Welcome to the Beehive!

I'm Miss Beasley and this is the website where you can find all things related to my classes.

In tenth grade English, we are reading great literature from a variety of genres, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, biography, and drama. As we read, we are learning to think critically and develop our own opinions about the works and their meanings. Along with all of this critical thinking, we are completing different writing assignments, some informal and others formal, developing our skills of writing to a particular audience and defending our claims with textual evidence.

For information about homework, visit the Homework page. I update it every day! If you missed class, you definitely need to visit this page for any handouts or presentations you might have missed.

If you're a parent of one of Miss Beasley's Bees, please check out the For Parents page where you can find important information about how to contact me or schedule a conference.

Check out the Useful Links page for helpful resources.

If you would like to know more about me and my teaching philosophy, please visit the About Me page.

See below for my weekly shout-out to Busy Bees, and a description of our current unit.

At the bottom of this page, I have listed our class rules and procedures, my goals for the class, and my grading policies. Please reference these lists if you have any questions throughout the year, and contact me if you still have any confusion.

If you couldn't tell yet, the theme of our class is Beasley's Bees. Every bee is important in the community of the beehive, so it is crucial that every bee (student) take responsibility for building the hive through full and frequent participation. If you prove yourself as a busy working bee, then Queen Bee (Miss Beasley) will be very happy, and the other bees will benefit as well!

Extra Honey for This Week's Busy Bees:

Congratulations to Table 5 from Miss Beasley's 10th Grade English class for winning poetry bingo on Friday! Carla, Isaiah, Hope, and Laurelai, you all worked very hard, and I am proud of your teamwork. Thanks for being a good example of how busy bees work together!

Our Current Unit:

Night by Elie Wiesel

Night is an autobiographical memoir of Wiesel's experiences in the Auschwitz death camp during the Holocaust. All students will be provided a copy of the book. We will analyze the theme, tone, and character development used in Wiesel's memoir in an effort to answer our guiding question:

Why is it important to remember?

We will be writing informally in response to subjects brought up by the novel, and we will write formally in the form of a final essay.

Students will have several graded assignments throughout the unit:

3 Weekly reading quizzes (worth 10 points each)
3 Take-home reading questions (worth 5 points each)
3 Graphic organizers completed in class (worth 20 points each)

The unit will culminate in a persuasive essay that is worth 50 points. (You will receive further instruction and a rubric in class.)

It is important that students keep up with the reading, so as to not get behind, and participate fully in all class discussions and activities. This will help you write the essay at the end of the unit.

This is a very powerful book - I think you'll learn a lot from it! So let's make this a great unit by working hard and thinking critically about the text.

Beehive Rules

Bee on time - In your seat by the time the bell rings
Bee prepared - Come to class with all homework completed and all necessary materials.
Bee respectful - Encourage one another, keep hands and wings to yourself, and take care of all class materials.
Keep stingers out of use - Stingers hurt, so think twice and refrain before saying or doing something that could hurt a fellow bee.
Bee a good listener - When others are talking, including the teacher, listen by not talking at the same time.
Bee a communal bee - Work together and help each other out. Always participate when working within a group.
Raise your hand before buzzing or flying - If you have something to say or want to get out of your seat, raise your hand first.
Take care of the hive - Clean the area around your desk by tossing trash, putting up supplies, and pushing chairs in before class ends.

Beehive Procedures

Beginning of class - Take your seat promptly and begin working on the Do Now posted on the board.
Seat work - During the Do Now and other solitary work, students are to work silently without talking to one another.
Group work - Participate and do your share of the work, and encourage your group-mates to participate as well. Keep all discussion assignment-related.
Materials - Bring your English journal, a pencil, and the current text to every class.
Homework - Have your homework out and ready to be checked at the beginning of class. The teacher will check it during the Do Now.
Finishing early - If you finish work early, you may read the current text or a book from the class library, or work on a provided activity sheet. Work silently in your seat until the rest of the class is ready to move on.
End of class - Wait for the teacher to dismiss you before getting out of your seat to exit the class.

Beehive Goals

Students will work together in collaborative groups and complete tasks, both small and large, in conjunction with other students
Students will read a multitude of texts from various genres, authors, and time periods.
All students will write on a daily basis, whether formally or informally.
Students will interact with literature on a personal level and find texts that they truly enjoy.
Students will use writing to express themselves and relate to other people.
All students will learn to analyze literature and express this skill through academic writing.

Miss Beasley's Grading Policies

Before every assignment, students will be given a rubric as to how each individual assignment will be graded. This ensures that all students know how to achieve the grade they desire. Grades will be justified against these rubrics and are nonnegotiable once given.

Generally, though, students will be assessed on a 10-point grading scale. This means a score of 90-100 is an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79 a C, 60-69 a D, and 59 and less an F.

Students will lose points for any assignments turned in late (anything turned in after the beginning of class on the day it is due is considered late). An assignment will lose a letter grade for every day it is late.

If a student is absent and has missed in-class work, he or she may find this work in the "While You Were Out" folder in the class filing cabinet. All missed assignments must be turned in the day following the student's return to class, or the assignments will be marked late. Please contact me if you have missed a significant amount of work due to multiple absences caused by sickness or other extenuating circumstances. I will gladly work with you after school to get you back up to speed.