Reading Assignments

This week in English, both classes are reading literature.  Ninth grade is reading either The Red Badge of Courage or Iron Thunder.  Both are Civil War books dealing with similar themes.  The ninth grade classes are having vocabulary quizzes on Tuesday, covering words from the first few chapters of their books.  Ninth graders will also have a Root Word quiz on Thursday, covering all 15 roots.

Tenth graders are halfway through Animal Farm. They will need to be prepared for both a vocabulary quiz and a comprehension quiz next week.  Both classes will complete their January book report in class this Thursday, Jan. 28.   We are reading four books in four months and will have a one page assessment on each book.  This will count as a test grade.  The books should be appropriately challenging for the students.  If any student needs help selecting their February book, I will be happy to help.  Keep reading!

Starting New Books

In all classes we are preparing to start reading new books.  Tenth graders will read Animal Farm and are preparing by researching different revolutions.  They will present their information to the class this week.  Ninth graders are reading either Iron Will or The Red Badge of Courage.  They are preparing by sharing their knowledge of the Civil War and their opinions about war at this point.  We will compare after finishing the books and see if they have shifted opinions on any of the topics.  Along with reading the books, there will be some writing assignments and some other texts we will read, poems, articles, fables, etc.  This will provide a broad base of knowledge and topics covering the same theme.  

At the end of these reading projects, there will be presentations where we will invite families and younger grades to attend.  More information on this in the weeks to come.  

Have a great week!

Welcome Back

We started the new semester today, welcoming three new freshmen, with one more coming later this week!  In English class, we got a chance to share some of our experiences in writing by writing a Top Ten list.  Each of those entries on the list then became a possible topic to use for further writing.  Today we wrote to express and reflect, as well as to analyze and interpret.  As the week progresses, we will prepare to read books in both grades.  Ninth graders will be reading Civil War books in book club format, and tenth graders will be reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.  In preparation for reading these books, we will talk about allegories in tenth grade and symbolism in both classes.  We will choose vocabulary words from each book to enhance the reading experience.  Both of these reading selections will be accompanied by writing tasks.  We hope to have a display to share with the middle school students and parents.  Be on the lookout for an invitation to see the finished products.

Please start the semester off strong by organizing after-school time so that students have enough sleep and enough time to do quality work at home.  It makes a difference!

Have a great week!  Please contact me via email with any questions.  jstockard@oasisacademyfallon.us

Almost to the Break

We are almost there!  We have finals this week and Spirit week at OACP.  English finals are Monday and Tuesday.  Students are allowed to use their notes on this final, but a time limit of the class period is enforced.  Students should be really familiar with what notes they have so they can work quickly enough to get the test completed in the allotted time.  I will try to get them graded as soon as possible and get grades updated.

Reading log homework is still assigned this week, but independent reading is totally optional over the break.  We will start up again in January.

This is a fun week and an important week.  Let's finish the semester strong!  Have a great week and enjoy your winter break.

Finals and Spirit Week and Christmas, Oh my!

Welcome to a very busy week at OACP!  We are preparing for finals, we have Winter Spirit Week next week, and then Christmas break.  There is a lot of excitement about the upcoming events (maybe not so much about the finals...).  English finals for all classes take place next week, December 14 and 15 during normal class times.

In ninth grade we are reading The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry.  We are focusing on irony as well as finding the theme and other literary elements.  We are also using active reading strategies by annotating the text as we read.  The 9A class is writing a research paper on the college of their choice.  The conversations that are happening in that class are really exciting!  This is getting them thinking and learning and planning for the future.  Hopefully they are learning valuable information as they complete this project.

The tenth graders are finishing up reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  Most students are familiar with the story line of this classic, but the students are now discovering the descriptive writing style of Dickens as well.  They also wrote a response paper to a research article entitled "Are Experiences More Valuable Than Possessions?"  To prepare to read this book, each student researched one aspect of background information about the author, his works, this book and its impact.  This information was presented to the class before Thanksgiving.  This book will be covered on the final exam next week as well.

It is a busy time for students for sure!  Encourage home reading (many students are letting this slide) and be prepared for the remaining assignments.  Keep working hard - a break is right around the corner!

Tests and Research

Welcome to a very short school week.  In ninth grade, we are taking a test on  our latest short story, "The Most Dangerous Game."  We are focusing on literary devices and elements of plot as they relate to this story, as well as vocabulary.  We have had some good discussion with this story.  We will read another short story after Thanksgiving, as well as do some writing.

In tenth grade, we will read the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" starting the Monday we come back from Thanksgiving break.  To prepare for that, each group is researching a topic and presenting their findings in oral presentations to the class on Tuesday.  This will help build background knowledge as well as give students a chance to research, write a speech, present orally, and listen to learn information.  I am excited to hear their presentations!

When we come back from Thanksgiving break, we will hit the ground running in all classes with books to read and papers to write.  We will have just three weeks left of the semester, so please encourage your student to keep working and not get into vacation mode too early, these are important weeks ahead!

Enjoy your holiday.  I am thankful to work with your students!

Wrapping Up Assignments

This week in all classes we are wrapping our current assignments up so we are ready to start reading new books right after Thanksgiving.  These books will be completed in three weeks, and will be covered on the final that students will take before the end of the quarter.

Ninth graders are finishing the short story "The Most Dangerous Game."  We have studied internal and external conflict in literature and ways to build suspense.  We learned some new vocabulary words, as well as learned the plot of the story.  We will take a test on this short story in the short week before Thanksgiving break.   After the break, ninth graders will be reading one of three Civil war novels.

Tenth graders are turning in an expressive and reflective writing piece called My Favorite Mistake.  They have used mentor texts and peer review to help guide their revisions.  We will talk about showing rather than telling and find instances of showing in their writing.  We will then begin a short group research project to build background knowledge before reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Have a great week!