Hello, students and parents! Welcome to the course blog for Pre-IB English II!
To improve your Pre-IB English experience, please take a few minutes to carefully read the following tips for using and understanding the features of the course blog:
Staying Up To Date: It is strongly recommended that you check the blog for updates on a regular basis. Signing up to follow the blog via email will be the best and easiest option for many of you. Other options - such a following a feed - are also available in the left-hand column of the blog.
Posts (like this one): This is where you will find information on assignments, assessments, and any general changes or updates. Each post will include a descriptive title, an explanation of the work to be completed, and a due date for the assignment.
Blog Archive: This feature lets you see a full history of - and every full post in - the course blog. If you miss a few posts, it is strongly recommended that you take the time read back through the archive to ensure that you haven't missed any assignments or important news.
Gradebook: Clicking on the link on the lefthand side of the blog will take you to the most current record of each student's progress. This can be checked in lieu of speaking privately, via email, or over the phone with the instructor. To protect student confidentiality, each student will be assigned a random identification number once or twice per quarter. The password that students have been asked to find in this post is the word jelly.
Key things to keep in mind as you use the gradebook:
- Empty boxes in the gradebook represent assignments that have not yet been logged. When half a column is empty, this likely means that I have not finished recording all grades for an assignment. However, if there a just a few empty boxes, this likely means that a student has missing or late work that needs to be made up as soon as possible.
- Empty boxes in the gradebook are automatically counted as zeros. Therefore, any grade in the final righthand column of the gradeboook is NOT accurate until ALL of the boxes in a student's row have been filled. ...Unless the work is never turned in.
- Bottom line: If you see empty boxes but know you have turned in the work, you have nothing to worry about - your grade can only go up from the number in the final column. However, if you aren't certain you've turned in the work - or know that you didn't - you should check in with me outside of class time to coordinate a plan for completing your make up work.
Handouts: This section includes PDFs of files including the course syllabus, grading rubrics, graphic organizers, and other useful documents.
Links: This is where you can find links to sites containing important information on Sturgis Charter Public School, the IB, MCAS, research databases, and other key resources.
Search: This gadget - located in the upper right of the window - allows you to search for posts, handouts, and links on the course blog. This feature is especially helpful when searching for information on specific assignments.
Important note for students: Even if you are taking the same course, do not assume that you and your friends should be checking the same blog! While the blogs for many classes look similar and have similar addresses, course content and assignments will vary teacher-to-teacher. When checking the blog for handouts, assignments, or grades, please ensure that you are viewing the correct site by looking for the appropriate course name at the top of the page and the correct teacher name under the "About Me" section.
Now that you've finished reading this post, please take another few minutes to explore and begin to take advantage of the various links and features of the blog.
