Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Objectives:
After this class, students will be able to:
1. describe the expectations of English 4.
2. analyze the issues involved in nonconformity.
3. share their thoughts in front of a group.

Agenda:
1. Students who were absent the first day will receive their assigned seats.
2. Ms. Kingsbury will review the syllabus for English 4. The syllabus can be found on the class website as well. It is the first post which is found at the bottom of the page and is dated August 23, 2007.

3. Students will read an article entitled "Why Being Yourself Matters" which can be found at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/why-being-yourself-matters.html. Students will do a think-pair-share activity to discuss the article. Students will write their favorite quote from the article in their notebooks. While Ms. Kingsbury is circulating to make sure students brought their notebooks, students should:

• Turn to the person sitting next to them.
• Share the quote they liked most from the article.
• Explain why they liked that quote and what they think it means.
• Explain how it applies directly to their lives.

Ms. Kingsbury will ask for volunteers to share their responses.

Notes: Due to the length of discussion on the class syllabus, there is no scheduled homework for tonight.

Monday, September 10, 2007 - The First Day Of School - Welcome Back to OHS!

Objectives:
After this class, students will be able to:
1. provide a personal introduction to their instructor.
2. create name derivatives based on linguistic formulas.
3. create an email account and send a test message to their instructor.

Agenda:
1. Students will find their assigned seats.

2. Ms. Kingsbury will introduce herself and give a brief overview of the class.

• Introduction: This is Ms. K's fourth year at OHS. Over these years, she's helped almost 200 seniors reach their goal of graduation from high school. This year, she will be responsible for four senior English classes, almost 140 students. She lives with her daughter (who is three), her boyfriend, and four cats. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and photography, plus she is learning how to cook.
• Overview of English 4: The syllabus for this class will be reviewed on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. In brief, English 4 will be the busiest and most important class that you have. It is required for graduation. It is in your best interest to make English 4 a high priority in your life. Work hard now so you can cruise in the spring.
• Class website: The website for this class can be found at http://english4healthacademy.blogspot.com. Students should visit this site on a daily basis for classwork, notes, announcements, information, and homework.
  

3. Students will complete the following information sheet and turn in to their instructor. If you are absent on the first day of school, please send an email to ms.kingsbury@verizon.net and request an information sheet.

INFORMATION SHEET FOR MS. KINGSBURY
OVERBROOK HIGH SCHOOL 2007-2008
ENGLISH 4
YOUR NAME:
ADDRESS:
HOME PHONE #:
CELL PHONE #:
PARENT/GUARDIAN’S NAME:
ACADEMY:
THREE WORDS YOU WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF:
YOUR THREE GREATEST STRENGTHS (what are you good at):
PLANS AFTER OHS (please be specific):

4. Students will then flip their information sheet over and play the name game. This exercise is meant to be fun and to provide your instructor with information. The goal is to create an atmosphere of camaraderie and community.

a. YOUR REAL NAME:
b. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (first 4 letters of real name plus izzle):
c. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color and animal):
d. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (your middle name and street you live on):
e. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name):
f. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (Your 2nd favorite color, and random thing):
g. YOUR ARABIC NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mom’s maiden name, 3rd letter of you dad’s middle name, 1st letter of a sibling’s first name, and last letter of your mom’s middle name):
h. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (Parents’ middle names):
i. YOUR "GOTH" NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets):

We will go around the room and each student will share their real name and their favorite name game name. Ms. K will also share a few of hers.

5. Ms. Kingsbury will instruct students on how to create an email account specifically dedicated to English 4 class work.

• Go to http://www.gmail.com
• At the bottom right corner, click on "Sign up for Gmail"
• Complete the form using your real name. Your email address should be yourfirstname.yourlastname@gmail.com. Example: Galvin.Crisp@gmail.com
• After you submit the form, you will be sent to a page that says congratulations on setting up your account. Click on "I'm ready - show me my account."
• Once you get to your account, send a test message to Ms. Kingsbury. Click on COMPOSE MAIL. In the TO line, type ms.kingsbury@verizon.net. In the SUBJECT line, type TEST. In the text of the message, type TEST. Hit send.
• Click on the SENT MAIL folder on the left of the page to confirm that your message went through.

6. HOMEWORK:

• Set up a gmail account and send a test message to ms.kingsbury@verizon.net. Do this by midnight tonight. This is worth 30 points towards your grade.
  
• Bring a notebook for tomorrow's class. This is worth 20 points towards your grade.
  

NOTE: Class was short due to extended advisory.

Syllabus for English 4
Ms. Kingsbury
Overbrook High School
School Year 2007-2008

Introduction
Welcome to your final year of English class at Overbrook High School! This year should prove to be your most challenging one, yet it will be rewarding, productive, and, hopefully, tons of fun. My goal as your English teacher is to make sure you successfully complete English 4 this year in order to meet the requirements for graduation in June. This document will outline my expectations for your behavior and performance, the literature we will read, and the projects we will complete.

My Expectations for Your Behavior and Performance

1. You will come to class prepared every day with a notebook and pen/pencil.
2. You will always be on your best behavior.
3. You will show respect to your teacher and classmates.
4. You will see me before or after school only to discuss make-up work and personal issues.
5. You will always produce your own, best work, with serious penalty for cheating or plagiarism.

The Senior Project
The culminating activity of your high school experience will be the Senior Project (SP). The SP requires you to write a formal research paper and make a PowerPoint presentation. The SP portfolio will be due on or around January 25, 2008. This date is far off in the future, but we will begin working on it by mid-September. Each senior in the state of Pennsylvania must complete an SP, and this work is taken very seriously and counts heavily in your grade for English this year.

Required Reading
English 4 has a core curriculum which we are required to complete. This year, students should expect to read the following literature; this list is not exhaustive and is subject to change:

• Selections from Elements of Literature (primary textbook)
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

English 4 is a writing-intensive class, and so the reading required will be less than previous years. Students should expect to be tested on any reading done in and outside of class.

Notebooks
You will be required to maintain a notebook during this year. If you think you might lose your notebook, you may request to have it stored in our classroom for your daily use. Your notebook will be your life-line; most quizzes and tests will allow you to use your notebook as an answer resource. I will perform periodic notebook checks which will count towards your grade as well. It will be clear when you will need to take notes and do classwork in your notebook. Either a spiral-bound notebook or three-ring binder will be sufficient.

Our Class Website
In order to facilitate the development of students’ technology skills, I have set up a website for each academy. On the site, you will find information and assignments which you will be asked to read and complete. My goal this year is to limit the amount of paper I collect from you. Therefore, most of your classwork and homework assignments will be completed on-line. If you do not have a computer at home, there are many computers throughout the high school which you may use. On a first-come-first-served basis, you may use my laptop as well during your lunch period and/or before school.

The addresses for the class websites are:

Health Academy
http://english4healthacademy.blogspot.com
Finance Academy
http://english4financeacademy.blogspot.com
Urban Ed Academy
http://english4urbaneducationacademy.blogspot.com

It is highly recommended you visit our class website once a day for information and assignments.

Grading
I calculate grades on a point system. The more points you earn for successfully completing your work, the higher your grade. Daily classwork is worth approximately 10-20 points; quizzes are worth 30-40 points; tests are worth 100 - 200 points; and larger projects are worth 200+ points. Cumulative grades are calculated on a weekly basis, and you will always have access to your grade in this class; please ask to see it anytime. I use the following formula to determine your grade:

Total Points Earned by Student / Total Possible Points x 100% = Student’s % Grade

Example: John earns 800 points/ X 100% = 80% (B)
John could have earned 1000 possible points


Contact Information
I encourage you and your parents to speak with me at any time throughout the year about your performance and behavior, as well as ask questions about our reading and projects. I am available every day before school at 7:30 a.m., after school until 3:15 p.m., by phone at (215) 581-5507, and by email at ms.kingsbury@verizon.net.