5 September 2009
WOW - The summer is over, and I will be meeting you all in a few days!
Yesterday was our first official day back to work, and we are all (teachers)
excited to get started in a new year. I know it must be daunting to begin
somewhere new -- but I hope that you will find John Jay to be a welcoming
place, and a place where you can grow and learn -- especially learn to
THINK. That will be our foremost goal this year -- that you learn to THINK.
Whew! Didn't vaca FLY??? I am sure this year will fly by quickly as well --
We are going to WORK -- but we are going to have FUN!!
"Welcome back my friends to the Show that never ends!! We're so glad you
could attend!! Come inside, come inside!!" (Emerson, Lake and Palmer "Brain
Salad Surgery").
Welcome to 9th grade English! I am so looking forward to meeting each of
you, and to working together to make this year an exciting adventure of
learning and growth. Yes, I did say "adventure"! All of life is an adventure,
and our class is but a small part of it! It is my hope that as we work
together, you will come to view life the same, as an exciting adventure to be
experienced and enjoyed.
This is the page to which you will refer if you are ever absent, or if you
ever are uncertain about any assignments. Please use it to keep up to date
on assignments, both in and out of class. I will post here the classwork and
goals for each day, as well as the homework assigned. I will be doing this
on a weekly basis. I'll also leave notes indicating due dates for homework,
writing assignments and other projects. If there is information that you
need that isn't here, please just ask me! :)
I am posting a list of necessary items each student will need to have IN
CLASS every day. I will also be distributing this list in class on the first
day. Please feel free to e-mail me if anything is unclear, or if you have
questions.
A little about our class -- many of you will notice on your schedules that
many/most of you have the same Global History/Science/Math teachers.
That is because our classes this year are designed to be
somewhat "interdisciplinary," as well as organized into "teams." Ours is
the BLUE TEAM! HUZZAH!!
Throughout the year we will be attempting to coordinate our curriculae and
many classroom activities so that you will see the connections between all of
the academic disciplines. You may have heard about other classes organized in
this way. They have been very successful, and very enjoyable.
You will also find that the teachers involved in this program are a TEAM;
that is, that we are very consistent in what we expect from students, and in
the way we conduct our classes. I know that you will find this instructional
scheme very helpful.
You can expect an increase in homework this year, in all of your
classes. We will be working on a number of comprehensive research projects,
beginning with a "MySpace" project which will get you all talking with one
another and practicing your listening, writing, and speaking skills. Later on
in the year, we will be having a Medieval/Renaissance Faire with costumes and
booths, and "stained glass" windows in the classroom. I am looking forward to
another year of excitement, learning, and personal growth.
In English you can expect a significant increase in writing, culminating in
the Final Writing Portfolio, which will count as one-half of your Final Exam
grade! Early in the year I will be providing both students and parents with
an example of a writing lesson. It is important that you understand this
process so that together we can help each student achieve success in writing
this year. WRITING will be our major focus!
In addition to getting ready for the new year, outside of class, I am
planning a Spring 2010 Theatre trip to London, a Summer 2011 trip to Ireland,
Wales, Scotland, and England, and a Summer 2012 trip to Greece and Italy.
This Spring's theatre trip will (obviously) focus on theatre and students
will participate in drama workshops at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.
If you would like to see our travel plans, you may visit our tour web site at
Explorica.com. Type in Mace-1575 for the tour ID and you'll be taken to our
site.
Ten years ago,we took 36 students on a 10 day tour of England; three years
ago, we were on an 18-day tour of the UK. In 2004 and again in 2008, we
went to London over Spring Break, and most recently we went to Italy and
Greece in the summer of '05 as well as this past July.
Each of these trips was a wonderful experience, which I'm sure none of us
will never forget. The students saw many of the places we had read about
and studied in English/Global History. Our upcoming trips to Europe promise
to be just as exciting and educational. Please let me know if this interests
you! And you don't need to wait until school starts to do so!
If you have any questions, or if you ever have any concerns, please e-mail
me, or you may contact me at school at 897-6700 ext. 178.
You may find my class supply list and Guidelines by clicking on the
appropriate link off my website.
In the meantime, relax, enjoy your last days of summer! See you in a
few days!
