Mrs. Stubbs's English Blog: Two Weeks to Break!

I swear this season is joyful and maddening all at the same time. I think I have three obligations every day all the way through January 1st. I struggle because I feel guilty if I'm not keeping up with my grading for school, but I think it's really important to be fully present at the events I'm attending, giving the people performing, visiting, and conversing my full attention. If there's one thing, I know, however, it will all get done. Today I plan to get as much grading done as I can before I have to leave at 4:30 to drive my son to his evening events and then go work my shift in a charity poker room earning much needed money for the Pioneer Theater Guild. That's an adventure and story in itself. I worked a 6-hour shift Friday and learned about a whole new world out there that I never knew existed! I've never gambled and I'm not a card player, so this was all new to me.

Anyway, we're cruising along in both of my classes, so here's what we accomplished last week: despite the technology issues English 9 was able to watch Episode 1 of Stranger Things and we dissected it for literary elements. It was a lot of fun, and now we all wish we could just sit and binge watch the rest of the season during English class (I told them no). In English 10 we have now read through Chapter 23 of Henrietta Lacks and only have a couple of presentations to go. They broke into pairs and grabbed a chapter to teach and then gave quizzes to the class. It's been an adventure - some presentations were just ho-hum, but many of your students did a fabulous job! On Friday we encountered technology issues as we tried to set up and prepare for interviews with people who work in the field of their Passion Project topic. I'm trying to do three things: utilize technology like Hangouts (it's like Skype), practice email and face-to-face communication skills with people who are not our friends, and get them motivated for using English skills by working with topics of their own choosing. We'll see how this goes. This is the portion of the project that has caused me to bite off all my fingernails (literally).

So what's coming up this week?

English 9

Monday, 12/10 - work on Slide Show for Stranger Things on Google Classroom.
Tuesday, 12/11 - Academic Advisory - finish work on Slide Show - due by midnight; if time - prepositions.
Wednesday, 12/12 - prepositions; introduction of Edgar Allan Poe; start "The Cask of Amontillado"
Thursday, 12/13 - PSAT/SAT Advisory - turn in Reading Log #10; prepositions; continue "The Cask of Amontillado"
Friday, 12/14 - get Reading Log #12; silent reading day

English 10

Monday, 12/10 - Type 1; read Chapter 24 of HeLa - study guide and vocab.
Tuesday, 12/11 - Academic Advisory - Type 1; turn in study guide and vocab.; assessment for pp. 137-98 of HeLa
Wednesday, 12/12 - Type 1; read Chapter 25 of HeLa - study guide, notes
Thursday, 12/13 - PSAT/SAT Advisory - Type 1-turn in for week; Chapter 26 and 27 presentations and quizzes.
Friday, 12/14 - Passion Projects - interviews

So that's the plan. I hope everyone has a great week!