March 2016 Blog
English Language Arts
Grade 7
· Reading 7: Melissa Nonack
o March started with all 7th grade reading students participating in a “Read-In” for Read Across America Day. The benefits of reading for pleasure are far reaching. Aside from the sheer joy of exercising the imagination, evidence indicates reading for pleasure improves literacy, social skills, and health and learning outcomes. Next, as a review of figurative language students created board games. A growing body of research proves that properly designed team-based board games not only inspire learning, they encourage communication, collaboration and risk taking. They also empower players by helping to build self-confidence. Finally, the students ended the month with the teleplay The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Students simultaneously learned the skills of playwriting via exploration of the literary elements of characterization, conflict, dialogue, plot, and theme. Students explored the depth of various terms associated with characterization, such as protagonist, antagonist, and motivation that strengthened their interest in reading and their ability to analyze many genres of texts.
· English 7 and Advanced 7: Jackie Scheidler (Melissa Pottinger)
o In the month of March, Mrs. Scheidler’s students have worked hard on their writing and speaking skills. The students had to teach their classes how to do or make something. The demonstration speeches required a visual aid and helped the students work on their presentation skills. After the speeches, the students learned how to apply their knowledge of figurative language from reading class to analyzing and writing about poetry. The students read a few poems including “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout” by Shel Silverstein and “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe. Then the students completed a Poetry Analysis Project. For this project, the students were able to choose a poem of their liking to analyze. Some poets that were chosen included: Lewis Carroll, Shel Silverstein, A.A. Milne, Gwendolyn Brooks, Roald Dahl, and Emily Dickinson. We wrapped up the month of March by practicing the skills needed to answer open ended questions.
Grade 8
· Reading 8: April Egal
o In both Literature 8 and Advanced Literature 8, the students completed a project based assessment following the completion of the memoir, I Have Lived a Thousand Years. We then began reviewing literary and informational text elements in preparation for the PSSA exams.
· English 8: Jamie Smith
o March consisted of a study of “The Speech in the VA Convention” and “I Have a Dream.” Students read each speech, analyzed each speech through Close Reading, and finally wrote a compare/contrast essay. These activities were to help prepare them for the Text Dependent Analysis questions on the April ELA PSSA test.
Grade 9
· English 9: Matt Grove
o English 9’sareas of focus in March included the peer editing and revisions of two writing assignments that connect personal experiences with literary themes that will be revisited during the study of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the introduction to the study of The Renaissance and William Shakespeare's biography through the extensive reading and analysis of informational texts and screening and analysis of videos about each subject, and continued work with grammar and vocabulary.
· Honors English 9: Ann Marler
o After the conclusion of Chapter 4 vocabulary, we continued the biographical information of Shakespeare. The Shakespeare unit has been completed as per the pre-reading information and all of the forms of evaluations: Shakespeare’s life, his audience, the playhouse, the background for the forms of the play, and some Elizabethan vocabulary. Do Now class starters continue for one point for each as a participation point and collected at the end of each week.
Grade 10
· English 10: Susan Pusateri
o The beginning of March was a continuation of the end of February:
§ One area of focus was identifying major and minor details in nonfiction passages.
§ Another area of focus was outlining informational text. As a companion piece, we also focused on creating outlines for writing the 5-paragrah paper
§ Finally, students continued vocabulary study.
o The end of March continues into April:
§ Identifying implied main ideas in nonfiction passages.
· Honors English 10: Ann Marler
o Students completed the comma and semicolon usage portion of the punctuation unit as well as the unit on words that are frequently confused, the rules for number usage, and correct usage for irregular verbs. Students completed their individual conferences on their returned revision and reflection on their writing progress. Do Now class starters continue for one point for each as a participation point and collected at the end of each week.
Grade 11
· English 11: Kourtney Mollis
o Students completed their creative project for The Catcher in the Rye and began studying Shakespeare. Thus, students explored Elizabeth I’s influence and the evolution of the English Language through a critical reading activity. Students also used material on the historical content of Macbeth to compose focused and well developed essays that explore the relevancy of the tragedy by connecting its timeless themes to modern society. Finally, students began critically reading Macbeth, focusing on mood, examples of situational irony, characterization, and theme development.
· Honors English 11: Kourtney Mollis
o In addition to finishing note taking on secondary and primary sources, students organized information by creating involved outlines that fully develop ideas and demonstrate the relationships between those ideas. Outlining required students to show proper parallelism, division, coordination, and subordination. Students also conferenced with the teacher over outline revisions and, subsequently, created revised final outlines. In addition, students documented primary and secondary sources in a MLA formatted Works Cited page and began independently reading The Catcher in the Rye. Finally, students initiated their study of Shakespeare with a critical reading activity on Elizabeth I’s influence.
Grade 12
· English 12: Andrea Zupancic
o Hamlet
§ Scene Summaries
§ Read aloud Act 4-5
§ Exam on Act 3-5 with essay
§ Study Guide
§ Analyze themes, motifs & symbols
§ Analyze important quotations
§ Watch movie & compare/contrast with text
§ Final Hamlet project prep. (not due until 4th quarter)
o DEAR
§ Presentation or paper as culminating activity for DEAR Quarter 3
§ Choose new independent novel (weekly summaries) to prepare for final DEAR project
· Honors English 12: Andrea Zupancic
o Research Paper
§ Research and read novel (highlight/annotate)
§ Research and read sources/criticism (3 min - highlight/annotate)
§ Create and peer edit thesis statements
§ Create source cards for all sources (primary and secondary)
§ Create note cards (25 min now - 25 more due in a week)
§ Create Works Cited page
§ Create Working Outline
§ Peer edit Works Cited page and Working Outline using MLA formatting guideline
o Hamlet
§ Scene Summaries
§ Finished Act 3
§ Act 1-2 Exam
§ Study Guide
§ Analyze themes, motifs & symbols
§ Analyze important quotations
§ Watch movie & compare/contrast with text
o DEAR
§ Read independent novel (weekly summaries)to prepare for final DEAR project
· AP English Literature and Composition: Susan Pusateri
o The beginning of March was a continuation of February:
§ Areas of focus have been on the Dystopian novel and how it applies to George Orwell’s 1984. In addition, students collaborated to create a totalitarian society, where they had to determine what societal agencies, systems, etc. would be necessary to control in order for their new government to be successful. Students then created a presentation that detailed their rationale for either including or not including a particular entity.
o The middle of March students worked on timed-writing practice for the AP exam (focusing on 1984) and multiple choice practice (focusing on The Metamorphosis).
o The end of March began a new unit of study: Poetry –
§ Unit 1: Prose or Poetry—Which is best?
Electives:
· Introduction to Manual Communications and Manual Communications II: Ann Marler
o Manual Communications II: In addition to more vocabulary and the reflection of the simulation post-essay test, we had reflected on the deaf entertainer/professional via video. Students also researched and presented information about a topic about deafness that interested them: media, interpreting, education, and notable facts. Do Now class starters continue for one point for each as a participation point and collected at the end of each week.
o Introduction to Manual Communications: Upon the arrival of the new rotation March 5th, students have learned the vocabulary for meeting and briefly assisting a deaf person – from courtesies of “please,” “thank you,” and “wonderful to meet you,” to “Can I help you?” and “I can sign a little and fingerspell very well.” Students learned the manual alphabet and the background/history of signing and fingerspelling. They also learned the courtesies and rules of signing and fingerspelling. In discussion that have not been part of evaluations, but part of informal assessments like Do Nows and discussions, students have participated in topics of conversation such as the ability to dance (because of the deaf Dancing with the Stars contestant), education, family life, communication, and other cultural issues. Do Now class starters continue for one point for ach as a participation point and collected at the end of each week.
· Speech: Kourtney Mollis
o Students outlined, researched, and cited information for persuasive speech topics; they also began developing effective PowerPoint presentations.
· Media: Matt Grove
o One of Media'sareas of focus included the introduction of the 5Ws and H note-making guide in conjunction with the cooperative reading, analysis, and discussion of the CNN articleTeens spend a 'mind-boggling' 9 hours a day using media, report says and the screening and analysis of the article's supplemental video reports on the impact of social media, parental involvement in media consumption, and technology addiction. The Media students alsobegan applying the Media Literacy paradigm to the issues of film ratings, music production, education, mainstream news dissemination, the corporate ownership model, public school funding, diversity in society and in the media, and advertising. The interview project preparation began as students analyzed projects completed by former students to generate lines of questioning, identified the two or more subjects who will be interviewed with one being the oldest person who's willing to participate and a parent or relative between the ages of 35-50 with the goal of understanding different points of view and opinions about and experiences with technology, media, and pop culture, drafted and revised questions, began conducting interviews, and producing projects to present to the class.
· Applied Communications Media: Matt Grove
o Applied Communications Media’sareas of focus in March included the advanced development and application of journalism skills and story construction for the Independent news feature stories, the peer analysis and extended editing of the segments for the fourth and fifth editions of the school’s news Announcement Show “The Devils Do” that will appear in early April, and the final production of the "We Want to Know" interview compilation projects. On a weekly basis, we continued the analysis of professional and amateur projects, brainstorming activities, one-on-one work meetings, and the practice of applying advancing skills to each of the projects.
· Poetry (not offered)