Welcome to Meet the Teacher! David Kaminski English 10R

Extra Help and Contact Info Extra help is on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. Students can always make appointments to meet with me on other days if they can’t make those days. Best way to contact me is If you would like a weekly update, me on Fridays and I will update you by early the following week on your child’s progress.

Our Website Our class has a website where you have access to many of the assignments or material that we work on in class. Check it regularly, as I update it frequently. If your child is absent, you can remind him/her to download the material we work on in class. Encourage your child to visit the website in preparation for tests and/or quizzes. This gives you the chance to become more involved in your child’s learning and to be aware of what we are doing in class. The address: You will also be able to find it by going to the North home page > Academics > English Language Arts > Mr. Kaminski.

English 10R A Few Important Goals For the Year –Improve student skills Writing, listening, reading (silent and aloud), and speaking Grammar and vocabulary (Worldy Wise and AWL) Using creativity and hands-on activities to make sure all learning styles are accommodated; study skills packets Tackling basic skills early (handwriting, mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation)) to reduce cognitive load/stress later Link for extra credit: sentences-and-paragraphs.html sentences-and-paragraphs.html –Work through the writing process Drafting, revising, revising again, editing with peers, using the Writing Center, mini lessons on specific techniques and styles; sentences, paragraphs, essays, research papers –Engage students in learning and inspire enthusiasm Excitement about owning their own ideas and concepts Learning grade-level and college material

The Texts We’ll Read Common Core materials chments/9-12-ela-text-list.docx Lord of the Flies (novel) Julius Caesar (play) Things Fall Apart (novel) Into the Wild (non-fiction) Literary criticism and supplemental materials of interest with lasting value through college, career, and life

Grading Grading is based on a number of activities that happen during the quarter. Assignments include –Skills work, homework, writing, notes/journal work, discussion/participation grades, critical and creative papers, quizzes and tests, DIRT quizzes, the research paper, creative projects, and extra credit from Google forms and other activities Grading is point-based –An assignment might be worth 50 points. If your child receives a 90% or A-, this is recorded as a 45/50 in my grade book. At the end of the quarter, your child’s total points are divided by the total points in the quarter.

The Writing Center An important addition to English is our department’s Writing Center, which is there to help your child improve his or her writing. It is available during lunch periods and after school Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Your child can sign up online, off of the English department website.

Clubs/ Events We have a lot of clubs in the English Department – Epiphany, Ram’s Horn, theatre arts, Story for Kids, Poetry Club Events during the year – Sticky Notes, Bard in the Yard, musical and drama, Java Jive, English Honors Society

Insightful Books How Children Succeed by Paul Tough –persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, social fluidity, grit, and self-confidence The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains by Nicholas Carr –the stronger the tool, the weaker the muscle