NPR Article: "50 Years Later, King's Birmingham Letter Still Resonates" (4/15/2013)

Click here to read the article and/or listen to the NPR broadcast about the long-lasting impact Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" still has over 50 years after its publication.

Homework 1/5-9

English 9:

• RJ vocab. #2 due Thursday at 3:00
• WN #8 due Friday at 3:00

English 10R:

• Read and annotate "Letter from Birmingham Jail" for Monday, 1/12
• "Letter" vocab. due Friday at 3:00
• If you'd like credit for your six-word memoir, turn it in by Friday at 3:00 (optional)

*SSR will be on Friday this week.

English 10H:

• Read and annotate "Letter from Birmingham Jail" for Monday, 1/12
• "Letter" vocab. due Friday at 3:00
• If you'd like credit for your six-word memoir, turn it in by Friday at 3:00 (optional)
• Finish your Quarterly Independent Reading Book and complete your second journal (and third journal, if you are doing extra credit) by midnight on 1/16

*SSR will be on Friday this week.

OF MICE AND MEN SNL Parody

If you are absent tomorrow (Tuesday 12/23) and would like to view the Of Mice and Men parody, click here!

Homework 12/22-23

English 9:

• RJ 1.5 paragraphs revisions due Tuesday at 3:00

English 10R and 10H:

• Turn in your GG and MM books before break!
• Finish your six-word memoirs if you need more time, and turn them in the week you return

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone! Rest up, and read a good book! :)

10H: Preferences for Next Week

Fill out the survey here.

The American Dream in the News 12/10/14

According to this article, a new poll reveals that only 64% of Americans still believe in the American dream.

Homework 12/15-19

English 9:

• RJ 1.1/1.3 characterization paragraphs revisions due Wednesday at 3:00
• WN #7 revisions due Friday at 3:00

English 10R and 10H:

• The American Dream culminating essay draft due Tuesday in class on Google docs; final draft due Friday at 3:00 or before you leave for break, whichever comes first

Grammar Girl's Editing Checklist

Click here to access Grammar Girl's Editing Checklist, complete with links to mini-lessons for your Editing Log—just in time to write your American Dream essays, sophomores!

UPDATED: Homework 12/8-12

English 9:

• WN #7 due Friday at 3:00

English 10R:

• MM vocab./reading quiz on Tuesday
• The American Dream culminating essay draft due 12/16 in class on Google docs; final draft due 12/19 or before you leave for break, whichever comes first

English 10H:

• MM vocab. due Monday at 3:00; revisions due Friday at 3:00
• "Nothing Gold Can Stay" well-developed paragraph will be completed in class on Tuesday
• MM chapters 4-6 and questions due at midnight on Tuesday on Google Docs; comments due Wednesday at midnight
• The American Dream culminating essay draft due 12/16 in class on Google docs; final draft due 12/19 or before you leave for break, whichever comes first

UPDATED: Homework 12/1-5

English 9:

• WN #6 revisions due Thursday at 3:00
• Well-developed paragraphs on Romeo AND Juliet's characterization due Friday at 3:00

English 10R:

• MM chapter 4 questions due on Tuesday at 3:00
• MM vocab. revisions due Wednesday at 3:00
• MM chapters 5-6 questions due on Thursday at 3:00
• "Nothing Gold Can Stay" well-developed paragraph due Friday at 3:00

English 10H:

• Read and annotate the two articles, "The Great Depression" and "Migrant Workers in California" this week. Keep these articles in your notes for future reference.
• FSF/Gatsby essay due at 3:00 on Wednesday via Google Docs — Turn in your T-chart when you are ready for your essay to be graded.
• MM chapters 1-3 and questions due at midnight on Tuesday; comments due at midnight on Wednesday
• Quarterly Independent Journal #1 (Q2) due Friday at midnight

*SSR will be on Tuesday this week.

Homework 11/24-25

English 9:

• WN #6 revisions due Friday 12/6

English 10R:

• MM chapter 3 questions due in class Tuesday
• MM chapter 4 questions due on Tuesday 12/2

English 10H:

• FSF/Gatsby essay due at 3:00 on Wednesday 12/3 — Turn in your T-chart when you are ready for your essay to be graded
• MM chapters 1-3 questions due at midnight on Tuesday 12/2; comments due at midnight on Wednesday 12/3

Homework 11/17-11/21

English 9:

• RJ vocab. #1 revisions due Thursday at 3:00
• WN #6 due Friday at 3:00

English 10R:

• Read and annotate your article ("The Great Depression" OR "Migrant Workers of California") for class on Monday
• GG well-developed paragraph on theme/central idea due Tuesday at 3:00
• MM chapter 1 and Qs due Wednesday at 3:00
• MM chapter 2 and Qs due Thursday at 3:00
• MM vocab. #1 due Friday at 3:00

*SSR will be on Tuesday this week.

English 10H:

• GG vocab. #2 due revisions Tuesday at 3:00
• GG vocab./reading quiz Thursday

Extra Credit: English 10

Attention, English 10 students! If you would like to watch the new Gatsby movie and earn some extra credit for marking quarter 2, see Google Drive for details. In the "THE GREAT GATSBY" folder, you will see a document titled "Extra Credit Q2: GATSBY movie (2013)," which outlines the requirements for earning extra credit. See me with any questions.

All extra credit is due on week 9 of the marking quarter, which will be in January 2015.

A more appropriate title?

This week in 10R, we're going to discuss Fitzgerald's choice of title for The Great Gatsby. So what do you think about this one? :)

Homework 11/12-14

English 9:

• WN #5 revisions due Friday at 3:00

English 10:

• Take the Quarterly Check-In Survey by 3:00 on Friday
• Gatsby end-of-unit assessment: Well-developed paragraph about a central idea in Gatsby due at 3:00 on Monday 11/17

English 10 Honors:

• GG chapter 8 and DEJ due at 3:00 on Thursday
• GG chapter 9 and DEJ due in class Friday
• Take the Quarterly Check-In Survey by 3:00 on Friday

Quarterly Check-In

ALL CLASSES: Please fill out the Quarterly Check-In Survey by Friday, November 14.  Be thorough and honest!  Your responses will help me make decisions about your class for next quarter.  Thank you!

"Daisy's Lullaby"

Go here to view Will Thwaites' "Daisy's Lullaby" again!

SPOILER ALERT: Don't watch until you've read chapter 7 of Gatsby!

Homework 11/3 - 7

Marking Quarter 1 ends this Friday, 11/7!  Grades will be finalized on the weekend of 11/8-9.

English 9:

• WN #5 due Thursday at 3:00
• Romeo and Juliet vocab. due Friday at 3:00

*SSR will be on Friday this week.

English 10:

• Quarter 1 Book Review due Monday at midnight on Google Docs
• GG chapter 8 and DEJ due in class Thursday
• GG vocab./reading quiz Friday
• GG chapter 9 and DEJ due at 3:00 on Friday

English 10 Honors:

• GG chapter 6 and DEJ due Tuesday at 3:00
• GG chapter 7 and DEJ due in class Thursday
• Sign up for your Quarterly Independent Reading Book for Q2 by Thursday at 3:00
• GG vocab. #2 due at 3:00 on Friday

10 Honors: Q2 Independent Reading Book Signup

Attention, 10 Honors students: You should be finishing your Q1 Independent Reading Books this week.  Next quarter, you must select one book to read that is considered an American classic.  Check out my list here; then, sign up here by November 6.

NY TIMES article: "The American Dream Is Leaving America" (10/25/14)

Sophomores, what do you think about this article?

Homework 10/27-31

The quarter 1 marking period ends on Friday, November 7.  No extra credit will be accepted after Friday, October 31.

English 9:

• WN #4 revisions due Friday at 3:00
• Extra credit WN due Friday at 3:00

English 10R:

• GG, chapter 6 and DEJ due in class Monday
• GG, chapter 7 and DEJ due in class Friday
• GG vocab. #2 revisions due at 3:00 on Thursday
• SSR blog due at midnight on Monday 11/3 on Google Drive (should be on the SAME document as your Reading Record and Someday Books List)

English 10H:

• GG, chapter 5 and DEJ due in class Monday
• Vocab./reading quiz Friday
• Quarterly Independent Reading Journal due at midnight on Friday 
• Extra credit QIR due at midnight on Friday (optional)

Fitzgerald's Inspiration for GATSBY?

Go here to view a video about what may have been Fitzgerald's inspiration for Gatsby's and/or the Buchanans' homes.

Homework 10/20-23

English 9:

• WN #4 due at 3:00 on Thursday

English 10:

• GG ch. 5 and DEJ due in class Wednesday
• GG vocabulary #2 due at 3:00 on Thursday

English 10H:

• GG ch. 3 and DEJ due in class Tuesday
• GG ch. 4 and DEJ due in class Thursday
• GG vocabulary #1 revisions due at 3:00 on Thursday (optional)

Online Resource: Flashcards!

10R students have their first vocabulary/reading quiz of the year on Thursday, so I thought it'd be a good time to share a great online resource with you: Flashcards via one of my favorite sites, Shmoop.com! Check it out!

Homework 10/14-17

English 9:

• "St. Lucy's" Mid-Unit Assessment in class on Thursday -- Students may use their notes
• "St. Lucy's" vocabulary #2 revisions due Thursday at 3:00
• WN #3 revisions due Friday at 3:00
  

English 10:

• GG chapter 3 and DEJ due in class on Tuesday
• GG vocab./reading quiz on Thursday
• GG chapter 4 and DEJ due in class on Friday

English 10 Honors:

• GG vocabulary #1 due Wednesday at 3:00
• GG chapter 1 due in class on Tuesday
• GG chapter 2 and DEJ due in class on Friday

Homework 10/6-10

This week is Homecoming Spirit Week!  Show your school spirit by dressing up according to each day's theme as well as attending Wednesday night's Pep Rally and Friday night's parade and football game!

English 9:

• "St. Lucy's" vocab. #2 due Thursday at 3:00
• WN #3 due Friday at 3:00

English 10:
*SSR will be on Thursday this week.

• GG chapter 2 and DEJ due in class Friday
• GG vocab. #1 revisions due Friday at 3:00

English 10 Honors:

• American dream in-class poetry essay Monday --> must finish this week!
• GG vocab. #1 due Wednesday 10/15 at 3:00

THE GREAT GATSBY E-Book

Forget your Gatsby book at school?  No problem!  Go here to read it online.

Open House

Course Objectives:

• To make students better readers, writers, listeners, and speakers – and therefore more effective communicators overall
• To instill a love of reading and writing in students and to help them understand and appreciate the value of both in their lives
• To prepare students for their English 9/10 final exams, the English 11 Common Core Exam, the SAT, AP English (Honors class), college and/or a career, and daily life

Recent Changes:

• Common Core State Standards: added emphasis on non-fiction, research, close reading, and text-based arguments; implementation of state-developed modules/units from EngageNY
• APPR (teacher evaluations): more testing, with many assessments composed of “cold reads” that test skills, not content

Typical Assignments:

• Weekly reading and accompanying assignments: comprehension questions, double-entry/reader response journals, etc.
• Bi-weekly vocabulary (paragraphs, revisions, quiz)
• Reading journal based on independent reading/SSR (once a quarter for English 9 and 10; twice a quarter for English 10 Honors)
• Other: essays (in and outside of class), research projects, oral presentations/podcasts, book/movie reviews, poetry, creative writing, optional extra credit

What I am Doing at School:

• Available periods 4, 6, 7, and 9 for extra help 
• Available via e-mail: swebb@homercentral.org
• All assignments and announcements posted to the class blog weekly
• Remind app will notify students of changes and send out reminders via text messages
• All notes and handouts are shared with students on Google Drive
• E-newsletter e-mailed to parents/guardians every five weeks detailing class activities and important upcoming dates

What You and Your Student Can Do at Home:

• Lead by example: Show your student that you value education and expect him/her to do his/her best in school.  Provide literacy-rich experiences at home.  Talk about books.  Read with and/or to your student.  Let him/her catch you reading!
• Check the class blog at least once a week to view assignments and announcements: mrswebbontheweb.blogspot.com.  This will be updated during the week if there are any changes.
• Make sure all homework, including reading, is completed on time.
• Study the definitions of vocabulary words and practice using the words in sentences.
• Maintain a separate, organized English binder containing all notes, handouts, and assignments.
• Monitor grades using the Parent Portal on SchoolTool.

Feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions or concerns this year.

Thank you for attending Open House!  

I'm looking forward to working with you this year!

Homework 9/29 - 10/3

The five-week progress report period ends on Friday, 10/3!

English 9:
*SSR will be on Friday again this week due to the 15-minute Early Release Drill.

• WN #2 revisions due Friday in class
• "St. Lucy's" vocabulary #1 revisions due Thursday at 3:00

English 10:

*SSR will be on Friday this week.

• GG vocabulary #1 due Friday in class
• GG, chapter 1 due Monday 10/6

English 10 Honors:

• Annotate "I Hear America Singing" and "I, Too" for class on Monday — Use the questions on Google Docs to guide your notes.
• Optional: Winesburg, Ohio essay revisions due at 3:00 on Monday
• Please return your Winesburg books this week.

Happy Banned Books Week!

"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."

Go here for more information about ALA's Banned Books Week and here to check out the top 10 challenged books last year.

Homework 9/22 - 26

*SSR will be on Friday for all classes this week!

English 9:

• "St. Lucy's" vocabulary #1 (free-choice word + paragraph using all 5 words) due Thursday at 3:00
• WN #2 due Friday at 11:00 (due to the half day)

English 10:

• In-class writing on "I Hear America Singing" and "I, Too" will be on Thursday: If you are absent, you must make plans to make this up with me ASAP

English 10 Honors:

• Read and annotate American dream articles for class on Monday
• Grammar Review Sentence #1 (labeled with parts of speech) due at 3:00 on Monday
• The American dream article questions due in class on Tuesday
• Literary Terms Self-Assessment due at 3:00 on Wednesday
• Quarterly Independent Reading Journal #1 due Friday at midnight on Google Docs—should be written on the same document as your SSR Reading Record and Someday Books List
• OPTIONAL: Winesburg, Ohio essay revisions due at 3:00 on Monday 9/29: Turn in your grading rubric when you are ready to be re-graded

Common Core Student Survey

Our district would like to know about the impact of the Common Core on student learning.  Go here to fill out a short survey.

CLASSWORK 9/18, 8th period: STAR Link

Click here to access the STAR test!

"Why Kids Should Choose Their Own Books to Read in School"

"If I were Queen of the World, I would decree that all students be given the gifts of time and books they want to read throughout their schooling, and all pre-readers would have an adult who would read aloud to them everyday. Through independent reading children gain a wealth of background knowledge about many different things, come to understand story and non-fiction structures, absorb the essentials of English grammar, and continuously expand their vocabularies. Many also remember visually how to spell words."

Joanne Yatvin, Past President of the National Council of Teachers of English

"Why Kids Should Choose Their Own Books to Read in School"

See you tomorrow for SSR! :)

25 of the Most Dangerous and Unusual Journeys to School in the World

Check out these pictures of what some kids around the world have to do in order to just get to school.  We are very lucky here in Homer!

Homework 9/15-19 (Revised)

English 9:

• WN #1 revisions due Friday at 3:00 (stapled to original WN #1)
• *We will be taking the STAR test in class on Thursday.  If you are absent, you must see Mrs. Collins ASAP to make it up!

English 10:

• Grammar Review Sentence #1 due Monday at 3:00
• American dream article questions due in class on Tuesday (if you don't finish in class on Monday)
• Poetry Terms Self-Assessment chart due Wednesday at 3:00
• Read and annotate "I Hear America Singing" and "I, Too" for class on Friday

English 10H:

• Read and annotate the article, "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar.  Here's Why." for class on Monday
• Grammar sentences 1-4: label nouns and pronouns for class on Tuesday
• Winesburg, Ohio essay due Tuesday at 3:00 on Google Drive: Resolve all comments your partner made during Focused Peer Review on Friday, and share with me by putting your essay in your folder titled "Webb English 10 Honors -- Firstname Lastname"
• Grammar sentences 9-13: label nouns, pronouns, CCs, prepositional phrases, and verbs for class on Friday
• *Reminder: Quarterly IR Journal due 9/26 on Google Drive (after your Reading Record and Someday Books List)

"Word Crimes" Grammar Video Parody

English 10R will finish grammar review tomorrow; English 9 begins grammar review today, and English 10H will be reviewing grammar next week, so here's a little grammar fun to brighten up your day!

10 HONORS Quarter 1 IR Book Choice Sign-up

Click here to sign up for your Quarter 1 IR Book by midnight on Friday.  You may choose any book to read this quarter as long as it is of an appropriate reading level.  See me with any questions.

Shakespearean Pop Sonnets Tumblr

Calling all lovers of iambic pentameter: Go here to check out the Shakespearean Pop Sonnets Tumblr, one of the most entertaining pop-culture Shakespearean websites I've ever seen!

Homework 9/8-12 (Revised)

English 9:

• Binder check in class Monday
• Signed syllabus due Monday
• SSR book due in class Wednesday
• Writer's Notebook (WN) #1 due at 3:00 on Friday

English 10:

• Binder check in class Monday
• Signed syllabus due Monday
• SSR book due in class Wednesday

English 10 Honors:

• Binder check in class Monday
• Signed syllabus due Monday
• SSR book due in class Wednesday
• Winesburg, Ohio essay due Wednesday on Google Drive
• Sign up for Quarterly Independent Reading Book by midnight on Friday

CLASSWORK 9/4: Beginning-of-the-Year Survey (Revised)

Go here to complete the Beginning-of-the-Year Survey!

If you were absent, please complete the survey on your own by midnight on Friday.

Unfortunately, the "Edit Response" option will not work after you have closed out of the browser window.  Therefore, if you did not finish the survey today in class, please click the link above and resubmit, only completing the questions you didn't already finish.  Be sure to include your name in the box indicated, and put the number "2" after it to indicate that this is part two of your survey.  For the questions you already completed, just write the letter "a" in each box so that it will accept your survey response.   If you're not sure about what questions you left blank, e-mail me at swebb@homercentral.org or stop by, and I'll let you know.

The key to success? Grit.

Homework 9/3-5

All classes:

• Supplies due in class Monday (Binder should be set up with folder, paper, and labeled tabs)
• Signed syllabus due Monday
• SSR book due in class Wednesday 9/10

Honors only:

• Winesburg, Ohio essay due Wednesday 9/10

Required Supplies 2014-15

All students will need the following supplies by Monday, September 8:

• Pens (blue or black ink)
• Loose-leaf paper
• One folder for English papers only
• Binder for English papers only (approx. 2 inches)
• Binder tabs (6 for English 9; 5 for English 10)
• Optional: highlighters

Please see me if you have any trouble getting any of the supplies listed above!

My New Digital Home

Hello, students, parents, and colleagues!  This blog will be my new home for all things Webb English!  All homework assignments and announcements will be posted here weekly, and all course notes and documents will be available via students' Google Drive accounts.  Since both this blog and Drive are owned by Google and all students have HomerPride accounts on Google, it should be an easy way to keep track of all of the things going on in class.

If you would like to be notified via e-mail every time I post, please provide your e-mail in the space provided on the right top of this page.

I'm looking forward to working with you all this year!