Closing October and into November

I am so happy that testing season is over. There were a lot of parts of the testing season that went well, and there were plenty of places where I could improve. The good thing is that there will be more testing to come in January, February, and the rest of the spring semester, so I'll have more chances to improve. I think that one of the elements that I hate the most about testing is the anxiety that it triggers in me because of the importance of the data. 

One of the things that I've learned over the past month is who in the building will do what they need to do with little support and whom I need to follow up with and stay with to ensure that they do their part. Getting these testing certificates done was a huge push. I also can do a better job providing more exact training to the staff. I saw where the gaps started to pop up as we met the different platforms to engage in testing. It's nice that in the spring we'll be using all of the same platforms again, so there won't be as much of a learning curve for the staff when it comes to that.

Now that testing is done, it's good to be able to focus on the parts of my job that I really like doing. Bea and I are working together well to create professional learning opportunities for the staff that help drive growth and achievement of our school improvement goals. We're slowly creating better routines and procedures for school-wide actions; there weren't really any of these before. Finding more ways to get more teachers on board with high-impact practices is definitely the way to go. Shifting culture is hard, and it takes a lot of time, but I think that we're laying the foundation to take this work to a valuable place where we can have an impact on student achievement, engagement, and make this school a better place to teach and learn.

So, November becomes a main focus on data based interventions and planning. We've got tested subject data days coming, support from the district, and the next phases of our own professional learning cycle. I'm also doing more work to support teachers, and I like doing that work. Let's just start seeing some of the shifts come out in the practices and in the data that teachers are seeing. Then they'll keep coming back for more. For the next few days, though, I'm taking a break. I think I've earned it after October.

End of Week 17 - 15 January

AP Research

Good planning ensures less severe emergencies in the future. That is the goal of this most recent assignment. Take a look at your calendar over the next six weeks as well as your research question and proposal. What data do you need in order to do what you said you would? Where does the data exist? How will you get your hands on it? 

Keep in mind that the next several classes will be workshop classes for you to get a lot done during class time. I'll have our meeting available and open, but you may also find it helpful to meet with each other, other great resources in the staff (librarians, administrators, other teachers), or expert advisors. This is also time for you to work with participants, conduct interviews, and send surveys. Set a goal for each day and a plan to accomplish that goal. This will ensure your success.

Your reflection document has been updated and your final assessment task for the quarter has been posted. Now is when the rubber meets the road and the class is all yours.

English Classes (English 10, AP Language)

Remember that the final day of the quarter is Friday, January 22nd. Also remember that we will only have one meeting day next week - Friday - because of the holiday and vacation schedule. Be sure to submit any missing or resubmitted work as soon as possible. See your posts on Google Classroom or reach out with an email if you need help. 

Homework for B-Day - Starting Q2 - 29 October

AP Literature

Next class we will have our The Stranger, Part One, Unit Assessment. The sample exam tasks that you had today are very indicative of the work you will do on Thursday. A few important reminders:

1. Review all of the slides and notes on Google Classroom that have been made available.

2. Annotate your books as you study and review. We've highlighted a lot of important passages. Do you have annotations which align with those passages? Do your covers reflect the work that we've been doing in class?

3. Be ready for the exam by using the review pack. Be able to answer all of the questions. Know what's expected of you!

Please remember to bring your novels/annotations for Part One. If they are on paper, bring those. Remember that these need to be reading notes, and not just your notes from class.  If you have questions related to the assessment, see us before the fact.

AP Research

Today we worked to understand the main parts of Q2 and then to break the major steps into smaller and achievable goals. Set a timeline for yourself. Hold yourself accountable. Be sure that you are able to explain and justify the choice that you have made. This is an important element of being productive. Remember that 15 November is a line in concrete. We must have the proposal complete in its DRAFT form by that day.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 7 September

English IV

Over this weekend you should take some time to reflect on your brainstorming and outline so that you are ready to write your personal essay in class on Monday.

AP English III

We've started the path to good writing. It's time for you to travel it by revising. Take a look at the feedback and comments that Mr. Bernhard and I have put on your assignments and address those as well as the rubric as you work on resubmitting the In Cold Blood questions. We will continue to work on other elements of improved composition throughout the year.

Other homework for the weekend is vocabulary. I would like for you to take five words from either your AP practice sets, the articles we've been reading, or In Cold Blood and complete vocabulary cards for these. If you need guidance on how to complete a vocabulary card - see this document for instructions. The link should open a Google Document with instructions and an example. Account for all parts of the card. Use appropriate online resources. You can submit your cards via Google Slides shared to me (daniel_miller (at) dpsnc (dot) net), on index cards, or on paper. Have them submitted at the beginning of class on Monday.

Finally, review Section III of In Cold Blood with an eye toward your back cover annotations. In class on Monday we'll be working through Sections II and III.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 10/31/2014

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

AP English III

I hope that you all enjoyed working with Ms. Alley today on your analysis of "The Death of the Moth" - I was especially impressed by the connections that you made to The Great Gatsby as well as to "The Oversoul".  Making these connections when you study literature is so important and good to do!

For the weekend you have a few things on your plate:

1. Finish reading The Great Gatsby - ensure that your covers are fully annotated and that you have thorough annotations throughout the text.  
2. Read A. Petrunkevitch's "The Spider and the Wasp" - you do not have to read and prepare this piece for class discussion; it will only be used for your writing assignment.
3. Complete the graphic organizer using mostly direct quotations from both Woolf and Petrunkevitch.
4. Write your compare/contrast assignments on the TONE used in each of the two pieces.  Here is the question that you should consider as you are writing:  Both Petrunkevitch and Woolf chronicle the death of an insect but in vastly different ways.  How does the author's tone establish a difference in purpose?  Your graphic organizer and typed, compare/contrast assignment will be due on Thursday.

In terms of long-term planning, you will have your presentations likely on the 10th of November, your test on the 13th, and we will begin our study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the 17th - go ahead and get yourself a copy now.

English II

No homework for tonight as you had a test today in class.  

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students - 12/13/2013

Honors English II

Your homework over the weekend is to finish reading Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.  As you finish reading you should continue to finish your notes on the family members and the different changes you've seen from each of them.  Remember that by taking notes you are much more active as a reader and thus you will remember more of the reading.  After you finish your reading, please respond to the prompt below.  Remember that you may submit your response on paper, via e-mail, or by completing a comment on this post.

What preconception about Iran has this text helped you to disprove?  How has the text done that?  Does this relate to one of Satrapi's larger purposes in this text?  Why or why not?

Please make sure to make specific references to the text as you compose your reflection.

In addition, you should continue working on your essays.  You will get your argument statements back from me on Tuesday with feedback.  Use the framing strategy we did today in class to begin your research of the specific frames that you will use in your essay.  Remember to focus on detail within the frames (language and graphics) and how these details relate to your overall argument.

ESL English III

No homework for the weekend, but do spend time reviewing your writing notes.  I'm happy to see so much growth in your writing as we've been spending a lot of time working on writing skills.  Continue to improve and develop your skills!