Dear Students -
I don't know if there are those of you who check this and don't check Google Classroom - but if there are, please go check out the updates on Google Classroom. There's a course evaluation form for the end of the year as well as a video message from me for the end of the year as well.
If you are in grades 9-11, you have time to improve your scores in our classes. Please reach out if you haven't done so and you're interested in work opportunities. Many of these are already posted for you in Google Classroom.
We'll be collecting textbooks at Jordan on the 28th from 10 AM - 2 PM. I've got a roster with a lot of seniors who have novels signed out (The Stranger, Frankenstein, Their Eyes Were Watching G-d, Twelfth Night) and copies of Perrine's Literature. Be sure to look under your beds and in your bags for books. I know that the sometimes find themselves under car seats. Russian students don't need to worry about returning books unless you are a senior - please bring back books that you will no longer need.
With that - I'll say happy summer! Hopefully we get ourselves back to some semblance of life before COVID-19 and find time to be with people and on beaches or wherever it is we want to be. All my best, always.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Friday, May 8, 2020
End of the Week - 8 May 2020
It's the end of the week! Next week we will begin AP Exams for all classes (except Russian which will occur in the first week of June). Remember to go to myap.collegeboard.org in order to access your demo, check your email address, and ensure that you are ready to test.
If you are a ninth, tenth, or eleventh grader, remember that you have the opportunity to decide how your spring semester grade will be shown on your transcript. You can either get the grade (factored into GPA) or you can get a PC19 (a pass, but no GPA). If you are trying to improve your grade be sure that you complete assignments here and when you submit, let me know if you want to improve your Semester 1 or Quarter 3 score.
Next week I will be working at school on Monday to distribute signs for graduating seniors - assignments for the week will be posted on Sunday afternoon. I will not be available for Office Hours on Monday, but I will be free on Tuesday for extra time if you need me.
If you are a ninth, tenth, or eleventh grader, remember that you have the opportunity to decide how your spring semester grade will be shown on your transcript. You can either get the grade (factored into GPA) or you can get a PC19 (a pass, but no GPA). If you are trying to improve your grade be sure that you complete assignments here and when you submit, let me know if you want to improve your Semester 1 or Quarter 3 score.
Next week I will be working at school on Monday to distribute signs for graduating seniors - assignments for the week will be posted on Sunday afternoon. I will not be available for Office Hours on Monday, but I will be free on Tuesday for extra time if you need me.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Special Announcement - Freshmen through Juniors
Dear Underclassmen (Russian, AP Research),
You have the opportunity to now improve your academic standing by completing work assigned via remote instruction. You can add points to your S1 or Q3 grade by completing assignments. All of you are currently passing, so this is just gravy to improve academic standing and improve your GPA.
Any work must be submitted by May 25. You can email me, submit on Google Classroom or DuoLingo, or you can send me screenshots of your work. Just be sure that you tell me where you want me to put the points.
I'll continue to post assignments next week and the week after to give you opportunities to improve your Russian skills and academic standing. There are plenty of assignments already available on Google Classroom/DuoLingo to begin this process.
As always, let me know if you have questions or concerns.
You have the opportunity to now improve your academic standing by completing work assigned via remote instruction. You can add points to your S1 or Q3 grade by completing assignments. All of you are currently passing, so this is just gravy to improve academic standing and improve your GPA.
Any work must be submitted by May 25. You can email me, submit on Google Classroom or DuoLingo, or you can send me screenshots of your work. Just be sure that you tell me where you want me to put the points.
I'll continue to post assignments next week and the week after to give you opportunities to improve your Russian skills and academic standing. There are plenty of assignments already available on Google Classroom/DuoLingo to begin this process.
As always, let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Monday, May 4, 2020
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!
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!
Friday, May 1, 2020
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!
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.
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.
Monday, April 27, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Week 2 - Supplemental Instruction
Good Morning Everyone! Welcome to Week 2!
This week we're going to proceed much as last week with our schedule and recordings. See below for information related to your own particular class.
AP English Literature (9-10 am): Today we'll review some important information and the assignments in AP Classroom that are unlocked. Then, we'll take a look at the released materials from Friday from College Board. Through the week we'll continue to look at the released materials in our own way, review important skills, and maybe get into some of our own text choices (what we're reading, other authors outside of the AP released ones). Remember that there is an important announcement from College Board on Friday related to AP Exams
AP Research (10-11 am): This is a working week. If you are needing to complete revisions to earlier steps in your process due to school closing, come and check in so that we can get some of that done together. If you are continuing to move forward as normal, remember that I'm available for drafting and review. Please think about times that would work in the next two weeks as possible peer editing times - especially if the normal window for this class doesn't fit in your schedule.
Russian (11-12 pm): I'll be unlocking new assignments on DuoLingo today and then we'll be looking at some of the verb conjugation work that pairs logically with the work we did on plurals. First we're mining for verbs from our vocabulary list, then conjugating and reviewing. This week we'll focus more on translation and using the language to accomplish key skills since we've reviewed the case functions/declensions.
See your specific classes for handouts/posts/recordings. Don't forget that I have office hours this week from 1-3 PM. I won't be available Monday after 2:30 PM because of a Leadership Team meeting. Below you'll find our Zoom room link!
This week we're going to proceed much as last week with our schedule and recordings. See below for information related to your own particular class.
AP English Literature (9-10 am): Today we'll review some important information and the assignments in AP Classroom that are unlocked. Then, we'll take a look at the released materials from Friday from College Board. Through the week we'll continue to look at the released materials in our own way, review important skills, and maybe get into some of our own text choices (what we're reading, other authors outside of the AP released ones). Remember that there is an important announcement from College Board on Friday related to AP Exams
AP Research (10-11 am): This is a working week. If you are needing to complete revisions to earlier steps in your process due to school closing, come and check in so that we can get some of that done together. If you are continuing to move forward as normal, remember that I'm available for drafting and review. Please think about times that would work in the next two weeks as possible peer editing times - especially if the normal window for this class doesn't fit in your schedule.
Russian (11-12 pm): I'll be unlocking new assignments on DuoLingo today and then we'll be looking at some of the verb conjugation work that pairs logically with the work we did on plurals. First we're mining for verbs from our vocabulary list, then conjugating and reviewing. This week we'll focus more on translation and using the language to accomplish key skills since we've reviewed the case functions/declensions.
See your specific classes for handouts/posts/recordings. Don't forget that I have office hours this week from 1-3 PM. I won't be available Monday after 2:30 PM because of a Leadership Team meeting. Below you'll find our Zoom room link!
Thursday, March 26, 2020
March 26 - Zoom Lessons/Recordings and General Information
Happy Thursday Everyone! Though do the days of the week really mean much to anyone anymore? Today I posted recordings on Google Classroom for each of the groups. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns related to any of this.
Remember that I'm available from 1-3 PM for Office Hours. We can review this work or just chat about anything you'd like.
AP English Literature: Today we took a look at the poem posted by College Board and the writing task. We did some close reading and analysis to really deal with how elements of a poem's structure are connected to meaning. Tomorrow we'll take a look at some of the materials posted for today as well as other feedback related to AP Classroom assignments.
AP Research: Today we built two calendars and discussed what a final assessment may look like given that there are no more PODs. One calendar is for those who aren't really affected by the school closure/national shutdown; the other is for those on the other side of that line. Please keep in mind that we still have working days in our calendar where you can conference and ask questions.
Russian Language: We discussed the main usages for nominative, genitive, and prepositional cases as well as some new/review vocabulary. A lot of what we're doing is just reviewing and reinforcing the basics. Tomorrow we'll go over the other cases. Remember that you have access to DuoLingo for free and you can join our class so that you can do focused lessons. Ask for the code if you need it.
Remember that I'm available from 1-3 PM for Office Hours. We can review this work or just chat about anything you'd like.
AP English Literature: Today we took a look at the poem posted by College Board and the writing task. We did some close reading and analysis to really deal with how elements of a poem's structure are connected to meaning. Tomorrow we'll take a look at some of the materials posted for today as well as other feedback related to AP Classroom assignments.
AP Research: Today we built two calendars and discussed what a final assessment may look like given that there are no more PODs. One calendar is for those who aren't really affected by the school closure/national shutdown; the other is for those on the other side of that line. Please keep in mind that we still have working days in our calendar where you can conference and ask questions.
Russian Language: We discussed the main usages for nominative, genitive, and prepositional cases as well as some new/review vocabulary. A lot of what we're doing is just reviewing and reinforcing the basics. Tomorrow we'll go over the other cases. Remember that you have access to DuoLingo for free and you can join our class so that you can do focused lessons. Ask for the code if you need it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Signing Off - Wednesday the 25th
I was going to do this thing where I recorded a Zoom message, but then I realized today that it takes forever to upload those, so it's best to do that sparingly and as needed.
I'm signing off for today! Thank you students for attending class and for sending emails and messages. I am so appreciative and thankful for all of you. Please help me by reaching out to your classmates. Let them know what's going on, check in on each other, and let them know that I'm here to support you as much as I can!
Please continue to complete the form related to the AP Examination posted below. I've also recorded lessons and have another tomorrow to be uploaded. As content for more of those recordings - I created a Needs Assessment form. Let me know what else we can do in the mornings to review and reinforce what we know.
Keep working on your assignments posted on Google Classroom and AP Classroom as much as you can! I always enjoy reading what you write and giving feedback to help you grow further.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
I'm signing off for today! Thank you students for attending class and for sending emails and messages. I am so appreciative and thankful for all of you. Please help me by reaching out to your classmates. Let them know what's going on, check in on each other, and let them know that I'm here to support you as much as I can!
Please continue to complete the form related to the AP Examination posted below. I've also recorded lessons and have another tomorrow to be uploaded. As content for more of those recordings - I created a Needs Assessment form. Let me know what else we can do in the mornings to review and reinforce what we know.
Keep working on your assignments posted on Google Classroom and AP Classroom as much as you can! I always enjoy reading what you write and giving feedback to help you grow further.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
AP Students - Form to Complete
Dear AP Students -
Please complete this form so that I can see potential needs for completing AP Examinations at home. This is a MUST DO. If you do not respond to the form I will make contact to check on your needs. Please help me by telling others about this form. You should do this for each of your AP classes.
I've also posted this in Google Classroom.
Please complete this form so that I can see potential needs for completing AP Examinations at home. This is a MUST DO. If you do not respond to the form I will make contact to check on your needs. Please help me by telling others about this form. You should do this for each of your AP classes.
I've also posted this in Google Classroom.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Starting Week 1 - Assignments Posted / Online Lessons
Dear Students -
Assignments have been posted in Google Classroom for all classes for this week. I'll be available tomorrow via ZOOM and will post the link and schedule for online classes this week tomorrow.
You can also email me questions or leave comments on the class posts in Google Classroom. Remember that all previously assigned work is on PAUSE for the time being. You can submit any of this work and we can conference over it and review it together. This is a great thing to do this week in the afternoons during open time.
AP Students have access to free online lessons that align with topics to be covered on the modified AP Examinations. Currently for my students there are only lessons for AP English Literature. When there are lessons for Research, I'll post those too. Here is the schedule:
AP English Literature and Composition:
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of structure in a text.
Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of contrasts within a text.
Friday, March 27, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a text.
I hope that you all are doing well. I look forward to seeing some of you this week during our online classes and meeting times.
Assignments have been posted in Google Classroom for all classes for this week. I'll be available tomorrow via ZOOM and will post the link and schedule for online classes this week tomorrow.
You can also email me questions or leave comments on the class posts in Google Classroom. Remember that all previously assigned work is on PAUSE for the time being. You can submit any of this work and we can conference over it and review it together. This is a great thing to do this week in the afternoons during open time.
AP Students have access to free online lessons that align with topics to be covered on the modified AP Examinations. Currently for my students there are only lessons for AP English Literature. When there are lessons for Research, I'll post those too. Here is the schedule:
AP English Literature and Composition:
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of structure in a text.
Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of contrasts within a text.
Friday, March 27, 2020 - 12−12:45 p.m. ET: Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a text.
I hope that you all are doing well. I look forward to seeing some of you this week during our online classes and meeting times.
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