Mister Ambrose
489 Winthrop St.
Medford, MA 02155
ph: 781.393.2345
dambrose
Here are some new ideas (5.3.13):
3 Goals for Next Year
10,000 hours
This is the year that you have taught at Medford High School for 10,000 hours. Be an outlier this year.
Bulletin Board
Superstars of C114...Will YOU be the next superstar to come out of Mr. Ambrose's class?
Not so long ago, these students sat in the desks of room C114, as students of Mr. Ambrose. Since then, they have become teachers, soldiers, and music producers. They have travelled to China, to Cuba, and to Tanzania. They have attended Stanford University, Brown University, and Harvard University. They have competed in the Olympics and they have saved lives. They have impacted the lives of everyone they encountered.
So...what are you going to do today?
In General
Always read the first and last chapter of a book aloud with the class
Terms to use: "mentor texts," "nonfiction informational text"
Post core values on the wall
Post rubrics on the wall
Post learning expectations on the wall
Use lots of mentor texts
Use Google Docs to have kids create reviews
Use Google Docs in general - after all, you already have so many handouts completed.
Go over heading at the beginning of the year - MLA
Read one nonfiction per week?
Do crosswords
Do more reciprocal teaching model with the template from the Hemingway unit as a model
Use school-wide rubrics twice per expectation per quarter
Measure student learning objectives statistically (use metrics for learning)
Post the above two goals on the wall ("We do...")
Do an analysis of what frameworks we are not currently hitting
Big Paper
Around the Horn
Last Word
Rap Battle Vocabulary
Nonfiction Fridays - Have students gather an NYT article or review one in class - TEACH THIS ORIGINAL FORMAT BELOW.
Create letters from last year handout and distribute at the beginning of the year
Get document project like at Brighton High School, and use it for going over PSAT, SAT, MCAS, and peer revision
Use all of the 2009 PSAT. You have it in your SAT binder, along with the answer guide. None of these kids will have seen that particular test before.
In fact, use all of those great PSAT and SAT resources. But think of unit ways to use them, such as with the paired reading exercise.
Thursday night -> Friday night for first five weeks of school = PSAT homework to build fundamental skills.
Put grading policy right on the syllabus.
First couple of weeks - teach them how to be in class by attempting all of the various models of activities we would do. Build skills for being in class - note-taking, studying, revising, walk with a line, writing down assignments. Get into best habits. How about a lesson on Core Values?
Really go back and look at the website and notes to prepare for 2012-2013 school year. Make sure the calendar works. Make sure we've added all these new ideas. Make sure the syllabus reflects what we actually do. Have the syllabus include units of study.
Accountability! Check more HW during class in order to give immediate feedback.
Give students a chance to pair and share first before getting back into a large group. This way, we'll hear from all voices.
How about some Latin roots for real? Let's really build on what Jody Liu has done with the freshmen.
Really allow the students a chance to build on ideas in discussion by challenging them with follow-up questions.
Assess what you have for Quizdom presentations and use them
Unlocking a poem - use this handout
Do more essay processing in class, such as in Dr. Crouch's class and in summer school. Do this for each essay, for honors and standard. Really work to teach the skill of essay writing in the MLA format in this skills-based curriculum.
Summer School
Put all plans in big binder and have it adhere to curriculum
Use each school-wide rubric once
Use more nonfiction texts!
Greatest hits of short story unit
Max's Popular Music Unit
Doug's MLA lesson (in lesson plan library)
Use more jigsaw
Lots more pop music - Jay Z especially
How evil are you? video
Personal essay assignment (using Common Application prompts)
MLA format - write at least one formal essay (short story analysis) using this
Teach grammar via SAT Writing questions
Resume and cover letter
Catcher in the Rye unit
Book Club Fridays - read your summer reading book
Oral presentations - your plans for after high school (a variation of the college project)
Satire
Reciprocal Teaching - poetry - use grade appropriate poems
SAT/PSAT
On the first day of tutoring, get all students names, email addresses, and other contact info
Send out summaries of each tutoring session to students and parents
Grade 10
Perhaps do Catcher first
Begin with active reading strategies lessons
Revision Symbols
Paragraph Structure (Terms - Hook, Clincher, Quote Sandwich, etc.)
When doing this paragraph structure lesson, use this graphic organizer. Model the completion of the organizer on the overhead and then have the students write the paragraph with a partner.
MCAS Prep: Honors - complete items independently, Standard - complete things as a group (read aloud, etc.)
Field trip to MFA with Ms. Peritore's class
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
Jon Brown's Reading Logs
Do more with popular music, using Max Heinegg's songs as poetry unit
List units of study on syllabus, not quarters
Doug's MLA lesson (in lesson plan library)
Do more with the writing and revising folder
Use more jigsaw
How Evil Are You?
More grammar
Typical HW assignment for a reading assignment:
Catcher in the Rye - after chapter 4, use a small group characterization activity in which each group asserts what we know about their assigned character through direct and indirect characterization. Have them provide evidence to support their claims. Have them say what the character tells us about Holden's character. This is better than doing it in the carousel method.
Could potentially introduce ideas regarding literary criticism during the sophomore year, with a focus on a particular school of criticism for a particular work (i.e. Othello = Marxist, Catcher = Psychoanalytical)
Grade 11
Hemingway Unit: 6 word story activity
Read On Writing excerpt the night before and write a response
Idea for Macabre Unit:
Begin with active reading strategies lessons
Revision Symbols, peer revision in class using o'clock partners
Teach MLA format early in the year, and use this format for all essays
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/
Access prior knowledge: rhetoric review lesson
Incorporating Quotes
Early in the year, do a mini unit on Elements of Style - with a test and with guided revisions to focus in class writing activities like peer revision
SAT Prep: Give students a 5 minute reading period to read passage for main idea and then answer questions in groups
When doing this paragraph structure lesson, use this graphic organizer. Model the completion of the organizer on the overhead and then have the students write the paragraph with a partner.
Crucible Web Quest
Community Service Learning Web Quest
List units of study on syllabus, not quarters
Doug's MLA lesson (in lesson plan library)
Do more with the writing and revising folder
Use more jigsaw
The artifact exchange always takes longer than you think it does. Really allow time for kids to share, to write, and to revise. Remember that this could become their finished college essay.
Also, be sure to do the personal narrative assignment with To Kill a Mockingbird. After all, that did become Michael Montiel's epic college essay.
Introduction to literary criticism PowerPoint, based on Dr. Crouch's ideas
Also, an introduction to writing introduction, based on Dr. Crouch's ideas
More grammar
Typical HW for reading assignment: response paper or Blackboard posts
Do more American poetry. Be sure to do Poe, especially "The Valentine." That is a great model piece because it is a riddle, and there are so many great allusions, puns, metaphors, etc. You could have them write their own riddle poem. Base it on Taylor's lesson from summer school.
Yearbook
More autograph pages
Space after senior picture to write comments
Faculty page - include central administration
Faculty - "Directors" not "Chair"
Create a definite budget
Include police officers
Do faculty first
No car page
Password for photos: J7xTnp8d
Use "training" tab to teach students about Yearbook Ave
Prices for extended edition:
8 bw 25o copies $545
16 bw 250 copies $935
8 color 250 copies $1115
16 color 250 copies $2175
Dates for senior portraits:
5/23 and 5/24 - 3-9 PM - studio
7/2 and 7/3 - 9 AM - 5 PM - studio
9/17-9/21 - 2-8 PM - MHS
10/24-10/26 - 2-8 PM - MHS
11/26-11/28 - 3-9 PM - studio
Mr. Ambrose's PD Records
Saturday, 12.31.2012 - 2 hours, planning student schedule for Endicott survey
Monday, 2.27.2012 - 2 hours, working on school and community summary for NEASC self-study
Tuesday, 2.28.2012 - 1 hour, gathering evidence for NEASC standard 3
Friday, 3.2.2012 - 1/2 hour, sorting standard 3 evidence with Dave Blauch
Friday, 3.16.2012 - 1/2 hour, discussing NEASC visit and planning agenda for next standards committee meeting
Tuesday, 3.20.2012 - 1/2 hour, revising templates for standards committee to use in creating self-study notes - Download template here
Monday, 3.26.2012 - 2 hours, gathering evidence for Instruction and Assessment subcommittees. See files in ELA department office for materials
Tuesday, 4.3.2012 - 1 hour, creating standards committee templates for report writing
Thursday, 4.5.2012 - 1 hour, revising templates, working on templates, distributing templates
Wednesday, 4.11.2012 - 1 hour, steering committee work
Thursday, 4.26.2012 - 1 hour, creating agendas for upcoming standards committees meetings
Wednesday, 5.2.2012 - 1 hour, wrap up and assessment of previous standards committee meeting
Wednesday, 5.2.2012 - 1 and 1/2 hours, working with Dave Blauch and others to organize and categorize evidence for Standard 3 (Instruction)
Monday, 7.2.2012 - 2 hours, prepping for NEASC writers meeting and facilitating NEASC writers meeting (12:15-2:15 PM)
Mister Ambrose
489 Winthrop St.
Medford, MA 02155
ph: 781.393.2345
dambrose