Last Week: Term 1

Welcome to the last week of Term 1.  More importantly, welcome to the last week of October!  This takes us from two full months of 5-day-school-weeks to the holiday season, something I look forward to with great happiness every year.  I know, I know, 1st World problems!  Anyway, this week will take us into an irregular schedule, so here we go:

In English 11 we've been working on The Canterbury Tales: Prologue, so we finished a large study guide over all of these crazy characters, then we wrote a descriptive paragraph full of sensory imagery, imagining what it would be like to hang out at the Tabard Inn in 1346 when these strange people walked through the door.  This coming week we'll read a couple of the tales, and then we'll test over this unit on Thursday.

In English 9 we finished the Flowers for Algernon unit, completing tests and analytical essays.  The paper was tough, but for the most part they worked hard on it.  We're now finishing the movie I Am Sam and comparing its themes to those within the book.  Monday we'll complete the movie, and then it's off to Shakespeare!  I love my Romeo and Juliet unit, since I went to a workshop a couple of years ago in Stratford, Ontario at the Shakespeare Festival, and they gave me all sorts of fabulous ideas that really make this a fun experience!

Speaking of Romeo and Juliet, on Tuesday I'll be away from the classroom as we take 100 English 9 students to Wayne State University's Hilberry Theater to see the play.  Last year I took English 11 students to see Macbeth which was a fabulous production, so I have high hopes for this day.  We'll catch McDonald's on the way back, then put them on the busses to go home.  If your student is going, please remind them to make sure they make up all work missed in their other classes, to bring money for lunch or a bag lunch, and to not bring backpacks on the trip.  I will have a substitute teacher for my English 11 classes and I have confidence that they will be in good hands.

Friday - very important:  no school for students!  The teachers have a professional development day, but the students get Halloween off!  What a gift!  I hope everyone behaves. 

The week after this is parent/teacher conferences.  I believe the high school has their's on Wednesday, November 5th, from 12:00 to 7:00.  Please check the district website, and I hope to see everyone there.

I'm wishing everyone has a great week!


Last Week: Term 1 by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.