ELA Correcting - Half Day

Tomorrow afternoon we will be gathering together to correct practice exams for the 11th grade ELA exam. Students wrote a task two essay yesterday in the cafeteria. In addition to correcting the exams, I think we should:

• discuss ways to help students write about nonfiction
• define the different types of writing we want to see at each grade level

* * * * * * * *
Here are a list of concerns that we noticed:

• use a quotation..."Miss, no one's speaking"
• quotations/citations from article given, but in isolation...not connected or explained why significant.
• one stat from chart (if at all), or chart reference not tied in well
  
• message not addressed to senator or inappropriate tone
• too much personal info
• very poor organization and/or no paragraphs, topic sentences , transitions,
  
• thesis not supported by text, examples, analysis etc.
• too much summary from articles...
  

ELA Practice Exam Information & Fluency

Points of Interest:
* On March 26th, many of our juniors will be taking a practice exam in the cafeteria. They will be taking Task II. On March 27th (a half day), we will correcting these exams as a department. On April 24th, we will have most of our juniors take the Task III. On April 25th (a half day), we will be correcting these exams as a department.
* Fluency Update: Remember, Anne wants us to work in 5 minutes of fluency a day. This could mean many different techniques. I have a nice chart in my room, and my scanner is working again, so I'll post it later today. BTW, I have a bevy of fluency information in my classroom, so if you're interested and have an itchy fluency finger, stop on by 305. Also, Anne will be sending out grade level fluency assessments in May, which we are to administer four times. We are going to be recording the data, and forwarding this information back to her.

Vertical Team Meeting 3/15/6

This morning the AP Vertical team met in the library to further discuss ways to integrate AP strategies across each grade level. We were kind of at a static point, as we did not meet last week and we were kind of treading water with syntax. So, we kind of took a mental inventory, discussed English department stuff (which will be in a separate post), and then we talked about plans going forward.

Here were the main talking points:

• From now on, we are going to meet on Wednesdays as close to7:30 as humanly possible. The library provides a nice transparent meeting place, provides copy opportunities for we late planners (ok, for me :)).
  
• We decided that if we are seriously working to address what we are talking about addressing, then we need to have a contingency plan for any department turnover that may occur from year to year. On that note, we will be creating a department AP resource so we can easily share strategies, aims, and goals to any new members.
• Cheryl shared that she has started to use the S.I.F.T. method of analysis with her students. In her own words, she is "really into SIFT right now." Anyhoo, we're going come to next meeting armed with some sort of handout or graphic organizer related to this technique for analysis. Tis our homework.
  
• I've just recently decided that I like to use different colored fonts. Lookout if I figure out invisotext.
• We decided that the blog is cool, and Cheryl admitted that she has been "blogbad" by reading and not posting messages. We are/were all very impressed with her usage/creativity. She promised many 4:50 am posts in the very near future.
  
• Back to business...our other homework is to read from page 54-60 in our AP Vertical Teams Guide.
• I shared that all students will continue to take AP Language.

If I'm forgetting anything AP related, let me know in the comment section, or add your very own post!

Liberty Partnership Tutors

I spoke with Theresa Bonito the other day about the tutors available in the library. It is the overall wish of those in high places that these tutors escape the library and get into specific classrooms. Here is their schedule. (Notice the availability of Mack alums Casey Wisniewski and Mallory Mendolera!)

Poetry Speaks

Just a reminder...Mrs. Barton ordered some wonderful resources which I shared at a department meeting earlier in the year. Poetry Speaks is a collection of recordings of "canonical poets" reading their own works. Lots of good stuff in here...Tennyson, Whitman, Yeats, Frost, WCW, Hughes, Roethke, Brooks, Ginsberg, etc. Anyway, if you want to use it, come up and see me. It's in our department collection. Below I have posted the cover page and track list.

Discussion of "Syntax" in AP Vertical Team Blog

Hey folks...so, next Friday we're discussing "Syntax"...something I know I don't have a great handle on. It's going to be a learning experience for me, to say the least. Throughout the next week, if you have a comment on the chapter, or a question, or whatever, post it in the comments section.

AP Vertical Team Meeting 2/15/6

Today, three of us met in my room to discuss integrating strategies from the AP Vertical team guide in order to help transform the way we collectively go about our business.

Today, the topic of discussion was diction. We discussed the following:

• LEAD (Low or Informal Diction, Elevated Language or Formal Diction, Abstract and Concrete Diction, Denotation and Connotation) - This is an acronym the guide suggests for helping students indentify AND analyze diction in a work. We discussed how younger students would be able to handle identifying the level of diction, and the methods we could use to help scaffold them up to the analytical task.
• Vocabulary/Connotation - We acknowledged that connotation is a bit more difficult for younger students, which led us into a general discussion of vocabulary intruction department wide. Many times we have a hard time getting students to recognize and understand complex words, much less the meanings suggested by the words. We talked about the things we do when we "do" vocabulary. We also talked about working to create a vocab list. We weren't sure about the overall setup, but its a discussion we'd like to revisit. More on that later.
• We decided that next Wednesday, February 21st, we will have a working meeting to discuss and develop some semblance of a list of vocabulary words. (We should probably take into account the thematic units being discussed/developed at the lead teacher meetings.)
• We will discuss the section titled "Syntax" from 36-53 for next Friday, February 23rd.

Finally, we hope that more department members will attend these meetings. We are being paid through the grant, and think it is a great opportunity to talk about structuring and improving our instruction. If you can't, try to read along, and comment in the next post titled "Syntax".


(I am adding this note as I will be printing out this post to insert into people's mailboxes. Hey, check out our blog at www.mackenglishdept.blogspot.com! I'm posting any and all department information, so if you don't, you're missing out.)

Major Assignments/Test Dates for 2/20-2/23

Please post your major assignments or test dates for next week in the comments section of this post. Please do this by Thursday night so I can add them to the school website by Friday afternoon.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Posting Weekly Assignments to School Website

Mrs. Barton has requested that each teacher post major assignments and test dates to the school website. Mr. Hughes has provided me with access to the website in order to post these assignments. I will be posting assignments for teachers each Friday during 7th/8th period.

You may get this information to me in the following ways:

• email me at malleyjoel@yahoo.com
• post your assignments in the comment section of the post I'm about to create (I'd prefer this)(If you are reading this note on a piece of paper, the blog address is www.mackenglishdept.blogspot.com)
  
• write them down and shoot them in my mailbox (least preferable option)

Remember, we are being asked to post assignments for the following week. So, by Friday, please pass along your major assignment due dates or test dates for the week of 2/20-2/23.

Random Notes from the Underground

Hello folks...a few things:

Vertical Team Meeting 2/8/6
I owe Cheryl & Mia an apology. Yesterday I remembered that my meeting was this morning, so I spoke to Cheryl and then forgot to update everyone else. I knew that I had a meeting, but did not make the connection between that meeting and our meeting. Many apologies.

After I speak to Mia, we'll go from there.

Language Walk Through
The The Language! walkthrough scheduled for 2/14 has been rescheduled for March 21st. Robin is the only one who will be affected by this, but everyone else should make sure their respective house is in order (I don't know what I mean...I know I'm making sure my room is presentable. Cachinga.)

Door Design Contest
As I mentioned at the faculty meeting, and as displayed on the assignment sheet I popped in your mailbox yesterday, McKinley is doing an interhouse door design contest. Here is the assignment sheet in case you misplaced it.


Lead Teachers Meeting 2/8/7
We met this morning at Burgard High School. Julie Romain presided. We discussed a number of things, which are outlined below:

• Workshops for 3/28 Superintendent's Day - Julie is looking for workshop ideas for this date. She wants to know the type of professional development teachers are looking for. So, if you have any ideas, either email her directly through Lotus notes or shoot some ideas to me and I'll forward them. So far, we proposed Pre-AP strategies, Task 2 strategies, and a few more that I can't remember. Technology maybe. Something about books. Anyhoo, if you're looking for guidance, get some info to her (her email address is most likely jromain@buffaloschools.org...if not...look it up in the district address book that accompanies Lotus notes).
• AP Workshops - AP Language teachers and myself will be attending an AP workshop on 3/28. If we can think of any specific things we want the presenter to...present...we should send him suggestions at oman9@aol.com. His name is Frasier O'Leary and he did a 4-7 pm workshop for AP Literature teachers.
• Book Selection Rubric - We are continuing to hone the book selection process. At this point we have developed a rough rubric. We are making sure that books have a good combination of literary merit, scope (diversity/culture/cross curricular possibilities), accessibility (reading interest/appropriateness/reading level), and thematic relevance.
  
• Remember, thematic relevance means how well the works fit with the themes we will be using by grade level. If you've forgotten, 9th grade will be "Rites of Passage/Coming of Age," "Struggle for Self Definition," "Loss of Innocence," and "Journeys, Pilgramages, and Quests for Enlightenment." 10th grade will be "Crossing Borders: The Immigrant Experience," "Overcoming Obstacles," and "Our Heritage: The Family Saga." 11th grade will be "The Decline of the American Dream," "Alienation of the Individual," "Changing Landscapes: Cities, Factories, & Capitalism," and "Social Inequalities." 12th grade will be "Magical Realism," "Mystery; Reality and Illusion," "Romanticism/Victorian Ideals," and "Science Fiction and Fantasy." For the record, I hate the 12th grade stuff and will actively campaign for something different. Just don't tell anyone (smirk).

Anyways, if there are questions, comments, or concerns, let me know via email, air mail, in person, or via the comments.

Even More Contests & Boquard's Tech Infusion Link

Susquehanna U puts together a publication for student writing and photography. Here goes:

The Journalism Department of the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University (that's a mouthful) is having a high school journalism contest about the importance of the availability of free media. Word.



Lastly, Lesley put a sheet in all of our mailboxes which described Project Poster. Here's the link: Project Poster. Looks pretty neat.

Man...It's Been Busy

Miscellaneous department news and notes:

I know most of us have information on the Carter G. Woodson Essay Contest. If you missed it, here's the flyer:


Also, Lesley showed this contest to me earlier in the week. Looks interesting.

Also, Buffalo State College just contacted me seeking mentor teachers for Methods students. They are required to complete 20 hours of fieldwork and 10 hours of tutoring at a site specified by the college. This fieldwork should include "some general observations, the opportunity to experience duties of teachers outside the classroom (for example: extracurricular activities after school, planning time, team meetings, etc.) and actual teaching time"(emphasis added by Buffalo State). If you are interested, call Wynnie Fisher at 878-5501 or email her at fisherwl@bscmail.buffalostate.edu.

Also, Studio Arena contacted me and let me in on the fact that next year they will be performing To Kill a Mockingbird. It's special knowledge, only available to me, you, and every other Joe Teacher that responded to their survey.

Lastly, I will be posting minutes from the last AP Vertical Team meeting shortly. Grades, grading and other miscellany have really mired me in morass.

AP Vertical Team Discussion Post - Pgs. 13-25

Okey dokey, Dukey. We're undertaking the beginning of the literary analysis chapter of the APVTGfE. Remember, we want to try to think about instituting terminology and common methods schoolwide and decide how to introduce and build these skills from 9th - 12th grade.

For comments, suggestions, etc., click on the "comments" link directly underneath this post.

Materials Request

Marty needs the following:

• 60-65 10th grade Interactive Readers. I don't know if we have any more of these. If you know the whereabouts of any, let me know.
  
• the teacher assessment book for the 9th grade McDougall Littell textbooks (orange edition). If anyone has this, let her or I know. She would like to copy something out of there and only will need it for an hour.
  

AP Vertical Team Meeting 1/25 7:30

Before the Meeting: The Vertical Team was to read pages 1-12 of the AP Vertical Team's Guide for English

Minutes: Generally, we discussed different points raised by the AP VTGfE. These included:

• the overall look and feel of our vertical team. We decided to skip the ice breakers, and headed straight to the overall schematics.
  
• the need for gathering information about the incoming freshmen. With a change in curriculum, it is necessary to inquire about the ELA experiences incoming freshmen will be bringing to us in the 2007-2008 school year
• the need to develop common methods and terminology for the various things we do. The guide includes different strategies that support the type of thinking necessary for AP Language & Literature. In the coming months, while reading through the guide, we are planning on isolating strategies which are integral. We will then implement these strategies slowly this year, ultimately planning on wider implementation in 2007-2008.
• the possibility of creating student writing portfolios that follow students throughout their high school careers. These portofolios would be started with next year's incoming class
• the possibility of securing funds to buy AP materials & for training
  

Next Meeting: 2/1/7

Next Meeting Items: Read APVTGfE 13-24 in order to discuss S.I.F.T. method of literary analysis. Discuss schoolwide vertical implementation methods.

Fluency Update

Fluency stats must be completed by Wednesday, February 7th. Remember, at the very least, I need pre and post test results. It would help if could do a quick Excel document and provide the overall averages for each grade level that you teach. Talk to me if this is too large a technological mountain to climb.

AP Vertical Team Meeting

The AP Vertical planning team will be meeting Thursday, January 25th at 7:30 am to discuss backmapping the curriculum. So far the team consists of Chambers, Albano, Doerfel, Boquard, and myself. If anyone else wants to get on board, feel free to come.

I am giving you a copy of the College Board publication we will be using as a guide. It is in your mailbox. If you are coming, we are reading up to page 12 for next Thursday. This introductory chapter discusses the usefulness of Pre-AP.

Department Meeting - 7:40 am

We met as a department this morning in Mr. Hughes' room. Issues discussed:

* Blogger - Check the site every couple of days. It'll only take five minutes. We're going to post tons of stuff on here. I'm going to use this as my main way of disseminating department information. If you accept my invitation to join, you can post directly to the site as well. This could be a great tool for discussion. Hopefully, it will help increase dialogue and remove isolation.

* AP Vertical Planning teams - Ms. Doerfel, Mrs. Chambers, Ms. Albano, Mrs. Boquard, and myself have signed on to use the College Board's AP Vertical Planning Guide to help us backmap the curriculum. There are a lot of acronym type analysis methods and rhetorical strategies in that guide that could be implemented across grade levels. If we as a department could start to use the same language when discussing literary analysis, and the same language when discussing composition, I think we could make serious gains with student understanding (and, by extension, test scores). Likewise if we all use similar language in discussing composition and rhetoric. Common language, common goals...giddeyup.

* Barack Obama "What if McKinley Read the Same Book" & Schoolwide Memoir contest - Ms. Albano shared that Gear Up is ordering the Obama books today, so we should have 150 soon. We're going to start the memoir contest now, and this will lead up to the book project. We're creating a blog for the memoir & book thingy...we'll post the address ASAP.

* Regents Practice Task 2 - Back in September, we raised the possibility of doing a sample task 2 essay with all the juniors. The English department would then grade the papers based on the Regents rubric, fill out a rubric, and then give feedback. We could then discuss patterns that we noticed and areas that need strengthening. We're going forward with it. Details to come.

* Fluency - I need fluency stats as soon as possible. I need them by my February lead teacher meeting. I need post test and pre test results (or vice versa). Per Anne, make sure you are addressing fluency.

That's about it. If I remember anything else, I'll post it.

Department Meeting Thursday, January 18th

Last week we had to cancel our department meeting as I had to be somewhere else. We need to meet and discuss the following issues:

• AP Vertical Planning - Read the post below on putting together a team to help backmap the curriculum.
• Fluency - We need to assemble stats by February. It is Anne's expectation that each of us are pretesting fluency, employing strategies in our classroom, and giving a post-test to guage overall gains (or losses).
• ELA 11 Practice Exam - Per previous, Mia and others raised the idea of giving a practice ELA task to the juniors and grading them as a department. This would help us get a better sense of where the 11th graders stand, as well helping to norm our collective understanding of the rubric and grading procedures.
• Bloggedy Blog - BLOG...HUH...WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING, SAY IT AGAIN, CHIL' (Seriously...let us discuss some possibilities.)
  

McKinley's Memoir "Contest"

Hello. Hope you've enjoyed your weekend,

We've been talking about having a schoolwide push to have students write a memoir and then assemble the best pieces into an anthology. We were going to do this in conjunction with our "What if McKinley Read the Same Book" Barack Obama project. Now, we haven't received the books from Gear Up yet, and both the Senator's office and Random House publishing declined my request for book donations (Senator underling said taxpayer $ cannot donate books, publisher gave us an offer of a whopping discount (yeah right...$.40 under the price Amazon is offering)).

Anyway, I want to push on with the memoir project. All the cool kids are doing it. I'm posting the handout sheet here, and I'll come around with copies. Push it to your kids. We're going to have announcements for the next few weeks and a few other promotional activities.

Here's the "contest" sheet: