Week 6 (Seventh Week fo Class)

 

Dear Class,

 

Welcome to another busy week in class! I hope you had a good Memorial Day. I am heading to Island Park tomorrow morning (Saturday), and I hope it takes my breath away and adds joy to my family's life. During this upcoming week, the reading isn't heavy, but there are three lessons with accompanying tasks, and most importantly, your first major essay is due at the end of the week. I hope your excitement to submit a gorgeous essay trumps the feeling of being overwhelmed! I am praying for you.

 

Reflection on Week 5:

I loved learning with you last week. I enjoyed meeting with those of you who attended my office hour on Thursday afternoon, and I appreciated your examination of "Prufrock" as a love poem and modernist piece. I loved reading that some of you wanted to help Prufrock. And you submitted your Test #1. Way to go!

 

Looking Forward to Week 6:

 Here are a few tips for success this week:

• Make sure to sign up to meet with me about your essay if you'd like some one-on-one help. I will hold meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. You need to post your essay drafts at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting if you want me to read your work before we meet.
  
• If possible, I suggest completing the reading homework and lesson assignments as quickly as possible at the start of the week so you can then work on your essay.
• If you get the lesson work done by Tuesday evening, and just check in on the student-led discussion boards every day, you will have four days to develop your essay and get it polished for a Saturday submission.

I plan to grade your midterms by Thursday evening. I won't have a ton of time to provide feedback with the quick turn-around. I'll read your essay through, demonstrate the score I would award in each category, and leave an additional note if I see a glaring weaknesses that needs to be addressed, hopefully helping you make any changes necessary to Essay #1 before you submit it on Saturday.

 

Understand that I look at your Test #1 differently than I look at your Essay #1. I recognize that it is timed, no one has peer reviewed it, and, at most, you have had one week to prepare for Test #1, whereas you have had several weeks to craft Essay #1. Both assignments are challenging, but for different reasons. I'm looking less for perfection in Test #1 than in Essay #1. Still, my feedback on Test #1 may help you as you prepare Essay #1, so I'll get through grading as quickly as I can.

 

We will have our class meeting at 6:30 pm, MT, on Thursday evening. 

 Best of luck to you and me this week!

 

Love,

Sister Bowen