Archives for September 7, 2017

Welcome

Welcome back to The Beacon School for the start of the 2017-18 school year and more specifically, welcome to Sophomore English! My name is Mr. Leon and I will be your teacher this year. As is clearly evident, I have yet to return to Beacon. Currently, I am in Louisiana tending to some family matters, but come Monday, September 18th, I will be standing before you ready to kick off this unique English experience. Yes, I intend for this to be an experience…more on that Sept. 18th. The work completed in my absence will establish your grade in this class so get off to a good start! More to be said about grades later! In the meantime, here’s to Rockin’ like Dokken! Soon enough we will be talking about anguish, death, dread, despair, abandonment, and so many other cheery things!

Welcome!

Welcome back to The Beacon School for the start of the 2017-18 school year and more specifically, welcome to Sophomore English! My name is Mr. Leon and I will be your teacher this year. As is clearly evident, I have yet to return to Beacon. Currently, I am in Louisiana tending to some family matters, but come Monday, September 18th, I will be standing before you ready to kick off this unique English experience. Yes, I intend for this to be an experience…more on that Sept. 18th. The work completed in my absence will establish your grade in this class so get off to a good start! More to be said about grades later! In the meantime, here’s to Rockin’ like Dokken!

Due 9/11: Laying the Foundation

1. Course website: Blackboarddreams.com (I will tell you more about that name later. So much that I have to tell you later.). My email: sleon@beaconschool.org

This weekend you should register for the class website, Blackboarddreams.com. (Some of you may have already registered so check to see that your account is still active.) Please do so by midnight on Sunday at which time the site will be closed to registration. To do this, you must scroll to the bottom of the right column of the homepage and click “Register.” Your username should be your Full Name (First and Last). Do not use nicknames and leave A SPACE between your first and last name. Your password will be emailed to you at which point you can change it if you would like. I also suggest you take a moment to familiarize yourself with the website! Here, you and your family can access the following: homework assignments, class forums, updates on the happenings and direction of the class, complementary materials, writing and research resources, Essay and Creative Project exemplars, a link back to the Beacon homepage, and so much more! Don’t forget to bookmark your course page! So, if you are in my sophomore class, bookmark the sophomore page.

2. Remember, you should keep the syllabus in your binder ALL YEAR. I will review it with you on Monday, the 18th.

3. Class Forum: I would like to get to know you a bit; a humanized learning environment is the best learning environment! Be sure to post in the appropriate Existential Literature class forum. DO NOT start a new thread! This response should be posted by midnight Sunday.

So, this weekend, you should:

  • Properly register for blackboarddreams.com
  • Review Man’s Search for Meaning in preparation for the in-Class Assessment.
  • Post your response to the Class Forum by midnight Sunday. As with all responses, be thoughtful.
  • Let your parents review the course syllabus.

Due 9/11: Laying the Foundation

1. Course website: Blackboarddreams.com (I will tell you more about that name later). My email: sleon@beaconschool.org

This weekend you should register for the class website, Blackboarddreams.com. Please do so by midnight on Sunday at which time the site will be closed to registration. To do this, you must scroll to the bottom of the right column of the homepage and click “Register.” Your username should be your Full Name (First and Last). Leave A SPACE between your first and last name. Do not use nicknames! Failure to register properly will lead to your account being deleted, so do it properly. Your password will be emailed to you at which point you can change it if you would like. I also suggest you take a moment to familiarize yourself with the website! Here, you and your family can access the following: homework assignments, class forums, updates on the happenings and direction of the class, complementary materials, writing and research resources, Essay and Creative Project exemplars, a link back to the Beacon homepage, and so much more! Don’t forget to bookmark your course page! So, if you are in my sophomore class, bookmark the sophomore page.

2. Remember, you should keep the course syllabus in your binder ALL YEAR. I will review it with you on Monday, the 18th.

3. Class Forum: I would like to get to know you a bit; a humanized learning environment is the best learning environment! Be sure to post in the appropriate class forum. So, if you are in my H band class, post in that forum to the thread that has already been started. DO NOT start a new thread! This response should be posted by midnight Sunday.

4. Literary Terms: Print this out and place it in your binder. It should be in your binder for Monday! Just as with the syllabus, you should keep it in your binder all year.

5. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: This novel is the first unit of the year. This year I am teaching two sections of English 10 which means that I may not have enough copies for everyone. So, if you are able, please purchase a copy by Monday, Sept. 18th.

6. In-Class writing assignment: In preparation for this writing assignment, bring Every Day is for the Thief to class on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

PLEASE, IF POSSIBLE, BRING IN A REAM OF COPY PAPER! I WOULD BE QUITE GRATEFUL… (Write your name on the packet of paper.) Thank you dearly.

So, this weekend, you should:
• Properly register for blackboarddreams.com
• Review Every Day is for the Thief in preparation for In-Class Assessment.
• Post your response to the Class Forum. As with all responses, be thoughtful.
• Let your parents review the course syllabus.
• Print the literary terms handout.

Sophomore English Course Syllabus

The course syllabus, as well as many other important documents, can be found in our handy little sidebar on the right! Heck, the right sidebar has lots of “goodies.” Take a look!