Last Book Report of the Year!

It is finally the 4th quarter and students are down to their LAST book report (insert applause here!).  By now, they should be pros at these and should be familiar with exactly what I am looking for in their work.  Please encourage your child to read NOW so we are not panicking at the end of the year.   Students are welcome to turn these reports in at any time!  Happy Reading!

MLA

As part of our responsibility to prepare our students for college, we are requiring students to submit all of their formal writing in MLA format.   All of our students' formal essays need to include a header, a title, a works cited page and be formatted according to MLA standards.  I look for papers to be double spaced, 12 point font, and written in Times New Roman.  If you would like more specifics, please check this site: Purdue Owl MLA Style Guide.  If you proofread your student's papers (and I hope you do!), keep an eye out for format! 

Completing Unit Projects

I looked at my calendar today and I could hardly believe that we are already almost one month into this school year!  I am so pleased with the progress of all of our students.  I love seeing my students passing all of their quizzes and tests, but even better, they are engaging with the lessons and learning! 

In most of my English classes, students are just now finishing their first unit and moving on to the second. I am reminding students that all of their unit projects need to be completed by the end of the unit.  So, unless instructions are given otherwise, by the time a student takes her unit test, she should have her unit projects completed and turned in!  Fridays are designated specifically for students to work on projects; however, if they are not able to finish their work in class, they need to work on the project on their own time as well.

As always, if you have any questions regarding your child's work, I am happy to answer your questions.  I know I am thrilled with our progress so far this year and I hope you are too!

Plagiarism is Stealing!

As a reminder, it is crucial that your student always do his/her own work!  I take plagiarism very seriously, as  do all of the teachers as FCS.  If a student deliberately takes work from an outside source (anything other than an original idea or common knowledge), it is considered stealing!  Of course a student may use outside sources for his/her work, but the source MUST be cited! All students (7-12 grade) have done (or will do soon) a lesson on how to document sources properly (MLA format).  If you see that your child is using an outside source, GREAT!  Just help us enforce that your student  give credit to the original author. If you have any questions regarding our plagiarism policies, please come see me.  Thanks!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everybody!  I hope your summer was as great as mine!  This summer I basked in the joy of motherhood and watched this little cutie get bigger and bigger!  At the beginning of summer, he would happily roll back and forth on the floor...now, I'm chasing this little man all over the house!

Can you remember when your little one was this little?  Now that your "baby" is at FCS, I consider it my great privilege to invest in your student's life.  Thank you for the opportunity to teach your student English.   May God bless you and your family this school year!