SENIORS: We focused on the last two sections of the Personal Statement Essay (After Graduation and Conclusion).

SOPHOMORES: Some of you finished the Practice CAHSEE, some of you redid the Works Cited page from the Argument Unit,  and some of you did some extra CAHSEE practice.

SENIORS: We had a guest speaker today who gave us some great info about jobs in technology.  Continue with your personal statement essay or anything else that you need to catch up on.  Check your work online for comments and corrections.  If I haven't gotten to your work yet, try to make your own revisions (you're going to have to do that in real life anyway, so now is a good time to start!).

SOPHOMORES: We continued with the practice CAHSEE.  If you haven't presented your speech or your debate, keep that ready to go because you will present before the week is done.

SENIORS: Move on to the next two sections of the Personal Statement Essay: Passion/Life Experience and Community Involvement.

SOPHOMORES: Continuing with our quest to not only survive, but excel in the CAHSEE, we did another grammar exercise (#2) and started the CAHSEE practice test (you will have time tomorrow to finish it).  This would be a good time to check Gradebook on Student Connect and make up any missing work, as the grading period for the progress report closes on March 8.

SENIORS: We officially began work on the Personal Statement Essay, concentrating on the first two sections: the Introduction and the Personal Experience sections.  Share with me by this evening.  Homework is unfinished work: the resume', cover letter, and essay questions (with the answers in your notebook).

SOPHOMORES: We started the "How to Survive the CAHSEE" unit.  If you were absent, see me to make arrangements to make up the work.  If you still need to present your speech or debate, we will do that the day you come back to class; so be ready!

SENIORS: No new news!  Enjoy your weekend!

SOPHOMORES: Today we finished the argument unit, with the exception of one debate group in 3rd period.  Monday, we begin our quest to pass the CAHSEE!  Have a great weekend!

SENIORS: Continue with wherever you've left off in the process of completing the paperwork for your Senior Portfolio.  I will be looking at Personal Statement Essays over the weekend.

SOPHOMORES:  We are continuing with the presentations of debates and speeches.  If you haven't presented, make sure you are ready when you come to class with your index cards and works cited page (works cited can be shared through my email).

SENIORS: Today, if I don't receive your resume' and cover letter, you lose 25 points for each (out of a possible 50 for each).  You must have these things for your Senior Portfolio; there is no other option.  So get busy!

SOPHOMORES: We started presentations today.  You will get 15 minutes at the beginning of class to prepare; then I will ask for volunteers, and if we run out of volunteers, then I will randomly call out names.  Have your cards, papers, visuals, and Works Cited page ready to turn in (the Works Cited page can be shared with me through my email).

SENIORS: I need from you today the hard copy of your resume' or you lose 15 points (out of a possible 50).  Also, I need from you today your shared cover letter (with corrections if I made comments; without corrections if you haven't sent it until now).  Lose 15 points if you don't do that.  Everyone should be finished with the resume' and cover letter by now; you've had more than enough time.

SOPHOMORES: Practice with your debate groups or practice your speech with a partner.  If you are writing the essay, make sure it is long enough that, if read out loud, would cover 3-5 minutes.  Everyone needs to have a Works Cited page, ready to turn in along with papers and/or index cards.  Presentations will begin tomorrow.  Good luck!

SENIORS: Please check Gradebook; if you don't have a grade for the resume' and/or the cover letter, concentrate on getting those done first; then move on to the Personal Statement Essay questions (both on my blog and on the school website).  Once you have answered all of the questions, then write the essay, following the format on the website.

SOPHOMORES: We watched the last debate from the movie The Great Debaters, looking for methods.  Also, you should have your information organized for your debate; if you're writing a speech or essay, share your rough draft with me so I can give you feedback before our return from the 4 day weekend.  Don't forget to create a Works Cited page.

SENIORS: Please check your resume and cover letter for corrections; I'm seeing people working on the Personal Statement Essay when the other work isn't done yet.  Get the resume' and cover letter done first, then move on to the essay questions and the essay itself.

SOPHOMORES: We watched the second debate from the movie The Great Debaters, again looking for how the debate is structured, how the debaters present their information, and what kind of evidence the debaters use.  Then, if you're doing the debate, it's time to organize your evidence; if you're doing the speech or the essay, it's time to create the rough draft.  Remember, the final draft/organization is due Feb. 20; the presentations will be on Feb.21 & 22.

SENIORS: We are still working on the portfolio requirements: Resume', Cover Letter, and Personal Statement Essay.  Don't start the essay until you have answered all of the questions on my blog and on the school website.

 SOPHOMORES: We're watching segments of the movie The Great Debaters, specifically, the actual debate segments.  In your notebook, write down what you observe about how a debate is organized, how the debaters present themselves, how the debaters present their information, and what kind of evidence is being used.  We also finished up researching the topics.

SENIORS: My effort to save paper seems to have had a negative effect in that I can't make timely comments on your resume's.  So here's what we're going to do: write the resume' on Word and print it (the Netbooks in my room are connected to my printer).  For the cover letter and personal statement essay, share those with me on googledocs.  I will still look at notebooks for a notebook check, but now they are late and subject to a loss of one grade.

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, respond to the following: What is your strongest piece of evidence?  Why is it the strongest?  Title your response: STRONG.  We continued looking for evidence for your topics, remembering what kind of evidence you need more of: Logos, Pathos, or Ethos.

SENIORS: Tomorrow, I will do a notebook check, looking at your answers to the 3 sets of questions I had on the Promethian Board (and are also listed on past blogs), and all of the questions on the Personal Statement section of the Exhibition Handbook (on the school website).  If needed, continue revising your resume', cover letter, and personal statement essay.

SOPHOMORES: You are continuing with the gathering of information for your Argument Process Piece. Tomorrow, I will do a notebook check; the list of what I will be checking for is on the Feb.4 blog.

SENIORS: If you haven't made corrections to your resume' and cover letter, do so now; my email is overloaded with assignments that aren't being resolved.  Once those things are finished, in your notebook, work on the Personal Statement essay; besides the questions that are on the website, answer the following: Are there things you know now that you wish someone had talked to you about before you embarked on your high school journey?  Is there anything you would change if you could go back and do things differently?  Is there a treasured memory or experience you have that you would like to share?  Or a special thanks to anyone who helped you make your way in high school?

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, respond to following: What tone or attitude are you going to take with your topic?  How will that tone help you get your point across to your audience?  Title your response TONE.  We continued gathering information for the Argument Process Piece.  You should have a T-Chart, listing the pros and cons of your topic, along with the names of your websites so you can later create a Works Cited page.

SENIORS: We continued working on the Personal Statement essay.  Look on the school website for the Senior Exhibition information and, in your notebook, answer the questions about Personal Experience (section 2 of the essay).  Also, answer the following: What do you want to be doing two years from now? Are there any obstacles that you'll need to overcome to get there? Who in your life supports these goals? What is a moment or experience in your life that changed you?  Which ESLR do you identify with most? Do you think you are more of a complex thinker, effective communicator, responsible and self-directed worker, involved citizen, or advocate of a healthy life-style?  What does that mean to you and how do you live it out?

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, respond to the following: What personal connection can you make to your topic?  Is there an anecdote you can use?  We continued researching topics, remembering that the deadline to turn in your work is Feb.20, followed by presentations on the 21st and 22nd.  You don't have as much time as you think: there is no school on Feb. 15 and Feb. 18.

SENIORS: For those of you who have successfully completed the resume' and cover letter, move on to the Personal Statement Essay.  You will find it on the school website.  This will take a few days, and today's focus was on the Introductory Questions; have those answered in your notebook along with the following: What 5 adjectives describe you the most?  What 5 adjectives would a teacher use to describe you? What 5 adjectives would your parents or guardian use?  Do they differ; why?  Where did you grow up?  Who did you live with?  What did you like and dislike about growing up there?
What will you miss most about high school after you graduate?  What will you not miss?  What are you passionate about?  When did you get involved or interested in that?

SOPHOMORES:  We watched a TED TALKS video titled: What Adults can Learn from Kids and wrote in your notebook all the methods the speaker used to get her main idea across.  You also had class time to work on the Argument Process Piece, and I announced that I would be doing a notebook check this Friday.  Here is what I will be looking for: Death Penalty; Jeremy Irons Chart; Prior Knowledge on MLK; Argument Unit Terms; Difference Between Simile, Metaphor, and Allusion; What does it mean to be Compelling?; MLK Word Chart; Significance of Why Clinton Repeats"What Would He Say?"; What Adults Can Learn From Kids; What personal connection do you have to your topic (anecdote)?