Monday - 8/31 - Beginning the College Application Essay

OBJ: Students will listen to a presentation from a college admissions advisor; then will begin planning their college admissions essay.  Discussion will include purpose and audience with multimedia input from college admissions personnel.


WARM-UP: No Warm-Up today due to guest speaker.

• Guest from College of the Mainland

• Powerpoint/Notes - College Admissions Essay Purpose and Audience
• College Essay Powerpoint
• College Application Essay Tips
• Appplication Prompts and Questions

• Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay (Handout and Online Resources)
• Online Resources from The College Board

• Application Essay Options (A & B) with guiding questions - homework if not completed in class.

Friday - 8/28

OBJ: Students will continue to learn and establish norms and expectations in this class and will take an active role in establishing interpersonal interactions by establishing a social contract.

Warm-up ... On a sheet of paper, list the things you don't like about how students and teachers interact at times in the classroom. Do not include school rules or curriculum (information taught and tested) - focus on what we have input in. 

Social Contract - students will form groups of 4 - LOOK AROUND AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS INCLUDED. Groups will discuss each of the guiding questions of the social contract and build a list of responses. Once all questions have been addressed, we will compile the group input to create the actual document.

Social Contract Question PPT

Intro Speeches (time permitting)

History of English video (time permitting)
http://youtu.be/H3r9bOkYW9s


***REMEMBER ... the signature pages for the Syllabus AND the Chromebook agreement are due on Monday.  You may print them from the links below if you need additional copies.***

Coach Davis - Syllabus - English IV

SFISD Chromebook Agreement - Davis Eng IV

Thursday, 8/27

Obj: Srudents will continue getting to know each other and will view an historical overview of English history.

Warm up/College Word of the Day: 

On a sheet of paper, write down a question you'd like to ask me - and then write what you think my answer will be. 

- finish Intro speeches (new students too) 

- random questions activity ... Using the same sheet of paper as your warmup, you will select 6 of the random question options provided (one at a time) and then, when directed to do so, choose two classmates to answer your question. You'll need to briefly write or paraphrase the question.  You may not question the same person twice.  You MUST get the name of each person you talk to.

• Do you like Pets?  Do you have any (what kind?  What are their names?)

• What was the last book you read

• Do you like to cook?  What kinds of things can you cook?

• Have you ever visited another country?  Where?

• Have you ever met a famous person?  Who?

• What do you like to do in your free time?

• If you could only eat one food/dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

• What qualities do you look for in friends?

• What was the last movie you saw?

• If you could choose anyplace in the world to live where would it be and why?

• What have you never done that you really want to try?

• What super-power would you most like to have & why?

• If you had a million dollars that you had to spend - but could NOT spend it on yourself or family - what would you spend it on?

• What would your dream house be like?

• If you could change something about the world, what would it be and why?

• Do you like kids?  Do you want to be a parent someday?

• What is the best present anyone has ever given you?

• How do you want people to remember you?

- "A History of English... In 10 Minutes"

http://youtu.be/H3r9bOkYW9s

Wednesday - 8/26 - Day Three - Chromebook Safety, Handling, Etc.

OBJ: Students will learn keys to safe handling of Chromebooks in the classroom and will become aware of all Chromebook expectations.

• Distribute SFISD Chromebook Agreement and review information.  Signature page due no later than Friday 8/28 - students will NOT be allowed to use Chromebooks in the classroom until they have submitted a completed signature page from the agreement.

SFISD Chromebook Agreement

• Chromebook Handling and Use Videos on YouTube ... 

What is a Chromebook?

The ACER Chromebook

Chromebook Care & Handling

• Finish Introductory Speeches (as necessary)

• Review appropriate Google ID expectations.

Day Two ... Getting to Know You

Welcome back for day two - it's a great day for me to get to know you and for your classmates to maybe learn a little more about you. 

You will have 8 minutes to complete your "Introductory Speech Worksheet" and then roughly 5 minutes to plan your 40 second speech.

You may stand beside your desk to deliver this casual speech. You must use your entire 40 seconds ... No bailing out early. At 40 seconds I will instruct you to "finish your thought" .. At that point finish the point you are making and you are finished. Tell us everything we need to know about you in your 40 second time period. 

Keep in mind the expectations of you as an audience when someone is speaking. No phones, no earphones, give them your eyes, and listen to what they are saying. Show them the deserved respect when they are speaking/presenting.

This is a daily grade - but the only way you can lose points is if you don't fill your 40 seconds with info about you OR if you have poor audience etiquette. Those are the only possible deductions. 

First Day of School 2015-2016

Good morning. Welcome back from the summer break, which probably seemed all too short. This is my blog where you will find important information for our class every day including: our objectives, guiding questions, assignment information and due dates, useful resources, and links to the assignments themselves. My English for class is largely technology-based,so posting information here ensures that you have constant access to it as opposed to hardcopies which are often lost or misplaced. 

If you have questions outside of class, the best way to contact me is through email - Richard.Davis@sfisd.org

If there are materials posted here that you want a hard copy of, you will need to make time outside of class to go to the library to print them. I know that this format will take some getting used to, but it also does a lot more to prepare you for life after graduation. 

I am looking forward to a successful year that ends, not with your graduation from high school, but with you being prepared for whatever adventured you take on after graduation.

2nd Period Exam Exemptions

Exempt Students:

Bynum
Floyd
Hebert
Linscomb



Exempt PENDING PROOF OF FINES PAID:

Felker
Lutz

1st Period Exam Exemptions

1st Period

Bieber

Doherty

LeCompte

Nelson

Villaverde-Moreno

3rd period exemptions will be posted by 3rd period tomorrow. 

The Final Friday ... May 29 ...

OBJ ... Students will work on exam reviews.

• Lord of the Flies Essays DUE ... or in most cases, PAST DUE!  Get them in or they will go into the gradebook as a zero so I can finalize grades.  No changes will be made after that point.

• Exam Exemptions - the final and official list will be posted to this blog by Sunday evening, May 31. (Except 3rd period which will posted by 3rd period today).

• Fireside Chat -  concerning the past few weeks and your near future.

• Work on exam reviews.

Thursday ... 5/28 ... ESSAY FINAL DRAFTS DUE ... 4 days remaining, Seniors!

OBJ: Students will continue working to edit and revise their literary analysis of Lord of the Flies. Students will also begin working on Final Exam Reviews.

• Lord of the Flies Essay - Your FINAL DRAFT is due today - the paper should be submitted, stapled, as follows ... if you have not submitted any part of the process for eval by me (rough draft - daily grade; editing - 1 quiz grade for having yours edited, another for editing another students paper) at this time, all missing grades will become a zero regardless of whether or not the info is stapled behind your final drafts.
• FINAL DRAFT with WORKS CITED (on top) ... to clarify, because this has caused confusion for some who've misread it ... The FINAL DRAFT ... with the works cited page (all in MLA format and in MLA order) will be on top of the rest of the process.  If you fail at this in ANY way shape or form, there will be a 50 point simpleton tax deducted from your grade.
• Peer Editing Checklist
• Rough Draft
• Prewriting

• Reviews and Exams - The regular English IV review is available on the desk in the lab.  I recommend you complete all parts of the review ... however, it is not mandatory, nor is it for a grade - nor will you be able to use it on the exam.  I recommend you also revisit the Frankenstein questions you answered in your blogs AND the Study Questions for Lord of the Flies.  You will turn in your completed LotF study questions prior to your exam.
• Friday, 5/29 - 3rd Period Exam (May be finished on Monday if needed)
• Monday, 6/1 - 1st Period Exam (additional time for 3rd period testers after school)
• Tuesday, 6/2 - 2nd and 4th Period Exams

• Exemptions - The following students have the POSSIBILITY of being exempt from the exam pending your grade in this class (which will depend heavily on the essay we are completing) - if fines are noted, you MUST clear them as well with the bookkeeper AND show me a receipt in that amount from the bookkeeper to be exempt).

1st Period

Bieber

Doherty

LeCompte

Nelson

Moreno, Karen

2nd Period

Anderson

Bynum

Felker ($1 fine)

Floyd

Hebert

Kasper ($2 fine)

Linscomb

Lutz ($1 fine)

3rd Period

Devoll ($8.99 fine)

Forrest

Gift - fine cleared

Monroe ($5 fine)

Montes

Robinson ($55 fine)

Walter ($43 fine)

4th Period

Adams

Catching

Glaskox

Moreno, Aaron

Simmons

Thorsen - fine cleared

Utley