"Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold." ~ Johnny from the Outsiders

As I type, the grade nines are working on their Outsiders Major Projects. I am really impressed with their creativity! A lot of the students are using Prezi, a program online that is used for a "Power Point" type of presentation, but it is a little bit cooler because it has awesome graphics and movement. You can check it out at http://prezi.com/, or better yet, ask your son or daughter to show theirs to you!

Just a quick reminder that the major projects are due October 8th. Grade nine students have today and tomorrow's class time to work on them, along with the three previous periods that were given, and the remainder of the work must be done on their own time. Not everything requires a computer, but if your child does not have access to a computer or internet at home, remember that the computer lab is open every noon hour and I am often here after school till later, so I would be happy to supervise.

The major project consists of the following elements and will be handed in as a portfolio:

1. Two "Tuff' Time Journal Entries
2. A name identity or bio poem for Ponyboy, a main character in the novel
3. A personal reflection of 250 words
4. Comparing Identities, where the students are to choose a character from the novel whom they feel that they can relate to and do a presentation.

Happy writing!

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." ~ Douglas Adams

English is unique in that it takes a while to 'get into' the content before it is even worth doing any kind of evaluation. In these few short weeks the students have done so much work, and they are beginning to show what they have learned by doing projects.

ELA 30
The "Profile of a Canadian" formal oral essay that has been previously mentioned is now due on October 7th due to next week's general craziness. The original due date was September 30, so needless to say the students were thrilled!

The Rants that the students handed in were very enjoyable to read. Way to go grade 12s!

ELA 9
We have just finished reading The Outsiders. It is safe to say that it was very well received, although some students did question certain 'turns' in the plot. Love it! The major project for this novel will be due October 8, right before Thanksgiving. Students will be given class time, assuming they use it properly.

Until next time!

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." ~ Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird

The above quote is one of my personal favourites from a classic book that we are reading in grade 11 ELA. No matter how many times I read it, I always discover one more thing that I love about it. The themes in this novel, TKAM, as it is commonly abbreviated to in the world of English teachers, are ever-present in our society. Racism, prejudice, acceptance, innocence, just to name a few, are topics that students 'get' because they face many of these things in their lives.

I am really impressed with how the grade 11s are picking up on important details and understanding the characters. If your son or daughter feels like we are whipping through the readings at mach speeds, it is just because there are two parts to the book and while the first one is worthwhile, the second is the one that requires the most focus in the classroom.

As we work through the second half, you might want to ask your son or daughter to explain what is happening in the novel to you. It really is an amazing story, and even if you vaguely remember Scout, Jem and Dill from highschool, the novel really does allow for some dinner time conversation. Or, 'driving you to practice here is something to eat don't forget to do your laundry' conversation. You're busy.

Among other smaller activities that will be done in conjunction with the novel, the students will be writing their first essay of the year. It will be a literary essay, which means they will be exploring the meaning and construction of TKAM, and will be based only on one primary source, the novel itself. I will post the due date after it is assigned.

If your child needs some assistance with his or her readings or general understanding of the novel, here are some websites that I recommend:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/
http://www.novelguide.com/tokillamockingbird/index.html

If you have any questions, please contact me!

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." ~ James B. Conant

I am extremely proud of my grade 10 ELA class. Their first assignment was due yesterday, the Tell-Tale Heart Writing assignment, and every single person in the class handed it in. ON TIME. Way to go students, awesome job. They have set the bar high for the rest of my classes, and I can hardly wait to sit down and read their work. If you are a parent of a grade 10 student, let them know how great they are. I know I will!

“The existence of forgetting has never been proved: we only know that some things do not come to our mind when we want them to” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

There have been a few problems with forgetting books at home, specifically in grade 9 & 10 ELA. Sometimes students forget their novels we are reading, their binders, or both. It is important that these items are brought back to school everyday we have class.

I asked the grade 10 class what they thought was a reasonable consequence for not coming to class prepared. Their suggestions were more harsh than ones that I would have suggested, but we decided that staying in for one short break would be fair. Today in class I had the same problem with grade 9, and surprisingly enough they came up with the same result.

So, there you have it!

Also - a reminder for ELA 30 students (and parents) that Oral Essays are due on September 30th. At this point, a written copy needs to be handed in and then speeches will follow.

Can't wait to read/hear them!

"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." ~ William Shakespeare

Now that we are getting into the third week of school - there is inevitably going to be upcoming deadlines for students. Although all students have been thoroughly introduced to my classroom's late policy, I think it is a good idea that parents are aware of it as well. This is directly copied and pasted out of the General Classroom Contract that your son/daughter(s) received at the beginning of the year.


7. So, What Happens When I Hand Something In Late, Procedure:

Good question. I understand that you are people, that you have lives, and that sometimes “stuff” happens. That is why you have two “Get out of Jail Free” cards (apparently I like Monopoly?). These can be used twice over the course of the semester and should be applied only to major projects, essays, etc. You must fill out the form and submit it to me at least ONE WEEK before the assignment is due. This will grant you a one week extension from the original due date.

The form must be completed in its entirety and brought to me. I will then approve or reject the request, sign it in front of you, and give you verbal verification as to whether it is granted.

Keep in mind that if you hand things in late, there is no guarantee that they will be handed back with the rest of the assignments that were handed in on time.

Those students who do not use their “Get out of Jail Free” cards can sign them and return them back to me at the end of the semester to receive two bonus points per card that will be applied to his/her assignment marks.

What if you didn’t use your card and it is still late? Simple. You have five days to get it into me, losing 10% per day, after that, it’s zero.

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or call me at the school!

The following due dates have been set:

Grade 10 ELA September 15th - Tell-tale Heart Assignment

Grade 12 ELA September 17th - Rant Assignment

Beware of the man of one book. ~ Anonymous

There is nothing like settling into a good book. That is why all of my ELA students from grades 9-12 have the opportunity to read for the first ten minutes of every class. While there were a few groans and complaints the first day, I can tell that the students are really enjoying this time. In fact, today I wanted to get started as soon as the bell rang on course work, and there those groans were again. Success!

Not only are all of the students in ELA reading their own selection of a novel or non-fiction book, each class is also starting to work on a piece of longer fiction as well:

ELA 9 - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
ELA 10 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
ELA 20 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
ELA 30 - Mirage by Gwen Ringwood

I find that the students love to sink their teeth into something more substantial at the beginning of the year. Instead of just doing "a bunch of poems", they can feel like they are accomplishing something. So, parents, maybe your dinnertime discussion can be about gangs in the 60s or racism in the deep south? No? Well, an English teacher can dream...

Another controversial attempt taking place in my classroom right now is surrounding handwriting. I mean real, old-school, loop-de-loop handwriting. Apparently, and this was first brought to my attention by the grade 10s, kids don't handwrite anymore. They couldn't read my handwriting on the board (which IS legible) and 'forgot' how to since grade four. Sooooooooo new rule in my ELA classes, all work done by hand must be written, not printed. Can you hear the groans? I'll let you know how it goes.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give me a call or stop by after school.