1. I am so glad you made it, please sign in before you leave. Welcome to Parent Night English Language Arts I

2. A little bit about me.. I attended Eastern New Mexico University where I played football and earned a Bachelors of Science (English). I have taught at Louise High School, Canyon Junior High, and now here at Round Rock High School.

3. Grading Major grades: 40% (Essays, Exams, Projects) Minor grades: 60% (Daily Work, Quizzes, Homework)

4. What is a typical day? Warm-up Writing centered curriculum with embedded reading skills and literary analysis. Reading – (40 min) Writing – (40 min) Review – (2 min)

5. How can you help? Check in with your kids and double check the classroom website. If your kids are unsure when assignments are due..can’t remember if they have homework…are not working on their independent reading please help them! Have them check the website for homework or materials. If they say the have no homework they should be reading.

6. Studies show…

7. Home Access Center To check on your students grade you will need to go to home access center. If you are new to the district or forgot your password you can contact your child’s counselor to ask for this information. http://schools.roundrockisd.org/rrhs/ See above check top right corner of website to login.

8. Teacher website – please visit If you have questions about homework, class calendar, materials handed out in class, or need contact information please check out my school website. Go to the Round Rock High School home page and find the staff link and then English. Find my name (Josh Quebe) and that will take you to my website. -Please contact me by email when you have questions.

9. EOC TESTING FOR ENGLISH I Your child does not have to pass one test for English to graduate they have to pass two! One test is writing – this includes two essays that count (one is expository and one is literary) and one field test. This test also includes revising and editing multiple choice questions. The other test is reading – this can include poetry, expository writing, personal narratives, fiction, drama, nonfiction, and historical nonfiction. Students will have to answer multiple choice higher analytical questions. They will also have 3 short answers – two single selection questions and a paired short answer.

10. What does this mean? This means your child will need to be a strong writer. They will need to know how to format and write an expository (informative) essay as well as a literary story (fiction or personal narrative). They will have to write concisely because they only have 1,750 characters with spaces. That is one lined sheet of notebook paper! Not only will they need to write essays, they will have to analyze, think critically, and show their understanding with embedded quotes for short answers. Revise and Edit for grammatical errors Analyze text for theme, motif, literary devices, and content.

11. So what needs to go on for your child to be successful? Hard work….and dedication. If your child isn’t reading at home, revising essays, able to tell you the format of an expository essay by the end of the semester, or a literary essay…then they need extra help! Please discuss with your child every six weeks how the writing is going. Writing is one of the most difficult challenges your child will face and it will come up in History, Science, and other classes. If you notice your child has missing assignments, isn’t revising and editing essays at home, writing essays at home, or has grades below a 70%, PLEASE send them to tutoring.