Did you know? My Top 5 Reasons for Reading World Literature

#1 Because the people of the world are becoming more and more connected culturally and economically, my students need to experience other cultures through reading. (Dependent clause/comma/independent clause)

#2 I enjoy easy-to-read, escapist books like Twilight; however, I also know that intellectual stimulation and critical analysis requires more difficult texts that my students would most likely not read on their own. (indenpendent clause/semicolon/conjunctive adverb/comma/independent clause)

#3 Since the Minnesota State Language Arts Standards require students to read literature beyond the United States and the United Kingdom, Edina Public Schools has placed an emphasis on World Literature in the sophomore year. (Dependent clause/comma/independent clause)

#4 I believe that being fully human requires an understanding of the world beyond our backyards, so I attempt to bring the world to the pages my students read in English 10.(independent clause/comma/coordinating conjuction/independent clause)

#5 I know that my students may still not agree with me that the world is getting smaller and reading can help bridge culturally understanding; nevertheless, English 10 will continue to have a world literature focus because citizens of the U.S. need to be in the "know," so I want my students to watch the short video "Did you know?"
(Dependent clause/semicolon/conjunctive adverb/comma/independent clause/dependent clause/comma/coordinating conjunction/independent clause)

Cyber Bullying

Remember that this blog is an extension of our classroom, so every comment that you write needs to follow our established class rules around the words Work--Respect--Belong. All of your comments and posted images need to be appropriate.

To watch the famous cyberbulling talent show clip, click here.

Remember--If you wouldn't say it to the person's face, don't say it online.

The school district has established web 2.0 guidelines. Please read them by clicking here.

Obama's Back-to-School Speech

What's all the fuss?

If you've been following the news in the last few days, Obama's Back-to-School speech has people talking. Some believe that Obama's message is inspirational and motivational, others see it as a blatantly political ploy and are keeping their kids home from school. I think we should find out for ourselves. After viewing the video, I'd like to hear your opinions. Please post your comments on this blog. It is my hope this blog will become a safe place to extend discussion beyond the walls of our classroom. Please remember to be respectful of others, even if their opinions are different from your own.

Consider the following questions:

What do you remember most from the speech?

Was it worth watching in school? Why or why not?

Was it too political? How so?

What if anything will you take away from the speech? In other words, does anything Obama says relate to you and your educational journey?

A few reader letters from the Star Tribune on September 7, 2009:

"For goodness sake, parents, and school administrators, don't let President Obama try to inspire your students to work hard and be responsible in school. And above all, don't let the children freely discuss those virtues exemplified by Obama...Better you tell them to wait until they are grown up, when the... pundits (experts) and bloggers can do their thinking for them."

"Here's a thought: If Obama's speech to schoolchildren today is to be about setting goals and accomplishing things in life, then maybe that speech should be deferred to Wednesday night's address to Congress."

As a parent of school-aged children, I am begging school administrators... to please disrupt our children's day so they may hear - together with their classmates and teachers - President Obama speak to them about the importance of working hard in school. As a parent, I tell them this, their teachers tell them this, but for the president to take time out of his busy day to tell them this, I can guarantee you, my kids will remember this. Or is that what everyone is afraid of?"

"In the 1930s, the German government indoctrinated the school-children with their white supremacy and socialist culture. Our U.S. government has now sent the first "education" package to our schools. When do our children receive the Obama arm bands?"

Obama's Address to Students

To watch President Obama's address to students across the United States, click here.

Think about what his address says to you about your educational goals for the year. What would Obama say to you about how to be successful in English class this year?

Download Thinking Maps Software at Home

EHS and Valley View own a campus community license for Thinking Maps software. This easy-to-use program will allow you to install the software on your home computer at no cost to you.

You can then create thinking maps that can be exported as PNG or JPEG file formats that can be uploaded to blogs, inserted in PowerPoints, and pasted into Word documents. In PowerPoints and Word the exported picture files appear in the same high quality that the files appear when viewed in the original Thinking Maps software. However, when the files are uploaded to blogger, much of the clear focus is lost when enlarged.

The easiest work-around for the clarity issue is to upload the picture files in "small" picture size in blogger. The "small" size allows blog readers to click on a picture to take it full screen. Then the Thinking Map is clear and easy-to-read.

To get your copy of Thinking Map software on your home computer, follow the directions below:
Log in to Edline.
Go to the Contents section of the main page.
Click on the folder marked Thinking Maps Software.
Go in to the XP install and install on your school and home computers.

To watch a quick video on how to download Thinking Maps software from Edline, click here.

Bubble Map Paragraph

After completing your bubble map, draft one paragraph that details one of your adjectives. Remember to concentrate on one adjective to give focus to the paragraph.

The typed paragraph is due on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 along with your completed bubble map. Your bubble map should include at least six adjectives that describe you, and each adjective needs one or two specific details that support them in the frame of reference. The paragraph should be typed, 12-point font, double spaced and be at least six sentences long. Also, please consider including a recent photo of yourself on your bubble map or your paragraph so that I can begin to learn your name.

If you would like to create your bubble map electronically, Thinking Maps software is available free of charge to all EHS students. Simply go to Edline and find the Thinking Maps software file folder on your main page. You can easily download the software from there to your home computer. If you have trouble downloading the software, simply create a bubble map on paper.

Here is the paragraph inspired by the green adjective on my bubble map.

Roehl Seeing Green

Having grown up on a farm in Medina, I have an affinity for rich, black soil laced with a little cow manure. Such a garden that yields the juiciest tomato or the tenderest ear of corn is a thing of beauty. In my small yard in St. Louis Park I have a fairly large vegetable and fruit garden to keep my farming ancestry alive and showcase my green philosophy. I also belong to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. My CSA farmer Richard delivers one box of fresh, organic vegetables each week for my family to enjoy. I make an awesome chocolate zucchini cake and a beans and greens dish sure to please the most sophisticated Italian palette. Richard also provides my family with organic fruit that he gets from his farming friends on the West Coast and in Mexico. For nine months out of the year my produce needs are met by this buying-locally, earth-friendly CSA method which allows my family to know we are being as green as possible where groceries are concerned. I have taken this green philosophy to other areas of my life. Two years ago I began mowing my lawn with a reel mower; that's the type of push mower that's powered only by humans. Although the reel mower might not leave the most manicured lawn, I enjoy the quiet, peaceful mowing experience that saves gas and carbon emissions. Speaking of emissions, I have also reduced my clothes dryer emissions by hanging most of my family's laundry on the line. While my family was in Spain for three weeks in 2007, I noticed that most, if not all, Spanish families hang their clothes on the line from their apartment windows. I figured that if they can do it without a backyard, then I was being wasteful of the planet's resources my using a machine to dry my clothes. Although being green takes a lot of work, I am glad that I have taken a few simple steps to reduce my carbon footprint.


My backyard vegetable garden supplies my family with lots of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, etc.

This is one of my favorite family farm photos. It features my father and his sister, Sr. Aelred, in the 1950's working in our family garden.

Course Syllabus

Course Description

English 10 refines the language arts skills of reading, literary analysis, writing, vocabulary development, research, critical thinking, speaking, listening, visual literacy, and digital literacy. Some selections align with the World History sophomore course so that students can make interdisciplinary connections. Selections include both Western and non-Western texts that reflect diversity in race, gender, age, economics and geography. In addition, students will contribute to a class blog to create an online learning community that extends classroom discussions.

Regular instruction in vocabulary will use both explicit lessons and vocabulary specific to the literature being studied in class. Vocabulary words have been chosen that appear on an SAT Vocabulary study list.

Intensive writing instruction will help students develop thinking skills and a personal voice. Students will write one formal, typed assessment each quarter for a total of four formal assessments per year. Essay assignments throughout the year will include multiple modes such as narrative, persuasion, and critical analysis. Grammar and usage review will include explicit lessons, but focus on using correct conventions in writing. Writing instruction and assessment will use the Six Traits of writing, rubrics and exemplars. Students will write a major research paper during third quarter.

Major Texts in Each Unit

Identity and the Journey as a Universal Ritual:

• The Namesake
• Siddhartha
• The Road
• The Odyssey
• O, Brother Where Art Thou?

Ethical Dilemmas: Individual vs. Society:

• All My Sons
• Macbeth
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Much Ado About Nothing

Cultures Collide:

• Nectar in a Sieve
• Things Fall Apart
• The Mission
• Bride and Prejudice

Persecution:

• Night
• Choice Unit: In the Time of the Butterflies, Slaughterhouse 5 or The Weight of All Things
• Persepolis
• Rabbit Proof Fence

Ongoing areas of study:

• Visual and Digital Literacies
• Poetry
• Vocabulary
• Writing, grammar, usage, and mechanics
• Reading Comprehension and Analysis

Literature Selection at EHS

1. Literature that is studied and read as part of a course has "been sited for excellence by an independent source (for example it has won literary awards, received positive reviews by independent book reviewers and/or recommendations from professional organizations, etc.) and/or the author has been sited for excellence by an independent source.

2. Students should read and analyze a variety of literature in print, auditory and visual texts including fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction; literature should be both classic and contemporary and cover a variety of diversity topics including race, gender, age, economics, and geography.

3. In grades 9-12 literature studied moves from young adult literature to adult works of fiction and non-fiction.

My Beliefs

• I believe in a safe working environment for all of my students.
• I believe in the power of texts to help people understand the world and the human condition.
• I believe that I have a responsibility to prepare you for the real world to work and think on a critical, analytical level in a media-infused 21st century.
• I believe that through English 10 you will learn to write more fluently, read more deeply, question more critically, and empathize more compassionately.
• I believe that student engagement is the critical element in learning and achievement.
• I believe in nurturing a respectful, working relationship with each student that also recognizes the passions and interests of my students.
• I believe in social justice and educational reform.
• I believe in all of you!!!

My Expectations of Students

• Work: Show up for class—physically and mentally. Your fellow students and I need you here. Your primary purpose is to participate in your learning and to produce work that contributes to the good of our class community. As Michael Hartoonian, scholar of education and public policy, says, “Work that we do to improve our personal circumstances always affects others. If we do good work, that good radiates to others. Of course, poor or bad work also radiates to others, causing a general decline in the wealth of the community.” Knowledge, which you gain through work, is key to successful citizenship in a multicultural world. To this end, expect homework each night and prepare to speak in class each day.

• Respect: At all times, be respectful of scholarship, of yourself, of each other, and of me. We are in this together.

• Belong: Foster community by taking care of each other, being ready for anything, and appreciating the differences that each person brings to class.

Grading

Grades are figured according to the following scale based on cumulative point totals:

100-93% A
92-90% A-
89-87% B+
86-83% B
82-80% B-
79-77% C+
76-73% C
72-70% C-
69-67% D+
66-63% D
62-60% D-
59-0% F

Academic Integrity

Consider that your character and good name cannot be easily reclaimed once you make the decision to cheat. If you do decide to cheat or plagiarize in any portion of the academic work for the course, you will earn a zero for the assignment and may be referred to administration for disciplinary action. Do not compromise your integrity by cheating. Please pay attention to penalties for scholastic and academic dishonesty outlined on page 18 of the student handbook, and be aware that cheating is both the giving and the receiving of answers on a test or assignment.

English 10 Policies

Major papers: Major papers will be accepted within a 3-5 day amnesty window of the due date. While the size of the opening of the amnesty window will remain at my discretion, I will alert you to the dates when major papers are assigned. This should give you ample time to complete the paper on time and resolve any technical or personal issues that may arise. As long as your paper is handed in within the window, it is considered "on time" and will be graded without penalty. Papers are graded in the order that they were handed in. If you hand in your paper one day after the time frame window has closed, 25% will be taken off of your final score, resulting in a C being the highest possible grade that you could earn on that paper. If you hand in the paper any time after that, 50% will be taken off of your final score. All major papers will be worth 100 points. If you are absent on the closing due date, the paper needs to be emailed to me that day by 8:30 a.m. as an attachment if it is to be graded without penalty. Additionally, you must plan to hand in a hard copy of your paper upon your return to school.

Daily work: Research indicates that assigning homework, providing timely feedback, and obtaining assessment of student learning are important in enhancing the teaching-learning process. The purpose of homework is to either prepare you for the following day’s lesson, or to enhance and practice the skills learned in the previous lesson. This purpose is lost if the homework is not completed on time. For this reason, late homework will not be accepted. However, two times per quarter an extra credit assignment will be given that extends a student's learning, and students may complete that new learning assignment to make-up for lost daily points.

Tests: If you are absent the day of a major test, you will need to attend the make-up test session that I schedule. Make-up tests are comprised of short answer questions, while the regular test will have a variety of question types, including multiple choice. Retesting is not allowed. Be prepared for tests the first time.

Reading Check Quizzes: Occasionally, you may need to complete a quiz on the previous night’s reading assignment. Quizzes may be unannounced. If you are absent and miss a reading check quiz, you will need to complete questions on the reading instead of taking a make-up quiz. Completing the questions will excuse you from the missing test, but will not be worth points.

The Notebook: All students will be expected to maintain a classroom composition notebook that includes comprehensive classroom notes, journal entries, daily assignments, vocab lists, etc. The notebook will also have a detailed table of contents. The individual pages of the notebook will be checked at random during class every two weeks. After an absence, it is your responsibility to check with a trusted classmate and to copy down the notes that you missed within two days of returning to school.

Mice and New Carpet

There are mice in the building, and they move into any classroom where food or sugary drinks reside. In addition, we have brand new carpet, which is awesome, but hasn't happened since 1990. We don’t want mice, and we don’t want to ruin our new carpet. To that end, water ONLY (no additives) is allowed in this room. Please use reusable water bottles as there is only paper recycling in this room. Go GREEN!!!

Supplies

Please have the following supplies in class by Thursday, September 10:

In Your Backpack each day . . .

• a single subject notebook that is used exclusively for English 10
• a pen, pencil, and highlighter
• a planner or some way to keep track of assignments and tests
• index cards if you like making vocabulary flashcards

Please bring two of the bulleted items below to leave in Room 271 for common use . . .

• box of facial tissue
• bottle of hand sanitizer
• container of disinfecting wipes
• package of loose leaf paper
• a package of construction paper
• a pack of printer paper
• package of four glue sticks
• adult size scissors
• packs of markers
• package of 24 pencils

Remember all supplies are due on Thursday, September 10 when I will check them off for daily work points.

Keeping in Touch
If you have any questions or feel as though you need additional help throughout the semester, please ask! I am available most days before and after school in my classroom. Please call or email with any questions or concerns. I’m looking forward to sharing a productive and enjoyable year together! I believe in you!!!

Ms. Jackie Roehl
Room 271
952-848-3043
jacroehl@edina.k12.mn.us