welcome!

This is our space to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and reflect on the themes of our  course. Adding content and sharing has never been easier! We will build the knowledge on this site together by contributing to online discussions, sharing our research, and through creating and and posting to your personal blog as a way to showcase our course creations.
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Overall, this site should help us reflect on the themes course, celebrate our accomplishments, and streamline how we learn and share information.

your teacher:

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An interest in helping young people discover and define their writing voice and reading interests drives Ms. Jennifer Ward to cultivate a student-centered learning environment, one that supports individual learning goals and incorporates purposeful use of technology. In March 2017, Ms. Ward was named teacher of the month by Michigan's 86th district state representative, Thomas Albert.  In March 2016, she was named a TED-Ed Innovative Educator and is also a Google Certified Innovator, National Writing Project Fellow, and a 2014 PASCD Emerging Leader.  Ms. Ward taught for 13 years in a Philadelphia suburban district and returned to her home state in 2015. Most recently, she taught at Ionia High School.

​This is her second year as a Grandville Bulldog.  Ms. Ward teaches 10th grade American literature and honors American literature as well as  Independent Novel Study courses.

Ms. Ward

​stay informed:

Students in Ms. Ward's students and their parents can sign up to receive a daily text message of our homework by clicking on the appropriate class below:

what we're working on:

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AMERICAN LITERATURE:     
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Our first unit explore the individual's role in community.  To do this, we will be reading and responding to a variety of texts, including Arthur Miller's pivotal play, The Crucible. Students will use what they have learned through their reading to craft a personal essay about the role of the individual.  Additionally, students will have an opportunity to learn about the history of the Salem Witch Trials when we virtual connect with the Salem Witch Museum in Massachusetts.
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​HONORS AMERICAN LITERATURE:
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Our first unit will examine the writings of American thinkers, both historic and contemporary, to discover how others have defined what it means to be American.  We will use our readings to help us write our own essay on what it means to be American.  Some students will have the opportunity to then turn their essays into audio recordings and submit them to the Voices of Democracy scholarship competition.
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INDEPENDENT NOVEL STUDY:
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Our first unit gives us an opportunity to explore a variety of different genres and hear book suggestions from our peers, librarians, and teachers.  We'll be sharing our favorite reads in the space below very soon.

​social contract:

Respect-
  • When you interact with others either in class or online, it is important to be respectful; be respectful of other people and respect yourself. This means that personal attacks, inappropriate language and content, insults and harassment of any kind are strictly forbidden. This online class site is an extension of our physical classroom. Ask yourself if your comments would be acceptable in our physical classroom setting.
Rigor-
  • Before posting a comment, question, or blog entry, ask yourself, "will this forward the discussion we are having?" Your thoughts and ideas should be supported, and you should be using specific details to illustrate your ideas. Your posts should build on the discussion by responding to comments other students have made on a particular subject.
Grades-
  • Yes, you will be graded on some of your contributions to this site. What does this mean? Your blog entries and online discussion posts should be thoughtful reflections, interesting ideas, and discussion provoking comments related to our texts. You will be told in advance which posts will be graded and how they will be assessed. Be sure to proofread before you post.

take a look at what is happening in our classroom:

to be successful:

​connect with us: