Homework for the Weekend/Monday - 11/30 and 12/3

Some important reminders for all of you to be aware of this weekend and Monday to prepare for Tuesday/Wednesday's classes.

First, all of you will be getting official progress reports on Tuesday/Wednesday.  I expect that you will take these home and get them signed so that I know that you have been in communication with your parents.  If you receive any additional paperwork to take home, I expect that you will also return that to me.

Freshman Focus

No homework for the weekend; we will have an assignment related to the Utopian School Projects on Tuesday/Wednesday night, so do be prepared for that.

AP English III

Over the weekend you need to be working on meeting your next reading goal which is to be to the end of chapter twenty-two by the class on Thursday/Friday.  This next section is vitally important in Huck's development.  Also, we will begin on our major project related to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and satire.  Make sure that your google accounts are active.

Next class you will have your first rhetorical analysis.  Prepare by reviewing your notes.  This will be a prompt you've never seen before, but the process is always the same.  Just be sure that you're ready.  Remember - car and driver - you've got to have both.  While you complete the timed writing I will be grading your journals and your vocabulary bookmarks. 

English IV

Now that we've finished reading 1984 I want you to tell me what you thought of it.  Please answer the following question in a one page response, using clear details from the text to explain your opinion. 

What did you think of 1984?  Why?

 

I will be collecting this assignment for a grade on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Also, if you have any tests that need to be turned in or any other make up work to turn in, get that done this weekend too as the window to submit those assignments will soon be closed.  And by soon, I mean Tuesday/Wednesday, after I give out progress reports.

Homework for 11/28 and 11/29

Apologies for not posting your assignments last night.  Here are your reminders to prepare for Friday/Monday.

Freshman Focus

Your presentations will be next class.  We will begin presentations right when class begins so if there is any preparation that needs to be done in advance it needs to happen over the weekend.  Remember that there will be two grades here, your shared group grade for the powerpoint and then your individual grade for the presentation.  Your individual grade will also include your question and answer session in which I test your knowledge of your content.  Make sure that you are fully prepared.

AP English III

There are a few things going on over the next few days, here we go.  First, you need to give me your gmail account using the form in the previous post if you haven't already done that.  I need this information soon because we will begin our website project and that project will require the use of a gmail account for ease of creation.  Second, we will have a timed writing on Tuesday/Wednesday.  The timed writing will be a rhetorical analysis.  We've spent several classes preparing for this new task; I look forward to seeing what you all produce for me.  Remember that timed writings do count as a test grade.

Third, you need to stay on your grind, and by grind I mean reading schedule.  Remember that your next checkin is to be to the end of chapter sixteen, there was a misprint (my mistake) on your bookmarks.  Fourth, I will be checking your vocabulary bookmarks for completion on Friday/Monday.  I expect to see words from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby on these bookmarks.  Fifth, and very lastly, make sure that you've reviewed the reading by Sojorner Truth for a brief discussion and review on Friday/Monday.  There are a few important ideas that I want to go over with you all related to how Truth uses rhetoric to persuade her audience.

English IV

Today in class we had a great conversation related to the next to last chapter as well as some of the big ideas in this text:  power, humanity, authority, and truth or reality.  These ideas are all some that you can incorporate into your papers if you wish.  Tonight, you need to begin your first portion of your paper - your thesis statement.  On Friday/Monday I will conference with each of you about your thesis statement and we will make sure that you're starting off on a good point - then we'll move to the next phase of the essay which is collecting evidence and organizing it.

Essays are challenging because of all of the pieces that must be done in order for the essay to be successful.  This will be a very major test grade for you this quarter, please make sure that you meet your goals and are working hard to accomplish this.

Homework for 11/26 and 11/27

Freshman Focus

Your presentations of your Utopian Schools will be happening on Friday/Monday.  Please make sure that you are moving toward perfection with your presentation.  Remember that you need to be an expert on one aspect of the school.  If you feel as though you need to work on the powerpoint, work on that tonight.  Remember that our final day in class to work in the media center is going to be on Wednesday/Thursday.

AP English III

Tonight for homework you've got a few things to accomplish.  First, stay on your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - your next checkin date is Friday/Monday.  Next class we're going to go into the details a bit more on the first twelve chapters and do some textual analysis.  Very fun, yes.  Next, please use this form here to give me your gmail accounts.  It's important that you have these accounts by Friday/Monday due to the fact that we will begin our website project then and you will need a gmail account to complete the assignment. 

Also, be aware that there will be a vocabulary check soon - you need to have your second round of twenty words done.  Finally, you need to work on the Rhetorical Analysis prompt a bit today.  Please complete a thesis for this passage and thoroughly annotate the passage looking for examples you could discuss to prove the thesis.  We will spend time prepping this tomorrow.

English IV

Your work tonight is up to you.  Most of you have something to make up to get credit for class.  Make sure that you have this ready to turn in on Wednesday/Thursday.  I'm not going to take any late work past this point unless you have an excused absence on Wednesday/Thursday.

At the very least you MUST have the dialectical notebook done for Wednesday/Thursday's class.

Homework for Thanksgiving Break

All classes have something to accomplish over break.  Please follow the guidelines below to ensure that you come back to school with all of your deadlines met.

Freshman Focus

Over the break I would suggest putting some work into your powerpoints on your Utopian School.  Remember that we will only be in the computer lab for two more classes before we do presentations.  I don't want any of the groups to be left in the lurch, so make sure that you're meeting your goals.  Also, remember that each member of the group needs to be an "expert" on one portion of the school design and implementation.  Each person will have to answer questions, be sure that you've shared your ideas and have good answers.

AP English III

With the student surveys today we did not get through nearly as much as I wanted to; apologies for that.  Over the break you need to keep moving forward in your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Remember that you should develop your focus on characters as well as topics and motifs.  If I were to check your annotations when we get back from break, I would like to make sure that a full character list is in your front cover. 

In addition to reading your bit in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you're also going to read Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" - located in 50 Essays or at this link.  Continue to pay attention to the ideas of language and identity.  We'll be discussing this in comparison to Tan before we begin to crack open Twain. 

English IV

Over break I would like for you to read chapters three and four of Book Three in 1984.  To help you with your reading I want you to complete the dialectical notebook assignment.  For every two pages you should record one quotation and then write down your thoughts or reflection on the quotation.  There are some ideas to consider or questions to ponder to help you with the writing of your reflection on the quotes.  I will collect your quotes and reflections for a grade.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'll see you when we get back together next week!

Homework for the Weekend - 11/15 and 11/16

Below are your reminders for the weekend.  Please continue to work hard, meet your deadlines, and ask for any assistance that you may need from me.

Freshman Focus

I've been really happy to see all of you working hard in your groups to accomplish the goals of your Utopian School project.  On Monday you will have another good chunk of time to continue working and planning your schools.  Please make sure that you are being an active member of your group and working well with others to accomplish your shared goal.  Furthermore, remember that you will need to incorporate Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs into the discussion of your school.  You will want to focus on that as we continue to move forward. 

AP English III

Today I gave you your homework from now until Winter Break - your reading schedule for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Be sure that you meet your deadlines.  Also, be aware that it is better to be ahead than behind - Read ahead especially over Thanksgiving Break!  Over the weekend you will need to meet your first reading goal as well as read the article "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan.  The article is in 50 Essays and at this link.  As you read the article think about the ideas of language and its connection to a person's identity, just like Twain began to develop in his "Explanatory" before the novel began.  Furthermore, you will want to continue to annotate your texts and glean vocabulary from all of the pieces you read.  You should begin to prepare yourselves for another Bookmark check soon!

English IV

If you did not finish your collage/interpretation assignment, you will want to make that a priority over the weekend.  Also, I would like for you to read Chapter II of Book Three.  This is a very long chapter, so I would like to provide you with some areas to focus on in your reading.  Look primarily for the ideas of power, truth, and memory.  Most of this chapter takes place as a dialogue between Winston and O'Brien, so it should read pretty quickly. 

I think that does it.  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

AP English III Extra Credit

Please respond in this thread to earn extra credit on today's exam on The Great Gatsby.  In a comment, respond to the following topic:

T.S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald share many similarities between them - namely they are both modernists and they both explore the emptiness of humanity as they see it.  Comment on what you find to be the most significant similarity or difference between The Great Gatsby and "The Hollow Men".  Why is this similarity or difference the most important to you?  When looking at both texts, what do you see that the author is attempting to communicate?

Posts must be done before class begins on Thursday/Friday to be eligible for credit.  Make sure that you include your name in your post to receive credit.

Homework for All Classes - 11/13 and 11/14

Dear Students!  It's time for another short week here at school before we have a super short week next week.  Keep working hard before the Thanksgiving break and you will be rewarded!  Here are your reminders for tonight:

Freshman Focus

Next class we will be spending a majority of our class time working on the in class group project.  I liked seeing the discussions today and noticing the different directions that all of the groups were taking.  Remember that the goal is to meet all of the needs in the Hierarchy while still providing a quality education.  I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

AP English III

You all should take some time to relax tonight as you've just completed a major assessment.  I hope that you all found that this test was one you were well prepared for due to your annotations, reading, and your discussion of the text.  Remember that for next class you will need to have a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (I'll have some that you can check out) and you will need to have your vocabulary slides completed.  I will be grading the slides immediately after class, so no late work will be accepted.  Links to upload your slides are in the previous posts.  Make sure that you complete the proer assignment - one for A-day and one for B-day.  Don't get it twisted.

English IV

Tonight I would like for you to finish reading Chapter One of Book Three.  We will move quickly through the final section of the novel as it reads very fast.  Soon we will be beginning our final essay on this book and putting our skills at writing and communication to the test.  I look forward to seeing what all of you prepare for me.  In addition, be reminded that you will have a quiz next class on Chapter One.  Consider yourselves warned.

AP English III - B Day Homework - 11/9

B Day AP English III Students:

Over the weekend you have many of the same things to accomplish as the A-day students.  I'm not going to rehash exactly what that is as you can just read the post below.

Your vocabulary slides are going to be due on the 16th of November, the link for you all to use is located here.  Please make sure that you follow the rules to the letter.  I would recommend that you try to get these done over the weekend and that way if you have problems using Google Docs we can work that out together before the final due date.  I just want to reiterate that we are now moving to the point of the year where excuses will not be tolerated for not doing the assignments as given.  You need to ask for help before, not on the due date.

And now, without further waiting, here are the photos from today:

 

 

Apologies for not getting good photos of all of the groups.  I hope that you all enjoyed the skits today and I appreciate the fact that you stuck around after class to watch the final presentation.  I look forward to your performance on your exam on Tuesday.  Study hard this weekend!  And be sure to review the end of the book - it's pretty significant.

Make sure that you do read over the A-day post so that you're aware of your study tips and your next novel requirement.

AP English III - A Day Homework - 11/8

A-Day AP English III Students:

Over the weekend you have a few things to take care of, here they are in the order of importance.

1.  Study for your exam on The Great Gatsby.  You will have quotation identifications, short answer questions, and an annotation/rhetorical analysis assignment.  Be aware that I will also be checking your final annotations the day of the test.  Your covers should be complete as well as any notes within the text.  Strong annotations lead to strong test grades.  I hope that you all are prepared for this exam.

2.  Your vocabulary slides are going to be graded a week from today (the 15th).  I'm including the link here.  To your A-day slide show.  Please follow the instructions in the document and upload your information.  The final due date is the beginning of class on the 15th.  I would recommend trying to do this THIS WEEKEND - that way if you have problems using the interface we can sort those out next week before it's due.

3.  You will want to get a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for class by the 15th.  We will start studying our next novel that day.  I'm looking forward to studying this book with all of you.  It's a wonderful text and I think you're going to all enjoy it a lot.

And now, the photos from today:

Excellent job with the skit project today!  I hope that this review of the major scenes in the text was fun and helpful for all of you.  Enjoy the weekend!

Homework for the Weekend - 11/8 and 11/9

This post is only for Freshman Focus and English IV - AP students will have their homework in a separate post.  One for A-day and one for B-day. 

Both Freshman Focus and English IV students do not have any homework for the weekend.  English IV students, I hope that you feel confident on your performance with today's exam.  I will have these back to you next week.

Freshman Focus students, we will be starting a group project next class.  You may want to consider who you would like to work with on this project.

Homework for 11/5 and 11/7

We've got tomorrow off for Election Day!  I hope that you all encourage your parents and older relatives to vote.  I hope that those of you who may be too young to vote go out and volunteer to help get out the vote.  At the very least, make sure that you do the following.

Freshman Focus

There is no homework for tonight.  We will finish watching Two Million Minutes next class and you will have a writing assignment connected to this film.  Be ready for that.

AP English III

In the next post I will put up the beginnings for your vocabulary slides.  You may want to go ahead and get started on these, but remember that they won't be graded until the 15th and 16th.  For tonight you should be prioritizing your The Great Gatsby skits as well as studying for your exam on the novel.  Remember that each group will need to submit an extra copy of their skit to me in order to get full credit.  We will present our skits next class, be ready with all required materials at the beginning of the period.

English IV

Next class you have your exam on Book II of 1984.  We spent a good amount of time today going over what will be on the test and preparing for that.  Make sure that you are ready for this exam.  Study your vocabulary, study your notes, and prepare your book so that it's a good resource for you.

I think that's it.  Enjoy your day tomorrow!

Homework for the Weekend - 11/1 and 11/2

Freshman Focus

Now that we've finished our debate on education I would like for you all to review your experience and write a reflection. For the reflection, please answer the following questions:

1. Overall, how was this experience for you? What would you do differently next time? What do you think you did well?

2. Which team won the debate? Why did they win?

3. If we do another debate in class, what can I do to make the experience better for you?

Please answer the three questions in a brief paragraph for each. When you've finished, make sure that you turn in your work to me on Monday/Wednesday morning.

AP English III

I've gone ahead and given you the outline for your second vocabulary assignment - the vocabulary slides. I'm putting the link here so that you can review the required information needed on the slide. Be sure to use dictionary.com or the Oxford English Dictionary in my classroom to find the required information. This will be officially assigned to you on Monday/Wednesday.

The real assignment you have this weekend is the Woolf/Petrunkevitch tone compare/contrast assignment. To complete this assignment you must first complete the graphic organizer to find evidence from each piece. Then, you will create your one to two page assignment. With this assignment, don't focus on making a thorough essay - focus on creating your argument, proving the argument with evidence from the two pieces, and then conclude. Remember that the assignment is about comparing and contrasting the tone of the author - stay focused on the prompt. You will want to add complexity to your argument by coming to a decision as to why each author uses their particular tone.

These tone assignments and graphic organizers will be collected on Monday/Wednesday. No late assignments will be accepted. We're past that point.

English IV

For homework over the weekend you have two tasks to complete. First, you need to finish your quotation analysis from chapter ten if you did not finish it in class. If you did finish it, great! All you have to do is the test review. We will be having our test on Book II of 1984 on Thursday and Friday next week. To prepare, I would like for you all to do a bit of review and preparation for me. You will be writing sample test questions for Book II. I would like for you to write:

• one short answer question
• four multiple choice questions with answers

We will use these to begin our test review on Monday/Wednesday. You will be graded on this, so make sure that you have completed this assignment before you walk in.