Hard to believe, but this will be the last week of school for our seniors. It always makes me sad to see them go, even though I am so happy for their success! Underclassmen have a few more weeks to hang in there, and there is a lot of learning left to do. Below you will find a rundown of what we are currently working on.
Journalism: Seniors are working on completing their exam project. These will be due Friday, and we will be sharing projects during class on that day. Underclassmen continue to work on the senior edition of the newspaper. Near the end of the week they will receive their exam assignment so they can start working on it.
English 9: We are finishing Romeo and Juliet with a plot-analysis project. Students have selected the most important events of the play, based on their inter-relationships. They are creating a domino chart which will exhibit how each event impacted other events in the story. We will be completing this on Monday. Tuesday we will start reading The Odyssey and looking at the genre of Epic Poetry and epic heroes. We will also continue working on colons, semi-colons and dashes. Before we finish the year we will also be taking a look at word connotations/denotations, types of sentences, and using transitions in writing.
Yearbook: Again, seniors will be working on their exams, due Friday. Underclassmen are working on completing page spreads and will get their exam assignment near the end of the week.
Senior English: Monday students will take the in-class written portion of their final exam. This written portion is one-third of the exam grade. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday they will be presenting their research information during class time. This constitutes two-thirds of their final exam grade. Research papers are due Tuesday as well.
Just a reminder that with warmer temperatures it is imperative that students remember to dress appropriately for school. Student agendas include a school handbook which has guidelines for the school dress code policy.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Phew! What A Year!
Congratulations to my seniors, who have recently completed their research projects--papers and presentations. What a lot of work we all did, but I am so proud of their efforts and their accomplishments. Good luck to all of them as they graduate and move on to their future endeavors.
English 9 students are working on The Odyssey. Their final exam will consist, in part, of creating a travel brochure highlighting the elements of Odysseus's adventures. Freshmen should watch for a list of suggested reading material for the summer as well as for a list of publishing opportunities for student writers.
Journalism students recently completed (this afternoon) another senior edition of the Rambler Review. This school paper features stories about many of the members of the class of 2012.
Despite a variety of challenges, some of which seemed nearly insurmountable at times, yearbook club members have nearly completed another school yearbook. There are a mere ten pages to be completed, all of which are dependent upon athletic seasons ending and graduation being completed. I'm incredibly proud of the students who completed this incredibly time-consuming and painstaking task! Yearbooks remain available for purchase for $40. They will be delivered shortly after school begins in the fall.
English 9 students are working on The Odyssey. Their final exam will consist, in part, of creating a travel brochure highlighting the elements of Odysseus's adventures. Freshmen should watch for a list of suggested reading material for the summer as well as for a list of publishing opportunities for student writers.
Journalism students recently completed (this afternoon) another senior edition of the Rambler Review. This school paper features stories about many of the members of the class of 2012.
Despite a variety of challenges, some of which seemed nearly insurmountable at times, yearbook club members have nearly completed another school yearbook. There are a mere ten pages to be completed, all of which are dependent upon athletic seasons ending and graduation being completed. I'm incredibly proud of the students who completed this incredibly time-consuming and painstaking task! Yearbooks remain available for purchase for $40. They will be delivered shortly after school begins in the fall.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Halfway!
Greetings! It's hard to believe we are already halfway through the year. The time seems to be flying by. English 9 students have wrapped up Romeo and Juliet and are starting to read To Kill A Mockingbird. We continue to work on content area vocabulary, adding new words and still practicing the words from first semester. We have completed a comparison/contrast paper and will be working on a literary analysis paper for To Kill A Mockingbird.
Senior English is working on the final section of 1984. We've had lots of great discussions about governmental topics as they relate to the novel. We also continue to work on content area vocabulary. As we finish 1984, we will be working on a research paper as well as reading a Shakespeare play.
Journalism class is just starting as a second semester only class. We have been working on some basics about journalistic style writing. This class will be highly individualized as some students have had journalism before and others are just starting. Students will be working on a variety of projects, from literary magazines to personal newsletters. By the end of the semester we will produce a school newspaper.
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. You can reach me via email at sjohnson@mcbain.org or via phone at 231-468-1320.
Have a great week!
Sheila A. Johnson
Senior English is working on the final section of 1984. We've had lots of great discussions about governmental topics as they relate to the novel. We also continue to work on content area vocabulary. As we finish 1984, we will be working on a research paper as well as reading a Shakespeare play.
Journalism class is just starting as a second semester only class. We have been working on some basics about journalistic style writing. This class will be highly individualized as some students have had journalism before and others are just starting. Students will be working on a variety of projects, from literary magazines to personal newsletters. By the end of the semester we will produce a school newspaper.
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. You can reach me via email at sjohnson@mcbain.org or via phone at 231-468-1320.
Have a great week!
Sheila A. Johnson
Monday, December 5, 2011
Almost Halfway
This school year seems to be racing by, and we have been busy in our classes. My students continue to work on their content area vocabulary skills, adding new words every week or two. I am pleased with their progress; I feel that they are retaining the knowledge of these words and their meanings much better through this process. This will ultimately help them have a deeper understanding of the work we are doing in our literature studies and our writing exercises. English 9 classes have started working on learning the 7 Rules of Comma Usage, somethin we will continue to work on throughout the year. They are also reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and I have been impressed with their oral interpretation of this play. Prior to reading the play, students gave oral presentations of eithe a sonnet or a monologue from Shakespeare. This allowed them to practice the pronunciations, to become accustomed to the rhythm and flow of imabic pentameter, and to adjust to speaking Shakespeare's language aloud. Senior English students are continuing their work on argumentative writing, presenting their stance and supporting it with examples and details. We have finished reading Animal Farm and have moved on to 1984. We have had some interesting discussions about totalitarian governments so far, and I am seeing deeper thinking and processing as we move further into the book. I got a new group of ACT prep students last week and they have taken each of the three English/language arts tests once. Due to this week being so busy with Challenge Days, they will be reviewing their scores on these tests Friday. Progress reports will be sent out December 6th and students have been made aware of their current grades and any missing assignments that need to be made up. As always, if you have questions or need extra copies of anything, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Happy Autumn! As fall takes a turn toward winter, we are hard at work in the English department. I welcome comments and questions at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact me.
English 9 students are working on writing narratives with a revenge theme, after reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." They are focused on building a storyline through use of a plot chart, creating suspense and using characterization techniques to develop characters readers will be involved with. We continue to develop our content area vocabulary knowledge.
Senior English students are hard at work reading George Orwell's Animal Farm. We have been discussing various forms of government and will continue some of these discussions when we move on to Orwell's 1984. Content area vocabulary is also an area of concentration.
ACT Prep students have been working on practice tests online. We have also been developing skills and strategies for attacking the reading portion of the English test in hopes of improving those scores.
The weeks are quickly moving by and I am enjoying every moment of this school year!
English 9 students are working on writing narratives with a revenge theme, after reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." They are focused on building a storyline through use of a plot chart, creating suspense and using characterization techniques to develop characters readers will be involved with. We continue to develop our content area vocabulary knowledge.
Senior English students are hard at work reading George Orwell's Animal Farm. We have been discussing various forms of government and will continue some of these discussions when we move on to Orwell's 1984. Content area vocabulary is also an area of concentration.
ACT Prep students have been working on practice tests online. We have also been developing skills and strategies for attacking the reading portion of the English test in hopes of improving those scores.
The weeks are quickly moving by and I am enjoying every moment of this school year!
Monday, October 3, 2011
English 9: This year is shaping up to be vocabulous!
We are off and running, and what a fantastic start to this year we've had! I have been having such a great time working with students on writing, vocabulary, informational reading, short stories and novels that I've hardly had a second to spare to think about posting to my blog! As this fifth week of school begins, I'm finally finding a moment to catch my breath and catch you up on where we are.
English 9 vocabulary: This is a list of 50 words students will learn throughout the year. We've done a pre-test and we'll end the year with a post-test to measure growth.
1. character
2. symbol
3. minor character
4. rhyme
5. compare-and-contrast essay
6. imagery
7. plot
8. sensory image
9. setting
10. symbolism
11. theme
12. tone
13. major character
14. chronological order
15. figurative language
16. exposition
17. climax
18. extended metaphor
19. parallel plots
20. meter
21. rhythm
22. dialogue
23. oral tradition
24. autobiography
25. satire
26. thesis statement
27. epic poetry
28. archetype
29. soliloquy
30. characterization
31. irony
32. narrator
33. parable
34. alliteration
35. analogy
36. assonance
37. ballad
38. consonance
39. diction
40. lyric poetry
41. ode
42. allusion
43. monologue
44. conflict
45. motif
46. haiku
47. narrative poetry
48. sonnet
49. aside
50. foil
So far students have worked with allusion and irony. Quiz your students to see how they're progressing with this content area vocabulary.
English 9 vocabulary: This is a list of 50 words students will learn throughout the year. We've done a pre-test and we'll end the year with a post-test to measure growth.
1. character
2. symbol
3. minor character
4. rhyme
5. compare-and-contrast essay
6. imagery
7. plot
8. sensory image
9. setting
10. symbolism
11. theme
12. tone
13. major character
14. chronological order
15. figurative language
16. exposition
17. climax
18. extended metaphor
19. parallel plots
20. meter
21. rhythm
22. dialogue
23. oral tradition
24. autobiography
25. satire
26. thesis statement
27. epic poetry
28. archetype
29. soliloquy
30. characterization
31. irony
32. narrator
33. parable
34. alliteration
35. analogy
36. assonance
37. ballad
38. consonance
39. diction
40. lyric poetry
41. ode
42. allusion
43. monologue
44. conflict
45. motif
46. haiku
47. narrative poetry
48. sonnet
49. aside
50. foil
So far students have worked with allusion and irony. Quiz your students to see how they're progressing with this content area vocabulary.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Welcome back! Can't wait to get started!
Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year. As we set off on our journey this year, I am entering my 20th year as an educator. I continue to discover that each year is a brand new experience for me, with curriculum changes, new methods, budgeting challenges, and a variety of other factors. So much to learn and so little time. As we make our way through this school year, please check here often for assignments, announcements, due dates and to ask questions.
Below is my schedule for the year:
1st hour: English 9
2nd hour: ACT prep
3rd hour: English 9
4th hour: Senior English
6th hour: Senior English
7th hour: English 9
8th hour: Conference period
Yearbook is not offered as a class this year, but any interested students are encouraged to meet with me and discuss opportunities for working on this year's publication outside of class. Details will be announced during our first week of classes.
The 2011 yearbook has arrived and is ready for delivery. If you ordered a book last year, please see me to pick it up. If you did not pre-order, please see me as we do have a few extras available.
If you need to contact me, please call the school at 231-825-2412, ext. 1310, via cell phone at 231-468-1320, or via email at sjohnson@mcbain.org or sheilaj83@gmail.com. I look forward to meeting each of you and working with you this school year.
Below is my schedule for the year:
1st hour: English 9
2nd hour: ACT prep
3rd hour: English 9
4th hour: Senior English
6th hour: Senior English
7th hour: English 9
8th hour: Conference period
Yearbook is not offered as a class this year, but any interested students are encouraged to meet with me and discuss opportunities for working on this year's publication outside of class. Details will be announced during our first week of classes.
The 2011 yearbook has arrived and is ready for delivery. If you ordered a book last year, please see me to pick it up. If you did not pre-order, please see me as we do have a few extras available.
If you need to contact me, please call the school at 231-825-2412, ext. 1310, via cell phone at 231-468-1320, or via email at sjohnson@mcbain.org or sheilaj83@gmail.com. I look forward to meeting each of you and working with you this school year.
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