"There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place." - J.K. Rowling I'm excited! It's time to get into fiction! We'll be exploring the elements of fiction and taking a stab at how these elements play an intricate role in creating stories. Students will have a chance to read various short stories - as well as get a chance to write one of their own! |
What is your idea of a utopian society? We all have our opinion of what we wish or hope to have in our perfect place. Peace, compromise, no poverty, - - for some of you, even unicorns. So why is it that a utopian society can not be achieved? Is it because of greed? Power? Different opinions? Whatever it is, you must explore this idea for your essay. The first semester flew by so quickly. I think so far it's been loads of fun and a lot of hard work. I was especially impressed with the human rights iSearch papers and presentations. The information shared about all topics was engaging and moving. The debate that ended the semester was a lot of fun. The topics ranged from the End of the World on December 21, 2012 to the Influence of Video Games on Children. Teams worked hard researching evidence that would support and counter their claims. The debate was based on a modification of the Douglas/Lincoln debate style. We ended the unit and the year with watching The Great Debaters. Affirmative Debate Team ready for any challenge!
For any student who is thinking about a higher education, it is a requirement for them to take the SAT (Standardized Achievement Test) for college entrance. Prior to them taking the test their Junior/Senior year of high school, the PSAT (Preliminary SAT) is offered to underclassmen as a way to help prepare them for the SAT. Since Edison Learning (educational consultant) is paying for all Baldwin freshmen and sophomores to take the PSAT, I am asking for all my Honors English students to take it on OCTOBER 17th. Students MUST be in school by 7:45 am and check in at the auditorium with #2 pencils. All students who signed up for the PSAT received study guides. Please be sure to look at the study guides prior to the test. Here's a link for more information about the PSAT and SAT. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html It's hard to believe that the mid-term has arrived. Progress reports were created today and will be sent out with any deficiencies to students' postal addresses. If you didn't turn in a summer reading project OR did poorly on a major exam/quiz, but didn't make it up, then you may have something to worry about. Don't let bad habits plague you and be proactive! Keep track of your grades with your classroll.com account.
Next up Skills/Transition class will be working on Grammar/Sentence Structure/Paragraph Writing/Essay Writing. The Honors English class will be focusing on Introduction to Research, as well as learning how to create effective power point presentations. Time is really flying by fast - - soon it'll be the end of the quarter! Good luck! This past Tuesday, students were guests in BHS's new library. Librarians, Ms. Alueta and Ms. Yamauchi (along with the help of Mrs. Roy), gave a guided tour of the different areas of the new library. At the end of the tour, students broke up into smaller groups to compete in a scavenger hunt. Winners received a little treat provided by the librarians. Who knew the library could be SO MUCH FUN!!!! Congratulations to all our winners! The first unit we're starting is based on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. The English Department believes that the ideas behind this self-help book are useful for students to adopt because it will help them transition and succeed through high school. I have to admit, when I first taught this class and had to do my research, I thought that maybe I would have been that much more successful as a teenager if this was around during my time. Regardless, for adult or teen alike, this book gives some very good advice of celebrating your private and public victory. I highly recommend parents to purchase this book for your student, but also read it yourself first. Highlight key areas that you think will benefit your child. Happy reading! Welcome to your first year at HP Baldwin High School!!!
Summer seemed to disappear at a blink of an eye and now the real fun is going to begin! I'm really looking forward to this year and getting to know each and every one of you. I hope all of you feel the same way too. Remember that you all come from different feeder schools from all over the island. Make it a point to get to know your fellow classmates. Throughout my years of teaching I have observed that the classes that have the most fun together are the classes that really make an effort in getting to know each other. So - - reactions to your first day of school? Big campus? Lots of new faces? Lots of old faces? Overwhelmed? Excited? Wait until Tuesday. That's when it will really dawn on you that you're in high school. Some tips - be sure not to gather in massive groups that block sidewalks, hallways and the front of the office (upperclassmen hate that). Also be sure to get to class on time!!! We're going to have lockouts this year! On a more serious note...SUMMER READING - I hope all of you did your summer reading. I heard some rumors that some of you thought that because you had "Study Skills/Transition to High School" for the first semester, that you decided to put off your summer reading to later. Ahem - - it is called "SUMMER READING", therefore, should be done during the summer. In Mrs. Roy's class, procrastination will be your greatest downfall, so kick the bad habit now and create a good habit instead. |
AuthorThis is a class blog for Mrs. Roy's 9th Grade English Classes. Archives
January 2013
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