Homecoming 2016 Is In The Books!

What a fun, crazy, wild week it was!  It's always a challenge to blend the Homecoming madness with the academic world, but we did it!  When working with freshmen, Homecoming always feels like an indoctrination into the high school world, and I think my students did a great job.  I hope that they liked what they experienced, and that a fun time was had by all.

In the meantime, the weather has now cooled to a very seasonable fall temperature, meaning warmer clothes and yummy foods made from the bounty of the harvest.  My family managed to fit in about an hour of picking time on Saturday morning at a local apple orchard:

We've already made applesauce and I'm looking forward to pies, crisps, and just plain old eating of all the apples we brought home.

I have also managed to get in some grading time this weekend, including the Type 3's I still had left of the original writings, and I moved on to grading the Type 2's which are a single paragraph with very specific requirements for writing about literature.  I've got two of the classes done on those and I'll try for more today.

So here's what's coming up this week in English 9:

• Monday, 9/26 - we're writing a 3-paragraph mid-unit assessment (a Type 3, which means one self-edited draft).  Last week we planned it out and organized it; Monday they have time to either hand write it or type it - their choice.  It is due Tuesday when they walk through the door.
• Tuesday, 9/27 - Tuesdays with Teachers after school - we'll do the read-aloud of the essays and turn them in; we'll do a PSAT annotation activity; our first Type One of the week will happen; we'll read Stage 4 in "St. Lucy's" and annotate it; we'll work on the study guide.
• Wednesday, 9/28 - Academic Advisory - Preposition Packet #2 - helping verbs; check in homework; discussion of Stage 4
• Thursday, 9/29 - Activity Advisory - Preposition Packet #2 - infinitives; read Stage 5 of "St. Lucy's" and annotate; a Type One; finish the study guide
• Friday, 9/30 - Preposition Packet #2 - imperative sentences; a Type One - turn in for the week; finish the discussion of St. Lucy's - objective and written assessments next week.

As always, as things change I will update the calendar on my web page.  If you need me, you know how to find me.  Enjoy this beautiful Sunday! Ciao!

 
Homecoming 2016 in In The Books! byLaura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at laurastubbs.blogspot.com

Buona Notte.  I'm writing this as I watch football, having just finished a football Saturday homemade meal of carnitas and Texas trash dip.  I love Saturdays, especially in the fall!  Since Michigan seems to have Colorado well in hand, I decided to get a little work done.

It's been a busy week...and a chaotic one.  Every plan I made seemed to change as it became apparent quickly that I needed to slow things down to make sure my students understood my expectations and how to meet them.  So I changed the calendar every day, just in case anyone was counting on it.  What we finally accomplished was to gain access to Google Classroom on my Chromebooks (beautiful because they can access the assignments and documents from home), and an understanding of what I expect for a well written paragraph with quotes.  It took us three days, at least, but I think we did it.  Students were also introduced to how we do advisory days at the high school - Wednesdays and Thursdays - so we've gotten that accomplished as well.  Of course, this week will be different from last because it's Homecoming, so hopefully they'll retain the pattern for the week after. 

So here's what's coming up this week:

• Monday - Assembly at the end of the day, freshmen wear white for spirit week - we'll work on annotating text, check in and discuss this weekend's homework, and do a Type 1.
• Tuesday - students dress up as twins and take a selfie - we'll finish Preposition Packet #1 and turn it in, do a Type 1, read Stage 3 and annotate it, and do the study guide.
• Wednesday - pajama day, assembly at the end of the day - we'll start Preposition Packet #2, check in and discuss the homework, do a Type 1, and prewrite for the mid-unit assessment.
• Thursday - animal print/camo day, advisory schedule - we will work on writing the mid-unit assessment.
• Friday - blue and gold day, assembly at the end of the day - we'll do a Type 1 and turn them in for the week, work on prepositions, and then we'll finish the mid-unit assessment.

As always, as things change, I'll update the online calendar.  I hope everyone has a good week.  If you go to the game on Friday and see me, make sure you say, "Hi!" I'd love to see you!  Ciao!

We're Off to a Good Start

Buongiorno! Week one is in the books!  We're off to a good start, and believe it or not, I have several assignments in the grade book.  Most of them are just practice (or participation points, if you prefer), but the first writing assignment is listed there and I'm working on grading this weekend.  We accomplished a lot, and we trained a lot.  Seats are assigned, I showed them how I like to do Type 1 and Type 3 writings, and I showed them that I mean it when I assign homework by checking in that they attempted it before we went over it.  They are in that transition period from middle school to high school, so we had to have conversations about time management and meeting deadlines; some of them are struggling a bit, but they will get there.

For those who are unfamiliar with Collins Writing and the whole Type 1,2,3 thing, be aware that we train your students so that they get it.  They'll also do it in every class and every subject, so they learn quickly.  I am working on creating a pamphlet to hand them, but for parent/guardian benefit, here's a really basic breakdown:

1.) Type 1 Writing - it's like journaling - there's no right answer and they get points just for 
      participating.
2.) Type 2 Writing - there are right answers and it's like a quiz.
3.) Type 3, 4, 5 Writing - these have FCA's (Focus Correction Areas) that tell the student exactly
      what he/she will be graded on.  I think of them as drafts - Rough Draft, Final Copy, Perfect and
      Publishable Copy.  I rarely get to a Type 5 writing.

So here is what is coming up this week:

• Monday, 9/12 - a type 1; annotation training; begin working on literary terms; read Stage 1 in "St. Lucy's"; HOMEWORK - finish the vocab. packet, do ques. 3-7 in the study guide
• Tuesday, 9/13 - begin a preposition unit; check in homework and go over it; Google Classroom on Chromebooks - Type 2 for Stage 1
• Wednesday, 9/14 - Academic Advisory Day, so shortened hours - prepositions; a type 1; read Stage 2 in "St. Lucy's"; HOMEWORK - do ques. 8-13 in the study guide
• Thursday, 9/15 - Activity Advisory Day with shortened hours - prepositions; check in and go over homework; Google Classroom on Chromebooks - Type 2 for Stage 2
• Friday, 9/16 - a type 1 - turn them in for the week; read Stage 3 of "St. Lucy's" and work on ques. 14-17 of the study guide; HOMEWORK - whatever did not get finished needs to be finished.

That's the plan.  When things change, I adjust them on the calendar online.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Ciao!

Welcome to the 2016/2017 School Year!

Welcome!  Can you believe summer flew by that fast?  Here we are at the beginning of the 2016/2017 school year...already!  I am your student's 9th grade English teacher for this year.  I like to use this space to post information about what we have accomplished and what we will work on in the upcoming week.  This is not required reading (I'm a parent, so that makes me go, "Ha!"), but for anyone who would like more detail than what a calendar or email can provide, this is the space for you!

First, let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am in my 23rd year of teaching (amazing, since I'm only 35, right?), this being my 18th year at Airport.  I began my career in the Lansing School District (my home town) and then moved this direction and received the opportunity to work at Airport.  I have two boys of my own - 13 and 15 - and they are the light of my life.  I also have a husband who helps me keep my sanity as I try to negotiate my two worlds: teacher and mom.  Much of what I do in the classroom is driven by my experiences in the mom-world, so I try to make sure that my classroom is not only student-friendly, but parent friendly, because I know what it's like to be on the other side of the table.  If you ever need me, want to address an issue, or even just want to say hi, please feel free to contact me.  My door is always open to both you and your student.

So let's get things started.  Here is what is coming up this week:

• Monday - Labor Day - hopefully you get a chance to enjoy your day.
• Tuesday - First Day of School - parent letters will go out to be signed by you (due by Friday); introductions will be made; they'll interview another student in the room; homework - a type-three writing - due Thursday - based on the interview.
• Wednesday - Pre-Test for Reading.  This will take the whole hour and is PSAT based since your student will be taking this test in April.
• Thursday - turn in the type three writing; pre-reading activities for our first unit, along with instructions on notes, type ones, and procedures; homework - vocab. and study guide questions.
• Friday - parent letters are due; check in of homework from Thursday; instruction on reading and annotation; reading of "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised By Wolves" Short Story; homework - vocab. and study guide questions.

Please note that this is my plan, and plans change (the best laid plans of mice and men, and all that).  I try to keep my calendar up to date on my webpage so that if you need to know about changes, you can check there.

This is going to be a great year.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope you can feel the excitement as well.  Have a great week.  Ciao!