WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR! Welcome! WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR!

Classroom Jobs Every student has a role in how the classroom operates. Some positions you will apply for, among many more, are: Blog Administrator Board Writer Class Collector Class Security Guard Classroom Motivator Classroom Decorator Class Distributor Power point clicker Homework Stamper Board Eraser Class Artist Class Escort

We graph our test scores! We make goals! We work to meet our goals! Quizzes and Tests We graph our test scores! We make goals! We work to meet our goals!

We reflect on our work We select two items to reflect on every unit We give ourselves a grade and defend it We reflect on study skills we have employed to be successful! We create new goals for every unit We give constructive feedback

Students share their class notebooks with their parents! We involve our parents! Students share their class notebooks with their parents! My favorite piece of work in his/her notebook is… What does your student’s notebook reveal about him/her as a student? My student’s biggest concern is…

We become teachers! The best way to learn is to teach the concepts ourselves We communicate with adults on campus about important concepts

We get rewarded! STAR STUDENT OF THE MONTH! We get rewarded for improving test and writing scores! We celebrate!

We connect literature to society today! Is there anything in your life that you are as passionate about as Patrick Henry in his speech? There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide… -Emerson If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. - Thoreau Socratic Seminars: What tests do we put our politicians through before we respect them as world leaders? Who is a significant person in your life? Who is a modern day Mockingbird? (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Student generated analogies Learning Styles We will take multiple approaches to learning course content to meet the needs of the many individual learners that make up this class. Approaches include: Socratic Seminars Sentence Frames Student generated analogies Chalk Talk Tic-Tac Toe Writing Songs Creating visuals Talk Shows Role Plays And many more…

We have a class website! www.mrsgentry.weebly.com Most importantly, we will have class discussions about themes we study in literature via our class blog (found on my website! ) We will use the website to access our class calendar and homework.

380 My sophomores will participate in CAHSEE boot camp in my class. They will work as teams, have team captains, and compete for an A grade for third quarter! Be ready for lots of writing!

Things to look forward to during CAHSEE boot camp… Grammar songs American Idol Bring It On Contest Cubin it up Mrs. Gentry’s singing Team Spirit Days Games Hard work Passing the CAHSEE!!!

READING AND WRITING Freshmen and sophomores will complete all following essay genres Grade Level LITERATURE Writing Freshmen Romeo and Juliet The Odyssey Friendly letter Business letter Autobiography Sophomores Lord of the Flies A Midsummer Night’s Dream Biography Persuasive essay Expository essay Response to literature Research paper

Themes we will explore through literature this year!

Does reason exist in love? What does it mean to be truly free? Are we inherently good or evil? Based on our reading, what does the author believe we as a society value? Does reason exist in love? How do we balance the values of the old while still progressing with the new? When can chaos be considered a good thing?

REVOLUTION

Note from teacher… I am very excited to be working with your students this year! My goal is to make them critical, individual thinkers, who improve themselves through self-reflection and self-exploration. -Mrs. Gentry 