End of Term 5 notes

The week of May 9th, which is week 13 by my count, is our last week of the 2nd marking period of this spring semester 2011. I'd call it the end of the 5th term of this academic year.

I do hope we enjoy these last weeks together, and continue to set up the foundation for a successful next year for you. I hope we can keep using our time well, but I do hope we can enjoy ourselves a bit more.

I will put here on this post some information concerning us now. I plan to put some extra credit details that I just put on the e-learning platform, general plans for the next marking period, and later I will update it with results and comments about our mid-semester surveys from last week.

Extra credit, exactly as it appears on the e-learning platform calendar:

Bike trip report: If you would like to do a mini report on your biking trip for two weeks then I will accept that if it is done by 5/15 and if you agree to let me post or link that to either the class blog or Kang Chiao Creates blog. You'll need a minimum of 250 words describing what you learned about yourself, your classmates, perseverance, Taiwan, and also describe something special or unusual that happened, at 50 to 100 words apiece. For each 50-word block of excellent writing, you will receive ONE to TWO points on a quiz or homework assignment. You’ll get an extra one or two points for a photo and an extra one or two points for good storytelling if I think it’s good (remember examples discussed in class). This would be worth 7 to 14 points to be applied to either a quiz or homework grade, wherever it is needed most.

Articles: There is the Times of Upheaval article and When We Hated Mom article. For the first one, you can do a 150-word summary and a 250-word reaction, and for the second only a 250-word reaction is possible. Each fifty (good) words gets you one or two bonus points on a homework assignment. That is up to 26 points available.

General plans for the next marking period

Read Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – make sure you have your book this week.

Do Autobiographical writing – get started early writing memorable scenes from your early life.

Maintain the availability of good articles every week, but if they are required, make the time to go over them in class.

Increase speaking in class – warm-up discussion, group work, literature circles, mini-presentations, debates, speaking activities and games, speaking tests (practice and for a grade).

Please continue weekly posts on your blog every Friday – that should make for five more.

Watch one movie – book to literature, preferably something related to something we are reading. Honestly, this movie watching may take place after I leave for break, see below.

Note –I will likely be leaving for Italy some days early, and this WILL affect our formal assessment, which will have to be moved up. The writing portion must be completed early, by 6/17, I think. Your test will be one period long and will happen on Wednesday 6/22. Make sure you get and read the Curious Incident book asap!