Good Morning Students,
Welcome to the final week of Phase 2 and the end of April. It certainly has been an interesting month. Who would have been able to guess back in August that this is how we would be ending our school year. Below, I've outlined the assignments that I've posted for you all to complete this week. As in previous weeks I'm available for you all from 1-3 PM for Office Hours as well as from 10-11 AM for AP Research Office Hours.
AP Research
We should be finishing our academic paper at this time and building a plan for final submission by the deadline. I've posted a great video on Google Classroom related to justifying your new argument or understanding. There are other plenty of great videos given by College Board to help you finish up too.
I'm available during Office Hours for you all week. Be sure that if you're ready to do a final review of your paper, that you schedule time with me so that we can read it over together.
AP Literature
I'll be making a lot of grade changes today to your S1 grades. You should see these in PowerSchool once I make them, and I already emailed most of you to let you know of the changes to your scores. This week, I thought we should do something a bit on the fun side. I love that so many of you have been reading on your own over this time away from school. I'm getting emails saying that some of you have read two or three books so far, so let's share some book art.
On Google Classroom you'll find the assignment to complete. It's the same idea as the Book Pamphlets which we discussed before leaving. I've reposted the assignment in Google Classroom and welcome your submissions.
Russian I
I've posted the Unit Assessment for Unit 3 on Google Classroom. This assessment will review the use and creation of adverbs as well as plurals in the nominative case. There are also some DuoLingo assignments that have been unlocked for you which relate to vocabulary skills that have been covered in our textbook so far. Please submit all work via Google Classroom or DuoLingo
Advanced Russian
In Google Classroom I have posted Unit Assessments for Russian II (Chapter Seven) and Russian III (Chapter Nine). There is no assessment for Unit 12 as the assessment is usually covered in the Final Examination for the year. In addition, on DuoLingo there are several additional exercises unlocked for you which deal with related grammar and vocabulary topics. Assignments can be submitted via Google Classroom as well as DuoLingo.
AP Students - Don't forget to login and check your College Board account information. Be sure that your email address is accurate as well your phone number. Exams will begin soon and you need to be sure that you are getting the most accurate information to access your at-home exams.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Friday, April 24, 2020
End of Week Three - April 24, 2020
Dear Students -
I hope that all of you have been able to find some peace and security this week. I had a bit of a downward turn myself this week, but a little bit of time alone to think, reflect, and write about where my feelings were coming from really helped me. It's about learning how to react and adapt to a new situation, and we have to remember that it keeps changing day to day.
Now that Governor Cooper has closed schools for the rest of the year, know that I will continue to provide online opportunities for instruction for you all. I hope that during this time you can find a bit of a chance to learn for learning's sake. Delve into your interests and passions. Investigate and ask questions that spark your curiosity. READ! The Regulator (a great, independent bookstore here in Durham) is still open and processing orders online. I found that they're faster than Amazon right now.
If you are still working on AP or Google Classroom to submit work for scoring, know that I will do a final check on Monday morning. I'll be changing and submitting paperwork on Monday. Some of you have already been contacted as to how grades will be changed in your favor. If I didn't contact you, it was because I did not see evidence of completion of work samples or I do not have an email on file for you. If you would like to reach out, please do so. I will respond on Monday.
With that being said, I hope that you all will enjoy the weekend. I'm tutoring English to my favorite little Russians tomorrow morning and then tackling my workshop/barn outside. I've got to get that thing organized and this gives me the time to do it, right? I've done really well with food this week - I made everything that I planned to make and ate leftovers for lunch, so tonight I'm getting take-out. I don't know what, just yet...maybe Chinese?
All my best!
DM
I hope that all of you have been able to find some peace and security this week. I had a bit of a downward turn myself this week, but a little bit of time alone to think, reflect, and write about where my feelings were coming from really helped me. It's about learning how to react and adapt to a new situation, and we have to remember that it keeps changing day to day.
Now that Governor Cooper has closed schools for the rest of the year, know that I will continue to provide online opportunities for instruction for you all. I hope that during this time you can find a bit of a chance to learn for learning's sake. Delve into your interests and passions. Investigate and ask questions that spark your curiosity. READ! The Regulator (a great, independent bookstore here in Durham) is still open and processing orders online. I found that they're faster than Amazon right now.
If you are still working on AP or Google Classroom to submit work for scoring, know that I will do a final check on Monday morning. I'll be changing and submitting paperwork on Monday. Some of you have already been contacted as to how grades will be changed in your favor. If I didn't contact you, it was because I did not see evidence of completion of work samples or I do not have an email on file for you. If you would like to reach out, please do so. I will respond on Monday.
With that being said, I hope that you all will enjoy the weekend. I'm tutoring English to my favorite little Russians tomorrow morning and then tackling my workshop/barn outside. I've got to get that thing organized and this gives me the time to do it, right? I've done really well with food this week - I made everything that I planned to make and ate leftovers for lunch, so tonight I'm getting take-out. I don't know what, just yet...maybe Chinese?
All my best!
DM
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Wrapping Up Phase 2 - At Home Instruction
Dear Students - Happy Thursday,
Just as a reminder that if you are trying to improve your Q3 or S1 grade for the year given the work that I have been posting, please be sure that everything you want to have scored has been turned in by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday the 24th.
I'll have everything graded and all points updated in PowerSchool by Tuesday. If you have a question about your grade changes, please let me know and I can review any changes with you.
Remember that AP Examinations are coming! AP English will be held Wednesday the 13th at 2:00 PM. AP Research papers are due to DigitalPortfolio on May 26. The AP Russian Examination is live on June 3 and June 4 - you should see an email from NEWL confirming your registration.
I'll be available for you this week during the morning and in afternoon Office Hours from 1-3 PM.
Just as a reminder that if you are trying to improve your Q3 or S1 grade for the year given the work that I have been posting, please be sure that everything you want to have scored has been turned in by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday the 24th.
I'll have everything graded and all points updated in PowerSchool by Tuesday. If you have a question about your grade changes, please let me know and I can review any changes with you.
Remember that AP Examinations are coming! AP English will be held Wednesday the 13th at 2:00 PM. AP Research papers are due to DigitalPortfolio on May 26. The AP Russian Examination is live on June 3 and June 4 - you should see an email from NEWL confirming your registration.
I'll be available for you this week during the morning and in afternoon Office Hours from 1-3 PM.
Friday, April 17, 2020
End of Week Two // 17 April 2020
Happy Friday Students!
I hope that all of you have had a good week filled with some time outside when the weather is on our side and a bit of time for yourself - especially if you're in a crowded house. I've enjoyed hearing from you this week. If we're discussing work, reviewing strategy for the AP Exam, or just talking about books and what we're eating. As always, let me know how I can help and support you all. I'm always here for you, even if I don't see you every day.
Over the weekend, continue to work as you can. Make submissions and ask questions, but remember that I'm not working weekends right now. I'll assess work and respond to questions/comments/emails on Monday. I will also have new assignments posted on Monday. Remember that you can work on assignments from any week, and you don't need to do all parts of the assignments. Use this time to focus on what skills you need to review in advance of AP Exams or in advance of the next phase of your academic career.
I did want to say that any of you who are planning to continue in Russian, know that there will be adjustments made to the beginning of your next Russian course to fill gaps due to this interruption of instruction. Also, Russian students enrolled for the AP Exam, if you would like to be dropped from the examination, please let me know ASAP. I need to have the list finalized by the beginning of May.
Next week is the last week to submit work in order to improve your standing for the academic year so far.
Lastly, on a personal note, here's what I've been doing with my time this week and a few realizations I've made about myself:
I hope that all of you have had a good week filled with some time outside when the weather is on our side and a bit of time for yourself - especially if you're in a crowded house. I've enjoyed hearing from you this week. If we're discussing work, reviewing strategy for the AP Exam, or just talking about books and what we're eating. As always, let me know how I can help and support you all. I'm always here for you, even if I don't see you every day.
Over the weekend, continue to work as you can. Make submissions and ask questions, but remember that I'm not working weekends right now. I'll assess work and respond to questions/comments/emails on Monday. I will also have new assignments posted on Monday. Remember that you can work on assignments from any week, and you don't need to do all parts of the assignments. Use this time to focus on what skills you need to review in advance of AP Exams or in advance of the next phase of your academic career.
I did want to say that any of you who are planning to continue in Russian, know that there will be adjustments made to the beginning of your next Russian course to fill gaps due to this interruption of instruction. Also, Russian students enrolled for the AP Exam, if you would like to be dropped from the examination, please let me know ASAP. I need to have the list finalized by the beginning of May.
Next week is the last week to submit work in order to improve your standing for the academic year so far.
Lastly, on a personal note, here's what I've been doing with my time this week and a few realizations I've made about myself:
- I finished reading Vasily Grossman's Stalingrad, and now I'm on to Michelle Obama's Becoming. I'd recommend both for different reasons. Next on my list is a book called Severance by Ling Ma. It's recommended with a warning by a former student of mine, so I'm looking forward to it.
- I've been playing a LOT of PlayStation. I bought Final Fantasy 7 Remake last week, and it's consuming a lot of time. Confession - I play during Office Hours sometimes if there's nobody working with me. I remember why I was able to stay up later when I was younger; I was usually playing video games deep into the night and holding myself awake with them and the autonomic responses of my fingers. Then, as now, I stand up and the lizard brain takes over. Once I lay down, I'm out.
- On TV I've discovered a show called Women of the House. It stars Delta Burke, whom I just find totally hilarious. It's a spin-off of another show called Designing Women about a group of well, designing women in Atlanta. In the show Suzanne (Burke) is a Republican congresswoman who takes over after her husband dies. It's a weird mix of politics, humor, and the nineties. I'm laughing.
- In terms of music I've rediscovered a musical group called HaDag Nachash. They're Israeli and their name means The Snake Fish in Hebrew. The video below is a good song of theirs that finds its way into my runs this week.
- Realization: I've gotta be doing something, and when I can't do the thing I want to do; I find something close by to fill the gap. Point: I can't get fancy coffees anymore, so I cleaned my espresso machine to make it work 100% again. It took me about an hour to clean that thing. Point: I can't go to the gym anymore, so I run so much more now. I've done 50+ miles this month so far. I've fallen in love with running again - just put on some music and turn my brain to the simple process of left/right and breath in and out. Helpful right now.
Miss you all so much! Let me know what I can do for you!
Monday, April 13, 2020
Beginning of Week Two - Phase Two // 13 April 2020
Good morning everyone! Welcome to Week Two. Today is technically a holiday for Durham Public Schools, so I will not be available today. I will be on my regular schedule for the rest of this week. I have posted the assignments for the week in Google Classroom today and will have everything returned to you by the end of the day tomorrow if there is something waiting for my eyes. For now, let's look at the summary of our week.
AP Research: Complete Week 1 (if needed). Finish paper (original timeline). Review final section guide. Meet with me for final review. Submit paper.
AP English Lit: AP Exam Review Packet - Annotations, Outlines, Responses. Submit one essay to be scored and commented upon.
Russian 1: Begin Chapter Three. Learn about adverbs and how to use and form them. Complete DuoLingo lessons for support.
Russian 2: Begin Chapter Seven. Focus on learning plurals in all cases. Focus on the difficulty of genitive plural (tons of irregularities/exceptions).
Russian 3: Begin Chapter Nine. Using modals and imperatives to tell people what to do. Focus on aspect and how aspect choice leads to mood and emotional connotation. Videos to support.
Russian 4: Begin Chapter Twelve. Final Chapter! Learn about verbs of positioning and placement. Review conjugations.
Remember that we still have AP Examinations (Research, Literature, Advanced Russian) to prepare for and tasks to do in order to keep sharp. I am here to continue to support and help you no matter what it is that you may need right now. Please reach out. I also wanted to say a quick thing about grades.
Seniors - Any work that you submit can be added to your S1 grade. This grade will be used to determine your GPA and class rank for final transcripts this year. You will get a PC19 (Pass due to COVID-19) for the Spring Semester as long as you are passing the class in Q3. If you submit work right now I can add points to S1 or Q3 if you are not already passing Q3. The maximum number of points is TEN.
Underclassmen - Since you are not graduating this year, you will remain focused on your Q3 grade. Any work that you complete right now can be applied to your Q3 grade in order to raise your GPA/Class Rank for the year and earn a credit for the class. Again, the maximum number of points is TEN.
AP Research: Complete Week 1 (if needed). Finish paper (original timeline). Review final section guide. Meet with me for final review. Submit paper.
AP English Lit: AP Exam Review Packet - Annotations, Outlines, Responses. Submit one essay to be scored and commented upon.
Russian 1: Begin Chapter Three. Learn about adverbs and how to use and form them. Complete DuoLingo lessons for support.
Russian 2: Begin Chapter Seven. Focus on learning plurals in all cases. Focus on the difficulty of genitive plural (tons of irregularities/exceptions).
Russian 3: Begin Chapter Nine. Using modals and imperatives to tell people what to do. Focus on aspect and how aspect choice leads to mood and emotional connotation. Videos to support.
Russian 4: Begin Chapter Twelve. Final Chapter! Learn about verbs of positioning and placement. Review conjugations.
Remember that we still have AP Examinations (Research, Literature, Advanced Russian) to prepare for and tasks to do in order to keep sharp. I am here to continue to support and help you no matter what it is that you may need right now. Please reach out. I also wanted to say a quick thing about grades.
Seniors - Any work that you submit can be added to your S1 grade. This grade will be used to determine your GPA and class rank for final transcripts this year. You will get a PC19 (Pass due to COVID-19) for the Spring Semester as long as you are passing the class in Q3. If you submit work right now I can add points to S1 or Q3 if you are not already passing Q3. The maximum number of points is TEN.
Underclassmen - Since you are not graduating this year, you will remain focused on your Q3 grade. Any work that you complete right now can be applied to your Q3 grade in order to raise your GPA/Class Rank for the year and earn a credit for the class. Again, the maximum number of points is TEN.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
End of Week 1 - Easter Weekend - April 11, 2020
I meant to post this yesterday, but I got carried away with my new video game, so my apologies are included as well.
We're at the end of Week 1 of Supplemental Instruction. I appreciate everyone of you so much, and will continue to give feedback to any and all assignments submitted - no matter when they are submitted. Feel free to continue to use these assignments to focus on the skills you find necessary or needing improvement.
I'll be posting new work on Monday and returning everything submitted over the weekend. Monday is a holiday for DPS, but I will be working a bit. I also have appointments settled for Monday which will be kept. Starting Tuesday I'll be back on regular schedule for Office Hours and recordings/lessons.
As always, let me know what I can do for you.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - Happy Passover!
Happy Tuesday Everyone!
I appreciate that I am seeing you all working and turning in assignments for feedback. As always, let me know what I can do to support you right now. I wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow (April 8th) will begin Passover. I'll be busy all day cleaning and cooking, so I'll be taking the day off and won't be available. I will return work with feedback for the rest of today and on Thursday.
Chag Pesach! Happy Passover!
I appreciate that I am seeing you all working and turning in assignments for feedback. As always, let me know what I can do to support you right now. I wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow (April 8th) will begin Passover. I'll be busy all day cleaning and cooking, so I'll be taking the day off and won't be available. I will return work with feedback for the rest of today and on Thursday.
Chag Pesach! Happy Passover!
Monday, April 6, 2020
Beginning Phase 2 - Online/At-Home Instruction
Good Morning Students!
All classes in Google Classroom have been updated with assignments for Week One of Phase Two. If I've given too much to do, let me know. It's a bit of an adjustment for us all right now. I'll be making recordings later today for each class to go over what is available for you all. Those should be posted later today.
Here's a brief overview of our week in each class.
AP Research: Check-in on your progress in completing your paper. Reflect on where we are. Prepare for what's ahead with conclusions.
AP English Lit: Finish Twelfth Night and working on Question 3 and poetry. Prepare for modified AP Examination with literary devices. Keep working on writing skills.
Russian I: Finish working with Chapter Two. Unit assessments. Practice on DuoLingo for cases and vocabulary needs. Culture.
Advanced Russian: Finish working with Chapter Six/Ten. Unit assessments. Practice on DuoLingo for verbs, cases, and vocabulary needs. Finishing Anna Karenina.
All week I'm available for you from 1-3 PM for Office Hours. Other availability this week is below:
Wednesday: 9-10 AM - AP Literature: Media Talk
Tuesday-Friday: 10-11 AM - AP Research: Extra Office Hours
Wednesday: 11-12 PM - Russian: Grammar/Vocabulary Help Session
Friday: 9-10 AM - AP Literature: Feedback on the Week
Friday: 11-12 PM - Russian: Feedback on the Week
If you need me outside of these times please let me know. I can be flexible!
All classes in Google Classroom have been updated with assignments for Week One of Phase Two. If I've given too much to do, let me know. It's a bit of an adjustment for us all right now. I'll be making recordings later today for each class to go over what is available for you all. Those should be posted later today.
Here's a brief overview of our week in each class.
AP Research: Check-in on your progress in completing your paper. Reflect on where we are. Prepare for what's ahead with conclusions.
AP English Lit: Finish Twelfth Night and working on Question 3 and poetry. Prepare for modified AP Examination with literary devices. Keep working on writing skills.
Russian I: Finish working with Chapter Two. Unit assessments. Practice on DuoLingo for cases and vocabulary needs. Culture.
Advanced Russian: Finish working with Chapter Six/Ten. Unit assessments. Practice on DuoLingo for verbs, cases, and vocabulary needs. Finishing Anna Karenina.
All week I'm available for you from 1-3 PM for Office Hours. Other availability this week is below:
Wednesday: 9-10 AM - AP Literature: Media Talk
Tuesday-Friday: 10-11 AM - AP Research: Extra Office Hours
Wednesday: 11-12 PM - Russian: Grammar/Vocabulary Help Session
Friday: 9-10 AM - AP Literature: Feedback on the Week
Friday: 11-12 PM - Russian: Feedback on the Week
If you need me outside of these times please let me know. I can be flexible!
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
IMPORTANT FORMS - Please Complete (ALL CLASSES)
Dear Students -
As we transition out of Phase I of Online Instruction to Phase II it is important that I have accurate contact information and that I provide you the instruction that you want and need. So, I have two forms below for you to complete to help with that.
Parent/Student Contact Information - I left my binder at school with all of my contact sheets and updated information. PowerSchool is ridiculously out of date. Please complete this form!
Online Instruction Phase II Requests - I want to make sure that you get what you need, as always. Please complete this form and let me know what I can do to support you during this time.
Thank you for your help with this.
As we transition out of Phase I of Online Instruction to Phase II it is important that I have accurate contact information and that I provide you the instruction that you want and need. So, I have two forms below for you to complete to help with that.
Parent/Student Contact Information - I left my binder at school with all of my contact sheets and updated information. PowerSchool is ridiculously out of date. Please complete this form!
Online Instruction Phase II Requests - I want to make sure that you get what you need, as always. Please complete this form and let me know what I can do to support you during this time.
Thank you for your help with this.
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