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.
February 6
Fri, Feb 6 2009 08:53
Hey Parents!
Well, 1st semester is over and the final half of the year is about a week underway. 1st semester grades should be up and posted this weekend. Each class has about 1 large assignment left to posted, but other than that, grades are up to date. If you've got any questions or are looking for ways for 2nd semester to be a bit more "productive" or "smooth" for your student, be sure to drop me a line or arrange for a chat. 2nd semester is a great opportunity for students--the slate is wiped clean and there's a chance to turn some things around. For others (most!), it's just the next step in continuing to keep up the strong effort. All classes have some fantastic material to cover 2nd semester...it's definitely my favorite part of the year. So, let's get to some of it.
Right now, Sophomores are pounding their way through Zora Neale Hurston's beautiful novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's poetic, moving, and thought provoking. Love, romance, self discovery, the horrors of racism, soul, folklore, struggle, music, adventure...this book has it all. It even has a character named Tea Cake...and really, how can you not love something like that? In order to make up for some lost time, we've been moving through the novel at a pretty quick clip. In fact, they should be finishing it up this weekend. Next week we'll be starting an essay and there's a number of creative/fun projects that go along. Be on the look out for your student to be pretty dang busy right up until mid-winter break.
As for Creative Writing, since it's a semester class, this is most likely the first time many of you have checked out the website. Welcome! Hopefully you've had a chance to poke around the site a bit...there's a lot to check out. Besides this page however, the number one feature that parents tend to use is The Daily Post. Creative Writing--while fun--is a pretty demanding class. I've seen many a senior get a bit too excited about graduation and neglect their assignments. The Daily Post enables you to see exactly what was covered in class + any homework that was assigned + any upcoming due dates every single day. It's a great resource for both you and your student...check it often, ask them what they are working on, and make sure they are on top of it all.
Speaking of what they are working on...we are actually just about to dive in headfirst. The first week is relatively simple (course outline, syllabus, etc). But next week, we should be starting to wrap our brains around descriptive writing and begining to really break out the pencils. It should be fun...definitely a promising group. Even just after 5 days of knowing most of them, I can already tell we've got some unique voices in the class.
Finally, the Freshmen. After finishing up Animal Farm (which got way too stretched out due snow and flooding and winter break), we've finally begun our work on The Odyssey. This is definitely a fun unit. Advenure, heros, cyclops, sirens, gods and goddesses, some epic battles, some mushy love stuff...the Odyssey is great. Students will definitely begin to see some connections to other books/films/etc. that they are already familiar with. The Odyssey is essentially where the modern adventure tale began and a good portion of our work with this archetypal story is about really digging into each elemet and figuring out why we see such similar patterns and plot devices in everything from classic novels to modern films. We also tackle quite a bit on the epic tradition and how it all fits into Greek culture. Your student will defintiely finish up the story with the ability to make some pretty sophisticated connections. Be on the look out for a fairly intense creative project sometime after break (in fact, many will try to get a head start during their time off).
So, I think that about covers it. Second semester is always fun, always a busy, and always quick. Be sure to let me know if you're student could use some help or guidance juggling it all. As always, thanks for checking in and staying involved.
Eric Goldhammer
LA Teacher
Mount Si High School
Well, 1st semester is over and the final half of the year is about a week underway. 1st semester grades should be up and posted this weekend. Each class has about 1 large assignment left to posted, but other than that, grades are up to date. If you've got any questions or are looking for ways for 2nd semester to be a bit more "productive" or "smooth" for your student, be sure to drop me a line or arrange for a chat. 2nd semester is a great opportunity for students--the slate is wiped clean and there's a chance to turn some things around. For others (most!), it's just the next step in continuing to keep up the strong effort. All classes have some fantastic material to cover 2nd semester...it's definitely my favorite part of the year. So, let's get to some of it.
Right now, Sophomores are pounding their way through Zora Neale Hurston's beautiful novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's poetic, moving, and thought provoking. Love, romance, self discovery, the horrors of racism, soul, folklore, struggle, music, adventure...this book has it all. It even has a character named Tea Cake...and really, how can you not love something like that? In order to make up for some lost time, we've been moving through the novel at a pretty quick clip. In fact, they should be finishing it up this weekend. Next week we'll be starting an essay and there's a number of creative/fun projects that go along. Be on the look out for your student to be pretty dang busy right up until mid-winter break.
As for Creative Writing, since it's a semester class, this is most likely the first time many of you have checked out the website. Welcome! Hopefully you've had a chance to poke around the site a bit...there's a lot to check out. Besides this page however, the number one feature that parents tend to use is The Daily Post. Creative Writing--while fun--is a pretty demanding class. I've seen many a senior get a bit too excited about graduation and neglect their assignments. The Daily Post enables you to see exactly what was covered in class + any homework that was assigned + any upcoming due dates every single day. It's a great resource for both you and your student...check it often, ask them what they are working on, and make sure they are on top of it all.
Speaking of what they are working on...we are actually just about to dive in headfirst. The first week is relatively simple (course outline, syllabus, etc). But next week, we should be starting to wrap our brains around descriptive writing and begining to really break out the pencils. It should be fun...definitely a promising group. Even just after 5 days of knowing most of them, I can already tell we've got some unique voices in the class.
Finally, the Freshmen. After finishing up Animal Farm (which got way too stretched out due snow and flooding and winter break), we've finally begun our work on The Odyssey. This is definitely a fun unit. Advenure, heros, cyclops, sirens, gods and goddesses, some epic battles, some mushy love stuff...the Odyssey is great. Students will definitely begin to see some connections to other books/films/etc. that they are already familiar with. The Odyssey is essentially where the modern adventure tale began and a good portion of our work with this archetypal story is about really digging into each elemet and figuring out why we see such similar patterns and plot devices in everything from classic novels to modern films. We also tackle quite a bit on the epic tradition and how it all fits into Greek culture. Your student will defintiely finish up the story with the ability to make some pretty sophisticated connections. Be on the look out for a fairly intense creative project sometime after break (in fact, many will try to get a head start during their time off).So, I think that about covers it. Second semester is always fun, always a busy, and always quick. Be sure to let me know if you're student could use some help or guidance juggling it all. As always, thanks for checking in and staying involved.
Eric Goldhammer
LA Teacher
Mount Si High School