Come See Us at Google Classroom!

For the sake of simplicity, we will be using Google Classroom for day-to-day communications. Come find us there! For more general information, you can try my web page.

PowerSchool is Dead (well, mostly dead)... Long live Google!

I have decided to abandon (mostly), PowerSchool and go back to the Google Classroom we used last summer. I hope this will make things easier for us all. As of now, I have opened all our assignments there. Please have a look. Any work you did at PowerSchool will still count of course, but I would like you to retake the technology access poll.

The most important thing at this point is that you keep reading Invisible Man and participate in the discussion boards as much as you can.

I'm thinking we will attempt our first face-to-face meeting tomorrow after lunch (we are working on a schedule). It will be a Google Meet and you will be able to simply click and link and join (via video or audio, I think). I expect some technical growing pains, but it should work just fine. Topics will include general touching base and clarification as well as some discussion of Invisible Man.

I hope you are all holding up. Let me know if I can do anything to help!

The Plan... for now

I hope you are all doing well at home (and avoiding large groups as much as possible). I wanted to touch base with what I'm thinking at this point. Remember it's a work in progress. Here's what I know:

• We will keep the reading schedule for Invisible Man, and I will be posting online discussions. These will be graded, so participation is paramount.
• We will be working from the College Board site and perhaps having other assignments as well.
• Finally, I plan to have virtual office hours a couple times a week. These will almost certainly be via Google Meet. I'll be in touch with details.
• Of course, all of this is subject to change, so keep checking your school email and PowerSchool Unified Classroom.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones, and be in touch if you need anything.
~Mr. Staiano

Chapter 2

Today we read this poem and did a bit of comparative thinking about it and the rest of chapter 2.

Chapter 1!

The Prologue

Essay Next Steps & Invisible Man

Today we talked a bit about wrapping up the essay. After that, we started our look at Invisible Man. Intro slides are at PS.

More Revision

Revision Time

Students had time to work today, with most of them getting on to the revision checklist (here are some thoughts on the checklist).

Essay Drafting & The Precis

Essay Model & Work Time

After doing an analysis of this essay (the handout is here and was collected), students had more time to work on their essays in the lab.

Planning & Composition Time

After a quick warm-up, students had time in the lab to work.

Essay Planning & Independent Reading

Today we checked in about how independent reading is going, and we spent a bit of time on essay structure and due dates: slides 21 through at PS.

Questions & Claims

Today we spent some more time thinking about essay focus, looking at slides 16 through 20 in the slideshow posted at PS. Students had time to continue their research and to post their topics to the discussion board at PS.

The Annotated Bibliography

Today we continued thinking about essay topics with a look at annotated bibliographies and some research time in the lab. Check out slides 10 through 15 in the presentation at Powerschool, which includes links and off-campus login information.

They Say, I Say

Today we used our They Say, I Say books, reading chapter one (available at PowerSchool on the "Essay #2" page) and doing the work below.

The Literary Argument Essay

Today we embarked on our second major essay of the year. Handouts and slides are at PowerSchool.

Friday=Valentine's Day

Today students wrapped up the Hamlet unit with a timed essay at the College Board site. Afterward, I checked their independent reading progress while they had time to read a bit. Have a great break!

Presentation Wrap up

Today we finished our presentations. Timed essay tomorrow in m126. Bring your IR books!

Presentations!

Tuesday and Wednesday we actually had presentations. They were fun and intellectual. More tomorrow.

Presentations Begin! Sort of...

Today we tried to start presentations, but many people were absent, so we'll try again tomorrow.

Independent Reading & Work Time

We opened with about 20 minutes of reading time (and I checked off books). The rest of the period was spent on the Hamlet project.

Work Time

Hamlet Project, Day 3

Due dates: Passage annotations and analyses should be done soon. CRA paragraphs are due on Sunday and presentations begin Monday.

Analysis Model & Work Time

Annotation Model & Project Day 1

McCarthy Passage Review, Part 1

Kahoot, I guess...

Because more than a third of the class was at an assembly, we played Kahoot for the first part of the period and then continued with a bit of test review.

Reflection & Exam Review

Monday and Tuesday, we spent the period on a bit of reflection and a review of some of the multiple-choice section of the final exam.

Timed Essay Prep

In preparation for the final exam, we did this essay revision activity.

Circle Time

This morning, we had a lovely, if a bit chilly, discussion of Act 5. We missed you all.

Act 4

Act 3

Today we did another quotations analysis warm-up and then groups shared their Act 3 work online at PowerSchool.

Act 1 & 2

Today, we reviewed some of the writing work that groups began Friday. After that, groups posted their Act 2 work to the discussion board at PS Class Pages. Students should read and respond to Act 3 by Wednesday.

Act 1 Work

Today we finished up our Act 1 synopses and started a bit of quotation analysis. Read Act 2 with a DJ (see below) for Monday.

Meter & Hamlet

Today we talked a bit more about poetic meter and introduced Shakespeare and Hamlet. Students should read all of Act 1 for homework.

An Intro to Meter

Today we took some notes on and played a bit with poetic meter. We'll have a quiz tomorrow and start Hamlet.

Independent Reading Wrap & Reflection

We began the day with a bit of reflection and goal-setting and then finished up the independent reading elevator pitches and wrapped up with some more reflection.