Pomfret School - Winter Term Grades (cont.)

English II - Honors, Wallace Rowe
The sophomores have spent a majority of the term working with FRANKENSTEIN. We are currently finishing up MACBETH, which has been a lot of fun, with many dramatic readings in class. In the coming term, we will also be reading A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, BEOWULF, and GRENDEL in addition to working on grammar. This term has involved much more critical writing, and the focus has been the texts. We have written a major critical essay on each text, but have also done several smaller in-class writings on sections of the books to start the process of textual analysis. These journal entries form the cornerstone
of the critical-writing process. There was also a fun assignment called the Nursery Rhyme where the students chose a nursery rhyme and made the elements the basis for a crime which they then turned into an essay. We also have been doing some practice SAT essays as well. The final project of the term was a “Trail” of Macbeth for the killing of Duncan. Each member of the class was a member of the prosecution or defense and had to present their evidence to the Judge (me) and a final verdict was given. We also continued to do weekly vocabulary work.
An has been a great addition to the class. His grade is a reflection of that. His quiz average is a 100% and the highest in the class. He has struggled a little with his writing. I have been happy to help him with drafts of his essay. The area that is a concern is that An over-writes. He needs to understand that simplicity and focus is the key to a good essay. One good quote as support beats five so-so quotes. When he sees me with a rough draft, I end up crossing out half of it. He then sees me again, and it is much better. An needs to understand that he will be doing timed essays on both the SAT and the AP test. He will not have time to write the way he is doing on his own. Thus I am pushing for the simplicity and getting to the point quickly. He is responding. He had the highest test grade on the Frankenstein and Macbeth tests (93%, 94%). His poetry presentation—a power point one at that--on Smith’s Not Waving But Drowning was excellent and involved the whole class. He really understood the poem. He struggled a little on the Nursery Rhyme crime essay as that was creative, and he missed the creative essay that we worked on in the fall. I look forward to working with An in the coming term. There are some good texts, which I know he will enjoy.

Precalculus Honors, Marshall Eaton

Precalculus Honors is a yearlong course designed to prepare the student for the rigors of a college level, first year course in Calculus. Our focus during the second trimester has been trigonometry and its applications. Starting with the Trigonometric Definitions based upon the Unit Circle, our investigations
covered trigonometric identities, graphing, trigonometric inverse functions, solving triangles and complex numbers.
An continues to do stellar work in this course. He grasps concepts quickly and is able to present his work in a clear and concise manner. He does his work on a regular basis and is active in class discussions. I feel that he is preparing himself for Advanced Placement Calculus next year.

Modern World History since 1750, Jessica Keough

Modern World History tackled a few different projects this winter term. The class embarked on their investigation of World War I by taking an in-depth look at the factors that led to the outbreak of war in 1914. The students participated in a class activity where they needed to represent the desires and needs of
one country as they worked to form alliances. In another class, the students studied the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and how the event acted as a “spark” igniting all the tensions that had been building. Along with World War I, the students also worked on developing their research skills. The
first parts of project, research, thesis and outline have been completed and the class will come back in the spring to enter the writing phase of the project.
An had an outstanding term in Modern World History. From the start he demonstrated a mastery of the material, earning a 96% on our imperialism test and a perfect 100% on our preliminary NoodleBib project. From there An really chose to challenge himself as he chose the difficult topic of Hitler’s rise to power
as his research paper topic. He found out very quickly that he would have to work quite hard to find the information that would truly make his paper interesting and dynamic. He did not back down from the task at hand, rather he collected many different types of sources like Hitler’s own Mein Kampf, that helped him piece together his story of Hitler. The final elements of the research phase were the thesis paragraph and the paper outline. An earned a 9/10 and a 45/50 respectively on the assignments. He has set himself up nicely for the writing phase of the project that we will begin this spring. An is intelligent, driven, and full of potential. He is a pleasure to teach and I look forward to working with him again this spring!

Chemistry Honors, Donald Gibbs

In the second half of the winter term, Chemistry Honors students continued to examine the concept of limiting reagents by completing a series of labs focusing on the relationship between the coefficients of a balanced equation, the amount of reactants available, and the output of product. Students became experts in gravimetric analysis and molar conversions, and they performed a nifty experiment that used temperature change and graphical techniques to experimentally determine the molar ratios of a balanced equation. Another highlight was the launch of micro rockets powered by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gases. In the final month, we tackled solution chemistry, measures of concentration, solubility rules, and precipitation reactions. The 7 Solution Lab and a chemistry Murder Mystery tasked students to design experimental techniques and to apply reasoning skills to identify specific chemical reagents, solution concentrations, and the killer of Miss Scarlet. It was a fun and jam-packet term in Chemistry Honors!
An is the complete student in Chemistry Honors. He is an expert collaborator in lab; he asks patient but probing questions during discussion; and his work products and assessments are first-rate and uncommonly clear and detailed. Of course, all of these winning attributes are made possible by An’s strong daily preparation and by the personal commitment that he makes to submit quality work. I value most his warm smile and his enthusiastic charge up the steep learning curve that accompanies this course. He is well positioned to tackle the demanding material of the spring. Well done, An!