It’s over?
The school year is over? Wow, how quickly it has come to an end. It’s been an interesting year teaching a bright group of international students from China and Korea. HS Intermediate English was our focus. Reading short stories, folk tales, anecdotes, how to read non-fiction, fiction, what reading strategies to use to understand the text, were some of the genres and concepts covered. I enjoyed this. What was most exciting for me were the many moments when the students reached the place were they were able to convey their opinions, and ideas in English. When they made connections with the text, their culture, their families, etc. and gained the confidence to express it was wonderful to experience. It was a great year discovering how very much alike we are. I remember a story on the life of Bruce Lee. Each text is introduced before reading, so when asked if they were familiar with this person, or if they had ever heard of him, I got some nods and a Yes or two. When we were finished reading the introduction, I added that he was my cousin. When this tid-bit of information was met with their laugther, I knew that they understood. Mrs. Hernandez
Anatomy, DNA, Regents Oh my!
What a year. Students were instructed to be able to pass the regents. The students performed many labs with the intent of learning. One of the most fun labs was when students were designing a baby. Wow, the students were laughing the entire lab. We also dissected a few animals: frog, earthworm, and a crayfish. Some students learned that dissection is not as bad as they thought it would be. While discussing DNA bases (guanine, cytosine, adenine, and thymine) we learned that making a mnemonic would help to remember which bases go together. Gary Coleman is where iT’s At. Guanine and cytosine combine while Thymine and Adenine combine. Living environment had a great year with many things that students had to learn.
Mr. Penland
Next Stop: College
This year the students learned how to do personal statements using MS Word. From setting up margins to making headers and foot notes, the students were exposed to what college students experience regarding technology.
Mr. B
Typing Skills
Students focused on how to do research and search for reliable sources. They also did typing drills that targeted aspects and skills that they will use in college.
Mr. B
American Literature
The juniors have a difficult task of moving through a chronological study of American literature. This means jumping right into the 17th century language of the Pilgrims – and understanding their perspective. This, in turn, means looking further back into the history of England, from whence the literary traditions came. What, then, is American literature? The students’ background in the historicity behind the words made the works relevant. They saw, through literature, the transition from a God-centered mindset to the more materialistic and individualistic – quite relevant, as they are trends that are still going strong today.
Miss Kleinschuster
Classics
This year, 12th grade made a study of classics and classics – there’s a difference! A spiritual or biblical perspective of value in literature is not the same as the world’s. The seniors took a brief tour through English (that is, British) literature with works such as Beowulf, portions of The Canterbury Tales, Shakespearean comedy and tragedy, and The Pilgrim’s Progress. Along the way they learned why the English language has so many rules and exceptions to them: it’s the adopted child of at least four different languages! They studied and tried their hand at the aesthetics of poetry. They also found examples of leaders both good and bad, pointing what they should emulate – and what they should not.
Miss Kleinschuster
Dream Job
The last quarter has been a whirlwind of work winding down to when summer releases students back to their countries of origin.
Nonfiction in 11th grade was wrapped around the idea of what dream job/future profession each student aspired toward. First they took a survey on How Creative Are You and discovered what skills and personality traits are needed for different jobs. Worksheets that went with the unit helped them expand their language skills to use descriptive words like innovative as well as idioms like tried and true. Their work and research culminated in writing their personal statements for college and then projecting 5 years in the future to write a resume for a position at their dream job.
For the summer, students are encouraged to continue reading English Literature, continue developing vocabulary journals, and continue relationships with American friends by correspondence and responsible social networking. All in all it has been a productive and good year in ESL. I will miss the students but look forward to hearing of their summer adventures when they return.
Mrs. Kemp
Current Events
The last quarter has been a whirlwind of work winding down to when summer releases students back to their countries of origin.
For the Nonfiction unit in 10th grade, we delved into how periodicals and current events are written and discovered the workings of the inverted pyramid structure for writing news stories and the magic of the 5W’s and H (who, what , when , where , why, and how). Groups presented their own scripted broadcast of a current news story while other students listened and recorded the 5 W’s and How from the presentation. Individually, each took a NYC post card and created their own story around the image producing an interesting variety of stories. Some were dramatic, some were historical, and some were fanciful but each was unique.
Mrs. Kemp
Amazing Grace
The last quarter has been a whirlwind of work winding down to when summer releases students back to their countries of origin.
In 7th, 8th, and 9th grades the students finished the nonfiction unit studying Amazing Grace, the True Story along with the lyrics to Amazing Grace. It was a creative way to use reading strategies to compare texts, learn new vocabulary, and explore changes in people as well as society. Students observed what happens historically when people give their hearts and lives over to God and become new creations and they gained a better understanding of the importance of sharing the testimonies of the dynamic lives of Godly men/women who change the world for good. After such an intense study we lightened up with descriptive writing about personal events such as the 8th grade trip to Dorney Park. Many students were able to not only use more sophisticated vocabulary than before, but also used descriptive metaphors to bring the reader into the experience.
Mrs. Kemp
Personal Finance
Students were given text-to-life lessons explaining the importance of personal finance. Many projects such as Stock Market Research, budgeting money, and sole proprietorship were the formats students undertook to comprehend the process of business. Seniors are now better prepared and enlightened in the business world.
Mr. Keeks