Ms. Chapleau - K12web

Ms. Chapleau
Marian Catholic High School

March, 2010

March 12, 2010

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Welcome to K12web!

Now, first thing's first . . . allow me to introduce myself . . .

Instructor Information:
Ms. Samantha Chapleau
(708) 755-7565 Ext. 1247
schapleau@marianchs.com

Greetings, students and parents! My name is Samantha Chapleau (Ms. Chapleau to you students!). I hold bachelors degrees in English Education and Spanish from Saint Xavier University in Chicago. I am pleased to announce that I will be working with you/your child in English class this year!
The 2008-2009 school year marks my second year as a teacher at Marian. Also, as a Marian graduate, I am very familiar with the culture of the school and know exactly what Marian expects of its students. I look forward to working with you/your child this year, and I would like to provide you with information so that you can get to know a little more about me and my philosophy of teaching. The Saint Xavier University School of Education Conceptual Framework maintains that the school’s goal involves “preparing scholars, lifelong learners, and reflective professionals who are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence.” This Framework states that students in the program are taught to use research-based methods “reflective of current best practices.”
I certainly consider myself a scholar and a lifelong learner. As a scholar, I have completed a few notable accomplishments. While at Saint Xavier, I participated in the University Honors Program. As an Honors Scholar, I completed a year-long fieldwork placement at St. James Church in Sauk Village, Illinois. At St. James, I volunteered as a Spanish teacher for children and adults. For my Honors Senior Project, I wrote an historical drama entitled Plow the Seas. This play was inspired by the life of my great-great-great uncle Valentine Power, a native of Newfoundland, who fought in the Spanish-American War. I continue my scholarly endevours and pursue further learning by attending English conferences and maintaing membership in the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. In addition, I love learning. That is why I became a teacher. I love inhabiting the world of literature and sharing my excitement for that world with others.

As a reflective professional, I try to reevaluate my teaching often. I desire to grow closer and closer to authentic instruction in which students see the purpose and application of their education in the real world. I hope to help students become self-directed, lifelong learners who realize that the English/Language Arts have a place in the real world. Through my participation in the English Education courses at Saint Xavier, I became acquainted with “current best practices” in English instruction. For example, the English Education professors at Saint Xavier argue that students need to be treated like real readers and writers. In addition, the program encourages teachers to allow students choice in their education; teachers are present to help students learn to set responsible, reasonable goals and plans for reaching these goals. Such a philosophy has caused me to embrace a reading and writing workshop as a viable and effective way to organize a classroom. Therefore, students will have assigned days that will serve as either a Reading or Writing Workshop day. On Reading Workshop day, students will have 15 minutes of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) with a novel of their choice. On Writing Workshop days (4-6 days per unit of study), students will work independently or with their small groups (in the classroom or computer lab) to complete projects assigned at the beginning of the unit. Students will be guided to set their own goals for the completion of the projects. Other benefits of the reading and writing workshop exist. Research into best practices indicates that students who read a lot have better vocabulary (great for the SAT’s and ACT’s!), and good writers are good precisely because they write a lot. I hope to help students make responsible choices for their education. Not to worry, though! They will still have to read some required texts as a class!
In line with the goals of Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student-Owned Strategies), I plan to devote a lot of time to studying Author’s Craft. I believe that the characteristics of a particular genre of literature are most easily internalized when students experiment in a particular writing style. Therefore, I hope to provide a link between what students are required to read in class and what they are working on in the writing workshop. Thus, students will be required to complete at least one short story, poem, essay, and possibly drama (play/movie/TV show) – all genres studied in class. I am fascintated with the intricacies of how language and literature works, so that is the perspective from which I organize my instruction. I want my students to be able to take a piece of literature apart and produce literature of their own.

Teaching students to collaborate well with one another and use technology are other skills emphasized at Saint Xavier University. The ability to work well with others is essential in today’s workforce, and research shows that humans learn from observing and working with adults and other peers. Therefore, as is encouraged by local educator Nancy Steineke, I will provide many opportunities for students to learn group interaction skills, engage in group work, and reflect on their group interaction successes and failures. In addition, I hope to push student collaboration so that it extends beyond the classroom walls -- hence this website. I want students to see themselves as part of a larger community of readers and writers -- a community that can find equal joy in reading Homer's The Odyssey and in understanding references to that epic poem in the film O, Brother Where Art Thou? or even Shakepearean references in The Simpsons. Becoming part of this literary community involves discussing literature with people outside the classroom. Therefore, I encourage you parents to read the novels along with us. I firmly believe in modeling good reading practices for my students. I will never ask students to complete an assignment I would not do myself. When I ask students to read or write in class, I will read and write with them. Young people need to see adults as real readers and writers, too. Please, read the texts along with us. Participate in board book reviews (see the Recommended Reading page). Let us know about books you have read and enjoyed. Post a reflection on one of our required novels. Join the community.

The School of Education Conceptual Framework also encourages the integration of technology in the classroom. Knowledge of computers and other available technology is becoming more and more integral in an increasingly globalized society. In my English Education courses, I had many opportunities to use computer technology to aid my learning. For example, I had the opportunity to post blog reflections on course readings, discuss young adult literature with fellow classmates via live “chatroom-style” MOO sessions, and work on a webfolio. I hope to integrate some of these technologies – in particular, blogging – in my English 2 classes. The blog reflections would function as journal entries in which students make connections and reflect on the novels they are reading. Students would also have the opportunity to post comments on what their fellow students have written, as well. Such reflection outside of class will help facilitate discussion of the novels in class. Students will complete blog entries for The Lord of the Flies, A Tale of Two Cities, and Julius Caesar. The English classes will also use technology when they create PowerPoint presentations on careers they are interested in (second semester).
To conclude, my goals as a teacher are rather simple. I want students to learn to go "Beyond the Book" (see Florida's Beyond the Book Project) and find the purpose and prevalence of literature in their own lives. I want students to recognize that learning can be fun, or “play” as my former professor Dr. Angelo Bonadonna would call it. I want my English students to read and write with passion and maybe . . . just maybe . . . find one book they really love to read. If my students leave my class with no more knowledge than how to find books they like to read and, as a result, become lifelong readers, I will consider myself very successful indeed.

I am excited for the journey we will take together. Your child is my priority. Our greatest success will occur if we work together. If you (parents and students alike) ever have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me at (708) 755-7565 Ex. 1247 or through my email address schapleau@marianchs.com.

And, as Dr. Bonadonna says, we will work hard and have fun, too. Best wishes to you/your child this year!

So, just how does this website work?

Wild4wikis is organized by pages that can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate title under the navigation bar. The pages are primarily organized by unit of study. Each unit page will provide directions for all of the assignments for the unit, links for model assignemt pages, links to student small group pages, and links to assignment materials and rubrics. Also, the top of each unit page will list unit objectives and the essential questions to be discussed in each unit. Such and organization follows the Understanding By Design
framework adopted by Marian Catholic High School.

For information on how to navigate this site as well as how to create wikipages and upload other web-based media to the site, check out Wiki Basics.
For daily assignments, check out the Course Calendar (will be updated daily/weekly).