The Hughes News
Sophomore Honors English Newsletter ~ Fall 2019
THIS TERM'S ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Throughout Term 1, your student and I discussed the allure of fear--which was perfect for the Halloween season! For Term 2, we'll be asking, What does it mean to see?
Sophomore Reading Challenge
I created THIS VIDEO to explain The Why behind my For the Love of Reading Program.
We are in the middle of our third choice book already! Ask your student what books s/he has already devoured this year.
Have Books, Will Travel.
TB12 Says Hello
This is the sixth time I've presented at this particular conference--and the only time I get to legally hangout in a Gillette sky box.
WHEN: Thursday, November 21, 2019; 12-2 PM & 6-8 PM
WHERE: In Teachers' Classrooms
The fall parent/teacher conferences are on Thursday, November 21st, during two blocks of time: 12-2 PM and 6-8 PM. Rather than waiting in the "deli-style" lines in larger spaces, (e.g., cafeteria, library), this year's conferences will be happening in your student's classrooms. While there will still be a deli line outside of the rooms, it will hopefully be more like the lines on, say, a Tuesday night rather than a Sunday afternoon! To be able to conference with as many families as possible, 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.
And there is nothing significant about this particular day--other than our being a quarter of the way through the year. So, please feel free to reach out any time you have a question or concern.
WRITING AS A PROCESS
The reality? Many students quickly peruse our feedback (if we're lucky) and then log in to IPASS to see what effect--if any--the score has on their average. If their grade hasn't budged a whole lot, neither will their writing.
And little learning has occurred.
To thwart that depressing cycle--and to restore writing to exactly what it was meant to be--a process, my student authors have been responding and returning to the same prompt throughout the term. Prior to submission of their first draft, students will type into their essays one to three questions for me as a starting place for our digital, asynchronous writing conference. Once they receive feedback, they can begin revising and will then submit a final draft. With this model, true growth has occurred in the student writers, and the revision process works as it should--all before a permanent grade is recorded.
This is how real-world writing works: an idea is born and fleshed out several times before it is just right. And if the students play their cards right, the final essay at the end of the unit is glorious.
Take a look at the video below that illustrates this process beautifully!
PASSION BLOGS: We Are Live, Folks!
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