Class Philosophy:
Welcome to Mrs. Barbulesco-Lamb’s English class! I look forward to sharing with you my love for reading and analyzing literature, poetry, and dramatic plays as well as assisting you in improving your skills in writing and oral expression. Being able communicate clearly and in a manner appropriate to your receiving audience is a life skill that every person needs in order to be successful, no matter what your career choice. An aspect of improving communication skills is the building of vocabulary as well as an understanding of etymology (the origin of a word) and how to properly use words in context.
One also cannot be an excellent communicator without the ability to understand and reflect on information received. Much emphasis will be placed in our class on learning what it means to read and listen actively as well as how to ingest, summarize, and analyze information, hopefully before formulating an opinion. I hope that my class will be relevant to your personal goals as a learner, and I encourage you to help guide our class in a direction that will best serve every individual in the room.
Discussion and writing is a large component of our class, and I expect each of you to use both tools to share your unique perspective.
This year, we are focusing on the following themes:
- Authority & Justice (C Group)
- The Coming of Age Journey (I Group)
- The Nature of Humanity (A Group).
See the class syllabus for more details on what we will read, write, and discuss. The syllabus also contains other important information, such as my expectations and how you will be graded!
ACCOMMODATIONS
If you would like to request any of these, just ask! Email me at sbarbulesco@ourciacademy.com
Audio Notes: Don’t like taking notes on what you read? Here’s a creative way to do it!
Listen to Flynn and their dad’s podcasts about Have you Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Podcast 1
Podcast 2
Podcast 3
Podcast 4
Conversational Testing: Mrs. B has each student in C group talk through the final exams with her after taking them to ensure that students have an opportunity to provide more detail. However, if you are in an older group, you can request to do this too! Sometimes, you can make yourself more clear if you have the opportunity to talk through the test questions rather than writing a response.
Photos of Notes: Have trouble writing down all the notes? I can send you photos of the white board to fill in your notes.
Other: Need a separate room to take a test? Need other support? Just ask and I’m sure we can find a way to help you access your education in a way that works for YOU!
STUDENT WRITING SAMPLES
Essay Samples:
Persuasive Essay by Kamryn
Timed Persuasive Essay by Kiyo
Persuasive Essay by Eli R
Research Paper by Retro
Research Paper by Eli P
Living History Research Paper by Will
Short Stories:
Adventure Story by Anthony
Alien Story by Kamryn
Alien Story by Riley
Personal Legend Story by Paris
Epic Story by Preston
Fantasy Story by Kamryn
LORD OF THE FLIES – As seen through the creative eyes of a few 10th-12th grade students
The story of a before unmentioned 6 year old in LOF:
The story of a before unmentioned 12 year old in LOF:
An Acrostic Poem
Starfruit makes wine that gives you the most profit
There is a person that says your daily luck that is a prophet
Are you ready to start farming
Ready to work on the community center
Don’t you know how to enter
Every day starts off with watering
West is where your farm lies
Valiant effort to make your farm thrive
All the people are waiting for your produce
Lakes to fish in to fill your breeding ponds
Louis the mayor and Marnie the rancher have a strong bond
Every year you lie and wait
Year number two goes bye and your grandpa’s ghost you soon see and make him jump with glee
-Garret, age 14
The Car in Fall
The motor rumbles and the warm air is blasting out of the heater. The heater might as well be for show because the warmth never reaches you. The cold crisp air turning your nose pink as it rushes at your face. A dead leaf hits the window and flutters violently before being swept away in the rush of air. Normal everyday activities have a new energy and wakefulness from the little bite in the air. The new environment makes you want to compulsively buy blankets. The need for sweaters and hot chocolate skyrockets. Warm colors and neutral colors become more prominent in your wardrobe. Fleece? YES! Okay I’m done now. I want summer back. But at the same time I want Christmas right NOW!
-Anna, age 16
I dont knooooww anymoooreeee, I dont know what im doing, or where I am.
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
Your words don’t make sense when they pass by my ears,
like a phone ringtone when they’re all near.
Crowded and cluttered, my brain begins to flutter
Flushing out hormones that my body cant handle
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
Feels like i’m in kindergarten, mindlessly following the group,
The crowd handler,
Not a trustworthy man.
But we follow him anyways under the corrupt tone of his lead.
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
Logic thrown out the window like a black widow’s husband,
He was rejected just like the little boy who wanted to play with the big kids
But the big kiids, ooh the big kids
A symbol of evil walking among us,
Reminding us of the adults to be made
Lifeless robots who shape out hate
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
Wake up on the floor of the back room,
Unknowing of what had and will come,
The memory wiped by the janitor’s broom.
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
Mother and Father don’t recognize the sickness
Growing within our own society.
But they do recognize the tastelessness of our foooood…..
What am I doing? Why am I here? Where are my papers and why did they disapeeaaarrr?
-Vera, age 14
Justice is blind to my black skin,
You will not prevail when you are the color of night,
Of Earth,
Of Space,
Of Darkness.
No, justice will not prevail for my people,
Originators of many, the first to walk upright,
Justice is not a friend to my kin,
We are from different worlds.
The Millenium long toil and damage,
The cries for mercy, solidarity, and love,
We reach out into the unknown seeking warmth
Only to be bitten by the cold.
Justice is blind to my mother,
She who created me and mine, and many to come.
Justice is blind to my land,
We are colonized to this day, beaten down to complacency.
A crying Haitian weeps for normalcy,
Order, friendship, equality,
For a continent spread thin, too far to hold,
A history lost, burned, pillaged, raped, plundered, thrown aside, stolen,
Yet we still reach out to cup the face of hope.
Justice looks the other way.
-Paris, age 18
Hang Man
In a House in the woods
Where there was nowhere with goods
Three boys and a girl playing a game,
In an old old room by the window frame
David, Max, Sam and An
Who were playing Hangman
Five lines were created on the wall
And did not want the poor man to fall
Each boy had to guess a letter
So they would get the words better
But if any word did not fit
One of the man’s parts would split
Until each part would rip off
And into the floor they fell-off
Only the Head would standoff
-Kris, age 15
When other people see me
They see that I am shy
They see I am worried
I don’t do anything wrong
They see me frowning
They also feel worried
But I feel happy most of the time
When it is free Friday
I don’t do homework
I play with Legos
I use to my phone
I am Edison
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Edison
That’s me
I like to play with toys
I like to play with other people
And by myself
I like it better when I play by myself
I don’t know why
I like to play Thomas trains
I play with my plushies
And look at my favorite books
Diary of a Wimpy kids
Captain Underpants
And comic books
I am Edison
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Edison
That’s me
I like to create my Lego city
I create my Minecraft world
I like to draw
I like to play video games
I like to feel happy and excited
Also proud and confident
When my parents are proud
I feel comfortable
I like math
And movie making
Also world history
I am Edison
Phenomenally
Phenomenal Edison
That’s me
-Edison, age 13
At 6 she wanted to be a princess
At 8 she wanted to be a ballerina
At 10 she wanted to be a veterinarian
At 12 she wanted to be president
Yet she still made it
At 13 she wanted to be the owner of a puppy
At 14 she wanted to be perfect and pretty
At 15 she wanted to be thin
At 16 she wanted to be dead
Yet she still made it
At 18 she wanted to go to college
At 20 she wanted to have a boyfriend
At 22 she wanted to graduate
At 24 she found a job and somebody to be with
Yet she still made it
At 26 she bought a house with her boyfriend
At 28 she got married
At 30 she had children
At 32 she said “i made it”
Yet she still made it
-Alejandra, age 14
