Ultimate Frisbee

Check out this highlight reel video of Ultimate Frisbee Championships.

Yes, the video is sort of corny, but these moves are a few notches 

above what happened in Mr. F's gym:

Doesn't it just make you wish you could run faster and jump higher?

It does for me!

How the boy gets the girl.

I'm talking about these lyrebirds, of course.

This bird can imitate almost any sound it hears!

Camera noises?  Check.

Singing "Happy Birthday?"  Check.

Playing the "Seinfeld" theme song?!  Oh my goodness.  Check.

I especially love that the male birds do this to get the females' attention. 

The past is weird in color.

It feels like I'm looking at a movie set! 

These photos of New York City were taken in the 1940s.  It's so cool to see images from that long ago in color when I'm so used to seeing them in black-and-white!  It's almost like I think the world used to actually be in black-and-white back then.

But in some ways, the city looks so much the same!

You can check out the rest of the photos here.

Coming Soon: Pronouns!

You are so excited.  I can't wait for us to learn about pronouns!

If you want to work ahead (and free up some of your weekend life), feel free to get started on the following exercises about pronouns.  All of the exercises can be found in the Grammar & Writing book you so dearly love.

Read about pronouns on pp. 220-227.
Complete Exercises 11, 13, and 15.

These will all be due in class on Monday of next week (which is a Wednesday schedule).

Gmail Scavenger Hunt

Guys.
(Girls, too.)

You need to know this.

Not just in the future.  You need to know this yesterday.

Learn the basics of your Gmail account through our class scavenger hunt.  We will complete this in class on Monday and Tuesday, September 19-20.

Anything not completed in class becomes homework.

Final Scavenger Hunt results must be submitted no later than Friday, September 23, at 5pm.

Best PE Class Ever?

How would you like to have been in this Phys. Ed. class?

Also, how about those heels?  Impressive.

Typing Test

How effective are your typing skills?

Be sure to include your information in your Professional Email assignment!

Grammar Homework #1

I can feel the excitement you must be feeling to finally have your shiny, new Grammar & Writing textbooks!  Woo hoo!

Here are the details of your first assignment:

 Read pp. 214-219 about nouns.

In your notebooks, complete Exercises 1, 3, 5, and 6.

*For up to 5 bonus points, complete Exercise 4, too.

This assignment will be checked in your notebooks (not collected) next class.

Just a little school in Staten Island.

First, I saw this:





Then, I checked out the PS 22 Chorus' blog.

These kids and their teachers are amazing!  They have Oprah interviewing them, the NYTimes visiting on their first day of school, Adele, Beyonce, and Common giving them shout-outs, and Spike Lee asking them to sing for him.  That's huge!  Their success is so inspiring. 

A professional email always ...

... is justified to the left

... includes an appropriate subject

... uses professional language (keep the LOLs out of there!)

... double-spaces between paragraphs

... gets proofread before being sent

*Don't forget to use Gmail's spell-check feature before you hit the SEND button!

A Professional Email

I hope you've been able to create your professional email account using Gmail.  If not, follow these instructions:

1.  Go to www.gmail.com
2.  Go to Create An Account Now.

Create a username that is professional.  Try some combinations of your last name, your first name, your initials, or a neutral number that you can use. 

Be sure to make your password something that you can remember or reference somewhere else.  If you lose it, you lose your access!


Here is the class worksheet that outlines the assignment.  Emails must be sent by Wednesday at 5pm to receive credit!

First writing assignment!

Your first writing assignment is an opportunity for you to express yourself as well as present yourself to your new teacher.  Here are a few pointers for this assignment:

- Feel free to keep your tone casual, but don't let that ruin your professionalism.
- Share about yourself honestly, but the information you select is completely up to you.
- Make sure you write to the 400-word minimum for the assignment.
- Write neatly, and proofread your work!  This is your first impression as a writer!

Here is the letter I wrote to you, my students.  Feel free to use it as a template.

And here is the task sheet we started in class:

Welcome back, sophomores!

September is here again!  I hope you have all had a good first week back.

Here is a copy of the syllabus:

And here is the Technology Agreement we went over on the first day of school.  It's extremely important that I get it back from you, signed by a parent.  Everyone who turned it in during the second class will receive full homework credit.