Parent Resources

The best way to help your student succeed in English is to check the
gradebook and the homework pages weekly. I suggest that you bookmark
these to review with your child regularly.

Ideas to help students succeed in school

1. Provide children with a regular quiet place to study.
2. Make sure students are rested and fed before they go to school.
3. Keep good books, magazines and newspapers in the house.
4. Make sure that your children see you read for at least 20 minutes a day.
5. Read and/or tell stories to your children each day.
6. Limit TV viewing to no more than two hours a day
7. Expect and encourage youngsters to take tough classes
8. Know what kind of homework is expected and the schedules for that work.
9. Find out what the goals and standards are for your child's school
10. If possible, don't let your high schoolers work more than 15-20 hours in a part-time job.
~Adapted from: "Moving America to the Head of the Class: 50 simple things you can do"

Essential Reference Information
Department of Education   An extensive list online articles and information. Begin here.
National Education Association Links to further study
Multnomah County Libraries An excellent source to help with homework
Big Chalk Education Network

American Heritage Dictionary

Book of Quotations

Roget's Thesaurus

Are you grammatically incorrect? Take this quiz to see.
Guide to Grammar and Writing

College Resources
ACT / SAT
Collegelink Provides easy access to over 1,000 college websites
Federal Government Student Financial Aid Guide


Class Rules for 9th graders
Class Rules for 11th graders

Spark Notes Good overviews of novels. While in no way a substitute for the book itself, it can offer a starting point for discussion for what our class is reading.
Poem 180 Billy Collins's site for high school students. Use them for discussions.
Word of the Day