Author: Mr. Kertes

Essay 1

by Mr. Kertes

Write an expository essay using the topic and theme provided. Develop your own subtopic, focusing question, theory, and thesis. Develop your own three supporting points.

You must complete and turn in:

  1. Wondering Stage notes
  2. Plan (topic, subtopic, theme, focusing question, theory, thesis, supporting points 1, 2, and 3)
  3. Outline
  4. Preparing Stage notes
  5. Draft 1
  6. Draft 2
  7. Draft 3

You must:

  1. Produce work at one of the learning levels (passing level, high school level, or pre-university level).
  2. For high school level and pre-university level, you must focus on one, and only one, thesis.
  3. Use MLA format.
  4. Include at least three in-text citations.
  5. Show that you know the point of writing an essay (meaning, show that you can read at the high school and/or pre-university level). You must read to understand.
  6. Write a paper that makes sense (passing level), that describes and includes a point (thesis), or that explains (at the level of theory with sound evidence in support of your theory and its related thesis).
  7. Write about something you care about (or be able to fake this).
  8. Write in your own voice.
  9. Your essay (drafts and other materials included) should show that you applied revision, which is the most important part of the process. You must provide evidence of revision and of the Revise Stage.
  10. Turn in all parts of the process and be able to describe/explain how your work reflects that you know the point of writing an essay in high school, show how it demonstrates that you can read at the high school and/or pre-university level, and that you understand how writing is a process and and a system, which helps you produce and share knowledge by making your thinking visible.

Summation Test 1

by Mr. Kertes

The summation test is meant to only take about 20 minutes.

  1. What is your Essay 1 paper about? Describe it.
  2. How did you write your Essay 1 paper? Explain the writing process.
  3. Why did you write your Essay 1 paper? Explain why scholarship matters (a system for producing and sharing knowledge through literacy).
  4. Connect 1, 2, and 3 to the ZPD theory, Cognitive Cliff process, and theory of Approximation with Intensification. Use your own learning through Essay 1 in connection to these theories to describe this connection. Then explain how the theories work, why they work, how this connects to you, why this matters to you, and how you know this. You must use all LOAs, including metacognition for question 4. You must define ZPD, Cognitive Cliff, and Approximation with Intensification.

Key Concepts Test

by Mr. Kertes
  1. You have three tries to complete this. You can continue trying if you need more tries.
  2. The aim: 100% correct.
  3. Each time you try, you will erase any wrong answers but keep correct answers. Then you will focus only on what you missed.
  4. You must attempt three times to pass.
  5. You must achieve 100% correct to exceed the minimal passing grade (to exceed a final grade of 50 in EFP 11 or to exceed an final grade of Emerging in English 9).
  6. You can have as many tries as needed to learn all the material required to achieve 100%.

The questions:

  1. According to Mr. Kertes, what is the purpose of this class?
  2. What is your goal for this class? (Must relate to one of the three learning levels.)
  3. How will you achieve your goal for this class? (Must relate to a learning level and must show that you know how to learn, and demonstrate, that level.)
  4. What are the four models of this class? (Later, you will draw the chart for each model. But for this question, just list the four models.)
  5. Define theory.
  6. Define thesis.
  7. Explain how writing makes thinking visible. (Must show that you know the main point of it all, according to your notes.)
  8. How do you write a pre-university level paper in this class? (Must show that you can summarize how to apply the essential components of a writing as a system and that you can also show the essential steps of writing as a process.)
  9. Draw each of the four models (from question 4). Label them. Be comprehensive and clear in your answer. Must show that you know the key concepts and the key models in their entirety.

Midterm Update

by Mr. Kertes

Thursday March 6

  • Progress reports emailed home to parent/guardian

Friday March 7

Monday March 10

Tuesday March 11 or Thursday March 13

  • If Essay 1 is not done, finish it (in-class or morning homework help) before you can start the midterm tests
  • If Essay 1 is done, then March 11/13 and March 12 are In-Class Essay 2 (midterm essay)

Wednesday March 12

  • If Essay 1 is not done, finish it (in-class or morning homework help) before you can start the midterm tests
  • In-Class Essay 2 (see above)

Friday March 14

  • Midterm Exam
  • Progress report emailed home (all students). This is your midterm grade. You may revise it by completing missing work on the make up day or during homework help.

March 6 NB Trip Update

by Mr. Kertes
  1. During the trip, information will be texted (not emailed).
    • Parents/Guardians: Please email a text with your name, your child’s name, and “NB trip” to 778-884-5343 if you want to receive text updates on plans during the trip
  2. Most information will be communicated as a link to a daily post. We try to consolidate this as much as possible to limit the number of texts. This is how we will communicate to both students and parents/guardians throughout the trip. We communicate at least daily by text to students. We limit texts to parents/guardians to times for pick up or other host-family information.
  3. The daily post goes out by 7 AM Pacific Time each day starting March 21.
  4. The information on this page may change. If anything important changes, we will send a text with a link.

Quiz 1

by Mr. Kertes

Quiz 1 will be at the start of class on Monday February 10.

The questions are:

  1. What is the purpose of the class?
    • Any of the following answers would be correct…
      • The purpose of the class is to learn to read, write and think.
      • The purpose of the class is to get smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the high school level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the pre-university level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to be a scholar, or to how to produce knowledge using theoretical thinking.
      • The propose of the class is to learn how to pass and graduate high school, so you can attain a high school diploma and learn what a high school education has to offer.
  2. How will you get yourself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive?
    • I will get myself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive by writing.
  3. How do you make your thinking visible?
    • I make my thinking visible by writing.
  4. What are the three levels of learning for this course?
    • The three levels of learning for this course are passing, high school, and pre-university.
  5. Define theory.
    • Theory explains how or why using rigorous and systematic thinking.

Quiz 1

by Mr. Kertes

Quiz 1 will be at the start of class on Monday February 10.

The questions are:

  1. What is the purpose of the class?
    • Any of the following answers would be correct…
      • The purpose of the class is to learn to read, write and think.
      • The purpose of the class is to get smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the high school level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the pre-university level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to be a scholar, or to how to produce knowledge using theoretical thinking.
      • The propose of the class is to learn how to pass and graduate high school, so you can attain a high school diploma and learn what a high school education has to offer.
  2. How will I achieve the above purpose?
    • I will achieve the above purpose by writing.
  3. How do you make your thinking visible?
    • I make my thinking visible by writing.
  4. What level will I work at?
    • Any of the following answers would be correct…
      • I will work at the passing level.
      • I will work at the high school level.
      • I will work at the pre-university level.
  5. Define theory.
    • Theory explains how or why using rigorous and systematic thinking.

Quiz 1

by Mr. Kertes

Quiz 1 will be at the start of class on Monday February 10.

The questions are:

  1. What is the purpose of the class?
    • Any of the following answers would be correct…
      • The purpose of the class is to learn to read, write and think.
      • The purpose of the class is to get smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the high school level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to write at the pre-university level.
      • The purpose of the class is to learn how to be a scholar, or to how to produce knowledge using theoretical thinking.
      • The propose of the class is to learn how to pass and graduate high school, so you can attain a high school diploma and learn what a high school education has to offer.
  2. How will you get yourself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive?
    • I will get myself smarter, more powerful, and more attractive by writing.
  3. How do you make your thinking visible?
    • I make my thinking visible by writing.
  4. What are the three levels of learning for this course?
    • The three levels of learning for this course are passing, high school, and pre-university.
  5. Define theory.
    • Theory explains how or why using rigorous and systematic thinking.

Mr. Kertes is a Language Arts teacher in Prince Rupert, in the territory of the Ts’msyen, at Charles Hays Secondary School - home of the Rainmakers.

Tom Kertes Resume and CV

2024-25 Term 2 Courses