HOMEWORK | Capitol Hill 6/7 MACC

HOMEWORK – Nov. 4, 2024

Self-Regulation: How will you remember?

Socials: A reminder to talk to your family about keeping some of tomorrow evening free (like around 6:30/7:00 p.m. on), so that you can watch some of the election returns.

Science: spend 45 minutes on Phase 3 tonight, maybe more if you have succumbed to the Procrastination Monster. The checklist and the rubric are your friends. Lapbooks are due November 21.

Forms: don’t forget to give your family the form(s) you received today.

HOMEWORK – Nov. 1, 2024

Self-Regulation: How will you remember?

Socials: choose one election-related segment from any episode of the NewsHour from tonight or this past week—or tonight’s episode of Washington Week—and record your ideas in your graphic organizer. How might you incorporate the feedback your received today?

Socials: if you have not already done so, please complete your NYTimes T-chart this weekend and make sure you have access to it on Monday.

Also, a reminder to talk to your family about keeping some of this coming Tuesday evening free (like around 7:00 p.m. on), so that you can watch some of the election returns.

Science: spend 30-45 minutes on Phase 3 this weekend, maybe more if you have succumbed to the Procrastination Monster. The checklist and the rubric are your friends. Lapbooks are due November 21.

HOMEWORK – October 30, 2024

Self-Regulation: How will you remember?

Socials: if you have delivered your presentation, have you done the last item on the checklist?

Reading: please look up and record the definitions of the following words in your comp book:

Consul
Consulate

Socials: Please make sure you have your NYTimes t-chart notes with you tomorrow.

Also, if you are able, talk to your family about keeping some of this coming Tuesday evening free (like around 7:00 p.m. on), so that you can watch some of the election returns.

Science: spend 30-45 minutes on Phase 3 tonight. The checklist and the rubric are your friends. Lapbooks are due November 21.

Halloween: remember, with your costume, consider: will this be a traumatic experience for a kindergarten? And consider what we discussed regarding race, culture, and gender.

HOMEWORK – October 29, 2024

Self-Regulation: How will you remember?

The Golden Compass: Readers, please make sure you have your script with you tomorrow and that you have done your prep, as per the assignment outline (linked on the LA page of the blog, if you lost your copy).

Socials: if you have delivered your presentation, have you done the last item on the checklist?

If you are presenting tomorrow: practice! How are you going to remember to bring your final script and your loaded USB with you tomorrow?

Socials: please look up and record the definitions of the following words in your comp book:

Oligarchy
Autocracy
Totalitarianism
Fascism

Please make sure you have your NYTimes t-chart notes with you tomorrow.

Science: spend 30 minutes on Phase 3 tonight. The checklist and the rubric are your friends. Lapbooks are due November 21.

HOMEWORK – October 28, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment? How will you remember?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Socials: if you have delivered your presentation, have you done the last item on the checklist?

If you are presenting tomorrow: practice! How are you going to remember to bring your final script and your loaded USB with you tomorrow?

Socials: please look up and record the definitions of the following words in your comp book:

Democracy
Republic
Monarchy
Populism

Science: spend about 30 minutes on Phase 3 tonight. The checklist and the rubric are your friends.

HOMEWORK – October 24, 2024

Tonight’s Homework: choose one segment that relates to the election from any of this week’s episodes of the NewsHour and make notes in your comp book, to add to your pool of knowledge for our final Socials project.

Optional: watch an election-related NewsHour segment on Friday, such as “Brooks and Capehart,” or watch Washington Week on Friday and add to your notes. If you do this, send me an email, following email etiquette, letting me know what you learned. This would be considered Extra Credit for Socials.

FRIDAY

As discussed, there is no school for students tomorrow, but as I am required to put in a full day of work, it seems only fair that you are also putting in some time. As you are smaller than I am, the amount of time is smaller too.

Art: Remember how Lynda Barry talked about copying being one of the best ways to improve your drawing skills, and how it can be fun to feel someone else’s “line” inside your hand? With that in mind, you are going to copy a painting by Joni Mitchell. Plan to spend about 45 minutes on this.

Please go to jonimitchell.com and then click on the “Painting” tab. Take some time to explore her paintings (there are some quick links at the bottom of the page, and/or you can explore by decade). Find a painting that calls to you, for whatever reason. If the image is small, you might consider using Google images to find a larger version, as we discussed in class.

Draw a page-sized frame in your comp book and begin to copy the painting.

Lynda Barry’s incredible advice about copying: don’t think, “I am copying a drawing – this is the nose, these are the eyes,” etc. Instead, think of the image as a collection of lines, each with a spatial relationship to the others. Where does this line start? Where does the next line begin? Think of it like a map.

When you are finished copying, add color. What do you notice about her use of color? How can you approximate the effects?

Apply pliable awareness while you draw and color.

Consider entering “Joni Mitchell” into Youtube and finding a playlist of her songs. Listen while you copy and color, for inspiration.

Science: using your checklist, the outline, and the rubric, spend one focused hour here. Recall: we are aiming to be finished with Phase 2 by Monday (although research continues, as needed).

Socials: you have chosen an election issue to explore in the New York Times article (linked on the Socials page of the blog). Please create a Word document with a T-chart, with your two columns labelled “Trump” and “Harris.” Explore your section of the article and record the candidate’s position on the issue(s). Spend about an hour here.

On a separate page (maybe in your comp book), make a note of questions that come up and/or that you don’t understand as you are reading.

Save your work. We will share these notes with each other next week.

HOMEWORK – October 23, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment? How will you remember?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Socials: consult your checklist—what do you still need to do before tomorrow?

Keep the criteria firmly in mind as you finalize your script and your slides.

Practice → Confidence. Consider all of the ways of rehearsing the text that we have explored.

A few things to keep in mind:

Pace: if you speak too quickly, we won’t be able to follow your ideas—use your breath to help you stay calm so that you can have control over the speed
What are the key words in each sentence? Consider underlining them in your script
What is the last word in each sentence?
Eye contact: if you are able, try to land your key ideas in the audience rather than in your paper—this is where practice really helps

How are you going to remember to bring your final script and your loaded USB with you tomorrow?

Science: if you gained some inspiration from the images we looked at today, might it be a good idea to write the ideas down before you forget?

Grade 7s: hoodie order forms are due tomorrow.

HOMEWORK – October 22, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment? How will you remember?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Socials: please make sure you have your Current Events graphic organizers with you tomorrow, including the one you have chosen to submit to receive feedback on.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following tonight (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: consult your checklist—what do you still need to do before Thursday?

Keep the criteria firmly in mind as you finalize your script and your slides.

Practice → Confidence. Consider all of the ways of rehearsing the text that we have explored.

Science: Your checklist is your friend, as is the rubric. Before, during, and after drafting each aspect of the project, look at the descriptors in the rubric.

What feedback did you receive from your conference? How are you applying the feedback?

You might want to aim to be finished with Phase 2 in one week (Monday).

French: practicing the vocab we have explored so far.

Grade 7s: hoodie order forms are due Thursday.

HOMEWORK – October 21, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment? How will you remember?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Socials: look back through the Current Events graphic organizers you have completed. Choose one to submit for feedback.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following tonight (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: using the outline, the marking sheet, and the checklist to guide your approach.

Keep the criteria firmly in mind as you finalize your script and your slides.

Science: Your checklist is your friend, as is the rubric. Before, during, and after drafting each aspect of the project, look at the descriptors in the rubric.

What feedback did you receive from your conference? How are you applying the feedback?

You might want to aim to be finished with Phase 2 in one week (Monday).

French: practicing the vocab we have explored so far.

Grade 7s: hoodie order forms are due Thursday.

HOMEWORK – October 18, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do Monday morning so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment? How will you help yourself remember?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Science: Conferences continue Monday. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

Math: complete one problem (Gr. 6s, as discussed, one word problem from the Multiplication section of the instruction packet), experimenting with following the criteria, in order:

Create a visual that:
1. Represents the nature of the problem; here, multiplication
2. Is labelled with the known information and identifies the unknown information
Identify, from the known and unknown information:
1. The # of groups
2. The # of things in each group
3. The total # of things
An estimate
A step-by-step problem-solving process, with all of your thinking represented—consider how you can make your thinking clear on the page
A double-check of your calculations
A full sentence answer, including units

Socials: use the graphic organizer to record ideas from a NewsHour segment of your choice (that is directly related to the U.S. election) from tonight or episodes from this past week, or from tonight’s episode of Washington Week. Remember that you have instructions on how to do this and a Tips sheet, too (linked on the class blog, if you have lost your copies).

Socials: presentations start on Thursday. Use your checklist to help with your prep. Please have a copy of your script with you on Monday – if you are able to print this out at home, please do so.

HOMEWORK – October 17, 2024

Self-Regulation: What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following tonight (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: using the outline, the marking sheet, and the checklist to guide your approach.

Look at the marking sheet: how are you being assessed? Let those Big Ideas help you edit your script.

Use your script to help you begin to think what images best support the text (consider rereading the advice in the assignment outline.

Science: Your checklist is your friend, as is the rubric. Before, during, and after drafting each aspect of the project, look at the descriptors in the rubric.

French: practicing the vocab we have explored so far.

HOMEWORK – October 16, 2024

Self-Regulation: as discussed today, our class continues to have a significant struggle with self-regulation, and this is slowly down our learning and creating tension in the room. What do you need to do tomorrow so that you can walk in the room ready to learn and ready to regulate your voice and actions to suit the environment?

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following tonight (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: using the outline, the marking sheet, and the checklist to guide your approach.

If you do not yet have a full rough draft of your script, please make that your priority. Use your script to help you begin to think what images best support the text (consider rereading the advice in the assignment outline.

Look at the marking sheet: how are you being assessed? Let those Big Ideas guide your script-writing.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives. Consider drafting each aspect and then choosing an interactive that best suits the material.

French: practicing the vocab we have explored so far.

HOMEWORK – October 15, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Div. 3 Town: look back at the ideas you generated today about positive ways of embracing the values that you identified as being useful for our class to explore.

Can you come up with positively framed statements of what we might be doing if we very embodying those ideals? What would it look like?

Spend about 10-15 minutes on this tonight and bring your ideas in to share tomorrow.

The Golden Compass: reader, please have your scripts with you Tuesday and make sure you have put in some time on your prep, using the assignment outline as your guide.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following tonight (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: using the outline, the marking sheet, and the checklist to guide your approach.

You might be aiming to have a rough draft of your script written by tomorrow, so that you can begin to think what images best support the text. Look at the marking sheet: how are you being assessed? Let those Big Ideas guide your script-writing.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives. Consider drafting each aspect and then choosing an interactive that best suits the material.

French: practicing the vocab we have explored so far.

HOMEWORK – October 11, 2024

NO SCHOOL MONDAY

Monday: find a private time with each member of your family and tell them something that you appreciate about them or that you are grateful for about them. In your comp book record:

Who it was
What you said
Their reaction
How you felt after

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight. Saturday and Sunday are optional.

The Golden Compass: readers, please have your scripts with you Tuesday and make sure you have put in some time on your prep, using the assignment outline as your guide.

Socials: choose an article from NPR’s “Untangling Disinformation” series and use your Current Events graphic organizer to record your thoughts and opinions.

Science: Conferences continue Tuesday. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—spend about 30 minutes on one of the following this weekend (maybe more if you are feeling behind):

Socials: using the outline, the marking sheet, and the checklist to guide your approach.

You might be aiming to have a rough draft of your script written by mid-next week, so that you can begin to think what images best support the text. Look at the marking sheet: how are you being assessed? Let those Big Ideas guide your script-writing.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives. Consider drafting each aspect and then choosing an interactive that best suits the material.

HOMEWORK – October 10, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

The Golden Compass: readers, please have your scripts with you tomorrow and make sure you have put in some time on your prep, using the assignment outline as your guide.

Socials: continue exploring the Electoral College ratings on the Cook Political Report. If we consider all of the Solid and Likely states as locked in, what possible paths do Harris and Trump have to win the White House? This will involve some math and testing out different combinations.

If you want to go further, you might look at some of the toss-up states and learn what is influencing voters in those places, and how each candidate is attempting to win them over.

We will spend several days on this task. Spend about 15 minutes here tonight.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—what did you not do last night? Spend about 30 minutes on that tonight:

Socials: using the outline and the checklist to guide your approach.

You might be aiming to have a rough draft of your script written by mid-next week, so that you can begin to think what images best support the text. Remember: the purpose of your sharing is to help us understand the upcoming election better—let that Big Idea guide your script-writing.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives.

Forms: Verification forms are now overdue.

HOMEWORK – October 9, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Socials: begin the process of exploring the Electoral College ratings on the Cook Political Report. If we consider all of the Solid and Likely states as locked in, what possible paths do Harris and Trump have to win the White House? This will involve some math and testing out different combinations.

If you want to go further, you might look at some of the toss-up states and learn what is influencing voters in those places, and how each candidate is attempting to win them over.

We will spend several days on this task. Spend about 15 minutes here tonight.

French: please review your letters and numbers.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—what did you not do last night? Spend about 30 minutes on that tonight:

Socials: using the outline and the checklist to guide your approach. Remember, you can’t paint a house until the structure is built.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives.

Forms: Verification forms are now overdue.

HOMEWORK – October 8, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Quick Research: who is Joni Mitchell? Spend about 10-15 minutes investigating this tonight, and record your findings in your comp book.

Science: Conferences continue tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

On-Going—what did you not do last night? Spend about 30 minutes on that tonight:

Socials: using the outline and the checklist to guide your approach. Remember, you can’t paint a house until the structure is built.

Science: Your checklist is your friend; use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives.

Forms: Verification forms and FSA exemption letters are due tomorrow.

HOMEWORK – October 7, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today/tonight.

Science: Conferences begin tomorrow. Please make sure you have all of your notes with you every day.

The Golden Compass: readers, please ensure that you have your script with you tomorrow and that you have done your prep.

Socials: optional: tonight’s NewsHour will most likely have information about the history of the war in the Middle East.

On-Going—at least 30 minutes on one of the following tonight:

Socials: using the outline and the checklist to guide your approach. Remember, you can’t paint a house until the structure is build.

Science: rereading the project outline and carefully reading Phase 2 of the checklist. Use the links on the blog to explore possible interactives.

Forms: Verification forms are due Wednesday.

HOMEWORK – October 4, 2024

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today and each day on the weekend.

Socials: use the graphic organizer to record your notes while watching one election-related segment from the NewsHour (from tonight or this week) or from tonight’s episode of Washington Week (Friday’s episodes usually go online at around 6:00 or so).

Science: using your checklist and experimenting with the key words you are using in your searches; and keeping the note-taking criteria at the front of your mind as your record your findings. Remember: the checklist and the outline are your friends. Conferences begin next week. You might consider rereading the outline and the checklist to ensure you haven’t forgotten anything important.

Forms: yellow YPC forms are now overdue; if you are planning to not attend those concerts, please still return the form but note on it that you are choosing not to attend—please make sure your family is aware you will stay home either that morning or afternoon.

Verification forms are due Wednesday.

HOMEWORK – October 3, 2024

The Golden Compass: readers, please ensure that you have your script with you tomorrow and that you have done your prep.

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today.

Comp Book: review the notes you took while watching Brené Brown’s TEDTalk. Somewhere in your comp book—inside front cover, inside back cover, back cover, or a blank page—write the words I Am Enough in a font of your choice by large and legible, and add a little decoration.

On-Going:

Science: using your checklist and experimenting with the key words you are using in your searches; and keeping the note-taking criteria at the front of your mind as your record your findings. Remember: the checklist and the outline are your friends. Conferences begin next week.
Socials: reread the assignment outline and use the checklist to begin your exploration. Where will you be recording your research?

Forms: if your yellow YPC form is not yet in, please return that tomorrow; if you are planning to not attend those concerts, please still return the form but note on it that you are choosing not to attend—please make sure your family is aware you will stay home either that morning or afternoon.

Verification forms are due Monday.

HOMEWORK – October 2, 2024

The Golden Compass: readers, please ensure that you have your script with you tomorrow and that you have done your prep.

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today.

On-Going – consider, as we did today, setting a specific goal for yourself for your at-home work tonight:

Art: using the criteria and Lynda Barry’s calm, friendly mindset to engage with your Name Plate—due tomorrow. Recall what we discussed about how to engage in your Final Artist Moment.

Socials: reread the assignment outline and use the checklist to begin your exploration. Where will you be recording your research?

HOMEWORK – October 1, 2024

Socials: finalize the process of picking your Top Seven options for the upcoming mini-project.

Optional: watch part or all of tonight’s debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz. The debate starts at 6:00 p.m. and is being broadcast on CBS, but many other channels will be offering live-feeds.

If you’d like to watch online, go to pbs.org/newshour. You should be able to go to this feed even after 6:00 and rewind to watch from the beginning.

As you’re watching, pay attention to the issues that they are discussing and the differences between the two candidate’s stances on those issues, and pay attention to their debate styles. Who is more convincing? Why?

Consider taking notes of the key differences between the two candidates, both in terms of content (what they say) and delivery (how they say it).

The Golden Compass: readers, please ensure that you have your script with you tomorrow and that you have done your prep.

Seen and Heard: add one unexpected thing seen and one unexpected thing heard to your Seen and Heard lists, from your observations today.

Music: please make sure you have your recorder and Music duotang with you tomorrow.

On-Going:

Art: using the criteria and Lynda Barry’s calm, friendly mindset to engage with your Name Plate—due Thursday.

HOMEWORK – September 27, 2024

Seen and Heard: please make a T-chart in your comp book and label one column Seen and one column Heard. This weekend, pay attention to what is going on around you and add at least one unexpected thing seen and heard to each column on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

We now have several on-going items. This weekend, spend about 45 minutes on one (or divided between two or three) of the following:

Socials: continue to explore the list of potential mini-research topics, aiming to have your Top Seven list by Wednesday.

Art: using the criteria and Lynda Barry’s calm, friendly mindset to engage with your Name Plate—due Thursday.

*********

EXTRA HOMEWORK: think of this as a kind of at-home detention: our class is engaged in a pretty big struggle right now in terms of self-regulation (knowing how to control your thoughts, feelings, and actions—body and voice—in response to the classroom environment) and in terms of demonstrating basic respect by listening attentively when others are sharing ideas and resisting impulses to distract others when the work requires personal focus.

Over the weekend, spend some time in your comp book writing or drawing (and writing and drawing) your ideas about how you, personally, can help us overcome this obstacle, and how our class can work together as a group to achieve these goals.

No school on Monday, in acknowledgment of Truth and Reconciliation Day.

Grade 7s: if you have not yet brought in your blue form noting your preference for camp, that needs to be in by Tuesday, otherwise we will need to assume that you are not interested. If you or your family have any questions, please don’t be shy about asking.

HOMEWORK – September 26, 2024

Socials: spend about 20 minutes exploring the list of politician’s connected to the upcoming election, following your interest to create a Top Seven list.

Art: spend about 15 minutes on your Name Plate, using the criteria as your guide. Can you approach this from Lynda Barry’s calm and friendly place?

Reading: please make sure you have your pages from chapter 3 (Tony Makarios) with you tomorrow.

Photos: individual photos will be taken tomorrow.

Truth and Reconciliation Assembly tomorrow—consider wearing orange to support this important cause.

Grade 7s: if you have not yet brought in your blue form noting your preference for camp, please bring that in tomorrow.

HOMEWORK – September 25, 2024

Science: spend about 20 minutes exploring your sources, using the checklist as your guide. Are you aware of the criteria for note-taking?

Remember what we looked at today (kids.kiddle.co) and yesterday (googling “cbc [and your brain part]”.

Reading: spend about 15 minutes here, continuing to explore the pages you received yesterday from chapter 3 of The Golden Compass. Recall what we are focused on noticing:

How punctuation is used for
- Sense
- Rhythm
- Humor
How Pullman uses structure for effect (sentence structure; paragraph structure)
How Pullman builds specific images using words
Effective word choice

Add these ideas, and their impact on you as a reader, to your existing notes on the pages and bring that in for discussion tomorrow.

The Golden Compass: readers, please use the Read-Aloud handout to do your prep this evening. Don’t forget to bring your script with you tomorrow!

Photos: individual photos will be taken on Friday.

Early dismissal on Thursday: 1:47 p.m.

Grade 7s: if you have not yet brought in your blue form noting your preference for camp, please bring that in by Friday.

HOMEWORK – September 24, 2024

Writing: please go to the Daily Diary page on the class blog (Learning from Home → Daily Diary) and read from the beginning of the page down to and including the two-page story, “Seeing What Is There.”

If you want to take things further, you could go to the “The Coronadiaries” page and read how students used their Daily Diary during lockdown.

Reading: continue to explore the pages you received today from chapter 3 of The Golden Compass. Recall what we are focused on noticing:

How punctuation is used for
- Sense
- Rhythm
- Humor
How Pullman uses structure for effect (sentence structure; paragraph structure)
How Pullman builds specific images using words
Effective word choice

Make notes on the pages of your thoughts and bring that in for discussion tomorrow.

The Golden Compass: readers, please use the Read-Aloud handout to do your prep this evening. Don’t forget to bring your script with you tomorrow!

Photos: individual photos will be taken on Friday.

Early dismissal on Thursday: 1:47 p.m.

HOMEWORK – September 23, 2024

Art: take the blank sheet of paper you were given and repeat the process of folding it into 8 quadrants. Then, draw a frame in each cell and add the line at the bottom of each frame for text.

Art: spend about 15 focused minutes on the exploration of possibilities for your name plate.

Socials: quick research: what are shaping up to be the key races in the House and the Senate? In other words, which races should we be following because they may determine which party gains control of the two chambers of Congress?

The Golden Compass: readers, please arrive with your scripts, ready to read (meaning, you have followed the guidelines on the Read-Aloud prep outline).

Photos: individual photos will be taken on Friday.

HOMEWORK – September 18, 2024

Math: please watch the “Mistakes” video at youcubed.org (www.youcubed.org/resources/mistakes-video/) and record what you think are the useful or interesting ideas shared in the video. What do you think might be happening in the brain that makes this research true?

Art: if were you to use visuals—pictures, symbols, colors—to represent your interests and usual ways of being (how you think, feel, believe, and behave), what visuals might you use? Create a page in your comp book to record these possibilities.

The Golden Compass: if you are reading a character part, please do your prep this evening.

Science: get out your project outline and the checklist and spend about 20 focused minutes on the next item(s) on the checklist.

Note: no school (for students) on Friday; but I have to be here for a full day, so fair is fair: you will have to put some time in, too—not a full day (“Thank you so much, O Kind and Benevolent Prof. Great Brain!”), but a considered amount of time. Plan accordingly…

HOMEWORK – September 17, 2024

Math: please watch the “Speed” video at youcubed.org (www.youcubed.org/resources/speed-video/) and record what you think are the useful or interesting ideas shared in the video. What do you think might be happening in the brain that makes this research true?

Comp Book: choose a different item from Lynda Barry’s list of comp book entry ideas than you chose last night and spend about 10 minutes engaged in that activity in your comp book.

Science: get out your project outline and the checklist and spend about 20 focused minutes on the next item(s) on the checklist.

HOMEWORK – September 16, 2024

Math: please watch the “Brain Crossing” video at youcubed.org (www.youcubed.org/resources/brain-crossing-video/) and record what you think are the useful or interesting ideas shared in the video. What do you think might be happening in the brain that makes this research true?

Comp Book: choose one item from Lynda Barry’s list of comp book entry ideas and spend about 10 minutes engaged in that activity in your comp book.

Science: get out your project outline and the checklist and spend about 20 focused minutes on the next item(s) on the checklist.

HOMEWORK – September 13, 2024

Science: read the Research section of the checklist and ask yourself, “Do I understand what each step means?” Bring questions in on Monday.

Spend about 30 minutes on Science this weekend, starting at the beginning of the checklist.

Remember, if you are uncertain how to engage in research and take notes, that’s okay. Do recall some of the work we did on Thursday, creating quick webs from the two brain videos – consider trying that out on your own. We will continue to explore note-taking strategies in the coming weeks.

Socials: please go to the “Full Episodes” page of the PBS NewsHour website—pbs.org/newshour/video—and watch one segment from tonight’s (Friday’s episode) that looks like it is related to election news. (If you don’t know which one to choose, you might look at the “Brooks and Capehart” recap of the week’s political news, but feel free to follow your own interest instead.)

In your comp book, write down the source (NewsHour, and “The name of the segment”), and then record what you consider to be the Important Details (not everything they say, but the things you think someone else would need to know in order to gain a good, basic understanding of the content). Bring those notes in to share with the class on Monday.

Comp Books: if your comp book cover is not complete, you’ll need to finish it this weekend. Are you aware of the criteria?

HOMEWORK – September 12, 2024

Science: reread the project outline, slowly and thoughtfully, to ensure that you fully understand what is being asked of you. Come in with questions tomorrow.

And then, do an initial dip into exploring the basic function of your brain part.

Comp Books: comp book covers are due tomorrow. Are you aware of the criteria?

Terry Fox Run is tomorrow. Dress for running and bring a water bottle. Tomorrow is also the Hornet Dress-up day (black and yellow/gold). If you have not already done so, might you bring in a twoonie for cancer research?

Info Session: please remind your parents to check their email and complete the very short survey I sent them last night, if they have not already done so.

HOMEWORK – September 11, 2024

Lynda Barry: please go to the Daily Diary section of the class blog (“Learning from Home” → “Daily Diary”) and scroll down until you see the Title “Too Scared to Draw.” Read those three short pages, and then refresh your memory of Ivan Brunetti-style by reading the “Lesson” page.

Then, draw you and the members of your family (pets and siblings who don’t live at home included!) in this style. What are the key identifying details that make each person (and pet) instantly identifiable?

You draw each member in isolation (separately) or create a scene that they are all in together. Color is optional.

Socials: think back on the beginning of our learning about the U.S. government and the upcoming election. What questions do you have? This could be a combination of “What does [this word/concept] mean?” and larger, more specific or open-ended (why… how…) questions. Record these curiosities in your comp book.

Who Am I?: your profile is due tomorrow.

Comp Books: comp book covers are due Friday. Are you aware of the criteria?

Homework – September 10, 2024

Socials: complete the process of taking notes from your section of the three rings of the U.S. government. Remember that you are only recording the Important Details, and you are experimenting with doing so in as few words as possible.

Suggestion: read each paragraph once for sense, then, slowly, a second time, to take your notes. Look for clues, such as words that are in italics, to help you determine what is Important.

Another way to think about this is, what information would someone else need to know to have a basic understanding of the responsibilities of this branch of government?

Bring those notes and the handout with you tomorrow, so that you can teach other groups about your section.

Optional: watch part or all of tonight’s debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The debate starts at 6:00 p.m. and is being broadcast on ABC, but many other channels will be offering live-feeds.

If you’d like to watch online, go to pbs.org/newshour. On that homepage, there will be a window for tonight’s episode of the NewsHour; but there should be another window (usually in the top left corner) for the debate – choose that one. You should be able to go to this feed even after 6:00 and rewind to watch from the beginning.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything that they are saying: our learning this term will be focused on developing a strong understanding of these ideas and the vocabulary used to discuss them—tonight is just a preview to help get your interest and curiosity up.

Who Am I?: your profile is due Thursday.

Comp Books: comp book covers are due Friday. Are you aware of the criteria?

********************

HOMEWORK—June 18, 2024

Playland: please remember these things:

try your best to be at school on time
dress for the weather (hot and sunny), including sunscreen
it you would be upset if you lost it, don’t bring it
wear comfortable shoes
from the moment we leave school to the moment we return, you are representing not just yourself but your family, our class, and Capitol Hill – what does that mean you are doing with your voice and body? What does that mean you are not doing with your voice and body?
in Playland, you must always be in a group of at least two
you must check-in with me at the Meeting Point at least once during the day
you must return to the Meeting Point by 2:00 p.m.

HOMEWORK—June 17, 2024

Grade 7s: don’t forget to draft out your two favorite memories from your time at Cap Hill (short but detailed) and the list of AKA names that you’d like me to use. Send me this information via email, with Gr. 7 Memories in the subject line. Due tomorrow.

It’s now all WoE, all the time. Considering the due date, how much time do you need to put in tonight?

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

HOMEWORK—June 14, 2024

Books: if you have not yet turned in your Lit Circle book and your copy of Understanding Comics, please bring those in on Monday.

Playland: remember—your permission form is due Monday.

It’s now all WoE, all the time. Considering the due date, how much time do you need to put in this weekend?

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?
Are you taking your Final Artist Moment with each panel and each page?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

HOMEWORK—June 13, 2024

Books: if you have not yet turned in your Lit Circle book and your copy of Understanding Comics, please bring those in tomorrow.

Tonight: What is calling for your attention? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight (more if you are behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task. Due tomorrow. You will hand this in first thing in the morning.

Sports Day: tomorrow, wear your team color! Wear clothes you feel comfortable in and shoes that are good for running. There will be an early dismissal at 1:00 p.m.

HOMEWORK—June 12, 2024

Books: those of you who said you knew “exactly” where your books were, please visit that place, pick up the book, put it into your bag, and bring it in tomorrow.

French: we will share our skits tomorrow! What do you need to do tonight in order to arrive with a sense of confidence?

Please have a printed copy of your script with you tomorrow, for submission. I just need one per group.

Grade 7s: don’t forget to draft out your two favorite memories from your time at Cap Hill (short but detailed) and the list of AKA names that you’d like me to use.

Tonight: What is calling for your attention? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight (more if you are behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task. Due Friday.

Sports Day: win points for your team by dressing in these colors: Thursday: Red; and Friday: your team color!

HOMEWORK—June 11, 2024

Books: please bring in your Lit Circle book and your copy of Understanding Comics tomorrow.

Band: please make sure you have your instrument with you tomorrow.

Tonight: What is calling for your attention? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight (more if you are behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

French: use your vocab handouts and our online tools to finalize your script. And then: practice! Out loud! Due Thursday.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task. Due Friday.

Next Week: win points for your team by dressing in these colors: Wednesday: Blue; Thursday: Red; and Friday: your team color!

HOMEWORK—June 10, 2024

Tonight: What is calling for your attention? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight (more if you are behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

French: use your vocab handouts and our online tools to finalize your script. And then: practice! Out loud! Due Thursday.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task. Due Friday.

Next Week: win points for your team by dressing in these colors: Tuesday: Yellow; Wednesday: Blue; Thursday: Red; and Friday: your team color!

HOMEWORK—June 6, 2024

Tonight: What is calling for your attention? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight:

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Due Wednesday, June 19.

French: use your vocab handouts and our online tools to finalize your script. And then: practice! Out loud! Due Thursday.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task. Due Friday.

Note: No school (for students) tomorrow, but I am required to be here, putting in a full day, so…

Consider tomorrow (Friday) a gift of time: I encourage you to put in a half-day, so that you can spend meaningful time with our final on-going projects. I would love for you all to be proud of what you hand in—part of that will mean not rushing in the final days. Help yourself by putting in time this weekend. Don’t let your Inner Saboteur win!

Campers: Welcome back! What’s your plan for the weekend? Don’t forget commitments you made to your WoE partner(s).

Next Week: win points for your team by dressing in these colors: Monday: Green; Tuesday: Yellow; Wednesday: Blue; Thursday: Red; and Friday: your team color!

HOMEWORK—June 5, 2024

On-Going: What did you not touch during work block today? Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items (maybe more, if you are feeling behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts and our online tools to finalize your script. And then: practice! Out loud!

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task.

Non-Campers: thank you for being so welcoming and inclusive with our guests—let’s keep that up tomorrow!

HOMEWORK—June 4, 2024

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items (maybe more, if you are feeling behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts and our online tools to finalize your script. And then: practice! Out loud!

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to help you find success with this task.

Campers: remember, you need to be here by 8:15 tomorrow morning.

And remember, you will need to do homework tonight and on the weekend.

Have a great time!

Non-Campers: remember, you have an individual and collective responsibility to extend respect and an inclusive attitude toward our guest tomorrow.

Grade 7s: if you and your family have not yet submitted your baby and current photos to Ms. Chetty, that is now very overdue. Check with your parents. They have an email from me from May 21. Please send those in tonight.

HOMEWORK—June 3, 2024

Current Events: please ensure you have your most recent graphic organizer with you tomorrow.

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items (maybe more, if you are feeling behind):

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts to brainstorm possible text for your script. Use the online tools linked on the French page of the blog to help you with this task.

Career: use the assignment outline and your notes to begin to draft your approach to sharing your final learning.

Note: if you are attending camp, you might consider putting in some extra time on WoE, as a gift to your partner(s) and to Future You.

HOMEWORK—May 31, 2024

Current Events: tonight, please visit the full episode pages of this week’s episodes of the PBS NewsHour and choose one segment to watch and record your thoughts in the Current Events graphic organizer.

I encourage you to reread the feedback you received last week and actively apply it to your work.

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items this weekend (maybe more, if you are behind):

Lit Circles: have you handed in your final reflection?

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts to brainstorm possible text for your script. Use the online tools linked on the French page of the blog to help you with this task.

Career: Please reread the assignment outline and reread your Survivor notes; then, begin to draft your approach to sharing your final learning.

Note: if you are attending camp next week, you might consider putting in some extra time on WoE this weekend, as a gift to your partner(s).

HOMEWORK—May 30, 2024

Socials: please make sure you have your latest graphic organizer with you tomorrow.

Science: if you have shared your learning, please do something nice for yourself tonight to acknowledge your hard work.

D&D: please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you need to do tonight in order to be ready to continue the adventure? One part of this is using common sense to determine which rooms and experiences the party is likely to enter tomorrow and reread those parts of the module.

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight:

Lit Circles: all reflections are now due.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts to brainstorm possible text for your script. Use the online tools linked on the French page of the blog to help you with this task.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini. Due tomorrow.

HOMEWORK—May 29, 2024

Socials: please make sure you have your latest graphic organizer with you tomorrow.

Science: the remaining gallery walk sharings and presentations will happen tomorrow. Please ensure you have all of your materials with you.

Note: The whole-school photo will be taken tomorrow.

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight:

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore: your reflections are due Thursday; Lord of the Flies: your reflections are due Friday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts to brainstorm possible text for your script. Use the online tools linked on the French page of the blog to help you with this task.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini. Due Friday.

HOMEWORK—May 28, 2024

Socials: please make sure you have your latest graphic organizer with you tomorrow.

Science: Presentations will be shared tomorrow; the remaining gallery walk sharings will happen on Thursday. Please ensure you have all of your materials with you.

On-Going: Spend 45 focused minutes on one of these items tonight—you might consider spending more time if you are feeling behind with any of these assignments.

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore: your reflections are due Thursday; Lord of the Flies: you reflections are due Friday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: use your vocab handouts to brainstorm possible text for your script. Use the online tools linked on the French page of the blog to help you with this task.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini. Due Friday.

HOMEWORK—May 27, 2024

Science: please have all of your Science materials with you tomorrow. If you do not have your work with you, I will only be able to assume that your project is not complete.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight—you might consider spending more time if you are feeling behind with any of these assignments.

Lit Circles: Lord of the Flies—Tuesday. Use the feedback you received over the past three weeks to help shape your approach for your final circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

The Farthest Shore: your reflections are due Thursday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: Continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

What sentences can you begin to form now that you know être and avoir? How can you combine those verbs with our other known vocab? Write down your ideas in your comp book.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini. Due Friday.

HOMEWORK—May 24, 2024

Tonight:

I encourage you to reread the feedback you received today and actively apply it to your work.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that this weekend—you might consider spending more time if you are feeling behind with any of these assignments.

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore—Monday; Lord of the Flies—Tuesday. Use the feedback you received over the past three weeks to help shape your approach for your final circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

Contact: your reflections are due Monday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: Continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed—how are you working the three aspects of the criteria into your project?

Due date: Tuesday.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini. Due next Friday.

HOMEWORK—May 23, 2024

D&D: you need to have completed the process of leveling up your character before tomorrow (except your hit dice). Please make sure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you need to prep tonight in order to be ready for tomorrow’s session.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore—Friday; Lord of the Flies—next Monday. Use the feedback you received over the past three weeks to help shape your approach for your final circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

Contact: your reflections are due Monday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: Continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed—how are you working the three aspects of the criteria into your project? Please don’t keep questions to yourself—talk to me if you are feeling stuck or confused.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini.

HOMEWORK—May 22, 2024

Career: please ensure you have your comp book with you tomorrow.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore—Friday; Lord of the Flies—next Monday. Use the feedback you received over the past three weeks to help shape your approach for your final circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

Contact: your reflections are due Monday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: Continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini.

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character for Friday.

DMs: open communication with your partner as you plan for Friday’s session.

HOMEWORK—May 21, 2024

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: Contact—Wednesday; The Farthest Shore—Friday; Lord of the Flies—next Monday. Use the feedback you received over the past three weeks to help shape your approach for your final circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

The Dark Is Rising: your reflections are due on Tuesday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: How is your conjugation of avoir and être going? Assessment could happen at any moment…

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Art: use your drafts and the criteria to build your mini.

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character for Friday.

DMs: open communication with your partner as you plan for Friday’s session.

HOMEWORK—May 17, 2024

Monday is Victoria Day. There is no assigned homework for that day. But there is regular weekend homework—and, if you are feeling behind with any of our ongoing projects, you might want to take advantage of this free day to dig in and catch up. As always, the choice is yours.

Tonight:

I encourage you to reread the assignment outline and the “Tips” document (linked on class blog, if you have lost your copies) before you begin.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that this weekend.

Lit Circles: The Dark Is Rising—Tuesday; Contact—Wednesday; The Farthest Shore—Friday; Lord of the Flies—next Monday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

The Lord of the Flies: your reflections are due on Tuesday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: How is your conjugation of avoir and être going? Assessment could happen at any moment…

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

HOMEWORK—May 16, 2024

D&D: please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you need to do tonight to be prepared to continue the adventure? What rooms do you think your party might spend time in? You are encouraged to reread the entries for those rooms and encounters as a part of your prep.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Lord of the Flies—Friday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: How is your conjugation of avoir and être going?

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself—talk to me if you are feeling stuck or confused.

HOMEWORK—May 15, 2024

Career: please ensure you have your Survivor graphic organizer(s) and your comp book with you tomorrow.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Lord of the Flies—Friday. Use the feedback you received over the past two weeks to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

The Farthest Shore: your reflections are due tomorrow.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: based on the practice round today, how is your conjugation of avoir and être going?

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself—talk to me if you are feeling stuck or confused.

HOMEWORK—May 14, 2024

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention over the last two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Farthest Shore—Wednesday; The Lord of the Flies—Friday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

Contact: your reflections are due tomorrow.

Career: please carefully reread the instructions for making for final pick. How are you applying the feedback you got from your 2^nd pick? Due tomorrow. If you are not at school tomorrow (Wednesday), please email me the name of your final pick before 2:47.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: How is your conjugation of avoir and être going?

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself—talk to me if you are feeling stuck or confused.

HOMEWORK—May 13, 2024

Current Events: please ensure you have your current events graphic organizers with you tomorrow.

On-Going: what has gotten the least amount of your attention since Friday? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: Contact—Tuesday; The Farthest Shore—Wednesday; The Lord of the Flies—Friday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

The Dark is Rising: your reflections are due tomorrow.

Career: please carefully reread the instructions for making for final pick. Use the feedback you received to shape your approach. Due Wednesday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: How is your conjugation of avoir and être going?

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself.

HOMEWORK—May 10, 2024

Current Events: tonight, please visit the full episode pages of this week’s episodes of the PBS NewsHour and choose one segment to watch and record your thoughts in the Current Events graphic organizer. (Remember: you can look below today’s episode to find episodes from other days.)

I encourage you to reread the assignment outline and the “Tips” document (linked on the Socials page, if you have lost your copies) before you begin.

On-Going: bee honest: what have you been avoiding? Spend 45 focused minutes on that this weekend.

Lit Circles: The Dark is Rising—Monday; Contact—Tuesday; The Farthest Shore—Wednesday; The Lord of the Flies—Friday. Use the feedback you received this week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Remember, in your prep, continue to think, “How does ____________ help me understand the book/themes/character/writing process better?” What are the details of how it does this?

Career: please carefully reread the instructions for making for final pick. Use the feedback you received to shape your approach. Due Wednesday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: based on our test run today, how is your conjugation of avoir and être going?

And continue to practice the vocab we have learned this year—5-10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself.

HOMEWORK—May 9, 2024

Please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you need to do tonight in order to be ready for the adventure tomorrow?

Career: in your comp book, please make a sociogram of the players still in Survivor—use your notes, especially from the last two episodes, to draw your blue and red lines. Consider how past and current alliances are impacting play.

Beside this web, list the players who are now on the jury. Draw lines to the players in the sociogram—who has whose vote for sure? Who might have certain people’s vote? Who for sure will not vote for whom?

On-Going: what have you spent the least amount of time on recently? Spend 15-30 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Dark is Rising—Monday; Contact—Tuesday; The Farthest Shore—Wednesday; The Lord of the Flies–Thursday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for the next Circle.

Lord of the Flies: your reflection is due tomorrow.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: how confident are you with your conjugation of avoir and être?

Art: are you ready to start making your mini? Are you clear about the physical details of your character?

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself.

HOMEWORK—May 8, 2024

Please ensure you have your Survivor graphic organizer and your comp book with you tomorrow.

On-Going: what have you spent the least amount of time on recently? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: Lord of the Flies—Thursday; The Dark is Rising—Monday; Contact—Tuesday; The Farthest Shore—Wednesday. How are you applying the feedback you have received?

The Tombs of Atuan: your reflection is due tomorrow.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: how confident are you with your conjugation of avoir and être?

Art: are you ready to start making your mini? Are you clear about the physical details of your character?

Science: Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed. Please don’t keep questions to yourself.

HOMEWORK—May 7, 2024

On-Going: what have you spent the least amount of time on recently? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Lit Circles: The Tombs of Atuan—Wednesday; Lord of the Flies—Thursday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for round two.

Contact: your reflection is due tomorrow.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

French: how confident are you with your conjugation of avoir and être?

Art: are you ready to start making your mini? Are you clear about the physical details of your character?

Science: This morning, we clarified the criteria for this project—please apply that knowledge to your work. Have an awareness of the due date and how you are being assessed.

HOMEWORK—May 6, 2024

Socials: please make sure you have your Current Events graphic organizers with you tomorrow.

On-Going: what have you not touched in the past two days? Spend 45 focused minutes on that tonight.

Writing: editing: this is where true writers really apply themselves. This goes beyond proofreading. Experiment, wonder, play, test—how are you applying our Exploding Paragraph work to your own craft? How are you building specific images with words? How are you engaging the reader?

Final copies due tomorrow.

Lit Circles: Contact—Tuesday; The Tombs of Atuan—Wednesday; Lord of the Flies—Thursday. Use the feedback you received last week to help shape your approach for round two.

The Dark Is Rising: your reflection is due tomorrow.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Science: Do you have clarity about how you are being assessed? Use the assignment outline. Don’t be afraid to dip back in to targeted research. Are you tracking your sources?

HOMEWORK—May 3, 2024

I encourage you to reread the assignment outline and the “Tips” document (linked on the Socials page, if you have lost your copies) before you begin.

On-Going: bee honest: what have you been avoiding? Spend 45 focused minutes on that this weekend.

Lit Circles: We return to our regular schedule next week: The Dark Is Rising—Monday; Contact—Tuesday; The Tombs of Atuan—Wednesday; Lord of the Flies—Thursday. Use the feedback you received this week to help shape your approach for round two.

Lord of the Flies: your reflection is due Monday.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Final copies due Tuesday.

Science: If you have not yet made a decision about how you will share your learning, make that your focus now and then get to work!

Use the assignment outline. Don’t be afraid to dip back in to targeted research. Are you tracking your sources?

HOMEWORK—May 2, 2024

Student-Leds: if they have not already done so, please remind your family to complete their “2 Stars and a Wish” form.

D&D: please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow. Do you have a full understanding of your character’s spells, attacks, traits, and features? If not, what can you do tonight to increase your knowledge?

DMs: what do you need to do in order to be ready for tomorrow’s session?

Lit Circles: Use the assignment outline to guide your work. Circles continue this week: Friday—The Lord of the Flies.

We return to our regular schedule next week: The Dark Is Rising—Monday; Contact—Tuesday; The Tombs of Atuan—Wednesday; Lord of the Flies—Thursday. Use the feedback you received this week to help shape your approach for round two.

The Tombs of Atuan: your reflection is due tomorrow.

On-Going: bee honest: what have you been avoiding? Spend 30-45 focused minutes on that tonight.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s Catcher in the Rye thinking model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Final copies due next Tuesday.

Science: If you have not yet made a decision about how you will share your learning, make that your focus now and then get to work!

Use the assignment outline. Don’t be afraid to dip back in to targeted research. Are you tracking your sources?

HOMEWORK—April 30, 2024

Note: Early dismissal tomorrow at 1:45.

Student-Led Prep 1: if you have family members attending the 2:00 sharing tomorrow, please help them choose a class name tonight. Criteria: 1) it needs to be appropriate for a classroom, and 2) it needs to make them happy when they hear it.

Also, please check with your family to see how many of them are coming tomorrow – let me know this tomorrow morning so that we can ensure we have enough chairs.

(And please remind your family to do their best to be on time.)

Student-Led Prep 2: tonight, complete the process of going through your comp book, binders, and accordion folder, using stickie notes to identify items that you might like to share with your family.

Use the blue handout to record your thoughts about why you are sharing each item. Please reread the instructions on that blue sheet before you begin.

Student-Led Prep 3: if you are leading an activity tomorrow, finish your text and practice it out loud a couple of times. If you have questions about what to say, please ask me tomorrow.

Lit Circles: Use the assignment outline to guide your work. Circles continue this week: Wednesday—Contact; Thursday—The Tombs of Atuan; Friday—The Lord of the Flies.

Given that you have had an extra week to prepare, the expectation is that you will bring in rich, detailed, thoughtful contributions.

The Dark Is Rising: your reflection is due tomorrow.

HOMEWORK—April 26, 2024

Student-Led Prep: tonight, spend 30 minutes going through your comp book and black binder, using stickie notes to identify items that you might like to share with your family.

Use the blue handout to record your thoughts about why you are sharing each item. Please reread the instructions on that blue sheet before you begin.

ALSO: those of you who are taking on teacher roles for next Wednesday, this weekend please draft out a short script for yourself and bring that in on Monday.

Science: tonight, please read the assignment outline for Phase 3 of your independent research. Bring in questions on Tuesday.

Note: No school (for students) on Monday, but I have to be here for the full day, so you know what that means…

Consider this a gift of time: we have a lot of fairly big on-going projects currently in motion; use this free day to sink into the work and take some stress off of your plate.

You are encouraged to take about 3 hours on Monday (or split the time up over the three-day weekend) to rotate the following:

Socials: go to the PBS NewsHour website (linked on the blog under Socials), click on “Full Episodes,” and then choose one segment from Thursday or Friday to watch while recording your ideas on the second page of your current events graphic organizer.

Reread the orange handout before you begin.

Lit Circles: Use the assignment outline to guide your work. Circles meet next week: Tuesday—The Dark is Rising; Wednesday—Contact; Thursday—The Tombs of Atuan; Friday—The Lord of the Flies.

Given that you have an extra week to prepare, the expectation is that you will bring in rich, detailed, thoughtful contributions.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?
How is every member of your group being given space to make a meaningful artistic contribution?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Writing: what’s it like to apply Ursula K. Le Guin’s advice and to place yourself in the world of your character and record what you see and hear? What you are stuck, rather than try to think harder, what’s it like to relax, wait, and listen for the words? A full first draft is due on Tuesday.

Science: Having read the outline for the final stage of this work, begin drafting out how you will share your learning.

Consider what gaps you need to fill in your knowledge in order to become an expert on your topic? Are you applying the feedback you received during your conference? Are you tracking your sources?

HOMEWORK—April 25, 2024

Career: Please make sure you have your Survivor graphic organizer with you tomorrow.

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities—
you are encouraged to keep all of these activities in rotation—
and consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

Lit Circles: Use the assignment outline to guide your work. Circles meet next week. Given that you have an extra week to prepare, please use that time to bring in rich, detailed, deep contributions.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?
How is every member of your group being given space to make a meaningful artistic contribution?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Science: As you continue your research, consider what gaps you need to fill in your knowledge in order to become an expert on your topic? Are you applying the feedback you received during your conference? Are you tracking your sources?

HOMEWORK—April 24, 2024

Musical: please remember to honor Ms. Lui’s request to wear a dress shirt and dark pants/skirt or a dress tomorrow for the dress rehearsal of the musical.

Socials: if you did not complete recording your thoughts about the current events segment that you chose today, please complete that at home tonight. Use the orange handout to guide your approach.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?
How is every member of your group being given space to make a meaningful artistic contribution?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

HOMEWORK—April 23, 2024

Student-Led Conferences: please check in with your family—I sent them an email about the conferences with a link to a very short survey to complete. Please remind them to complete the survey this evening if they have not done so already.

Musical: please check in with your family—can you tell me definitely tomorrow: will you be present at the evening performance on Thursday?

Tennis: tennis permission forms must be in tomorrow morning if you’d like to participate in tennis lessons tomorrow.

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities. Consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?
How is every member of your group being given space to make a meaningful artistic contribution?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

HOMEWORK—April 22, 2024

D&D: the adventure continues tomorrow! Please make sure you have your character sheet and any D&D-related books with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you and your partner need to do tonight in order to be ready to lead tomorrow?

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities. Consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?
How are you using the Character Guidelines?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

HOMEWORK—April 19, 2024

Lit Circles: if you have not already done so, please work with your parents to secure some small sticky notes.

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities. Consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

Lit Circles: Use the assignment outline to guide your work. Circles meet the week after next. Given that you have an extra week to prepare, please use that time to bring in rich, detailed, deep contributions.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

HOMEWORK—April 18, 2024

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character by tomorrow. Your goal is to have a full understanding of how your traits, features, attacks, and spells work.

If you have a Players Handbook (or any other D&D-related books) signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school tomorrow.

Please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you and your partner need to do tonight to be ready for tomorrow?

Lit Circles: please work with your parents to secure some small sticky notes.

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities. Consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

Lit Circles: Now that you know your group and your responsibilities and your meeting date, use the assignment outline to guide your work.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Science: if you have not already done so, please explore the “101 Ways to Show What You Know” document on the Science page of our class blog. How might you show what you know?

As you continue your research, consider what gaps you need to fill in your knowledge in order to become an expert on your topic?

HOMEWORK—April 17, 2024

Photos: class photos (and extracurricular group photos) will be taken tomorrow.

Lit Circles: please work with your parents to secure some small sticky notes.

On-Going: please aim to spend about 45 minutes on one or two of the below activities. Consider making a goal journal entry for yourself, to aid in focus:

Lit Circles: Now that you know your group and your responsibilities and your meeting date, use the assignment outline to guide your work.

WoE: as you work on your final drafts, keep in mind these things:

How are you treating place?
How are you treating the major themes, when they arrive?
How are you treating your WOW moment(s)?
How are you applying Ivan Brunetti’s model?

Aim for relaxed, focused, purposeful work.

Science: if you have not already done so, please explore the “101 Ways to Show What You Know” document on the Science page of our class blog. How might you show what you know?

As you continue your research, consider what gaps you need to fill in your knowledge in order to become an expert on your topic?

Photos: class photos (and extracurricular group photos) will be taken tomorrow.

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character by Friday. Your goal is to have a full understanding of how your traits, features, attacks, and spells work.

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: what do you and your partner need to do this week to prepare for Friday?

HOMEWORK—April 16, 2024

Writing: using the assignment outline and an inspiration die from today’s reading of backstory examples, please begin brainstorming how you will approach this task. One option: make a web of the required aspects, noting the particular details relevant to your character for each one. Spend about 30 minutes with this tonight.

Science: please explore the “101 Ways to Show What You Know” document on the Science page of our class blog. How might you show what you know?

Photos: please let your family know that our class photo will be taken on Thursday.

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character by Friday. Come in with questions tomorrow.

Continue to brainstorm: where/how did your character get their items? How did they learn their spells and their class? Why did they decide to become an adventurer?

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: based on what happened today, what do you need to do this week to prepare for Friday?

Report Cards: please work with your family to bring your signed report card envelope back by tomorrow.

HOMEWORK—April 15, 2024

Ongoing: what did you not do during work block today? 30-45 minutes on that tonight:

WoE: relaxed, focused, thoughtful work. Think about the Ivan Brunetti exercise we looked at last term (Catcher in the Rye): what is the purpose of each line?

Science: where are the gaps in your knowledge? What new questions have arisen in your exploration? Make this the focus on your research moving forward.

Other:

Photos: please let your family know that our class photo will be taken on Thursday.

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character by Friday. Come in with questions tomorrow.

Continue to brainstorm: where/how did your character get their items? How did they learn their spells and their class? Why did they decide to become an adventurer?

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: based on what happened today, what do you need to do this week to prepare for Friday?

Math: do you need to practice finding the measures of central tendency of a data set?

Report Cards: please work with your family to bring your signed report card envelope back by Wednesday.

HOMEWORK—April 12, 2024

Photos: please let your family know that our class photo will be taken this coming Thursday, April 18.

Ms. Leung: Monday will be Ms. Leung’s last day at Cap Hill [insert hysterical crying emoji here]. Consider your interactions with her and how she has helped you. On Monday, you will create an index card drawing for her. What might you draw and say?

D&D: in your comp book, continue sketching out your character—their body, their clothing, their weapons, and their special equipment. Try to be specific. This will aid you in beginning your backstory next week.

Based on what you learned today, what do you need to do to increase your knowledge about the game and your character? Continue to build up your knowledge of how to use your spells, traits, and special features—this can be done by reading or rereading sections of the Players Handbook or by looking up video resources on Youtube or print resources on cbr.com, or by watching online D&D games on Youtube (e.g. Relics and Rarities—usually clean—Critical Role or Exandria Unlimited—note: contains course language; please check with your family first—Force Grey or Dimension 20—language content unknown…).

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: based on what happened today, what do you need to do this week to prepare for next Friday?

WoE: please spend about 45 minutes on your chapter this weekend—either working on a panel, or reading your chapter, or finding reference images, or watching interviews with Ursula K. Le Guin, or practicing things you know you will need to draw next. Let this be relaxed, thoughtful work—it is not a race.

Math: do you need to practice finding the measures of central tendency of a data set?

Report Cards: please work with your family to bring your signed report card envelop back by next Wednesday.

HOMEWORK—April 11, 2024

D&D: in your comp book, continue sketching out your character—their body, their clothing, their weapons, and their special equipment.

Continue to build up your knowledge of how to use your spells, traits, and special features—this can be done by reading or rereading sections of the Players Handbook or by looking up video resources on Youtube or print resources on cbr.com.

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

Please ensure you have your character sheet with you tomorrow.

DMs: what do you need to do tonight in order to be ready to begin the adventure tomorrow?

WoE: please spend out twenty minutes on your chapter tonight—either working on a panel or practicing things you know you will need to draw tomorrow. Let this be relaxed, thoughtful work—it is not a race.

Math: do you need to practice finding the measures of central tendency of a data set?

HOMEWORK—April 10, 2024

Please spend 30-45 focused minutes on the following:

D&D: complete the process of leveling up your character. Your goal here is to have a full understanding of the mechanics of your character: your traits, features, and spells. If there is anything you don’t understand, please bring those questions in tomorrow (if you are confused by something, I can guarantee that other people are confused by it, too).

All: please read this article: https://www.cbr.com/dnd-things-no-player-should-ever-do/ (linked on class blog on the Homework page).

All: in your comp book, begin sketching out your character—their body, their clothing, their weapons, and their special equipment.

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: working with your partner to prep to start the adventure! (Maybe Friday!)

Math: do you need to practice finding the measures of central tendency of a data set?

HOMEWORK—April 9, 2024

D&D: if you are a magic-user, please complete making your choices for your cantrips and first-level spells. The section of the Players Handbook that covers your class will have information about how you determine how many spells you know.

If you are not a magic user, please explore your class in the Players Handbook and start to think about where you will go at Levels 2 and 3.

All: please make your choice about your character’s background.

All: please watch three (3) of the video sections in the “Handbooker Helper” playlist on Youtube—choose videos that are relevant to your class or race and/or your general knowledge level of the game.

If you have a Players Handbook signed out, please make sure you are bringing it back to school every day.

DMs: working with your partner to prep to start the adventure! (Maybe Friday!)

On-going:

Career: use your graphic organizer and consider the resources listed on the outline (also on the Career page of the blog); aim for thoroughness; use specific examples; look at each ability/skill/way of being from all sides. Due tomorrow.

Reading/Socials: reading your chapters slowly and thoughtfully, looking up unknown words and concepts. As discussed in class, aim to use specific evidence from the texts to support your opinions. Due tomorrow.