5 and 6 May - Off to the Weekend!

AP Language

We're solidly in examination time, so class is a space to work and have time as you need to accomplish your goals. The recording goes over the final projects in a bit more detail and some resources you'll need related to that. Check the unit folder for access to the templates and rubrics for the final projects.

Note that the final day to submit work for Quarter 4 is June 3. After this, only the final exam will be accepted to be scored. As always, please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

English 10

Today's class was our opportunity to complete our study of Japanese art and the poetry styles of haiku and tanka. I love a haiku. I think that the simplicity of their style belies the complexity of their meaning. The smallest things can be the most complex, and it's that paradox which really exists at the center of a lot of Japanese culture. 

If you are missing assignments take this weekend to complete and submit them. I've been contacting parents of people who are in danger for the quarter. With only eight classes left in the year, it's important that you get caught up if you've fallen behind. No work for the quarter will be accepted after 3 June. Exams begin on 3 June and only the final will be scored at that point.

Next week we'll begin with our major text in this unit - Spirited Away. I'm looking forward to sharing this wonderful film with all of you!

Friday and Monday - Day 3 - First Weekend!

AP Language

Great First Friday, y'all! We looked at some art, reviewed the idea of deep looking to record our thinking with art or other non-print texts, and then we also learned about the structure called the rhetorical situation. This is a great structure that we're going to continue to use through the year to analyze and think about the moving parts that create meaning. 

For tonight/the weekend, I want you to practice deep looking with Ana Juan's New Yorker cover. Be sure to do your annotations and use the three questions from the end to check your understanding and prompt your thinking. Continue to review the table of contents regularly and consider the voices present and absent. Lastly, I'd like for you to continue to consider the Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence - how does the difference between parts of the rhetorical situation change the overall meaning or impact of the document? I've re-posted the rough draft to help you. Don't forget the forms if you haven't filled them out!

English 10

We became constitutional scholars today in English 10! We took time to talk about navigating difficult documents, determining main ideas and understanding how constitutions work like cultural artifacts. I was very happy to also collect your paragraphs about your single stories - I look forward to reading these and getting you feedback next week.

Over the weekend, be sure to complete any resubmissions you may need to. The syllabus is published and ready for you to review and sign. See you next week for the continuation!

Beginning the Week - 23 February

AP Language

Today was our day to get caught up on our research paper unit. Since we didn't have class last week, we took today for writing conferences. For those of you who didn't complete the conference today, we'll meet on Monday during Office Hours or on Tuesday/Thursday next week during class.

Thursday will be asynchronous. Use that time to complete your AP Classroom FRQ and/or the drafting of your paper. I've uploaded the template for MLA formatting your document here as well as the recording. Keep in mind that the place to submit your paper is live and the final rubric is posted there for you to use.

English 10

Today was also our catch-up day on our museum and research unit. The main goal for today was to complete our supporting work so that we can focus on the final part of this unit next week - the final interpretation of the piece. Be sure that all of your tasks on Google Classroom are submitted and marked complete. If you're not sure what to do, reach out for help via email or in a private comment. 

Thursday's class is an asynchronous one. I've already uploaded the outline assignment as well as a recording to help you complete that assignment. The outline will make sure you have a clear claim that you will then finalize next week in your final assignment in the unit. Our next unit is one of my favorites - we'll be looking at literature from Eastern Europe and Russia - I'm excited to show you all one of my favorite parts of the world and one of my favorite books. 

Ending the Week - 19 February

AP Language

Today we had a bit of a bonus day because of yesterday's snow day. Options for today's class and Return Period included: drafting our research papers, participating in writing conferences, reading in Invisible Man to prepare for future seminars, resubmitting research paper tasks, or completing the synthesis FRQ on AP Classroom.

Remember that your research paper is due by March 5 - as is the FRQ on AP Classroom. This FRQ is a full essay - no more half-stepping for us, the exam draws on apace! This FRQ is a great dry run to see how well you are accomplishing the skills of this writing unit. You'll receive a completion score for the FRQ as well as an AP score to see how your skills line up for the final exam in May.

Next week we'll be having our catch-up days as well as asynchronous days school-wide. Please be in touch and let me know how I can support you. I'll also have Office Hours on Monday if you need to meet me then.

AP Research

Quick meetings can be great meetings - thanks for being present and prompt! Keep in mind that your analysis of the BoK paper will be due soon, try to turn it in on Monday. This gives you a great chance to go back to an important source and engage in some critical reading and reflection around your own work. Consider how this paper can show you more and be even more helpful for you now as you begin writing and working with data than it was when you first encountered it. This analysis can be helpful in a lot of ways as we think about where we find ourselves in the inquiry process.

Next week we'll take a bit of a look back at the idea of variables - qualitative and quantitative - and possibly reexamining your questions and preliminary data to get ready for analysis and related tasks. Your BoK analysis may help you to set up your preliminary charts and help you get a handle on what data analysis may look like.

As always, let me know how I can help you through this work. No researcher is an island, to paraphrase Milton - reach out and ask questions of me and each other - we're all here to help. Enjoy the weekend!

English 10

Today was a working day within our museum field tripping unit and a day to meet with counselors to review and enter course selections for next year. Remember that if you weren't able to meet that you should still enter your course selections on SiS. (Seventh Period - I've asked Ms. Rotella about rescheduling your meeting with your counselors; I'll keep you posted on how this develops.)

Next week is a catch-up day and an asynchronous day. The goal will be to complete the outline for your final interpretation of your item in your museum. The template for the assignment and a video are posted for you to use. I'll take you though more tools in the databases as we finish our interpretation work. If you're missing earlier steps in the process, it's important to get those complete now. Remember to check your school email often as well as your messages during class for updates or check-ins from me.

Remember that I'm still holding office hours on Monday. If you need to meet, please drop in on BBCU or claim a signup spot in my calendar, that's posted in Google Classroom under Classwork.

Ending the Week - Thursday the 28th

AP Language

Today was our final day for researching and the building of outlines in class. The recording posted on Google Classroom goes over the template documents for the outline and sourcepack assignment as well as the requirements of the rubric for the outline. I hope you find it helpful. I'm available on Monday during Office Hours to review or conference before you submit your outlines.

We will start reading very soon, likely next week. If you need to secure a copy of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, let me know via email. If you've not started reading, it's recommended you do so that you can begin to get ahead.

Enjoy the weekend! I'm looking forward to reading and discussing texts with you all again.

English 10

Today was a really exciting day, and I hope that you were able to use this time as a chance to explore and travel to various museums around the world. Remember that our goal is to find a museum which appeals to us first, then we'll find a piece in that museum which really draws our attention and makes us want to dig deeper. This can really be any item in the museum - based on what it is will direct the work that we will do in the rest of the unit. 

One of the main skills we'll be working with through this unit is developing our use of specific examples in our writing. Today we did a mini-lesson on citations to guide our work and practice moving forward. The recording is posted for you to access as you need it.

By the end of this week you should have submitted two tasks - the Semester 1 Reflection and the Perfect Paragraph - Museum Choice. Keep using our class time to produce and focus on your tasks. If you need additional time this weekend to finish anything, take it and submit your work before due dates on Monday.