Checking in

Hey everyone. I'm getting my computer out today to get started on some things I need to get done over break. I figured I'd take this chance to give you some progress checks. 

English II

Hopefully by this point you have taken the work from your drafting packets and transferred it onto paper or typed it put. Remember to work on putting your paragraphs together in a way that they flow together. Go smoothly from one idea to the next. Transition. 

AP English III

Keep reading Huck. Annotate and read closely. Notice how ideas come to a conclusion and how Twain resolves his main points. 

For your group projects get your analyses written and uploaded as well as your annotations. I can take a look at them on your sites and give feedback, as can your group. 

Lastly, remember your illustration assignment! Find the illustration, annotate and recreate. 

Russian I and II

Go through your books and study what we've done. Memorize case endings and functions. Practice with nouns and possessive pronouns. Use Russian and practice. Try to set a review goal each day and meet that goal. You know what I'll ask you to do - be perfect. Work hard to reach this point and prepare questions for me when we return. 

Homework for Winter Break - A-Day Students - 12/19/2014

Russian I and Russian II

You do not have anything that you need to submit over break but you should all be working daily on reviewing and studying the content we've learned so far this year.  I would highly recommend the exercises in our textbook, the exercises from the Schaum's Russian Grammar, or the online textbook from UCLA located at this link.

Remember everyone that when we return from the break we will have cumulative mid-term examinations.  Focus on the topics we've studied, review and practice.  Spend time with authentic uses of the language like television shows or movies - especially those of you in Russian II to learn more about the use of verbs of motion or aspect as it's really more of a sense of how it works more than anything else.

English II

Over break you need to put together a draft of your speech over break.  Make sure that you have created a speech that flows together well so that when we come back from break you can move on to the next portion of the assignment which is revising the speech and preparing for your final presentation of the speech.

And lastly, a New Year's song from Russia!  С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ ВСЕМ!

Homework for Winter Break - B-Day Students: 12/18/2014

See all of you B-Day kids next year!

AP English III

Here are your Winter Break tasks ranked in no particular order other than this is how I have them written in my planner.

1. Finish reading and annotating The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Make sure that when you come to school after the break that you have your book with you and it reflects the type of reading and thinking expected of you in this class.
2. Complete your illustration assignment - remember that our first day back will have some time for asking questions and getting assistance.  Be sure that you are prepared for this help session.  Remember that our presentation of these illustrations will fall on the second class after break - Wednesday, January 7, 2015.
3. Continue working on your group projects - over break you should finish your analyses of the different pieces and get them uploaded.  You should be able to finish everything except the synthesis.  We will knock this out when we return.

English II

Here are your Winter Break tasks - remember that FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th is the last day to submit any missing assignments.

1. Take your drafting packet and either type up or write out a rough draft of your speech.  As you write out your paragraphs, make sure that your ideas flow together.  Add details or language where you think it's needed.  Remember that your overall word count is 200 to 250 words.
2. If you did not complete your bumper sticker in class, get that turned in after the break.

Remember what I said today in class - you're the only one who can do the work.  Do what you need to do and get it done.  Ask for help when you need it.  Don't suffer in silence.

Homework for A-Day Students - 12/17/2014

Russian II

Tonight everyone you need to start reviewing for your semester exam which will fall on the final day of the semester, 1/16/2015.  The mid-term exam will have everything from Russian I as well as the work we have done on aspect, numbers and counting, and verbs of motion.  Practice and review nightly.  I would also recommend going through your portfolios and looking at your previous mistakes - this is key in starting to begin your growth.

Lastly, do some pre-research on your holiday choices.  Rank your top four as we will pair off for holidays next class.

Russian I

Next class we will finish our work through our review packets as well as do some work on phonetics and pronunciation.  From today you should feel confident conjugating first and second type verbs, working with the nominative case, the accusative case, and the prepositional case.  Keep practicing!  Use the exercises in your text books, go back to the exercises in the packet we did not touch today and try doing some of those.  Work nightly and keep practicing.  Your mid-term is also coming in the new year, you'll have a study guide next class.

English II

Today in class you all did a great job of working on your speeches.  Once you've worked through today's questions and have full answers, you've got a great start to your final project.  You should take what you did and either type it out or write it out as a speech - maybe add some details or elaborate more.  Remember the goal of your speech.

In addition, if you didn't finish the bumper sticker assignment, get that done and turned in next class.  Lastly, remember that any missing assignments are due next class - Friday!

Homework for B-Day Students - 12/16/2014

AP English III

Your task for next class is to complete the reading of Gloria Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" available in 50 Essays or from the link in last class's post.  Make sure to read it and annotate it thoroughly as her ideas are complex, yet approachable.  Ms. Gerdes will be taking you through a reading of this piece next class.

In addition, you may want to start now on your illustration assignment.  Review the handout and bring me any questions before the break begins.

English II

In preparation for a writing workshop next class make sure to complete all of your pre-writing including the first planning sheet and the assignment you were given today.  Have these things completed so that next class you can begin moving forward with the work on creating your speech!

Homework for A-Day Students - 12/15/2014

And now we begin the last week before Winter Break begins.  Hooray for that.  Here are your reminders to move you to Wednesday's class.

English II

Tonight you should complete the planning and pre-writing sheet on your speeches.  Please make sure that you answer all of the questions on the sheet so that you have a good start moving into class on Wednesday.  Remember to use your first planning sheet to get this work done as it will be crucial in getting a good start to your speech.

Russian I

Tonight for homework you have one thing that is required and one thing that is optional.  We are now done declining nouns in all six cases in the singular.  In addition, you can also work with pronouns and possessive pronouns.  Here's what you need to do now:

1. Move through the exercises at the end of the chapter one section.  I'd recommend trying a few of these especially the declensions and the verb exercises.  If you can do these with no errors then you will have mastered these concepts and are on a good footing for our next few classes.  If you don't know what to do, bring this up on Wednesday during our review!
2. Using your textbooks revise your sentences.  Your sentences must be ready to turn in next class with no mistakes.  For details on this assignment, look below to last class's homework.

Russian II

Tonight for homework you have a bit of a process - here's that process outlined for you.  Go back to the post which has the exercises and finish the last exercise on using all verbs of motion.  Repeat this exercise until you have 100% correct.  Then, once this is done, move on to your handout.  On the handout, you need to fill in the blank on all sentences and then select a group of five in a row.  Once you have selected these, go to VOKI and create your VOKI reading your selection.  Send your VOKI to mrmillerjhs (at) gmail (dot) com - with your name in the subject line or the message.  I will confirm receipt next class.

On Wednesday we'll have a few small details to finish up with and then we will be able to do some review of this concept working with all of the verbs!

Homework for B-Day Students - 12/12/2014

AP English III

Your homework for the weekend is made of two parts.  Number one, please make sure that you read the next chapter set of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  As you read, continue to annotate and pay attention to the notes I gave you today in class.  The turning point in Huck's maturity is the key thing in these chapters.

Secondly, read Gloria Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" available in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read this - think about the connection between language and identity.  Anzaldua is working through this in a Mexican-American context - there's a lot of good stuff in here, especially considering the continued debate around immigration in this country.

English II

Continue to plan and develop your speeches.  Remember that if you didn't have the homework for today's class have it next class for partial credit.  Also, if you have anything to turn in you need to get it in by Friday the 19th because that's the last day anything will be accepted.

Homework for the Weekend - A-Day Students - 12/11/2014

Russian II

We will be returning to the computer lab next class to finish our work on the verbs of motion and the VOKI assignment.  Please continue to review these online exercises as you keep studying and reviewing over the weekend.

For homework this weekend I would like for you to do some writing in Russian.  Select two verbs of motion (which is actually four when you consider the pairing) and the verb носить/нести.  Create eight to ten sentences using these verbs in a variety of contexts and tenses to explain your motion and travels.  Feel free to be creative, they don't have to be factual, just grammatically correct.

Russian I

You are also doing some writing this weekend.  Using our verbs читать, писать, говорить, и жить create sentences which use these words with at least three additional cases (nominative, accusative, prepositional, genitive, dative).  Remember to pair your sentences with translations in English.

As you do this make sure that you're using your notes and reviewing your declensions.  Keep conjugating your verbs!

English II

Keep working on your "This I believe..." speeches.  If you haven't finished the planning work, make sure to do that and then show it to us on Monday so that you can get partial credit.  Getting this planning work done will make writing to actual speech so much easier.  Also, please get your paperwork signed so that Ms. Gerdes can use your work for her portfolio.

Russian II - Online Class Assignments - 12/11/2014

For today's activity in the computer lab we will be working through the following interactive exercises.  You will need a Russian keyboard for these exercises so use this link.

Choosing ходить/идти или ездить/ехать

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Review of Accusative Case - Destinations

Exercise 1

Accusative versus Prepositional Case

Exercise 1

Reviewing Preposition Choice

Exercise 1

Reviewing All Verbs of Motion

Exercise 1

Once you have finished three of the exercises above (one must be from the first group) you may go on to creating your VOKI.  Go to the website for VOKI and follow the steps to create your VOKI.  You must record yourself saying five sentences correctly from the exercises above.  Your five sentences must come from one of the first set of exercises.

Homework for B-Day Students - 12/10/2014

AP English III

For tonight and tomorrow you'll need to prepare for Friday's class.  To begin, make sure that you reach the end of your next chapter set in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  You'll be finishing up with the Wilkes family.  Pay attention to Huck's developing sense of morality as well as the characters of the King and the Duke.  Both of these men become significant in this section of the text.

Additionally, remember that you have your next set of vocabulary cards due on Friday.  Five cards with new words.  Make sure that if your word comes from something we've read you need to give the quote/context of the word.

English II

Today we went through a really quick day.  I hope that all of you were able to make it through the day and felt successful. Your main goal for tonight is to finish up the work on the writing workshop sheet.  Go through and complete the sheet to complete your planning for this assignment.  Make sure that you answer the questions and complete the tasks as they're stated on the assignment.

Homework for A-Day Students

Русский 2

Tonight for homework you should complete the exercises reviewing our verbs of motion.  Remember that now you will have the opportunity to discuss motion under one's own power and motion by vehicle.  Keep these distinctions straight.

In addition, if you didn't finish your packet - please make sure that this gets in to me next class.

Continue focusing on your vocabulary and your grammar essentials.

Русский 1

Tonight spend some time reviewing grammar before we move on to the last two cases.  In the readings on the first side identify the uses of the prepositional case and also the genitive case.  Highlight, circle, or underline these words.

Read and answer the questions on the back, and on the back - read the poem by Владимир Высоцкий.  Read it several times and practice to become more fluent.  Here's the film of Владимир Высоцкий singing the poem.

English II

Tonight you should spend time working on your speech assignment.  Take the outline that we did today in class to prepare yourselves.  Try to tell the story of Odysseus's adventure from his point of view.  Remember to give advice to the people of your generation.  Be sure that you're walking into class with the bottom part of your outline sheet completed.

B-Day Homework - 12/8/2014

AP English III

Here are the things that you have to accomplish over the next few days.  Keep in mind the due dates that we have below:

1. You will have a timed writing on Wednesday.  It will be a rhetorical analysis.  Be prepared to show all of the work we've done related to this skill.
2. You have vocabulary cards due on Friday.  Make sure that some of these words are from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
3. You will have some time to meet with your groups on Wednesday.  Make sure you've met your group goal.
4. Your next reading deadline in TAoHF is to be to the end of chapter twenty eight for Friday.  We'll also be spending some time working through the Grangerford section on Friday too.

English II

You don't have any homework tonight but you should move forward in your work on your speeches which we started today in class.  In addition, if you have any missing assignments these need to be settled by the time we leave for Winter Break.

Apologies! A-Day Homework

Russian II

Your exercise packet is due on Tuesday. If you need help come by on Monday afternoon and we can take a look at any questions you may have. We'll spend time looking at these exercises on Tussday. 

Also, remember about the possibility of daily quizzes. 

Russian I 

The presentations on your Russian cities are due on Tuesday. Remember that for extra credit you can include some sort of cultural relic from your city and explain it. We wrote our sentences in Russian in class. Make sure that these sentences appear in your presentation. I'd recommend using http:\\russian.typeit.org and copy/paste from the window to your document. 

Practice your reading of the sentences. Be prepared to present on Tuesday. 

English II

Anything that you have to do in terms of major assignments needs to be settled soon. Nothing will be accepted past the beginning of Winter Break. 

For tonight you don't have any homework per se, but it would be a good idea to work on your Odysseus speeches. A lot of you wrote some good main idea statements. Try to move forward with an example. Tell a story!

Homework for B-Day Students: 12/4/2014

AP English III

This weekend you have a few goals to accomplish so that we can move forward to next week.  Over the weekend make sure that you complete your reading of Oluadah Equiano as well as the next chapter chunk from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, chapters seventeen through twenty-two.  In addition, you will have a collection of your third installment of vocabulary cards next week.  You'll need five new cards reflecting words from our most recent unit.

Also, be sure that you are working on your group projects - you'll have some meeting time on Wednesday to check in; have something to show for this.  Here is the resource for the covers of the New Yorker if you're interested in pursuing one of these as your image analysis.

English II

If your progress report reflects a low score it is likely due to a missing project or a low test grade.  Turn in any missing work and come in at lunch for test corrections!

Homework for A-Day Students: 12/3/2014

Russian II and Russian I

Please remember what I said today in class about our new warm-up procedures.  Study and know your declensions and your verb conjugations.  This is an effort to make sure that you learn what you need to learn in order to be fully successful in Russian.  Get it done.  Ask for help.

Russian II

Today you got your exercise packet on the beginnings of verbs of motion.  You should be able to work on the exercises up to the information on пойти which we will discuss next class.  Try to do one or two questions from each exercise.  The whole packet is due next week, so take this time to try to get something started and ask questions next class if you're confused or unsure.

Russian I

The presentations of your Russian city projects will be on Tuesday.  We will return to the library on Friday to finish the research on the cities.  Tonight, I would like for you to try to write your sentences about your city.  What is in the city?  Что в городе?  What does the city have?  У города есть что?  Who is from the city?  Кто из города?

We'll review some of these structures next class as we continue our work moving forward with cases.

English II

Today you got progress reports which is an indicator as to if you have homework tonight or not.  If your project grade is blank, this means you did not submit it or it was not labeled with your name.  Make sure to get this work turned in so that you can have your progress report reflect a good score.  If your work is not turned in by Friday then we will put in the scores that you have earned.

Homework for B-Day Students - 12/2/2014

AP English III

Today I saw some heads exploding over how deep we were getting into society and symbolism and steamboats.  Keep reading and keep thinking on this level.  Tonight, you have a few things to be working on as we move toward our next deadline.

1. Reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn needs to be done by the 8th.  You need to be to the end of chapter twenty-two by this date.
2. Reading of the excerpt by Oluadah Equiano is also due for the 8th.
3. You should be working on your projects nightly - you'll have some time on Thursday to finish up your contracts and begin on your first goal.
4. I would like to see your vocabulary bookmarks on Thursday - make sure that you have new words from TAoHF - look at slang and any other words used in a context that you're unsure of.

English II

Tonight is your night to get things settled.  Make sure that you have completed your test and your project and that all of these things are ready to turn in next class so that you don't earn any penalties.

Homework for A-Day Students - 12/1/2014 - Welcome Back!

And now we begin the trek to Winter Break!  Work hard and keep up with your assignments.  This is a great time to get caught up and solidify your skills before we get into the second semester.

Russian II

Complete your cheat sheets on aspect.  Be sure that you have HCB on one side and CB on the other side.  Try to simply the rules around choosing the perfective or the imperfective form of the verb.  Make sure that this is completed as you will need it for class on Wednesday when we begin working on verbs of motion.

Russian I

The multiple choice portion of your exam is coming on Wednesday.  Based on what you saw today you should have a good idea of what is coming for you tomorrow.  Study and prepare.  Have your cheat sheet ready for what you need to know.  Also, spend some time working on your projects.  Presentation day will be either Friday or Tuesday.  Be prepared!

English II

For those of you who completed your take-home tests over break, congratulations!  You have no homework tonight.  If you did not complete the take-home test you have tonight to finish it for full credit.  If you turn it in past Wednesday/Thursday then you will lose points for it being late.

Homework for the Break - 11/25/2014 - B-Day Students

AP English III

Today we introduced our major project on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and satire.  Now you should be moving forward with that.  I would suggest bookmarking the mock-up site which is at https://sites.google.com/site/huckfinnsatiremockup/ - this site goes over what you need on each page and how to set it up.  Make sure that you ask for help regularly if you need it.

Over break, you have two reading goals - you should be reading nightly to meet these goals.  As you read, keep up with your annotations and your vocabulary.

In addition, you have your reading from Oluadah Equiano - this will not be discussed until 12/8 but you may want to get it read now so that you can check it off your to-do list.

English II

As discussed in the post below you have your take-home test to complete on Persepolis.  Use your resources wisely and complete the test by following the instructions.  Remember that this is an opportunity to really boost your grade and show what you've learned so far this year.

Homework for Thanksgiving Break - 11/24/2014

Russian II:

Over the break you should all be ready to take your exam on verbal aspect and telling time in Russian.  To prepare, you should look over your vocabulary as well as your rules about verbs that we've gone over to determine aspect.

If you want more practice, use the UCLA Beginner's Russian Textbook online.  There are chapters focusing primarily on numbers and verbal aspect.  Also, your Schaums books have a lot of exercises there as well.  Prepare yourselves and be ready for your exam!

Russian I:

You also have an exam when we get back from break.  Your exam will focus on verb conjugation of first and second type verbs, the accusative, prepositional, genitive, and nominative cases.  You should be able to write and understand sentences using these cases and these verbs if the sentence has vocabulary from this unit.

If you would like additional practice, please use the UCLA Beginner's Russian Textbook - the earlier chapters have good interactive exercises to review.

English II:

Your homework over break is to complete your take-home test on Persepolis.  Don't forget that it is due on the day we return from break.  Do a bit each day and make sure to meet your goals.  Remember that this should show everything you know about writing and about Persepolis.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day - 11/20/2014

Russian II

This weekend you need to finish your cheat sheets for aspect and then move on to the creation of your sentences about your day.  Remember that you are writing seven sentences chronicling what you have done on Saturday or Sunday.  Write your times out in words.  Remember your counting rules.  Think about aspect and what you are emphasizing as you write.

Russian I

This weekend now that you have learned to conjugate verbs I want you to work with them.  Use one verb for every sentence and write using all of the four cases that you have learned.  As an example sentence you should be able to write something like:

I read the book of my brother in the library.
Я читаю книгу брата в библиотеке.

This sentence uses all four cases that we have learned and uses them appropriately.  Make sure that you use your notes and check yourself.  I'm planning on using this as a writing workshop on Monday.  Also finish your case cards.

English II

Your projects are due next week!  Finish them and make sure that they represent your best work.  Make sure that you have decided which frame you will present to the class as well as what you will say about that frame.

Homework for B-Day Students - 11/19/2014 - PLC Day

Happy Half Day Everyone!

Here are your reminders as you prepare for Friday's class.

AP English III

Make sure that you are following through on your reading deadlines on the bookmark I gave you today.  Especially make sure that you meet the deadlines after Thanksgiving Break and after Winter Break.  Don't allow yourself to fall behind in your reading; this is a fun and fast paced novel, allow yourself to get lost in it and enjoy it.

By Friday make sure that you're to the end of chapter six and that you have completed the reading of "Mother Tongue" available at the link in the previous B-day post.

English II

The most important thing that you all have to be working on right now is your project to finish Persepolis.  Please make sure that you are now in the drafting phase - you should be creating your comic, writing dialogue and narration, and drawing your various scenes.  Remember the requirements on the project sheet:  no more than two sheets of paper maximum!

As it says in the post below, start to plan your presentation on your comic.  For this presentation, focus on explaining why you drew something the way that you drew it.  How does your drawing help you to explain more than words alone?

Homework for Tuesday - 11/18/2014 - A Day Students

Russian II

Tonight you have two key goals as we move forward to Tuesday.  First, begin to learn your numbers from 61 all the way to 1000.  This seems like a lot, but is very simple, all you really need to learn are your tens and your hundreds.  Everything else will be just like it has been before.  Remember that your counting rules still apply.  We'll need this for Thursday as we'll start working on phone numbers and talking about cost of items.

Secondly, make your cheat sheet/шпаргалка on aspect.  Try to codify your rules on aspect and use an index card to simplify the rules.  Put imperfective on one side and perfective on the other.

Russian I

Tonight you need to work on your cheat sheet/шпаргалка on the four cases we have learned so far.  Try to use an index card for each case.  Focus on being simple and clear with how the nouns, possessive pronouns, and pronouns change as they move through the cases.  This is an invaluable study tool for you to use as you are learning and studying.  View this as taking notes on your notes - it will help, I promise.

English II

We've finished reading Persepolis so now you need to finish up on your projects.  Make sure that you are working hard to have everything complete for your project presentations next week.  Remember that you will have to present on what you are communicating through your drawings so try to plan out what you will say in this part of the assignment.  Feel free to prepare an index card or two of notes so that you're not stumbling over what to say.  You should be drawing and creating your comics.  Feel free to ask me or Ms. Gerdes for help or to read over everything for you.

Homework for B-Day Students: 11/17/2014

AP English III

Tonight AP students you have two big goals.  Make sure that you accomplish them by the dates listed.  First, for Wednesday you will need to aim to be to the end of chapter three for our class discussion.  Make sure that you have been adding to your annotations especially under motifs, characters, and satire.  You'll need to be to the end of chapter six by Friday, so if you want to keep reading tonight, go ahead.  Don't forget as well that you need to keep up with new vocabulary - there's a LOT of slang in here.

Secondly, make sure that for Friday's class you have read, annotated, and considered thoroughly the ideas brought up by Amy Tan in her piece called "Mother Tongue" which is in 50 Essays or available at this link.  As you read this piece - consider the link between language and identity as well as language and power.  These will be major ideas we will continue to discuss as we move through Twain.

English II

Your homework is the same as the A-day students below.  Make sure that you have finished reading the chapter called "The Shabbat" and then completed your character changes chart.  Follow the instructions on the graphic organizer and have that ready to be handed in on Wednesday.  In addition, you'll need to make sure that you're feeling solid on the information as you will likely have a quiz coming soon.

Lastly, don't forget that your projects are due next week before Thanksgiving Break - we'll be in the computer labs the next few days, but make sure that you're working hard to complete this due date.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 11/14/2014

Russian II

This weekend you need to study for your quiz on telling time and numbers in Russian.  Review your questions, cases, and prepositions used to tell time.  Also make sure that you have learned all of the vocabulary for this unit.  If you could do today's homework review easily you will be in good shape, just make sure to know the other prepositions and phrases!

Russian I

This weekend spend some time researching your cities if you can.  In addition, complete the genitive case exercises.  Put all of the words in parenthesis in the genitive case.  Remember to not do the ones we crossed out in class as you don't know the genitive plural yet.

English II

Read the chapter on the handout called "The Shabbat" - after you've read the chapter, complete the graphic organizer charting how two characters have changed.  Remember to follow the instructions clearly.  Use your notes and readings to help you do this!

Homework for B-Day Students: 11/13/2014

AP English III

I will have your tests back to you ASAP, likely at the end of the weekend.  For this weekend you have two things to accomplish:

1. Get a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Make sure that it is a complete copy and has not been abridged, you want an UNABRIDGED version.  If you can find one that has the original illustrations, even better.  That will add a lot to your understanding of the text.
2. Watch an episode of Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons, Colbert Report, or The Daily Show.  Take notes as you are watching on the following topic:  What is being ridiculed or mocked?  How is this humor accomplished - through what rhetorical/literary devices?  These notes will help you in our work beginning TAoHF next week.

English II

Your homework is below.  Make sure that you have all of the preparation work done so that you can be super productive in the computer lab.

Homework for Wednesday - A-Day Classes

English II

Tonight you should work hard to finish all of your preparation work for your graphic memoir projects. You should go us on planning your frames and writing any narration and dialogue. Next class we will be in the computer lab to type and create. Make sure that you have everything fine so that you can be productive in the computer lab. 

Russian I

Tonight you have exercise number fifteen to complete. Remember for each exercise you need to write the question starting with the proper form of ЧЕЙ followed by the answer using the genitive case. Review your endings. Create a chant and memorize these endings. Remember that this is the main chunk of Russian grammar. 

Russian II 

Tonight you have two main goals. First be sure that your presentation on aspect is ready.  You need to have your situations ready and proofed. If you want me to read over your work, please let me know. Outside of this you have your review sheet on telling time. Be sure that you can do this whole sheet. 

Homework for B-Day Students - 11/10/2014

Remember everyone that there is no school tomorrow!  Thank a veteran for your day off.  I always give thanks to my dad.  Here's what you need to accomplish.

A-Day Students:  Your reminders are below; be sure that everything is done.

AP English III:

You have your exams on The Great Gatsby next class.  Be sure that you have your annotated copies of the novel with you next class so that you are ready for your books to be checked.  Remember that you will have quotation identifications, short answer questions, and a rhetorical analysis.  All that we have done over these classes is meant to prepare you and this exam should show what you have learned in this unit - be sure that it does.

English II:

Continue to work on your projects.  We will be going to the computer labs over the next few classes to work on these pieces a bit more thoroughly.  Have your timeline done as well as your drafting done so that you can work efficiently in the computer lab!

Apologies! Homework for the Weekend! All Classes!

That was a lot of exclaimation marks up there.  Sorry for not getting this out to the website until now.  Here is what everyone needs to accomplish before next class.  A-day, remember that I won't see all of you until Wednesday so you have a lot of time to prepare.  I expect that all of you will be prepared.

Russian I:

Be sure that you use the phonetics work that we have done over the last two classes to really know your alphabet sounds as well as be able to say them more clearly, confidently, and with less of an American accent.  Think about tongue and lip position as you go through each letter and sound.  The mirror technique is a wonderful one to watch yourself as you speak.

You do have a grammar worksheet to complete.  The front side has you identifying words in cases and the bottom exercise has you putting words into the accusative case.  The back has you doing writing in the prepositional case.  Work hard and ask questions on Monday if you need me.  I'm available at all lunches.

Oh, and here's our new song for today!  It's karaoke version so you can review your lyrics as the song continues.

Russian II:

You've got your sentences still ahead of you and we'll get back to doing that work on Wednesday.  If you can continue to work on these over the weekend, please do.  When you feel as though you're ready feel free to share the work with me so that I can see and give some feedback.

Make your focus your numbers and your work with time expressions.  You have two exercises to complete on telling time - we started all of these in class so that you can continue the work on your own.  WRITE OUT ALL NUMBERS!  This is key in helping you to learn the spelling and the vocabulary words.

English II:

You don't have any reading homework over the weekend but you should be working on your project.  Some of you are moving forward on to the drafting phase of your work - this is wonderful!  Make sure to have your planning done first, before moving on.  Make sure that your timeline is complete - that you have clearly broken up this important moment in your life to the key parts of it.  The closer your focus, the more specific your detail, the better your piece will be.

We'll be finishing Persepolis soon - start reviewing things like vocabulary and notes regularly to prepare for quizzes and the like.

AP English III:

You have your presentations coming up on Monday!  This weekend this is your focus.  Get these presentations polished, have your scripts, have a run-through of your piece.  Remember that you have a ten minute limit to your presentations and that Ms. Gerdes and I will require a copy of your script.

After the presentations we'll review for the exam.  Make sure that you have annotations complete throughout your novel.  Develop any questions you have for this review.

Homework for Wednesday Night - 11/5/2014

Russian II

Tonight for homework you have a few goals:

1. Start learning your numbers - you need to really focus on zero through sixty so that we can focus on telling time.
2. Complete exercise fourteen - make sure that you're working on your prepositional case and returning to the months of the year.  Answer the questions using the months.
3. Preview the other exercises.  We'll look at those next class.  Consider what you need to know to complete those.

Russian I

Spend a bit of time tonight reviewing and practicing your phonetics.  Read what we went over in class.  Try to talk about drinking lemonade!  Also, you have your song to continue to study.  Follow along with the lyrics and sing along.  Practice your pronunciation.  Watch the video a few times and sing along.

For homework - complete the worksheet on cases.  The front side is accusative case, the back is prepositional case.  You have to do the writing on the back - practice, practice, practice!

English II

Tonight spend time working on your projects.  As a goal - try to complete your timeline of your event.  Break it down into the specific moments of that big memory.  Put them in chronological order.  Think about what was said or done, how it made you feel, what was going on around you.  All of these parts will make your comic that much better! 

Homework for B-Day Students: 11/4/2014

ALL OF YOU!!!  REMIND AND ENCOURAGE YOUR PARENTS TO VOTE IF THEY ARE REGISTERED IN NORTH CAROLINA!

Now that that is out of the way, let's move on to homework.

AP English III

Your homework tonight is to focus on your Woolf/Petrunkevitch tone compare/contrast assignments.  Make sure to structure this in MLA format with your header at the upper right, your title centered, and your quotes/paraphrases cited with either a page number or paragraph number.  Remember that your question is:  How does the tone of the author help him/her to achieve his/her purpose.  Tie the tone clearly to the purpose and through your explanation and analysis of details, prove that this is what happens.  I would recommend a three to four paragraph organizational structure with your argument, a paragraph on text one, paragraph on text two, and then a conclusion.  This ensures that you deal with both texts thoroughly.

In addition, remember that your presentations of your skit will occur on Monday.  Work on these.  Practice over the weekend.  Your test on The Great Gatsby will fall on the 13th of November.

English II

Continue working on your projects tonight.  Brainstorm your moment and consider how you will tell that story in the format of a graphic novel.  How will you draw yourself?  The other people in the moment?  How will you communicate your feelings?

Homework for Monday - A Day - 11/3/2014

Russian II

Tonight complete your writing work on Бриллиантовая рука using the handout we started in class.  Write sentences describing the action in the film which you noted.  Think about what you are trying to emphasize as you look at your sentences - the process or the completion or both?  Work on conjugating the verbs accurately.  We will look at some of the new verbs on Wednesday as we finish the sheet together.

Also - don't forget that I want your study plans.

Russian I

For homework tonight consider what you would like to work on during our Phonetics Day next class.  To prepare yourselves, complete the reading which I gave you.  Practice reading clearly and fluently with your proper intonation patterns.  This will be a lot of what we will be doing on Wednesday.

English II

Homework for tonight is to finish your first goals for the project.  First, decide on a moment for your focus.  Second, begin to brainstorm details you want to include - begin by sketching out a timeline for the memory that you'll focus on.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 10/31/2014

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

AP English III

I hope that you all enjoyed working with Ms. Alley today on your analysis of "The Death of the Moth" - I was especially impressed by the connections that you made to The Great Gatsby as well as to "The Oversoul".  Making these connections when you study literature is so important and good to do!

For the weekend you have a few things on your plate:

1. Finish reading The Great Gatsby - ensure that your covers are fully annotated and that you have thorough annotations throughout the text.  
2. Read A. Petrunkevitch's "The Spider and the Wasp" - you do not have to read and prepare this piece for class discussion; it will only be used for your writing assignment.
3. Complete the graphic organizer using mostly direct quotations from both Woolf and Petrunkevitch.
4. Write your compare/contrast assignments on the TONE used in each of the two pieces.  Here is the question that you should consider as you are writing:  Both Petrunkevitch and Woolf chronicle the death of an insect but in vastly different ways.  How does the author's tone establish a difference in purpose?  Your graphic organizer and typed, compare/contrast assignment will be due on Thursday.

In terms of long-term planning, you will have your presentations likely on the 10th of November, your test on the 13th, and we will begin our study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the 17th - go ahead and get yourself a copy now.

English II

No homework for tonight as you had a test today in class.  

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/30/2014

Technically this is your homework for the weekend since I won't see you all until Monday.

Russian II

This weekend you have two goals to complete for our class.  First, I'd like for each of you to write a study plan for Russian.  This plan will detail what you will do for an additional thirty minutes to an hour each day of the week to improve your Russian.  This time is meant to be spent outside of any homework assignments that I give you.  I would like for you to plan out each day of the week (Sunday to Saturday).  Have an activity that you will do each day to improve your Russian.  For example:

On Sunday I will watch one episode of Орел и Решка, write down five new vocabulary words from the episode and learn them by Wednesday.

On Wednesday I will quiz myself on my five new words.  I will put them in all cases or conjugate them.  Then I will meet with Mr. Miller to check my work.

In addition you have exercises on ASPECT to keep practicing.  Use Exercises 6-11 as practice.  You must complete exercises 12 and 13 for credit.  Do them on the back of the sheet since it's blank or on a separate sheet of paper.

Russian I

You also have your study plan to write.  Please follow the outlined procedure above.  In addition, you have several exercises on possession, the accusative case, and the prepositional case.  For possession, use exercises 84, 85, and 86 as practice.  Complete exercise 87 following the example.  For prepositional case, use exercise 10, 11, and 12 as practice.  Complete exercises 9 and 13.  Lastly, for accusative case, use exercise 4 and 6 as practice, complete exercise 5.

With all of these exercises there will be a lot of words you don't know.  That's ok.  Focus on putting the words in the parenthesis in the required cases.  Write out the sentences.

English II

No homework tonight since you took a test in class.  If the test was difficult - consider why; for many of you, being more engaged in class and in activities will make a big difference.  For 90 minutes every other day you have to be present and active.  It's not too much to ask.

 

Homework for B-Day Students: 10/29/2014

AP English III:


You have a few things to take care of tonight as you're working toward Friday.  First, make sure that you complete your next set of vocabulary cards.  Select five words and do your study of these words.  Remember to grow from the mistakes that you made on the first round.  Exhaust all of your resources and find the information that you need in order to complete this thoroughly.


Secondly, read Virgina Woolf's "The Death of the Moth" - it's in 50 Essays and available at this link.  Read it thoroughly and annotate - pay special attention to the setting, the tone, and the use of metaphor in the text.  Ms. Alley will be working with you through this text.


Lastly, remember that for homework grades no late assignments will be accepted in the second nine weeks.  If you don't have your work, then you don't have your work.  That's it.  Be prepared.


English II:


Study and prepare for your test.  Follow the guidelines in the previous post for A-day students.

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/28/2014

Russian II

Next class you have a quiz on aspect and verbs.  In the previous post for A-day you will find the list of verbs to focus on as these will be used in crafting the situations.  You will have several brief situations to read and then analyze.  You should be able to tell me:

1. What tense is being used in the situation?
2. What aspect is being used in the situation?  
3. Why is that aspect being used in that situation.

Be sure that you have studied your KEY WORDS for aspect as well as your other vocabulary.  If you need additional practice with aspect and making choice I would invite you to check out this page where you can find exercises and podcasts reviewing the imperfective and perfective future tenses.  Remember as well that with swim season starting I cannot work with you on Wednesday afternoons - we can work on Wednesday before school or during lunch.

Russian I

You have no homework tonight since you had a quiz today in class but you should continue to practice and review.  Spend time tonight looking over your notes and practicing your cases.  I recommend this page for help with cases.

English II

Next class you have a test on the first half of Persepolis from "The Veil" to "The F-14s".  Be sure that you have studied your notes, your vocabulary, and your writing skills as you will be required to write a paragraph on this test.  Ask for help if you need it!

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/23/2014

Congratulations everyone, we've made it to the end of the first grading period!  Most classes will begin the quarter with a major assessment, so make sure to pay attention to the notes below.  Grades will be finalized on Monday morning around 9:30 am - check PowerSchool around then.

Russian II

From going over your assignments today I can see that we still need to do some review of the concept of aspect and perhaps review some verb conjugation types.  Your assessment will be pushed back to Thursday to allow us Tuesday to review this homework assignment in depth.

I am still going to give you a brief list of some verbs to start focusing on as we think about that assessment.  You also should learn all vocabulary for this unit - including the nouns, days of the week, months, key words for aspect, and the verbs we've focused on.

Some key verbs:  читать/прочитать, писать/написать, хотеть/захотеть, петь/спеть, рисовать/нарисовать, говорить/сказать, заниматься/заняться, танцевать/станцевать, решать/решить, слушать/послушать, смотреть/посмотреть, спрашивать/спросить


Russian I

Your quiz on cases will still occur on Tuesday when we return from the long weekend.  Remember that you need to know the nouns that we have been working with as they will be key parts of your quiz.  Ask yourself the following as you study your vocabulary:

• Can I identify the gender of the word?  The declension pattern?
• Do I know how endings change between cases?  Can I chant the changes to myself?
• Do I know the spelling and meaning of these words?
• Do I know my question words?

The quiz will bring in a bit about our work today on possessives, but it will focus on declensions.

You will need to write, read, speak, and listen to Russian on this assessment.

English II

Technically you have no homework tonight but it would be a good idea to do an inventory of your notes in preparation for your test next week on the first half of Persepolis.  As Ms. Gerdes said today, check to make sure you have your worksheets or something written down on each of the chapters we've read.  If you're missing something, ask on Tuesday or Wednesday and make sure to pay close attention during the review on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Extra Credit - Russian I and II

Thanks all for coming out this afternoon and watching Кавказская пленица with me.  I hope that you enjoyed Шурик и его друзья.  The next film we watch will also feature these characters.  For your extra credit, I'd like for you to write a one paragraph response (по-английски или по-русски) that answers the following prompt:

How does this film rely on stereotypes to create a comedic effect?

Here is the link to the film if you would like to re-watch it or if you would like to watch it in its entirety.

Homework for B-Day Students: 10/22/2014

AP English III

Tonight you need to read to the end of chapter six to be prepared for our next class.  Next class we'll really be focused on pulling together some of the big topics and ideas that have been presented in the first part of the novel - try to do some of this work yourself as you are reading.  Build off of what you have done in your groups today and see how these trends continue.

Make sure as well that your cover annotations are solid and reflect the reading and thinking that you have done up to this point.

English II

Take time tonight to define the vocabulary words you collected from the first CDA test.  Make sure that the definitions are simple and short so that you can remember them easily.

Homework for A-Day Students - 10/21/2014

Russian II

Do your homework for tonight on aspect and filling in the blanks with the assignments.  Make sure that you don't just fill in the blanks but write out the full sentences and paragraphs as you are working.  Use your verb pair sheet to help you here!  It's a life saver.

Russian I

Homework for tonight is the two sided worksheet on cases.  Read the exercises and put the words in the parenthesis in to the appropriate cases.  Make sure that you write everything out as the repetition will help you to learn this process!

English II

Take the words from the CDA test which you found on your vocabulary bookmarks and define them!  Remember to make the definition simple so that you can remember it easily!

Homework for Monday - 10/20/2014 - B Day Students

AP English III

Congratulations!  You can cross timed writing off of your list of things to do!  I will have these graded and back to you next week so that we can begin building and improving this vital skill.  For tonight, here's what you need to do to prepare yourselves.

1. Complete the revision of your summer assignment essay.  Have your original with rubric (if applicable) as well as the new version of your essay.
2. Read and annotate chapter five of The Great Gatsby.  Continue to add to your cover annotations (both front and back).
3. Complete your vocabulary bookmarks for another check and the beginning of your next set of cards.  Cards will be collected next Friday - 10/31.  

English II

Continue your reading of Persepolis with the next two chapters.  Remember to continue reading and taking notes as you read to increase your comprehension.  Try to also consider the details in the images as you read to figure out some of the deeper messages that Satrapi is communicating.

Homework for the Weekend - 10/17/2014 - A Day Students

Russian I

Over the weekend complete exercises on Accusative and Prepositional cases on the handout.  Fill in the blank with the appropriate word in the blank.  Have this ready to be checked on Tuesday.

Remember - kill and drill - memorize - that's how you learn the cases.

Russian II

Make sure that for Tuesday's class you have completed exercise six in Chapter Five as well as a redo of exercise three a and b.  Now that you have your pairs of verbs exercise three should be much easier for you.

On Tuesday we will spend time working on your speaking assignment.  Thank you for being patient with me today.

English II

Read the next two chapters of Persepolis.  Remember to continue taking notes as you read to make yourself a more effective reader!

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/15/2014

Russian II

Tonight for homework you need to continue working with your aspect pairs. Complete exercise six from our green textbook. Write out the sentences and fill in the blanks using the proper aspect and tense. Make sure to pay attention to your aspectual clues as you make your choices. 

Continue then by writing five additional sentences using your pairs you've chosen for your charades activity. If you need help come in tomorrow and ask. 

Russian I

Work on your words. You need to focus on learning the meaning of the words, the spelling, and the other important information related to the words. 

English II

Tonight you have the next three chapters of Persepolis. Read carefully and make notes in your handouts. Remember that being an active reader to improve your comprehension.  

Homework for B-Day Students - 10/14/2014

AP English III

Over tonight and the next you will need to accomplish two reading goals.  First read The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson which is in 50 Essays or at the link.  Annotate the essay heavily.  Connect it to The Great Gatsby - How do you see these lies within the text?  How does this text change the way in which you approach or consider the idea of lying?

In addition, read and annotate to the end of chapter three.  Continue your cover annotations as you go through the text, you should be collecting and adding consistently as you read.

English II

No homework for tonight - good luck on the PLAN test tomorrow!

Homework for 10/13/2014 - A Day Students

English II

No homework for tonight.  We'll be presenting our posters next class.  Make sure that you have also taken note of where you will be on Wednesday for the PLAN test.

Russian I

Tonight complete the worksheet on Russian nouns.  Remember to tell me all about the noun in the second column - the gender, the declension, the pronoun, and if it is a who or a what.  I'll be collecting this sheet next class with your Начало sheets.

Russian II

Tonight you need to read the letter and analyze the verbs in the letter.  You should find all of the verbs and analyze what ASPECT and what TENSE is being used with the verb.  Try to understand why these particular tenses and aspects are used to better understand the concept.  We'll review this next class before we begin our speaking!

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/9/2014

Russian II

Your homework this weekend is to complete exercise three, parts A and B.  For part A you need to read the sentence and create an answer that uses the CB of the verb to emphasize that the action has been completed.  To find your aspectual pair, either use a dictionary or the online WIKTIONARY - remember to write out your sentences as this will help.  Check your conjugations as you are writing.  For part B, you need to read the sentence and move from the CB to the HCB - for this you will take off the prefix on the verb to move from CB to HCB.

Be sure that you are also studying your vocabulary!

Russian I

Over the weekend create your vocabulary study aid and have this ready for inspection on Monday.  As a baseline, include the word in Russian, the word in English, mark the stress, and note the gender of the word.  We'll keep working with gender on Monday!

English II

No homework for the weekend, be sure that if you have any missing assignments that you turn them in tomorrow as no missing work will be accepted past Friday!

Homework for B-Day Students: 10/8/2014

AP English III

Tonight for homework your main goal is to prepare for next class's assessment on Transcendental philosophy.  You all did a wonderful job of teasing out the topics for the questions you will be asked.  Focus on those topics now as you review your notes and annotations from the class discussions on these pieces.  Remember to always focus on clarifying the ideas presented to you using more concrete examples, especially when working with philosophy.

In addition, remember to read to the end of chapter two in The Great Gatsby for Tuesday's class.  As you read, continue to annotate and add to your covers.  Collect vocabulary.  Consider the ideas on the ROARING TWENTIES discussed today in class.  How do you see Fitzgerald building upon these ideas within his text?

English II

Your homework is to complete any missing assignments and submit them by Friday.  The gradebook will be closed for this first portion of the quarter then, so any changes need to be settled.

Homework for A-Day Students: 10/7/2014

Russian II

Tonight I would like for all of you to spend time with your new vocabulary and create your study aid for your new words.  Have this to show me next class.  Remember to mark stress and any important notes about the words (like conjugations, cases, etc.).

Russian I

No homework tonight after your retest - continue to practice and study!

English II

You only have homework tonight if you need to make up a missing assignment.  Get these things settled by the end of the week this week so that your grade can be finalized for this week.

Homework for B Day Students - 10/6/2014

AP English III

Remember to bring your work with you on preparing for the exam to class on Wednesday. We brought out a lot of great points on argumentative writing which will be helpful for you on Friday for our examination day. 

For next class, bring a copy of The Great Gatsby as we'll start studying it then. Continue to study and review for the exam. 

English II

Complete your frame depiciting you as a revolutionary. Show what you've learned about reading graphic novels and think about facial expressions, speech bubbles and colors. Ms. Gerdes and I are looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 10/3/2014

Russian II 

From the dialogues today I see a few places for us to keep working but overall I saw some good use of cases and verbs. Over the weekend I want you to continue working with Russian as you write a one paragraph response about the film "Бриллиантовая рука." Express your opinion on the film and then give an example to support your opinion as well as explanation of the detail. I look forward to reading these. Remember to make it your own work. Outside assistance is only okay for looking up individual words. 

Russian I 

Your retest is happening on Tuesday. Prepare yourself accordingly. Learn your vocabulary and alphabet. 

English II 

Complete your comic homework this weekend. Show yourself standing up for something important to you. Feel free to use narration or speech bubbles to make this drawing in the style of a comic book frame from Persepolis. 

Homework for A-Day Students - 10/1/2014

Happy October everyone!  Here are your reminders to prepare for Friday!

Russian II

Your goal for tonight is to finish your dialogue scrips and be ready for our work on Friday where you all will present your dialogues.  Remember to focus on clear pronunciation and try to mirror your intonations to the IK-1 and IK-2.  Come in tomorrow or later today if you need more help.

Russian I

Tonight continue the work we've done in class preparing for our retesting of the alphabet unit.  I expect to see serious improvement for the next attempt at this important assessment.  Tonight, take one of the four texts on the back of your sheet and prepare it for reading to me on Friday.  Write it out in your best handwriting and practice, practice, practice!  Also make sure that you have thought about what you need to do to prepare for your retest on Tuesday!

English II

For tonight you need to use your excerpts from Persepolis as well as your knowledge from our study of the Koran to answer the following question:

According to the Koran, would you say that Marji has a good relationship with G-d or not?  Explain your answer.

Remember as you do this to construct a solid paragraph with a topic sentence, a clear detail sentence and explanation of that detail!  Show us what you're learning about paragraph writing.

Homework for B-Day Students - 9/30/2014

AP English III

There's a few things coming down the pike that I want to make sure you're all aware of.  Here's a bit of information on these tasks coming up:

1. For tonight read E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake"; it is in 50 Essays or at this link.  Remember to read and annotate - look for Transcendentalism in there!
2. Your vocabulary cards are due on Monday.  Remember that you need to have five cards from your bookmarks.
3. We will likely have an exam on Wednesday of next week on these non-fiction and philosophical pieces.  Prepare for that by reviewing your notes - I'll give a more guided review on Monday.
4. Our first novel of the year is The Great Gatsby - we will likely begin this next Friday.  I would recommend purchasing your own copy of all of our novels as they will be heavily annotated by you!

English II

Your homework is to read the excerpts from Persepolis and answer the questions on each excerpt.  Remember to have a record of what you have read by doing notes or writing down observations in the margins of the text.

Homework and Announcements - 9/29/2014

Russian II 

Tonight we returned to the land of verbs. It looked to me that things were clicking again in class as we did those drills. Please continue your practice tonight. The Schaum's Outline is ver useful here because it organizes the exercises by stem. The book will call the stems by their Russian names. The exercises for you on the stems we know are on pages 215-218, 221, and 226-228. 

Try a sampling of these and see how you feel. Ask for help if you need it!

Russian I

From grading your tests today I can see some clear places for improvement. We will do some review work and probably look at scheduling a retest date for next week for those of you who would like that option. 

English II 

Tonight you have two excerpts which Ms. Gerdes gave you from the first chapter of Persepolis. Read the excerpts carefully and complete the tasks given to you at the top of the sheet. These excerpts are yours so please annotate or take notes on them to help you complete your task. Remember to have some evidence to show that you have done your reading for class. 

Homework for B-Day Students: 9/26/2014

AP English III

Over the weekend I have two or three things for you to take care of to prepare for next week.  First, begin on your vocabulary study.  Be aware that this is a standing assignment throughout the year.  Whenever I ask to see your bookmarks you should have these and be able to show me that you have actively been working on these pieces.  Remember that you will have to select five words for your cards and you will turn in five cards by the 6th of October.

Secondly, be sure that you have your five journals from being a Transcendentalist for the week.  With the journals you'll complete a one page, typed, MLA format reflection.  In the reflection, here are some questions to consider:

• What did you learn from this experience about yourself?  Others?  Society?  How did you learn these things?
• What were some of your successes?  Your failures?  Why?
• How do you better understand this philosophy?  Is it applicable in our world today?

The reflections are a space for you to write and process the experience.  Show me that you are thinking and being considerate.

The third thing would be to go back through your work on King and review now that we've read the clergymen's letter.  How can you better understand this piece given this context?

English II

No homework for the weekend!  Enjoy your time!  Be ready to start reading comic books next week!

Homework for B-Day Students - 9/24/2014

AP English III

For next class you will need to complete your reading and annotating of King's "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail."  As you read, try to make connections to the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau - I was glad to see some of that happening today in class (h/t Ellen).  Also, make sure that you complete your first bookmark.  You need to have twenty words with synonyms on your bookmark sheets.

Finally, let's clarify the Transcendentalist project.  You will write your fifth journal on Friday.  This is the end of the experiment.  Over the weekend, review your journals and write your reflection.  The reflection and journals are due on Tuesday.

English II

Your homework is the same as what was shared in the post below.  Complete your six word memoir and have it ready to be collected next class.

Homework for A-Day Students - 9/23/2014

Russian II

You all should be reviewing your cases and your work on grammar nightly.  You have no homework tonight to turn in, but there is a lot of stuff to review and study!

Russian I

Your homework is to prepare for your test!  Your test will be on Monday and will cover all of the subjects I went over with you in class.  You will want to come in on Friday afternoon for extra help if you need it.

English II

Your homework due on Thursday is to complete your six word memoir.  Remember that you will want to use either your computer or the paper we gave you in class to put your memoir together.  Focus on filling the page with the six words.  Make sure to think about your font or design of the letters, the colors, and any images that help the sentence.

Homework for B-Day Students - 9/22/2014

AP English III

Be reminded that you are always supposed to have a record of your notes from any reading assignment.  This is how you show me that you've done your homework.

For your work tonight you need to complete your first journal on your "Transcendentalist for a Week" assignment.  The prompt for tonight is:  What have you chosen to give up and why?  Remember that you can only write one page in your bluebooks.  Keep it brief, but answer the questions well.

Outside of living like a Transcendentalist you also have to begin preparing Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior's "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail."  This piece is available in 50 Essays or at this link.  Remember that you are always to have notes on reading.  Always.  The discussion of this piece will be on Friday, prepare yourselves accordingly.

English II

No homework for tonight.  Consider the ideas we began discussing today about telling our own stories versus someone telling those stories for us.  What's the difference?

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 9/19/2014

Russian II

This weekend you are finishing your work reviewing all six cases.  This weekend, spend some time with the instrumental case.  Using your Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar complete the following exercises.  The numbers after the exercise tell you which questions in the exercise you can complete.

• Exercise 31, page 63:  1, 3-8
• Exercise 32, page 63: 1-4, 6-10
• Exercise 33, page 63:  1-7
• Exercise 36, page 64:  1-15
• Exercise 37. page 64:  1-5
• Exercise 38, page 65:  1-9

At the end of this you have worked in all of your cases.  Continue practicing and reviewing and studying nightly.  Drill and practice.  Drill and practice!

Russian I

Your homework this weekend consists of the worksheet I gave you today.  Complete the exercise in which you take each word and turn it into a sentence paired with a translation.  All of your sentences should start with the Russian equivalent of "This is...".  Have this done on a piece of paper to turn in.  Also, read the names of the colleges and universities.  We will practice with some of this on Tuesday.  Don't forget.  You have your first test on Thursday on the alphabet and culture.  We'll prepare for this a bit on Tuesday.

English II

No homework for the weekend.  Enjoy your time off.  Consider our ideas about memoir and perspective from today's class.  

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students - 9/18/14

AP English III

Over the weekend you have Henry David Thoreau's "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For" which is available in 50 Essays or at this link.  If you are accessing the text from the link then you will not need to read all of it, begin the reading at the paragraph which starts "I went to the woods because...".

As you read, annotate.  Look for the elements of Transcendental philosophy within the text and also go back to "The Over Soul" - Thoreau is living Emerson's philosophy.  How do you see this?  What are the positives or negatives to this?  Is it still possible to live this way?

English II

No homework for the weekend - if you need to finish your quiz, please make sure to take care of that tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Homework for A Day Students - 9/17/2014

Russian II

Tonight you need to work through the dehydrated sentences.  Remember to be reviewing your cases and your grammar as you work.  Fill in the blanks with the required items and then consider the cases that you need for these items.

For numbers seven and eight you need to write two sentences of your own choosing.

Russian I

Tonight you all need to spend your time reading and working on your vocabulary lists.  Continue to practice with your reading and handwriting of these vocabulary words.  As a reminder you should be working with your vocabulary each night for about thirty to forty minutes.

Read aloud!  Practice!  The reading should be getting easier day after day.  Please ask for my assistance if you need it.

Here's a video on greetings to help you with your vocabulary.  Listen to the intonation patterns!

English II

Today we took our quiz and didn't really have time to get in to the film on Iran.  Next class we will begin on this topic and move forward into our study of memoirs.

B-Day Student Homework - 9/16/2014

AP English III

Tonight for homework you should spend time reviewing and rereading "The Over Soul" so that you are prepared for our discussion of this piece on Thursday.  Also, make sure that you are filling up your vocabulary bookmark with new words and definitions.  We will soon move on to the second portion of this assignment which is the word study.

English II

Tonight you need to prepare yourselves for your quiz.  Study and review what we've been going over in class as these questions and texts will be part of your quiz on Wednesday/Thursday.

Homework for A-Day Students - 9/15/2014

Russian II

Tonight for homework you have three exercises from Schaum's Outlines of Russian Grammar related to the Dative Case.  You will need to complete exercise 26 (1-8), exercise 28 (1-7) and exercise 29 (2, 3, and 5).  For exercise 29 you will need to use the expression надо which we learned today in class.

Russian I

Tonight I want you to practice with your vocabulary related to greetings and introductions.  Read over pages fifty and fifty-one which you were given today in class.  Then, complete exercise ten.  First, you need to fill in any missing parts of the dialogue using context clues.  Look at the answer, and then work backwards to fill in the missing question.  Once you have this done, on the back, you will need to write two brief dialogues.  Practice your vocabulary.  Write and speak.  Practice your intonation patterns!

English II

Next class you will have a quiz on the following texts:

• The Anecdotes and Sayings of Saadi
• "The Train from Rhodesia" by N. Gordimer
• "In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself" by W. Szymborska

• You will have thirty multiple choice questions related to these stories/texts.
• You will have grammar related to our warm-up tasks.
• You will have to write a paragraph which follows the proper structure.  The point is to show us what you have learned.  

Please feel free to ask questions.  Use your notes to study.  Prepare yourselves.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students - 9/12/2014

AP English III

This weekend you have a very difficult piece to read and annotate, due to its difficulty we will not be working on this piece until Thursday the 18th.  I would like, however, for all of you to have given this piece one solid attempt before Tuesday's class because we will be touching on it and may have the chance to start asking questions.

Your task is to read Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Over Soul" and annotate the text.  Your annotations will likely be focused around asking questions of the text because it is wordy and complex, especially in terms of the sentence length and complexity.  As you read, use the rhetorical modes to help you.  Remember that this piece is centered around Emerson clarifying a concept - look for definition and exemplification.  Try to come out of this piece understanding what the Over Soul is to Emerson.  It may be helpful to consider connections to The Grapes of Wrath as Steinbeck is thoroughly influenced by Emerson, think especially of Ma and Jim Casy.

English II

Your task for the weekend is the same as the A-day students.  Complete your poetry study of your favorite song or the other poem that was on the back of your copy of "In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself."  Remember to work through all parts of the VLSITFT model and apply these ideas to your favorite song.

Homework for the Weekend - 9/11/2014 - A Day Students

Russian II

This weekend you need to finish watching our episode of "Орел и Решка" and answer the questions on the sheet I gave you.  Please make sure to bring your questions with you to class on Tuesday so that we can review some of these structures in writing.  If I see a good attempt you will get full completion credit.

Here's the video in case you can't find the link.

Russian I

This weekend you need to study your vocabulary lists and complete your handwriting of the new vocabulary words.  Please bring your flashcards or study aid with you to class on Tuesday so that I can check your handwriting.  We will begin working more with these words and phonetics on Tuesday.

English II

This weekend Ms. Gerdes and I would like to see you apply our poetry reading strategy to a favorite song of yours.  Please select a song and then evaluate the song based on the VLSITFT model in class.  You will need to do this on a separate sheet of paper to turn in.  Next class we will review a bit before our quiz which is happening on Wednesday and Thursday.

Homework for 9/10/2014

AP English III

Tonight for homework you will need to read the next chunk of chapters from Grapes which are chapters five through eight.  As you are rereading and annotating the text, be sure to look for the following ideas/topics/characters:

• motifs:  person to animal, American dream
• characters:  Ma Joad, Jim Casy
• devices:  personification, irony

As you read and notice things, go back to our conversation today and think about significance.  What is the importance of these specific elements of language?  What do these specific details add to Steinbeck's argument?

Furthermore, remember that you will have a quiz on the elements of rhetoric and argumentation next class.  Be sure to review your notes and know the new terminology well.  In addition, you may want to look over and complete your vocabulary that you've collected so that you are more familiar with these terms.

English II

Tonight you have no official homework but you should review your notes and your vocabulary collected from "The Train from Rhodesia".  You will be having a quiz on "The Sayings of Saadi", "The Train from Rhodesia", and the next text we will be reading "In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself" on Thursday the 18th of September.

Homework and Reminders - A Day Students - 9/9/2014

Russian II

Next class you have your first quiz on the nominative, accusative, prepositional, and genitive cases.  Prepare yourselves.  You will have a dialogue to listen to and answer questions, a paragraph to read and answer questions and finally a small writing and speaking assignment.  Feel free to come ask for help today or tomorrow.  And also, keep practicing your phonetics!

Russian I

Tonight I would like for you to spend time reading and writing in Russian.  First, practice your phonetics for approximately thirty minutes each night.  Then, write the poem about the little old man out in your best handwriting.  Practice your reading too.  We will have our first quiz on the alphabet coming soon - likely next week!

English II

You have no homework tonight but you should be working on your vocabulary and reviewing your notes.  If you have make-up work to complete, please get that settled.  You will have a quiz on 9/17 and 9/18 on the first few texts that we have read this year and on your writing skills.

9/8/2014 - B Day Homework and Announcements

AP English III

Tonight you have two things to settle.  The first is to reread and annotate (or reannotate if you have already) chapters one through four of The Grapes of Wrath.  As you are reading and annotating you should continue looking for vocabulary and, hopefully, notice elements related to rhetoric which may have been hidden in plain view before.

Be sure to have your book with you until I tell you that you no longer need it.

Additionally you will have your first quiz on Friday.  This quiz will focus on the elements of rhetoric and argumentation which we have begun to study in the opening of the year.  More details to come on Wednesday, but you may want to begin studying now by looking over your vocabulary from our class discussions.

English II

Your homework is the same as the post below.  Complete the reading of "The Train from Rhodesia" and then complete your detail hunt following the instructions on the assignment sheet.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 9/5/2014

First of all, thanks for being with me on my birthday!  You all got me off to a good start.  Here are your assignments for the weekend.

Russian II

This weekend you have several exercises on cases.  Remember to complete the even numbered questions in each exercise.  I will be checking this for completion.  Mark questions that you cannot or aren't sure how to do so that we can review these on Tuesday.  On Tuesday we will review in preparation for our quiz.

Also remember that if you did not submit your warm-up sheet with last night's homework you must get that in to me no later than Tuesday for credit.

Russian I

This weekend I would like for you to practice with your reading and writing.  Go to your phonetics sheets and practice reading the two poems several times.  Also, practice your handwriting and write these poems in your best Russian handwriting.  You will want to write them several times to practice.

Russian I and II

Don't forget to read and practice your phonetics sheets nightly.  You should read over these every day to practice your mouth positions and sounds.

English II

This weekend finish reading "The Train from Rhodesia" and complete your detail hunt about the character of the man and the woman.  Feel free to use the back of your handout to collect details and do your work.

Homework - B Day Students - 9/4/2014

AP English III

Over the weekend you have a few things to read and consider to prepare for Monday's class.

1. You'll need to read/annotate "On Compassion" by B. Ascher.  You can find this in 50 Essays or at this link.
2. You will also need to reread/annotate "Harvest of Shame" and "Work Works" from The Working Poor.  As you do this rereading, consider the argument we developed in class today.  How can you continue to refine it and clarify it using the data from these chapters?

English II

Your assignment is in the post below for A-day students.  Be sure that your paragraph is submitted no later than Monday if you did not submit it today.

Homework for A-Day Students - 9/3/2014

Russian II

For homework tonight you need to complete the assignment on dehydrated sentences.  Put the five sentences into grammatically correct Russian forms.  See me for help if you need it.

Russian I

Complete the handwriting homework and go back to complete any skipped exercises from the first set of homework.  You should complete the following exercises:  4, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, and 29.

Be sure to have your completed homework and your warm-up sheets next class as it will be collected for a grade.

English II

You have no official homework tonight if you were able to submit your final draft of your paragraph.  If you did not submit your draft then you must turn it in next class.  Feel free to complete the bonus assignment below for extra credit.  Next class we will continue reading "The Train from Rhodesia".

English II - Extra Credit Assignment - 9/3 and 9/4

If you finish typing your final draft and turn in your draft packet before the end of the period, then you may complete this extra credit assignment.  To complete the extra credit assignment, follow these instructions:

1.  Leave a comment to this blog post by clicking the link below.
2.  Do an Internet search for a current event related to South Africa - it may be related to culture, politics, arts, or anything that you'd like as long as it is centered on South Africa.
3.  Post the link to your article in your comment.
4.  Type a three to four sentence summary of your current event.
5.  Explain in three to four sentences how this current event is connected to Sarafina, "The Train from Rhodesia", or "Teaching Under Apartheid".  Be clear and specific when you explain this connection.
6.  Leave your name and class period in the comment to earn credit.

9/2/2014 - B Day Homework and Reminders

AP English III

Be reminded that your final drafts of your introduction piece is due to me on Thursday.  You will need to submit your rough draft as well as any additional drafts which you completed before the due date.  In addition, be sure that you have your copy of The Working Poor next class as we will be studying the introduction of this piece.

Lastly, complete the Ehrenreich questions based on "Serving in Florida" - we will review these questions on Thursday to start our day together.

English II

Next class we will be going to the computer lab to type up our final assignments.  Remember to have your rough draft and feedback chart as you may be able to turn everything in before you go for the weekend.  The final drafts are due no later than Friday (A-day) and Monday (B-day).  If you didn't have a draft for workshop, please come see me or Ms. Gerdes before the computer lab time with your draft to get back your points.

Also, if you are completing the bonus assignment make sure to have your reading done for our next class.