The Hughes News
Sophomore Honors English Newsletter ~ Nov. 2018
TERM 2'S QUESTION: What Does It Mean to SEE?
Real-World Publishing: Meet Goodreads
In addition to all of the essays and assignments that are common to the entire sophomore class, your student-author is also doing real-world writing.
Every month, students publish multi-layered, analytic book reviews about their monthly choice books at GOODREADS. The best part? In addition to getting real-world publishing experience, they are writing for an authentic audience of 82 million bibliophiles, rather than just for Teacher-Lady. It doesn't get more authentic than that!
Click HERE to read more about how I use Goodreads in the classroom--featured at EDUTOPIA, the George Lucas' educational foundation.
Term 2: "Blindness & Sight"
This term, your student and I are exploring Unit 6 in Pearson (i.e., our online anthology), which is entitled "Blindness & Sight." The Essential Question that we are answering throughout the term--both in discussions and in writing--is: What does it mean to see? We will be exploring many texts together, including Sophocles' play Oedipus the King.
To see the entire unit, click HERE.
TB12 Says "Hi!"
Teaching in the 21st-century classroom is exciting! However, just because our students have devices in front of them doesn't mean we teachers are doing anything innovative with them. A worksheet that is done in a Google Doc is still just a worksheet. (There is, of course, a time and a place for worksheets.) However, teachers also know what a distraction technology can be for our students if we don't manage the 21st century classroom differently than we, say, five years ago.
In that vein, in October, a former colleague and I were selected to present at MassCUE 2018, the biggest technology conference in the northeast. Our workshop was on how to manage today's classroom. This is the sixth time we've presented at MassCUE--and the only time we get to legally hangout in a Gillette skybox.
WHEN: Thursday, November 29, 2018; 12-2 PM & 6-8 PM
WHERE: In Teachers' Classrooms
The fall parent/teacher conferences are on Thursday, November 29th, during two blocks of time: 12-2 PM and 6-8 PM. Rather than waiting in the "deli-style" lines in larger spaces, this year's conferences will happen in the teachers' classrooms. While there will still be a deli line outside of the classrooms, but it will more like the deli lines on, say, a Tuesday evening, rather than a Sunday afternoon! To be able to conference with the optimum number of families, teachers will continue to keep conferences to five minutes. If more time is needed, feel free to email me to schedule an individual conference.
Or skip the lines altogether and simply email me for an update of how your student is doing in Honors English. Of course, parents are welcome to do that any time.
Be sure to ask your student what s/he is learning, as well as how s/he behaves in and contributes to our class. Scores alone merely show whether or not students are good test-takers and/or consistent homework doers. (Honors students are usually both of these things.)
Instead, ask to see your student's Term 1 CLASS PARTICIPATION SELF-ASSESSMENT and your student's DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT. These two end-of-the-term rubrics provide a much more complete picture as to how your child is doing in English.
44 STANDARDS? PIECE O' CAKE!
Is Your Student Reading at Home?
Note: November means that your student should be reading his/her THIRD (!) book of the year! Ask your reader what s/he's enjoyed so far.
How to Contact Me
Email: beth.hughes@wpsk12.org
Website: msbethhughes.org
Location: Wakefield Memorial High School, Farm Street, Wakefield, MA, United States
Phone: (781) 246-6440
Twitter: @msbethhughes