End of the Week - Homecoming Friday

English 11

It's Friday the 13th and the end of a busy week at Fairfax High School. Solid end to the week today in English 11. We had picture day, and we completed our first timed essay. Remember that in this class, grades replace. This first essay is often the worst of the whole year. As we learn and grow, we'll be rewarded for that. Continue to do your part. Be actively engaged in class, and focus on improvement! I'll have feedback for you next week.

Over the weekend, be sure to complete your syllabus form, your discussion board post, and study for your vocabulary quiz. Be sure to complete your practice assignment. If you were absent or need to get caught up. Make a plan for Lion Time next week. Request a pass on Securly and I'll approve. All the best for a great Homecoming and weekend!

13 September - Wacky Wednesday!

AP Language

Today was one of our first days to do a few things - let's outline them here. First, we got into our new vocabulary books. We worked with List One and began to organize the words by their apparent tone. We discussed the fact that some words are ambiemotional (they can be positive or negative based on the context). From there, we did a quick practice with SPACE CAT and applied some of the structures that we have been learning and practicing with in the classroom.

We ended our day with a project workshop. Over the weekend and these evenings, you'll want to keep working on this project to keep meeting your goals. Remember that you'll want to start with audience(s) and let that drive the rest of the project. Collect information for citations and we'll take care of those next week. Next class will be feedback from the Benchmark Exam, the Reading Inventory, and Picture Day! Be ready for all of those things ahead of us!

13 September - Tuesday

AP Language

Sorry to have had to abandon you in the photo line. Unfortunately the line was long and the class time was short. I will get you your student ID's next class. 

Class was lovely, but fast. We did a lot of work related to the rhetorical situation. It's a great framework for breaking down a text and understanding the way that the pieces work together to function and create meaning. We also worked on a method to analyze pieces of a text called DIDLS - remember that these two frameworks work together to help you read, write, and think. Use them.

For tonight remember that you should be working through your vocabulary regularly. Collect and work on words daily. If you haven't submitted your first five, be sure to do so. There's also our choice reading. Next class you'll need your laptop for our workshop day. You'll also need to bring your spiral notebook which you'll leave behind. Prepare accordingly.

AP Research

Lovely day in AP Research today as we took some time for what we needed and then gathered together to do some active reading and annotating. We'll continue to come back to this paper as we move through the year - it's our benchmark of a good paper. This one got a FIVE, and I think it's clear to see why.

Right now, we're focused on the introduction. It's important to recognize how the student uses sources and how the sources that the student uses are used to frame their work and lead to the research question. This is your paper - so annotate it and use it.

Keep working with your databases. Use new key words as you work with your research questions. Keep revising and paying your work forward. Try to fill new gaps daily and to continue using your sources and your databases to do that work. 

See you Thursday!