Week of October 17 – 21

Good afternoon,

     We started this week with a lesson on how to organize a bibliography entry; as students gather sources for their arguments, they can now cite the sources properly to avoid losing credit for plagiarism or an incorrect works cited page. Here is a nifty document we made today to help understand how it will look.

     Tuesday will be a silent reading day in class; students should bring their books and read quietly for the duration of the period. Remember to respect the other students in the room and not distract them from their stories.

     Wednesday will be another day to develop essays; students should continue finding sources and providing evidence to support their claims. By now, every student should have a solid claim, so the evidence is just a matter of sifting through the vast quantities of information on the internet to locate credible sources. Remember — just because it is a .org website does NOT mean it is credible. Consider the content and consider the source.

     Thursday will either be another silent reading day or a chance to reflect on the third Presidential Debate, which will have happened Wednesday evening. Should we go with the debate, students will watch and point out logical fallacies, errors of reasoning, and contradictions. As an audience, they will be assessed on their ability to express themselves clearly and listen attentively.

     Friday will be another day to work on the persuasive project. Students should finish finding their sources and begin wrapping up the organization of their essays. Remember that presentations begin on Thursday, October 27.

     After school, today the boys have a soccer game at home, and they have their last home game on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30. Come out and support them! Our field hockey girls have their last home game tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3:30; this is earlier than their usual time, so don't be late! Newspaper club meets Tuesday right after school, and chess club on Wednesday at the usual time, too.

     We have only two weeks until Halloween, which falls on a Monday this year. If you are wearing a costume to school, remember that it must conform to the dress code despite the festivities.

     That's all! Thank you for reading, and get in touch if you have any questions.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris