Class News 2019-20
Class news is listed below, scroll down for older material.
Semester 1 News
December 2-20
iGen and Technology. Our focus in the next weeks will be on how the information revolution has changed student's lives. Students will begin reading iGen and critiquing Jean Twenge's approach to writing and using data. We will also begin the process of designing our own data based study project in each class. Students will be researching studies of their topic, gathering their own data, using analysis skills to draw conclusions, and designing reports and presentations of their findings. Students are asked to talk with parents and grandparents to get a sense of how generational expectations of behavior and maturity may have changed.
November 4-November 22
Shakespeare's Macbeth. The number one thing students wonder about when it comes to Shakespeare in general, is why we are reading such old material? While we discuss Shakespeare's out-sized importance on world literature, the most convincing response is about skill building. Just like an athlete lifts increasingly heavy weights to build muscle, the intense focus on challenging language can work to improve focus, complex thought, and creativity. If you're interested in learning more, check out this short article or this longer one. We will read the play together in class, with plenty of guidance. Students will be responsible for keeping detailed notes as we go, with reference to characters, plot, and important quotes that reflect the play's themes. The final assessment will be an open note test.
October 21-November 1
Poetry Wrap-up, Macbeth. Students are wrapping up the poetry unit by competing their anthologies and working through peer and teacher conferences on their poetry paper. The Poetry paper is the last and biggest grade of the quarter, so encourage your student to do their best! Notes related to the paper are available over on the notes page. Students will be bringing home a permission slip to watch the film Scotland, PA, which kicks off our Macbeth unit. The film is rated R because of language and violence, but is a very engaging retelling of the play, set in a 1970s burger restaurant. We watch it as a preset, to get the plot clear in kids' heads. It makes the play itself that much more clear.
October 1-18
It's Poetry season! This week the poetry unit gets into full swing. Following work on Whitman & Dickinson, students begin to branch out on their own to find poets in collections provided in class. Encourage kids to look on-line at home, though I'll note that not all poets online are of the same caliber, to put it mildly. On that note, be aware that because lyric poetry can be personal, some poets may consider ideas and content that could potentially be objectionable or even offensive, depending on the reader. We have discussed this in class, and students have been encouraged to stick to material they feel comfortable with. If they come across something that offends, they can drop it and pick up something else. The major assignments can be found on the Resources page.
September 16-27
Wrapping up our introduction unit, moving on to Poetry. The first weeks have been all about getting to know the basics for English, and have been a chance for me to assess everyone's starting point for growth. Students are presenting group interpretations of fairy tales that apply their learning about literary theory. As we wrap these up we will all complete a formal assessment of reading comprehension and writing arguments. Data gathered will be used to plan how best to meet everyone's learning needs.
Following the assessment we will be beginning our poetry unit. Students will be responsible for creating an anthology of great poets and working to write their first major paper on a poem of their choice. We will be working step-by-step to foster close reading skills and learning how to turn simple thoughts into well developed writing. The Poetry unit will take us into early October.
September 4-13
Welcome back! In the first weeks of school we will be learning the course basics and syllabus (see that as an overview on the Course Info page). Students will read Toni Morrison's short story "Recitatif." You can read an annotated version of that tale here. Students will consider issues of Content, Context, Connections, Questions, and Construction. We will study different approaches to reading by looking at some forms of literary criticism as well. Notes on Cornerstones and Literary Criticism are available on the Resources page.
iGen and Technology. Our focus in the next weeks will be on how the information revolution has changed student's lives. Students will begin reading iGen and critiquing Jean Twenge's approach to writing and using data. We will also begin the process of designing our own data based study project in each class. Students will be researching studies of their topic, gathering their own data, using analysis skills to draw conclusions, and designing reports and presentations of their findings. Students are asked to talk with parents and grandparents to get a sense of how generational expectations of behavior and maturity may have changed.
November 4-November 22
Shakespeare's Macbeth. The number one thing students wonder about when it comes to Shakespeare in general, is why we are reading such old material? While we discuss Shakespeare's out-sized importance on world literature, the most convincing response is about skill building. Just like an athlete lifts increasingly heavy weights to build muscle, the intense focus on challenging language can work to improve focus, complex thought, and creativity. If you're interested in learning more, check out this short article or this longer one. We will read the play together in class, with plenty of guidance. Students will be responsible for keeping detailed notes as we go, with reference to characters, plot, and important quotes that reflect the play's themes. The final assessment will be an open note test.
October 21-November 1
Poetry Wrap-up, Macbeth. Students are wrapping up the poetry unit by competing their anthologies and working through peer and teacher conferences on their poetry paper. The Poetry paper is the last and biggest grade of the quarter, so encourage your student to do their best! Notes related to the paper are available over on the notes page. Students will be bringing home a permission slip to watch the film Scotland, PA, which kicks off our Macbeth unit. The film is rated R because of language and violence, but is a very engaging retelling of the play, set in a 1970s burger restaurant. We watch it as a preset, to get the plot clear in kids' heads. It makes the play itself that much more clear.
October 1-18
It's Poetry season! This week the poetry unit gets into full swing. Following work on Whitman & Dickinson, students begin to branch out on their own to find poets in collections provided in class. Encourage kids to look on-line at home, though I'll note that not all poets online are of the same caliber, to put it mildly. On that note, be aware that because lyric poetry can be personal, some poets may consider ideas and content that could potentially be objectionable or even offensive, depending on the reader. We have discussed this in class, and students have been encouraged to stick to material they feel comfortable with. If they come across something that offends, they can drop it and pick up something else. The major assignments can be found on the Resources page.
September 16-27
Wrapping up our introduction unit, moving on to Poetry. The first weeks have been all about getting to know the basics for English, and have been a chance for me to assess everyone's starting point for growth. Students are presenting group interpretations of fairy tales that apply their learning about literary theory. As we wrap these up we will all complete a formal assessment of reading comprehension and writing arguments. Data gathered will be used to plan how best to meet everyone's learning needs.
Following the assessment we will be beginning our poetry unit. Students will be responsible for creating an anthology of great poets and working to write their first major paper on a poem of their choice. We will be working step-by-step to foster close reading skills and learning how to turn simple thoughts into well developed writing. The Poetry unit will take us into early October.
September 4-13
Welcome back! In the first weeks of school we will be learning the course basics and syllabus (see that as an overview on the Course Info page). Students will read Toni Morrison's short story "Recitatif." You can read an annotated version of that tale here. Students will consider issues of Content, Context, Connections, Questions, and Construction. We will study different approaches to reading by looking at some forms of literary criticism as well. Notes on Cornerstones and Literary Criticism are available on the Resources page.