Trends - Spring 2018 Ferguson Open House Trends - Spring 2018 Ferguson

Welcome! Thanks for coming tonight!

About Me Teacher in the Apex community since 1994! Graduated from N.C. State (BA 1993) and UNC (M. Ed. 2011)

About Trends Trends is an elective designed to expose students to themes and trends in literature from 1969 to present. Students will read young adult novels, dramas, short stories and podcasts. Active participation in class is an essential factor for success and students will be expected to bring books to class each day. Students will read books from the curriculum, read free-choice reading books, write about literature, participate in book club discussions, and develop presentations/projects.

Grading Information All grades are counted equally and averaged together. Free Reading Teacher Conferences Free Reading In-Class Reading (Actively engaged reading) Book Club: Book Talks/Free Reading Book Talks & Book Socials Book Club: Reading Deadlines Free Reading Page Requirements Other assignments that may come about Grade Updates Grades will be updated in a timely manner.

Homework Philosophy Students will have deadlines for their “book club” books. Students should supplement their in-class reading time with out-of-class time in order to meet the announced deadlines for their “book club” books. This is an elective that should not be too big of a burden on their out-of-class life, but there will be some things to take care of. Students will be in three-four book club sessions.

Free Reading 20-30 minutes of free-choice in-class reading for 4 days each week. Reading Requirement = 1 complete book (at least 250 pages) per quarter plus always having a consistent book during free reading time once the initial goal is met. We want to create life-long readers. Many skills that we teach in isolation could be learned by reading. Parents, please note that I have not read all the books that the students will be reading. Therefore, there is an expectation that you engage your children in conversations about their reading selections (especially free-reading choices) to ensure that there is no objectionable content. Please donate new or used books .

Most Needed Books:: Any book boys will like (Biographies / Sports Books / Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life / Tony Dungy Books) Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Just One Day / Just One Year by Gayle Forman Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum The Cellar by Natasha Preston You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter by Dr. Joe Dispenza Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg The Summer I Turned Pretty / It’s Not Summer Without You / We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han I Am Number Four / The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson Gym Candy by Carl Dueker The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Divergent / Insurgent by Veronica Roth Any of the later Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling Any Nicholas Sparks Book (especially The Lucky One, Bend in the Road, Safe Haven, Longest Ride) The Quarantine Series by Lex Thomas Any good books that you or your child thinks others will enjoy.

Contact Information Website - ApexFerg.weebly.com All of my rubrics will be posted on this website. Lesson plans, key due dates, and rubrics are all available on this site. Students are expected check with this site for due dates. If a student is absent, he/she is expected to use this site to keep up with assignments.

Contact Information Email - jferguson@wcpss.net Please keep in mind that depending on what is going on in class and extra-duty responsibilities that I may have to fulfill, I may not be able to respond to your email within a matter of hours after it is sent. I will respond in a timely manner.