Reflections on Weeks 7-9

With fall break and homecoming, time has gotten away from me, and I have not posted for a bit. We are charging on in class.

Honors English 10 (1st & 2nd Hours):

Students finished the Shakespeare Authorship essays, and I am impressed. Most students did a fine job developing a cohesive argument and supporting it. We will need to work more with sentence variety and style, but they are on the way.

We began reading Night by Eli Wiesel and worked with two new strategies for literary analysis. I need to work more explicitly with these strategies next time we use them. I think they will work with more practice.

We wrapped up week 9 with a bit of Poe in honor of Halloween.

College Bound English 3:

Students finished argumentative essays, and we will hit those again after a review of sentence structure, organization, and paragraphing. English 3 has also been reading Poe and Irving. We will continue on with selections from Dickinson, Thoreau, and Emerson. Students are responding well to this period in literature. We'll finish this unit with an expository essay.

Art 2:

We have been working with Renaissance artists, and students have spent two weeks studying various artists and innovations of the period. On Monday they will be able to choose from a large number of project options to demonstrate their understanding.

Art 3:

Landscapes are underway, and next week students will learn to paint using a pallet knife technique. This one should be interesting because it forces students to loosen up and work primarily with texture and color.

Art 4:

Portfolios are in process, and my AP students are seeing how much work it takes to produce 24 self-directed pieces. This is not an easy endeavor.

Reflections on Week 6

Honors ELA 10:

Shakespeare Authorship Question! Students are researching who really wrote the works attributed to Shakespeare and then writing an argumentative essay defending an author. It should provide some interesting results. Students will post their findings on a web page dedicated to the project. 

CBELA 11:

Students are creating argumentative presentations or essays. Because I did not supply the topic, some students are struggling to get going, and I am struggling to help them find their way. Students who have a strong area of interest are doing well thus far. We are working with the writing process, especially thesis statements, for this essay.

Art 2:

Medieval art--students learned about the history and art of the Medieval period and compared it to the artworks produced during the ancient/classical periods. Students are eagerly awaiting the project that goes with this unit.

Art 3:

Figure drawing--this is a struggle for most students, so we are working closely on the proportions of the human figure, how to exaggerate features to reveal character, and how to create a sense of movement in the form.

Art 4:

Portfolios are coming along, and the kiln designs are ready. It's time to start the build soon!