Welcome to the official newsletter for all things Language Arts and Mr. Goldhammer. The purpose of this newsletter is simple: to allow parents and guardians a way to stay informed about their student's Language Arts experience and to promote involvement in his/her education. This newsletter is updated regularly and should be a great way to finally get an answer to that dreaded "what'd you learn at school today" question students so cleverly try to avoid. As "Hey Parents!" is a bit of an experiment, be sure to pass on any comments or suggestions that you may have. Enjoy.
November 25
Sun, Nov 25 2007 01:57
I just wanted to give a big thanks to all of the parents and guardians who made it to conferences last week. Out of my 150ish students, just about half had an adult (I think I met with 72 of you) who came in to chat and show support for your student. If you weren't able to make it in, not to worry...I am always available to chat by phone or email and would be more than happy to even schedule a time to meet one-on-one.
As for what to look for in the upcoming weeks, not much has changed since the last update. So, I'll be brief:
For Sophomores, expect to be hearing your student walking around the house reciting Shakespeare. All of them are required to memorize a monologue/soliloquy from Julius Caesar and only a handful of them have already taken care of it. We are about 1 week away from finishing up the play and the next few weeks should be busy. Expect another essay and some pretty entertaining theatrical work to be headed their way.
Students in Creative Writing are pretty busy. At conferences, I spoke to a number of parents about the importance of this class for seniors and how many of them sometimes "forget" that it is just as demanding as any other language arts class they have ever taken. With that said, your student has quite a bit on his or her plate this week. All of them are in the process of finishing up a major assignment (their first adventure into character work) and all of them are required to submit an original piece to the class anthology, Floodplain. This year's first issue (No. 5) should be out early next week--be sure to be on the lookout for it. So far, it's turning out to be quite nice.
Freshmen have just turned in a final draft of their first big, huge, formal, and official essay. I am in the process of reading these and writing about a bizillion comments on them. As soon as I mange to get through them all, they'll be handed back for a rewrite before a final score is entered into the gradebook. Be on the lookout for your students tweaking their essays, and meticulously going over the details in the days to come...there might even be an editing assignment that requires some parent/guardian participation.
Thanks for reading and staying involved!
'Til next time,
Eric Goldhammer
Language Arts Teacher
Mount Si High School
November 15
Thu, Nov 15 2007 09:32
A big thanks for tuning in once again and checking up on what's been happening in the classroom! As I'll be seeing many parents over the next few days during conferences, I'll do my best to keep things relatively brief (some of you may have noticed that brevity can often be a bit tricky for me). For those who may have missed the announcement or info put out by the school for conferences, click here for all of the details. If your "designated day" (which is set-up by last name) doesn't work out for you, do keep in mind that nobody is checking IDs at the door. Whatever works for you, works for me. It will be great to be able to sit down have a chat about how things are going with your student...I'm definitely looking forward to it.
As for some specifics about the classroom, I know it's been a few weeks since my last update. Here's what's been going on:
Freshmen are in the middle of a pretty intense essay process. After spending much of the first quarter working on honing some writing basics, students are now demonst
rating their ability to put all together in their first, big, formal and official essay of the year. They are writing on James Hearst's The Scarlet Ibis (see picture of the big, red, bird on right and click here for a copy of the story) and each and every one of them is coming up with some fairly sophisticated arguments and interpretations. The process we've been going through is detailed and linear--each step leads to the another and completion is essential before moving on to the next. For most students, this works great. It means lots of points in the gradebook and not just a big looming mega-assignment with a distant due date. The trick is to spread out the work, get everyone to slow down and really think about the specifics of their writing, and gradually put together a completed piece. The results thus far have been great. At home, look for your student to be busy at the computer, drafting their essay and editing diligently. His/her first typed and printed draft is due on Monday the 19th and he or she will be turning in a revised version on the 21st. After the Thanksgiving weekend, there will be more revising before an official and final version is turned in for a grade.
Creative Writing right now is all about character development. After spending the first chunk of the quarter working on descriptive writing (I'm sure many of you are thankful that The Fruit Journal is finally over), we've shifted gears and are now working on creating original, believable, and multi-layered characters. Currently, the class is in the middle of a complex assignment where their main subject is actually another classmate--be sure to ask your student about it and get them to share what they've come up with. The more I read their work, the more I realize there are some absolutely incredible voices in this class--your student is probably one of them, make sure you get a chance to take a look at what they can do.
"Friends, Parents, Countrymen! Lend me your ears"....As you might of guessed, in LA 10 Honors, life continues to revolve around the backstabbing, betrayal, and brilliance that is Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. As of yesterday we were just a bit over halfway through and I must say that these students are really getting it. Shakespeare's language can be difficult, but the comprehension everyone has been demonstrating is impressive. In addition to reading and analyzing the play in class, expect soon to hear about your student also up in front of the class performing. Skits, some memorization, and acting are all a part of the weeks to come. If you have not yet heard your student discussing any of this, be sure to ask them how the memorization of their monologue/soliloquy is going...Be warned, this could definitely keep you entertained for a while...many parents tell me that they themselves, often have it memorized when all is said and done. When helping your student out with his or her memorization, be sure to ask them to explain the meaning of it all--you should be blown away by just how much they can tell you.
See everyone at conferences!
Eric Goldhammer
Language Arts Teacher
Mount Si High School
As for some specifics about the classroom, I know it's been a few weeks since my last update. Here's what's been going on:
Freshmen are in the middle of a pretty intense essay process. After spending much of the first quarter working on honing some writing basics, students are now demonst
rating their ability to put all together in their first, big, formal and official essay of the year. They are writing on James Hearst's The Scarlet Ibis (see picture of the big, red, bird on right and click here for a copy of the story) and each and every one of them is coming up with some fairly sophisticated arguments and interpretations. The process we've been going through is detailed and linear--each step leads to the another and completion is essential before moving on to the next. For most students, this works great. It means lots of points in the gradebook and not just a big looming mega-assignment with a distant due date. The trick is to spread out the work, get everyone to slow down and really think about the specifics of their writing, and gradually put together a completed piece. The results thus far have been great. At home, look for your student to be busy at the computer, drafting their essay and editing diligently. His/her first typed and printed draft is due on Monday the 19th and he or she will be turning in a revised version on the 21st. After the Thanksgiving weekend, there will be more revising before an official and final version is turned in for a grade.Creative Writing right now is all about character development. After spending the first chunk of the quarter working on descriptive writing (I'm sure many of you are thankful that The Fruit Journal is finally over), we've shifted gears and are now working on creating original, believable, and multi-layered characters. Currently, the class is in the middle of a complex assignment where their main subject is actually another classmate--be sure to ask your student about it and get them to share what they've come up with. The more I read their work, the more I realize there are some absolutely incredible voices in this class--your student is probably one of them, make sure you get a chance to take a look at what they can do.
"Friends, Parents, Countrymen! Lend me your ears"....As you might of guessed, in LA 10 Honors, life continues to revolve around the backstabbing, betrayal, and brilliance that is Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. As of yesterday we were just a bit over halfway through and I must say that these students are really getting it. Shakespeare's language can be difficult, but the comprehension everyone has been demonstrating is impressive. In addition to reading and analyzing the play in class, expect soon to hear about your student also up in front of the class performing. Skits, some memorization, and acting are all a part of the weeks to come. If you have not yet heard your student discussing any of this, be sure to ask them how the memorization of their monologue/soliloquy is going...Be warned, this could definitely keep you entertained for a while...many parents tell me that they themselves, often have it memorized when all is said and done. When helping your student out with his or her memorization, be sure to ask them to explain the meaning of it all--you should be blown away by just how much they can tell you.
See everyone at conferences!
Eric Goldhammer
Language Arts Teacher
Mount Si High School