Congratulations on having your sophomores already 25% of the way through their sophomore year! Time goes so quickly, but I've seen a great deal of growth already in their completion of assignments, in the quality of their work and of their writing, in their willingness to discuss and share their ideas, and in the level of books they're reading. I had them self-assess their growth for the first quarter, and the reflection sheet is in their portfolio, ready for you to look at during conferences on Wednesday (5:00-8:00) and Thursday (4:00-7:00). I plan to have the portfolios alphabetized by period on a table outside my door. You are welcome to look through your son's or daughter's portfolio and then return it to the table. Some were a little nervous about having their parents read their writing :-), but I think you'll be impressed by the skills and the honesty of their writing.
Conferences are supposed to be limited to five minutes, which is nearly impossible for a verbose English teacher :-), so I'm hoping that the opportunity to examine your child's assessments while you're waiting will help to give you a fuller portrait of him/her than I can do in five minutes. If, by the way, you have some weighty or lengthier issues to discuss with me, you might want to e-mail me to set up a different time. I just don't want you to be frustrated by the five-minute time period.
In terms of curriculum, we are finishing the Middle Ages currently and heading into Macbeth after Thanksgiving. As a finale, students will be asked to videotape a scene from the play, using an original theme or setting, such as Macbeth done as a gangster film or on a ranch in Texas. They always have great fun with this and show amazing creativity.
We've been working a great deal on writing, as you probably know, and I'm seeing great strides. As an entire group, they are stronger writers than in recent years--a cause for rejoicing! If your son or daughter asks you for feedback, however, here is a list of specifics that we have been working on in class:
- Writing a clear, specific, succinct thesis statement
- Incorporating clear topic sentences and some type of concluding or transitional statement
- Elaboration using anecdote, quotations, statistics, description, examples, and details
- "Showing," not telling
- Eliminating "you"
- Tying back to the thesis or central idea throughout the paper
- Elevating word choice without losing voice or clarity
- Considering one's audience
- Longer is not necessarily better
I'm also asking them to raise the level of their outside reading choices a bit, especially if they've only been reading popular fiction. If you haven't read a classic or a piece of literary fiction lately, you might want to start a two-person or family book club! A list of suggested titles is on my website.
I hope that I get to meet you at conferences to thank you for having such outstanding, kind, smart, and energetic children! It is truly a blessing to teach Pre-AP Literature. Thank you so much for sending your children to us to make that happen.
If I don't see you at conferences, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Brooke Dillon
