Miss Mary Lambert

Contact

mlambert@madisonprep.org
480-345-2306 ext 215

Office Hours

Due to the current outbreak, we are unable to offer our normal office hours at this time. But I am happy to answer any and all questions via email. 

Classes/Duties

JH Literature and Composition
Freshman World Geography 
Creative Writing, Senior Elective

Extracurriculars

NJHS Advisor
​JH Student Council Co-Advisor

Class Information
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Literature and Composition 7&8


Regarding finals: For this class, you will turn in a persuasive essay at the end of the value of education unit. This will be due June 1st. It will take the place of an exam.
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​The Value of Education

As we finish our year together, this final unit asks you to think about why we’re here and the purpose of continuing school even when the entire world has been disrupted. As you read your last set of CommonLit passages, consider the value of education. 

Over the course of this unit, you will be assigned seven texts. As you read each selection, fill out this graphic organizer. (If you need a PDF version, click here.) You may either fill it out on a computer--for example, as a Word document--or you may print it out and write on a physical copy of the handout which you will send me a picture of. You will be turning in this graphic organizer for credit at the end of the unit, so please be sure to add to it daily!

ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE REST OF THE TRIMESTER: 
If you have fallen behind on CommonLit assignments, you are running out of time to earn credit for them. Please use this final week of classes (the week of May 26th) to log in and check that you have submitted all assigned reading passages. ​​​
  • Friday, May 22nd: Today, you will begin your final assignment for Literature and Composition this school year. Your persuasive essay is due June 1st, and this will take the place of a final exam. Please read the assignment guidelines carefully, and check out the sample essay. Be sure to email me with any questions. Use this prewriting form to get you started. (Click here if you need a pdf version of the prewriting.) 
  • Monday, May 25th: No School! (Memorial Day)
  • Tuesday, May 26th: Using your prewriting from Friday, start your persuasive essay. Write the introduction and begin working on the body of the essay. 
  • Wednesday, May 27th: Continue working on the body of your persuasive essay. 
  • Thursday, May 28th: Finish the body of your essay and write a conclusion. 
  • Friday, May 29th: Use today to edit your essay. You may ask a parent or sibling to review your work. Extra credit is given to anyone who digitally swaps papers to peer edit with a classmate. If you participate in the peer editing, you must email me the name of your editor in order to receive the extra credit.
  • Monday, June 1st: Email me your persuasive essay. This is in the place of a final exam. Once you have turned in your essay, you are done with Literature and Composition for the 2019-2020 school year. Enjoy your summer break!!! 

A note from Miss Lambert: I miss seeing all of you in class! Until we can safely be together on campus again, we will be using a website called CommonLit in order to do the majority of the assignments for this class. You will need to sign up for the website, using the course code QQ4WKZ. Click here for more detailed instructions, regarding how to enroll on CommonLit. I will be checking my email frequently during school hours, so please do not hesitate to email me at mlambert@madisonprep.org if you have any questions about the assignments or if you run into any technical difficulties! 

Please note: Your scores on the CommonLit assessments are different than your grade in this class. If you struggle on these multiple choice questions, do not worry. Just do your best and stay positive. Right now, your participation, effort, and good health are all that matter. Be safe, and thank you for your patience, flexibility, and understanding as we all navigate this unknown territory together. Click here to see a more detailed explanation for the current grading system in place. 

Previously assigned work for the online section of Literature and Composition 7&8: 
Bored From all the Social Distancing?
Read A Book, and Earn Extra Credit!
Extra Credit Opportunity for both 7th and 8th grade!
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World Geography 9

​​9th grade World Geography is a one trimester survey course. Most of the material comes from lectures given in class, and students should plan to spend ten minutes each evening studying their maps and notes. Otherwise, there is very little homework. We will spend approximately two weeks on each continent.​ World Geography is not taught in the third trimester. 

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Creative Writing 12


​Creative Writing is an elective for seniors. Students experiment with flash fiction and short stories before designing a final project. The final project is a substantial sample of each student's work as a creative writer. 

Welcome, Creative Writers! Thank you for choosing to brave this course in the midst of a tumultuous final term of your senior year. I am so excited to be working with you. For the first couple of weeks, we will focus on shorter writing exercises before shifting into your final project. If you have any questions at any time, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at mlambert@madisonprep.org. I will be checking my email regularly during school hours. 

CURRENT ASSIGNMENTS FOR CREATIVE WRITING
  • Tuesday, May 26th-Friday, May 29th: Continue working on your final project and second book review. Both are due by noon on May 29th. Once they are submitted, you are done with Creative Writing! No matter how strange and unexpected the final trimester of your senior year ended up being, you deserve to celebrate your accomplishments. Congratulations to you all!!!

Think you're missing something? See below for all previously assigned work for Creative Writing: 

Biography

I have been teaching since I was two years old. My first class was made up of stuffed animals and a Bert doll-- my               favorite character on Sesame Street at the time. In 4th grade I saved up 100 orange tickets (orange tickets were given to   students for doing well on homework assignments, having  no tardies for the week, etc.) and instead of buying candy   bars or pretty erasers for five tickets apiece, I chose to be   "Teacher for the Day." In junior high I helped teach Sunday  school, and in high school I volunteered at Tarwater             Elementary School . In college I majored in English (since   writing is another of my lifelong loves) and minored in         education and history.

I was so happy when I was offered a position as the junior  high Literature and Composition teacher at JMPS: it was as  if someone took all of my favorite things and combined        them into the perfect job! This is my fourteenth year at James  Madison and, other than Literature and Composition, I teach 9th grade World Geography and a senior elective. I also have the privilege to work with the outstanding           members of my homeroom.

When I am not grading essays, I spend way too much money at Ann Taylor LOFT. I also love to travel, watch movies, play Settlers of Catan, and read books. Some of my favorite books are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, Dune by Frank Herbert, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, and Persuasion by Jane Austen.

​ In addition to being an avid reader, I also enjoy writing. In  July 2014, I graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts    with an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults.  My debut novel, Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes,​ was published by Scholastic in February 2017. 
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