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

Literature and Composition 7&8


​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.  

Happiness Unit
In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever before to stay focused on the things that really matter. As such, we will begin our first ever digital section of Literature and Composition with a unit that asks, "How do we achieve happiness?"

Over this course of this unit, you will be assigned six texts. As you read each selection, fill out this graphic organizer. (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.) You will be using this graphic organizer next week when you write a short essay, so please fill it out as instructed!

ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 30TH
  • Monday, March 30th: Using the instructions above, sign up for CommonLit.org. Remember to write down your username and password!!! Next download the graphic organizer for this unit. This can be found above. Either save this document to your computer or print it out. You will be adding to it daily. Email me if help is needed. This is your only assignment for today!
  • Tuesday, March 31st: On CommonLit, read "Study: High Incomes Don't Bring You Happiness." As you read, use the highlight tool to identify the different definitions of happiness that exist and how they are affected by money. Next, fill out your graphic organizer for today's passage. Lastly, take the assessment. For the final assessment question, write one paragraph between four to eight sentences. 
  • Wednesday, April 1st: Using CommonLit, read "You Can Buy Happiness If It's An Experience." As you read, use the highlight tool to identify passages showing the different ways people are affected by purchasing material goods versus paying for experiences. Next fill in your graphic organizer for the day's reading assignment. Then take the assessment. Remember to write one full paragraph (between four and eight sentences) on the last question. 
  • Thursday, April 2nd: On YouTube, watch Harvard professor Robert Waldinger's TED Talk "What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness." After watching, fill out your graphic organizer, and answer these questions. Email me your answers--remember to include your name in your email!  
  • Friday, April 3rd: On CommonLit, read "Truth" and highlight examples of alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds, i.e. think of tongue twisters). Next fill out your graphic organizer. Lastly, take the assessment, and write a paragraph (four to eight sentences) for the final assessment question.

Bored From all the Social Distancing?
Read A Book, and Earn Extra Credit!
Extra Credit Opportunity for both 7th and 8th grade!

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. 

Creative Writing

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
  • Monday, March 30th: Send me an email and let me know your goal for this class. Are you simply taking this class because it sounded fun? Are you hoping to start a novel (or, perhaps, finish one)? Do you want to write poetry? Fiction? Nonfiction? Memoir?  Give me a sense of what you would like to get out of a trimester in Creative Writing. 
  • Tuesday, March 31st: Writing Exercise #1 Getting Ideas. As we begin the trimester,  you will need to start thinking like a writer. Be curious. Ask questions. Story ideas often come from asking, "What if?" Today you are going to answer three sets of three questions. Have fun with this exercise--there are no wrong answers! (But please remember to keep all content appropriate for a school setting.) Click here to see the full assignment. Email me your answers by Thursday, April 2nd. 
  • Wednesday, April 1st: Start working on your first book review! This is due April 30th. Read one book of your choosing and write a one-page review. Click here to see more specific guidelines. If you need help obtaining a book to read for this assignment, send me an email as soon as possible! If you already read a book over the extended break, feel free to use that for this assignment. 

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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