A Christmas Memory

Write two paragraphs about a Christmas memory of yours before we read the Truman Capote short story "A Christmas Memory."  Tell why you are choosing the memory you are, and what was special about this memory.

Journaling: Write about a Topic of Your Choice

Remembering Emilie

When I think of Emilie Harnish, I picture a smiling, happy girl who was always saying something funny, light-hearted, and giggling.  Although it had been a few years since she was in one of my classes, I would see Emilie around SHS, and of course, at athletic events - especially the volleyball and football games.  Emilie was a great addition to any group.  People liked to be around her because she was upbeat, had a great sense of humor, and was fun to be around.

If you knew Emilie, please consider sharing a paragraph about her.  If you didn't know Emilie, write about someone else that you may have lost in the past.  At a time like this, writing can be a good outlet for bottled emotions, sad feelings, and stress relief.

Assignment #2: eLearning Experiment

Assignment #2:  eLearning Experiment

You have already finished this assignment as your most recent eLearning assignment.  Copy paste what you wrote for me.  (It was due yesterday at 3:15.)  You were describing how you would meet the visual and auditory challenges Helen faced if you suddenly acquired them at your age.

Assignment #1: Introductions

Your first Blog assignment will be to introduce yourself to the class.  Tell everyone your name, what you like to do in your free time, any extra-curricular activities you participate in, and some things you hope to accomplish your freshman year at Southwood High School.  I'll go first!

My name is Michelle Renee Sparling, and I teach English 9, English 9 Honors, and Current Events this year.  In past years I have taught English 7, English 8, English 10, English 11, and World History.  I graduated from Jay County High School and the University of Indianapolis.  My first year of teaching was spent in Seymour, Indiana, and then I moved to Wabash, Indiana, to begin teaching at Southwood High School.  This year is my thirtieth year of teaching, which seems unbelievable to me!  I have been the English Departmnet Chairperson for the past ten years.  While at Southwood I have coached/sponsored jr. high, freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity cheerleaders, Booster Block, jr. high track, jr. high and high school Spell Bowl, and Battle of the Books.

I met my husband, Dan, in Wabash, and we have one daughter who is a senior this year at Southwood.  We also have two Brittany Spaniel dogs and two cats.  When I'm not at school, I like to vacation with my family near golf courses and the ocean.  I like getting together with my high school and Southwood teacher friends and we travel, shop, eat out, and go to the movies.  I like to walk and keep track of my steps with my Fitbit.  I love to read, and some of my favorite books are To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), The Hiding Place (Corrie ten Boom), anything by Danielle Steel, and the Bible.  Growing up, I loved to read the Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew mysteries.  As an adult, mysteries are still my favorite genre, so I like to read books by Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Diane Mott Davidson, and Mary Higgins Clark.

My goals as a teacher this year are to have my English 9 students read and write as well as possible and feel prepared for future English classes.  I want to add to the technology I am using with my students, and Blogger is the first new usage I am adding this year.  I want to enjoy my daughter's senior year of high school and not cry too much when she graduates!  I'll admit, it will be very strange to not have her in the building next year!

Your first assignment is to introduce yourself.  Tell us your name, your interests, your goals for this year and the future.  Are you involved in any extra-curricular activities at Southwood?  What do you like to read?  What do you like to do?

Welcome to Blogger!

Hello, 9th graders!  My goal is for English 9 students to read and write as much as possible and learn and use technology along the way.  We are going to start using Blogger in English class this year.  I have used Blogger with a Book Club I participate in with other teachers and the Indiana Department of Education.  There are many ways teachers can accumulate points to renew their teaching licenses, and the Book Club is one of my favorite ways to earn points. Likewise, you will earn points in English class for replying to my prompts and commenting on classmates' responses.

The questions I will be posting will be similar to the journal questions you've already answered in this class and turned in on Edmodo.  The big advantage to using Blogger is that everyone will be able to see all of the class responses and learn from each other.  We will continue to have class discussions about what we read, and we will extend those discussions by adding responses and comments to Blogger.  This will give us time to think deeply about what we've read and then write about our thoughts and questions.  Blogger will also help us communicate and collaborate with each other while getting to know each other better.