Spring Is Finally Arriving (I Think)!

The days are getting longer, and though we still have cold days, those 40-degree days are becoming more numerous (how weird is it that I think of 40 degrees as warm).  I hear birds singing all the time, now, which is a welcome sound.  The other morning I was on my way into school at about 6:30 AM and a bird was having his own little party in the trees above me.  Not for the first time, I wished I knew bird calls so that I could identify him.

And as spring approaches, my students get antsy, so at the moment we're doing lots and lots of projects!

In English 9, we're completing two big projects:  their independent reading projects are due on Monday!  The plan is that they will bring in their project, throw on their t-shirts and we'll share what we've been doing for the past month.  I'll bring the food and drinks, and we'll celebrate!  After that, they need to get their final copy of their research paper completed to be turned in by Wednesday.  We've been working for about 3-weeks in class on the computers on this project, so I think we're all ready to see it come to an end.  By Wednesday evening, expect to see Flowers for Algernon books coming home and reading homework, along with study guides, will commence.

Here's a picture of some of my 2nd Hour working on the computers for their research project:

I'll take photos of the Monday presentations and post them next week.

In English 11, we're presenting our group projects.  Many chose to try to use new programs like Prezi and ThingLink, and it has been a lot of fun to watch them learn how to do collaborative presentations.  In Prezi they all work on the same project and so they're given avatars and can see who is working on each slide.  The first day I kept hearing, "Hey!  Get out of my bubble!"  Hilarious!  We started the presentations on Friday after working all week on them, and we'll finish them on Monday.  I'll take more photos to post next week, but here's what I have of some of them working and presenting:

On Tuesday I am taking many of them on a field trip to Macbeth at Wayne State University.  The rest of them will stay back at school and start watching the movie of Lord of the Flies.  By Thursday we'll be turning the corner and starting our research paper.  Packets will follow, but please note that I'm going to have them use Google Drive so that they can access it anywhere and can share for peer and teacher editing.  This will be about a 2-week process.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and feels rejuvenated as spring approaches!  Cheers!


Spring is Finally Here (I Think)! by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Two Weeks to Go...

In case anyone has not yet heard, Mr. Lukosavich has extended the end of the quarter to April 1st, so we have about two weeks to go in this term.  Despite the snow day this week, we accomplished quite a bit, so here's the rundown...

In English 9 we have continued to work on our research papers.  All of this is being done in school so that we can type everything and share it on GoogleDrive.  What I especially like about this system is that I can make notes to them which they receive instantly, they can edit immediately, and they can peer edit the same way...and it's all paperless.  So far the steps we have completed are picking a topic, creating a works cited, writing a thesis, outlining the paper, and now we're drafting.  If your student has blanks in the grade book, it's because they have not checked in that step yet.  This coming week we will have three days in the library to type, and then I'll give deadlines for sending me their drafts, editing, and final copies which will be printed.

In the meantime, they are working on their independent book projects.  We're done with the blogs, we're in the middle of the t-shirts (pictures to follow), and they should be working on the large project at home for homework.  We'll present the projects on Monday, 3/24, so they are due that day.

In English 11 we finished reading Lord of the Flies and they have taken the test.  I passed out the project packets so next week we'll be working in groups to complete them.  Presentations will begin on Friday.

On Tuesday night I had the pleasure of attending the 10th grade Wax Museum where I got to see past and present students do some fabulous acting as authors.  It was a lot of fun and I have compiled some pictures here:

Have a fabulous week!  Cheers!


Two Weeks to Go...Blog by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Moving Forward

What a rough week we had!  ACT/MME week is always tough...and draining...but the events of this past week have completely wiped me out.  So, I'm working on getting myself back together and trying to put some normality into the routines and schedules.  Here's what we've got:

In English 11:  we have completed (at least most of the students have) the ACT/MME.  If a student opted out of the third day of testing, Mr. Irwin will come get them to finish it.  No stress; he won't forget.  In the meantime, we've read through chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies and we plan to finish the book at the beginning of the week.  Right now the test is scheduled for Thursday, but may need to move to Friday.  Then we will begin working on a group project.

In English 9:  we are working on two projects.  The first, the Independent Reading Project, is one they are mostly doing at home.  They are finishing their blogs, and I was able...finally...to talk to most of them on Friday to find out where they were on it.  Over the weekend I will get caught up on those grades.  If your student has a "0" in HAC for a blog, I have them getting things finished off and I'll go in and replace the zero with a grade.  I've asked them to have a t-shirt - either new (but cheap), or an old one we can turn inside out - so that we can paint them on Friday.  I've also set the date for the final project.  Most of this is being done at home for homework.  In class, we're writing an MLA Research Paper.  I'm walking them through the processes and assigning check in dates.  I'm also trying to show them how to use Google Drive so that they can access their materials anywhere, and they can share their work for editing purposes before doing a final copy and printing.  This week we will continue to work on this during class time.

All schedules are subject to change this week because of circumstances outside of our control.  The funeral for Chelsea Klocek will be on Monday.  If you are interested in more information, here is a link:  http://www.ruppfuneralhomeinc.com/chelsea-l-klocek/
Our class time on Monday will depend on how many I have in class, especially with the juniors.  My first priority is making sure that my students are OK; academics can wait.  We're praying that Violet makes a full recovery; her family sends us updates from time to time, but are asking for privacy.

Airport Community Schools and Carleton are a wonderful place to work.  I'm reminded of this every time we have a crisis such as this.  I love being in a place where people can set aside their differences and come together to love and support one another.  Your students have been amazing this week, and I love each and every one of them.  Please know that I admire the job you do as parents and hope that I have done much the same for my own children.

Bless you all.  

Laura Stubbs's Bloggs by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

ACT/MME Week

Well, it's here...the week I dread from September through March!  Not really, but it is a disruptive week, and for Juniors it feels like everything has been building to this.  Juniors are very stressed out, so my message to them is that they've done what they could to prepare, so now we just do what they know how to do.  They need to get good nights of sleep, eat healthy, and decompress as much as possible.  We have been encouraging them through room competitions, and treats have been delivered, so hopefully this has helped to alleviate the stress a bit.

So here is the crazy schedule:

• Juniors - we're reading Lord of the Flies on Monday and Friday and doing in-class work, but no homework will be coming home until next weekend.  On Tuesday they should count on coming into school at the regular time and head for the cafeteria.  The administrators will pull everyone together, feed them all a free breakfast, and get them ready for the day.  Then they will send them to the rooms.  No technology is allowed in the room; if a phone or alarm goes off, it compromises all of the scores in the room and we have to report it to the ACT people, so we don't allow them in, including for the teachers.  They usually finish the test about noon, and then they can go.  Tuesday and Wednesday, juniors will report to the building at normal time, take the MME test in their assigned area, and then leave after the test.  Friday is finally back to a normal day.
• Freshmen - we are working on a research paper.  This is a large assignment with many check in grades.  I walk them through the entire process, so it's vital that they are in school for the next couple of weeks unless ill.  Speaking of that, Tuesday they do not report to school.  On Tuesday, following ACT guidelines, only juniors may be in the building.  Wagar and all of the elementary buildings run as usual, but only 11th graders may be in the high school.  Then Wednesday picks up as a regular day for them.  I will have a substitute in my room because of being assigned to help with the MME, but they will have a normal day.
• Scheduling - 9th graders received their schedules for 10th grade on Tuesday last week.  They need to have it filled out to the best of their ability in pencil, and they will be called down to the counseling office to work one-on-one with their counselors starting on Monday.  They will have the opportunity to meet with counseling staff on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  If your student's schedule is not filled out, the counselors will not work with them.  All schedules need to be signed by you and returned by Monday, March 17th.  No changes will be made to schedules after that time, including next fall.  11th graders will start scheduling next week.  I believe the meeting will happen on 3/12.

Well, that's all the news I have for this week.  I hope all is well for everyone, and if you need anything, please let me know.  Cheers!

Laura Stubbs's Bloggs by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

All Signs are Pointing Up!

Here we are, entering the last week of February, and I feel like I can see the end of winter coming!  We've still got lots of snow, but the days are warmer and believe it or not, some melting has occurred!  If only we could quit having these darn snow days!  I will say, though, that I have enjoyed some aspects of them.  Here's what I took time out to do with my son in the back of the neighborhood on Tuesday:

The rest of the week, however, was business as usual, so here's what's been going on.

In English 9, we're still working on a Nonfiction unit.  We read a couple of argumentative essays this week and did study guides.  This was done in the traditional classroom format, though I let them move around and work with partners on the study guides.  Because I haven't checked out books to them, all of the work on these two pieces was done in class.  Here's a picture of my 2nd Hour working away:

I then assigned an argumentative essay (topic - making up snow days!) to be turned in on Tuesday.  In the meantime, since all textbook work is being done in class, they need to continue reading their own book of choice.  By Wednesday they should be at least two-thirds of the way through the book, and their 2nd Reading Blog entry is due by midnight Wednesday night.  They do all of this on their own time.

In English 11 - we're still reading The Lord of the Flies.  It's a great book, but long, so they need to be reading on their own time.  By early next week they should be through chapter 6.  We did some traditional classroom discussions, took a vocabulary quiz, worked on study guides, but I also tried to shake things up and had them try what I call a "Walk and Talk."  They spread out in groups around the building and did just what the assignment says in its title:  they walked, read passages, talked, then answered questions.  Many really like this because the movement helps them wake up and think.  I don't do it all the time, but it's nice to try something different.  Here's a set of pictures from that day (all three hours are represented):

Now I should probably address ACT/MME and all of the upcoming events.  This coming week's events will impact both English 9 and 11, since I'm pulled out of my class to attend an afternoon session on Thursday.  To prepare them for the tests, a guest speaker will be in the high school on Tuesday and Thursday.  The junior class has been split into four groups and they are scheduled to miss either morning or afternoon classes on one of those days so they can go hear what he has to say.  I am scheduled to attend the Thursday afternoon schedule, so there will be a substitute in my room at that time.  All throughout the week the scheduled afternoon reviews will still take place, so feel free to check the green calendar.  The following week (March 3-7) will be the actual tests.  On Tuesday, 3/4 - ONLY JUNIORS WILL COME TO SCHOOL AT THE HIGH SCHOOL!  Freshmen have the day off because it is ACT day.  All of the elementary schools and Wagar have a normal day.  The ACT is from 7:30 to a little after noon and then they are free to go.  On Wednesday 3/5 and Thursday 3/6, the juniors come to school in the mornings and take the MME tests, and then they can leave.  Freshmen attend school as usual on those two days.

There.  That's the worst of it.  So now let me add a picture collage from the basketball game on Friday night against Flat Rock.  What a joy it is to see my students in a different way, and I was treated with a winning game played by both current and former students, and those I don't know but wave to in the hallways!

And I think that's all I've got for this week.  I hope all goes well over the next few days for everyone...cheers!

Laura Stubbs's Bloggs by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Finally - FIVE DAY WEEKS!!!

I hope , hope, HOPE we've crossed that hurtle and we're going to have full weeks now.  It felt so fulfilling (though exhausting) to go through all five days last week, and we finally seemed to get some momentum going forward!  I forgot to take any photos, however, so I've got to get back in that groove as we go into this week.

Some exciting things are beginning to happen in all of my groups, and it all surrounds technology!  I'm taking a course on "Blended Learning" which incorporates technology into the traditional classroom.  As a result, I tried two things this week:  Reading Blogs in the 9th grade, and Online Quizzes in the 11th grade.

In English 9 we're doing a non-fiction unit, so one of the core components is having them pick their own book to read.  We have visited the online card catalog for the school library and made a trip down for them to pick books, but they can get their materials from anywhere, including online, as long as it fits the criteria given to them in the packet of information.  While they're reading, they need to be doing a reading log in Google Blogger.  Most of them are set up and ready to go; we'll try to get the stragglers on Monday.  We had terrible issues with internet connections on Wednesday when setting these up, but we discovered that they were quite successful doing it on their own, and in fact can use their own desktops, laptops, tablets and phones to do this task.  It's quite nice to see how many options they have for the technology.

Going forward into this week, we'll continue to focus on in-class readings and writings surrounding non-fiction, and independent reading and writing on their own.  Friday I'm going to ask them to have their books with them for a DEAR hour (Drop Everything And Read).

In English 11 we're reading Lord of the Flies and I had them take their first quiz online.  Negatives:  technological issues, and anxiety over using Edmodo.  Positives:  once we figured out how to do it, they got instant feedback and could look at their errors to see where they went wrong.  Another option I'd like to explore is having them take the quiz once they've finished the reading on their own time.  I can load it up and give them a deadline to have it taken care of, and they can take the quiz anytime and anywhere they can get an internet connection.  Most of them seemed to think they'd like to try this.

Continuing into this week, we'll be reading more Lord of the Flies.  This will mean more study guides, more group tasks, more online quizzes, and time for reading and logging in the activity of a character who has been assigned to them.  At the end of the book we'll do a large project surrounding this character.  We will also continue to work on ACT preparation.  This past week we talked about punctuation, adjectives and adverbs and did a review writing for argumentation.  We'll continue with similar ideas this week.  Don't forget the review sessions available after school every day!  They'll be bubbling in their ACT forms on Thursday, I believe.

I look forward to getting back into our routines and being able to see all of my fabulous students all five days this week.  Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures or video of fun things we're doing so that I can post them next week.  Have a great rest of the weekend!  Cheers!


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Let's Try This Again!

Ah, the frustration!  It feels like we just get started, and then another five day weekend occurs, and then I have to start all over again!  The positives, however, are things like getting my papers graded, getting my work done for the online course I'm taking, and being home to take care of a sick child without having to take a sick day.  And it's pretty.  Driving home from events in Ann Arbor last night the whole world sparkled, and today there's a fresh coat of white all over everything!

View Off My Deck This Morning

So let's try this again...

In English 9, we're still working on a descriptive, reflective essay called "Single Room, Earth View", and then they'll write their own descriptive, reflective piece.  I need them to bring in some sort of photo from a fabulous vacation, adventure, or just an exciting time in their life so that they can use it to paint their experience in words.  The picture can be printed or kept on an electronic device.  We're also going to start an independent reading project of a non-fiction book this week.  I'll hand out the information on Monday, along with all the dates for deadlines.  We're going to try to get into the library on Monday, but they can get the books from school, home, outside libraries, or electronically.

In English 11 we're still working toward starting Lord of the Flies.  Bummer that I didn't get the books handed out early last week because we could have kept the reading going...but I didn't.  So we'll finish the preview tomorrow and get things started.  I also am continuing with ACT preparation, so we're doing Bell Work that centers on punctuation, and by the end of the week we'll write a persuasive essay that will be timed so that they get used to the timing on the ACT.

I hope everyone has a great week, and I pray, pray, pray that we get a full five days in!  Cheers!


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