Ending the Week and Quarter - 29 and 30 October

Good Day Students and Families - Today is the final day of the quarter for the classes, and I wanted to post a quick overview for everyone as we move into the Election Day weekend.

All Classes

Note that Dr. Braband has extended the grading window for the first quarter of the year is now November 2nd at 5:00 PM. I will be able to continue accepting late work from quarter one until this date and time. I will also be able to accept resubmissions of work until this time and extra credit cash-in. Note that because of a School Planning Day on Monday, there will be no Office Hours.

Also, I will be participating in the in-person pilot program, so be on the look out for some changes next week! For those of you who are participating as well, I look forward to working with you in-person and welcoming you back to FHS!

AP Language

The only work that I see many people missing from Quarter 1 is the AP Multiple Choice Unit 1 on AP Classroom. Remember that you're getting points for completion of this task. Please log in and submit your work - I've reopened the assignment. All projects should be scored and in the gradebook by the end of the day, today.

Your work from the asynchronous day including reading in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the work with Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue", and vocabulary cards will be scored next week. There is also the lesson posted in NoRedInk on punctuating titles. Please reach out with any questions via email. 

English 10

Be sure to check in on any assignments that are missing, incomplete, or in need of resubmission. As noted above, I can continue to take work for some time. The work from today's asynchronous day will be scored and collected next week. Be sure to complete the reading in Persepolis and the lesson on punctuating titles on NoRedInk - I'll check in on this work next week. I'm glad to see that so many of you are enjoying our study of the book!

AP Research

We'll have quick conferences tomorrow - remember to have a rough draft of an Annotated Bibliography entry. This is an important time to be writing and generating content - remember the two step process in crafting an Annotated Bibliography - first go through the sources and consider their importance (remember our lesson in SMARTER annotating), then on your second pass, notice the connections and explore those. 

I hope you have found some use in the Lesson 6 Takeaways Document - I hope that it will guide some of our discussion tomorrow.

Grey Day - 28 October

English 10 and AP Language Students -

Remember that any missing or late work needs to be submitted ASAP in order to receive credit for the first quarter. If you're going to cash in rubles for extra credit, remember to email me with the amount of points you want to add and which assignment. I'll reply and let you know what you have left in the bank. Keep reading your books! Use this time to get ahead if you can. Next class will be mostly on your own - so pay attention to any and all postings in Google Classroom.

AP Research

Today we had a very important lesson on the importance of clarifying our definitions and being aware of our assumptions and hypotheses as we continue in this process of AP Research. It's also a good day for us to consider the usefulness of our source lists and the wealth of information that they'll provide as we do our work. A logical outgrowth of today's lesson is to work with the Lesson 6 Takeaways Document. Go through and consider your terms, find any assumptions and hypotheses you are aware of. Bring this to our conference on Friday as a common place for us to discuss.

It's also important that you begin to write your AB entries, use the templates and the rubric provided. We should expect that these will be called due in the next two weeks. As always, reach out with questions or concerns and we'll do what we can!

End of Quarter 1 - Week 8 - Blue Day

AP Language

Today's class involved some group work where we analyzed elements of Huck Finn (namely characters and settings) before doing some close reading practice and work on analysis thesis building. 

Be sure to reflect on your reading notes and annotations based on today's work in class. We pulled out a lot of big ideas that are going to help us as we keep moving through this book. Update your annotations and be sure that significant passages in the text are annotated to reflect the ideas on the covers.

For tonight, I would suggest checking in on any remaining work from Quarter 1 including the Unit 1 Multiple Choice practice. Next class you'll have time to read, consider connections to Twain, and complete work for Quarter 2. As always, please reach out with any questions you may have.

English 10

Today in class we focused on allusions and completed some small research on different figures from history in order to better understand "The Bicycle" and "The Water Cell" in Persepolis. Remember that when authors make a choice to allude to a particular moment or person that this is for a reason. I hope that today's class helped us with understanding the importance of investigating an author's choices.

The only homework for tonight is to check in on any missing assignments from Quarter 1, especially with our final project being due. It's very important that all final projects are turned in so that you can either add extra credit or resubmit them on time. Friday is the final day this week to turn in work to be scored. Next class will be a day on your own - there's a grammar lesson available for you in NoRedInk as well as some reading work related to Persepolis. All of the work that you do on Thursday will be scored next week and is all part of Quarter 2.

Grey Day - 23 October - End of the Week

Week 7 is now behind us everyone. AP Language and English 10 students should be focused on finalizing Unit 1 projects this weekend. As a reminder they are due at the end of the day on Monday. Keep in mind that the 30th is the end of the grading period. If you are submitting late work, resubmissions of work, or rubles for extra credit, you must have this submitted by the end of the day on Friday 10/30.

AP Research

Happy Friday Researchers! Today should be a day focused, I hope, on writing. Be sure that you've gone through your initial source list and filled or made a plan to fill any gaps. Consider especially method - as this gave some of you some pause as we read the Manzanar paper. What methods are done in the papers you've seen so far? Could those methods be feasible for your investigation? Why or why not? What modifications would you need to make?

Your final source list should be submitted on Monday by the end of the day. Try to have 35+ sources including open sources and peer-reviewed sources. Fill your gaps in your Body of Knowledge!

Use the templates as well as the Manzanar paper to begin writing. Begin with your most important sources and move from there into more tangential ones as you create the Annotated Bibliography. The rubric for the Annotated Bibliography is posted for your use. I've also posted your newest Reflection Question for your PREP.

Blue Day - 22 October - End of the Week

AP Language

Good analysis today with Equiano. I've left the documents there as a great example of tracing tone and active annotating around a shared purpose. This was a great practice toward rhetorical analysis - our writing skill for this unit. In this type of writing our focus is to trace the author's argument through the explanation of their choices. We focus on literary/rhetorical devices to organize ourselves and draw connections.

I've uploaded the recording on rhetorical analysis for you to review as needed. For this weekend, be sure to take fifteen minutes for your Multiple Choice Practice on AP Classroom. The main task is to read! Enjoy Huckleberry's adventures! Don't forget, there's the chance of an assessment based on your reading next class!

English 10

Today we had our guest speaker, Ms. Anne Nolan, who went over some of the nuts and bolts of graphic novels and elements of their construction and style. The notes and recording have all been uploaded. We put a lot of this into practice as we read and studied Chapter One of Persepolis - "The Veil". 

Over the weekend there's nothing to do except to finish and submit your Unit 1 Projects. If you have any other missing work, it should be turned in to be scored. 

Next class we'll be reading more of Persepolis and doing some research into the text. I'm looking forward to it!

Grey Day - 21 October 2020

English 10 and AP Language

See the post below as well as the reminders in Google Classroom related to your tasks/reminders tonight. Keep in mind that we are drawing to the end of our first unit as well as the end of the quarter, any missing work or resubmissions should be in to be scored. If you'd like to use extra credit on anything, please email me and let me know where I should apply your points.

AP Research

Today we took time to read our first sample paper - The Manzanar Paper - in order to understand the way in which the work we have done so far in this class will find its way into our introduction. Additionally, we reviewed the rubric in order to understand the way in which it is designed and how to best achieve a high score in our rows. Remember that there's a purpose behind what we do every day. I hope that this paper will serve as a model for you as we keep moving forward.

This week you should continue to read and update your source list. Focus on places in the first submission which were lacking (Research Method/Current Climate). Keep in mind that you will continue to add to your Body of Knowledge through the year. I think that this is also a useful time for writing our AB entries. Use the templates and see how in the Literature Review, there are elements of the Annotated Bibliography.

Next class is a day for conferencing and working and writing. I'll be available if you need to see me. Please submit your updated source lists on Monday. Your newest reflection question has been posted.

Kicking Off Week 7 - Blue Day - Starting New Units

AP Language

Today we had a good overview of the main topics we'll study and consider as we move through our study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Use the slides to review our annotation anchors and the procedures for setting up your covers as well as what to look for as you read.

Our reading for next class is Equiano's "Narrative" - as you read, consider how he appeals to his audience of the time. Working through logos, pathos, and ethos will really guide your reading.

Next week we'll cover our first chunk of Huck Finn - be sure that you've read Chapters 1-10 for next week's classes. Follow the Unit Plan to see our reading deadlines.

Lastly, remember that your Unit 1 projects are due on Monday the 26th. This will be among the final grades for Quarter 1 - you can also email me to cash in your bonus points. Remember to tell me what assignment, and how many rubles to spend for extra credit.

English 10

Today was a really productive day! We spent time working through a poem by Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz before taking time to work on our projects or other assignments. I also shared your bonus points with you today. Remember that you can cash in your rubles for bonus points on assignments (10 rubles = 1 point). Just send me an email and let me know where to spend your cash.

Tonight you should focus on completing your projects and/or getting caught up on missing work. The first quarter will end on October 30th and no work will be scored after that date for Quarter 1. Let me know what I can do to help you to get what you need!

As always, let me know what I can do to help!

Happy Friday - 16 October - Grey Day

Reminders for AP Language and English 10 are the same as those listed below. Remember to submit any missing work this weekend from Unit 1 (since we're moving on) and especially the revised Writing Diagnostic. I'll update grades through the weekend and on Monday based on your submissions.

AP Research

Thank you for a productive day of conferencing based on your source list. I was very happy to see that you were immediately able to apply your findings from your Source List assignment to the further development of your research question. Remember that these sources may serve as models for you in a variety of ways - consider if their work is replicable for you in this course in any way, shape, or form.

Over the weekend you should continue to add to your source list - this should be a continuous process as we keep reading and working. Additionally, it is clear that many of you have found significant and important work which is guiding you. Apply our Lesson 4 work related to the Annotated Bibliography and begin to craft entries now. Remember that this Annotated Bibliography is one of our major assessments in this unit.

Next week we'll meet together to work through the reading of an AP Research paper and become familiar with the rubric used to score the paper. I think that you're ready to see the final product and understand the way in which this work we do now is going to find its way to that final product.

As always, reach out if you need me! Keep reading and adding - especially if you've found some gaps in your Source List.

End of Week 6 - Blue Day - 15 October

AP Language

Happy Thursday, all! We had a thorough day reviewing some of our main concepts related to rhetorical analysis, appeals, and situations. I was happy to see the way in which a lot of us have grown as readers and analyzers, even in this quick time we've had to start the year. I'm glad to see that so many of you enjoyed reading James Baldwin - we'll be seeing more of him through the year.

Over the weekend, be sure to complete your NoRedInk Diagnostic - you'll be getting full credit for completion. This will help to guide our grammar work through the year. Also remember that Writing Diagnostic resubmissions are due on Monday. Highlight changes/updates so that I can see your improvements more quickly.

Our next unit will focus on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. We'll be looking at some shorter pieces and essays to begin our work before jumping into the novel, but be sure that you're ready with a copy of the book soon!

English 10

Today in class we had our first workshop on our final project - My Personal Culture. Remember that the goal of this project is to learn more about your cultural background but also to find ways that you're different and have made yourself into an individual. This project is due on 10/26 at the end of the quarter. 

Remember that next week we'll begin our study of graphic novels and our first major book Persepolis. If you didn't get a copy from school and need one, I'll be there to help you from 1-3 on Monday at Fairfax High School.

This weekend is a great weekend to submit any and all missing work from Unit 1. Since we're moving on, I won't be able to take work for much longer. Be sure that anything which says "MISSING" on Google Classroom or SIS is complete and submitted. I'll get it rescored by the end of Monday. If you want a new grade on your essay, do be sure to submit those this weekend so that I can reread them and score them.

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. I'm here to help, always!

14 October - Grey Day

We're all in the transition point between units in the classes, which means that most of us are working on final projects of some sort. Remember that final projects are an opportunity for you to show your skills and learning from your work in the unit. If you would like, sign up for an office hours conference - calendar link is in Google Classroom - so we can meet and discuss your work before submission.

Be sure that any resubmissions are in to be scored as quickly as possible. If you have any questions, please reach out via email to discuss. Reminders for AP Language and English 10 are the same today as below. Be focused on your final projects as well as any corrections to your writing diagnostics. I'll be grading this weekend and Monday to import new scores based on your resubmissions.

AP Research

Today we began the joy of Unit 2 - The Introduction Element of the Academic Paper - and began work on our first major assessment task in this unit, the Annotated Bibliography. As we discussed today, the AB is the second iteration of our source list. In this assignment we are working SMARTER to consider the usefulness of the sources for our eventual investigation in this course. A great thing to do tonight is to take one of the sources you feel to be highly significant, and to write an AB entry using your templates. This will give you your first entry completed, as well as something to share with your peers.

I'll review source lists this weekend and return them to you after scoring. On Friday, we'll have quick conferences to check in, but the day is designed for you to continue your searching and to begin your writing. As always, keep considering your research question as you work and reach out for any help you may need.

13 October - Blue Day - Beginning Week 6

Did you miss the opportunity to pick up your novels for the year yesterday? If so, no sweat! 

I'll be set up in the lobby of Fairfax High School on Monday, October 19 from 1-3 PM. Come on down and get your books! Remember that if you choose not to check out a book from school, then you can read on the screen via an eBook or PDF or purchase your own copies (hard copy or eBook).

AP Language

Today we had time to begin our reading and study of James Baldwin and to begin putting a bow on Unit 1 with our final projects.

Remember that all mini-project work should be submitted today to be scored. Additionally, Writing Diagnostic resubmissions are due on Monday the 19th. 

This final project is due on the 26th. Remember that you can meet with me in advance to review your work and conference. Reach out to schedule a time during Office Hours on Monday - if that doesn't work for you, let me know. I can be flexible.

Enjoy your reading tonight of Baldwin's letter based on the work we did with the introduction. Vocabulary cards can be created from this text - try to get three new words from this text.

English 10

Today was a day to focus on writing. We spent our time working through notes and feedback from our writing diagnostics before taking another diagnostic focused on our grammar. Remember that by finishing the diagnostic you'll get full credit. This will be a helpful tool for us this year as we develop our writing by improving our grammar skills.

For tonight, you should focus on submitting any missing work from last week and revising your essay. Focus on showing your growth and understanding by applying our notes from the writing workshop. Any rewrites of essays are due on 10/19.

Grey Day - 9 October 2020

And here we are at the end of another great week. AP Language students should be focused on finishing reassessments of writing diagnostics as well as the final reflection on the mini-project called "What's the Situation?" before moving on to our unit assessment, "This is (my) America." 

English 10 students should be focused on finishing their work related to South Africa and our questions and vocabulary tasks from today. There's no additional homework for this weekend in English 10 so that we can focus on getting caught up.

AP Research

Today we met briefly to review our CRAAP quiz and especially the College Board Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification. Be sure that this policy finds its way into your PREP. If you would like to resubmit your quiz, please do so via email.

The goal for right now is to continue developing our Body of Knowledge and by extension our Research Questions. Your next assignment to submit is your categorized source list - be sure to have that in by Wednesday. Next week we'll begin Unit 2! Be prepared to keep moving forward!

Don't forget that if you are coming to Fairfax High School on Monday to check out your novels for the year to remain in your car, pull up to Door 1, and wear a mask. Bring a piece of paper with your name, your English teacher's name, your class and period. That will help us to get you your books quickly!

End of Week 5 - Blue Day - 8 October 2020

Dear Students and Families - It's the end of another great week at Fairfax High School. We're reading, thinking, and creating, and it's all wonderful to see. This week we're really focused on our writing skills and revising our work as we are moving to the end of our first units. See below for reminders this weekend related to your classes.

Also, remember if you're coming to FHS on Monday to check-out your books for the year, I look forward to seeing you in-person (even though you'll be socially distant). Remember to stay in your car, wear a mask, and to have your information on a piece of paper (name, class period, teacher name) to give us to process your check-out faster.

AP Language

Today was our day to finish our first round of Writing Bootcamp where we focused on the essential elements of an argumentative essay as well as the smaller elements of effective paragraph structure. I've included a recording below to help review this information. This means that all Writing Diagnostic revisions can be completed - to be rescored, submit by 10/19.

We also began the end of our unit by beginning work with the final project - This is (my) America. In this assignment you are using texts to present your definition of our nation. Remember to follow the rubric and guidelines posted. This is your chance to show your knowledge and skill at argumentative writing, so all of our Bootcamp lessons should be applied. This project will be due 10/26.

Lastly, if you have anything remaining from Mini-Project 1 - What's the Situation? Be sure that it is submitted (or resubmitted) by 10/13.

English 10

Today we got a bit brainy as we broke down and thought about where our ideas come from and the way in which we're developing a personal culture or viewpoint. Our article by Neil Gaiman brought up a lot of big ideas related to culture clash and reflecting on ourselves and our ideas. The slam poetry during our journal also had us consider where our ideas come from and how we're affected by our past and our struggles.

Be sure that you've submitted all work from our weeks up to this point including any writing tasks, the work on South Africa, and today's questions. We'll be transitioning to our novel next week, so this first unit is ending. We'll take time to develop our projects before we move to Iran and learn about the culture and people of the country before reading Persepolis. 

7 October - Grey Day and Rotations

Good Day Students and non-Students,

Reminders for AP Language and English 10 are the same as those outlined below. Be sure that if you are showing as missing assignments in SIS or on Google Classroom that you complete these soon. The quarter will end at the end of the month and grades will be finalized.

AP Research

This week is full of tasks that will take you to the end of Unit 1. You have your assessment on CRAAP as well as the finishing touches for the submission of your Source List. Remember that your Source List should have anywhere from 20-30 entries and it should be categorized using the ideas in the slide deck on Google Classroom.

Take time this week to pitch your question and receive feedback from others. There's also our reflection question for the week. I'm available for you to drop-in this week and conference if you need me. 

Kicking Off Week 5 - Blue Day - 6 October

Welcome to a new week students, as we are drawing near to the close of our first quarter of school as well as the end of our first units. Be aware that we will start working on our final projects for this unit this week! Here are your reminders based on our work today in class.

Remember - if you stated that you want to check out a book from school for this year, you can come to Fairfax HS on Monday the 12th from 12-2 or 4-6. Make sure that you have a piece of paper with the student's name, teacher's name, class period, and class. I'll go over the procedures on Thursday for you all.

AP Language

Today was a day for our gallery walk. We interacted with each other by looking at our texts (via our shared slide deck) and by hearing each others thoughts (via our classroom FlipGrid). I hope that you enjoyed the chance to learn from each other and interact with each other in the ways that we can, right now. Remember to submit your reflection on this activity for your final points of the project. If you choose to resubmit your slides, please do so by the end of the week.

From there we moved into feminist theory and literary criticism. Be sure to complete your story and post to the discussion board when you finish. Later this week - be sure to reply to a post from the opposite story. Another chance for us to interact and learn from each other. 

English 10

Today we took some time to get caught up or ahead, based on where we find ourselves in class. Then we jumped to close reading and annotating. We reviewed our process of close reading and determined it's best to always start by stating a purpose for our reading. Remember - If you say you're looking for something, then you're likely to find it. We then applied our skill to different religious texts before submitting ideas to a class discussion.

For tonight, there's no homework assigned. If you're behind on other assignments, use this time to get caught up. We'll start talking about writing and revising on Thursday, so remember that you'll be able to rewrite your essays soon for a new score.

Closing the Week - Friday, October 2nd - Grey Day

Reminders below for AP Language and English 10 are the same as for today's classes. Remember that if you have decided to check out books from school, please let me know. You will be able to come to school on the 12th of October to retrieve your books for the year. I'll share more details about this next week. Over the weekend/Monday be sure to complete your assignments, especially if anything is missing. 

AP Research

Today we took time to conference and continue our development of our research questions and the supporting elements of those questions. Some of you may find it useful as your question develops to continue to go back and revise your problem statement. Consider how your evolving question will continue to send you back to your sources and databases to find more information that you need. There's always more to do, but we're making great strides.

Next week you'll have two assessments - first will be your quiz on our CRAAP method for testing sources. Second will be the submission of your source list. The magic number is twenty five. I'll have all of this uploaded next week for you! Remember that as you work on your own, I'll keep myself available for questions and check-ins.

Happy October! Blue Day - 10/1 - End of Week 4

Time certainly flies when you're busy and having fun! Congratulations on making it to the end of the first month of virtual school. We've been adjusting and supporting each other through it - and I'm a fan of all of that. Below are your reminders moving into the weekend.

Please, mark your calendars! Book collection for my classes will be on October 12 at Fairfax High School. Remember this is your time to collect your novels for the year. Please see the Book Form (Day 5) and register your preference if you haven't already!

AP Language

Today was a day to brush off our close reading and annotating skills as we investigated the conclusion of Occom's "Narrative". This was a great way for us to pair our work with rhetoric and the rhetorical situation as we were able to dig deep and explore his message to his audience. 

Over the weekend your priority is Mini-Project 1. If you have questions or need a review, feel free to email me/share a draft with me and ask for feedback/or attend Office Hours on Monday.

The other items hovering on us are our first vocabulary cards - use Google Slides and follow the template on Google Classroom. Our revisions of our diagnostics - next week we'll discuss structure and organization. 

Lastly, the reading which will be discussed next week is Vowell's "The Wordy Shipmates." It's available on page 267 in the textbook. This is low priority right now, but it's our next text to consider if you'd like to get ahead.

English 10

Today we had our timed writing in class to finish our writing diagnostic. Remember that you're getting four grades on this assignment - one for your argument/thesis, one for the examples, one for explanation, and one for style. I hope that you were able to use your planning and earlier work to be ready and feel prepared for our task today. If you were not able to complete the planning steps, you will be able to get partial credit based on your essay that you wrote today. Also remember that you can redo this essay if you're not happy with your score.

Our other task for class today and on to the weekend is to work with Desmond Tutu's speech from our textbook on forgiveness in South Africa. Remember that the questions and tasks in the textbook are there to help you but aren't required. To get credit, complete Homework Assignment 4. Interact with one of the two choice activities at the end of the speech - there's an interview and a Google Earth field trip. Then, submit the South Africa reflection.

Be sure that if you're missing anything from before that it's turned in. We're at our mid-point, and I don't want anyone to fall behind.