Week of Sept. 26, 2016

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively. 

English 12:  Why do heroes exist?
The students will be assigned a poem with a hero perspective.  They will be required to create a graphic novel cover for the assigned poem.  Students will need to include the requirements of a comic book cover, apply archetypal culture-based hero elements, and demonstrate comprehension of poetry.  The students will identify cultural hero traits through reading, responding, and analyzing war poems.

Public Speaking:  How and why do speakers adapt to their audience?  Students will be able to identify an audience-centered speaker and one who is not.  They will be able to describe when and how speakers can adapt to their audience. Chapter 5 due by Friday, September 30th.  Students will be working on an analysis of the Trump/Clinton Debate.  They will fact check and research responses to the main questions of the debate.  They will create a critique and identify who won the first debate based on research.

Keystone Lit. Remediation:  Why is self-assessment important?
Students will work on identified/assigned individual goals.  They will be required to complete Key 3 by Friday, September 30th.. Students will be required to take, correct, and identify answers. They will be responsible for identifying the type of question they need to work on.  Students will use the "Question Stems" handout to help identify a question type. They are also working in the Opened.com app/site.  Students will need to retake an assessment on the Opened.com site if they received a score less than 77%. They have also been assigned an assessment on the site to help them strengthen an area of weakness. Students are responsible for charting their progress in their files.  The ultimate benchmark is for the students to reach an initial goal of Proficient on Study Island Assessments.

Week of Sept. 26, 2016

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively. 

English 12:  Why do heroes exist?
The students will be assigned a poem with a hero perspective.  They will be required to create a graphic novel cover for the assigned poem.  Students will need to include the requirements of a comic book cover, apply archetypal hero elements, and demonstrate comprehension of poetry.

Public Speaking:  How and why do speakers adapt to their audience?  Students will learn how to select appropriate and interesting speech topics. They will be able to develop a clear, concise specific purpose statement for every speech.  Students will develop a a clear, coherent central idea, and understand how it fits into the design and structure of a speech.  Chapter 5 due by Friday, September 30th.  Students will be working on an analysis of the Trump/Clinton Debate.  They will fact check and research responses to the main questions of the debate.  They will create a critique and identify who won the first debate based on research.

Keystone Lit. Remediation:  Why is self-assessment important?
Students will work on identified/assigned individual goals.  They will be required to complete Key 3 by Friday, September 30th.. Students will be required to take, correct, and identify answers. They will be responsible for identifying the type of question they need to work on.  Students will use the "Question Stems" handout to help identify a question type. They are also working in the Opened.com app/site.  Students will need to retake an assessment on the Opened.com site if they received a score less than 77%. They have also been assigned an assessment on the site to help them strengthen an area of weakness. Students are responsible for charting their progress in their files.

Week of September 19th, 2016

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively. 

English 12:  Why do heroes exist?
Students will complete the epic poem, Beowulf.  They will summarize plot and identify and apply literary devices.  The focus will be on the characteristic traits of the Anglo-Saxon hero.Students will read and respond to the Beowulf graphic novel.  They will be required to answer questions and write an argumentative response.  Students have been given a specific goal for writing to reach/exceed.  They have identified how and when the goal needs to be met.  Students will be responsible for tracking their progress on their charts. The argumentative response will be due on Tuesday, 9/20.  There will be a test on Wednesday, 9/21.  The students will be assigned a poem with a hero perspective.  They will be required to create a graphic novel cover for the assigned poem.  Students will need to include the requirements of a comic book cover, apply archetypal hero elements, and demonstrate comprehension of poetry.

Public Speaking:  Why is it just as important to listen as it is to speak?
Students will be reading and responding to Chapter 3.  They will be able to understand the importance of being a good audience member.  Listening skills are necessary for analyzing and evaluating a speech.  Students will learn to give effective feedback to their peers and receive constructive criticism from their peers.

Keystone Literature Remediation:  Why is self-assessment important?
Students will work on identified/assigned individual goals.  They will be required to complete Key 2. Students will be required to take, correct, and identify answers. They will be responsible for identifying the type of question they need to work on.  Students will use the "Question Stems" handout to help identify a question type. They are also working in the Opened.com app/site.  Students will need to retake an assessment on the Opened.com site if they received a score less than 77%.  They have also been assigned an assessment on the site to help them strengthen an area of weakness.  Students are responsible for charting their progress in their files.

Week of September 12th, 2016

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively. 

English 12:  Students will continue to respond to Beowulf.  They will summarize plot and identify and apply literary devices.  The focus will be on the characteristic traits of the Anglo-Saxon hero.Students will read and respond to the Beowulf graphic novel.  They will be required to answer questions and write an argumentative response.  Students have been given a specific goal for writing to reach/exceed.  They have identified how and when the goal needs to be met.  The argumentative response will be due on Friday, 9/16.

Keystone Literature Remediation: Students have been working on independent goals.  They have identified areas of Fiction or Non-Fiction that need to be improved even though it is their area of strength.  They will work on Key 1 in the Keystone Workbooks.  Students will be required to take, correct, and identify answers.  They will be responsible for identifying the type of question they need to work on.  Students have been given a "Question Stems" handout to help identify a question type. They are also working in the Opened.com app/site.

Public Speaking:  Students will be required to view, read, analyze, and respond to JFK's Inaugural address.  They will complete a worksheet on identifying rhetoric skills and persuasive techniques. Students will use the worksheet and the hard copy of the speech to complete a written critique which will be due by Friday, 9/16.  They will also be responsible for reading and responding to Chapter 2 of their textbook by the end of the week.

Week of September 5th, 2016

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively. 

English 12:  Are heroes made or are they born?  We will continue working on the hero unit.  Students will begin reading, analyzing, and responding to information on the Anglo-Saxon Period and the epic poem Beowulf.  Students will be responsible for summarizing a section of the epic poem and identifying cultural hero traits. Demonstrating knowledge of vocabulary in context will also be necessary for comprehension.  Students should be prepared to discuss their section by Friday, September 9th.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help speech writing and delivery? Students will be reading and responding to information found in the text to help them learn the importance of both listening and speaking skills when writing a speech.  The application of information will aid with the writing of their Introductory Speech.  The first Chapter will be due on Friday, September 9th.

Keystone Literature Remediation:  Students will continue to work in their Keystone Resource book.  They will complete sections geared towards their strength in Fiction or Non-Fiction passages.  We will continue to emphasize their responsibility to understand specific questions that are a weakness in their strong content area.  This class will only be successful with a consistent diligence towards self-improvement.