ward's world

welcome
Welcome to room 217! This is our public online space to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and reflect on the themes of our course. We use this online space to share out and connect with our parents and community members around all that we are learning in our classroom. Students will also access our daily agendas, coursework, and readings on our Google Classroom space via their GHS login credentials.

Overall, this site should help us reflect on the themes course, celebrate our accomplishments, and streamline how we learn and share information.

your teacher
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 Consultant, 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.

The 2022-23 school year is Ms. Ward's sixth year as a Grandville Bulldog. Ms. Ward teaches 10th grade honors American literature as well as 10th grade Composition Through American Literature courses. She is also the faculty advisor for the Knit Wits (our GHS knitting club), the GHS Writing Club, and the Political Action club. She also serves as the coordinator for the GHS Seminar MIproject program.

ms. ward

stay informed:

social contract:

to be successful:

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:

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. Our digital classroom spaces are 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.

Grit-

Grit is one of those words that you hear quite a bit at Grandville High. Grit is the willingness to persevere in the face of initial difficulties. This will be important in our course as well. Indeed, many of the readings and exercises have been selected precisely because of the particular difficulties they present to the student reader. Successful students will develop the ability to work through the following steps more or less independently:
- acknowledge that the difficulty exists;
- formulate the question which will allow the difficulty to be approached;
- think through as many possible answers to the questions as they can;
- bring the question and the most likely answers to class to share them;
- listen and evaluate the comments of other students about the issue at hand; and
- reconsider and reformulate their own ideas based on what they have heard.

what we're working on:

10th GRADE HONORS AMERICAN LITERATURE (2nd, 3rd, and 4th hours)

UNIT 2: American Hopes and Dreams
America has long been known as a land of opportunity. Out of that thinking comes the "American Dream," the idea that anyone can ultimately achieve success, even if he or she began with nothing. Americans work hard, provide for their families, attain an education, and strive for success in the workforce and the community, all in hopes of achieving the American Dream.

Unit Learning Targets:

I can analyze an author’s words and determine multiple pieces of textual evidence that strongly and thoroughly support responses to both explicit and inferential questions.
I can recognize common elements of the American Dream in a variety of essays, poetry, and literature.
I will practice interview skills including developing questions, listening and response skills, and note taking.
I will practice a strategies for reading and analyzing poetry
I can write a theme statement.
I can track the development of a motif throughout a text.
I can analyze and present a literary motif as it applies to theme.

10th GRADE COMPOSITION THROUGH AMERICAN LITERATURE (CTAL 10)
(5th and 6th hours)

UNIT 4: Hopes and Dreams
In our study of Lorraine Hansberry’s play, we will be practicing our close reading skills in order to help us comprehend and interpret this powerful play. We will analyze a number of key quotations from this play, looking closely to understand the meaning and impact of word choice, setting, and characterization techniques. As we read, students will want to keep track of key quotations and scenes in order to help write an analytical response to issues presented in the text. In particular, we will be analyzing what motivates a particular character’s behavior.

Unit Learning Targets:

identify how the author’s description of the setting impacts the action of the play,
determine reading strategies (e.g., ask questions, make connections, take notes, make inferences, re-read) that will help students comprehend difficult texts,
identify the myriad of factors that impact a person’s ability to make decisions,
demonstrate close reading skills through analysis of key quotations from the play,
engage in a literary analysis of the play A Raisin in the Sun by analyzing characterization, plot, setting, figurative language, theme, and symbolism, and
incorporate specific, well-selected quotations and evidence in written responses to reading the play.

connect with us:

Tweets by wardsworldghs

​ms. ward