I don’t want to totally spoil the surprise for sixth and eighth periods, but today I assigned a research project to second period and I want to make sure parents are aware of the assignment and the timelines we will be working with.
Each student will be doing a little research of magazines and choosing a magazine he/she would like to write an article for. I have attached the assignment sheet so you can see what is expected. Each student is an expert at something – it could be that he/she is great at snowboarding, or sewing. Perhaps he/she moved around a lot as a child and has learned to adapt to new surroundings. Whatever the experience/skill, what this assignment requires is that the student takes his/her skill or experience, do some research and then write an article for a magazine audience. Whether or not the student actually submits the article is irrelevant. (I have had several middle school students get published in local and national magazines before, though, so it is worth a try). If you have questions or concerns, please let me know.
This is the research timeline:
Jan 8/11 – students will be in media center to do research of magazines. Ms. Miles will help with finding magazines on line and so on.
Jan 12/13 – Pre-write is due (25 points)
Jan 14/15 – research Alphabet Notes are due (25 points)
Jan 22/25 – peer review in class (50 points for preparation and participation)
Final assignment due by 3:00 Jan 28/29
This will mainly be homework, but I am always available to clarify or help.
We will be starting The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on January 20th. Students should have their copy in class for credit at that time. We will work on Huck Finn, a Portfolio Assignment and the Very Last Commonplace Book (90% in class again).
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sophomore English
Those students who turned in a research paper got their projects back today (1/6). Most were evaluated by two honors students who were grateful for the opportunity to give feedback an learn from the experience. The sophomores evaluated the feedback they received as well. If your student had more than 5 typos or grammatical errors of any kind, they received a zero and the chance to fix it.
Here is how it will work: Students can just clean up the errors and give me the edited version by Tuesday, January 12 and I will give them the higher score of the two evaluators. Or, they can use the feedback and do a rewrite and try for 200 points instead. Ask your student what their plan is. Normally, I would expect the rewrites back by Friday, but I will be out of the building on Friday. Therefore, I will expect the new version stapled to the old version in my basket by 3:00 on Tuesday.
Today, we decided what we will be studying for the rest of the year. After talking to first and fourth periods, they decided to study Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar; Dante’s Inferno (four of the 34 chapters of this classic, plus some background knowledge about the times of Dante), Dandelion Wine, (a book by Ray Bradbury based on his childhood experiences), and Animal Farm, (a historically significant novel about the evils of communism and its rise in the Soviet Union). So, that is a basic outline as we go on towards June.
Here is how it will work: Students can just clean up the errors and give me the edited version by Tuesday, January 12 and I will give them the higher score of the two evaluators. Or, they can use the feedback and do a rewrite and try for 200 points instead. Ask your student what their plan is. Normally, I would expect the rewrites back by Friday, but I will be out of the building on Friday. Therefore, I will expect the new version stapled to the old version in my basket by 3:00 on Tuesday.
Today, we decided what we will be studying for the rest of the year. After talking to first and fourth periods, they decided to study Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar; Dante’s Inferno (four of the 34 chapters of this classic, plus some background knowledge about the times of Dante), Dandelion Wine, (a book by Ray Bradbury based on his childhood experiences), and Animal Farm, (a historically significant novel about the evils of communism and its rise in the Soviet Union). So, that is a basic outline as we go on towards June.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Junior Honors
Today second period started work on the Commonplace Book. There are several handouts that go along with the assignment, so if your student was not here, he/she needs to come see me right away.
Here’s the time line for this:
Dec 1 &2, assignment given, time in class to get started
Dec 3&4, time in library to work as groups to identify literary devices and find examples of them
Dec 7&8, time in English writing lab to work on literary devices and poetry
If time is used well on those days, more time in class will be given. I will be out of the building for training at the District Offices December 7th and 8th and the substitute will monitor class progress.
11th and 14th of December, presentations on the Commonplace Books are due
15th and 16th of December, groups will present on different poems from the packet
17th and 18th of December, the Commonplace Books are due in class
21st and 22nd of December, the big test on all of the Commonplace Book terms. This is the only “regular” test I give. Students will know what is on the test and be given a chance to study for it.
Just a reminder that your student will need a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by January 12th. We will also be reading The Great Gatsby beginning in March. I don’t care if the book is used or new, but the student needs to be able to mark the book up in order to benefit the most from the reading experience.
Here’s the time line for this:
Dec 1 &2, assignment given, time in class to get started
Dec 3&4, time in library to work as groups to identify literary devices and find examples of them
Dec 7&8, time in English writing lab to work on literary devices and poetry
If time is used well on those days, more time in class will be given. I will be out of the building for training at the District Offices December 7th and 8th and the substitute will monitor class progress.
11th and 14th of December, presentations on the Commonplace Books are due
15th and 16th of December, groups will present on different poems from the packet
17th and 18th of December, the Commonplace Books are due in class
21st and 22nd of December, the big test on all of the Commonplace Book terms. This is the only “regular” test I give. Students will know what is on the test and be given a chance to study for it.
Just a reminder that your student will need a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by January 12th. We will also be reading The Great Gatsby beginning in March. I don’t care if the book is used or new, but the student needs to be able to mark the book up in order to benefit the most from the reading experience.
The Sophomore Research Paper
Students are being assigned the research paper today in class. Basically, what it boils down to is this: Students are to find a social problem of some kind and research it. Since some topics are a little controversial, a parent needs to okay a topic by Thursday. Your student should have a signature on the cover page by then and it is worth points. We will then go down to the library and learn about citations and research.
Here’s the timeline:
3 December, topic is chosen, students will be taken to the media center to research
7 December, students will betaken to the English writing lab to research and write. I will not be here as I am expected to spend the day in training at the district offices. Depending on their behavior, they will be given more time after I am back. I will assume that if they use this time wisely, they need more time to write and research.
15 December, in-class peer review. The paper should be typed, double-spaced in traditional font and with citations and a bibliography. The paper should be about 6 pages long.
21 December, the paper is due. No papers will be accepted after December 22, since I do not want any student working on anything for my class over the break.
In addition to the research paper, which will take some time at home or after school here in the library, we will be working on test-taking skills and brushing up on writing.
Part of the expectation of this research paper is that students will find a problem that they can help solve. Each student is really a force that can make this world better. It is my hope that students will realize that one person can make an incredible difference in the world, and that they will find something they want to change for the better.
Here’s the timeline:
3 December, topic is chosen, students will be taken to the media center to research
7 December, students will betaken to the English writing lab to research and write. I will not be here as I am expected to spend the day in training at the district offices. Depending on their behavior, they will be given more time after I am back. I will assume that if they use this time wisely, they need more time to write and research.
15 December, in-class peer review. The paper should be typed, double-spaced in traditional font and with citations and a bibliography. The paper should be about 6 pages long.
21 December, the paper is due. No papers will be accepted after December 22, since I do not want any student working on anything for my class over the break.
In addition to the research paper, which will take some time at home or after school here in the library, we will be working on test-taking skills and brushing up on writing.
Part of the expectation of this research paper is that students will find a problem that they can help solve. Each student is really a force that can make this world better. It is my hope that students will realize that one person can make an incredible difference in the world, and that they will find something they want to change for the better.
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