Being Unpopular...Always a Good Time

Well, in case you're not aware by now, mid-term progress reports went out last week.  It made me very popular amongst my students (not).  I don't usually send home a hard copy since everyone has access to grades continuously, but I felt that they were not checking grades, not worrying about grades, not setting real goals (as a whole - not all, but most).  I believe that they need to be pro-active, not re-active, and so I decided to go this route.  As I handed them out, a few said, "It's OK.  We check them all the time at home."  But I also heard many say, "Great!  Now my parents are going to want to see all my grades," and "You're getting me grounded, Mrs. Stubbs."  I was even stopped by other teachers to be teased about how well-loved I am right now.  If it means that those who were paying no attention and putting their future high school career into jeopardy are now paying attention, then it's worth it.  It's just not very pleasant.

So last week, here's what we accomplished: we finished Act III and took a quiz (which I'm still working on grading); we did our first round of Khan Academy Test Prep for the PSAT which is coming up in April; we read part of Act IV.

Here's this week's schedule as it stands right now:

• Monday, 2/27 - we'll hand back papers; 2nd Hour will continue with Verb Packet #4 (the rest are done); we'll finish reading The Crucible.
• Tuesday, 2/28 - we'll continue with verbs; they'll start watching The Crucible and do a Type 2 identifying 10 key differences from text to movie.
• Wednesday, 3/1 - academic advisory - we'll continue with verbs; we'll continue the movie and Type 2.
• Thursday, 3/2 - career advisory - we'll continue with verbs; we'll try to finish the movie and the Type 2.
• Friday, 3/3 - we'll begin the final assessment, which will be a final, multi-paragraph essay.  I'm working on getting their mid-unit essays done now so that they have them back before they do the final essay - it just takes me a lot of time.

That's the plan for now.  As things change, I'll change the electronic calendar.  Ciao!


Being Unpopular...Always a Good Time 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.

We're Halfway through Term 3!

Can you believe it?  We're already halfway through Term 3!  Time moves fast and the freshmen are beginning to realize how quickly high school is going to go.  I hope they're learning a lot, but also enjoying a lot.

Last week we accomplished quite a bit.  We just about finished reading The Crucible: Act III.  We also finished the mid-unit assessment for the play, turning in a 5-paragraph essay.  That takes us to this week:

• Monday, 2/20 - no school; mid-winter break.
• Tuesday, 2/21 - except for my 2nd hour, we'll finish Verb Packet #4 and turn it in (2nd Hour hasn't started this yet...for multiple reasons); we'll finish reading Act III and take a Type 2 quiz.
• Wednesday, 2/22 - academic advisory - we're going to take a short break from The Crucible to get signed up for Khan Academy, doing some prep work for the PSAT 9 test which is coming up in April.
• Thursday, 2/23 - career advisory - we'll do a Type 1 and then read The Crucible: Act IV.
• Friday, 2/24 - we'll do a Type 1 and turn them in; we'll try to finish The Crucible - at least the reading of it.

That's the plan for the week. I hope everyone had a good weekend!  Ciao!

We're Halfway through Term 3! by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.

Whew! What a Few Weeks It Has Been!

Wow!  It has been a whirlwind the past three weeks.  Three weekends ago my oldest son not only participated in the high school district Solo & Ensemble, but his school hosted it, so I had to go volunteer and work it also.  That took up a lot of my time.  Here's a picture from his performance, sans haircut since I forgot all about the appointment (it has since occurred, but I'm amazed he was able to see his music):

Then the following week I managed to catch the cold of a lifetime, right before a HUGE weekend that started with both of my boys having Friday night dances.  The next morning my younger son participated in middle school district Solo & Ensemble, also held at the same high school, which meant four more hours of volunteering.  Later that day my younger son was singing at a service, then a soccer game for both of them that night, followed by another one the next morning, and...oh...it was my mom's birthday and her present was to stay at my house and go with me to a cooking class for making pizzas.  Here's a picture of my younger son's performance at Solo & Ensemble:

So this weekend wasn't quite as crazy, but the younger kid's musical he's been involved in since September was this weekend, so I worked it Friday night and then enjoyed it on Saturday.  And I was on the committee for the Afterglow, so I arrived home late last night, but happy.  It was a great production of Beauty and the Beast:

So that's my saga.  The fact that I have everything graded from the past few weeks except for one 10% Summary is amazing.  I have 150 of those, but I think I can get through them fairly quickly early this week.  That's my goal since their 5-paragraph analytical essays are due on Tuesday.

Which leads to what we've been working on.  Last week we were able to read Act II of The Crucible and pre-write and write a 5-paragraph analytical essay.  It's not due until Tuesday, but we're not working on it in class on Monday.  There has been quite a bit of illness running through the school, so I want to make sure everyone has everything they need.

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

• Monday, 2/13 - address any questions regarding essays; we'll begin reading Act III of The Crucible.
• Tuesday, 2/14 - essays are due - we'll read aloud, edit, revise, and submit them; Verb Packet #4 will be handed out and we'll start them; Act III of The Crucible.
• Wednesday, 2/15 - Academic Advisory - Verb Packet #4; Act III of The Crucible.
• Thursday, 2/16 - Career Advisory - Finish Act III of The Crucible; Quiz over Act III
• Friday, 2/17 - No School - Winter Break!

 That's the plan.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Ciao!


Whew! What a Few Weeks It Has Been! by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.

Getting Goal Oriented

This past week brought another glitch in my plan, but it also gave us a lot to work with.  Glitch: snow day - it knocked me off schedule and we got behind; benefit: it gave us a chance to work on how to work toward a goal even when life gets in the way.  I started the week asking them to make a specific strategy to work on for the week; on Friday they reflected back on their progress.  Despite the fact that they don't enjoy this topic, I think that some of them are becoming more goal oriented and are focused on what has to happen to achieve those goals. 

They have also had more homework to deal with this week.  On Monday, many did not finish their quizzes and had to take them home to finish them, and then bring them back!  (If there's an empty space in HAC right now for the quiz, it's because I'm still working on grading them.)  Bringing them back is often the challenge.  On Wednesday they had to take their worksheet for the 10% Summary home to finish, and then Thursday they needed to take the actual writing home and finish it...and bring it all back!  On Friday, they all brought reading home to finish over the weekend.  During their analysis of their goal on Friday, one of my students said the most amazing thing.  This person commented that their goal is to get all assignments turned in. When I asked what strategy they are using, this person said, "Well, I do my homework at home the night before, then I'm able to turn it in on time when I get to class."  Personal growth, my friends, that's what it's all about!

So this coming week, here's what we have in store:

• Monday, 2/6 - we'll finish and turn in Verb Packet #3; we'll briefly discuss what they've read for Act II in The Crucible, then they'll read through the end of the act; what they don't finish goes home for homework.
• Tuesday, 2/7 - we'll discuss Act II of The Crucible  and make notes on conflict, character, and figurative language.  If time, we'll do a Type 1.
• Wednesday, 2/8 - Academic Advisory - we will do the pre-writing for the mid-unit assessment (yes, it will be another multi-paragraph essay).
• Thursday, 2/9 - Career Advisory - we will write the essay for the mid-unit assessment; what they don't finish will go home for homework.
• Friday, 2/10 - we'll start Act III of The Crucible which will be read together in class.

I hope everyone has a great week!  Ciao!

Getting Goal Oriented by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.

Personal Responsibility

Well, it's been a bit of a rocky week.  I find that many of my 9th graders are still coasting, allowing others to do things for them and relying on a lot of hands to hold to get things done.  If there's been one theme for the week for me, it's been Personal Responsibility.  I've harped on them to check HAC; we've talked about how they should check it at least once a week and be pro-active with tackling issues and talking to their teachers right away.  I've re-iterated that it's not their parents or their teachers who are responsible for their education, it's them (though with 9th grade, we all know that it also takes a lot of pushing from behind to get them to that point). I've also asked them to set goals with specific steps to accomplishing them; things don't just happen: you don't suddenly know how to turn in all your work or remember to go to the bathroom on your break.  You have to have specific strategies, and you need to alter them as you discover whether they work or not.  We're working on being forward thinking and bringing all of our stuff to class - no more running out of the room for lockers, drinks, bathrooms.  If there's an emergency, we'll deal with it, but it's gotten out of hand.

So please be aware that I'm trying to push them over the hurdle that will make them better students as they enter 10th grade.  I always think about how I handle things with my young teens at home and go from there.

On another note, we're a little behind again.  This week we have managed - for the most part - to finish reading Act I of The Crucible, but that's about it.  I didn't make it to the quiz or 10% summary, or even the Khan Academy PSAT prep work, so there are not a lot of grades in the book for this week. To fit everything in, that means that we're moving those things to next week:

• Monday, 1/30 - we'll finish Verb Packet #2 and turn it in; we'll take a quiz for Act I using notes and books.
• Tuesday, 1/31 - we'll start Verb Packet #3; 10% Summary for The Crucible non-fiction information.
• Wednesday, 2/1 - 1/2 Day for Students - Khan Academy PSAT practice
• Thursday, 2/2 - Career Advisory - we'll start Act II and read pp. 47-59; whatever is not finished goes home for homework.
• Friday, 2/3 - we'll read Act II pp. 60-76; whatever is not finished will go home for homework.

That's the plan.  As always, I'll keep the electronic calendar on my webpage up to date as things change.  I hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend. Ciao!

Personal Responsibility by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.

And We're Off!

Good morning, and to all of you new to my class, welcome!  I do this just about every week.  It's my way of connecting with anyone who would like a more thorough understanding of what we're doing in 9th grade English.  It's not required reading (ha!), but I know as a parent that it can be helpful to have some insight into what my kids are doing in the classroom so that I can be more supportive at home.  Now that second semester has started, it's time for a new post so that anyone who wants to know what we're doing - parents, students, guardians - can get the information they need.

Last week we started The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and we started the semester in true chaotic form.  The snow day (fog/ice day) on Tuesday delayed the start of our text, and then Wednesday began with a meeting for me during 1st Hour, so I didn't even really get to meet them to start things off well.  After that, however, we got back to business.  They read one of Arthur Miller's expositions in the text and did an assignment on Google Classroom, answering questions about what was in the play.  Then we began reading.  Every hour is at a different place in the text (and second hour hasn't actually started the play yet), so I'll keep the online calendar up to date.  No homework was assigned unless they did not get the Google Classroom assignment done.

This coming week we'll continue forward and try to finish Act One.  We'll also begin to prepare for the PSAT 9 test that comes up in April by getting started with Khan Academy.  They can access this system online at home if you ever want to see what it's about.  We're also going back to the Verb Unit so that we can address some grammar issues.  So here's the schedule:

• Monday, 1/23 - Verb Packet #2 - we'll do the first page; then we'll continue reading Act One and taking notes, and we'll do a Type 1.
• Tuesday, 1/24 - we'll do another page in Verb Packet #2; we'll do another Type 1; then we'll continue reading Act One.
• Wednesday, 1/25 - Academic Advisory - the first priority will be to finish Act One; if there's time we'll take a Type 2 quiz.
• Thursday, 1/26 - Career Advisory - if needed, we'll finish the Type 2 quiz; then we'll work on a 10% Summary - whatever is not finished becomes homework.
• Friday, 1/27 - we'll do another page in Verb Packet #2; then we'll go on www.khanacademy.com and start the prep work for the PSAT/SAT.

As always, plans change and I usually can't go as fast as I'd like, so I'll keep the online calendar up to date.  I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend and has a great week.  Ciao!


And We're Off! 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.

Welcome Back!

I know we started back last Tuesday, but somehow it didn't quite feel like we were fully back.  At this point, everyone is back, so now it feels real.  And of course, all the busy schedules kicked up again, so this is going to be fairly short and sweet.

Last week we finished Module 2, Unit 1.  For their assessment they completed an analytical chart on a Central Idea between two different pieces (Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" and Dickinson's "I felt a Funeral in my Brain") and looked at how the two developed the same idea; then they wrote a paragraph explaining it in sentence form.  After that, they began an online project intended to introduce them to topics that are helpful to know as we jump into Module 2, Unit 2.  This unit will be for Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Because the text is not just about the travesty that occurred in 1690's Massachusetts, they're getting an overview of five topics: McCarthyism, Arthur Miller, the Cold War, Puritan Culture and History, and the Salem Witch Trials.  Please note: there is no witchcraft in this play.  Instead of me lecturing to them, they are on Google Classroom.  Last week they took notes on all five topics, keeping track of the source information.  This coming week, they'll pick one topic and delve a bit deeper, then create a small project to present to the class on Friday.  They will not need to stand up and present; they'll have their project sitting on their desk and we'll walk around and share what each student learned.  So here's the plan:

• Monday, 1/9 - they have the hour to pick their topic and then use Google Classroom to more thoroughly investigate the topic online through websites, encylopedia articles, and video; they will also create Works Cited entries with their sources.  We will also be going to the library to check out The Crucible texts.
• Tuesday, 1/10 - they will use their notes to create a project.  They have three options: a brochure, a timeline, or a Google Slide presentation.  Obviously the Google Slide presentation will be online; the brochures and timelines can either be created online and printed, or done old-school with craft materials.  The project is due Friday.
• Wednesday, 1/11 - academic advisory - we will start Verb Packet #2; then we'll jump into The Crucible.
• Thursday, 1/12 - career advisory - we will do a page of verbs, then we'll continue The Crucible.
• Friday, 1/13 - 1/2 Day - we'll share our projects and take notes on the information we learn.  End of Semester 1!

That's the plan.  I'll keep the calendar updated day to day for anyone who needs it.  I'm so glad to be back and moving forward!

 
Laura Stubbs by Welcome Back! is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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