Period 5 Membean

With the announcement that we're going to be out of class until May, I have decided that we will participate in an online vocabulary program I have used before called Membean. This is great preparation for AP classes and exams and standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. It's going to require you to train on it for 15 minutes a day, 4 days a week, for a total of 60 minutes per week. I am going to give you 1 per minute trained per week, starting May 30 (this will not be required the next week due to spring break). This means there will be a Membean grade in Skyward each week. NOTE: You only get credit for minutes actively training - if you switch screens, or have multiple tabs open, those minutes get tagged as "suspicious" and you won't get credit for it. When you train, you cannot have any other tabs open and can't jump off the screen. This will help you build your concentration.

Go to membean.com/enroll and enter the code B8SQ98W to join our class. After you do this, it will ask you to calibrate (great vocab word!). This will give you your level (I am level 5, by the way - very impressive, I know!). That takes about 5 minutes. Once you do that, you can start training. Use this week to practice, and starting March 30, it will start to become a part of your grade.

Tuesday, March 17

Hi. I realize the irony of sending this message via the internet, however we would like to know which students do not have either access to a computer at home or internet access at home. Please let me know if this is the case for any of you. If you need a Chromebook, the school will be checking them out to students on Wednesday, March 18 between 8 AM and 3 PM in the library. Please come and get one if you need it. There are also a limited number of hotspots available that the school can check out to you if you don’t have internet access. If you have friends or know of someone who needs one of these things, please either let me know or make them aware of these opportunities yourself. Thank you.

Mr. Baird

Wednesday, March 11

Film: Today we began watching the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, focussing especially on the film maker's use of point of view shots, music and sound (and especially how these contribute to what I call a "motif of interruption"), and the plot's structure (particularly the use of in media res).

CNF: Today we practiced thin slicing people, relationships, and what a person's bedroom reveals about themselves. If you need to finish Chapter 1 from Blink, do so for homework.

English Honors 9B: Today we shared your Theme for English 9B poems and attempted to create a large, whole-class poem. Your homework is to read for 20 minutes.

Friday, March 6

Film: Today we finished watching Searching for Bobby Fischer.

CNF: Today we read the Introduction to Blink.

English Honors 9B: Today we finished listening to several poems by Billy Collins. Your homework is to read for 20 minutes.

Thursday, March 5

Film: Today we began watching Searching for Bobby Fischer. 

CNF: Today we listened to a segment of This American Life's "Superheroes" episode and discussed which superpower we would choose, flight or invisibility.

English Honors 9B: Today we listened to several poems by Billy Collins. Your homework is to read for 20 minutes.

Wednesday, March 4

Film: Today we practiced reading different mediums: photography and art, music, and film. We watched the short film More by Mark Osborn, which you can find on youtube.

CNF: Today we listened to two different podcast episodes of This American Life (Fear of Sleep) and Radiolab (Lost and Found) as we studied how constructors of nonfiction use ethos, pathos, and logos to influence their audience.

English Honors 9B: Today we talked about the class's attitudes toward poetry and read a poem by Billy Collins, "Introduction to Poetry." Homework is to read for 20 minutes.

Monday, March 2

Welcome to the new trimester!

Film: Today we talked a little bit about our experiences with film; your homework is to get your disclosure signed for Wednesday.

CNF: Today we got an overview of the two ends of the decision-making spectrum we will study this trimester. Your homework is to get your disclosure signed for Wednesday.

English Honors 9B: Today we focused on getting to know our classmates; your homework is to get your disclosure signed for Wednesday and to have a book for Wednesday's class.