ELA 10: Jan.11-15

First, an apology! I promised that the Art Essays would be returned Friday, and I had to hold onto them until Monday. In my haste to get them turned in prior to break, I was unclear with the students about the turnitin.com expectations.  Not all of the students realized that I needed everyone to submit their essays to turnitin.  Since this is a common assessment for all 10th graders, I can’t return essays until everyone has uploaded their papers. Please encourage your students to submit online asap!

Speeches went well on Friday and--thankfully--everyone survived! Everyone did a great job and we’ll finish up the few remaining speeches on Monday. For the remainder of the week, we’ll be in workshop mode. Kids will have their choice of how and when they want to tackle two tasks for the week: writing an argumentative constructed response and creating a piece of art that shows their point of view regarding a controversial topic.

Students chose topics for their art and constructed responses last week.  We also talked about different options for their art piece: sculpture, collage, print art, cartoons, a song, etc.  The purpose of this assignment is not to judge a student’s artistic ability; rather, I am hoping students will consider different ways to make their voices heard. Please take a look at the assignment sheet for more information if you’re interested.

Please remind your students that they are in charge of their own time this week. That’s a blessing for some and a curse for others!! This week gets at two important skills for tenth graders to practice:  time management and self-advocacy.  I will be available all week for writing conferences while the students work. Students who take advantage of the opportunity to ask for feedback and help with their writing will be more successful than those who do not. I am not requiring students to conference with me. It is vital that 10th graders learn to ask for help when they need it rather than being forced to accept help!! Please talk about this with your students and encourage them to make good choices. I am also available before school Monday-Wednesday for students who need additional help.

I am expecting it will be an exciting week of creativity and imagination. Expect to see some cool pictures in next week’s blog post!

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