The Hughes News
Sophomore Honors English Newsletter ~ Nov. 2017
Our Class Website: The Lifelong Learner
Click here to see our class syllabus, FAQs, parent resources, student projects, and more!
TERM TWO'S ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Is there a difference between SEEING and KNOWING?
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 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 65 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 website for George Lucas' foundation.
Term 2: "Blindness & Sight"
This term, your student and I will be 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 is the difference between SEEING and KNOWING? We will be exploring many texts together, including the whole-class drama Oedipus the King by Sophocles.
TB12 Says "Hi!"
With all the talk of Data This and Common Assessment That, I'm always anxious to discuss some of the alternative ways I assess student learning. In October, a former colleague and I were selected to present at MassCUE 2017, the biggest technology conference in the northeast. Our presentation was called "Pencils Down!: Authentic, Alternative Assessment in the K-12 Twenty-first Century Classroom." This is the fifth time we've presented at MassCUE--and the only time we get to legally hangout in a Gillette skybox.
44 STANDARDS? PIECE O' CAKE!
I am tasked with helping your student meet 44 (!) English Language Arts standards this year. While Pearson--the online curriculum we launched last year--ensures that we do this, students will also do a slew of other engaging activities to help them meet the standards this year! (Having trouble viewing the table below? Check out a larger version HERE.)
Is Your Student Reading at Home?
One of the requirements of an honors English student is that s/he voraciously reads for pleasure outside of class. (See the other requirements HERE.) After all, if students wouldn't think of bypassing a workout, missing a music rehearsal, or skipping a soccer practice, they can't afford to opt out of regular at-home reading either. Check out the infographic below for reasons why reading just 20 minutes a day will give your student the edge.
Note: November means that your student should be starting his/her THIRD (!) book of the year any day now! Ask your reader what s/he's enjoyed so far.
Have Books; Will Travel
Every year, sophomores get their hearing and vision checked during English class. (It's one of the only classes that all sophomores take, so it makes for easy scheduling.) While waiting for their turn, students turned to books--rather than their spaceship phones. #teachergoals
Grades: A PARTIAL Snapshot
While having our gradebooks live helps students and their families monitor student progress, it only provides part of the picture. (Click HERE for more info about how IPASS works.) 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. Instead, ask to see your student's CLASS PARTICIPATION SELF-ASSESSMENT and your student's DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT. These two end-of-the-term charts provide a much more complete picture as to how your learner is doing in English.
#Candlegate?
On Halloween--during a group's presentation on, of all things, the allure of fear, a student accidentally knocked over our class candle. It's an event we've affectionately coined "Candlegate." And the effect looked like something straight out of CSI. (Insert sinister music here.)
Follow Our Class on Instagram!
If you have an Instagram account, follow our class shenanigans @fortheloveofreadingwmhs!
How to Contact Me
Have a question or concern about your learner? Email is the best way to reach teachers. With the exception of weekends, we will always get back to you within 24 hours.
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