Freshmen Update

A note from Elizabeth Johnson, facilitator of Freshmen Inquiry:

Dear Freshmen Parents,
I would like to take a minute and update you on our work in Freshman Inquiry class so that you can support your student's learning and progress. The end of the term is just a month away and two important assignments are in progress. First, after a month of arduously following the writing process, in-class lessons on essay basics, and teacher/peer editing sessions (most) students submitted their analytical essays before we left for Winter Break. On our first day back students will have their final copy returned with an evaluation and grade attached. As clearly written on the evaluation, students may AND ARE ENCOURAGED to revise and resubmit their essay as many times as is necessary in order to receive the best grade they are capable of. Asking to review the essay and its evaluation is a great opening to supporting your students' development as a writer. As a High School program we have focused Freshman Inquiry on analytical writing skills because it is such an essential foundation for their success. Most of the students in class were writing an essay for the first time in their school experience and a learning curve is natural and okay. Those students, however, for whom this process was very difficult and stressful may benefit from additional support outside of the classroom. If this is the case for your student, I encourage you to speak with their student's Advisor about their writing (Advisors have copies of student essays and evaluations).

With essays (mostly) done we now turn our attention to our next task: independent projects. Typically, this unit is about two months long. This year, however, the group required extended time on the reading and writing unit and so our projects have taken on the exciting new requirement of a time challenge of 3 weeks. Students may do their project on any topic of their choice but must follow and document the process laid out in class: project proposal, research/gathering, planning, creating, presenting. It is this process that students will be evaluated on, which is a shift from many of their Middle School experiences where projects are drawn out over a long period of time (with a lot of socializing and procrastinating throughout!) and the emphasis is primarily on the exhibition of the final product. I will be encouraging students to make personal choices that will lead to their success, such as picking a high interest topic that requires few outside resources or in-depth research. Coming to class prepared and focused will also help them make the most productive use of our daily hour together. In class we will look at the popular website created by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher “Learning to Love You More” that is filled with an extensive list of creative assignments that could be great jumping off points for a more fully developed project. This may be fun to look over as a family.... and maybe even collaborate on something together! (www.learningtoloveyoumore.com)

I hope this email leaves you feeling more informed on our class happenings and with a great opener to good communication with your child about their learning and classwork. Please let me know if you have further questions, ideas, or are wanting specific feedback on your student. We are all halfway through the exciting transition to High School freshman year provides... let's keep learning and growing together.

Best,
Elizabeth Johnson