Week 8/29-9/2

The second week of school started out with the MAP Reading Assessment given by the district. This will occur three times per year: fall, winter, and spring to assess and celebrate growth. This first assessment is the baseline score and it will be used to identify strengths and areas for growth. In Parent Portal, I have included the RIT score, percentile ranking, and the growth target for the year for each student (it is in the comment section). The GATE/Honors students averaged a RIT score of 234.9, percentile of 84%, and growth target of 4.2. Please refer to the following documents for more information: RIT to Smarter Balanced and Target Scores. 

As the week progressed, we were able to have a little more fun in class learning about digital citizenship (this is very important in our digital age). We learned a lot about digital footprints, copyright and fair use, and cyberbullying. The students should be able to share some of what they learned with you!

Monday
Interactive Notebook Setup
Writing Strategies: MD3P (Summary Expectation)

Tuesday
Writing Strategies: ICE/RACES (Constructed Response with Evidence Expectation)

Wednesday (Back to School Night 5-7 p.m.)
Writing Strategies: TREEAT (Body Paragraph Expectation)
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (10/21, 12/9, 3/10 and 6/2).

Thursday
E-Portfolio Set-Up

Friday
Depth and Complexity Icons
Argumentative Essay Guided Outline

Week 8/22-8/26

Last week was a whirlwind! It can be difficult getting back into the swing of things, but I think we did a FANTASTIC job. The students were busy this week writing, writing, and more writing (see the picture below of some students working hard on their essay). Ask them about the "wobble cushions" that we have in class-it seems like most students like them.

Back to School Night will be Wednesday, August 31 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. I am really excited to get to know each and every one of you. Please know that my door is always open to both students and parents (so is my e-mail, ha)! Grades have also been updated in Parent Portal. There are very few assignments in the gradebook, so grades can fluctuate a lot the first month.

Don't forget to get a composition book by Friday!

Monday
Reading Level Assessment (District Test)

Tuesday
Continue Reading Level Assessment (District Test)

Wednesday
AR Log Check
Digital Citizenship-Graphic Organizer and Trillion Dollar Footprint
  *Students learn that they have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on, but that they can take some control based on what they post online.

Thursday
Digital Citizenship-Graphic Organizer and Rework, Reuse, Remix
  *Students expand their understanding of fair use, apply it to case studies, and create an original work of fair use.

Friday
Composition Book Check
Cyberbullying-Graphic Organizer and Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line
  *Students learn to distinguish good-natured teasing from cyberbullying.

Week 8/15-8/19

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to English! Once again, it is time for the start of a new school year. This year holds the promise of new ideas yet to be discovered, creative outlets yet to be explored, and untapped talents yet to be developed.  Much of our learning will be project and discussion based, as it is my goal to give you opportunities for discovery, exploration, and development throughout our course of study.  Critical thinking, questioning, peer interaction, and self-evaluation skills will be consistently practiced and developed.

Monday
Teacher Work Day

Tuesday
Teacher Work Day

Wednesday
Syllabus/Parent Inventory (Due Thursday)
About Me (Due Friday)
AR Log Review 
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. There will be weekly log checks that will need to be signed (this is part of their AR grade). Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (Due Dates: 10/21, 12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). I would recommend reading right before going to bed every night. This makes it a habit, which is ultimately AR's goal (besides improving fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). This is actually what I do. Sometimes, I read only 10 minutes and other times I read for hours (I try not to do this on school nights). Literacy is very important when it comes to excelling! Check this out: Reading Improves Test Scores.

Thursday
Writing Diagnostic Article/Notes 
About Me

Friday
Writing Diagnostic Essay 

2016-2017 Syllabus