This week’s student opinion question is a spooky one, perfect for the week of Halloween: “Do You Like Scary Movies and Books?”

Here are the general directions:

1. Go to the NY Times website article, “Do You Like Scary Movies and Books?”
2. Read the entire article, excerpt, and questions.
3. Come back to this page and scroll down to the comments box.
4. Type only your first name and last initial in the “name” box, using standard capitalization.
5. In the large text box, write your response. It should include: (1) a description of the article you read and (2) your response to article. Your response should be articulate, relevant, and interesting. Use standard English spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
6. Click “Post Comment.” Your comment will not be posted immediately. It must be moderated and approved by me.

See your rubric for further directions, due dates, and points possible on this assignment.

In this assignment, you will read the student opinion question, which contains a summary and excerpt from the article, and respond to it here in the comments section.

Today’s student opinion question deals with the Chicago teacher strikes, which have now ended, and exactly how teachers should be evaluated.

Here are the specific directions:

1. Go to the NY Times website article, “Should Students Be Allowed to Grade Their Teachers?”
2. Read the entire article, excerpt, and questions.
3. Come back to this page and scroll down to the comments box.
4. Type only your first name and last initial in the “name” box. (Use standard capitalization.)
5. In the large text box, write a description of the article you read and your response to it. (Your response should be articulate, relevant, and interesting. Use standard English spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)
6. Click “Post Comment.” (Your comment will not be posted immediately. It must be moderated and approved by me.)

This assignment is worth 30 points.

Bradbury just died on June 5th, so this is probably one of his last interviews.

I posted a documentary on Bradbury last month here.

Thank you to Mr. Carter for permission to use my camera phone for this class website.

AD English 9 – September 10-14

A couple things:

• Progress reports went home last week. If you didn’t see one, ask about it. Contact me if you need to.
• Tutoring will be available for 30 minutes before school (from 8:15-8:45) on Friday, and 30 minutes after school (from 3:50-4:20) on Tuesday. This is not part of the official G.W. tutoring program, so no buses will run after school. Extra credit points will be awarded to students who come ready to work on English (and do) for the entire time.

Have a great week!

AD English 9 – September 3-7

Though it reads like a novel, it is actually his life story interwoven with his mother’s life story. A bit confusing at first, the shifting point of view is very easy to navigate after getting to know the characters a little.

JamesMcBride.com is a fun website that tells a little about the author’s books, music, and life.

I made a YouTube playlist of videos related to the novel that I will continue to edit.

I’ll be posting some of those here as I plan to show them in class.

‘What Are You?’ “explores mixed identities and racial ambiguity.”

Judith West of GettingYourMoneysWorthNYC.com’s brief memorial following McBride’s mother’s 2010 death.

Delaware Online’s news story of McBride’s visit to local university campus.

AD English 9 – August 27-31

This 1963 documentary is great background on Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, which all AD English 9 students are currently reading.

It’s also an excellent glimpse into the mind of a great writer, which is what all of my students should be striving to become.

You can also go to the Brain Pickings website for a thorough description of the video:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/08/22/ray-bradbury-story-of-a-writer-1963/

English 10 – August 20-24

A few notes:

• All GWHS English 9-11 classes will be writing a practice SOL essay from a prompt on Monday and Tuesday.
• I will check materials for a grade tomorrow.
• SOL Domains Tests are this week: Wednesday for AD English 9 and Thursday for English 10.