Homecoming Week!

Top of the Morning, To Ya!  I hope everyone has been enjoying this glorious weather as we get read for an exciting week! Homecoming comes early this year, which means that we're still having lots of fun, but we have to keep in mind that the Academic Work still continues.  It's quite the balancing act.  I will try to take some group pictures to post here next week, and then I'll try to keep my students on track academically.

A couple of items from last week:

• Both English 9 and 10 were still fairly matched up and they did pre-tests for grammar and completed some writing samples for me.  They also previewed material they'll need for the reading assignments this week.
• Both groups were given their second reading logs.  Their homework primarily continues to be to read at least 50 pages, fill out their log, and get it signed by a parent on Wednesday night to turn in on Thursday.
• I offered up an extra credit idea.  If they go see an author speak somewhere in the area (for free) and take a photo or selfie with that author, I'll give them extra credit.  I did this with my own child on Tuesday, and it was a pretty neat idea.  I thank his Spanish teacher for throwing this idea out there so early in the year.  It's one of those moments where you say, "Why didn't I think of that?!!?"

Pictures from the event -

Here's what's coming up this week:

• Monday, 9/18 - Activity (Assembly) Day - Masquerade Monday (temporary, not fixed to the face) - Both English 9 and 10 will watch the rest of the iAm videos; English 9 will then receive the story we'll be reading, the vocab. cards, and the study guides.  If we have time, I'll show them how to set up their notes.  English 10 will get the poems, vocab. and study guides, along with notes for Pastoral Poetry.  I'll demonstrate how to do Cornell Notes.
• Tuesday, 9/19 - Advisory Day - Mime Day (Face Paint is allowed) - English 9 will do a Type 1, we'll go over the annotation techniques and codes, then we'll read Stage 1 in "St. Lucy's" and work on study guides, vocab., and notes; English 10 will do a Type 1, read and annotate "Passionate Shepherd" (it's a poem), and work on notes, study guides, and vocab.
• Wednesday, 9/20 - Activity (Assembly) Day - Wacky Tourist Day - English 9 will finish Stage 1 in "St. Lucy's" and go on to reading and working on Stage 2; English 10 will read and work on "The Nymph's Reply" (a second poem).
• Thursday, 9/21 - Advisory Day - Pink Panther Pink Out - English 9 will finish Stage 2 and go on to Stage 3 of "St. Lucy's"; English 10 will connect a modern country song to the central idea of the two Pastoral Poems, then we'll outline for a 3-paragraph analytical essay connecting all three pieces together.  Reading logs are due for both English 9 and 10.
• Friday, 9/22 - Activity (Assembly) Day - Blue and Gold/Beauty and the Beast Day - I'll hand out the new reading logs and we'll go to the library for whoever needs it and do the silent reading.  

Finally, a note on my jam packed schedule.  Homecoming is always chaotic and so it's likely I won't get through as much as I want to each day.  I'll make sure to keep the calendar updated.

Have a great week.  Ciao!

Homecoming Week! by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.