Welcome to the Detonating Minds blog, a companion to the Detonating Minds web site for English I. Through your subscription to this blog in Google Reader, you will have access to frequently updated information, tips, and additional material such as class notes and helpful resource links.
On the class page of my website, I have uploaded the second semester grades, including the exam and creative writing, and then the year average of both semesters. See your class information handouts from the beginning of the year if you have questions about my “rounding up” policy.
I put a slight “Holmgren Factor” curve on the final, so it was out of 240 rather than 250.
See you on Monday.
Mrs. Holmgren
Your online grades include the most recent vocabulary and grammar quizzes, class participation for the past five weeks, and The Odyssey unit test.
Remember that forgetting your materials (book, vocabulary handouts, etc.) and talking out of turn or without raising your hand all can have a negative impact on your participation grade. In addition, if you have all your materials consistently, but don’t take much of an active role in discussions of the texts as well as in review of the quizzes, your score isn’t going to be as high as you’d like.
I’ll be offering one more grammar review geared toward the May 19th retest. All three sessions cover the same material, so attend the one that best fits your schedule:
Thursday, May 13th
Until then, you should be completing the practice exercises in the book, checking your answers, and seeing me if you have questions.
For those who want to work ahead because the next few weeks are CRAZY (in all classes, sports, the musical, etc.), I have updated the Google Doc. syllabus for the rest of the year. In addition, I’ll be posting the following to my website today: The Odyssey paper assignment, The Odyssey unit test, and a practice grammar quiz (should be 85% review!).
If you’d like my suggestion, this is the order in which I would prioritize.
If you have completed all that and are eager to work further ahead, send me an email and I’ll give you some more suggestions.
I heard the musical is fabulous. I’m attending tonight!
Below are a number of online sites you can use to review the grammatical concepts we have covered and self-assess your understanding / practice your skills.
Purdue Owl: online writing lab with a number of explanatory handouts
Towson University Owl: online writing lab with explanations and practice exercises
Grammar Bytes: practice exercises for pronouns (pronoun/antecedent agreement, case, and reference)
English4u: practice exercises for verb tense and modals
Daily Grammar: the grammar blog I recommended at the beginning of the year. Each topic is covered in a week of posts with a review quiz on Fridays. Use the archives to search out the concepts we have studied. (I encourage you again to subscribe to the blog and read it each day – this will help you tremendously for next year as well. It takes five minutes to read each post.)
Designed to target specific grammatical concepts on the cumulative test, the following grammar workshops are open to all ninth grade Poly students. Ms. Hume and I will each run some of the sessions, and we cover each topic in two identical sessions, so you can attend the one that better fits your schedule.
Grammar Review Workshop Schedule: a variety of available workshops covering specific concepts
You can access your Midyear Learner Reflection feedback and grades via Turnitin. On the first class meeting of the week you will print out the paper and comments as homework.
Grades are now posted, including everything except the two paragraphs you submitted on Friday (and the Book 9 activity for B period). You should print out a copy and review it carefully for any errors, particularly if you submitted something late or as make-up work after an absence. Let me know of any potential problems this week. The quarter ends FRIDAY.
Lastly, I’ve posted a practice exercise and key for the upcoming grammar quiz at the end of the week. I STRONGLY encourage you to print it out, take the practice, grade it, and then study accordingly. We will review in class; the online practice is extra.
Bonus question: Who is Eurymedusa and why is included in the epic?
