Final Notes for Testing, Paperwork, and Spring Break

Here we are, the short week before spring break, and boy will we need it.  As far as English academics, we're working on getting a completed rough draft done and shared with me at my school domain account before we go to spring break.  In addition to this, we're doing the state tests.  We can accomplish it all, however; I'm confident in our abilities.

First - the paper.  I've been doing check-in's right along to try to ensure that they are all doing the process it takes to write a research paper.  If your student has blanks, zeroes, or lower grades in that category, it means that they're probably not taking care of business (though my 2nd and 4th Hours did not get all of their outlines checked in - we ran out of time).  Last Friday and this coming Monday are set aside for drafting time in class, though they were warned that this will take some time outside of class to get it complete.  It's only a 2-3 page paper, but they struggle with the typing.  I asked them to submit it to me by midnight Monday night so that I can get them feedback before we come back to class on Thursday, but if they're having trouble meeting that deadline I need them to talk to me.  I'm trying to get maximum number in so that I have enough time to get them back, but I'm flexible.

Next - the testing.  You should have all received the email from Mr. Lukosavich regarding the testing schedule.  It's up to you to decide what to do on Tuesday, but for those who are struggling with getting this paper done (for a variety of reasons), they are welcome to come to school by bus, we will have a place where they can work all day, they can eat, and then they can ride the bus home.  They will probably also have some time after they are done testing on Wednesday if they're waiting to ride home on the bus.  What I really want to have happen is to get the rough draft out of the way so that they don't have to deal with it over break.  I would prefer that they not even look at it so that they can come back with fresh eyes after break.

Finally - quizzes from Animals in Translation.  If your student struggled with the quizzes, after break they can come for a Tuesdays with Teachers or Academic Advisory to try to bring those grades up.  The first quiz (pp. 1-8) was mostly multiple choice, so they can come try it again for 1/2 credit back.  The second quiz (pp. 9-16) was all written, and the topic was tough: author development of a topic.  If they want to come in and try it again with my hints and suggestions on their original paper, I'll let them re-do it for full credit.  Most either didn't answer the question at all, or if they did, they then drifted off topic.  So we'll try it again.

So here's the short version of what this week looks like:

• Monday, 4/10 - drafting on Google Docs of the 2-3 page research paper; due shared with me at lstubbs@airportschools.com by midnight.  See me if not able to meet that deadline.
• Tuesday, 4/11 - 11th grade SAT; 10th grade PSAT; see Mr. Lukosavich's email for more information.
• Wednesday, 4/12 - 9th grade PSAT
• Thursday, 4/13 - peer-edits for the research paper, shared through Google Docs/Drive
• Friday, 4/14 - no school - spring break starts; school resumes Monday, 4/24.

I hope everyone has a good week, and then a good break. Ciao!

 
Final Notes for Testing, Paperwork, and Spring Break 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.

Two Weeks to Go

We have two weeks to go, and then we get a break.  We're all worn out and tired, but it's just a little bit more and we'll be able to relax for a week.  We can do it!

Last week we finished the reading of Chapter 1 of Animals in Translation. We're using that text as our model for how to do research, and also for how to write about it.  After we finished the chapter we jumped into our own research.  By now they should all have a topic, even those who were absent and a little behind.  We have also already spent a couple of days formulating questions and taking notes, keeping track of source information.  Here's where we go from here:

• Monday, 4/3 - all hour will be donated to taking notes.  On Tuesday I'll check in that everyone has at least 30 facts about their topic.
• Tuesday, 4/4 - first I'll check in their notes, then we'll create the Works Cited in a hand written draft.  They'll turn this in for me to go over.
• Wednesday, 4/5 - Half Day - we originally were scheduled to bubble forms for the PSAT9, but now I think they have a different plan, so I'll have them work on their thesis statement and outlines - both are due Thursday.
• Thursday, 4/6 - no advisory - we'll spend the hour working on how to write the rough draft using parenthetical citations.  Then they'll have time to draft.
• Friday, 4/7 - they'll have the hour to type the rough draft.  The rough draft will need to be shared with me through Google Drive by midnight on 4/10.

Two items of note - if you want to see what they're working on, they have a giant packet.  Please ask them to show it to you. Also, when we begin typing the rough draft we'll be using Google Drive, so if you have a Gmail account, you can have them share it with you, also, and give them feedback.

The final paper, printed out, will be due after spring break, on Tuesday, 4/25.  The hardest part of this is the drafting, so I'm hoping to have that complete by spring break so that they can walk away from it for a week and come back to edit and revise it with fresh eyes when we get back.  It will help them make a better final product.

I hope everyone has a great week.  Ciao!


Two Weeks to Go 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.

And We're Into the Final Term for 2016/2017!

Here we are, already one week into the final term of the school year.  It's always amazing to me how quickly the year flies by.  Last week we were cruising through our agenda PRETTY well, but then we lost internet on Friday which slowed things down.  So when planning out what we need to do between now and spring break, I was trying to figure out where to make up a bit of time.  Then I got my reminders that Monday, 1st hour, they're going to an assembly, and later in the day I'm scheduled for a meeting, so the schedule is off again.

Therefore, given that they are taking the PSAT on April 12th, I think I'll give them a day on Khan Academy for practice tomorrow.  As long as they have internet access, they can do this from anywhere, so if you're concerned about these big tests, feel free to have your student show you Khan Academy.

After that, we'll finish discussing the model text we've been reading, then move into the mini-research paper.  I will give them a giant packet with explanations and work space.  As we do each step I check in that they're doing it.  We'll use Google Docs to do the paper and peer reviews; then we'll print and submit them before spring break if all goes well.

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

• Monday, 3/27 - 1st hour assembly; 2nd Hour - finish reading and annotating the chapter from Animals in Translation; Khan Academy/PSAT the rest of the day.
• Tuesday, 3/28 - finish discussing Animals in Translation and make sure final quiz is turned in; check in annotations; hand out research packets - pick topic by Wednesday.
• Wednesday, 3/29 - Academic Advisory - form questions for research - due Thursday.
• Thursday, 3/30 - Career Advisory - take notes for research.
• Friday, 3/31 - take notes for research.

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

And We're Into the Final Term for 2016/2017! 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 Spring!

Can you believe we're actually starting the final term for the 2016/2017 school year?  I know you're blocked from seeing HAC right now, and I'm putting the largest grade of Term 3 in the books, so I think I'll print off a grade report for your kid and send it home later in the week.  I'll drop you an email when I do it so you know to look for it.

This week is not only the start of Term 4, it's also Coming Home Week, so there are a lot of fun things going on: dress up spirit days, an assembly on Thursday, a dance on Friday.  Here's the schedule for the dress up days:

• Monday - Pajama Day - extra point if you're in Superhero theme
• Tuesday - Dynamic Duo-Twin Day - extra points for Superhero Twins, Superhero vs. Villain, or Superhero & Sidekick
• Wednesday - Superhero Class Color Day - Freshmen are green (or Hulk) - extra points for a Green Superhero (for those of us who are Spartans, this is easy)
• Thursday - Clark Kent Day, also known as Pre-superhero/Nerd Day
• Friday - Wolverine Day - dress in Blue and Gold (for those of us who are Spartans, this is painful)

In the meantime, the academics carry on.  So here is my academic calendar this week:

• Monday, 3/20 
• The 10% Summary from the article we read last week is due, so we'll do the read-aloud, edit, revising and turn it in; 
• Continue verb tense
• Type 1 about research and start the next module
• We'll start reading chapter 1 of the book Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.  This is the only chapter we read of this book.  As they read, they will need to annotate, keep track of some information on a chart, and do some vocabulary
• Tuesday, 3/21 
• Verb tense 
• Type 2 Quiz over yesterday's reading
• We'll discuss what we read and move forward with Chapter 1 and the annotations, vocabulary, and chart
• Wednesday, 3/22 - Academic Advisory 
• Type 2 Quiz over yesterday's reading
• We'll discuss what we read and turn in the chart and vocabulary; homework will be to do a little more reading and annotation in the chapter
• Thursday, 3/23 - Activity Schedule for the Assembly 
• Type 1 and the discuss the reading from yesterday
• We'll finish the chapter and annotate it
• Friday, 3/24 
• Continue Verb Tense
• A final quiz over Chapter 1 of Animals in Translation 
• I'll introduced the Research Project

So it's a full week.  I hope everyone has a good one as we transition into Spring!  Ciao!

 
Welcome Spring! 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.

Well THAT Was a Weird!

What a strange storm!  Clear blue skies, lots of sun, and 60 mph winds.  I hope that everyone who lost power now has it back, and I hope everyone was able to stay warm in the freezing temperatures that followed the storm.  Now it's time to get back to reality, so here's this week's schedule:

• Monday, 3/13 - picking up where we left off, on Monday I'm going to have them do a short exercise on Quote Sandwiches, then they will have time to work on the pre-writing/writing of the essay.
• Tuesday, 3/14 - we'll do some verbs and then they can spend the rest of the time working on their essay.
• Wednesday, 3/15 - Academic Advisory (Jostens will be here to do class-ring stuff with freshmen) - the essay is due!  We'll read-aloud, edit, and revise it and then submit it.  After that we'll spend the rest of the hour doing Khan Academy PSAT training.
• Thursday, 3/16 - Career Advisory - Verb Packet #6; we have a short non-fiction article to read and annotate.
• Friday, 3/17 - Verbs; then we'll work on a 10% Summary Start Sheet and Type 3 assignment that will be due on Monday.

That's the plan.  We'll see what the weather does next, but hopefully we'll get back into routine after this impromptu break we didn't expect.

Have a great week! Ciao!


Well THAT Was Weird! 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.

Two Weeks for Term Three

Buongiorno!  What a beautiful, sunny, Sunday morning!  The birds are singing, and though rain is promised for later, the temperature is going up...it makes for a happy morning!

Well, here we are...two weeks left in term three. The year is moving fast!  We're accomplishing a lot (the lack of snow days probably helps), and we continue to push forward.  Last week we finished reading The Crucible and most classes are done watching the movie.  This week we'll finish the unit by doing the final assessment essay.  While finishing this unit, I tried to break up the monotony a bit by adding in some activities such as:

We started working on PSAT tutorials on Khan Academy - we'll do another round once the essays are written and submitted;

They read in small groups for part of the script;

They also did walk and reads to get the blood flowing - they usually like this.

So we're ready to finish this unit off.  Here's the schedule for the week:

• Monday, 3/6 - those not done with the movie will finish it; we'll do some verbs; we'll do a Type 1 journal writing to get ready for the final question; I'll hand out and we'll start working on the pre-writing packet.
• Tuesday, 3/7 - we'll work on some verbs; we'll complete the pre-writing packet.
• Wednesday, 3/8 - 1/2 Day - we'll work on writing the final essay. 
• Thursday, 3/9 - Academic Advisory - verbs; writing the final essay - due Friday.
• Friday, 3/10 - Final Assessment Essay is due!  Then we'll do Khan Academy for the PSAT tutorials.

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

Two Weeks for Term Three by Laura Stubbs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.laurastubbs.blogspot.com.

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.