Monday March 23, 2020

Online learning is going to have to change — read the email I sent for a more specific explanation as to why.

Due to the current uncertainties surrounding online learning, we have been directed to focus on “enriching” skills that have already been taught as opposed to introducing new content.

For this reason, the literature circle unit we started last week needs to be put on hold.

I know this is frustrating, but our administration is figuring out this unprecedented situation as they go, and then we have to wait and find out from them what is expected. It’s a bit of a mess, but at least for the next few weeks, we now have a solid direction to go.

You can feel free to continue reading your literature circle book. It can only help you for when we go back to literature circles.

Before you ask: no, these “enrichment” activities don’t impact your grade. However, they are relatively short, interesting ways to pass the time that will also help strengthen your skills for when we are given the green light that this time can count.

Eventually, we will return to the literature circle unit. In the meantime, the other 9th grade LA teachers and I have come up with a new weekly routine.

This routine is as follows:

  • Monday – Mentor sentences practice with previously taught sentence structures via a Google Form in which you will write specific types of sentences about pictures that we provide.
  • Tuesday – Creative or reflective journal entry responding to one prompt you can select from a list that we provide.
  • Wednesday – Short reading with a couple of multiple choice questions focusing on a specific skill.
  • Thursday – Journal entry responding to Wednesday’s reading.
  • Friday – Multiple choice questions focusing on a DIFFERENT skill using the same reading from Wednesday.

This will give us the chance to build up some of the skills we’ve focused on, and we can use the information we gathered from last week’s trial run of the literature circles to make it better and easier to understand for when we inevitably go back to it.

I will keep the current info in the FAQ, but I will add to it still as more questions arise regarding this new direction.

We will still hold office hours on Friday. I’ll let you know if we add other times for that as well.

I hope this finds you well. I miss you guys. I’d much rather be at school to hear your insights and joke around with you. While I’m doing just fine here in self-quarantine, I could always count on you all for a good laugh, good conversation, and to make the days go by quickly.

My roommate got a scary video game called Little Nightmares, and watching her play that after it gets dark has become one of my favorite new things to do most days. I’ve also finished reading two books so far, and counting…makes me wonder how much you all have been reading…hmm?

Anyway. I’ll be posting the mentor sentences assignment on Google Classroom shortly. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or if you just want to check in!

UPDATE 12:12 PM – I’ve created a new page where I will keep some positive extra readings and activities that I find and enjoy. If you want to look through them, they will be there, but they are not required.

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