Homework due Tuesday, September 28th

1st and 4th periods should finish reading chapter 4 of Before We Were Free, and be prepared to answer comprehension questions in class tomorrow.

2nd period should finish reading chapter 5 of Before We Were Free, and be prepared to answer comprehension questions in class tomorrow. They should also write a BCR describing Anita's character traits and make predictions about how they believe these traits will influence the rest of the story.

*Students are encouraged to obtain copies of their own, but I am giving them time in class to read and they may borrow copies from me as long as they return them by homeroom the next day.

Homework due Thursday, September 23rd

Students should complete a role sheet for their literature circles. The role sheets should cover chapters 1-2 of Before We Were Free, which we read together in class today. Students worked out who would be responsible for each role in their groups:

summarizer
connector
questioner
vocabulary master
illustrator*


*only in groups of 5 students

Welcome to Mrs. Heister's class!

I hope everyone had a relaxing summer. I am looking forward to working with you this year and I hope that we can use this blog to make communication about class assignments a little easier. I will update this blog frequently with homework and project assignments, as well as reminders about assessments. Check the blog when you miss a day of school to see what the assignments were.

Make sure to finish your summer reading books ASAP if you haven't already. We will be discussing the books in class this week (September 7th-10th) and the projects are due on Friday, September 10th. We will also take the summer reading test on Wednesday, September 8th. Make sure you start the year off on a positive note by preparing for these assignments.

Please join goodreads.com as soon as you can. You will need an email address to start an account. Please save your account log in information somewhere safe so that you do not have any problems logging in throughout this school year. I will occasionally assign homework that must be posted on goodreads.com, so please make sure that you use your first name and last initial when you create your account. If you use a nickname you will not get credit for your work. Once you have created an account please join the Paul PCS group. You can find the group by clicking on groups at the top of the page and entering Paul PCS into the groups search box. You will have to ask permission to join the group and wait for me to approve you so that we can keep the group private.

Please contact me any time with questions or concerns at LHeister@paulcharter.org

Sincerely,

Mrs. Heister

Homework due Thursday, May 13th

2nd period: Read Act 1, Scenes II-IV of Romeo and Juliet and be prepared to answer a few questions

All other periods: Answer the questions on the handout you were given on Tuesday. Make sure that your answers are several sentences long and that you explain your answers.

Homework for Tuesday/Wednesday

Find a poem to bring in and share with the class. Think about the best way to read it aloud, paraphrase it, identify the author/speaker's purpose, and identify the theme.

(all periods except 2nd period)

Collaborative Historical Context Project (2nd period only)

Students should work with their group partners to create a 10 minutes lesson on one aspect of the historical context of Shakespeare. Student should create visuals to present to the class and a one page paper to turn in to me at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

Language

Rashaad

Meheret

Jessica

Style and Costumes

Cameron

David

Chantel

Entertainment

Chidinma

Carron

Joel

Jade

Royalty

Curtis

James

Daiquon

Shakespeare

Kimberly

Ebony

Lyndejia

Mion

Laws/government

Marques

Natnael

Whitney

Keisha

Culture and Customs

Naomi

Sydney

Nadja

Jennifer

Due Friday, March 26th

The final project for our current literature circle books is due this Friday. Students should turn it in to me before homeroom on Friday morning.

The project was to create a study guide for the book, similar to Cliffs Notes.

1. Summarys for each chapter
2. A personal response to the book as a whole
3. A description of the theme of the book
4. Five discussion questions

This project should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font and double spaced.

Persuasive Essay Project

The first draft of the persuasive essay is due this Friday, March 19th. It does not need to be typed, but it should include evidence to support the argument.

The final draft is due next Wednesday, March 24th. The final draft must have a separate title page and be a minimum of one page typed, 12 point font and double spaced.

Due Tuesday/Wednesday

Tomorrow and Wednesday are block scheduling so the following assignments are due on the day your student has class with me:

1. Quiz on Persuasive Writing: see notes from related powerpoint, etc.
2. A few sentences describing the topic your student wants to write his or her persuasive essay on and a brief description about what evidence he or she will be using


Reminders:
a. the extra credit assignment is due on Wednesday
b. students who wish to retake the characterization quiz must do so by Wednesday

Extra Credit Project Due Wednesday, March 17th

Length: One page minimum

Format: Typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, standard margins, black ink, Title, etc. on a separate title page

Ø One paragraph: describing the author

Ø One paragraph: describing the context of the time period in which the book was set, including real facts and events from that historical time period

Ø One paragraph: your response about how the setting influenced the story, this should be entirely from you; don’t use any other sources here!

Content: Research the author and setting of your literature circle book. You must cite any sources you use or the paper will not count for credit.

Analysis: Discuss how you feel the setting influenced the story.

Homework due Thursday, March 11th

Outline the your debate team's argument. Your outline should include:

1. A statement of your topic and position
2. A description of your argument, including evidence
3. How you will rebut your opponents' argument
4. A summary of your argument

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Paul will be open for parent-teacher conferences this Friday from 12-7pm. I hope to see you!

Homework due Tuesday, March 9th

Students need to bring in supporting evidence for their group debates. This evidence can be statistics, interviews with students, parents, or teachers, examples of relevant case studies, etc.

Homework due Tuesday/Wednesday

Write a BCR describing the exposition of your new literature circle book*.

* I know a few of you have not yet received your books. I have the list and you may complete this assignment for full credit as soon as you get the book.

Access Code

Apparently the access code is only good for 10 hours after I create it. Please email me when you are ready to start the assessment and I will email you the code.

Trouble with the access code

When you go to the link, click on the blue button labelled "benchmark". A new window will pop up and that is where you enter your code. Sorry about that!

Snowmageddon

I just wanted to write a quick note and say hello to anyone who is checking this! I hope everyone is safe and enjoying the time off from school. I am actually stuck in Houston, so I'm staying warm, but my thoughts are with DC.

I'm not sure if I will see you this week or not, but just so we make the best use of our instructional time, please spend at least 30 minutes a day reading.

Also, I have created a practice test to help us get ready for the DC-CAS. If you complete the assessment, I will give you a homework credit that can be used to make up a 1 credit homework assignment that you have already missed, or to add to a multi-credit homework assignment on which you lost points.

Click on the link below to begin the assessment. Enter the access code for your class period. Under name, please enter your first name. Please do not enter your full name and do not use any nicknames or you will not be able to receive your credit.

student assessment

First Period: C03512 (I believe the "0" is a zero, but if it doesn't work, try a capital "oh")

Second: D72730

Fourth: B85089

Sixth: F92425

Seventh: D72987

Homework due Friday, January 28th

Please sign the updated rules handout and have a parent or guardian sign it. It is due at the beginning of class tomorrow.



2010: A Year of Self Discipline and Responsibility

Please make note of a few new rules . . .

Ø Late homework will no longer be accepted. It must be turned in as you enter the classroom. You may not go to your locker to get it, so come to class prepared!

Ø 10 percentage points will be taken off for every school day a project is late. After 10 days, the project will no longer be accepted because the total points possible = 0.

Ø All class work must be completed in pencil or blue or black pen. Students may not use other colors on homework or assessments. I will not accept assignments that do not follow this guideline.

Ø All projects must be submitted in hard copy format. That means that no electronic submissions will be accepted. (Hand me a paper print out, do not email a project to me.)

Ø Projects must be printed in advance; therefore, if a students needs to print a project in class on the day it is due, it will be considered 1 day late.

Ø Missed assessments must be made up within two days of the student’s return to class. I will try to remind you, but ultimately it is your responsibility. Assessments not made up within this time will be counted as a “0”.

Ø Binders will be checked every Friday. Students will lose credit for missing notes or returned work.


What I plan on doing to help . . .

Ø I am available every day after school for homework help. If you have a problem, talk to me! I would love to help you, but I can’t if you don’t ask.

Ø I check my email constantly. If you have a question outside of school hours, email me and I will get back to you ASAP. lheister@paulcharter.org

Ø I will be more diligent about updating my blog with a list of upcoming assignments and any relevant rubrics. mrsheister.blogspot.com



Please sign below to indicate that you have read these updated rules and understand the consequences. You should also have your parent(s) or guardian(s) sign do indicate that they have done the same. I will check this for homework on Friday, January 29th. You should then put this in your binder.


________________________
Parent/Guardian signature


________________________
Student signature

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

My rating: 3 of 5 stars I struggled with the rating for this book. It has great potential, but the author made some key mistakes that really hurt the book. The resolution was a let down and there were too many long winded descriptions of exotic meals in a million different countries. Maybe that is why it was 700 pages! View all my reviews >>