Overview of the Next Few Weeks
Good morning, all:
I know this is all very strange, but we’ll carry on and everything is going to be okay. It’s weird not being at school today with you all. I’d much rather be. But, here we are, and we’re going to try to make the most of it.
I was very excited about this next unit, as I may have expressed recently. I’m a bit sad that things won’t exactly get to play out as I had envisioned, but I’m going to do my best to facilitate your learning from here as best I can. Here’s a general overview of what these next few weeks will look like:
Each student has been placed in a literature circle group that will be reading the same novel. While we weren’t able to distribute books before Governor Whitmer closed the schools, luckily, we have PDFs available for some books that we can give you access to without having to change things too much.
I will be creating Google Classroom assignments each week specific to YOUR literature circle group that will provide you with how many pages to read for that week as well as the role sheets you need to complete and turn in for mastery scores. Additional assignments will be posted each Friday in which students will have to respond to discussion prompts about their reading that week.
Assignments Due Each Week:
- Your reading, according to the reading schedule I provide for your book.
- Your literature circle role sheet will be due on WEDNESDAYS, which you will be assigned each week according to my schedule.
- You must respond to a discussion prompt every FRIDAY and reply to each of your peers’ answers agreeing or disagreeing with meaningful supporting evidence and reasoning.
Resources Available to Assist:
- Mrs. A and I will be available via email throughout the week. We will both be checking it frequently. Feel free to email with questions or concerns.
- I will post every weekday on this blog to update you on what progress you should be making as well as any other pertinent information. I will also post any ideas for things to do during this time of social distancing, as I know it can be a bit difficult and might be a bit daunting.
- I will also be giving opportunities for you to sign up to video conference with me via Google Hangouts about your literature circle books. I will hold different sessions for different books. I haven’t quite hammered out the details on how this is going to work, but I’ll mess with it and let you know ASAP. These books can be complex and it can be so helpful to get to talk and ask questions about what you’re reading. I hope you’ll take advantage of this resource, and I’d be happy to see you and help out!
- Any additional helpful materials I will post in my daily posts. I’ll keep a running list here on this post, though, so that they’re easy to find.
I will be posting your first round of materials shortly. Please be patient as I figure it all out, and when I do post, I will ask for you to comment on that post to acknowledge that you’ve seen it and can access it.
Final Notes
If you’re anything like I was when I was your age, you’re probably just wanting to plop yourself down in front of the TV and play video games 24/7 during this time. Video games are fine, and I hope you enjoy. However, in addition to making time for your course work, make sure you take care of yourself in other ways too: exercise, eat healthy, communicate with friends (maybe video chat rather than in person), READ, READ, READ, and keep yourselves safe.
We’ll make it work, and everything will be fine. Feel free to reach out if you need. 🙂
TL;DR – We’re still doing lit circles. Check Google Classroom frequently and comment to let me know you’ve received the first round of materials. Reach out if you have questions; we’re still here to help. Stay safe and healthy!