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.
January 11
Sun, Jan 11 2009 01:36
Hey Parents!
For this month's update, I thought I'd keep it relatively simple and let everyone know what to expect in the final weeks of the semester. Since December and January have turned out to be a bit of an adventure in the weather department, things are a bit skewed in each class. Also difficult is that I missed a number of days due to my father's recent passing. That means for each class, we've got a bit of catching up to do before the 30th (the newly decided end of the term). So, here's what to be looking for from your student:
For this month's update, I thought I'd keep it relatively simple and let everyone know what to expect in the final weeks of the semester. Since December and January have turned out to be a bit of an adventure in the weather department, things are a bit skewed in each class. Also difficult is that I missed a number of days due to my father's recent passing. That means for each class, we've got a bit of catching up to do before the 30th (the newly decided end of the term). So, here's what to be looking for from your student:
Honors 10ers are definitely in a tight spot. At this time last year, we were a full unit ahead. The good news though is that over winter break, we were able to take advantage of the time off and check-off an outside reading book (click here for the choices they had). Every student selected a book, read it, did a quick assignment when they got back, and did a practice AP-style essay connecting their choice to an earlier novel from their 9th/10th grade careers. This was our first time ever doing this assignment and I am pleased to see that it turned out to be a pretty big success--everyone (well, almost everyone) read and the essays are looking pretty good. We've got some pretty insightful readers in these classes...be sure to have a chat with your student and see what they thought of their novel. All of the titles on the list are works that are starting to show up more regularly on the AP Language and Literature exams. The fact that your student now has an additional "modern classic" under their belt at the 10th grade puts them in a pretty good spot for the next couple of years.
In addition to the outside reading, Sophs are just about to jump into John Knowles' A Separate Peace. It's a fantastic novel--one of my favorites when I was in high school--about the complicated relationship between 2 prep-school roommates. There is an absolute ton to dive into this book--historical references, Biblical allusions, social commentary...it's pretty loaded and definitely makes for some great class discussions. Be on the look out for your student moving pretty quickly through this novel. Our aim is to have the entire thing wrapped up (including an essay) in about 2 weeks.
Now, for Creative Writing. This class is probably the most impacted by the days off and the irregular schedule of the past few months. Right now, these folks are juggling a couple of assignments. There is an outside reading book of their choice (be sure to ask 'em about their customized booklist) and a new character piece. The students have produced an impressive amount of work and in the final weeks of the semester, we'll be finishing off a few pieces and starting to decide what they are going to select for their final reading of the semester. If you have yet to get a chance to look at any of the pieces your student has come up with, do so--I promise you'll be impressed. This is definitely one of my most enthusiastic classes and everyone is churning out some great stuff. Our last issue of the class anthology, Floodplain has been distributed (your student has one...ask to see it) and we've only got a few weeks to put together the next...the rest of the month will certainly be busy.
Finally, Freshmen. These guys have managed to deal with the disruptions pretty well. Right before break, they finished off a big formal essay on the short story, The Scarlet Ibis (grades should be posted shortly) and now we are right in the middle of digging into George Orwell's Animal Farm. While the book is an easy read, it is by no means simple. It's message is extremely complex and it's allegorical connections to the Russian Revolution take a while to get through. It's difficult, but the good news is that your student will finish up this unit with a pretty firm understanding of some important topics--communism, socialism, totalitarianism, corruption, propaganda, etc. I love teaching this novel because we get to branch out into a bit of Social Studies and students get a better grasp on how history often connects with literature. Also interesting this year, is that because of of the snow/flooding, we are in line with some of the social studies teachers. That means while your student is studying a lot of this material in their history classes, they are seeing it all play out as they read the novel...pretty cool. Expect your student to be reading much of this short novel at home--we are about halfway through.
So, I think I'll stop there. There's a lot to tackle by the end of the month and your student will definitely be busy. If there's any questions, let me know. Hopefully the rest of the year goes uninterrupted.
Thanks for reading,
Eric Goldhammer
Language Arts Teacher
Mount Si High School