Mrs. Love's Classes

Last year proved to be both challenging and exciting. We learned and grew together to build a great community. With so many of our former students returning, many new upper class and a brand new batch of freshmen, I’m looking forward to getting know you all. We have moved our facilities to a great location in Queen Creek. The rooms are cozy, which lends to great classroom discussions and collaborative learning.

Here is an overview of what our classes will look like:

Freshman and Junior English-We will engage in the study of the language arts—reading, speaking, writing, listening and thinking. Successful students will hone their skills in grammar, critical reading, critical thinking, and writing mechanics.

9th Grade English

For our English Textbook we will be using Literature, Language and Literacy by Prentice Hall. Some of our highlights this year will be the study of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and The Odyssey by Homer. We will write a research paper, focus on the 6 Traits of Writing, read and write some poetry, as well as explore literature through short stories, and Stargirl, a novel by Jerry Spinelli. Through the Language Arts program we will also encorporate the 7 habits and core values.

11th Grade English

The textbook for this class is Literature, The American Experience. We will hone our skills in writing the research paper. Our focus will be on American literature from the earliest settlers to the present day. Students will be reading two novels-Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Through the exploration of American Literature, students will explore three essential questions:

1. What makes American literature American?

2. What is the relationship betweet place and literature?

3. How does literature shape or reflect society?

Theater

Students in this class will explore acting, voice, stage presence, history of the theater, costume and make-up. This is a great class for building self confidence and awareness.

Creative Writing (1st semester only)

We will explore writing as an art form. Not only will we practice the art of writing, but will read other great artist and analyze what makes creative writing creative. We will spend time with poetry, narration, voice, short stories, and description. Excellent pieces may be selected to publish in the literary magazine.

Public Speak (2nd semester only)

In this class students will have the opportunity to write speeches and deliver them. We will analyze great speeches and explore the techniques used to make them effective. We will also learn the rules for debate and have the opportunity to select current topics to practice our skills.

Journalism/Yearbook

This is my second year teaching a yearbook class. We will be working with a new program for developing the book. One of the highlights of this class is that the school has purchased computers for use in a lab setting, which will make creating an outstanding yearbook much easier than it has been in the past. Along with Yearbook, students will explore the journalistic process and create a newsletter, explore online journaling, and blogging.

Please feel free to stop in and visit our classes. We encourage parents to  become actively engaged in their child’s education!

Mrs. Love

We are under full swing into the second half of the year. When we came back from Christmas break we began almost immediately with a poetry unit. We especially enjoyed reading Emily Dickenson.

Poetry is always a great lead into Shakespeare, since most of what he has written is in poetry style.

We began by studying Elizabethan times and exploring social offenses that are as relevant today as they were in Elizabeth times–such as:

Marrying for money
Pretending to be something you’re not
Lying to get what you want

We discussed these in a Socratic type discussion and discovered that things haven’t changed a whole lot in over 400 years. “Taming of the Shrew” has kept us entertained and laughing as we watch the antics of Katherine and Petruchio and the many disguises and false identities of various other characters in this comedy.

The end of the play is fast approaching, and I didn’t want to “give up” Shakespeare just yet. The kids, too, wanted more. In a couple of weeks 11th and 12th grade will read “Hamlet” and 9th and 10th will read “Romeo and Juliet.” I don’t know that we will finish these plays before Spring Break.

On March 9, all of the high school will be attending a field trip to see “Taming of the Shrew” at the Higley Arts Center. The cost is $6.00 (A great bargain–you can’t even see a movie for that price any more).  We will leave around 9:20AM and return in time for lunch. There will be a question and answer session after the performance. I hope that you will encourage your child to attend.

When we come back from Spring Break we will be working on strategies for test taking. As you may know the 9th graders will take the IOWA’s and 10th will take the AIMS. Those juniors and seniors who did not meet the minimum requirement for graduation will also have another opportunity to retake the test. Those students who met the standard, but would like to try to exceed are also encouraged to take the test.

In theater we are working on poetry memorization for performance. The kids have struggled a bit with the memorization part, but most have mastered their selected poem. As soon as I have a performance date, I will let you know.

Yearbook held a cover contest. The winning entries were as follows:

Beki Edwards-Front Cover

Evan Coon–Back Cover

Inside Ghost Title page–Hannah Higley

We are working hard to meet our deadlines. Colin Papineau and Jade Ingraham have worked hard to learn the program. Dominic Urich is our head editor. Each of the students is assigned a particular section. Our theme this year is “Rising Up”. If you have not purchased one, you may do so online by following the yearbook link on the home page.

It won’t be too long until summer is upon. The semester is already zipping by. I am here to help in any way I can to help your child succeed and would like to hear any feedback from you!

Mrs. Love

HS English

Welcome to High School English/Creative Writing/Theater Arts. I am excited to get this year started. This year I will be using an English curriculum that will give your child the tools needed to learn our complex language and be able to boost his/her writing skills. 9th and 10th graders will work intensively in the Shurley English program as they hone their skills in writing. As you are well aware, the AIMS test for high school students can be a stressful time, but with the tools they will learn this year, it will give them the edge to succeed and even surpass their expectations.

In our creative writing class, we will experiment with many forms of expression, from poetry, in all its variations, to short stories and essays, from essays to plays. I am excited to read their works and help them to hone their writing skills in areas they love. Like them, I will also share my passion for the written word.

In theater students will get to explore the areas of production beginning with script writing and taking it all the way to performance. They will learn how to direct, stage, costume and create make up for “StoryBook Theater.” If you have any great favorite picture books suitable for younger children I would encourage you to share them with your child. These productions will be performed during school hours for the younger grades.

Sometimes it’s fun to save the best for last! Many of you have enrolled your child/children at American Leadership Academy because we are a leadership school and will educate the future generation! What an exciting opportunity I have to share with your child/children these skills which will take them to the 21st Century. Through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and the 7 Core Values which drive this school, we enhance everything we do here at ALA! I hope that you will take advantage to the Covey trainings which will be offered to parents.

Again, let me welcome you to my classroom. Please feel free to come and visit and watch us shine!

Sincerely Mrs. Love