9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Thursday, April 30, 2020

Good morning!

In our chapter from Tuesday, Harry started his school year (kind of crazy to think about since we're nearing the end to ours right now!). Today, we're going to get an introduction to a few more of his magical subjects and witness the growing rivalry between Harry and the Slytherin first-years, lead by Draco Malfoy. We're also going to get our first glimpse of the third floor corridor that Dumbledore warned the students about during the opening feast. Again, we're going to be looking through the Historical Lens to learn more about some of the allusions that J.K. Rowling includes in her novel.

TO DO FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 29:

1. Read Chapter 9
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Historical Lens Form for Chapter 9
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately.

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Good morning!

Now that we're all sorted into our Hogwarts houses (I'm a proud Ravenclaw btw 🤓, but I feel like Hufflepuff would also be a good fit), we're going to see what this Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is all about and what's in store for Harry as he begins his lessons. To help us learn even more about the topic of magic, though, we're also going to take a look the history of witches through the Historical Lens.

TO DO FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 28:

1. Read Chapter 8
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Historical Lens Form for Chapter 8
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above while reading.

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

As a bonus for today: here's a picture of my husband and me in our Hogwarts uniforms that a group of my friends and I designed and sewed from scratch! (Yes, we're both gigantic nerds 🤓🤓)

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Monday, April 27, 2020

Good morning!

Happy Monday, everyone! I think Office365 might have been having some problems on Friday, so we're going to use today as a catch-up day instead of starting a new lens and reading the next chapter.

Look back over last week's blog posts and fill out any forms you missed (the forms for each chapter are also linked below). Since you aren't uploading files like you did for the first two Reader Response forms for Chapter 1 and Chapters 2+3, I have adjusted the settings so that you will not need to log into your Office365 account in order to submit the form - hopefully this helps, but please let me know if you are still having trouble.

I have finished putting grades for Unit 13 Vocab work and quizzes into the gradebook. If you did not do the Unit 13 Vocab work and would like to do it, please let me know (through email or Remind), and I will reassign the work through the Vocab website.

Today and tomorrow, I will be working on grading the final bit of work that was turned in prior to Spring Break, and my goal is to be current with all grades (including work completed after Spring Break) by this Friday. Thank you everyone for your patience as I work to get these grades in. :)

TO DO FOR MONDAY, APRIL 27:

1. Catch up on reading - read to the end of Chapter 7
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Catch up on any assignments you missed:
1. Chapter 1 - Reader Response Lens *You will need to login to Office365 to fill out this form*
2. Chapter 2+3 - Reader Response Lens *You will need to login to Office365 to fill out this form*
3. Chapter 4 - Psychological Lens
4. Chapter 5 - Psychological Lens
5. Chapter 6 - Psychological Lens
6. Chapter 7 - Reader Response

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Friday, April 24, 2020

Good morning!

Harry and the rest of the first years have just arrived at Hogwarts. As Hagrid leads the way to the magical castle, the new students are brimming with excitement and nerves over the house they will be sorted into for the next seven years of their lives while they are in school at Hogwarts.

Today, as you read Chapter 7, we're going to see some of the emotions Harry is feeling and the thoughts that are going through his mind during the Sorting Ceremony. As you read, you're going to return back to the Reader Response lens from last week and think about how you would feel in the same situation.

TO DO FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 24:

1. Read Chapter 7
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Reader Response Lens Form for Chapter 7
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above while reading.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (This seemed to work for people yesterday.)

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Thursday, April 23, 2020

Good morning!

In Tuesday's chapter, Harry got his supplies for school, and in today's chapter, he's on his way to his brand new school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! As he gets ready to board the Hogwarts Express, Harry is crossing over the threshold from what he knows to a world completely new and unknown to him just like Odysseus in The Odyssey (for my 9th graders) and Gilgamesh and Beowulf (for my 10th graders), so it's about time that he starts meeting some friends (or sidekicks) who are going to help him through his journey.

Today, we're going to continue working on the Psychological lens for Chapter 6 to gain a deeper insight and understanding into the characters and their personalities. (More information about the Psychological Lens is on yesterday's blog post if you missed it.)

TO DO FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 23:

1. Read Chapter 6
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Psychological Lens Form for Chapter 6
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above while reading.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (This seemed to work for people yesterday.)

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Good morning!

As a reminder, my internet provider is working on updating their network today, and I might have trouble connecting to the internet today. I will respond to emails and Reminds as soon as I can, but please remember that I do not respond to emails after 4 PM.

In our chapter from yesterday, Harry finally got his letter and one of the biggest surprises. Today, he's going to get an even bigger surprise by stepping into the Wizarding World for the first time. We're going to continue working on the Psychological lens, but for Chapter 5, we're going to zoom in on Harry to try to get a better understanding of what he's feeling about and how he's reacting to all of the new things around him. (More information about the Psychological Lens is on yesterday's blog post if you missed it.)

TO DO FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 21:

1. Read Chapter 5
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Psychological Lens Form for Chapter 5
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above while reading.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (This seemed to work for people yesterday.)

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Monday, April 20, 2020

Good morning!

Last week, as you began reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you learned a little about the characters and began making connections to them, but we're left with some questions: Who keeps sending all these letters to Harry? Why do they want to contact him so badly? What do these letters say? Why are the Dursleys reacting to the letters in this way? And, maybe most importantly, who the heck is knocking at the door?!

Well... today, we're going to start getting the answers to some of those questions. We're also going to learn about our next literary lens that we'll be using while reading the next few chapters: the Psychological lens.

With the Reader Response lens we used last week, we made connections with characters and/or events in the chapters and saw how our lives related to what was going on in the novel. With the Psychological lens, we're going to take a step back from making connections and relating to characters/events and take a close look at the emotions that characters are feeling throughout the chapter.

TO DO FOR MONDAY, APRIL 20:

1. Read Chapter 4
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Psychological Lens Form for Chapter 4
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above while reading.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (This seemed to work for people yesterday.)

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

Finally, I would like to apologize for not replying back to emails on Friday. The internet was out at my house for most of the day and did not come back until late in the evening. I will be replying back to emails in the order that I received them while also trying to get a few more assignments from before Spring Break added into the gradebook. As a heads-up, I was notified that my internet provider is going to be working on network updates during the day again on Tuesday. A blog post is still scheduled to go live tomorrow morning, but I might not have access to the internet throughout the day again on Tuesday. I just wanted to let y'all know just in case I am unable to respond back right away. :)

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Friday, April 17, 2020

Happy Friday!

Since today is Friday, I'm not going to introduce a new literary lens for the chapters I am asking you to read today. In the next two chapters of the novel, the exposition is continuing to build as we learn more about the baby that was left on the Dursleys' doorstep. We are going to continue looking at Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 through the Reader Response lens because the personal connections that we make with the text right now are going to help us think more critically about later chapters and, hopefully, they will also add to our enjoyment of this story as we continue reading! (More information about the Readers Response Lens is on yesterday's blog post if you missed it.)

TO DO FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 17:

1. Read Chapter 2 and Chapter 3
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Reader Response Form for Chapters 2 and 3
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above & your reaction and connection to the work.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (This seemed to work for people yesterday.)

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Thursday, April 16, 2020

Good morning!

Today we are going to be entering into the world of Harry Potter through a quiet little road called Privet Drive. As we read, we're going to be looking at the novel from different perspectives through things called "literary lenses" to guide us through our critical reading of the text.

In the video from Monday, John Green discussed Critical Reading, and the next few images build on that idea and set up how we're going to approach our novel study for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

If this sounds complicated, I promise it's not! Basically: we're just going to take a look some different ways to read. The first lens that we're going to be pulling out of our toolbox is the reader response lens. This lens, like many of the other lenses, has a pretty simple definition.

TO DO FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 16:

1. Read Chapter 1
• This is a link to the ebook
• This is a link to the audiobook (you do not need an account to listen)
• Note: The audiobook is for the British version of the book, so the title is different and some words might be different if you are following along on the PDF. However, Stephen Fry (the narrator) is an amazing reader, and I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
2. Complete the Reader Response Form for Chapter 1
• Read the chapter slowly and deliberately and think about the questions above & your reaction and connection to the work.
• You will need to log into your Office365 account in order to complete the form. Email me or send me a Remind if you have problems logging in. (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this will work the way I want it to. 🤞🤞)

Finally, I wanted to share an update on grades. I added some assignments to the gradebook over the past few days. Here are the assignments I've graded and the ones that are still on my to do list. I'm hoping to have all of the assignments from before Spring Break in the gradebook by next week Wednesday, but thank you again for your patience!

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Good morning!

It was so good to hear from everyone who filled out the form yesterday, and I was excited to see the breakdown of everyone's experience with Harry Potter. As you can see from the graph below, we're split about half way between people who have read some of the Harry Potter books and people who have not read them. Whether you're rereading the book again for the billionth time or picking it up for the first, I am so excited to share this adventure with you all!

We will begin reading the novel on Thursday (remember: I will not be posting anything on the blog tomorrow), but today we're going to do an intro activity to set the stage, which reminds me... some owls delivered this to my house over Spring Break 😉:

TO DO FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 14:

1. Complete the Pre-Reading Stations on this form. There are 4 stations and each station should take you 5-10 minutes to complete. Make sure you read the prompts and write your answers in complete sentences!

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp AND 10th Grade World Lit: Monday, April 13, 2020

Good morning, everyone! Welcome back! 😊😊

I hope you all enjoyed the week off from work - I know that I definitely benefited from the break! As I mentioned before Spring Break, I will still post content and assignments on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I will not be posting anything on Wednesdays, but I will use Wednesdays to work on grading assignments from the previous week.

This week, I will begin updating grades for any work that you completed after March 13th. Even if you have told me that you are content with your March 13th grade, I will grade all of the work that you turned in during the past three weeks of distance learning. As a reminder: any work you submitted after March 13th can only improve your grade - it cannot lower it. I will attempt to get grades for work done prior to Spring Break in the gradebook as soon as I can, but please be patient with me in getting those assignments graded and entered.

Another big change that I am making is that from this point forward we will be working on the same content across both my 9th and my 10th grade classes. In this difficult, stressful, challenging time, many of us are looking for an escape. We can find that in movies, in TV shows,  in music, in video games, in spending time with our family and friends (safely and virtually!), and (as your friendly neighborhood English teacher feels the need to point out) in books. For the next few weeks, we are going to be taking a step back from reality and diving into a world of fantasy as we explore one of my favorite books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Even if you are satisfied with your grade in my class or even if you have watched the movie and thought that Harry Potter wasn't your thing, I would like to invite you to step inside the walls of Hogwarts with me, and I hope you will find comfort in its halls as I have done time and time again.

One last note before I get into today's assignment: you do NOT need to purchase a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I will provide you with a PDF of the novel, and the audiobook is currently available for free on Audible (you don't even have to sign up for an account!).

As always, I am available via email and through Remind. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need me.

For your assignment today, we're getting back to the basics with a look at why we, as humans, read. John Green has an excellent video where he explains this and we will return to some of the ideas he expresses throughout our unit as we think critically about what we have read. 

TO DO FOR MONDAY, APRIL 13:

1. Watch the video below
2. Fill out the form

10th Grade World Lit: April 3, 2020

Oh boy, y'all, it's been a roller coaster of the week.

Last night, I sent out an update through StudentVUE regarding grades and making up assignments from before March 13. As I mentioned in that update, if you have a quiz or test that you need to make up from before March 13, I will let you know on Monday, April 13 (the Monday after Spring Break) how to make it up.

As far as assignments for today go: treat today like a make-up day.

• IF YOU MISSED THE UNIT 12 VOCAB QUIZ ON MARCH 13: Complete the online work for Unit 13 vocab; I will replace your 0 on the Unit 12 Quiz with the grade you make on the Unit 13 assignments.
• Go to https://sadlierconnect.com/@2151215
• If you do not go to this link, it will NOT let you login. Make sure you have @2151215 at the end of the URL
• I gave you a sheet with your username and password before we left. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT SHEET, try using the following information to sign-in (make sure everything is lowercase):
• Username: your first initial + last name (for example, my username would be aegbert)
• Password: trojans19
• email me or send me a Remind if this doesn't work and you need me to send your account information to you
• If there are any classwork or homework assignments from before March 13 that you need to make up, work on them and email them to me.
• If there are any assignments from the past three weeks of digital learning (there have been 3 TED Talk Tuesdays, the assignment for the Podcast episode, and the Research Mini-Project) that you would like to complete and turn in to improve your grade, work on them.
• If you would like to turn in the project that I assigned on Wednesday, I genuinely would love to see your artifacts. Your creativity throughout the year is something that I am proud of. 😊
• Click here and fill out this form to turn in your project.
• Here are the Flipgrid links for the Reflection Part of the assignment:
• 3rd Period: https://flipgrid.com/4c5fd8a7
• 4th Period: https://flipgrid.com/ab6b9dc1
• 7th Period: https://flipgrid.com/5551d074

Today is the day before Spring Break, I know it's not type of Spring Break that many of you were hoping to have, but it is more important now than any other time to take this week to relax and virtually reach out to the people you love. Take some time for yourself and focus on the positives. Maybe get lost in a good book? 😉

I will be back with blog posts on Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays after we get back from Spring Break. I miss you all - stay healthy and safe!

If you're still reading this blog post, this is a video that always makes me laugh; I hope you enjoy it. 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp: Friday, April 3, 2020

Oh boy, y'all, it's been a roller coaster of the week.

Last night, I sent out an update through StudentVUE regarding grades and making up assignments from before March 13. As I mentioned in that update, if you have a quiz or test that you need to make up from before March 13, I will let you know on Monday, April 13 (the Monday after Spring Break) how to make it up.

As far as assignments for today go: treat today like a make-up day.

• IF YOU MISSED THE UNIT 12 VOCAB QUIZ ON MARCH 13: Complete the online work for Unit 13 vocab; I will replace your 0 on the Unit 12 Quiz with the grade you make on the Unit 13 assignments.
• Go to https://sadlierconnect.com/@2151215
• If you do not go to this link, it will NOT let you login. Make sure you have @2151215 at the end of the URL
• I gave you a sheet with your username and password before we left. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT SHEET, try using the following information to sign-in (make sure everything is lowercase):
• Username: your first initial + last name (for example, my username would be aegbert)
• Password: trojans19
• email me or send me a Remind if this doesn't work and you need me to send your account information to you
• If there are any classwork or homework assignments from before March 13 that you need to make up, work on them and email them to me.
• If there are any assignments from the past three weeks of digital learning (the R+J exit tickets, the Socratic Seminar, the Multi-Genre Project) that you would like to complete and turn in to improve your grade, work on them.

Today is the day before Spring Break, I know it's not type of Spring Break that many of you were hoping to have, but it is more important now than any other time to take this week to relax and virtually reach out to the people you love. Take some time for yourself and focus on the positives. Maybe get lost in a good book? 😉

I will be back with blog posts on Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays after we get back from Spring Break. I miss you all - stay healthy and safe!

If you're still reading this blog post, this is a video that always makes me laugh; I hope you enjoy it. 😊

10th Grade World Lit: Thursday, April 2, 2020

Good morning everyone! As I'm sure most of you have heard, schools in Georgia will remain closed for the remainder of the semester. I know this is big news and a lot to process and take in - I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself. There are a lot of questions that do not have answers yet, but I will update you as soon as the county gives us updates. What I do know is that we ARE continuing on with digital learning for the rest of the semester. :)

Assignments for Today:

1. Work on your Artifact for the project due on Sunday. Instructions are on yesterday's blog post. Click here for some examples of artifacts.
• To clarify the project: the artifact is what you are making as the main part of your project. It should focus on showing stereotype that you have faced and fighting back against the people would tell a "single story" about you using that stereotype as the only thing to describe you (in other words, you're "calling out the haters" and presenting the full side of your story)
2. If you did not submit a Flipgrid "Hello" video yesterday, you need to do that TODAY.
• 3rd Period: https://flipgrid.com/6af647b7
• 4th Period: https://flipgrid.com/da02059b
• 7th Period: https://flipgrid.com/fdc29f14
• You can record a Flipgrid on your phone or any device with a camera.
• When you go to the link for your class, Flipgrid will ask you for your studentID, it is the number you use to log into the computers at school. If you are unable to log in, please check that you have clicked the correct link for your class period. Let me know if you have trouble accessing your account.
• Remember, this is a school assignment - if you post anything that is NOT school appropriate, I will refer you to administration. You WILL face consequences.
3. Work on Unit 13 Vocab Work
1. Go to https://sadlierconnect.com/@2151215
• If you do not go to this link, it will NOT let you login. Make sure you have @2151215 at the end of the URL
• I gave you a sheet with your username and password before we left, in most cases, your username is your first initial last name (for example, my username would be "aegbert", your password in most cases is "trojans19"
• email me or send me a Remind if you need me to send your account information to you
2. There are three assignments for Unit 13 that should be assigned to you: Choosing the Right Word, Completing the Sentence, and Unit 13 Test.
3. Complete ALL assignments by this Friday, April 3 at 11:59 PM.

Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing any links or submitting your assignments. Remember that I am available via email (amanda.egbert@cobbk12.org) and through Remind.

9th Grade Lit and Comp: Thursday, April 2, 2020

Good morning everyone! As I'm sure most of you have heard, schools in Georgia will remain closed for the remainder of the semester. I know this is big news and a lot to process and take in - I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself. There are a lot of questions that do not have answers yet, but I will update you as soon as the county gives us updates. What I do know is that we ARE continuing on with digital learning for the rest of the semester. :)

If you did not turn in your Multi-Genre Project yesterday, try to get that in as soon as you can - remember: I will not be taking off points for late assignments during digital learning, but the due dates I set on this blog are meant to help you out so that you don't fall behind as we get closer to the end of the year, especially since we will not be returning to school in-person.

Your assignment for the rest of the week is to work on Unit 13 Vocab - it is due by 11:59 PM tomorrow, Friday, April 3.

Assignment for Today:

1. If you have not turned in your Multi-Genre Project, that is your number 1 priority. If you are having problems with turnitin.com, then please email me a copy of your project.
2. Unit 13 Vocab Assignments
1. Go to https://sadlierconnect.com/@2151215
• If you do not go to this link, it will NOT let you login. Make sure you have @2151215 at the end of the URL
• I gave you a sheet with your username and password before we left. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT SHEET, try using the following information to sign-in (make sure everything is lowercase):
• Username: your first initial + last name (for example, my username would be aegbert)
• Password: trojans19
• email me or send me a Remind if this doesn't work and you need me to send your account information to you
2. There are three assignments for Unit 13 that should be assigned to you: Choosing the Right Word, Completing the Sentence, and Unit 13 Quiz.
• Please do these assignments ONLINE, do not do them in your book
3. Complete ALL assignments by this Friday, April 3 at 11:59 PM.

What's Due Today?

• Turn in your Multi-Genre Project if you haven't already
• Begin work on Unit 13 Vocab Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Friday, April 3)

Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing any links or submitting your assignments. Remember that I am available via email (amanda.egbert@cobbk12.org) and through Remind.

10th Grade World Lit: Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Good morning! Happy April! Yesterday afternoon, I sent emails to everyone I'm currently missing assignments from. Thank you to everyone who emailed me back and those of you who turned in their work so quickly! I still have a few emails in my inbox, and I will respond to them as soon as I can!

I know on Monday, I said that you would start writing your own TED Talk speeches today... well, APRIL FOOLS! We aren't going to be starting those today. Since the school closure has been extended to April 24, I've been thinking about a lot about how I want to structure that assignment, and right now, it's not something that I want to start before we go on a pause for Spring Break next week. I'm going to rework the assignment over the break and we'll start it the week that we get back from Spring Break.

What do I need to do today (April 1)?

• Read the assignment below this highlighted list - yes, the whole thing.
• Think about the stereotype you will address in your project and what your artifact will be and begin working on it.
• Say "Hello" on Flipgrid
• 3rd Period: https://flipgrid.com/6af647b7
• 4th Period: https://flipgrid.com/da02059b
• 7th Period: https://flipgrid.com/fdc29f14
• You can record a Flipgrid on your phone or any device with a camera.
• When you go to the link for your class, Flipgrid will ask you for your studentID, it *should* be the number you use to log into the computers at school. If you are unable to log in, please check that you have clicked the correct link for your class period. Let me know if you have trouble accessing your account.
• Remember, this is a school assignment - if you post anything that is NOT school appropriate, I will refer you to administration. You WILL face consequences.

“The enemy is someone whose story you haven’t heard.” - Awareness through Art Assignment Instructions

In many of the TED Talks and the readings that we've looked at throughout the semester, we have learned about the dangers that can come with stereotyping others. We've learned about individuals who have had their stories erased and entire communities of people who have their lives destroyed all because of stereotypes, a "single story" that was told about them.

Our TED Talk speakers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dr. Jedidah Isla, and Titus Kaphar all faced stereotypes that they had to overcome in order to achieve their current levels of success; Elie Wiesel faced stereotypes that not only tore apart his family but also resulted in the systematic killing of nearly 6 million people. Even in Julius Caesar, we saw the stereotypes of the "ambitious leader" and the "honorable man" that clashed together and ended in tragedy.

Just like the TED Talk speakers, Wiesel, and the characters in Julius Caesar, all of us have, at one point or another, been stereotyped. We all know what it feels like when people make assumptions about who we are or where we came from based on one single part of our identity. This project is your opportunity to create an artifact that fights back against those stereotypes by building a genuine sense of connection with your audience. What you choose to create is up to you. There are ideas listed below, but you are free to venture out and try something else if you would like.

Your project will consist of two pieces:

Part I: The Artifact
As mentioned above, your artifact can be any work of art that conveys more about who you are in order to build a sense of connection with your audience and fight back against the stereotypes that have been placed against you at some point in time. Below are some ideas of different mediums you can use. Keep in mind that you will have to submit your artifact digitally.

• Podcast
• Short film
• Painting
• Drawing
• Sculpture
• Photograph
• Performance of an original poem, song, or dance
• Interview (video or audio recording)
• Scrapbook
• Collage

Part II: Presentation + Reflection
After you have made your artifact, you will present your artifact on Flipgrid. In a brief video, between 2-3 minutes, you will present your artifact and explain your thought process behind it.

Use the following questions to guide your reflection:

• What is your artifact? Show it on camera or play a few seconds of it if it is a recording.
• What are you trying to convey through your artifact?
• How does your artifact allow others to identify with or understand you more deeply?
• What kind of people are you hoping to reach?
• Why did you choose your medium?
• Do you think you might share your artifact with a wider audience than just this class?
• If so, how? If not, why not?

Your project is due this Sunday, April 5 by 11:59 PM. I know that giving you a weekend deadline is unusual, but I want to give you enough time to think about the assignment seriously and creatively while not making it something that's hanging over your head during the week of Spring Break. If you need to take more time to think about your project or work on it, that is also okay, but please check in with me by Sunday night.

On Friday's blog post, I will have the instructions for how to turn in your project, so be sure to think about HOW you will submit your artifact digitally; Friday's post will also have a link to the Flipgrid video thread where you will be posting your presentation and reflection.

As always, I am here to answer any questions you have via email (amanda.egbert@cobbk12.org) and through Remind. Be THOUGHTFUL, be THOROUGH, and most importantly, have fun with this! 😊

9th Grade Lit and Comp: Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Good morning everyone! Happy April! Yesterday afternoon, I sent emails to everyone I'm currently missing assignments from. Thank you to everyone who emailed me back and those of you who turned in their work so quickly! I still have a few emails in my inbox, and I will respond to them as soon as I can!

The directions below are the same as they were yesterday - you're going to finish up work on your Multi-Genre project today and submit it to turnitin.com. Please let me know if you are having any problems with turnitin.com - remember: you need to click through until you see a green banner that looks like this:





As you should know by now, you need to include at least 2 quotes from the play in each of your genre pieces - that means you will have AT LEAST 10 QUOTES throughout your entire project. When taking a quote from the play, put it in quotation marks AND cite the act and scene the quote is from in parentheses. Here is an example using a quote at Romeo says about Rosaline during Act 1, scene 5:

Rosaline had "sworn off love, and that promise has left [Romeo] alive but dead" (Act 1, scene 5).

Go back into your genre pieces and make sure that you have 2 quotes in ALL 5 of your genre pieces. Remember, this is the order everything in your Word Document should be in:

1. Cover Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Act I Symbol Page
4. Genre Piece 1 - Newspaper
5. Act II Symbol Page
6. Genre Piece 2 - Journal/Diary Entry
7. Act III Symbol Page
8. Genre Piece 3 - Poem
9. Act IV Symbol Page
10. Genre Piece 4 - Choice Genre 1
11. Act V Symbol Page
12. Genre Piece 4 - Choice Genre 2

Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing any links or submitting your assignments. Remember that I am available via email (amanda.egbert@cobbk12.org) and through Remind.

Link to Word Document with Directions and Rubric

BEFORE YOU TURN IN YOUR PROJECT TODAY:

• Look at the rubric linked above.
• Look at last week's blog posts for specific instructions for each genre piece.
• **Remember: Each genre piece must reference specific characters, events/scenes, and at least two quotes from Romeo and Juliet.**
• Make sure you have a Symbol Page for each act in Romeo and Juliet
• In front of each genre piece, you will have a page where you must include one symbol that relates to the acts in the play. The symbol should be creative, colorful, and relate to the act. The pace should be clearly labeled with the act number (Act I, Act II, Act III, etc.) and include a paragraph (4 - 5 complete sentences) that explains why the symbol was chosen to represent the act.
• Your Act I Symbol Page should be in front of your Genre Piece 1, your Act II Symbol Page should be in front of your Genre Piece 2, etc.
• Make sure your Cover Page has a creative and colorful image that relates to the play and the required information (see above).
• Make sure your Table of Contents is in order (follow the outline at the top of this blog post) and has the correct page numbers listed for each part of the project.

What's Due Today:

• Turn in Multi-Genre Project to turnitin.com by 11:59 PM tonight!

Romeo and Juliet Meme of the Day: