2. Five Things About Mr. VWFive Things About Mr. VW  Graduated from Towson U (undergraduate) and Goucher College (graduate) with an emphasis on writing, teaching, and publishing;  Has taught at Centennial since 2003; has been teaching grades 5  graduate level since 1987;  Is a Teacher-Consultant with the National Writing Project;  Lives in Towson with his wife and 3 kids; and  Is a columnist for the Towson Times, has written two novels, and has published hundreds of articles on education, parenting, writing, mindfulness, creativity, and publishing.

3. The FocusThe Focus  3-fold focus to prepare students for college or any post- secondary path they choose  A. Communicate Effectively  B. Analyze, Interpret, Synthesize, and Evaluate Information  C. Embrace the Autonomous and Independent Role of Being a Mindful and Lifelong Learner

4. Achieving The Goal Of Our Focus  A. Reading varied fiction and nonfiction texts (original, literary, contemporary)  B. Writing creative, informative, argumentative, and critical works while focusing on the process of writing well  C. Thinking about how we read and write, so that our metacognitive practices begin to cross over to other educational disciplines, and eventually to our everyday lives in our jobs, our relationships, and our social responsibilities.

5. The Curriculum: Grade 10The Curriculum: Grade 10  Reading: Anchor Texts (w/Close Reading): The Life of Pi, Into Thin Air, Macbeth, Oedipus Rex, Catcher In The Rye, 1984  Writing: Daybooks, vomit drafts, personal essays, informative and argumentative essays, literary criticism  Thinking: Writing process, WIIFM, formative assessment, Bloom’s taxonomy

6. The Curriculum: Grade 12The Curriculum: Grade 12  Reading: Anchor Texts (w/Close Reading): The Things They Carried, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Canterbury Tales, Hamlet  Writing: Daybooks, vomit drafts, personal essays, informative and argumentative essays, literary criticism  Thinking: Writing process, WIIFM, formative assessment, Bloom’s taxonomy

7. Mr. VW’s Websites and Contact Information  www.chsrvw.wordpress.com (School)  www.baltimorewriter.wordpress.com (Writing)  www.iamalineoflove.wordpress.com (Lines of Love)  Email: rvanwestervelt@hcpss.org