(taken and adapted from an email sent to parents on 5 November 2014) This is one of the few blogs that I will post of this length. I want to make sure that you, and your student are prepared and on track for the quick month of November and December. I have broken the email into topics with headings.
If you have any needs, please let me know. I am always happy to attend to any thing, any time, for any reason.
(1) Skills on which we are working in English; these are shown in the grade book as “competencies.”
While reading Of Mice and Men we….
Read and make inferences, Reading.9thgrade.standard1 (R.9.1)
Read to determine and analyze a theme (R.9.2)
Read to analyze characters (R.9.3)
In the Of Mice and Men essay, students will show…
Write arguments and support with text evidence, Writing.9thgrade.standard1 (W.9.1)
Write complex ideas in an essay with organization and analysis (W.9.2)
Write, using the writing process (W.9.4)
Use correct grammar and usage (L.9.1)
Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitals, paragraphs (L.9.2)
Our next unit of study is story and students will…
Write narratives/stories with strong characters, setting, and plot (W.9.3)
(2) Follow the classroom on Twitter, @Englishousness . You do not need a Twitter account. You can view-only online. https://twitter.com/Englishousness . I update nearly every day with our class topic so you can ask your student at dinner, “What did you do in English today?”
(3) Grades are going up as students are grasping concepts. This is about the time of the semester when it starts to click. If you find that your student needs extra time or practice, let me know.
(4) On Monday we will start the Of Mice and Men essay. Students will get a packet to help them write a proficient essay. Students are welcome to work outside the format of the essay if they possess those skills. If you want a copy of the packet, please let me know.
(5) I sent home a letter to get signed. This letter is for advance certification that I am pursuing. Ten years ago, I was nationally board certified as an English teacher. I want to renew my certification and need your signature for your student to appear in my required video. I have to submit a ten minute video. Only one person at the assessment center sees the video, and then the video is never shown again. Thank you for signing this and helping me to continue my rigorous teaching skills. If you want me to email you a copy of the letter-to-sign, please let me know.
(6) Our next course of study will be Animal Farm. Students will have a copy of the story with a text book checked out from school. If your student wants to have their own copy to write on, Animal Farm is an easy book to find at a used book store. If you want a PDF of the book to read on a phone, tablet, or to print, let me know.
(7) I have had a few students mention that “they have read” a story before. I think that is great. When they read it the first time, it was probably just for plot. Every book we read in 9th grade will be for deeper analysis, so having read the book before is an actual asset because it lets the student read it a second time for deeper themes, and not just plot. If your student believes that they have gained everything there is to have gained from a book, have them talk to me and they can demonstrate that in a conversation of themes. I have read Of Mice and Men at least 30 times and each time I see something new, something deeper, and often students point it out :O)
I love working with your student. Thank you for letting me.
If you have any needs, please let me know. I am always happy to attend to any thing, any time, for any reason.
(1) Skills on which we are working in English; these are shown in the grade book as “competencies.”
While reading Of Mice and Men we….
Read and make inferences, Reading.9thgrade.standard1 (R.9.1)
Read to determine and analyze a theme (R.9.2)
Read to analyze characters (R.9.3)
In the Of Mice and Men essay, students will show…
Write arguments and support with text evidence, Writing.9thgrade.standard1 (W.9.1)
Write complex ideas in an essay with organization and analysis (W.9.2)
Write, using the writing process (W.9.4)
Use correct grammar and usage (L.9.1)
Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitals, paragraphs (L.9.2)
Our next unit of study is story and students will…
Write narratives/stories with strong characters, setting, and plot (W.9.3)
(2) Follow the classroom on Twitter, @Englishousness . You do not need a Twitter account. You can view-only online. https://twitter.com/Englishousness . I update nearly every day with our class topic so you can ask your student at dinner, “What did you do in English today?”
(3) Grades are going up as students are grasping concepts. This is about the time of the semester when it starts to click. If you find that your student needs extra time or practice, let me know.
(4) On Monday we will start the Of Mice and Men essay. Students will get a packet to help them write a proficient essay. Students are welcome to work outside the format of the essay if they possess those skills. If you want a copy of the packet, please let me know.
(5) I sent home a letter to get signed. This letter is for advance certification that I am pursuing. Ten years ago, I was nationally board certified as an English teacher. I want to renew my certification and need your signature for your student to appear in my required video. I have to submit a ten minute video. Only one person at the assessment center sees the video, and then the video is never shown again. Thank you for signing this and helping me to continue my rigorous teaching skills. If you want me to email you a copy of the letter-to-sign, please let me know.
(6) Our next course of study will be Animal Farm. Students will have a copy of the story with a text book checked out from school. If your student wants to have their own copy to write on, Animal Farm is an easy book to find at a used book store. If you want a PDF of the book to read on a phone, tablet, or to print, let me know.
(7) I have had a few students mention that “they have read” a story before. I think that is great. When they read it the first time, it was probably just for plot. Every book we read in 9th grade will be for deeper analysis, so having read the book before is an actual asset because it lets the student read it a second time for deeper themes, and not just plot. If your student believes that they have gained everything there is to have gained from a book, have them talk to me and they can demonstrate that in a conversation of themes. I have read Of Mice and Men at least 30 times and each time I see something new, something deeper, and often students point it out :O)
I love working with your student. Thank you for letting me.