September 9, 2021

 Hello! Here's what we're up to today:

English 8

• Welcome to high school!
• Who am I?
• Where am I, and how did I get here?
• Where am I going, and how will I get there?
• Introducing the course
• What's English 8?
• An official course outline is on its way!
• I'll be setting up a Teams account, but we won't be using it much
• Assignment Page
• Calendar
• Who are you? On a blank piece of paper,  folded:
• Write the name you'd like me to use in BIG BLOCK LETTERS
• Draw a large image that represents something that excites you
• Write the pronouns you'd prefer to use
• On the back of the paper, please write down anything you'd like to let me know confidentially (for example: are you nervous about anything? Are your pronouns here different from the pronouns you use at home? Or anything that comes to mind!)
• At the end of the lesson, hand the paper back in.
• Activity
• With a partner, come up with a question about me that is as interesting as possible, while remaining respectful
• I'll be asking you a very broad question, which is: what would you like to tell me about yourself?
• Mr. McLean's Expectations and Grading Guidelines (see assignment page)
• Freewrite
• We'll be doing a lot of freewrites in this course, and at times I'll ask to see them for marks, so please make sure you label them, note the date, and keep them.
• You'll write for 7-10 minutes, and I will never look closely at any of them without your permission.  They are meant to be a safe place to practice writing skills. You may go in any direction you'd like (creative, persuasive, visual, train of thought), as long as you write the entire time. You'll find you get better as you go.
• Prompt: 2021-2022
• Looking ahead
• Literary terms sheet
• "the last great american dynasty" by Taylor Swift lyrics and song (Spotify and YouTube)
• Heads up: there's a swear word, which I've censored. In this case, it refers to a group from history.
• For tomorrow
• Listen to the song above, and come to class ready to discuss and analyse it

English 9

• Welcome back to high school!
• Who am I?
• Where am I, and how did I get here?
• Where am I going, and how will I get there?
• Introducing the course
• What's English 9?
• An official course outline is on its way!
• I'll be setting up a Teams account, but we won't be using it much
• Assignment Page
• Calendar
• Who are you? On a blank piece of paper,  folded:
• Write the name you'd like me to use in BIG BLOCK LETTERS
• Draw a large image that represents something that excites you
• Write the pronouns you'd prefer to use
• On the back of the paper, please write down anything you'd like to let me know confidentially (for example: are you nervous about anything? Are your pronouns here different from the pronouns you use at home? Or anything that comes to mind!)
• At the end of the lesson, hand the paper back in.
• Activity
• With a partner, come up with a question about me that is as interesting as possible, while remaining respectful
• I'll be asking you a very broad question, which is: what would you like to tell me about yourself?
• Mr. McLean's Expectations and Grading Guidelines (see assignment page)
• Freewrite
• We'll be doing a lot of freewrites in this course, and at times I'll ask to see them for marks, so please make sure you label them, note the date, and keep them.
• You'll write for 7-10 minutes, and I will never look closely at any of them without your permission.  They are meant to be a safe place to practice writing skills. You may go in any direction you'd like (creative, persuasive, visual, train of thought), as long as you write the entire time. You'll find you get better as you go.
• Prompt: 2021-2022
• Looking ahead
• Literary terms sheet
• "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman lyrics and song (Spotify and YouTube)
• For tomorrow
• Listen to the song above, and come to class ready to discuss and analyse it