The English Roost

English Agenda for June 13, 2011

2011-06-09T20:53:00.000-04:00

Summer Reading List

Senior Writing Project Feedback Sheets

A Final Look at our English SIP for 2010-2011: What were we able to accomplish? Where are we for next year?

English Agenda for May 16, 2011

2011-05-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." ~John Adams (1735-1826)

Departmental Features:

Argumentative Writing Preview for 2011-2011
The Common Core Standards (CCS)

The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders:

A Few Words from Dr. Perkins
Thank You--English 10 HSA Prep/After-School Review Teachers (5 Weds. Classes) (Candice, Corey, Judy, Kristen)
English AP Literature and Composition Exam Suggested Book Titles 1981-2011
CHS Notes from May 11th ITL Meeting--Forwarded in an email 5.11.11
Notes from May 4th SLA County ITL Meeting--Forwarded in an email 5.10.11
English 10 Prep Summer Course--No Cost--Current Grade 9 Students
The HCPSS Senior Writing Project--Mandatory Next Year
Common Core Language--Argumentative Writing with Evidence
Standards for English Language Arts 6-12 Packet--Writing Standards 6-12, Grades 9-12 (pg. 45)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/05/
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/argument.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/logic.shtml

Textbook Selection Committee (3 CPD Credits)
Local Assessments 2011-2012--Annotated Teacher's Manuals
Summer Monies--CCS Documents Defining Argumentative Writing
Grade Level Team Meetings--County Assessment data discussions

English Agenda for March 21, 2011

2011-03-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~

"A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper."
— Ursula K. Le Guin

I. Departmental Features

March 11th PD Follow-up & Handouts--

UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Guidelines
CCSS (Common Core State Standards) Definition of Text Complexity

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders

Flip Cameras & Flash Drives
CHS Notes from March 17th Meeting
Department Nominations for

HoCoPoLitSo 2011 Awards (Due March 30)--All-County Writing Competition (Poetry, Personal Essay, Short Story, Playwriting); Promise & Achievement in Language Arts (2 Seniors)
English Department Award (Due April 15)
Emily Davis Award
CHS 2011 Senior Awards (Due April 15)--Outstanding School Service; Outstanding Senior; Angelo Fortunato (Final year for this award)

Senior Writing Projects--Third Quarter
Grade Level Team Meetings--Please continue County Assessment data discussions

PD Strand--The Senior Writing Project

2011-03-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

Monday, March 7, 2011--Room 907 at 2:20 PM
Professional Development--Semester 2, Session 2
Shanea Bradley and Mag Polek, Facilitators

PowerPoint Presentation--
Writing-Rich Courses and Writing Across the Curriculum: Building a Writing Community in Grades 9-12 Though the Senior Writing Project

Highlighting student-written reflections and overall perspectives from 1st and 2nd quarters
Sharing examples of CHS content-area writing assignments
Encouraging teachers to include authentic writing experiences in their teaching

English Agenda for February 14, 2011

2011-02-11T13:40:00.000-05:00

Monday, February 14, 2011~Room 209~2:20 PM
~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~

I. Departmental Features

English 2010-2011 SIP--Recommendations from Study Groups
Eagle Rounding
SIP Vision/Mission Statement

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders

Teaching Requests for 2011-12--ASPEN Scheduling

What's the buzz...tell me what's happening...
1. COUNTYWIDE--

County Assessment Teacher Manuals, Quarter 3
Common Core State Standards Packet (Bring to March 11 PD)
March 11 SLA PD--Engaging All Learners
The Future of Testing 2014 (as we know it)

2. CENTENNIAL--

Winter Pep Rally--TBA--4A Lunch Shifts
Laptop Replacement Plan:
Back up all DELL files in two locations ASAP
March 8--Turn in old laptops by 3:00 PM
March 9--Apples issued (NO network connectivity all day)
March 10--Training (40 minutes)

Senior Writing Project Quarterly Reflections--ALL Grades

Senior 2nd Quarter Reflections: Persuasive/Analytical Writing
Third Quarter: Senior Writing Projects

Grade Level Team Meetings--Please schedule Q2 County Assessment data discussions

English Agenda for January 24, 2011

2011-01-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

Please plan to meet together briefly at 8:30 AM in Room 209 to discuss

Budget needs for the remainder of this school year (books, flip cameras)
Copying issues
Ongoing work on our SIP Plan for February 14th: Eagle Rounding Site
Future individual team project meeting dates (ACCUPLACER, Electronic Portofolio CPR)
Scheduling criteria for English classes
Feedback on Midterm Assessments and Senior Writing Project Reflection #2

English Agenda for November 15, 2010

2010-11-11T13:47:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 15, 2010--Room 209~2:20 PM
~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~

I. Departmental Features--

October Minutes
UPDATE--PROPOSED English 2010-2011 SIP
*New Spreadsheet--Please review attachment before meeting
**NEW--Introduction of Eagle Rounding Site
NEW Document Cameras (5) for English from Media

*Grade Level Team Meetings--Please bring Q1 County Assessment data to discuss

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

Senior Writing Project Quarterly Reflections--ALL Grades
Senior 1st Quarter Reflections: Narrative/Creative Writing

ACCUPLACER Testing--November 10 & 11--English 11 Classes--Thank you!
*Interesting observations to share regarding scheduling

HAMLET In-County Field Trip--Monday, November 29 (B Day)--8:15 to 11:00 AM--100 Seniors

English Agenda for October 18, 2010

2010-10-15T13:34:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 18, 2010--Room 209~2:20 PM
~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~

I. Departmental Features--

Media Updates--Linda Norris

Student Services Info--Julia Southern

CHS SIP Plan for 2010-2011--Mag & Joelle
New Template Online
Impetus from Race to the Top--Teacher Accountability for Student Progress
Designed to be a Working Document--Open to Revision Throughout the Year
Collaborative Alignment of Goals on INROADS:
_HCPSS_CHS_English Department_Grade Level English Teams_Appendix Ds
Seminal to Teacher Planning and Instruction

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

October 20--NCTE's National Day on Writing--Rus

Senior Writing Project Quarterly Reflections--ALL Grades
Student Writing Folders
English CPR--Digital Portfolios--Rus, Kristin, Shanea, Mag

ACCUPLACER Testing--November 10 & 11--English 11 Classes

Grade Level Team Meetings--November 15th Department Meeting

The National Day on Writing

2010-10-09T20:13:00.000-04:00

from readwritethink.org

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Event Description:
To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing. To celebrate composition in all its forms, NCTE invites diverse participants to submit a piece of writing to the National Gallery of Writing, unveiled on this day.

from CHS:
National Writing Day

from NCTE:
About the Initiative
Ideas

from NWP:
How Local Sites Can Participate

from DePaul University:
Resources for Writers

Senior Writing Project (Fall 2010)

2010-09-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

This week, CHS teachers will receive a copy of the Student Resource Packet for the Senior Writing Project (Fall 2010) from the HCPSS Office of Secondary Language Arts. This packet is also being distributed in English classes to ALL Centennial students, Grades 9-12. It describes the Senior Writing Project in language appropriate for a student audience.

Students may use writing artifacts they complete both in English classes and in various content area subjects this year for their required and cumulative English portfolios.

As the year progresses, teachers will receive more info about the Senior Writing Project from English colleagues, ITLs, and CHS administrators, AND if they sign up for the CHS Professional Development Strand facilitated by Shanea Bradley and Mag Polek:

The HCPSS Senior Writing Project is now a required capstone assignment that demonstrates student growth in analysis, synthesis, process, research, and creative expression throughout the high school experience.
This culminating, performance-based assessment of secondary language arts will involve all curriculum content areas in grades 9-12.
The project requires seniors to revisit all four years of high school for the purpose of reviewing, assessing, and reflecting on their growth and development as writers in multiple subject areas from the freshman to the senior year.
Beginning this fall, in order to facilitate their growth and progress as writers, students in grades 9-12 will collect writing samples (artifacts,documents) from multiple disciplines and periodically assess their improvement as writers through a series of written reflections completed in English classes.
In addition, seniors will choose and submit/present a major product option (writing collection, reflective essay,podcast, PowerPoint, blog, musical arrangement, skit, painting, photo essay, sculpture) in English classes during the third quarter, thus allowing graduating seniors the opportunity to demonstrate their growth and writing prowess through a variety of media.

The continued support and effort of all teachers will strengthen our students' interdisciplinary network of literacy and writing skills.

Indeed, "We Are All Writers Now."

http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/we-are-all-writers-now/

English Agenda for August 24, 2010

2010-08-19T20:08:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, August 24, 2010--Room 209 following Staff PD
~Strengthening the Net Through Student Engagement~

I. Departmental Features--

"The Unwritten" by W.S. Merwin (See links in previous post)
Student Engagement Criteria

MSDE AYP Data; HSA, SAT, and AP Results
CHS SIT Plan for 2010-2011

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

September 3rd PD; Senior Writing Project

Classroom Supplies and Equipment
English Birthdays/Addresses/Phone Numbers

Vocabulary Workshop Books--Numbers

High School Writing Manuals

English Web Page
Teacher Web Pages

Language Arts Expectations
Student Writing Folders
Student Aides

CHS English Department Plagiarism Policy
Signed Classroom Copy
Student Notebook Copy
NYTimes Article on Plagiarism 8.01.10

Syllabi, Etc.—3 Copies to Mag: Include Grading Policy, Class Procedures, Expectations, Materials, Departmental Plagiarism Policy, and turnitin.com

Substitute Lesson Plans: Keep updated and current in a clearly visible folder in the classroom; include Syllabi, Objectives, Seating Charts

III. Grade Level Team Meetings--

Book Charts--As a team, please review your syllabi for BALANCE and DIVERSITY (Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Time Periods, Genres)

Check current English Book Inventory Binder in 601 for ordering needs

~Thank you for all that you do for our students and for CHS.~

Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin

2010-08-18T17:54:00.000-04:00

Appointed by the Library of Congress in July 2010, W.S. Merwin is the 17th U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.

"News from the Library of Congress" (July 1, 2010): http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-157.html

NYTimes Article (June 30, 2010): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/books/01poet.html

PBS NEWSHOUR: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/07/ws-merin-appointed-as-next-poet-laureate.html

Bio and Poems of W.S. Merwin: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/123

Another Bio with More Poems: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=4676&utm_medium=email&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_content=142043064&utm_campaign=PoetryMediaService&utm_term=WSMerwin
"To the Light of September": http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=31161

Online Poems and More: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/merwin/merwin.htm

The Atlantic Online Article (1997): http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/poetry/antholog/merwin/pdmerwin.htm

FOOLING WITH WORDS with Bill Moyers ("Fooling with words is the play of poets."): http://www.pbs.org/wnet/foolingwithwords/main_poet.html

Summer Reading Suggestions

2010-06-14T12:18:00.000-04:00

Taking the Summer to Read and Write Ourselves into Better Readers and Writers: School may be out, but now’s not the time for students to stop learning. As NCTE’s Reading Commission Guideline "On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Literacy Instruction" points out, learning to read is a lifelong process, and, of course, the more we read, the better readers we become. This goes for writing as well. NCTE’s "Beliefs on the Teaching of Writing" give us principles for teaching the “increasingly multifaceted activity” of writing. Summer is a perfect time for reading and writing for personal pleasure—and learning, too.

CHS Summer Reading 2010
English AP Titles 1981-2010
HCPSS Approved High School Textbook List
Howard County Library High School Summer Reading List
Howard County Library--http://www.hclibrary.org/index.php?page=218
Enoch Pratt Free Library--http://www.prattlibrary.org/
American Library Association Book Lists and Book Awards, including Best Books for Young Adults and Outstanding Books for the College Bound--http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists

English Agenda--June 8, 2010

2010-06-03T09:07:00.000-04:00

TUESDAY, June 8, 2010--2:20 PM in Room 209

I. Departmental Feature--

English AP Lang & Comp Exam--May 2010--Holly Pasciullo & Kristin Shipp
English AP Lit & Comp Exam--May 2010--Doc Costantini & Mag Polek

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

Senior Writing Project Pilot 2010-2011
CHS English Summer Reading List 2009: Input for 2010
HCPSS Approved High School Textbook List

Howard County Library High School Summer Reading List

English Awards 2010
English Schedule 2010-2011

End of the Year Items : Writing Folders, Final Exams & Keys, Books, Classrooms, Teacher Materials

Thank you!

English Awards 2010

2010-06-03T08:38:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, Seniors!

CHS English Award:
Miriam Farkas

HoCoPoLitSo All-County Writing Awards:
Promise & Achievement--Sean Huang
Promise & Achievement--Shuning Li

1st Place Personal Essay--Daniel Negulescu
2nd Place Personal Essay--Hannah Keyes
3rd Place Personal Essay--Shuning Li
1st Place Short Story--Sara Bailey

CHS/Distinguished Eagle in Publications Award:
Alice Crowe

CHS/Wingspan Awards:
Aura of Wingspan--Lindsay Scheetz
Editorial Excellence--Miliana Budimirovic
Editorial Excellence--Lenore Wilson
Editorial Leadership--Kelsey Marotta
Excellence in Photography--Samantha Hawkins

CHS/Eyrie Awards:
Aura of Eyrie--Julie Price
Excellence in Marketing--Cara Mogavero
Excellence in Marketing--Jordan Schwartz
Excellence in Photography--Annie Emery
Excellence in Production Management--Kathryn Barry
Excellence in Publication and Design--Jennifer Lucht
Excellence in Publication and Design--Julie Silverman
Excellence in Publication and Design--Hannah Vorce

Poetry 180

2010-05-28T19:36:00.000-04:00

The following poem is from Poetry 180, A Poem a Day for American High Schools sponsored by The Library of Congress. Many Centennial seniors read The Things They Carried, a 1998 novel by Tim O'Brien about the Vietnam War, in English 12 classes.

Lesson

Forrest Hamer

It was 1963 or 4, summer,
and my father was driving our family
from Ft. Hood to North Carolina in our 56 Buick.
We'd been hearing about Klan attacks, and we knew

Mississippi to be more dangerous than usual.
Dark lay hanging from the trees the way moss did,
and when it moaned light against the windows
that night, my father pulled off the road to sleep.

Noises
that usually woke me from rest afraid of monsters
kept my father awake that night, too,
and I lay in the quiet noticing him listen, learning
that he might not be able always to protect us

from everything and the creatures besides;
perhaps not even from the fury suddenly loud
through my body about his trip from Texas
to settle us home before he would go away

to a place no place in the world
he named Viet Nam. A boy needs a father
with him, I kept thinking, fixed against noise
from the dark.

poetry180

from Call & Response, 1995
Alice James Books, Farmington, ME

English HSA Online Testing--May 18, 2010

2010-05-10T12:51:00.000-04:00

HSA Testing Schedule for the week of May 17:
May 17 - Government
May 18 - English
May 19 - No Testing
May 20 - Biology
May 21 - Algebra
*The following link includes past tests for ALL subject areas:
Past HSA Tests--ALL Subject Areas

Testing Tips for Parents & Students:

Parents, please encourage your son/daughter and be positive; ask your child to discuss HSA class activities with you.
Be aware of test anxiety levels and reassure your child that the class activities conducted throughout the year have prepared sophomores for this important assessment.
Make sure your child sleeps well the night before the test and eats breakfast that morning.
Students will complete the HSA tests online. Parents and students can view a sample online test (students are doing this to prepare in English classes as well) on HSAonline practice (a direct link to www.pearsonaccess.com). Once on the site, select EPAT. Sample tests and answers are also available for downloading.
More HSA info and links are listed below under the heading ~English HSA online Resources~
No points are deducted for wrong answers. Therefore, students are encouraged to attempt all questions, even those about which they are uncertain.
Students, arrive at your assigned testing room early so you have time to get settled, relax, and focus.
Testing will begin promptly and last approximately three hours: there are three 50 minute sections with two five minute breaks.
Bring a snack and drink in your backpack. You will get a short break at the end of each section of the test when you may eat a snack/have a drink in the hallways outside of the computer areas, and use the restroom. A healthy snack will help keep you alert during the entire test.

Sophomores--remember that your families, teachers and administrators at CHS support you and wish you well. Just think, you are almost juniors!

Some content adapted on 5.03.09 from http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/testday.html; thank you also to Shawn Hastings-Hauf and Kristen McManus for their contributions.

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Green Day Album: Nimrod, International Superhits
Written by Billie Joe Armstrong
Release Date: November 13, 2001
http://www.greendayauthority.com/Lyrics/

Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time

English Agenda for April 19, 2010

2010-04-15T01:12:00.000-04:00

English 11 & 12 Teachers:
Room 209 from 2:20 to 3:20 PM-- *Please plan to meet for one hour.

High School Professional Development Session: "The Essay, The Forgotten Genre?"
Mary Teague, Instructional Facilitator, Secondary English

English 9 & 10 Teachers:
Room 207 at 2:20 PM--*Please bring a few student writing folders to share.

Responding to Student Writing: Where are we? Where are we going? How do we "deliver useful feedback, appropriate for the writer and the situation"? How do we "analyze writing situations for their most essential elements"? from "NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing"
NCTE Writing Beliefs
Judy Ryan, English 10 Teacher, will facilitate this session.

English Agenda for March 15, 2010

2010-03-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

English Department Agenda
Monday, March 15, 2010--Room 209 at 2:20 PM
"Beware the ides of March."
*Please plan to meet for one hour.

CHS Administrative Updates

Student Course Registration Review
Course Placement Reviews due by March 31st
TENTATIVE English Schedule 2010-2011

Sadlier-Oxford replacement vocabulary books for 2010-2011
Damaged books = $10.26 @ (includes tax)
Obligation form (3 copies needed for front office at year's end)

HoCoPoLitSo Promise and Achievement Awards--Nominations (2 Seniors)
The Emily Davis Memorial Scholarship Award--Nominations
English Department Award 2010--Nominations

English HSA After-School Tutoring--Wednesdays (5 weeks) beginning April 14
SIP Objective: With administrative support, English 10 teachers will conduct after-school intervention classes as warranted for those students identified as needing additional support to improve their English and reading skills, based on the results of class performance and quarterly assessments.

Ideas/input for next year--
Responding to Student Writing: Where are we? Where are we going? How do we "deliver useful feedback, appropriate for the writer and the situation"? How do we "analyze writing situations for their most essential elements"? from "NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing"
NCTE Writing Beliefs
Asian-American Literature Study Group--Ha Jin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chang-rae Lee, Amy Tan, etc.

Data Conversation Team Meetings: *Please bring documents as needed. Teachers will meet in grade level teams to discuss 2nd quarter assessment results and implications for instruction.
SIP Objective: English teachers of Grade 9, 10, and 11 classes will each meet quarterly as a team to analyze county assessment data and to collaborate effective strategies for differentiating instruction.

Reminder--
High School Professional Development Session
"The Essay, The Forgotten Genre?"--Monday, April 19th; CHS English Department Meeting with Mary Teague--Grade 11 & 12 English Teachers; Room 209 from 2:20 to 3:20 PM

Open Agenda

NCTE National African American Read-In

2010-02-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

The Twenty-First National African American Read-In
Sponsored by the Black Caucus of NCTE and NCTE

In February 2010, hold an African American Read-In event
any day of the month, from Monday, February 1
to Sunday, February 28, 2010

"Schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities."
Centennial teachers are encouraged to plan a "Read-In" and feature relevant selections/works by African American authors in their classrooms.
NCTE National AA Read-In (2010)

English Agenda for February 8, 2010

2010-02-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

~CANCELED due to SNOW~
English Department Agenda
Monday, February 8, 2010----Room 209 at 2:20 PM

CHS Administrative Updates
English HSA After-School Tutoring--Wednesdays (5 weeks) beginning April 14: SIP Objective: With administrative support, English 10 teachers will conduct after-school intervention classes as warranted for those students identified as needing additional support to improve their English and reading skills, based on the results of class performance and quarterly assessments.
Responding to Student Writing: Where are we? Where are we going? How do we "deliver useful feedback, appropriate for the writer and the situation"? How do we "analyze writing situations for their most essential elements"? from "NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing" NCTE Writing Beliefs
Data Conversation Team Meetings: *Please bring documents as needed.Teachers will meet in grade level teams to discuss 2nd quarter assessment results and implications for instruction. SIP Objective: English teachers of Grade 9, 10, and 11 classes will each meet quarterly as a team to analyze county assessment data and to collaborate effective strategies for differentiating instruction.
Reminder: High School Professional Development Sessions--Thursday, February 11, 2010; LA Teachers, Grades 11 & 12; Centennial High School from 12:00 to 2:30 PM
Open Agenda

Lunch Agenda for January 20, 2010

2010-01-31T20:25:00.000-05:00

Wednesday meeting (1/2 day) 11:30 AM in the English Office for a few important updates. Teachers will:

Appraise ideas/criteria for recommending course selections for students for next year
Survey what's in store for eleventh and twelfth grade English teachers on the February 11th Professional Development Day (at CHS from 12:00 to 2:30 PM)

--Grade 11 Assessments no longer in pilot mode next year
--Plans for a future Senior Writing Project Requirement
--Teaching the Informational Essay Genre
--Effective Use of 6+1 Traits of Writing

Acquire exciting ways to "defrag" laptops from Rus VanWestervelt
Examine a "Critical Thinking" Question Wheel to support the application of "academic rigor": In applying academic rigor, the teacher provides students with opportunities to move from basic knowledge to an application of knowledge reflecting higher critical thinking.

English Agenda for November 16, 2009

2009-11-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

English Department Agenda
Monday, November 16, 2009----Room 209 at 2:20 PM
Recorder: Kristin Shipp

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility,
But when the blast of warre blows in our eares,
Then imitate the action of the tyger:
Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-featured rage,
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostrill wide,
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every
Spirit to his full height! On, on, you noble English!

[ http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/William_Shakespeare/ ]
William Shakespeare, King Henry V, Act 3 scene 1

I. Departmental Features--

Media Center Resources Update--Linda Norris
CHS School Improvement Plan (SIP) 2009-2010
Instructional Strategies Database (Intranet--Secondary Language Arts)
Instructional Strategies Database
Poetry Out Loud--Rus VanWestervelt and Corey O'Brien

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

Book Orders
Administrative Updates
ACCUPLACER Testing--College Readiness Initiative--HCPSS and HCC--Rescheduled for Tuesday, December 1--English 11 (86 students)--In the DELL Lab--All Day

Monday, October 19, 2009

2009-10-14T20:22:00.000-04:00

I. Departmental Feature--

October Minutes
Media Center Resources Update--Linda Norris
CHS School Improvement Plan (SIP) 2009-2010
Instructional Strategies Database (Intranet--Secondary Language Arts)

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

Book Orders
Updates from CHS (10/15) & County (10/14) ITL Meetings
ACCUPLACER Testing: College Readiness Initiative--HCPSS and HCC--English 11 on Thursday, November 19 in the DELL Lab--All Day
HoCoPoLitSo Poet-in-Residence Visit: Terence Winch; Wednesday, October 28th during Period 5

September 21, 2009

2009-09-18T14:14:00.000-04:00

I. Departmental Feature--

Outcomes of Data Conversations from September 4, 2009: Implications and Goal Setting
Individual Reading Conferences (IRCs)
Metacognitive Log Prompts
October 10 SAT
October 14 PSAT

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

SGA Letters to Soldiers Feedback

NCTE National Gallery of Writing: http://galleryofwriting.org
October 20, 2009--the National Day on Writing: http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting
National Writing Project: http://www.nwp.org

Letters About Literature--Maryland Humanities Council

Updates from CHS (9/17) & County (9/16) ITL Meetings

Budget
Schedule Changes, Drop/Add Signature Forms
Interim Reports issued to students on October 9
Hall Passes
CHS Staff Reference Info Folder on CLC
Contact chsabsence@hcpss.org to report flu-like symptoms

Printshop
Textbook Replacement Plan
Quarterly Assessments--Grades 9-11
Sample Anchor Papers Needed
Poetry Out Loud: http://www.poetryoutloud.org
Writing Manuals
Textbook Selection Committee
LA Coordinator/Facilitator Visits

Student Writing Folders

ACCUPLACER Testing
College Readiness Initiative--English 11

Substitute Lesson Plans
Please keep current in a clearly visible folder in your classroom
Include Syllabi, Objectives, Seating Charts

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

2009-08-20T09:46:00.000-04:00

Room 209 at 1:00 PM
Warm greetings to all, and a special welcome to Shanea Bradley in English 9 & 11 this year
and to Christine Duignan, Johns Hopkins English Intern!

I. Departmental Feature--

Letters to Soldiers--Fall 2009 SGA Project--Ann Mulhollen

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

Classroom Supplies and Equipment
Vocabulary Workshop Books--New Procedures
High School Writing Manuals--Revisions & Inserts
http://www.hcpss.org/aboutus/writing_manual.pdf
English Web Page: http://englishroost.blogspot.com/ Teacher Web Pages
Language Arts Expectations
Student Writing Folders
Student Aides
CHS English Department Plagiarism Policy
- Signed Classroom Copy: http://docs.google.comDoc?id=dgf8pxs2_92rrbtfjdj
- Student Copy: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgf8pxs2_93dc2bm9gz
Three-year Textbook Replacement Plan
Syllabi, Etc.—3 Copies to Mag
Include Grading Policy, Class Procedures, Expectations, Materials, Departmental Plagiarism Policy, and turnitin
Substitute Lesson Plans
Keep updated and current in a clearly visible folder in your classroom
Include Syllabi, Objectives, Seating Charts

III. Grade Level Team Meetings--

Book Charts-- As a team, please check your syllabi for BALANCE and DIVERSITY
(Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Time Periods, Genres)
Check current English Book Inventory Binder in 601 for ordering needs

~Thank you for all that you do for our students and for CHS.~

Summer Reading Suggestions

2009-06-13T17:14:00.000-04:00

CHS Summer Reading--June 2009
English AP Titles 1981-2009
Howard County Library--http://www.hclibrary.org/index.php?page=218
Enoch Pratt Free Library--http://www.prattlibrary.org/
American Library Association Book Lists and Book Awards, including Best Books for Young Adults and Outstanding Books for the College Bound--http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists

June 8, 2009

2009-06-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

I. Departmental Feature--

English AP Literature & Composition Exam--May 2009--Mag Polek
English AP Language & Composition Exam--May 2009--Holly Pasciullo & Kristin Shipp

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

April Minutes--Liz Chung
English Awards 2009 at http://englishroost.blogspot.com
English Schedule 09-10
CHS English Summer Reading List Input
Echoes and Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust
http://www.echoesandreflections.org
Summer School Classes--June 29 to August 7 (8:00 to 12:45 PM at CHS)
End of the Year Clean-up--Final Exams & Keys, Books, Classrooms, Teacher Materials

~Thank you for all you have done this year for our students and for CHS.~

English Awards 2009

2009-05-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, Seniors!

CHS English Award: Stephen Rane

HoCoPoLitSo All-County Writing Awards:
Promise & Achievement--Yang Liu
Promise & Achievement--Stephen Rane

1st Place Personal Essay--Sarah Hayashi
2nd Place Personal Essay--Caitlin Pomerantz
3rd Place Personal Essay--Bill Ge
1st Place Poetry--Jessica Stein
3rd Place Poetry--Megan Lieberman
2nd Place Short Story--Aaron Mick

Distinguished Eagle in Publications Award: Alyssa Bailey

Wingspan Newspaper Awards:
Editorial Excellence--Shelby McKay
Excellence in Newspaper Writing--Eric Feinstein
Excellence in Newspaper Design--Rahel Boghossian
Aura of Wingspan--Clara Heck and Megan Leiberman

Eyrie Yearbook Awards:
Excellence in Publication and Design--Chloe Heckman
Excellence in Production Management--Maria Souza
Aura of Eyrie--Courtney Brown, Lauren Hunter, and Kristen Mathe

Maryland Voices Creative Nonfiction Journal Awards:
Editorial Excellence--Claire Li
Excellence in Graphics and Design--Aimee Kutt

Aquila Literary Magazine Awards:
Editorial Excellence--Amanda Lauer, Pattie Lin, Kate Calvert, and Claire Shreibfeder

English Online HSA--Thursday, May 21, 2009

2009-05-09T16:56:00.000-04:00

Testing Tips for Parents & Students:

Parents, please encourage your son/daughter and be positive; ask your child to discuss HSA class activities with you.
Be aware of test anxiety levels and reassure your child that the class activities conducted throughout the year have prepared sophomores for this important assessment.
Make sure your child sleeps well the night before the test and eats breakfast that morning.
This year, students in Howard and Montgomery countries will complete the HSA tests online. Parents and students can view a sample online test (students are doing this to prepare in English classes as well) on HSAonline practice (a direct link to www.pearsonaccess.com). Once on the site, select EPAT. Sample tests and answers are also available for downloading.
More HSA info and links are listed below.
No points are deducted for wrong answers. Therefore, students are encouraged to attempt all questions, even those about which they are uncertain.
Students, arrive at your assigned testing room early so you have time to get settled, relax, and focus.
Testing will begin promptly and last approximately three hours.
Bring a snack and drink in your backpack. You will get a short break at the end of each section of the test when you may eat a snack/have a drink in the hallways outside of the computer areas, and use the restroom. A healthy snack will help keep you alert during the entire test.

Sophomores--remember that your families, teachers and administrators at CHS support you and wish you well. Just think, you are almost juniors!

Some content adapted on 5.03.09 from http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/testday.html; thank you also to Shawn Hastings-Hauf and Kristen McManus for their contributions.

April 21, 2009

2009-04-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

National Poetry Month Resources--
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41
Ars Poetica: Poems about Poetry: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20035

I. Departmental Feature--

English HSA Bridge Plans & Mastery Class--Kelli McDonough
After-School HSA Prep--6 Thursdays (10th Grade English Team)
Online HSA Testing--Week of May18-22

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

March Minutes
Nominations for the 2009 English Award and The Emily Davis Memorial Scholarship
Summer School Classes--June 29 to August 7 (8:00 to 12:45 PM at CHS)
Letters from Home--SGA Writing Project

APRIL is National Poetry Month

2009-03-31T20:39:00.000-04:00

Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

Sources and Sample Activities:
1.) http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41
This website from the Academy of American Poets includes information on the history of National Poetry Month.

2.) The 2009 poster features the lines "Do I dare/Disturb the universe?" from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" at http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20220 and in TextFlows format at http://www.textflows.com/player/playFlow/20220.

3.) http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=478
In honor of National Poetry Month, students are introduced to a variety of poetic forms. One (or more) student each day is assigned as "poet of the day" for the month of April. Students are provided with several models for creating different forms of poetry, such as Shape Poems, Acrostic Poems, Diamante Poems, or Instant Poetry Forms. Each student might select one form of poetry and write an original poem, which he or she may also illustrate. On their assigned days, students will read their poetry out loud to the class.

4.) http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=246
Is a Sentence a Poem?
Students are given (or directed online to) a picture and asked individually to describe the picture in one sentence of less than twenty words. Afterward, the class analyzes syntax, imagery, and meaning in a chosen one-sentence poem by a canonical author to decide what makes it a poem. Students return to their own descriptive sentence to decide whether it is, is not, or could be a poem, justifying their reasoning. This exercise encourages students to dissect an established poem while defining the characteristics of the genre of poetry. Students then apply their knowledge during reflection upon their own work.

*Excerpts accessed on March 31, 2009.

March 16, 2009

2009-03-11T19:46:00.000-04:00

"We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry." William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) (Awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature)

I. Departmental Feature--

Vocabulary Development--A Model Lesson--Jill Eisner
Developing Effective Practices in Vocabulary Instruction
NCTE Council Chronicle article (March 2009) "Everyday Writing: Words Matter More Than Ever in the 21st Century Workplace" http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Magazine/CC0183_Everyday.pdf

II. The Nitty Gritty/Updates/Reminders--

February Minutes
Dear Soldier--SGA Writing Project
Local English Assessment Data from INROADS
Grade Level Team Meetings
4th Quarter Assessments & Final Exams
Official Ballots for Senior Superlatives--Rus VanWestervelt
Feedback on Great Source 2005 Vocabulary Books
--Vocabulary for Achievement, Third Course (9th Grade)
--Vocabulary for Achievement, Fourth Course (10th Grade)
--Vocabulary for Achievement, Fifth Course (11th Grade)
--Vocabulary for Achievement, Sixth Course (12th Grade)
Utilization of the High School Writing Manual and Style Guide (especially for MLA Research Paper Guidelines) http://www.hcpss.org/aboutus/writing_manual.pdf
English Academic Support Day--Wednesday, March 25
Junior interviews will take place March 31 to April 2 during English classes this year; please complete the resume writing lesson by March 23
End of Third Quarter--Friday, April 3

February 9, 2009

2009-02-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."
--Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian Philosopher 1889-1951

I. Departmental Feature

Vocabulary Development--
"Content-Area Vocabulary: A Critical Key to Conceptual Learning" by Janis M. Harmon and Karen D. Wood from Adolescent Literacy in Perspective, October 2008
PowerPoint Summary and Discussion
Survey of Great Source 2005 Vocabulary Books

II. The Nitty Gritty--

Administrative Visit
English Academic Support Day--Wednesday, February 11
Poet-in-Residence Liz Rees visit--Thursday, February 12
Kristen McManus' 4B 10 GT class
International visitors from England--Tuesday, February 17
Mag Polek's 4B 12 AP class
Junior interviews will take place March 31 to April 2;
complete the resume writing lesson by March 23

Updates--

ETS Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Program
Grades 9 and 10; Regular and Review Classes
http://criterion28.ets.org/cwe
ACCUPLACER--English 11 Classes
College Readiness Elective
CPR Rhetoric Activities

Reminders--

Celebrate African American Writers throughout February: Twentieth National African American Read-In

2009 National African American Read-In

2009-01-28T19:28:00.001-05:00

Celebrate the Twentieth Year for the National African American Read-In:

Sponsored by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and NCTE
For this year only, the National Director has extended the African American Read-In for the entire month of February.
Schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities. Hosting a Read-In can be as simple as bringing together friends to share a book, or as elaborate as arranging public readings and media presentations that feature professional African American writers.
Accessed on January 28 from http://www.ncte.org/action/aari/packetinfo

Inauguration Poem

2009-01-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

Poet Elizabeth Alexander was selected to compose and deliver a poem at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ceremony at the United States Capitol on January, 20, 2009. She is the fourth poet in history to be so honored. She delivered her poem after President Obama’s Inaugural Address. Accessed on 1.12.09 from http://www.elizabethalexander.net/events.html

Read "Praise Song for the Day" Inaugural Poem by Elizabeth Alexander from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html

Other sites of interest:

December 15, 2008

2008-12-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

Because You Asked about the Line
Between Prose and Poetry (1980)

by Howard Nemerov (1920-1991)

Sparrows were feeding in a freezing drizzle
That while you watched turned to pieces of snow
Riding a gradient invisible
From silver aslant to random, white, and slow.

There came a moment that you couldn’t tell.
And then they clearly flew instead of fell.

Accessed from http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20007
December 12, 2008

2008 NCTE Annual Convention Awards

2008-11-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

Best Books and Journal Articles
Celebrate the many teachers, authors, and researchers who received awards this November during the 2008 NCTE Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas. On November 25, 2008, the online issue of NCTE INBOX featured some of the award winners.

Orbis Pictus Award--Look to the Orbis Pictus Award to find the best nonfiction titles for students. See "The 2008 Orbis Pictus Award Collection of Nonfiction Literature for Children" from Language Arts for details on this year's winning books.
Edwin M. Hopkins Award for articles in English Journal written by non-classroom teachers--"Writing Like a Good Girl," from the January 2008 issue, illuminates the subtle yet powerful and often detrimental messages to girls that silence their public and private voices and diminish their opportunities to question and learn.
Paul and Kate Farmer Writing Awards for articles in English Journal written by classroom teachers--In "The List," from the November 2007 issue, the author shares his list of fifteen reasons to keep teaching. In "Literature into Film (and Back Again): Another Look at an Old Dog," from the September 2007 issue, the author provides a variety of literature, film scenes, and classroom activities to introduce literary, cinematic, and theatrical elements.
Richard Ohmann Award for an article in College English--In "Transnational Feminist Rhetorics in a Digital World," from the May 2008 issue, the author proposes a new methodology for analyzing the processes through which the modes of global circulation of digital representations become rhetorical and, ultimately, political actions.
English Leadership Quarterly Best Article Award--In "The Way We Teach Now: Teachers of English in the New World of High-Stakes Assessment," from the October 2007 issue, the authors share some findings from a study of how English teachers are responding to state-mandated standards and their accompanying high-stakes assessments.

English Technology Inservice 11.03.08

2008-11-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

6+1 Writing Traits--Continue emphasizing these traits as a followup to middle school emphasis. Use in rubrics as well as during instruction and editing.
High School Writing and Style Guide--Please distribute and regularly incorporate into writing instruction. Students should write their names on copies and keep in looseleaf binders for use in all content areas. Students are expected to keep these booklets from year to year. They may print replacements from the following link:
http://www.hcpss.org/aboutus/writing_manual.pdf
INTRANET Access (CLC name and password) and Content
E-Guides--Curriculum lessons for grades 9 and 10.
DR Access
Process to unblock sites--Call number on blocked page.
Air Card from Verizon--Offers internet access anywhere.
Kindles (Amazon.com)--Individual electronic devices for downloading etexts; may benefit nontraditional readers.
Grades are due to ITLs by 10:00 AM Thursday morning, November 6 this week.
NO Department Meeting on November 11 by consensus of the group in attendance.
Instead, ETS Training for Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Program will be held November 17 for all English teachers of Grades 9 and 10; Regular and Review Classes. http://criterion28.ets.org/cwe/index.php
Instead also, CPR Rhetoric Group will also meet sometime this month.

October 20, 2008

2008-10-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

I. Departmental Features

Welcome to Rachel Grap--Longterm Sub for Kristen McManus
September Minutes--Val Watson
ETS Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Program
Grades 9 and 10; Regular and Review Classes
http://criterion28.ets.org/cwe/index.php

II. The Nitty Gritty

ACCUPLACER--English 11 Classes
English SIT Objectives 08-09
INROADS--Accountability and Planning Data
High School Writing Manual and Style Guide
http://www.hcpss.org/aboutus/writing_manual.pdf
PTA Reflections Program
Grub Street Poetry Competition-- Towson University
NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing 2009--Juniors
English Academic Support Day: Oct.22
End of First Quarter (47 days): Oct. 31
Reminders--
English Course Placement Review Folder 08-09
English Web Page
Language Arts Expectations
Teacher Web Pages
Student Aides—Attendance, Activities, Grades
Substitute Lesson Plans
Writing Folders Swap

Thinking Ahead

2008-10-05T08:06:00.000-04:00

Poets are always ahead of things in a certain way,

their sense of language and their vision.
Jim Jarmusch, American Director, Born January 1953

October 2, 2008

English Teachers are all in the midst of one of our busiest times of the academic year--preparing students for the SAT, PSAT, HSA retakes, and quarterly assessments in grades 9, 10, & 11 this year; proctoring; finalizing student recommendations; editing college essays; updating grades and our web pages online; organizing Homecoming activities; and finalizing first quarter curriculum activities--over the next few weeks.

In the heat of all of these pressing, existing commitments, it is certainly a challenge to take a breath and pause to look ahead. Several tenured members of the department have already committed themselves to doing just that, either through a Portfolio Evaluation or by participating in a Cooperative Program Review (CPR) focused on Rhetoric.

In addition, the department has two upcoming opportunities that will impact English classes this year, and teachers are currently discussing and planning the best ways to utilize each of these programs with our students.

1.) ETS Criterion Online Writing Evaluation Program—Dr. Perkins has agreed to fund the majority cost of this service for ALL English 9 and 10 classes (regular and review levels). The program provides a bank of essay topics and writing modes, planning organizers, performance summaries, revision opportunities, a writer's handbook, and specific feedback to students. A Holistic Score evaluates basic Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, Organization & Development (introduction, thesis, development, conclusion), and Style (sentence structure and repetition). River Hill has used this program in the past and is planning on continuing it this year. There will be one after-school online training session for Grade 9 & 10 Regular & Review English teachers to attend here at CHS. Additional info is available at the following website: http://criterion28.ets.org/cwe

2.) ACCUPLACER—This is a college readiness placement test developed by ETS and used by Howard Community College. It includes a reading test to evaluate comprehension skills and a sentence skills test to evaluate writing skills. The Secondary Language Arts Office is coordinating the administration of the test in ALL English 11 classes (regular level) this fall. The test is untimed and takes approximately two hours to finish. Students will complete the test at CHS online, and HCC will grade it. Feedback includes a College Readiness Assessment ranging from "See Counsel" to "On Track" to "College Ready" as well as a broad (not diagnostic) Skills Profile Sheet of strengths and needs.

September 22, 2008

2008-09-16T20:11:00.000-04:00

I. Departmental Features

Guidance
Media--Linda Norris
CHS Book Club--Jill Eisner

II. The Nitty Gritty

Staff Advisory Committee Update--Judy Ryan
Publications & Technology Update--Rus VW
English HSA Mastery Class Update--Kelli McDonough
HSA Workshop at Linden Hall on September 23--
Ben, Corey, Kelli, Judy, Ted
CPR (Cooperative Program Review) Evaluation Option
ETS Criterion Online Writing
Towson University Online Writing Support Website
www.towson.edu/ows
Grade Level Book Usage Charts
Writing Folders Swap
English Course Placement Reviews for 08-09
Reminders--
PSAT Booklets & Prep for October 15
Book Orders
The English Web Page at http://englishroost.blogspot.com
Teacher Web Pages
Language Arts Expectations
Student Aides—Attendance, Activities, Grades
Substitute Lesson Plans
Classroom Folder
Teacher Schedule
Syllabi
Objectives
Class Lists
Attendance Mat'ls.--Per. 1
Seating Charts
IEP & 504 Info
Fire Drill Directions/Map
Current Lessons
Teaching Materials
Student Handouts

Thank you for all that you do each day for our students and for CHS.

August 18, 2008

2008-08-18T21:44:00.000-04:00

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. The Nitty Gritty

Classroom Supplies
Equipment--LCD Projectors
Signing Out Materials
Book Orders
Wednesday, August 20th County Language Arts Inservice at Long Reach High School
English Department Meeting Schedule—Room 209
Recorder; Refreshments
Monthly Departmental Features Recommendations
Objectives
Final English Department Schedule
CHS English AP Scores--May 2008
The English Web Page at http://englishroost.blogspot.com
Teacher Web Pages
TeacherEase at http://www.teacherease.com/home.aspx
Writing Folders--Language Arts Expectations
Sample LA Lesson Plan Format
Current Addresses/Birthday Celebrations
Student Aides—Credit, Attendance, Activities
English Activity Fee--Vocabulary Workshop Books; Cuckoo's Nest for 12 Honors: Vicki Sattler will visit classrooms to collect payment from students; fees cover the cost of each text, plus shipping and tax
Syllabi, Etc.—3 copies to ITL
Include Grading Policy, Class Procedures, Expectations, Materials, Departmental Plagiarism Policy, and turnitin
Substitute Lesson Plans—Keep updated and current in a folder on the Teacher’s Desk in classrooms--Include Syllabi, Objectives, Seating Charts

3. Grade Level Meetings

Book Charts--Please check for balance and diversity as a team (Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Time Periods, Genres)
Check current English Book Inventory Binder in 601 for ordering needs

Summer Reading Suggestions

2008-06-23T20:02:00.001-04:00

CHS Summer Reading--June 2008
English AP Titles 1981-2008
Howard County Library--http://www.hclibrary.org/index.php?page=218
Enoch Pratt Free Library--http://www.prattlibrary.org/
American Library Association Book Lists and Book Awards, including Best Books for Young Adults and Outstanding Books for the College Bound--http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists

June 9, 2008

2008-06-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

Please remember to update your web page
Copies of May Minutes--Kristin Shipp
Summer Reading Info--Corey O'Brien
Fond Farewells to Cerise Ashburne and Michael Clark
Happy Summer Birthdays
Closing Business/Checkout Info--
End of Year Exit Conference with ITL (by June 16)
Final Exams (copy and answer key) to ITL (by June 16)
Student Debts--English Student Obligations due
Book Inventory--Thank you for promptly returning books to the bookrooms so we can complete an accurate inventory; literature anthologies, grammar books, and dictionaries may stay in classrooms as usual
Student Writing Folders--Please update, label, and store in your classroom
Classrooms will be painted this summer: store teacher materials; remove all materials from walls; cover materials to be saved on bulletin boards and open book cases; cover computers
Recent Department Documents/Updates posted on our Web Page: English Awards; CHS Summer Reading List 2008; AP Lit & Comp Book List 1981-2008
Happy Summer, Everyone!

~Thank you for all that you do for CHS and for our students.~

English Awards 2008

2008-05-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, Seniors!

CHS English Award:
Carla Alexandra Lake

HoCoPoLitSo All-County Writing Awards:
Promise & Achievement--Jessica Holzberg
Promise & Achievement--Emily Wilson
1st Place Poetry--Emily Durbin
3rd Place Poetry--Carla Lake
1st Place Personal Essay--Luxi Wang
2nd Place Personal Essay--Emily Wilson
3rd Place Personal Essay--Bryan Arnett

Wingspan Newspaper Awards:
Most Valuable--Robyn Bosica
Most Improved--Christina Czabaranek
Best Leader--Karen Turner

Eyrie Yearbook Awards:
Excellence in Publications and Design--Kerri DeVries
Excellence in Publications and Design--Katherine VanLent
Aura of Eyrie--Katherine Marshall

Maryland Voices Creative Nonfiction Awards:
Excellence in Graphics and Design--Emily Durbin
Editorial Excellence--Carla Lake

May 16, 2008

2008-05-16T21:32:00.000-04:00

CHS Articulation Day Activities

English 9 Teachers visit feeder middle schools
English 10-12 Teachers meet in teams
Discussion of curriculum plans for 2008-2009
Research paper expectations--Objectives/Criteria, Assignments/Prompts, Lesson Plans, Teaching Materials, Student Handouts, Rubrics, and Model Student Papers
CHS student English placement levels for 2008-2009

May 5, 2008

2008-05-02T08:52:00.000-04:00

April Minutes

Student Writing Folders--Culminating Activities/Samples--Judy Ryan: CHS English 10; Kristen McManus: CHS English 10 & SAT

6+1 Writing Models for Grade 9--Jenny Bartkus: CHS English 9 & Journalism

English HSA--Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Parent Meeting held April 23 at 6:30 pm

APRIL 24 Professional Development FEEDBACK--"Curricular Connections to the Real World"; Long Reach Sessions & Off Site Field Trips

Proposals for CHS Summer Reading List 2008; Reading Lists from the International Reading Association; Book Lists from NEA's Read Across America, May 2008
www.nea.org/ref?readinglists

May 16 CHS Articulation Day--Grade 9 Teachers visit middle schools; Voluntary Technology Meetings; Final Course Enrollment for 08-09—Teachers check grade levels & ability levels; Grade Level Team Planning for 2008-2009 and Research Paper Dialogue

June 9 Department Meeting--Closing Business/Checkout & End of Year Evaluation;
Student Debts; Classroom and Book Inventory; AP English Exam Essays 2008; Updated AP Book List 1981-2008

Reminder--LA Summer Curriculum Writing Workshops ($125 per day); see the Summer 2008 Professional Development Catalog

Media Center will close June 2

Classrooms will be painted this summer: remove all materials from walls and bulletin boards

April 14, 2008

2008-04-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

March Minutes

"Teaching Rhetoric in HCPSS: Helping Our Students Embrace the Benefits of Persuasive Writing That Transcend the Traditional Classroom" .ppt--Rus VanWestervelt: CHS English 11, Yearbook, & Photography

"Teaching Strategies for Persuasive/Argumentative Writing" Handout--Tres Wright: CHS English 11 & 12

Nominations for Senior Awards

APRIL 24 Professional Development--"Curricular Connections to the Real World": Long Reach Sessions & Off Site Field Trips

LA Summer Curriculum Writing Workshops ($125 per day)

March 10, 2008

2008-03-07T13:30:00.000-05:00

February Minutes
APRIL--National POETRY Month
2008 Poster Online http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41
"LIFE/LINES--Vital Words" Project;
"Poem in Your Pocket" Day--April 17
POETRY APPRECIATION Presentation--Dr. Michael Clark: CHS English 11 & 12; Advanced Composition
HCPSS Secondary Language Arts Teacher Survey
Spring 08 Department Meeting Dates/Plans
English Numbers 08-09
English Presentation to CHS PTSA on March 12
CHS English Web Page--English Placement Resources
http://englishroost.blogspot.com/
Week of March 25--Junior RESUME Writing Week Reminder:
Teacher taught in ALL English 11 classes;
Graduation requirement for Junior Interviews
HoCoPoLitSo 2008 Writing Contest--Entries due April 2nd;
Promise & Achievement Awards (2)
APRIL 24 Professional Development--"Curricular Connections to the Real World"; Online Registration THIS WEEK

February 11, 2008

2008-02-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

January Minutes

MSDE HSA Bridge Plan Info
County Assessment Data--Second Quarter--Grades 9 & 10
HSA Review Sessions begin in MARCH/Parent Meeting to be scheduled in APRIL with the 10th Grade English Team

NCTE National AA Read-In Feedback from 2.04.08
CHS Literacy Committee initiative

Teacher Schedule Requests for 08-09

English Spring Birthday Lunch Mania--Get Ready!
March (3), April (1), May (3), June (2), July (2)

HoCoPoLitSo 2008 Writing Contest--Entries due April 2nd; Promise & Achievement Awards (2)

English Department Award 2008 (1)

Grammar for Writing Textbooks & Website
ALL grades at CHS now have one class set per teacher!

January 15, 2008

2008-01-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

USING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS--"Catcher in the What? Tenth Graders Discover Discussion Through an Online Forum": NCTE Convention Presentation (November 2007)
Corey O'Brien: CHS English 10
Designing Online Forums: Considerations and a Live Demo; Online discussion forums at http://piccle.ed.psu.edu/ (Pennsylvania State University, University Park) provide familiar discourse spaces for adolescents' conversations.
Discussing literature and responding to peer writing in these digital spaces outside of the classroom expands students' thinking, social interaction, and audience and rhetorical awareness.

Monday, February 4, 2008--NCTE National African American Read-In: Brainstorm ideas for English classes to support this CHS Literacy Committee initiative

08-09 SCHEDULING
Teacher Signature Days--January 28-30 (MTW only)
Criteria for English level recommendations--B average or higher for Honors and GT placement

Thursday, January 10, 2008--8th Grade Parent Orientation Feedback

Materials Recently Ordered--
MagnetSlates and magic magnet pens--Grade 10
Grades 11 & 12 Grammar Books--One class set per teacher
Ordinary People--Grade 12
Spoon River Anthology--Grade 11
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close--Grade 11

December 10, 2007

2007-12-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870. A Christmas Carol, 1843
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library

PREFACE
I HAVE endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.
Their faithful Friend and Servant,
C.D.
December, 1843.

From Chapter 5, Stave 5
THE END OF IT

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modengD.browse.html 1993
Accessed December 9, 2007

November 26, 2007

2007-11-24T17:38:00.000-05:00

CREATIVE WRITING Video & Followup Discussion Rus VanWestervelt: CHS English 11, Yearbook, & Photography
Sir Ken Robinson: Visionary Leader, British Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (1998)
"Creating an Educational Environment that Nurtures Creativity" TEDTalk (Technology/Education/Design), February 2006, 19 minutes
Accessed from http://www.ted.com/

English County Assessments results for First Quarter
Recommendations for New Materials
Thursday, January 10, 2008--8th Grade PARENT ORIENTATION 7-9 pm
Ninth grade teachers--Please reserve the date!