Dear Students:

 

Welcome to a new year at The Northwest School and in my Humanities class. We will see each other often. I look forward to that. It is a joy for me to have interesting conversations with students and to enjoy learning and reading together. I am going to model for you the homework assignment that you will write tonight.

 

Writing a Personal Blog Post

 

Purpose of this Assignment:

 

• Prepare your blog that will be your learning space all year.
• Show me a bit of your writing.
• Help us all to get to know you a bit.

 

 

1. Go to Google Blogger and set up a new blog. Title your blog. This will be your blog for our class. I will have a link to your blogs here so that we can share ideas and work that way.

 

2. Tonight, write a post for your blog by clicking on New Post.

 

What would you like us to know about you?

 

I have been a teacher since I graduated from university, and I have been a mother for ten years. These are my two jobs, and I love them both. One of my sons, Ansel, just started Kindergarten, and the other son, Miles, will be in 5th grade. We live above Puget Sound near Lincoln Park. I hope that some of you will visit me when you go to the park. As a family, we enjoy camping and river rafting together. We also enjoy playing Monopoly and swimming at the pool.
My favorite hobby is to write. I have written many poems and short stories. I would love to write a children's novel, but it is difficult for me to find the time!

 

What will you do during class this year to help us develop a positive community?

 

I plan to come to class prepared every day. That means that I will know what I would like us to learn together, and I will be energetic and lively. I will share my own ideas and listen carefully to yours. I will be clear about the purpose of what it is we are learning.

 

What will you do at home to help us develop a positive community and to help you to be successful?

 

I plan to keep this blog up to date so that you always know what you need to complete for homework. I plan to write the purpose of every assignment.
I plan to come to study hall and to have office hours during the day  to work with you individually.


What is your greatest hope for the year?


My goal is to develop a classroom community that is alive with ideas, supportive of all students, and inspiring!


I look forward to reading all of your posts.

Hello 9th Graders!

Today is our day to finish up electronic portfolios. We won't worry about the extra multi-media addition. There is simply no time left! So, the items you need are your main post - and make sure I read that today if I haven't already - your annotated photos of your year's work (five of them) and three essays.
During class in the lab, we'll have Shie help us to link this blog to your blogs so that your parents will be able to view your work.

It has been such a pleasure to work with you this year! I hope that you will keep in touch this summer both as you experience your lives which are so different from my life here in Seattle, and as you read your summer books. I would like to converse with you about the books.

You may also write to Miles and Ansel, in English, for practice. They would love to write back to you.

I will spend the summer writing. I am determined to dedicate time to that. It brings me joy and it has been a goal for so long in my life that I want to finally focus on finishing a novel for young readers.

I will  also spend time with my father, who has not been doing well since my mother passed away.

And, of course, I will spend time with my boys. My goal for them is to be outside and active or inside, reading, practicing math, doing science projects or art. I try to use "screen time" as little as possible. I hope that you will do the same. You all have such active creative minds, and those minds need input from the "real world", so be sure to balance your screen time with "real world" experiences and interactions.

I look forward to seeing your blogs today. It is so interesting to see what really grabbed your interest during this past year.

Heather