13 April - Still Gone, End of the Week/Quarter

I'm very sorry to be away from you all on the last day of the quarter. I appreciate that I have seen a lot of things get turned in. I'm grading and giving feedback as you complete items. Here are a few quick reminders for the long weekend.

AP Language

Be sure to submit your final assignment for this unit. Your grades will be resetting pretty soon once we finish the scoring of the practice AP Examination. If you have missed any or part of the practice exam, please see me next week to get that settled. The best times would be Wednesday after school or Thursday at Lion Time. Juniors won't have Lion Time on Tuesday because of required programming.

AP Research

We'll have one final working day and then begin our presentations. I'll schedule those with you on Monday. Use this last weekend well! You'll be getting your first AP Exam out of the way, and then we'll move on to reflecting on the year and having some fun before graduation.

English 10

Today is our first day of Quarter 4 and our unit on graphic novels and Middle Eastern literature. We're going to start by diving in with our country of focus and our type of literature to focus on. If you didn't finish the assignment today in class, please do so by the next time I see you. Go to EdPuzzle, log in with your FCPSSchools account, and find your assignment. You can always redo this if you'd like. We'll start reading our book from Iran next class, so knowing this information about the country will help you to better understand the book.

14 November - Ugh, Filters!

For some reason, the FCPS filter keeps me from posting and updating at school. I hope this is resolved soon, but the issue is with Blogger. Be sure that you're keeping up with the regular posts on Schoology. That really is the best resource right now for all of us until this is worked out.

Snow Day to Start 2022

Happy Snow Day, y'all!

I hope that you're able to stay warm, safe, and dry while the snow falls. It's really falling heavily, so I'll be taking Bruno out in a bit to see what he thinks about all of this. Be sure to check Schoology for updates to your class. If you're in 2nd or 6th - be aware that this class will not be able to be made up. Try to take some time for class if you can today - there are resources to help you do this.

I'll be available via email if you need me. Please reach out and enjoy the day!

October 13

The 13th is PSAT Day. If you're a sophomore, this is just a practice test. If you're a junior, then you may have a chance to get some scholarship money out of tomorrow for the National Merit Scholarship Qualification.

Be sure to bring pencils, a calculator, a snack and some water. It'll be a grueling slog, but you'll do it.

Put in a bit of time for your classes in the afternoon. Remember that grey classes will have an enrichment day on Thursday. Our next class to advance the unit will be on Friday/Monday.

The Last Week of School

I’m logging off for today. If you submit your project this evening it will be scored first thing tomorrow morning and your grade will be finalized. Remember that you can cash in extra credit or resubmit your final project until the last day of class on Friday the 11th.

Tomorrow I have first period planning. If you need to meet about anything, I’ll have my BBCU open during first period. After first we’ll have THIRD PERIOD EXAM. Be sure to log in.

June 9 is 6th and 8th exams. June 10th is 5th and 7th. On June 11 – All classes will meet briefly for about 15 minutes. I will be taking attendance until June 11; I apologize for earlier confusion related to attendance requirements.

Reach out via email if there is anything that you need from me tonight

Exams Begin Tomorrow

Good evening all! A reminder that exams begin tomorrow with second period. The exam can only help and not harm your grade. If you choose not to take it, then your grade will be calculated based on your quarter average. If you have submitted late work or asked about cashing in rubles for the end of the year - I will be grading and updating SIS in the morning. Please continue to submit work if you can/would like/need.

Your final projects for quarter four are due on Monday. I'll be available on BBCU most of the day on Monday and some of the day tomorrow for conferencing and assistance. You can also feel free to reach out via email or private comment.

Keep in mind that we'll also begin our half-day schedule tomorrow for exams.

April's Finished - On to May (April 29, 2021)

AP Language

Today in class we spent time discussing symbols and characters who function symbolically. We then took time for a brief close reading to see the way in which multiple levels of meaning are woven in to the text. Ellison really is a master at this, and sometimes it hits pretty fast. If you see a big passage with lots of moving parts, try to always grab on to the parts that make the most sense to you. Remember that there are always multiple meanings in a text, your job is to always focus on constructing and developing one.

Over the weekend, focus on finishing your MCQs and reading in Invisible Man. MCQ 8 is due on Monday as is the most recent round of vocabulary cards. Remember that your cards should come from MCQs and Ellison's novel. Next week we'll finish our focus on the AP Examination - and begin preparing more individually and with some choice. MCQ 9 is available for extra credit/extra practice/replacement of a previous MCQ. 

As always, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. It's gonna be May next week - off to the last full month of school!

English 10

Today's class focused on reading in order to understand pages 126 to 135 in our novel. We met a new character called "The Limper" who embodies one of our clear conflicts in the novel as well as a type of brutal power. Also, we discussed more about Tzesar Markovich and Shukhov. Especially their character traits.

Over the weekend be focused on any missing work and updating your notes from the reading so far. Next week will be our last week with this novel. I look forward to hearing your final thoughts and reflections on the book. From there we'll be working on a lot of end of the year assignments. Be ready for the year to end fast!

AP Research

Remember that next week you have two assessments due. You'll need to meet with me to complete your EOC Conference, and you'll need to meet with a peer to complete your Mock POD. I'll be available all next week during class time as well as on Monday. If you haven't yet scheduled your POD for the week of May 10, be sure to do so ASAP. Reply to the email in your inbox to set your date and time.

7 April 2021 - Wednesday

AP Language / English 10

Note the reminders below or on Google Classroom related to today's classes. Remember that if you miss anything, recordings are all posted on the stream on Google Classroom. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Friday to keep working with our novels.

AP Research

On Friday we'll be focused on Peer Review of the Findings and Analysis sections of your paper. Think of these two as clearly linked. The Findings will present your key takeways, groupings, or charts/graphs/tables of data. The Analysis will explain key links and takeaways from that data. Remember to go back to the sample papers posted in our classroom space for examples of this in action. I look forward to seeing you Friday for a productive and useful day.

End of the Quarter - Off to Spring Break

Have a wonderful Spring Break, everyone! If you celebrate Passover or Easter, enjoy your holiday and time for good food and reflection on the holiday. I look forward to seeing you all when we return for our final push to the end of the year. Remember that if you have any work to turn in, today is the day! I'll have all grading finished tomorrow to close out the quarter.

AP Language

If you would like to continue reading Invisible Man over the break, please do so. You can also feel free to take this time to completely rest and recharge. Read something else, enjoy a movie, reflect on the class so far. When we return we'll take a look at that self-reflection assignment and return to TIM. 

English 10

Keep reading in Ivan Denisovich if you'd like. Once you get into the novel, it moves pretty quickly. There are also plenty of shows about Russia or Russian prisons that you can watch and check out on many different platforms. When we return from break we'll take time with some of our other authors to see a few other perspectives before returning to the camp.

AP Research

It's all about finishing the paper right now for us in this unit of the class. When we return from break we'll have another round of Peer Review for the majority of the paper. Take time to write and analyze data over the break if you need to, but remember that we will have class time for this when we return as well. Our final unit of the year will be all about preparing for the POD and submission of our work. I'm excited to bring you to the end of the line.

Wednesday, 10 March

AP Research

Today was a quick check-in for attendance purposes. Remember that on Friday we'll meet for our peer review of our introduction, literature review, and method section of the paper. I'll give you a brief training on reading and interpreting the rubric before you put that to play with the work of your peers.

AP Language and English 10

The announcements below are the same for you all, as well. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Friday to continue or begin our study of our novels. Remember to check in on any assignments from Unit 3 as we are firmly moving to our next round of skills and texts. The quarter will end on the 26th of March.

Snow Day! 18 February

Good morning everyone! We find ourselves with an official snow day today - no virtual or in-person learning will be held today. I wanted to let you know that I will be available over email today if you have any questions about anything.

If you have missing assignments - today gives you a wonderful opportunity to get caught up before our upcoming catch-up days and asynchronous time. If you're all caught up - I'd recommend getting ahead with your final tasks for Unit 3 (the research paper). 

I'll be grading and getting caught up myself through the day. Please reach out if there's anything I can do. When we meet again, I'll let you know of any updates to our schedule and lessons -- I'm sure there will be a few.

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.

Asynchronous Monday - 21 September

Good Day Students and Families - 

Today is a day to get things done which may still be floating over us. I've been hard at work grading this morning and am happy to report that most everything from Week 1 and the summer has been updated in the gradebook. If you see that something is missing, go check Google Classroom - you may have not hit the submit button.

Assignments for today are anything from Week 2 - Especially the Homework Assignment 2. We'll begin to focus on writing skills, so these opening assignments are a good way for me to understand where we are in those skills.

As always, if there's anything I can do to assist, please let me know!

Monday - September 14. Asynchronous Day.

Happy Monday and Good Morning!

Today is a day for independent working as well as submitting any assignments to be scored/marked as completed. Remember that there is a list below outlining what should be turned in for credit. If you see an error in your grades, wait until the end of the day, because I will be scoring and updating the gradebook through the day.

As a reminder you have a homework assignment which should be submitted before our next class meeting/at the end of today. Remember that Mondays are the official end of our week in this class - ironic, I know. 

I am available today for Office Hours as well as Back to School/Meet the Teacher Drop-Ins. I will have my Blackboard Collaborate Space as well as Google Meet (AP Research) available this morning from 9:30 to 12:00. Please visit or email if you have questions.

Don't forget to do your Google Form check-in for today's attendance!

Kicking Off 2020-2021

Good Morning Fairfax High School - 

Welcome to Tock the Dog - in Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth - Tock was a Watch Dog, who patrolled the entrance and gave helpful advice to those entering beyond the tollbooth. I hope that you will find this blog to be a place where you can find such advice and help.

All of our classroom content will be housed in Google Classroom. We will use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for our live meeting sessions. You should have received a link to Collaborate in your FCPSSchools email account. If you navigate to Blackboard (FCPS 24-7 Learn) you can find our course there, and there is a link to our Google Classroom space for you to use.

Parents - I hope that this space will be helpful for you so that you don't have to log in to Google Classroom every day. This is a space for you to find helpful information about due dates, course content, and general updates. Please see this as a resource for you as well as your student.

Opening May!

Good Morning Students!

Happy May! The weather is beautiful, the birds are singing, and soon I'm going to go for a run. But before I do that, I wanted to post an overview of what you can find on Google Classroom.

Russian Students - This is a great time to be in Russia (usually) because of the May Holidays. For this week's assignment we have some language and cultural skills to work on. See the details on Google Classroom.

AP Literature - The final round of practice prompts are posted for you to peruse. (See what I did there?) Feel free to turn in your essays for my scoring and feedback. Exams begin NEXT WEEK! Be sure that you are ready by following the College Board guidelines. I'll have a recorded lesson later this week on Zoom about final tips for the exam.

AP Research - The last three weeks are upon us before papers are submitted. I look forward to reviewing your paper with you before you submit. Please reach out for any and all assistance you may need.

Lastly - If you've signed up for my texting service, please let your friends who are in our classes know as well. Shoot me a message with your name, and I'll get you signed up for my class reminders via text!

Texting Notifications - Text to Enroll!

Dear Students -

I've set up a number for texting communication and announcements for the rest of the school year. I messaged some of you already today. If you got a message from: 919-864-0294 that's me. If you didn't get a text and would like to enroll, just text your name to that number and I'll reply.

I'm available at this number Monday-Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm (and maybe a bit outside of those times too).

All the best!

End of the Week - May 1, 2020 - Updates/Announcements

Dear Students,

As we begin the month of May, I wanted to reach out with one of my weekly updates. As always, I hope that you are doing well mentally and physically. Remember to try to spend time each day making yourself glad and reflecting on what you find to be thankful for in your life right now.

AP Examinations are coming this month. I've posted a video in Google Classroom for those of you who want a bit of help navigating the new process for this year. Remember that you need your "AP E-Ticket" for each examination, and you need to be logged in thirty minutes before the exam begins. The AP English Literature examination will be held on May 13 at 2:00 PM. I'll continue to review any work that you submit on AP or Google Classroom to prepare you for the examination. AP Research papers are due to Digital Portfolio by the 26th of May.

Russian students - With this week, and the assignments and information I've posted, we have completed the work in our courses for Russian I, II, III, and IV. In the following weeks I will continue to post assignments and tasks for you in order to reinforce your skills with Russian. We'll also be interacting with more Russian texts (songs, stories, poems, videos) in order to stretch ourselves a bit. I will also keep posting lessons for you in DuoLingo.

This week I've started a new book (already about halfway done with it), and I've realized that my coffee consumption has gone WAY up while I've been at home. There's nothing stopping me from just making another pot of coffee these days. I'm also enjoying my runs or mini-workouts on days when it rains.

Continue to take care of yourselves and others. I miss you all! Grades have been finalized for Q3 at this point and all grade changes have been made.

End of Phase 2 - Week Four - 27 April 2020

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.

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