Slowly Reaching Steady

Sept 16
1. Bell Work: Word Problem #1* (In your notebook, solve the following problem. Show the process of your work. When you have figured it out, write out the answer using ONE COMPLETE sentence.)

• Daniel sells magazine subscriptions and earns $4 for every new subscriber he signs up. Daniel also earns $38 weekly bonus regardless of how many subscriptions he sells. If Daniel wants to earn at least $91 this week, what is the minimum number of subscriptions he needs to sell?

2. Timed Speech #1* -- In pairs, students delivered mini-speeches to their partners with their answers to the assigned question regarding the article on Nils Pickert.

Photo Courtesy of Emma Magazine

3. "Guess What?": The Description Game

Sept 17 - 18
1. Project #1: Box Story Presentation* -- Present Box Stories to the class with materials.

2. Box Story Reflection*

• Students who presented. Rate your presentation between 1 and 10 (1 - poor, 10 - excellent). Explain your rating. What did you do well? What could you improve for future presentations? [2 paragraphs]
• Students who did not present. What do you believe your strengths are in presentations? What would you need to work on before you present in front of class? [1 paragraph]

3. Notebook check

3rd Period Only:

1. Bell Work: Journal Entry #3* (If you had to leave your house in an emergency, what one object would you take with you? Explain. - at least 2 paragraphs in length)

2. Grammar Practice: Subject-Verb Agreement* -- Answer the questions in your notebook.

3. ESLR's Review -- Career Preparation & Engagement in Civic Activities Worksheet* (See instructions from Aug. 27 - 28.)

Sept 19

1. Bell Work: Journal Entry #3*

2. Continuation of Project #1 Box Story Presentations

3. Timed Speech #1

Quick Cool Down

Halfway through the first quarter already? Yes, we are! Most of us look like we're in good shape; some are well on our way to achieving our goal of maintaining an 'A' average in English 9 while others are still figuring out what works best for them. (Hint: Have your parents sign your student planner on all of the days that we meet for class.) As Mr. Punzalan mentioned during the 9th grade assemblies, if your mind is starting to feel frustrated, then that means it's working! And you're critically thinking. Ask if you need help and seek out the answer to the best of your ability. Let's continue to exercise our minds to its greatest capacity!

Day 7 (Sept 9-10)

1. Journal Entry #2* (Answer each of the following questions about yourself in ONE complete sentence using necessary computations.)

• How many letters are in your full name?
• How old are you . . . in days?
• How many family members do you live with? (Including yourself.)
• How tall are you . . . in inches?
• How many pets do you have?
• How many hours have you been attending school? (From the time you were in kindergarten 'til now.)

2. Project #1: Box Story Presentation -- Guidelines, grading criteria, the deadline, and a teacher demonstration were discussed in class. See the handout and the rubric for more information.

3. Goals* -- After completing a rough draft, find a partner to proofread your work so that everything is spelled correctly, is grammatically clear, and includes all of the necessities (the main goal, steps to achieving that goal, & the physical evidence/outcome). Then transfer the revision onto a hand silhouette.

9/11 Memorial for 1-2-3 classes (Sept 11)

1. Bell Work: Daily Oral Language #1* (Individually rewrite the following sentences so that they are grammatically correct. If they contain no errors, write "Correct" as your answer.)

• the world trade center is a beacon of industry in new york city.
• The term "Ground Zero" is taken from the bombing of hiroshima, japan, during world war ii.
• In 2011, New York's Mayor dubbed the name "Ground Zero" no longer appropriate for the WTC.

2. Iconic Moments -- As a class, we listened to audio clips and viewed images that are relevant to the attacks from September 11, 2001. After walking through key points from the timeline, students individually wrote a two-paragraph reflection on the one Iconic Moment* that stuck out to them, describing why it holds significance to that individual and what parts of the image/audio make it iconic, or symbolic. In groups and as a class, students shared what they wrote about these iconic moments. At the end of the discussion, students were encouraged to write one sentence declaring what s/he is fighting for (i.e. "I am fighting for peace and equality among my peers, friends, and classmates."

Sept 12 - 13

9th Grade Assembly with Mr. Punzalan

Reminders:

• Thank you to those who attended our First Tiger Sharks' Meeting of SY 2013-2014 on Friday, September 6. Your input and presence are greatly appreciated!
• Sept. 17, 2013: If you are interested in participating as part of the Tiger Sharks service or fundraiser committee, please see Mr. Bizz to sign up on Monday (Sept. 16) and to meet together on Tuesday (Sept. 17) in order to finalize our academy's charter.
• Deadlines for the Box Story Presentation* is as follows
• 1st Period: Sept 17, 2013
• 3rd Period: Sept 23, 2013 (Due to the extension, absolutely NO late projects will be accepted unless prior arrangements are made with the teacher no less than two days in advance.)
• 4th, 5th, 6th Periods: Sept 18, 2013

Remember to get those parent signatures,

Ms. Sabangan

Owning the Speed

Tiger Sharks, remember that parent/guardian signatures in your student planners are a part of the Individual Assignment grade. Every time your parents or guardians sign the agendas of the week, you receive a grade equivalent to one assignment. Stay up to speed by keeping the parent-student-teacher information line intact. As a recap of last week and the beginning of this week, the following are the agendas:

Sept 3 - 4

1. Review for Quiz #3 using "The Flash" Review Game* (Teams received their respective grades by the number of points they earned throughout the review game.)
2. Writing Test -- Filled in portions of the Character Grid*, watched the beginning portion of the Freedom Writers movie, and paused at the mid-area to be resumed during the following class session.

Sept 5 - 6

1. Bell Work: Quiz #3* (Ms. Sabangan's English 9 Syllabus)
2. Writing Test -- Individually finished the Character Grid* after watching key scenes from the Freedom Writers movie. At the end, students wrote three paragraphs detailing a character that the student identifies with, giving examples of how the there is a relation, and explaining the lesson(s) that can be learned from the character based on the movie. Organization was left to the student's discretion.

Reminders:

• Tiger Sharks team shirt and/or jacket designs are still being collected for review. If you or a person you know has artistic talent, please feel free to create a logo or design that would best suit our team. The final day for submissions is September 12, 2013, Thursday this week.
• The Tiger Sharks team meeting has been moved to Friday, September 13, 2013, during the first half of lunch in room 304. See you all there!

Working out the kinks,

Ms. Sabangan

Steadying the Pace

Happy Labor Day! I hope y'all are enjoying your rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation on this three-day weekend. (I know I am.) To keep us up-to-date, the agendas from last week are as follows.

Aug 27 - 28
1. Bell Work: Quiz #2* (SSHS Mission Statement)

2. ESLR's Review -- Academic Excellence Worksheet* (Fill the first column with your personal definition of the keywords under the bullet point, then fill the second and the third column with five examples each of how the bullet point is to be developed/applied in school and of how it'll benefit you in life, respectively. Be prepared for Quiz #3 on Sept. 5/6 on these bullet points. Use this worksheet to study!)

3. English 9 Goals -- Rough Draft on a half-sheet of paper


Aug 29 - 30
1. Bell Work: Article Review #1* [Copy each question and answer them in your notebook using one FULL sentence per item -- Who (is the article talking about)? What (is happening)? Where? When? Then answer the following question in one FULL paragraph -- Why (is this happening to them)?]

Check these websites for more information on the Freedom Riders:

• Freedom Rides (Short summary.)
• The Freedom Rides of 1961 (An interactive map.) **May take a few minutes to load.
• The Freedom Riders, Then and Now (Three-page review.) **Be wary of the article's language.

2. English 9 Syllabus* (HW: Get both sides of the syllabus contract signed by you and your parents/guardians. This is due on Sept. 3/4, respectively.)

3. Writing Test -- Previewed Freedom Writers movie and started on Character Grid*

Reminders:

• Sept. 2, 2013: Our first Tiger Sharks Assembly is tomorrow, Tuesday, from the end of 1st period into Homeroom.  Go to your 1st period class first. Then we'll gather in the library later. During this assembly, we'll be introducing your newly elected officers and sharing the different events to expect throughout the year.

• Sept. 6, 2013: As an academy, we are gearing towards getting shirts made for the Tiger Sharks. If you are or someone you know is talented in free-hand or computer graphic design, please send or hand in your submission(s) to me by this Friday so we can present them to the entire academy during the next assembly. Go, Tiger Sharks! (Rawr.)

Enjoy the last 18 hours of your weekend,

Ms. Sabangan

Pushing Off the Starting Block

Welcome to Simon A. Sanchez High School, SY 2013-2014, everyone! While the first week has sped by and the second week is kicking off to a quick start, we're continually familiarizing ourselves with the campus grounds, block scheduling, graduation requirements, the teachers and their personalities, and our classmates. If that isn't overwhelming enough, we have much to look forward to in English 9! But never fear, that's why this blog is ever near. At least once a week, I'll be posting the week's agendas, assignments, announcements, reminders, and events among other news to help us all keep up with the class. Just remember, you need to do your part, too. Essentially, I anticipate spending a great school year with you all in English 9. Let's stay RAPT and make this year positively unforgettable!

Aug 19 - 20

1. Bell Work #1: *Journal Entry #1 (As best as you can, describe your teacher(s) from when you were in the third grade. Write about her/his appearances, mannerisms, and quirks with as much detail as possible. What did you like about her/him? What did you dislike? - at least 2 paragraphs in length)
2. Rules & Expectations -- R.A.P.T. = wrapped!
3. Your Expectations -- What kind of teacher do you want? / What kind of student should you be?

Aug 21 - 22

1. Bell Work: *Quiz #1 (Ms. Sabangan's English 9 Rules)
2. Getting to Know You -- "Speeduction" / Two Truths & a Lie

Aug 23 & 26

1. Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Form S, Level 7/9
2. School Mission -- What is the purpose? And how do you memorize it?
3. HW: Study for *Quiz #2 (School Mission Statement) to be taken on Aug. 27 (123 classes) and Aug. 28 (456 classes)

[*Plain bold text with an asterisk indicates graded work. Pay attention to these!]

Reminder:
Students, leave all hoodies and pull-over jackets at home and away from school premises (unless you'd like them to find a new home . . . in the Main Office).


Keep up the good work everyone,
Ms. Sabangan