Ms. Garrett

Getting started with Summer School

2009-06-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Have a Great Summer Break and Keep Reading and Writing!

2009-06-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Stand By Me

2009-05-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

I know you worked hard on your writing portfolio projects, so now you have a few days to relax before your presentations on final day-Monday, June 8th. Make sure you practice your presentation!

Stand By Me is the perfect segue into Oregon summer. The original short story that the movie is based on was written by Stephen King and is called "The Body." It is set near Portland, Oregon in the 1950's and is about a group of boys who take a trip to see a dead body. It is also a great coming of age story, something we've been looking at all year.

Enjoy the movie!

Portfolio Writing Project

2009-05-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."-Benjamin Franklin

"A perfectly healthy sentence, it is true, is extremely rare. For the most part we miss the hue and fragrance of the thought; as if we could be satisfied with the dews of the morning or evening without their colors, or the heavens without their azure." -Henry David Thoreau

"The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him." -Rachel Carson

“Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong.” -Anne Lamott

I just have one word for you in the course of doing the work of your writing portfolio project-Persevere(to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.)and if you have any questions, come see me or text me or call me or email me.

Follow your list of 5 and then make a new one and continue on, and in the words of Yoda, "Do. Or do not. There is no try." :)

Romeo and Juliet Wrap Up

2009-05-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

This week we wrap up Romeo and Juliet with a unit test on Friday. If you weren't in class on Monday, get the notes from someone who was. They tell you about what will be on the test so that you know what to study.

Also, this week we begin our final unit-the Writing Portfolio Project! This is an intense look at your writing over the course of the year. It will help you reflect on what kind of writer you are and what kind of writer you want to become. See the assignment sheet and keep in touch with Ms. Garrett with any questions or clarifications. This is an important project and must be completed with a C or better to pass second semester. Get the help you need....ASK!

Try to stay dry out there! Word is, the weekend will be nice. :)

It's May!

2009-05-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Happy May Day!
We have a few things going on in class right now you should be keeping up with. 1)Romeo and Juliet essay-I'm going to extend the deadline to Monday 5/4. If you get it turned in today, I will give you 5 bonus points. 2)If you haven't finished reading Romeo and Juliet or you didn't understand some important scenes, this weekend would be a great time to reread some of those to prepare for the test next week. 3)If you have any of your writing pieces at home and not on your school account, send them to yourself via email, so you can have them here as well. We will begin work on the Writing Portfolio Project next week!

Happy Friday and have a great Weekend!

Last week of 3rd quarter

2009-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

What's due this week?

Monday-Late Love Poems(last day), Late Character action figures, Free Rice rewrites(on time)
Tuesday-Sonnets due-We will work on them on Monday in class
Block Day-Work on and turn in Romeo and Juliet Narratives

Get all your participation points this week by being in class and on time with your books and folders.

*Don't forget to turn in your unused hall pass by Thursday for extra credit.

Check this week's plan and have a great sunny Sunday!

Time To Think About School Again

2009-03-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our First Full Week of R&J

2009-03-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

As we begin our reading of Romeo and Juliet, think about what the characters are teaching us about love. What does love mean to Romeo, to Lord Capulet, to Lady Capulet, to the Nurse, and to Juliet? This week we will be reading Act I and focusing on love in the play. On Friday, we take a break from the play to do a short piece about what we love(what, not who). Make sure you get your composition books turned in by Friday, and if you didn't get your perfect mate survey done and turned in today, you can turn it in late, but get it in by Monday, March 30th at the latest. Enjoy your spring break!

WE WILL MISS YOU, MR. DRESCHER! COME BACK TO VISIT US!

Love and Romeo and Juliet

2009-03-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Awesome Poetry Performances/Vocabulary Stories Due Friday

2009-03-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

I thought everyone did a great job on the poetry performances! I hope that if we have a poetry slam competition at Franklin next year, that some of you will think of entering.

Time to move on to Romeo and Juliet, but first, some time for vocabulary on www.freerice.com. Check out http://www.msgarrettonline.com/freerice.doc for the assignment and have fun learning some new words and donating rice to world hunger at the same time! Stories are due on Friday. Make sure I understand the meaning of the word by the way you use it in your story.

I gave out a lot of A's on progress reports today, so keep up the good work!

Practice your poem

2009-02-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

Meeting Daniel Beaty and creating characters

2009-02-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

It was a great day for writing! Daniel Beaty gave us some great prompts to get us writing about characters. I got some fun pieces done and have some great ideas about how to extend your character assignment. Hope you got some great writing done today! I can't wait to read your poems!

2009-02-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

Keep writing that amazing poetry you've been writing and start thinking about which one you will do for Cafe 173, your spoken word presentation. This week is a short one with a special meeting for all of you on Tuesday with information from Alice about grades, credit recovery, and other opportunities. Enjoy your Presidents' Day holiday tomorrow. Don't forget you need to read in Bronx Masquerade to page 94, and you need to finish up your metaphor or letter poems. New poem on Block Day!

Some Spoken Word Poetry

2009-02-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

This Weekend...

2009-02-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Second Semester!

2009-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of second semester, and you all have an A! Exciting, isn't it? You can keep that grade, too. All you have to do is come to class, participate and do your classwork and homework. It really is that easy.

We will begin this semester with Bronx Masquerade, a book by Nikki Grimes that is set up in vignettes(literally "little pictures" in French)about kids in a high school in New York. Along with the book, you will also be doing a poetry unit. So, get ready to read, write, and analyze some poetry. Later in the semester, we will be reading Romeo and Juliet, and near the end of the semester, we will focus on rewriting some of the work that you've done throughout the year.

Just another note: We will be using composition books this semester and a slightly different process for those. Mr. Drescher will fill you in next week, and I'll see you on Monday!
Have a nice semester break, but get ready for a full second half!

Finals Week!

2009-01-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

Time's running out. Tomorrow is your last day, actually about 40 minutes of class, to finish your PowerPoint presentations. I will be in the library early if anyone wants to come in early and work. Plan your presentation, too, on Monday because each group only has 10 minutes to present. If you haven't turned in your Odyssey vocabulary, do that and turn it in by Tuesday. Your notebook is due on Monday. See you then!

Sightseeing on Wednesday....

2009-01-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

A bit of the speech

2009-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to see a bit of the beginning of Obama's speech and the crowd's reactions.

Link to http://futurebluemedia.com/inauguration_2/Influxis/

Inauguration Day!

2009-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day....check out these pictures. A huge crowd, the jumbotron, bbrrrrrr cold, but everyone was so excited.

Monday night-Getting geared up!

2009-01-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited about tomorrow. I met so many people today that were so excited about tomorrow. Everyone is connecting. I hope today is fun for you. A big thank you to Mr. Drescher for being such a great teacher and keeping the classroom going while I'm away. (You should thank him, too!) Enjoy the blog, the inauguration and the Odyssey!

Monday

2009-01-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we were going to try to get to Earl Blumenhauer's office today, but the lines were long for people picking up tickets and we didn't get tickets, so we wandered around the Capitol. My pictures are of the area around the Capitol and Union Station. I have to say, it has been amazing to talk to people. Every time my mom and I stop for a minute, for coffee or food or just to ride the metro, people are asking, and we are asking, "Where are you from?" "Why are you here?" and the stories are amazing and various. We have met people from all over the country and the world and are so excited about tomorrow....today for you since you will see this on Tuesday. Have a great day today. I am thinking about you!

Sunday

2009-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we went to the a cool independent bookstore and cafe called Afterwords Cafe and Kramerbooks. Then, we went to the Museum of American History and then joined half a million others on the National Mall to listen to music with Obama, Biden, and their families. Some of the players....Pete Seeger, James Taylor, Beyonce, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, John Mellencamp and so many others. It was on HBO. Fantastic. Here are some pictures from the museum and the show. We were waaaaaay back.

From the Museum of American History on Sunday

2009-01-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

In celebration of MLK Jr day and the inauguration, the first part of his famous speech given here on the National Mall in 1963. The speaker is an actor from DC.

Link to http://futurebluemedia.com/inauguration_1/Influxis/

Saturday night

2009-01-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

As soon as we got checked into our hotel in the Dupont Circle area of Washington DC, we went to a great restaurant next door-The Tabard Inn, an old brownstone home with lots of rooms for eating and drinking. Here's some pictures of that.

Keep on Reading!

2009-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

Even though you are finished with your lit circle book and you haven't started your class book for second semester, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be reading. Pick up a book you've wanted to read but didn't have time for or read one of the lit circle selections that looked interesting. Whatever you do....read something. If you want some help with choices, ask a friend or come see me! Read on!

The Odyssey and Literature Circle Book PowerPoints

2009-01-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

Get ready to begin our study into ancient Greek culture, mythology, and the the man himself...Odysseus. We will read several of the adventures in the Odyssey over the next week.

Also, you should finish up your lit circle books very soon. We begin working on your PowerPoints on Tuesday in the library, along with a little Odyssey vocabulary.

Enjoy your weekend. Get caught up on your reading or study for your finals. They are coming up fast...in 2 weeks!

Happy New Year and Back to School on Monday

2009-01-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

Hope your holiday was relaxing, but productive. I hope you've been keeping up with the reading in your lit circle book, or if you've finished, that you are reading a choice book for extra credit. If you haven't sent in your "Thank You Mam" essay (due on 12/12), you can still send it in via email as an attachment. You will have a 15% penalty, but it's a 100 point assignment, and so you want to get it to me as soon as possible in case you need to rewrite. If you haven't finished your 'When You Tell My Story' poem, finish it and bring it to school on Monday. Look at the calendar for January http://www.msgarrettonline.com/1ninewk17.html. We are getting very close to the end of the semester, so you need to stay focused and finish strong. It all counts now, and your first semester grades as a freshman are very important. Do your best! See you on Monday.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! Sorry we're missing the spoken word poetry day, but we'll squeeze it in in February when we will be doing a poetry unit in connection with Bronx Masquerade. Those snacks I promised will be part of a literary tea party on The Odyssey when we get back to school. Have a great break and keep reading. If you haven't sent me your "Thank You, Ma'm" papers, send them as an attachment in .doc or .rtf as soon as possible. Work on your 'When you tell my story' poem so we can share those out when we get back. Maybe you can even talk Mr. Drescher into sharing his. It is awesome! See you January the 5th!

Tuesday at school

2008-12-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

So, if you weren't here today, you need to do the passage activity. Go to www.msgarrettonline.com/passageactivity.doc and carefully follow the directions. Make sure you do two passages of ample length-10 to 20 lines-and include the page number. This is homework and needs to be done in preparation for meeting with your lit circle groups on block day. Even though the weather is precarious, don't count on a snow day. Don't forget to keep up with your reading in your lit circle book.

Snow Day(!) and This Week

2008-12-15T08:10:00.001-08:00

Hope you're enjoying your snow day! I know I had a great time yesterday in Laurelhurst Park. Check out this sledder using a baby pool for a sled. Whatever works!

The schedule will shift a little this week, but I'm still giving us a relaxing day on Friday. Check out the changes at www.msgarrettonline.com. Keep on reading. Your lit circle calendars still apply and the more reading you do now, the less you have to do over break. Hope you're enjoying your books. See you tomorrow.

Keep on Writing!

2008-12-09T07:46:00.001-08:00

Keep on working on those papers while I'm gone and send them to me via email as soon as you can. Remember to send them as an attachment in .doc or .rtf and I will send them back to you with comments. Honors students and others, I will take your gift narratives next week when I return. Don't forget to keep up with your reading in your lit circle books. Hope you're enjoying your books!! See you Monday!

"Thank You Ma'm" essays and new lit circle books...

2008-12-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

So, if you should already have your lit circle book. If you want to know what page to be on and you don't have your calendar, go to http://www.msgarrettonline.com/ninth1.html and click on Lit Circle Calendar to download the calendar. Reading ahead this time is okay, but don't give away anything in your group discussions.

By Monday, you should have an introduction with a thesis and your topic sentences for your body paragraphs on your "Thank You, M'am" essay. Email me with questions if you have any this weekend. pgarrett@pps.k12.or.us

Have a good weekend!

Get ready to write!

2008-12-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Into the Wild Essays and Conferences

2008-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

While you're in class....

2008-11-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

I'm in the library working on our exciting next unit-a writing workshop! We will be doing a little reading and a lot of writing-some essay, some narrative, and some poetry, too! Also, get ready for some Pre-AP strategies to really look in depth at the literature. Have a good week with Mr. Drescher and then.....I'm back.

Readings for Honors Students and others who are interested

2008-11-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few links to readings going on around Portland. Take advantage of these opportunities!
http://www.travelportland.com/event_calendar/
http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf?pagetype=results&s=e&SearchKeyword=&SearchLocation=&SearchCategory=107&SearchDateRange=next30

Getting ready for Conferences....

2008-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

You will be getting your report cards this week if you haven't already gotten them. What do you need to do about that grade before we talk to your parents? Next Monday and Tuesday, November 24th and 25th, are the days for Parent Conferences-in the afternoon from 1:30-4:30pm and in the evening from 6-8pm. Please make sure you and your parents are there. I will be offering bonus points for attending, but make sure you talk to one of us beforehand if you need to make up something. Have a great autumn week!

Tutoring and Computer Access Available after school

2008-11-13T08:25:00.001-08:00

Yippee! We've wanted to make this happen for awhile and now, it's happening! Room 272 (previously the Multicultural Room and College Center)is now open after school Monday through Thursday until 4:30. We have tutors from Reed, and there are 9 computers for doing work(we are hoping to add more soon). So, if you want to finish up your homework, paper, or project before you leave the building for the day, you can do it. If you are in 7th period, I will give you bonus for going and getting your work done. See me about that, and start using the center.

Start Strong-Second Quarter starts tomorrow!

2008-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Now you know what it feels like to be a freshman-homework every night, essays due, books to read, math and science, and that's just 3 of your 7 classes. You also want to go to games, get involved in a club, and work on your own interests. It's all about balance and good planning. If you're still feeling organizationally challenged, make sure you consult one of your academy teachers or an older peer you feel you can talk to. If you don't get organized now, it will only make school tougher. You have 3 quarters to go until you are a sophomore. Every quarter counts, every day counts. Get to class on time and pay attention. Do your homework and plan your calendar so you have some time for school work and for yourself!

Welcome to my new Blog!

2008-11-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Wordstock!

2008-11-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Don't forget this weekend is Wordstock! For those of you who are into words(and who isn't)Wordstock is the place to be. It is at the Convention Center all day Saturday and Sunday and it only costs $5 to get in. Do a write up on what you see and learn and enjoy and get some bonus points! Can't wait to hear from you on Monday. I'm going to see William Least Heat Moon speak at 1:30. Find your favorite author or workshop at http://www.wordstockfestival.com/#/page_id=110/

Welcome to Ms. Garrett's Blog!

2008-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Welcome, welcome! I'm getting my blog up and running again for several reasons. One very exciting one is that I'm going to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. in January, and I wanted to be able to show you D.C. and all the fun as I experience it myself! It's such a cool time in history, and this is a great opportunity!

I also like using the blog to get your feedback on what we are doing in class. Feel free to post, and maybe set up your own blog(although some of you might already have them). Enjoy!