Welcome to my web page. It is my pleasure to teach your son or daughter this year in English II. In order to best serve your son or daughter, my classes are part of the Small Learning Community here at Del Valle High School, and we are part of the Visionaries.  Your son or daughter will be given instruction which involves the following:

· Instruction which will cover the nine areas of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for reading

· Instruction which concentrates on specific purposes and areas of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for reading

· Instruction which will also cover the twenty-one areas of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for tenth grade writing focusing on the higher-order thinking skills of Bloom's taxonomy (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation)

· Instruction which will enhance the thinking process (Tools for Learning: Thinking Maps-circle map, bubble map, double-bubble map, tree map, brace map, flow map, multi-flow map, and bridge map)

· Curriculum which will engage you son or daughter to include:

o Daily journal entries over various quotes

o Various reading assignments from an assortment of genres

o Vocabulary development which will give students an opportunity to successfully meet the challenges of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test, the PSAT, and the SAT (the Write thing)

o TAKS preparation exercises (the Write thing)

o Grammar

o Lectures which will reflect current topics and events which pertain to students' lives.

The course requires that students be present 90% of each semester, and that students maintain at least a 70 overall average. Students are highly encouraged to master the course with at least a 90, and will be recognized by having their work displayed in the "Blue Zone" (at the back of my class). Students should be prepared every class meeting by bringing with them paper, black ink pens, dictionaries (optional); students will complete assignments in a neat and timely manner in the classroom (generally whatever is not finished will be due the next class period); ten points extra credit will be issued to every assignment that is typed (ALL Major Assignments such as essays, papers, and/or projects MUST be typed--Standard for All typed assignments is 12-point font, Times New Roman), and they should read their literature assignments daily and be prepared for a reading quiz (short-answer format). Students will also be shown how to work collaboratively (using Kagan). Finally, students will be asked to complete two internet-based research projects (tba), which will encompass the curriculum, which they have learned. All students will be assessed via oral and written methods; students will also be assessed via benchmark testing, mid-term and final exams.

It is highly imperative that your son or daughter follow the rules as set forth by the Small Learning Community at all times!  Detention will be assigned to all students who fail to cooperate and/or comply.

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADING QUESTIONS

HOW DID THIS LESSON ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF MY THREE STRONGEST AND THREE WEAKEST STUDENTS?

WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY THE NEXT TIME I TEACH THIS LESSON?  WHY?

HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT MY STUDENTS KNOW?

HOW CAN I CREATE AN ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT WOULD HELP ME TEACH THESE CONCEPTS?