Week at a Glance
LATE WORK REMINDERS
December 17, 202
December 16, 2020
December 15, 2020
December 14, 2020
December 11, 2020
December 10, 2020
December 9, 2020
December 8, 2020
December 7, 2020
IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT LATE WORK:
December 4, 2020
December 3, 2020
December 2, 2020
December 1, 2020
November 30, 2020
November 20, 2020
November 19, 2020
November 18, 2020
November 17, 2020
November 16, 2020
QUARTER 2 EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
November 13, 2020
November 12, 2020
November 11, 2020
November 10, 2020
November 9, 2020
November 5, 2020
November 4, 2020
November 4, 2020
November, 3 2020
November 2, 2020
October 30, 2020 HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN TOMORROW!
October 29, 2020
October 28, 2020
October 27, 2020
October 26, 2020
October 23, 2020
October 22, 2020
October 21, 2020
October 20, 2020
October 19, 2020
I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Fall Break! My family and I are at home on quarantine, so we will have a lot of time on our hands, Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need help with missing assignments. Use the week to rest, but if you've dropped the ball and missed too much work to have a passing grade, email me ASAP after you submit missing work!
October 9, 2020
October 7, 2020
October 6, 2020
October 5, 2020
October 2, 2020
October 1, 2020
September 30, 2020
September 29, 2020
September 28, 2020
September 25, 2020
September 24, 2020
September 23, 2020
September 22, 2020
September 21, 2020
September 18, 2020 (TEST OVER "THE IMMIGRANT CONTRIBUTION ON MONDAY)
September 17, 2020
September 16, 2020
September 15, 2020
September 14, 2020
English 9 Parent Email Sent on 9/11/2020
Good evening, families!
We have made it through the second week of virtual learning, and I wanted to pass along an update for you all. I know that I told you all in my last correspondence to be looking for PowerSchool updates this week, but our administrators told us to hold off until after next Monday due to changes on the district's end. Before those grades go in, I really needed an honest moment with my families.
Many of your students are doing an exceptional job. They come to class prepared and ready to participate. They are enthusiastic and hardworking, they don't meet a challenge they'll back down from, and they have met this challenge with a level of excellence I couldn't have imagined! I can't thank them enough.
While I am so incredibly grateful for those students, those descriptions simply do not apply to all my students at this point. Those desctiptions apply to about half.
By Wednesday I knew I needed to come up with a better accountability plan for participation in class, and I started tracking the instances when I called on a student and either got no response at all (even though they were logged into the class the entire time) or I was told some version of "I don't know because I didn't do my homework." It happened 83 times in three days across five class periods. I checked this morning to look at missing assignments, and only two weeks into school, there are already 183 assignments that have not been turned in at all: 28 in 2nd period, 53 in 3rd period, 34 in 4th period, 29 in 6th period, and 39 in 7th period.
I started analyzing data from our beginning of the year assessment that students worked on for the entirety of the class period last Friday. I wasn't surprised by the low scores due to the students' being out of school for the longest stretch since they started kindergarten. I can fix that problem. My discouragement came when I looked at the amount of time each student spent on the 27-question assessment and realized that at least half of them appeared to have spent no more than five minutes on their effort.
I wish I could present this more gently, but it is not a gentle matter. Students simply must attempt the assignments they are being asked to do. I know we are on a learning curve due to our new learning platform, but I also know that my students who have been putting in the time and emailing me with questions are doing great. I also know that I offered a tech help meeting after school on Wednesday from 3:05 to 3:30, and only eight students showed up. I also know the number of times I have reminded students to find our text in one of multiple locations at the beginning of class only to call on students with five minutes remaining in class who then felt it was an appropriate time to say they couldn't find it. I also know that after spending only fifteen minutes grading papers this morning, I found two instances where the work had been copied from the internet and was in violation of the Honor Code that we reviewed in class last Wednesday.
Again, I wish I could say this more gently, but please know that I say it from a point of genuinely caring about your children. I want them to do well and have every possibility that life can afford them. If they need help, please ask them to email me. I am here to help. They need to be in class on time, and if they experience technical issues, I need them to notify me of that as soon as they possibly can. I know that it is difficult for some students to find a quiet place to work--we face the same issue in my own home daily; however, as a parent, I cannot emphasize the benefit of a set of cheap headphones enough when they need to zone into class. I will be planning a meeting to offer additional support every Tuesday after school, and I hope to see my students there. I will be accepting late work for the assignments students have received so far through Monday morning at 8:00 for partial credit. Past that, the zeroes will stand with no opportunity to improve them.
As I mentioned above, the students who have met this challenge are blowing my mind and are honestly what is keeping me moving forward. I need everyone else to step up to the plate. I know this is tough, but I've been teaching freshmen for a long time, and I assure you this is not a virtual learning problem. I had 44 students fail quarter 1 of English 9 last year, and it was 100% due to their refusal to attempt assignmnents. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. When students cheat or refuse to do work, they rob me of my ability to help them succeed. I am pleading with you all to make sure this is not a repeat of last year's pattern.
Here's to better days ahead!
Natalie S. R. Thomas
Germantown High School English Department
September 11, 2020
September 10, 2020
You can answer this question on a word document and then UPLOAD the document to the assignment BEFORE turning it in. This will be for a homework grade. Do NOT link the assignment to a file in SharePoint.
Answer the following prompt:
•Write a short reflection about how immigrants may experience America.
How might immigrants feel about this country’s values?
Do you think people in America are really equal?
Is America strong enough to support a diverse population? Why or why not?
Draw upon the text for examples of ethnic diversity in America.
September 9, 2020
September 8, 2020
September 4, 2020
September 3, 2020:
September 2, 2020:
September 1, 2020:
August 31, 2020:
LATE WORK REMINDERS
- All assignments from BEFORE Thanksgiving Break are CLOSED and cannot be submitted.
- All assignments from AFTER Thanksgiving Break are still OPEN and can be submitted until 3:00 Friday afternoon at which point they will also be CLOSED FOREVER!
- Mr. Franks know this, and I emailed it to your parents last night.
- Take care of your business ASAP!
December 17, 202
- English 9--We went over the rubric for argumentative essays and then students had the rest of the period to work on their essays and ask questions. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked from Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
December 16, 2020
- English 9--We continued our discussion of argumentative writing today with a focus on pre-writing. Students had time in class to work on their outlines and then start working on their essays which will be due this Friday at 6:00 PM. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked from Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
December 15, 2020
- English 9--Today we started our lessons on argumentative writing. Students will be writing their essays this week, and they will be due by 6:00 Friday night. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked from Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
December 14, 2020
- English 9--Mrs. Thomas was out, so students worked independently to complete the assessment over Unit 2. Attendance was taken based on whether students completed the assessment.
- English Enrichment--Mrs. Thomas was out of class today, so students worked independently in Edgenuity. Attendance was taken based on whether students logged into Edgenuity today.
December 11, 2020
- English 9--We finished reading "The Most Dangerous Game" in class today. Students received their review for the Unit 2 assessment this morning at 7:30 in Teams under the "Assignments" tab, and their assessment will be Monday. Mrs. Thomas will be absent Monday, so student attendance will be determined by their accessing and completing the assessment by 4:00 Monday afternoon. They will receive the assessment in Teams at 8:00 Monday morning. Please also remember that the study questions over "The Most Dangerous Game" are due at 8:00 Monday morning.
- English Enrichment--Students worked from Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
December 10, 2020
- We continued our study of "The Most Dangerous Game." Students should have answered through number 27 on their review questions in their Teams assignment. We will finish the text tomorrow, and questions will be due by 8:00 Monday Morning. Students will take a test over the texts from Unit 2 on Monday, and they will receive an exam review on Teams at 7:30 tomorrow morning.
- English Enrichment--Students worked from Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
December 9, 2020
- English 9--We continued our study of "The Most Dangerous Game" today. We should finish the text tomorrow or Friday, and students will take an assessment over "The Most Dangerous Game," "The Seventh Man," and "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt" next Monday. The PowerPoint for this week is linked in the study questions assignment for "The Most Dangerous Game" in Teams.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on making progress in Edgenuity today, and we completed progress monitoring.
December 8, 2020
- English 9--Today we continued our study of "The Most Dangerous Game." The assignment for this text is in Teams, and students should have answered around the first 17 questions in the assignment. We will continue tomorrow. Third period completed Panorama surveys, so they need to follow the instructions below if they did not complete that today. Make sure they complete the surveys (there are 2 per student) based on the teacher named at the top--the teacher may or may not be Mrs. Thomas.
- 1.Login to Clever.
2.Click on Surveys along the left side of the screen.
3.Select Student Perception Survey.
4.Enter the Student ID (Access Code).
5.Click Start Survey.
6.After completing the survey questions, click submit button.
7.Responses have been recorded. Student is finished or may begin the next survey.
- 1.Login to Clever.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on catching up in Edgenuity today.
December 7, 2020
- English 9--We started our study of "The Most Dangerous Game" today. We will study this text through Thursday of this week, then students will take an assessment on Friday that covers "The Seventh Man," "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt," and "The Most Dangerous Game." For MDG, students have a list of 37 questions that we will discuss in class throughout the week. These questions are assigned in Teams and will be graded for completion on Friday of this week for a class work grade. The PowerPoint for our lessons over MDG for the week are also uploaded with the study questions assignment in Teams.
- English Enrichment--We ran into technical issues today, so it was a bit of a wash. It was very much a Monday--hopefully tomorrow will be better!
IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT LATE WORK:
- All late work for assignments prior to Thanksgiving Break MUST be submitted by 3:00 PM Friday, December, 4th, or the zeroes will remain with no opportunity to submit that work for partial credit.
- You have been told repeatedly to contact the guidance office if you need access to Power School. It’s on you now.
- If you did not pass quarter 1, you need to complete your grade repair packet ASAP. It is an assignment in Teams.
- Don’t forget that YOU (the student) must email Mrs. Thomas when you submit late work or grade repair if you want to receive credit—no email=no credit.
December 4, 2020
- English 9--Students were introduced to an NPR broadcast. They have an assignment to complete in Teams by next Tuesday afternoon at 4:00. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on catching up on missing work from this week.
December 3, 2020
- English 9--Students had the opportunity today to work on missing assignments during class time. They were told to prioritize assignments in the order below:
- 1.*District Benchmark (Mastery Connect)
2.*Subject-Verb Agreement Practice (Teams)
3.*7th Man Questions in My Perspectives
4.*Critical Review of 7th Man (Teams)
5.Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt My Perspectives
6.*7th Man Structural Analysis (Analyze the Text and Analyze Craft and Structure questions in My Perspectives)
7.Survivor Guilt Structure Analysis (Teams—due TOMORROW by 4:00 PM)
8.Naviance Scavenger Hunt (Everyone’s is blank—you should know if you did it or not)
*These assignments can only be made up for PARTIAL credit NO LATER THAN 3:00 PM on 12/4/2020 (TOMORROW). If you do not make them up by then, the zero will not be changed. - NOTE: You MUST email your teacher when submitting late work. No email=no credit.
- 1.*District Benchmark (Mastery Connect)
- English Enrichment--Students worked on a packet from iReady that focuses on supporting inferences about literary texts. Their packet is available in their Class Notebook in Teams.
December 2, 2020
- English 9--Students worked independently on the analysis of craft and structure in "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt." Their analysis activity is available through Teams under the "Assignments" tab and is due by 4:00 Friday afternoon. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on a packet from iReady that focuses on supporting inferences about literary texts. Their packet is available in their Class Notebook in Teams.
December 1, 2020
- English 9--We continued our study of "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt." You can see today's presentation HERE. Students should complete the 4 "Analyze the Text" questions for homework by 8:00 tomorrow morning.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 30, 2020
- English 9--We started our study of "The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt" in class today. Students should finish reading the text and answer the comprehension check questions and ONE of the research questions be the start of class tomorrow. You can see our presentation for today's lesson HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 20, 2020
- English 9--Since my classes are ahead of the other English 9 classes, we had time to engage some grammar practice today. Students focused on subject-verb agreement through an assignment in Teams that is due by 5:00 this afternoon for a class work grade. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on a packet from iReady that focuses on supporting inferences about literary texts. Their packet is available in their Class Notebook in Teams.
November 19, 2020
- English 9--Students had the opportunity to catch up on missing assignments and work on the Critical Review of "The Seventh Man" that is due by 5:00 tomorrow afternoon. You can see our presentation with details HERE.
- English Enrichment--Students worked on a packet from iReady that focuses on supporting inferences about literary texts. Their packet is available in their Class Notebook in Teams.
November 18, 2020
- English 9--We engaged our third lesson over "The Seventh Man" today. It was largely focused on discussion that stemmed from the work students were to complete for homework by the start of class yesterday. You can see today's presentation HERE. Their critical review of the text is assigned through Teams and is due by 5:00 Friday afternoon.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 17, 2020
- English 9--Students completed their districtwide assessment in Mastery Connect. This is due by 6:00 this evening. You can see our presentation and assessment instructions HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 16, 2020
- English 9--Students worked on their scavenger hunt in the Naviance platform from the guidance office. They need to complete the scavenger hunt by 4:00 Wednesday afternoon to earn participation credit. Don't forget that your "Analyze the Text" and "Analyze Craft and Structure" questions are due TOMORROW by the beginning of your class period for English. You can access those prompts through My Perspectives, but they are also available in the hard copy of the workbook for students who picked that up at GHS, or you can access them through the Unit 2 PDF in "Files" in Teams on pages 27-28. Just make sure you email your work to Mrs. Thomas if you are not completing the work in My Perspectives.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
QUARTER 2 EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
- GHS will be holding another ACT workshop (repeat of the one presented in September).
- The English/Reading portion will be November 16-20 during office hours.
- The math/science portion will be November 30-December 4 during office hours.
- Interested students should email Mrs. Stuart ([email protected]) from their student accounts, and I will add them to the team.
- Once they are added, the workshop should show up in their calendar, or they can access the meeting from the team.
- My English students are welcome to attend both sessions, but extra credit will ONLY be given in our class for participation in the English/Reading workshop.
- You will receive an additional 100 classwork grade for your participation.
November 13, 2020
- English 9--Students engaged an introductory lesson to the Naviance platform from our Guidance Office. This is a platform to help with career and education planning.
- English Enrichment--Students completed an assessment over our study of THEME in fiction after reviewing these concepts for three weeks in small groups.
November 12, 2020
- English 9--Today we engaged our second lesson on "The Seventh Man." You can see our presentation HERE. Students have homework questions that are due NEXT TUESDAY, so there is PLENTY of time to complete that work!
- English Enrichment--We worked together through a packed from iReady that focuses on analyzing text for theme.
November 11, 2020
- No School--Happy Veteran's Day!
November 10, 2020
- English 9--Today we started our study of "The Seventh Man." You can find our presentation HERE. Students should finish reading and annotating the text as well as answering the comprehension check questions and one of the research questions by the start of class on Thursday. Have a great Veteran's Day tomorrow!
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 9, 2020
- English 9--We got to start Unit 2 today! Student's nonfiction narrative projects were due at 8:00 this morning, and I am looking forward to reading them over the next couple of weeks. Please remember that late work is due TOMORROW no later than 3:00 PM. Students are required to email me the name of any assignments they are submitting late so that I know to look for them, and I appreciate your patience as I navigate a minimum of ten hours of grading late submissions while I also grade narratives and continue to provide valuable instruction. You can find today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November 5, 2020
- English 9--Today students engaged the final day of their narrative writing workshop where they had the opportunity to share their work and get feedback from peers in small group discussions. You can see our presentation HERE. Final drafts are due Monday morning at 8:00.
- English Enrichment--We worked together through a packed from iReady that focuses on analyzing text for theme.
November 4, 2020
- English 9--Today we continued our Narrative Writing Workshop to work on improving narratives that are due Monday morning at 8:00 for the project grade for quarter 1. This assignment is 10% of students' overall grade for quarter 1. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--We worked together through a packed from iReady that focuses on analyzing text for theme.
November 4, 2020
- English 9--Today we started our narrative writing workshop to make improvements to students' original narratives from earlier in the quarter. Their resubmissions following the workshop will count as their project grade for the quarter which is 10% of their overall grade. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
November, 3 2020
- No school for students today!
November 2, 2020
- English 9--Today students took their final assessment for this grading period. Everyone received the assignment at 7:30 AM and instructions encouraged them to use extra time during Office Hours or Lunch to work on the assessment independently. All assessments should be completed by 5:00 this afternoon. They can make up to a 110 on this assessment, so it is a great opportunity to improve overall grades for the quarter! You can see the presentation for today HERE with a few tips on good test-taking strategies!
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
October 30, 2020 HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN TOMORROW!
- English 9--Today we engaged our fourth lesson on "The Writing on the Wall." Students should finish answering any of their missing questions in My Perspectives over the weekend, and they have a CCC that is due Monday morning. You can see our presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Some students worked in Edgenuity while others worked with Mrs. Thomas to analyze THEME in text.
October 29, 2020
- English 9--We continued out study of "The Writing on the Wall" today. You can see the presentation for lesson 3 HERE. Students should have completed the questions specified in the presentation before the start of class TOMORROW!
- English Enrichment--We worked together through a packed from iReady that focuses on analyzing text for theme.
October 28, 2020
- English 9--We continued our study of "The Writing on the Wall" today. You can see our presentation HERE. There is no homework tonight, so use the evening to work on any missing assignments! Make sure you email Mrs. Thomas if you complete a missing assignment. Include your name, class period, and the name of the assignment.
- English Enrichment--Today we worked in small groups to look at short informational texts and practice developing and answering questions about content.
October 27, 2020
- English 9--Today we started our study of "The Writing on the Wall" by Camille Dungy. We discussed tools for using context clues to figure out meanings of unfamiliar words and reviewed sound devices commonly used in poetry. Students had class time to read the text independently, and they should answer the four comprehension questions and ONE research question in My Perspectives BEFORE the start of class tomorrow. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
October 26, 2020
- English 9--Students took their assessment over "Rules of the Game" today. You can see today's short presentation HERE. We are down to about 2 weeks remaining in the grading period, so please remember to email Mrs. Thomas the name of assignments you submit late ASAP.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
October 23, 2020
- English 9--We reviewed participles and participial phrases today at the beginning of class and then students had time to finish group work from this week. All group work and the grammar homework is due by 8:00 TONIGHT. If anyone has questions or needs help as they finish their work, just email Mrs. Thomas at [email protected]. You can find today's presentation HERE. NOTE: We will have an assessment over "Rules of the Game" on Monday, and you can see your exam review on the last slide of the PowerPoint from today. There is a grammar video linked in the grammar assignment that students can watch for additional review. This is not a difficult grammar concept, so hopefully this will give students some easy points on the assessment Monday!
- English Enrichment--Today students either worked in our small group or worked in Edgenuity.
October 22, 2020
- English 9--Students continued working in groups today. We built on what they have been studying this week with an analysis of complex characters and theme in "Rules of the Game." You can find our presentation for the day HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today we worked in small groups to look at short informational texts and practice developing and answering questions about content.
October 21, 2020
- English 9--Students worked in groups to complete the work that they started yesterday. Todays' group work went much more smoothly! Encourage your student to come to class prepared by having read the text and completed previous assignment. It can be disheartening when you are in a group of five students and only two have done the prerequisite work to be able to contribute to the group effort. We will engage in collaboration a lot more frequently moving forward, and students will need to get use to this learning format. You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today we worked in small groups to look at short informational texts and practice developing and answering questions about content.
October 20, 2020
- English 9--Today we engaged our first attempt at virtual collaborative learning (group work). Since this was our first attempt, students earned a participation grade if they followed instructions. You can see our presentation with more details HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
October 19, 2020
- Welcome back! I hope you all had a great break!
- English 9--Today we started out study of "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan. You can see our presentation HERE. Please make sure that comprehension check questions and the research question are answered in My Perspectives by 8:00 tomorrow morning!
- English Enrichment--Today students worked in Edgenuity, and some of them completed their weekly progress monitoring.
I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Fall Break! My family and I are at home on quarantine, so we will have a lot of time on our hands, Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need help with missing assignments. Use the week to rest, but if you've dropped the ball and missed too much work to have a passing grade, email me ASAP after you submit missing work!
October 9, 2020
- English 9--Today we spent the entire period giving feedback on essays for any student who had already submitted his or her work. We looked at examples and answered any last-minute questions before students turn in final drafts by 5:00 TODAY!
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
- English 9--Today students engaged a revision and editing process for their essay. It is in the Power Point that I linked on October 5th. Essays are due by 5:00 tomorrow afternoon.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
October 7, 2020
- English 9--We had a delay in plans a bit today. Students had to complete an equity survey for the district. If they complete the survey and email me a screenshot of it, I have permission to replace one of their zeroes or give extra points on an assignment in Power School. This will apply to a Homework assignment. Students who did not complete their Mastery Connect assessments last Friday MUST finish those by 3:00 today, or they WILL have a zero in Power School for the assignment. The assessment window closes today, so this is their last opportunity to earn the 100 for this grade. You can see today's presentation with details HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
October 6, 2020
- English 9--We continued to the second lesson in the PowerPoint that I posted under yesterday's entry. Rough drafts need to be finished at the beginning of class tomorrow.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
October 5, 2020
- English 9--Students will work on writing nonfiction narratives throughout the week this week. Their narratives are not due until 5:00 FRIDAY afternoon. You can see the content for the next three lessons HERE. Students who did not earn a passing grade on their assessment for "American History" will have the opportunity to improve that grade TOMORROW during office hours (10:25-11:00). They should see a meeting link in their Teams calendar if this applies to them.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
October 2, 2020
- English 9--Today students learned about an EXTRA CREDIT assignment that they have the opportunity to complete over the weekend. Then they took their Shelby Country Schools district benchmark for English 9. This is an assessment that English 9 students across the district are engaging to help us determine areas of strength and opportunities for growth moving forward. You can see instructions for extra credit as well as instructions for accessing the assessment HERE. The extra credit instructions are also included in the assignment in Teams. Benchmarks should be completed by 5:00 this afternoon.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
October 1, 2020
- English 9--Today students reviewed basic practices for taking multiple-choice assessments and took their assessment over "American History." You can see today's presentation HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
September 30, 2020
- English 9--Today we reviewed our concept vocabulary for "American History" and engaged a lesson on adverb and adjective prepositional phrases. You can see our presentation HERE. We have a test over "American History" tomorrow, and concepts to review are listed on the final slide of the presentation linked above.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
September 29, 2020
- English 9--Today we will analyze conflict in "American History" by Judith Ortiz Cafer. Students will have three more questions to answer in My Perspectives and should have class time to work on that today. ALL questions assigned in My Perspectives are due by 8:00 in the morning. You can see today's presentation HERE. Don't forget that we have tutoring available this afternoon from 3:05 to 3:30.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
September 28, 2020
- English 9--Today we worked through an annotation process in My Perspectives. You can see our presentation HERE, and tonight's homework is on the last slide of the presentation.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
September 25, 2020
- IMPORTANT REMINDER: Essays over "The Immigrant Contribution" and "A Quilt of a Country" are due by 11:59 TONIGHT!
- English 9--We started our study of "American History" by Judith Ortiz Cafer today. Students should make sure that they have read the text and started working on their Comprehension Check questions by the start of class on Monday. You can find today's presentation HERE, and the text is available through My Perspectives or in Class Notebooks. Both versions include audio recordings of the text.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
September 24, 2020
- English 9--Today we reviewed expectations for writing. Then students had about 15-25 minutes in class to work on their essays that are due TOMORROW NIGHT at 11:59. We also went over some important reminders regarding baseball, extra credit, test redoes, late work submissions, and access to new workbooks that students can pick up at GHS! You can see our presentation HERE, and there is a LOT of important information there!
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged their daily individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook or worked in Edgenuity.
September 23, 2020
- English 9--Today we reviewed the expectations for writing an informative/explanatory essay in our class. You can see our presentation from the past two days HERE. Essays are due by 11:59 PM Friday, September 25th.
- English Enrichment--Today students started engaging their weekly individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
September 22, 2020
- English 9--Today we started the pre-writing activities for our first essay assignment. Students should finish the chart in the "Writing to Compare" assignment in Teams. They had a lot of time to work on it in class today, but it must be completed by the beginning of class tomorrow. We will start reviewing the process for structuring an essay tomorrow.
- English Enrichment--Today students started engaging their weekly individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
September 21, 2020
- English 9--Today students completed their assessment over "The Immigrant Contribution" by John F. Kennedy. They have no homework tonight but need to make sure they have submitted their assessment. Tomorrow we will begin a writing assignment based on the last two texts we have studied in class.
- English Enrichment--Today students started engaging their weekly individualized schedules. They worked on skills focus in their class notebook, completed their weekly benchmark assessment, or worked in Edgenuity.
September 18, 2020 (TEST OVER "THE IMMIGRANT CONTRIBUTION ON MONDAY)
- English 9--Today we are studying concept vocabulary in "The Immigrant Contribution" and looking at different types of sentence structures. They have an assignment identifying sentence structures that they need to finish by 5:00 this afternoon if they do not finish it in class. The assignment is available in Teams. You can see out presentation HERE. Make sure that you go into the last two assignments in Teams and click TURN IN in the upper right-hand corner. If it says "Turn In Late" and you finished your work on time, you can write a note at the top of the assignment to let me know. Just highlight it so I will not miss it when I go in to grade over the weekend!
- English Enrichment--Today we will continue working on skills practice while Mrs. Thomas pulls individual students into a meeting for progress monitoring.
September 17, 2020
- English 9--Today we dove deeper into the text and engaged class discussion before moving on to analysis of Kennedy's use of persuasion in "The Immigrant Contribution." You can see our presentation HERE, and it includes a video that breaks down ethos, pathos, and logos. HOMEWORK for tonight is to finish the "Kennedy's Use of Persuasion" assignment in Teams.
- English Enrichment--Today students worked on skills practice independently while I pulled kids into individual meetings for progress monitoring.
September 16, 2020
- English 9--Today we went over how to access My Perspectives online, we learned how to annotate texts within My Perspectives, and we practiced how to format responses using the CCC method that is widely used at Germantown High School. You can see our presentation HERE. Last night's homework is due by 8:00 tomorrow morning.
- English Enrichment--Students continued working from Edgenuity today in class.
September 15, 2020
- English 9--Today we reviewed how to navigate to our online textbook. Students should take the quiz for "A Quilt of a Country" under the "Classes" tab in My Perspectives today by 3:30. Then they need to go to the "Browse" section in My Perspectives and read "The Immigrant Contribution" by JFK and answer the Comprehension Check questions. They also need to choose one of the mini research activities for this text. I know they are getting use to this new platform (I'm right there learning with them), so I added the PDF of the text and all it's activities in the "Assignments" section of their class notebooks in Teams. If anyone is having trouble with a tech issue or just needs to ask about content we are covering, please login to our tutoring session from 3:05 to 3:30 this afternoon. You can see our presentation for today HERE.
- Homework--Students had time to work on all of this in class, but whatever is not finished is homework tonight.
- Take the quiz over "A Quilt of a Country" from within My Perspectives under the "Courses" tab by 3:30 this afternoon.
- Read "The Immigrant Contribution" in the "Browse" tab in My Perspectives. It is in the "Whole Class Learning" section (green).
- Answer the Comprehension Check questions in My Perspectives.
- Choose ONE of the Research activities below the Comprehension Check questions.
- Homework--Students had time to work on all of this in class, but whatever is not finished is homework tonight.
- English Enrichment--Mrs. Thomas finally got to go through the training for Edgenuity yesterday afternoon (YAY!), students were able to work on their Individualized Learning Plans through Edgenuity.
September 14, 2020
- English 9--Today we finished our study of "A Quilt of a Country." We made our first attempt at navigating our online textbook platform, and it was a challenge--to say the least! Hopefully it will get easier with more practice. We will address the quiz tomorrow for students who were still unable to access it. Today's presentation was too large to upload, so you can email Mrs. Thomas at [email protected] if you need access to it.
- English Enrichment--We spent the class period today making sure that everyone was able to access the online textbook. We will hopefully start out work with Edgenuity tomorrow!
English 9 Parent Email Sent on 9/11/2020
Good evening, families!
We have made it through the second week of virtual learning, and I wanted to pass along an update for you all. I know that I told you all in my last correspondence to be looking for PowerSchool updates this week, but our administrators told us to hold off until after next Monday due to changes on the district's end. Before those grades go in, I really needed an honest moment with my families.
Many of your students are doing an exceptional job. They come to class prepared and ready to participate. They are enthusiastic and hardworking, they don't meet a challenge they'll back down from, and they have met this challenge with a level of excellence I couldn't have imagined! I can't thank them enough.
While I am so incredibly grateful for those students, those descriptions simply do not apply to all my students at this point. Those desctiptions apply to about half.
By Wednesday I knew I needed to come up with a better accountability plan for participation in class, and I started tracking the instances when I called on a student and either got no response at all (even though they were logged into the class the entire time) or I was told some version of "I don't know because I didn't do my homework." It happened 83 times in three days across five class periods. I checked this morning to look at missing assignments, and only two weeks into school, there are already 183 assignments that have not been turned in at all: 28 in 2nd period, 53 in 3rd period, 34 in 4th period, 29 in 6th period, and 39 in 7th period.
I started analyzing data from our beginning of the year assessment that students worked on for the entirety of the class period last Friday. I wasn't surprised by the low scores due to the students' being out of school for the longest stretch since they started kindergarten. I can fix that problem. My discouragement came when I looked at the amount of time each student spent on the 27-question assessment and realized that at least half of them appeared to have spent no more than five minutes on their effort.
I wish I could present this more gently, but it is not a gentle matter. Students simply must attempt the assignments they are being asked to do. I know we are on a learning curve due to our new learning platform, but I also know that my students who have been putting in the time and emailing me with questions are doing great. I also know that I offered a tech help meeting after school on Wednesday from 3:05 to 3:30, and only eight students showed up. I also know the number of times I have reminded students to find our text in one of multiple locations at the beginning of class only to call on students with five minutes remaining in class who then felt it was an appropriate time to say they couldn't find it. I also know that after spending only fifteen minutes grading papers this morning, I found two instances where the work had been copied from the internet and was in violation of the Honor Code that we reviewed in class last Wednesday.
Again, I wish I could say this more gently, but please know that I say it from a point of genuinely caring about your children. I want them to do well and have every possibility that life can afford them. If they need help, please ask them to email me. I am here to help. They need to be in class on time, and if they experience technical issues, I need them to notify me of that as soon as they possibly can. I know that it is difficult for some students to find a quiet place to work--we face the same issue in my own home daily; however, as a parent, I cannot emphasize the benefit of a set of cheap headphones enough when they need to zone into class. I will be planning a meeting to offer additional support every Tuesday after school, and I hope to see my students there. I will be accepting late work for the assignments students have received so far through Monday morning at 8:00 for partial credit. Past that, the zeroes will stand with no opportunity to improve them.
As I mentioned above, the students who have met this challenge are blowing my mind and are honestly what is keeping me moving forward. I need everyone else to step up to the plate. I know this is tough, but I've been teaching freshmen for a long time, and I assure you this is not a virtual learning problem. I had 44 students fail quarter 1 of English 9 last year, and it was 100% due to their refusal to attempt assignmnents. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. When students cheat or refuse to do work, they rob me of my ability to help them succeed. I am pleading with you all to make sure this is not a repeat of last year's pattern.
Here's to better days ahead!
Natalie S. R. Thomas
Germantown High School English Department
September 11, 2020
- English 9--We completed our third lesson on "A Quilt of a Country." You can find the presentation for the lesson HERE.
- English Enrichment--Today we tried to work on a follow-up activity to review Main Idea and Key Details; however, we faced multiple technology glitches--hopefully Monday will go much smoother! The students were incredibly patient and took the time to work on assignments for other classes that they had gotten behind on.
September 10, 2020
- English 9--Today we went over last night's homework and engaged our second lesson on "A Quilt of a Country." You can see today's presentation HERE, and we used the same PDF that we used yesterday (lined in the entry for 9/9/2020). Students are to complete a graded homework assignment tonight that they can access by looking in their "Assignments" tab in Teams. The work is due by 8:00 AM tomorrow. You can see the instructions below.
You can answer this question on a word document and then UPLOAD the document to the assignment BEFORE turning it in. This will be for a homework grade. Do NOT link the assignment to a file in SharePoint.
Answer the following prompt:
•Write a short reflection about how immigrants may experience America.
How might immigrants feel about this country’s values?
Do you think people in America are really equal?
Is America strong enough to support a diverse population? Why or why not?
Draw upon the text for examples of ethnic diversity in America.
- English Enrichment--Today we engaged a lesson as a whole class practicing analyzing text for main idea.
September 9, 2020
- English 9--Today we went over last night's homework and introduced the writing project that students will complete at the end of this unit. I encouraged them to use the Unit 1 Evidence Log in their Class Notebooks as we go through this unit of study. This is an excellent tool that will save them HOURS of frustration at the end of the unit. We also started our four-day study of "A Quilt of a Country." Students can find the text in their class notebooks under the assignments tab, but if they lose a page and need to re-enter it in the document (or if Teams is just being less than delightful) they can find the PDF HERE. If students need an audio of the text, they can find it HERE. For homework, they should read the text, answer questions 1-6 on page 17, and complete the little research task at the bottom of page 17. The PowerPoint for today is too large to upload, so if you need it, you can email me asking for "Quilt of a Country Lesson 1" at [email protected], and I can email it to you.
- English Enrichment--We had some technical difficulties today with Edgenuity. I have a training on using this platform next Monday afternoon, so we will be engaging whole class learning until after that training. Then students will use their individual schedules for small group work and online activities.
September 8, 2020
- English 9--Students engaged their first lesson in our curriculum today. You can find our presentation HERE and a link to our PDF HERE. The PDF is also in class notebooks under the "Assignments" tab, but you can reference this link in case the class notebook is in a bad mood when you are trying to work. Please make sure students have written their critical summaries of "Music for My Mother" and responded to the prompt on page 9 before class tomorrow. Beginning of the Year Assessments were also due at 11:59 last night, so please make sure those are completed ASAP if you have not done so already.
- English Enrichment--We worked on finishing our diagnostics in class today. If students did not finish in class, they need to finish before class time tomorrow. They can access these by logging into Edgenuity through Clever.
September 4, 2020
- Today all classes will engage their Beginning of the Year diagnostic assessment. The two requirements are that they do their BEST and that they do NOT cheat! This is designed to let me know what students need to focus most on this year as I make decisions regarding instruction. Don't stress, just do your best!
September 3, 2020:
- English 9--Students completed an assignment in which they read a statement on the passing of Chadwick Boseman. They were to engage vocabulary and analysis activities that can be found in their personal section of their class notebooks in the "Assignments" tab.
- English Enrichment--Students started their Beginning of the Year diagnostic assessment today. They will continue tomorrow.
September 2, 2020:
- English 9--Today we reviewed the Honor Code at GHS. Students had a homework assignment requiring them to analyze situations to determine whether or not they violated the Honor Code.
- English Enrichment--Today students engaged a lesson focusing on growth mindset as we prepare to begin our hard work toward growth tomorrow!
September 1, 2020:
- English 9--Welcome to September! First, I know I said it yesterday, but these kids are so awesome! Today they practiced submitting their first assignment in Teams. Second period was a little rough, but it got easier as the day went on. I suspect that is because students were practicing the same procedures in a lot of their classes and were more familiar with the process as the day went on. The due date for the assignment is 11:59 tomorrow night, so please encourage students to email me if they have questions or need help AT ALL! I tried to reiterate that this is PRACTICE for when the work is actually hard so they won't have to worry about procedures and content at the same time. If your student is getting frustrated with anything about his or her English class, please encourage them to take a deep breath and email Mrs. Thomas. I know this may be a lot for some of our kids, and as a mom of three kids going through the same thing, I am 110% here to help! They can find the assignment under the "Assignments" tab in the Team for our class, and their materials for the assignment are linked there as well--including how-to videos.
- English Enrichment--Today we completed a lesson to focus on growth mindset. I want students to be encouraged to keep a positive mindset and focus on progress--not perfection--in our class. If they have questions as we move forward, I am just an email away!
August 31, 2020:
- Welcome back to school! First, my students are AMAZING! I can't wait to have them back in my classroom, but they put my teacher heart to ease with how lovely they all were today! We went through the class syllabus (which you can find on the "Syllabus" tab of this website. We also completed student surveys (which you can access through the bitmoji classroom on the home page of this website). Please make sure that students and parents have completed their surveys by Wednesday!