Welcome back from Spring Break! The fourth quarter started today and with all classes, we got a little jump on our work before the break, so we came back to projects already in progress. Tenth graders are working on a Revolution project to prepare them for reading Animal Farm. Each group has chosen a revolution that occurred outside the US from 1750-1950. We brainstormed for questions and each group is researching for information about their revolution. We will see after we present if we can make some generalizations about revolutions from this and if what we learn holds true as we read the book. Tenth graders have a book report in class on Wednesday and then will present their findings to their classmates on Thursday.
Ninth graders are working on their Life Lessons project, where they read a book, interviewed someone (many of them chose a graduating senior), and then are adding their own life experiences to share what they've learned as high schoolers. They will share these with the middle school students next week, and we are also doing a parent presentation next week and hope you can join us. It will be Wednesday, April 5, during normal class times. Once we have our rough draft presentations, we may need to go to extend this into Thursday to get everyone's project shared. The life lessons they are sharing is really impressive, so hopefully you can attend to see the projects first hand.
Have a great week!
Monday, March 27, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Final Week of the Quarter
The final week of the quarter is always a busy time. In tenth grade students turned in their research papers and spent class time today "drawing" both sides of their bill to present to the class and then called for a vote. Hopefully we can follow these bills as they progress through the legislature this session. The research papers were a great learning experience and hopefully all students improved throughout this process. This week tenth graders will start researching a revolution that has taken place somewhere in the world between 1750-1950. We will try to learn common features of these revolutions before reading Animal Farm, by George Orwell. This is a short book and will be read mostly independently. Students should be able to monitor their own comprehension and should be prepared for quizzed each day that reading is assigned.
Ninth graders read a whole book lst week, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. After reading The Red Badge of Courage, it was time to shift gears to something more readable and relatable. We are using this as one element of a Life Lessons project. The date and time are not set yet, but please join us in the week of April 3 for a presentation. Specifics to be announced as it gets closer. This week, ninth graders are working on their project. They will interview a graduating senior and have written interview questions to ask to draw out some deep conversation. We will also try video recording the interviews, so possibly we can embed a clip of the file in the presentation. It will be a good technology lesson for all of us! The book, the Last Lecture, is a quick and inspiring read. If you want to borrow a copy, your student can check out a book over Spring break for you to read. Please consider reading it with us!
Have a great week!
Ninth graders read a whole book lst week, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. After reading The Red Badge of Courage, it was time to shift gears to something more readable and relatable. We are using this as one element of a Life Lessons project. The date and time are not set yet, but please join us in the week of April 3 for a presentation. Specifics to be announced as it gets closer. This week, ninth graders are working on their project. They will interview a graduating senior and have written interview questions to ask to draw out some deep conversation. We will also try video recording the interviews, so possibly we can embed a clip of the file in the presentation. It will be a good technology lesson for all of us! The book, the Last Lecture, is a quick and inspiring read. If you want to borrow a copy, your student can check out a book over Spring break for you to read. Please consider reading it with us!
Have a great week!
Monday, March 6, 2017
Third Quarter Projects
We are nearing the end of the third quarter, which means important learning and assignments are taking place in all classes. Ninth graders have finished The Red Badge of Courage and Civil War literature unit. They presented their symbolism dioramas last week which will be on display in the waiting area of the school until Spring Break. Ninth graders are starting a "Life Lessons" project where they will read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, then think and write about their own lessons learned, especially this year as a high school student. They will then interview a graduating senior to ask about what he or she has learned in four years of high school. The ninth graders will compile all of this and prepare to share it with middle school students after spring break. It is a lot of ground to cover, so we are reading the entire book this week. The book is a quick read, well worth the time and it might bring up some deep conversations in your home, so I recommend parents read this one as well.
Tenth graders are in the final revision stages of their research paper. They have worked hard and learned about the state legislative process as well as how to find quality, non-biased sources. They will spend significant time revising their papers this week, along with completing a few peer critiques, which helps the writer, but it really helps the student critiquing the work. These papers will be turned in for two classes and assess on different aspects of their writing. It will be a third quarter grade, so time spent on revising this writing assignment is a good investment.
Tenth graders are in the final revision stages of their research paper. They have worked hard and learned about the state legislative process as well as how to find quality, non-biased sources. They will spend significant time revising their papers this week, along with completing a few peer critiques, which helps the writer, but it really helps the student critiquing the work. These papers will be turned in for two classes and assess on different aspects of their writing. It will be a third quarter grade, so time spent on revising this writing assignment is a good investment.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Projects!
This is a busy week! With tenth graders taking the PSAT on Tuesday, ninth graders will get extra time to complete their English projects and will get to combine to present them to both classes. Both ninth grade classes will meet to share playlists, cover art, and dioramas showing symbolism from The Red Badge of Courage. All of this will help students prepare for their end of the book test on Thursday. Students may use their notes but no book on the test.
Tenth graders are working on a research paper in Government about a bill that is being introduced in this legislative session. This assignment is helping students research a current topic and find quality sources. Mr. Martin has helped students understand the issues addressed in their bill and we spend time in English reading and synthesizing that information. We have spent time preparing for this major assignment by using IXL to learn important research writing skills. Students should be applying these skills currently in their writing. If you have not asked your tenth grader about his or her bill, you definitely should!
Tenth graders are working on a research paper in Government about a bill that is being introduced in this legislative session. This assignment is helping students research a current topic and find quality sources. Mr. Martin has helped students understand the issues addressed in their bill and we spend time in English reading and synthesizing that information. We have spent time preparing for this major assignment by using IXL to learn important research writing skills. Students should be applying these skills currently in their writing. If you have not asked your tenth grader about his or her bill, you definitely should!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Short Week with Projects
Monday holidays make for a very short week for us. We started the week off with vocabulary quizzes, which we always have on Tuesdays. Despite the warnings of a quiz after a Monday holiday, the quizzes caught many students in a less than prepared state. Ninth graders are finishing the Red Badge of Courage this week. They will have an individual playlist project, complete with album cover art. They will also have a group project to build a scene from the book, including a symbol as represented in the book. We will have a presentation of these projects next week in a combined ninth grade event. We will also have a test on this book next week, probably Thursday, March 2.
Tenth graders are starting a research paper that will include both Government and English content. This means that students will write one paper that will be major grades in two classes. We have been preparing by learning about audience, tone and purpose. We also have learned how to write quality thesis statement and practiced ordering information from broad to narrow. Of course we have covered how to avoid plagiarism. Because they will work in both classes, we have a tight timeline with the outline due on Monday Feb. 27. Also, a reminder that tenth graders will take the PSAT exam next Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Tenth graders are starting a research paper that will include both Government and English content. This means that students will write one paper that will be major grades in two classes. We have been preparing by learning about audience, tone and purpose. We also have learned how to write quality thesis statement and practiced ordering information from broad to narrow. Of course we have covered how to avoid plagiarism. Because they will work in both classes, we have a tight timeline with the outline due on Monday Feb. 27. Also, a reminder that tenth graders will take the PSAT exam next Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Reading and Test Prep
Ninth graders turned in a Strong similarity paper today, comparing a idea from a Walt Whitman poem with an idea from The Red Badge of Courage. They shared ideas today and I was impressed with their depth of thought and analysis. This week, they will have a lot of reading as we plan to finish the Red Badge of Courage by Thursday. Keeping this pace will mean some will be assigned for homework, but we will have it finished by the long weekend. Ninth graders also made our last vocab organizer with just ten words for the next quiz, Tuesday 2/21. This should be a slam dunk, since they know the words and have over a week to prepare. If you are at the school,come check out the character analysis Bio Poems hanging outside the classroom. They are really fun to read.
Tenth graders are finishing an Anton Chekhov short story unit. They have read and discussed some interesting short stories. These stories don't have traditional endings, so they have been somewhat unsatisfying to some students, but the conversations we have had as we analyze and interpret the stories have been deep and interesting. We will take a comprehension quiz this week on Chekhov's stories, then we will do a little test prep for the PSAT that students will take at the end of this month. It may not be the most exciting way to spend our class time, but because this is a National Merit Scholarship qualifying test, it could be a very profitable way to spend two days this week!
Have a great week!
Tenth graders are finishing an Anton Chekhov short story unit. They have read and discussed some interesting short stories. These stories don't have traditional endings, so they have been somewhat unsatisfying to some students, but the conversations we have had as we analyze and interpret the stories have been deep and interesting. We will take a comprehension quiz this week on Chekhov's stories, then we will do a little test prep for the PSAT that students will take at the end of this month. It may not be the most exciting way to spend our class time, but because this is a National Merit Scholarship qualifying test, it could be a very profitable way to spend two days this week!
Have a great week!
Monday, February 6, 2017
Reading Assignments
Here's what's ahead in our week in English class. Ninth graders are continuing on in The Red Badge of Courage, focusing on Figurative language. They are also learning about symbolism in literature and learning strategies for identifying symbolism when they encounter it as they read. They will learn about other figurative language, such as allusions and euphemisms, with practice coming through IXL standards.
Tenth graders are learning about the Russian author Anton Chekhov and his unique approach to endings in fiction writing. We will learn three types of endings used by Chekhov, reading a short story with an example. We will also start learning some research writing skills for an upcoming research paper. We have focused heavily on the reading knowing that we would shift to writing soon. Tenth graders will have IXL standards due for homework this week in conjunction with that.
All students have a book report on March 8. This should be on a self-selected book at their independent reading level that they are reading at school and at home. Have a great week!
Tenth graders are learning about the Russian author Anton Chekhov and his unique approach to endings in fiction writing. We will learn three types of endings used by Chekhov, reading a short story with an example. We will also start learning some research writing skills for an upcoming research paper. We have focused heavily on the reading knowing that we would shift to writing soon. Tenth graders will have IXL standards due for homework this week in conjunction with that.
All students have a book report on March 8. This should be on a self-selected book at their independent reading level that they are reading at school and at home. Have a great week!
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