Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Foster Unit

We are finally on our way with Foster!

Copies of the following documents may be found in the Handouts section of the blog:

  • Unit Reading Schedule
  • Instructions for Personal and Class Notes
  • Study Guide Contribution Schedule

Students have been emailed invitations to the following Google Docs:

  • Study Guides for the first three chapters we are covering
  • Quest chapter assignment
  • Group assignments

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Unit 2 Vocab Homework and Quiz

The Completing the Sentence, Antonyms, and Synonyms exercises for Unit 2 of the Vocabulary Workshop are due on:

Block C: Tuesday, Sept. 28
Blocks B and G: Wednesday, Sept. 29
Block F: Thursday, Sept. 30

The Vocabulary Quiz for Unit 2 will occur on:

Blocks B, C and G: Thursday, Sept. 30
Block F: Friday, Oct. 1

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Writing Workshop

Students: You must review your essay and highlight 3 sentences that you are willing to share and work on during an in-class writing workshop. The sentences should be ones that you have questions about, or that you are unsure of how to correct or refine. You must also bring in a red pen (listed as one of the required course materials).

Blocks G, B and C: Wednesday, Sept, 22.

Block F: Friday, Sept. 24.

Check Your Grades!

The Gradebook for all blocks is up and running, and may be accessed by clicking the link at the top of the right-hand column of the blog. Grades are organized first by class block and then by student ID number.

Students are responsible for keeping track of both their confidential ID number and their grades. Student ID numbers have been distributed along with feedback on the summer reading essays.

A few notes:

1)  Incomplete work will be marked with a zero. Work missing due to extenuating circumstances will be marked with a blank cell. Blank cells are automatically counted as zeros until filled. This will be reflected in the Total Points column of the Gradebook. Please speak with me privately before or after class - or via email - if you have any questions.

2) All students must check the Parent Email column in the Gradebook. If you have a zero for this assignment, then I do not have your email address. Without your email address, I cannot give you access to the Google Doc that we will be using to complete the first assignment for the Foster unit, for which you will then not be able to receive credit. If you have a zero in the Parent Email column of the Gradebook, you must immediately email me from a Google Doc enabled address to avoid further penalties. My email address can be found in the header of the Course Syllabus (which you should have in hard copy, but is also available in the Handouts section of the blog).

Monday, September 20, 2010

TED Film Response

In class, we watched author Chimamanda Adichie speak on "The Danger of the Single Story". You may view - or rewatch - the film by clicking on the title to this post.

Your response to the film - which should be between two paragraphs and two pages in length - will be checked on:

Blocks B, C and G: Tuesday, Sept. 21
Block F: Wednesday, Sept. 22

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Unit 1 Vocab Quiz Dates

Students will be taking their Unit One Vocabulary Quiz on the following dates:

ALL Blocks: Tuesday, Sept. 21 or - if class is disrupted by the the health assembly - Wednesday, Sept. 22.

In other words, all students should prepare to take the quiz on Tuesday!

Homework: Vocabulary Exercises and Note Organizers

The following exercises in the workbook must be completed as homework:

  • Completing the Sentence
  • Synonyms
  • Antonyms

Blocks B and C: Due Thursday, Sept. 16
Blocks F and G: Due Friday, Sept. 17
________________________________________________

Please also note that students will be held accountable for making up all work missed in class this week. I will be checking ALL note organizers from this unit. This includes the:

  • Cornell Method and Double Entry Journal templates
  • Making Meaning Protocol
  • Summarize This template

Block C: Due Friday, Sept. 17.
Blocks F, G, and B: Due Monday, Sept. 20.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Homework: Close Reading Coetzee Chapter One

1) Reread Coetzee's Chapter One.

2) Complete either the Cornell Method graphic organizer or the Double Entry Journal in detail.

4) Write at least one bullet point explaining how you might change your notes to fit into and make the best possible use of each section of the organizer that you did not fill out for Step 2.

Blocks B, C, and G: Due Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Block F: Due Wednesday, Sept. 15.

P.S. Don't forget to bring your vocab workbook into class each day this week!

Money for Vocab Workbooks and PSAT Prep

Students are strongly encouraged to purchase their vocabulary workbooks for $10.

Students who do so may write in the workbook when completing exercises, and may keep the workbook at the end of the year. Students who choose not to purchase the workbook must complete all work on separate paper, and may not keep the workbook at the end of the year.

Students are also strongly encouraged to prepare for and take the PSAT this year, for which they will need $15.

The PSAT is a prime opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the SAT format, and to get an idea of how they might score when taking the SAT for college applications. Students who perform well on the PSAT may be invited to participate in advanced enrichment programs, or even offered scholarship opportunities.

Both $10 for the vocab workbook and the $15 for the PSAT are due to Miss Derby by Friday, Sept. 17. Both cash and checks will be accepted. All checks should be written separately to Sturgis. If paying in cash, no twenties will be accepted.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Vocabulary and Note Taking Unit

On Monday, Sept. 13, all blocks will begin an introductory unit to vocabulary and note taking.

Clicking on the title to this post will take you to a schedule for the unit, including homework assignments. Each "day" of the schedule represents one class period.

Links to other handouts for the unit - including graphic organizers and techniques for studying vocabulary - may be found in the Handouts section of the blog.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Parent Contact Information

Students:
Please email the name, email address, and phone number of at least one parent or guardian to Miss Derby (email address on syllabus) by the end of the day on Friday.


Requirements:
* Use either your Gmail address or the address under which you signed up for Google Docs access.
* Include the letter of your English class block in the subject line of your email (ex. "Block B Contact Info").

Monday, September 6, 2010

Summer Reading Exam

There will be a combined assessment of both the required and choice texts from the summer reading list.

Throughout the week, students will participate in an in-class workshop on how to develop a thesis and an outline for a comparative paper. On the exam date below, students must use the thesis and outline that they have created as the basis for an in-class essay.

Students are strongly encouraged to hone and review their outlines at home prior to their exam date. Please note, however, that students may neither pre-write nor plagiarize any part of their paper. To ensure against either behavior, I will review all outlines during the examination period and require students to turn their outlines in along with their essays.

Exam Dates: 

Block F - Thursday, Sept. 9

Block G, Block B, and Block C - Friday, Sept. 10

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Important Note on Blog Use

If you wish to receive email notification of all posts made to this blog, you may choose to 'subscribe' or 'follow' the blog. Widgets for each function can be found in the right-hand column of the blog.

Students are encouraged to sign up for a free Google account to facilitate both this process and the use of Google Docs throughout the year.

School Cancelation and Homework #2

Dear parents and students, please note that Sturgis Charter Public School will be closed on Friday, September 3 due to the probability of heavy rain and the need to prepare for the arrival of a hurricane or strong tropical storm. School will resume on Tuesday, September 7 on a Day 2 schedule.

Students who have not yet completed their summer reading should use the extra time this weekend to do so. Those who have finished their summer reading should take some time over the course of the weekend to refresh their memories on the content of the works read.

Block B, Block C, Block F: Bring Homework #1 and both the required and choice summer reading texts into class on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Block G: We will cover remaining logistics on Tuesday. Bring Homework #1 and both the required and choice summer reading texts into class on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Homework #1

What is the difference between a comparative essay and comparative literature?

Please take 5 minutes to research both of the underlined terms online. Using 2-3 sources, create and bring your own definition into class.

Block B, Block C, Block F: Due Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Block G: Due Wednesday, Sept. 8.