Office Hours: Please send me an email, or a 'chat' through Teams if you would like to set up an in-person meeting or a TEAMS meeting.
Fresno Unified has made a decision regarding 4th Quarter grading during the school closure. Here are the main points:
The quarter 3 grade will be a student’s final semester 2 grade unless a student chooses to improve their grade.
All students will be given multiple opportunities to improve their grades. Any student can work to improve their grade, not just students with failing grades.
No grade will drop below the grade issued for quarter 3
Students will be issued letter grades of A, B, C, and F while D grades will be replaced with ‘Pass’ in the final Q4/semester 2 grade.
***For all of my students wanting to improve their 3rd quarter grades: First, make sure you have completed and turned in your To Kill a Mockingbird Essay--that is the first and most effective way in which you can bring your grade up. You may also work to complete any missing assignments. In addition, I will be entering an optional enrichment assignment each week. There are two poetry assignments already posted on TEAMS and my website.
***Starting on Monday, April 20th, students should click on the link below and go to Fresno Unified's Continuity of Learning website where you can access the "Exercise your Brain" activities.
Go to the 9th grade activities which are posted daily and complete the day's assignment listed under "Reading/Writing". For those trying to improve their grades, these activities are available daily, can be turned in to me weekly through TEAMS, and will only be entered into the grade book if they help to improve your grade.
Assignments should be turned in at the end of each week. The weekly assignment on TEAMS will assess all five daily assignments for that week. You will need to complete each day's work on your own document (I have attached one to the Teams assignment), and date each entry (Mon-Fri), so that one document has your answers for all five days. These five days worth of work will count as 10 points in the grade book for that week. This is the same amount of points per week which were typically entered into the grade book during the first three quarters of the school year when we were meeting together. Remember, these assignments will only be entered into the grade book if they HELP your grade. If you turn in work which is a lower percentage and will bring down your overall grade, I will not enter it into the grade book. If you only turn in one day's amount of work for the week instead of 5, that means that at most you will score 2/10 which is an F and will not help your grade...If your goal is to improve your grade, make sure that you complete each day's work.
Here is how to complete the work: If the daily activity has a Writing Prompt or Check Your Understanding at the end, that is the part you will complete on your weekly log and turn in. If it does not have a prompt or CYU, then you need to write one well-written paragraph summarizing the learning for that day. This paragraph should thoroughly explain what the learning targets of the lesson were, and any new knowledge you gained from the activity. You will have five entries by the end of the week to turn in.
***These assignments are also designed as enrichment for ALL students, and will help to keep you engaged in working towards mastery of the English standards for 9th grade--helping to prepare you for next year. Turning them in to me is not mandatory if you are satisfied with your 3rd Quarter grade, however.
If you have any questions at any time--of course, please email me and I will try to help you!
April 13th
Extended Metaphor Poem
Look through the slides and follow the directions.
Read Activity 4.6 in SpringBoard
Read attached poems
Create your own Extended Metaphor poem following the directions.
Submit your Poem to TEAMS through Office 365
Look through the slides and follow the directions.
Read both "Where I'm From" poems
Create your own Where I'm From poem following the directions and rubric.
Submit your Poem to TEAMS through Office 365
Here is the email I sent each of you on your school email during Week #1 of school closure--which you can find in Outlook through Office 365:
I just wanted to reach out and let you all know that I am thinking of you all and hoping you are all safe and healthy. As of right now, I do not have any further information regarding instruction other than what has been communicated from the district. All learning from home is optional right now, and encouraged for keeping your brain active. The Fresno Unified website has several links to learning which you are welcome to engage in. The first priority is your health.
Obviously, we will not be in school during what would have been our poetry unit. However, if you have the time and are curious, you are welcome to go onto SpringBoard online from home and look through Unit 4--poetry. Try doing some of the activities if you can 🙂 When we return in April we will be diving straight into our Romeo and Juliet unit!
I will keep you updated with any news that I find out regarding plans for learning in the future. Again, I hope that you are all doing well, and if you have any questions please feel free to email me--I would love to hear from you!
Oh--and DEFINITELY, if you did not turn in your essay on March 13th, be SURE to submit it to turnitin.com, as it is still being graded...you don't want a zero!
If you miss the documentary in class:
2/11-2/13