Day 1 2024

Welcome to Our Class!

Agenda

Course Description & Expectations

Learning Platforms

BEST Expectations & Standards
Homework: Syllabus Signatures

Open Ended

What single word best describes how you are feeling right now?

​About Me...

• ​Grew up on a farm in New Jersey

• Studied English & Art History at College of Charleston (1st in my family to go to college)

• Opened a store in St. Augustine

• Went to UF to earn an M.Ed

• Had my son Coben Grey in 2003

• Started teaching in Jax in 2005

• Married Mr. Williams (our journalism teacher) on 12/12/12

• Have 6 cats, a butterfly garden, & lots of outdoor critters
  

Draw

Draw something that is important to you AND is school appropriate.

Course Description

This course is designed to aid students in

achieving success in their current and future

studies through the development of

their critical reading skills. Our content

will include: analysis of arguments, including

recognizing bias and supporting details;

differentiation between fact and

opinion,including recognizing inferences and
main ideas; developing awareness of a variety

of organizational patterns and their

relationships in the comprehension of text,

including recognizing purpose and
tone of informational reading; and

demonstrating successful understanding

of vocabulary in context.

Poll

How do you feel about reading?

• Hate it

• Avoid it, but will do it if I have to

• I don't mind reading

• I love to read

Behavioral Expectations

Students are expected to respect our
time each day by arriving to class on time,
prepared to learn. Students will
collaborate regularly, making it imperative
that every student feels
comfortable actively participating in our
learning community, so respect for each
other is essential. Finally, students must
have the self-respect to make informed,
mature decisions that will benefit
them both now and in the future.

•

Raise your hand

•

Ignore your phone

•

Stay in your seat

•

Make no messes

•

Be kind

Poll

Which behavioral expectation do you struggle with most?

• Raising my hand

• Not staring at my phone

• Being respectful

• None of these are challenging

​Laptop Expectations

​Students are expected to bring their DCPS issued laptops to class every day. This is to ensure you have access to Teams, our digital classroom. Likewise, we will be using online learning platforms such as Actively Learn on a daily basis, & a laptop will be required. Per DCPS policy, all student work and grading will be done in Focus.

Poll

Would you rather write a 10-page paper or give a 10-minute presentation?

• Paper

• Presentation

Grading
Grades will
be broken
into the
following
categories:

✓ Participation

✓ Reading Prose & Poetry

✓ Reading Informational Texts

✓ Reading Across Genres

✓ Assessments

✓ Extra Credit

Point values are always given with the assignment, which will be posted in Focus prior to
distribution of the assignment. Extra Credit will also be offered regularly.

***Late assignments receive 10% deduction until the assignment is worth a 50%.***

Poll

Would you rather lose your ability to speak or have to say everything you are thinking?

• Lose the ability to speak

• Say everything I'm thinking

Teams is our digital classroom. We

have general & questions channels.

Likewise, we have a class notebook with essential resources, as well as a place for you to take

notes & complete assignments.

Use @ to get my attention if you need me to

see something you have posted.

Please, please be appropriate in our digital

classroom.

Our class Notebook (in Teams) contains

essential information such as:

✓Class syllabus
✓BEST Standards

✓12 Florida Public Colleges Information

✓SAT Reading Strategies

There is also an individual workspace for

you.

Poll

Would you rather have one wish granted today or three wishes granted ten years from now?

• One wish today

• 3 wishes in ten years

A Brief Introduction of the new BEST Standards &

Expectations

Reading

Communication

Vocabulary

These are the online learning platforms that we
will be using regularly. You are responsible for
accessing these both inside & outside of class to
build your testing & literacy skills. Actively Learn will focus on developing your reading and writing skills, while we will be using Exact Path for individual skill development.

Welcome to
Actively Learn!

3A: majc0

4A: m6yqc

6B: ztyca

7B: z6ycc

Please use the
settings button on the
top left to modify your
text settings. Simple
tricks like making the
font size, style, &
theme can help keep
your brain & eyes
focused.
*Remember to do this
when taking your
standardized tests.

Making Notes in Actively Learn

You will be required to make
notes while you are reading
the texts assigned. To make
a note, highlight the words
you are writing about. You
will then see the box
below. Click highlight and
take note, then type your
note. Please note the Select
category tab above. Your
category options are listed to
the right. Please categorize
your notes in today's text.

Actively Learn Written
Response Grading

Short answer questions are worth 10 points. Always:
✓Answer in complete

sentences

✓Use standard English
✓Answer all parts of the

question

Restate Answer Cite Explain Summarize

1. Restate the question as a statement
2. Answer all parts of the question
3. Cite evidence & examples from the text
4. Explain how your evidence supports your answer
5. Summarize your point (never end with evidence!)

Poll

Would you rather travel 100 years into the future or 100 years into the past?

• 100 years in the future

• 100 years in the past

syllabus signatures

Your second grade in this class is for both
you & a parent to read & sign your
syllabus. Please upload this by Sunday

for full credit. You can sign

electronically.

Questions?

Remember, if you ever have
any questions outside of class,

@ me in our

Questions channel in Teams

& I'll answer ASAP!