complete the Student Survey.  These function as your bathroom/I need to go somewhere passes as well as turn into extra credit at the end of the semester if you don't use them.  It is very important you get your Parents/Guardians to fill out this survey.  Both of these are found on the Resources Page.

I'm looking forward to meeting you and having our class together.  See you soon!