21 November

English 11

A good end to the week today as we worked in English 11 to review our writing skills. We took a look at grammar and then we dug into outlining an argument. It is so important to remember that all of your paragraphs need to focus on proving your main idea / the thesis is true. You'll use evidence and explain the evidence in order to do this.

One main takeaway from today's class was the idea that assertions should clearly link to your thesis and they should NOT be evidence. Consider this sentence starter for your assertions: A main reason why...is because... Then you can follow with evidence. After the evidence, we have commentary. Sentences that start like This is important because... or This evidence proves... can help to reconnect to your main idea. Remember that key words and phrases from your thesis will be crucial to use throughout your essay.

We completed a quick outlining activity before moving into vocabulary and independent work. Remember to submit your outline assignment by the end of the weekend. Use the example in today's slides to help you out. I look forward to seeing you after Thanksgiving! Enjoy your film study on Monday. 

19 November

English 11

Wowza! Great day today in English 11. We were on total fire. We started out our class today with time for learning conferences and understanding where we are with our research process and letter development. Remember, your letter is going to be written before the end of December. We'll have this unit finished BEFORE Winter Break. If you need to resubmit Part 1 or Part 2 - Please do so! I'll get feedback to you as soon as possible. Thursday's class should have everyone working on Part 3 and beginning to plan the letter. We'll be doing a lot of work on writing next class. Don't forget that there's also a vocabulary quiz.

After lunch we did work with Plato. I loved our discussion! You all got it right off the bat. Take some time to keep reading and thinking about this text. It's all over the place. We'll keep diving in to what it means as we move through the rest of our unit. All the best! Thanks for a great day!

13 November - Middle of the Week

English 11

Today was a great day in English 11 because we were working on speeches and arguments. I loved the way that you were making connections to other authors and texts in this unit and the concept of responding to conflict. We focused on Booker T. Washington and ideas like conformity and appealing to audiences. It's also good that we see that there are two different approaches to the same idea in the same time period. There was a multiple choice review to get us ready for next class (we have a quiz) and we did some work on understanding writing and writing structures.

The end of class looked at preparing for future tasks. We've got a vocabulary quiz coming next week on List Three words, and we'll keep working with our research work as well. Remember that the goal is to find multiple sources that you can use in your letter. We'll be moving into the planning and writing phase soon.

Next class is a substitute day - you'll have time to work on your Research Write-Up, focus on vocabulary development, and then you'll take a quiz on reading non-fiction. Follow the rules of the classroom and support our guest in the classroom. I look forward to a good report. I look forward to seeing you all next week!

8 November - End of the Week

English 11

Really good end to the week today in English 11. We started off with a review of the rhetorical situation to understand that we are now writers and responding to the rhetorical situation in which we find ourselves. This is a great exercise for us to come back to as we keep writing and delving into our research work. We also took time to revise and refocus our research topics. Remember the main takeaway from our class today - the more focused the problem, the easier the writing. There is such a thing as being too focused, but it's easy to take a step back if you think that happens. Over the next few classes we'll be spending time with our Research Write-Up and Redefining the Research Question. Don't be worried if you didn't finish that work today.

At the end of class we did our vocabulary work to finish off List Three. We did an activity focused on context clues and word hunting to review our words and review the skill that we have to do on our upcoming vocabulary quiz. Over the weekend, continue to consider your research questions and the evidence for your letters. We'll take a look at another speech next week in order to review the components of an effective argument.

6 November - Welcome to Quarter 2

English 11

It was really great to see you all today and work with you. On hard days, I really enjoy spending some time with you and hearing your thoughts and ideas. Today we had a class focused on letters and our central idea of American problems and possible solutions. We started the class with a bit of a review - there was the review of MLA structure for citations and the review of the elements of a letter. From there we looked at a letter by a famous American, Helen Keller. From our reading, we located the elements of the letter and discussed Keller's use of imagery, irony, and tone. We also discussed the problem that Keller was exploring in her letter as well as a possible solution.

In the second half of class we had time for conversation. We collaborated, listened, and presented our ideas about the various texts we've been reading so far. I'm sorry that the conversation was short - we'll focus on this for longer next time.

Before I see you on Friday, make sure that your research topic is submitted. I've provided feedback in your document, so you might want to start addressing that feedback. We'll be developing our topics further next class through some revision. Also, we'll take a look at another piece of writing to help us understand constructing an argument.

30 October - Last Grey Day

English 11

Thanks for a great end of the week today in English 11. Today's class was focused on writing and especially on the development of our topics for our research work in this unit. We discussed the importance of specificity when it comes to our research topics. We need to be as specific as possible when it comes to the scope and context of our problem. Remember to ask questions like Where? When? What type or kind? Who? These questions will help you to focus in on a particular part of a larger problem that you can really examine in an assignment like this.

By the end of the weekend, be sure that you've completed your brainstorming assignment. I'll take a look and give feedback to the good of the group next class. We'll revise from there. We'll also take some time next class to have our discussion on our unit and texts so far. There are a few more readings that we have ahead of us, but this is a great time for us to review what we've read so far before moving on. Great work this quarter, everyone! I'm excited to move us forward into Q2.

28 October - Happy Monday and End of Quarter 1

English 11

Ugh! Unfortunately there's no recording of today's great class because of a technical issue. I'm sorry about that. At least we have records and learning artifacts, right? I'm really proud of the way that you all worked through two texts with a similar vibe - Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and then Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July." We explored the way in which both of these texts use tone to express arguments about topics. We also focused in on understanding how Douglass was crafting an effective argument.

We looked at the speech in three phases - his introduction, body, and conclusion. We remembered the elements of each phase of writing and then saw the way in which Douglass did just that. Remember that everything is an argument - so everything has a thesis, body with assertions, evidence, and commentary, clear connections between paragraphs, and a conclusion. We'll be focused a lot on writing in this unit, so we'll be doing a lot of this work to understand reading as writing.

We ended the day with vocabulary and began List 3. If you have any grades to raise here at the end of the quarter, now is the time. If you have anything missing (reading tasks, vocabulary quiz) please come in and make sure that those tasks are complete. As always, be in touch with any questions or concerns. Next class we'll be focused mostly on writing.

24 October - End of the Week

English 11

Not the most exciting day today in English 11 because we had to take an online reading test. I appreciate all of you working hard to show me your skills and abilities. I'll share results with you once I have them and know what they mean. If you weren't able to finish your test today we can set up a time at Lion Time next week or after school. You do need to finish the test by November 8. This is very important.

As you think about the weekend, there are a few options for you. Remember that you can raise your reading grades by the project (first time submission and revision) OR you can do the retake of the reading test. Let me know what I can do for you as you are working in the last part of the quarter. I've also posted the brainstorming assignment to start our research work. Please do not turn this in until we work on it in class next week, but you can start getting some ideas together now if you'd like.

Have the best weekend! Think of me on Sunday morning - I have my race, and I'm trying to go fast!

22 October - Happy Tuesday

English 11

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Great day in English 11 as we started our day with vocabulary and then got into the process of deep looking and understanding non-print texts. Today we looked at a painting called The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell. This painting was paired with an interview in which Ruby Bridges, the girl in the painting, explained what the day was like. This was a great lesson to help us understand the importance of looking at several texts about the same topic. Keep this in mind as we work through the research and development process for our projects in this unit.

Another part of today's class involved feedback on reading tasks. Remember that the goal by the end of the year is that you can display your skills in all of the ways. Right now, you have two ways to demonstrate your reading skills - the test and the project. At this point you can either retake the test to raise your grade, resubmit the project, or stay where you are if you're happy. I'll have all grades updated by Friday so that you can make the best decision for the last week of the quarter. I would put in a Lion Time pass sooner rather than later if you want to do a retake or revise your project with me.

Next class we'll be testing. You'll have independent working time after you test. Come to class with a charged laptop, please. Be sure to complete any last assignments for the end of the quarter.

18 October - Happy Friday

English 11

Solid day today, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your reading and study of Zora Neale Hurston's "How It Feels to Be Colored Me." I really like this piece a lot. I like the way that it deals with identity and personal stories. I also appreciate the way that Hurston is able to write her story in a way that she connects to others. I was impressed with how well you were figuring out her tones, focusing on her language, and looking at her messages around identity and pride. The connections that we were able to build back to Nina Simone were really wonderful.

Remember that your Unit 1 Project is due. I appreciate that a lot of people came to Lion Time to work today. I'll be grading projects on Monday and giving you feedback. On Tuesday we'll take our final vocabulary quiz for this quarter. Be sure to study List 2 over the weekend. I gave you exercises to help you study and review. If you go Current Lessons, you can see the space to access the online resources.

As always, reach out with any questions or concerns. I'm always here to help! I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

16 October - Harlem Renaissance Artifacts

English 11

Great day today in English 11 everyone. We started off by listening to "Drop Me Off in Harlem" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong for our jazz journal. One of the main elements that we focused on in the song was tone. I like the fact that we were able to discover that the song had mixed tones based on the target of the tone. Remember that we'll be listening to a lot of different types of music in this unit to explore the culture of the Harlem Renaissance.

From there, we did some station rotations and looked art and poetry. We annotated for surface meaning and then deeper meaning in order to discover topic and theme. We're going to usually get back to topic and theme in the works that we study, so continuing to repeat this skill is important. You all did great work collaborating and critically thinking to discover the messages that these authors were sending and the problems that they were responding to.

At the end of class, we did a review on writing, and then we took time to work as we needed. I like that people were focused on finishing projects or studying vocabulary. You will have a vocabulary test next week on List Two words, so it is a good idea to study and review. Use the resources linked in our folder for today's class. If you need help with your project (or anything else) come to Lion Time on Friday. My goal is to have everything graded and back to you next week so that you can focus on raising your scores at the end of the quarter. 

11 October - Happy Friday

English 11

It felt nice to get a bit back to normal today with class after the strange day that we had on Wednesday. Thanks, as always, for a great session today. We did a bit of a transition today as we went from Unit 1 to Unit 2 - this included some feedback, time for our projects, and then time to work on some new content and ideas.

I loved seeing the dedication that you all brought to our project workshop after the feedback. I hope that you found everything useful in terms of our review. Remember to pay this forward into your projects. When your project is complete you've commented on three excerpts to find all of our unit literary/narrative devices. Turn in your work via Schoology. I am happy to meet with you next week during a Lion Time if you need more help. Remember, we won't have any more time in class to work on this project.

From our project work we began our transition into Unit 2 - The Harlem Renaissance. We talked a bit about the history and context for this moment in history. Over the next few weeks we'll explore by reading, writing, and listening. We'll study a mix of poetry, music, and non-fiction in this unit. We listened and analyzed "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday today as a first step. At the end of class, we finished our words for List Two. We'll review a bit next class and take our Vocabulary Quiz on 22 October. This will be one of the last grades of the quarter.

9 October

English 11

Today we had a super short class because of the extension of testing on the PSAT/SAT. We had about thirty minutes together today, so we spent that time on our projects for Unit 1. Remember that your project grade will replace your test grade, so it's a great built in revision for you all. 

Remember the big elements of the project: three excerpts, annotated for all of our devices, note the topic and theme for each excerpt. It's best if you do this work in a Google Doc or Slide show. Next class we'll do some writing to finish the project. If the project is ready, you'll be able to turn it in on Friday. The final due date for the project is October 21.

Next class we'll start Unit 2 - The Harlem Renaissance and Research. It'll be a great unit focused on studying poetry, music, non-fiction, and doing some research on American problems. I'm excited to take you all to an exciting moment of history for our nation. Have a great rest of your day!

7 October

English 11

Simple day today in English 11 - we took our unit reading test. At the end of each unit, you'll see something like what you saw today. I'll ask you to read something and show your knowledge of what you've learned in the unit. I'll have these tests scored and returned to you next week. We'll do some feedback and then open up the options for retesting. If you found today's test difficult, let's meet and discuss that before too long. Remember it's important to put in the work to develop skills, especially when it comes to reading and writing.

Next class is going to be a bit low-key since many of you are taking the PSAT that day. I expect you'll be a bit fried after testing. We're going to watch a video about our next literary period and have some small discussions about Unit 1. We'll also take a bit of time to work on projects. Here's to our next time together!

1 October - New Month, End of the Week

English 11

Great day today in English 11 everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your first day with station rotations. For today's class we spent our time working through review tasks to get ready for Monday's test. We did some reading, some work on our projects, some arts and crafts, and everything was about reviewing and preparing for Monday.

Remember that for your test on Monday you'll have a story to read and then about twenty questions. There will be a question about each of the literary devices in this unit. Be sure that you can identify them and comment on how they help an author to create a theme or message. You'll have the whole class period to work on your test. Projects will be due at the end of next week. Remember that working on your project will help you to be ready for your test.

27 September - End of the Week

English 11

Great day to end the week today as we worked on our reading projects, set up our websites for our English 11 portfolios, and got started with our first few words from list two. We ended our day with Scattegories! It's always fun to build a bit of community through some games.

Remember that in this class, projects are how you can study best for tests. In your project, you're finding and explaining our unit devices. Your goal is to find all of the devices in your project. Follow the same guidelines that we did in our practice assignments. Annotate via comments. Next week we'll have more time to work on our projects and we'll finish preparing for our exams.

Have the best weekend! Keep working on your projects if you have the time. I'm excited to see you on Tuesday, which is your only day with me next week.

25 September - Wacky Wednesday!

English 11

Pretty solid day today in English 11 as we worked on reading and understanding one of my favorite authors, James Baldwin. We'll look at him again throughout the year in a few different moments. We read in order to discover our literary devices, elements of story telling, and to discuss Baldwin's rhetorical situation. We finished class with a brief analysis of Baldwin where you selected a quotation, annotated for devices, and then paraphrased and evaluated it. I'm looking forward to seeing your work. Remember that this is a miniaturized version of the project, which we'll work on more on Friday. 

Friday is all about our project and learning some new vocabulary words from list two. Be ready for a fun day of putting projects together. Remember that working on the project is a way to study for our test. The test is going to happen on October 7.

23 September - Kicking Off the Week

English 11

Today we had time for our first round of feedback and grades. I know that there was a lot of information provided to you today, so here's the basic recap. You get two types of grades - summative (70%) and formative (30%). We generally get grades in three types of skills - reading, writing, and oral communication. Today you got back grades and feedback on reading, writing, and oral communication. We looked at the feedback, understood what it meant about where we are right now, and understood how grades and feedback can help us get to where we want to be. Now what we'll do is start the journey for improvement.. 

The bulk of class after that was focused on our first poem - "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. What we did in this part of class was do a close reading of the poem to identify key literary devices from this unit. We explored how they created tones and added to the character of the Statue of Liberty in the poem. Then, we put it all together to understand the theme for the audience. Keep in mind that this type of thinking and reading is what we'll need to do in our project as well as how to be successful in class. Continue to practice with this as you work with your project.

Next class we'll take time to do our last reading of this unit and also have time to work on our projects. It's time for us to start preparing for our unit assessment, as well. Be ready to move on to Unit 2 in the next few classes.

19 September - End of the Week

English 11

Great end to the week in English 11 as we took our first vocabulary quiz, participated in some review, and got started with our first project to demonstrate our skills and identities as readers. Next class, I'll be giving a lot of feedback based on the work we've done so far. If you have any missing assignments, be sure that they are complete BEFORE Monday's class so that I can get you scores and feedback. If you need to come to Lion Time, use Securly and make an Appointment Pass for Monday. I can also work with you on Wednesday or Friday.

Take time to review the project requirements. The main idea is that you're annotating three excerpts of your choosing for our narrative elements. We'll keep working on this throughout next week. It'll help us to prepare for our unit test. Soon Unit 1 will be over. Our next unit looks at The Harlem Renaissance. Over the weekend, focus on completing any missing work, making a plan for this week's Lion Times, or working on your project. As always, whatever you need, feel free to ask! Enjoy your weekends!

17 September

English 11

Another solid day today in English 11 as we finished studying "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" by Tim O'Brien from his novel called The Things They Carried. If you're interested in reading more from this book, let me know if you'd like to check out a copy. It's a fantastic collection!

In class we did some practice SOL problems before our reading time. I loved the engagement, the notes, and the ideas that you all got to when it came to our discussion on American problems reflected in the story. At the end of class, we took time for finishing missing work and preparing for our quiz on Thursday.

Focus on learning your vocabulary for next class. You have a quiz coming! Remember to complete the practice assignment for a grade - I attached it here. We'll get into our first projects next class and some feedback on the first essays. Here's to Thursday!