Yesterday, I could have sworn I wrote the blog post, but it appears it got lost in the flood. I apologize for the lateness!
English IV
Yesterday, we started class with less focus than ideal, but we turned it around and you all came up with some pretty fantastic group presentations. I was really thrilled with how creative and funny you were with your interpretations of Twelfth Night. Tomorrow, let's make sure we're on-task and with it from the jump, we have lots of work to complete. Looking forward to seeing everybody, Friday should be a blast!
AP English III
Yesterday, we did some pretty in-depth analysis of The Great Gatsby Chapter 6. We thought a lot about the importance of identity, especially as it relates to the Jay Gatsby/James Gatz question. We also had a thought-provoking conversation about how we can think about the Gatsby dilemma in comparison to gender identity and expression in the modern United States. For class tomorrow, please read and thoroughly annotate Chapter 7, with a couple questions in mind:
1. Is Jay Gatsby good?
2. What are some modern comparisons we can make to The Great Gatsby? These can be fictional or based on true life.
Again, sorry for the delay on the post, can't wait to see you all tomorrow!
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Homework for the Weekend - English Students - 30 November 2017
English IV
Today, we began class with a quotes quiz. This served as a good review of some of the characters present in Act I, and gave us more practice translating Shakespearean dialogue into our own style of English. After that, we covered some things that make comedians/actors/jokes funny: tone of voice, pacing, and volume. We then did a whole group activity and began our study of Act II, finishing out our character charts. If you have missed days and don't know some information about a few of the characters, I'm including some on this blog post. Come to class ready for a quiz on Monday, and have a great weekend!
Olivia: rich woman in Illyria, mourning her dead brother, in love with Cesario (Viola)
Duke Orsino: political leader of Illyria, loves Olivia, employs Cesario (Viola) to woo Olivia
Viola: shipwrecked woman, pretends to be a woman to work for the Duke, in love with the Duke
Sir Toby: Olivia's drunk uncle, acts silly all the time
Malvolio: Olivia's assistant, doesn't like anybody
Feste: Olivia's jester, messes around all the time, very witty
Sir Andrew: kind of a goofball, friends with Sir Toby, tries to woo Maria and Olivia
Sebastian: Viola's brother! He's not dead! Thinks Viola is dead, goes to Orsino at the end of Act II, Scene 2
Today, we began class with a quotes quiz. This served as a good review of some of the characters present in Act I, and gave us more practice translating Shakespearean dialogue into our own style of English. After that, we covered some things that make comedians/actors/jokes funny: tone of voice, pacing, and volume. We then did a whole group activity and began our study of Act II, finishing out our character charts. If you have missed days and don't know some information about a few of the characters, I'm including some on this blog post. Come to class ready for a quiz on Monday, and have a great weekend!
Olivia: rich woman in Illyria, mourning her dead brother, in love with Cesario (Viola)
Duke Orsino: political leader of Illyria, loves Olivia, employs Cesario (Viola) to woo Olivia
Viola: shipwrecked woman, pretends to be a woman to work for the Duke, in love with the Duke
Sir Toby: Olivia's drunk uncle, acts silly all the time
Malvolio: Olivia's assistant, doesn't like anybody
Feste: Olivia's jester, messes around all the time, very witty
Sir Andrew: kind of a goofball, friends with Sir Toby, tries to woo Maria and Olivia
Sebastian: Viola's brother! He's not dead! Thinks Viola is dead, goes to Orsino at the end of Act II, Scene 2
Homework for the Weekend - 30 November - Russian Students
Advanced Russian:
Hopefully after spending time with your numbers and counting rules you are a bit more comfortable using and navigating time expressions. Russian II - If you did not finish your answering of the questions in Google Classroom as well as your recording of your questions and answers, make sure that you finish that work by Monday. There are also your time expression exercises at the end of Chapter Five.
Russian III - I hope that you are satisfied with the final draft of your paper. You should be actively preparing to answer questions and discuss this essay. Developing sample questions and preparing answers for those questions is one of the best ways to prepare. Also, don't forget to finish reviewing your time expressions as well. On Monday we will be working through some talking to solidify our knowledge around time. Prepare for a quiz on time expressions next week!
Russian I:
I will have your quizzes graded and posted soon. If you are not satisfied with your score, make sure that you fully learn this skill so that you can reassess on the skill next week. I also hope that you enjoyed your viewing of the second section of Doctor Zhivago today.
Over the weekend you should spend time with the readings at the beginning of Chapter One. Read over the dialogue and the reading. As you are reading these texts, look out for verbs. Can you identify where they are? Can you also identify where prepositional case is being used? On Monday we'll do some more work to pair verb conjugation with prepositional case.
Hopefully after spending time with your numbers and counting rules you are a bit more comfortable using and navigating time expressions. Russian II - If you did not finish your answering of the questions in Google Classroom as well as your recording of your questions and answers, make sure that you finish that work by Monday. There are also your time expression exercises at the end of Chapter Five.
Russian III - I hope that you are satisfied with the final draft of your paper. You should be actively preparing to answer questions and discuss this essay. Developing sample questions and preparing answers for those questions is one of the best ways to prepare. Also, don't forget to finish reviewing your time expressions as well. On Monday we will be working through some talking to solidify our knowledge around time. Prepare for a quiz on time expressions next week!
Russian I:
I will have your quizzes graded and posted soon. If you are not satisfied with your score, make sure that you fully learn this skill so that you can reassess on the skill next week. I also hope that you enjoyed your viewing of the second section of Doctor Zhivago today.
Over the weekend you should spend time with the readings at the beginning of Chapter One. Read over the dialogue and the reading. As you are reading these texts, look out for verbs. Can you identify where they are? Can you also identify where prepositional case is being used? On Monday we'll do some more work to pair verb conjugation with prepositional case.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Homework for English Students - 28 November 2017
English IV
You all did a great job today working through the group projects on Twelfth Night, Act I. I was very impressed with how you adjusted to Ms. Baker's room (sorry for the confusion at the beginning of class), and thought your creativity really shone through! For next class, be prepared to begin working through Act II after some strong practice with Shakespeare's vocabulary and wordplay. Have a great day, see you on Thursday!
You all did a great job today working through the group projects on Twelfth Night, Act I. I was very impressed with how you adjusted to Ms. Baker's room (sorry for the confusion at the beginning of class), and thought your creativity really shone through! For next class, be prepared to begin working through Act II after some strong practice with Shakespeare's vocabulary and wordplay. Have a great day, see you on Thursday!
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Homework for Russian Students - 28 November 2017
Russian I
Today we focused on learning how to put words into the prepositional case. Remember that this case is used to discuss where an action occurs. It is also used to indicate what something is about. You should have been able to add locations for your sentences which you have written about yourselves and your friends.
To finalize this skill, complete exercise 8D at the end of Chapter One. Fill in the blanks by putting the words in parenthesis in prepositional case.
Here is a video that reviews prepositional case in Russian. You may find it useful.
Lastly, don't forget that you will have a quiz on Thursday before we go back to watching Doctor Zhivago. You will need to be able to tell if a verb is first or second conjugation and if it is transitive or reflexive. You will also be asked to conjugate several verbs in Russian.
Advanced Russian
Today we delved into the exciting world of talking about time in Russian. We reviewed the cases that are used, the counting rules for numbers, and how to use prepositions to explain time expressions. Tonight, as a means of reinforcing this skill you should make a schedule of when things occur in your day. List out actions and the times that they happen. This will help you to get comfortable with this new information. Your numbers are located on page 181 - in the Chapter Five vocabulary. Next class you will be working to answer questions talking about time.
Russian III - You should actively be working on completing the final draft of your essay. I will submit your essay on Thursday afternoon at 5:00.
Today we focused on learning how to put words into the prepositional case. Remember that this case is used to discuss where an action occurs. It is also used to indicate what something is about. You should have been able to add locations for your sentences which you have written about yourselves and your friends.
To finalize this skill, complete exercise 8D at the end of Chapter One. Fill in the blanks by putting the words in parenthesis in prepositional case.
Here is a video that reviews prepositional case in Russian. You may find it useful.
Lastly, don't forget that you will have a quiz on Thursday before we go back to watching Doctor Zhivago. You will need to be able to tell if a verb is first or second conjugation and if it is transitive or reflexive. You will also be asked to conjugate several verbs in Russian.
Advanced Russian
Today we delved into the exciting world of talking about time in Russian. We reviewed the cases that are used, the counting rules for numbers, and how to use prepositions to explain time expressions. Tonight, as a means of reinforcing this skill you should make a schedule of when things occur in your day. List out actions and the times that they happen. This will help you to get comfortable with this new information. Your numbers are located on page 181 - in the Chapter Five vocabulary. Next class you will be working to answer questions talking about time.
Russian III - You should actively be working on completing the final draft of your essay. I will submit your essay on Thursday afternoon at 5:00.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Homework for B Day Students - 27 November 2017
English IV
Today, we finished up Act I of Twelfth Night, reading from the play and watching some of the Globe Production version to clarify the action in the last scene. I'm really excited about how well you all are understanding Shakespeare's language and humor. Next class, we will complete a group project centering on physical comedy, acting, and interpretation of the text! Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday!
AP English III
Today, we discussed Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, thinking specifically about Daisy and Gatsby as symbols of disillusionment and the American Dream. We also took a quiz focusing on interpretation and extrapolation skills from a single passage. For the second half of class, we discussed Langston Hughes's "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain," thinking about the differences in the American Dream for people if various races/genders/sexual orientations. For next class, please read and thoroughly annotate Chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby. See you soon!
Today, we finished up Act I of Twelfth Night, reading from the play and watching some of the Globe Production version to clarify the action in the last scene. I'm really excited about how well you all are understanding Shakespeare's language and humor. Next class, we will complete a group project centering on physical comedy, acting, and interpretation of the text! Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday!
AP English III
Today, we discussed Chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, thinking specifically about Daisy and Gatsby as symbols of disillusionment and the American Dream. We also took a quiz focusing on interpretation and extrapolation skills from a single passage. For the second half of class, we discussed Langston Hughes's "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain," thinking about the differences in the American Dream for people if various races/genders/sexual orientations. For next class, please read and thoroughly annotate Chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby. See you soon!
AP Quarter Two Newsletter
AP English III Students and Parents - The AP Program Newsletter for Quarter Two can be found at this link.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Homework for Thanksgiving Break - English Students of the World, Unite!
English IV 2A:
Today, we finished reading/watching Twelfth Night, Act I. At this point, you should have just about your entire character chart full of notes. You were also split into groups to begin your "Acting a Fool" project, which we will hopefully complete next Tuesday. If you haven't yet made up your Canterbury Tales test, you need to email me ASAP. We have given you many chances to make this up, and you're coming up on a zero in the grade book if it isn't addressed now. For all of you, have a wonderful and safe break, eat a lot of good food, and come back next week ready to learn!
English IV 2B:
Yesterday, we made more progress on Twelfth Night and learned about elements of physical comedy. When we return, we will finish Act I and begin working on a group project. The advice above to students who have not yet taken the Canterbury Tales test applies here as well. I need you to submit your work, or you're looking at a zero. Have a wonderful and safe break, be smart and responsible, eat good food, and come back ready to push towards the winter!
AP English III:
Yesterday, you all completed the third timed writing of the year, but this time it was a rhetorical analysis prompt. I'll be grading these over the break; when we return I will have a set of rules for good writing to go over in response. You also went over color analysis and new information about Gatsby with Mr. Miller, which I hope opened some more doors for you in terms of understanding the language, Fitzgerald's rhetorical devices, and the text's overall themes. When we return from break, we will go over Chapter 5, so make sure you're reading and annotating thoroughly. Also, please read and consider Langston Hughes's "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." While you are reading, condense Hughes's argument into one or two sentences and take notes on how you feel in response to his argument. We will have a lengthy discussion of his piece in light of Gatsby on Monday. Have a wonderful break, make good decisions, and I'll see you on Monday!
Today, we finished reading/watching Twelfth Night, Act I. At this point, you should have just about your entire character chart full of notes. You were also split into groups to begin your "Acting a Fool" project, which we will hopefully complete next Tuesday. If you haven't yet made up your Canterbury Tales test, you need to email me ASAP. We have given you many chances to make this up, and you're coming up on a zero in the grade book if it isn't addressed now. For all of you, have a wonderful and safe break, eat a lot of good food, and come back next week ready to learn!
English IV 2B:
Yesterday, we made more progress on Twelfth Night and learned about elements of physical comedy. When we return, we will finish Act I and begin working on a group project. The advice above to students who have not yet taken the Canterbury Tales test applies here as well. I need you to submit your work, or you're looking at a zero. Have a wonderful and safe break, be smart and responsible, eat good food, and come back ready to push towards the winter!
AP English III:
Yesterday, you all completed the third timed writing of the year, but this time it was a rhetorical analysis prompt. I'll be grading these over the break; when we return I will have a set of rules for good writing to go over in response. You also went over color analysis and new information about Gatsby with Mr. Miller, which I hope opened some more doors for you in terms of understanding the language, Fitzgerald's rhetorical devices, and the text's overall themes. When we return from break, we will go over Chapter 5, so make sure you're reading and annotating thoroughly. Also, please read and consider Langston Hughes's "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." While you are reading, condense Hughes's argument into one or two sentences and take notes on how you feel in response to his argument. We will have a lengthy discussion of his piece in light of Gatsby on Monday. Have a wonderful break, make good decisions, and I'll see you on Monday!
Homework for Russian Students - Thanksgiving Break Edition
С ДНЁМ БЛАГОДАРЕНИЯ! (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Over the break you should spend time daily with your Russian so that you don't forget anything over the break. Here are some things that you should accomplish.
Russian III: Spend time reviewing your information on how to tell time in Russian including the different prepositions, the different ways to tell time, and the different expressions and cases used with time. Completing exercises 8.11 and 8.14 will help to solidify these skills. Additionally, you should be actively working on finalizing the parts of your paper. I've done your works cited page as well as found some good sources for you. Use them and finish your writing.
Russian II: Complete the guided notes sheet about time expressions as you read and study pages 205 to 209. Once you've done this, complete exercises 5.12 and 5.15 to help you review how to use time expressions. We will review all of this new information next week after we return. This is the last goal of this chapter - expect a unit exam soon.
Russian I: By this point you should feel very comfortable conjugating first and second conjugation verbs in Russian. You should be able to write about yourself, a male friend, a female friend, you all as a group, and them as a group. Go through your project and finish your basic sentences where you have just a subject and a verb.
Additionally, this video may be very helpful in learning your conjugations. Use this as an additional aid in helping you to learn. If you are still confused, please come and see me for extra help.
Friday, November 17, 2017
Homework for the Weekend - English Students - 17 November 2017
English IV
Today, we continued our reading of Twelfth Night after a good discussion about physical comedy. Make sure you are keeping in mind the various strategies Shakespeare is using to make us laugh throughout the play! At this point, just about everyone has made up the Canterbury Tales test. If you still haven't taken it, make sure you are prepared and have communicated with me or Mr. Miller about the best way to get it done; we need to have all of these tests complete and graded before Thanksgiving. Also, please consider finishing up the college applications many of you began in the media center this week. Have a great weekend, I'll see you on Tuesday!
Today, we continued our reading of Twelfth Night after a good discussion about physical comedy. Make sure you are keeping in mind the various strategies Shakespeare is using to make us laugh throughout the play! At this point, just about everyone has made up the Canterbury Tales test. If you still haven't taken it, make sure you are prepared and have communicated with me or Mr. Miller about the best way to get it done; we need to have all of these tests complete and graded before Thanksgiving. Also, please consider finishing up the college applications many of you began in the media center this week. Have a great weekend, I'll see you on Tuesday!
Homework for the Weekend - Russian - 17 November
Russian III: Over the weekend put in time and energy toward the report on Russia's annexation of Crimea. Make sure that you are supporting your ideas with source material - either in English or in Russian. Write what you can write in Russian, do the rest in English. I'll come behind you in order to help with the formatting and word choice. By our next class we should have our sources determined and we should be able to fully prove our thesis.
Russian II: Many of you got a lot of great work done today to get your projects done. Make sure that by Sunday, you have completed most of your work on Google Classroom. I'll come in and leave any comments for you to correct before Tuesday. Keep in mind that the project is due on Tuesday. You should also complete exercise nine in Chapter Five. In this exercise you should pick the proper verb aspect based on the clues in the sentences.
Russian I: Over the weekend you should finish your verb cards for our project about ourselves and our friends. You should have six verbs that you and your friends do. The verbs should all be conjugated for all forms. You may want to write the name of your friend in Russian as a practice with that. Next class we will have a small quiz on verb conjugation and we will also put in work to our writing projects.
Russian II: Many of you got a lot of great work done today to get your projects done. Make sure that by Sunday, you have completed most of your work on Google Classroom. I'll come in and leave any comments for you to correct before Tuesday. Keep in mind that the project is due on Tuesday. You should also complete exercise nine in Chapter Five. In this exercise you should pick the proper verb aspect based on the clues in the sentences.
Russian I: Over the weekend you should finish your verb cards for our project about ourselves and our friends. You should have six verbs that you and your friends do. The verbs should all be conjugated for all forms. You may want to write the name of your friend in Russian as a practice with that. Next class we will have a small quiz on verb conjugation and we will also put in work to our writing projects.
Enjoy the weekend! Next week will be very short!
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Homework for B Day Students - 17 November 2017
English IV
Today, you all did a great job working through the first two scenes of Twelfth Night, even with the fire alarm interruption! After working through these and talking about jokes that can go too far, we spent the last part of class in the library working through college applications on CFNC. Tomorrow is the last day to apply to North Carolina colleges for free, so make sure you are thinking about getting applications submitted. Mr. Kelly in the library is a great resource for all of you, as are me and Mr. Miller for things like college essays. Remember, college can be an option for all of you, so make sure to do your due diligence to prepare. Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!
AP English III
Today, we began class by completing the JHS student climate survey. If you missed today, you can complete the survey here. After that, we discussed Andrew Carnegie's "The Gospel of Wealth," connecting it to Gatsby and the American Dream. For next class, please read and annotate Chapter 4 of Gatsby, paying close attention to imagery and descriptions of color. Also prepare to submit a set of three vocabulary cards and get ready for an AP Timed Writing (rhetorical analysis prompt). Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!
Today, you all did a great job working through the first two scenes of Twelfth Night, even with the fire alarm interruption! After working through these and talking about jokes that can go too far, we spent the last part of class in the library working through college applications on CFNC. Tomorrow is the last day to apply to North Carolina colleges for free, so make sure you are thinking about getting applications submitted. Mr. Kelly in the library is a great resource for all of you, as are me and Mr. Miller for things like college essays. Remember, college can be an option for all of you, so make sure to do your due diligence to prepare. Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!
AP English III
Today, we began class by completing the JHS student climate survey. If you missed today, you can complete the survey here. After that, we discussed Andrew Carnegie's "The Gospel of Wealth," connecting it to Gatsby and the American Dream. For next class, please read and annotate Chapter 4 of Gatsby, paying close attention to imagery and descriptions of color. Also prepare to submit a set of three vocabulary cards and get ready for an AP Timed Writing (rhetorical analysis prompt). Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Homework for Russian Students - 15 November
Good work today in class speaking and working with Russian. I like that I'm seeing a lot of engagement. Here are your reminders as you go into Friday.
Advanced Russian:
Since we didn't have a chance to do our workshop today, I want to make sure that all of you are continuing to work on your projects. Russian II - Since you got your rough drafts back today, focus on adding more complexity to your sentences. Add prepositional phrases, more verbs, and other vocabulary to help increase the complexity of the sentences. Russian III - Now we have a clear idea of our topic, the annexation of Crimea's effect on Russia's image in the world. Take this and move forward. Finish gathering your sources and start writing.
There are also exercises for you to consider. Russian III should look at exercise 21 on page 345. Russian II should look at exercise 9 in Chapter Five. Do what you can with these.
Russian I:
Tonight for homework you should complete your verb cards for your project. Remember that you want to have six verbs that you and your friends enjoy doing. Additionally, I would like for you to read the Chapter One dialogue, at the beginning of the chapter, and find all of the verbs. You can highlight them or mark them in another way as well.
Advanced Russian:
Since we didn't have a chance to do our workshop today, I want to make sure that all of you are continuing to work on your projects. Russian II - Since you got your rough drafts back today, focus on adding more complexity to your sentences. Add prepositional phrases, more verbs, and other vocabulary to help increase the complexity of the sentences. Russian III - Now we have a clear idea of our topic, the annexation of Crimea's effect on Russia's image in the world. Take this and move forward. Finish gathering your sources and start writing.
There are also exercises for you to consider. Russian III should look at exercise 21 on page 345. Russian II should look at exercise 9 in Chapter Five. Do what you can with these.
Russian I:
Tonight for homework you should complete your verb cards for your project. Remember that you want to have six verbs that you and your friends enjoy doing. Additionally, I would like for you to read the Chapter One dialogue, at the beginning of the chapter, and find all of the verbs. You can highlight them or mark them in another way as well.
Homework for English Students - 15 November 2017
English IV
Today, the class did an excellent job pushing through and understanding the first two scenes from Twelfth Night. I was very impressed with how you were all able to engage with Shakespeare's dirty humor. We also spent a good percentage of the class in the computer lab working on college applications through CFNC and the Common App. This is extremely important work, as it has the potential to change your life. I encourage you to keep thinking about applying for postsecondary education, even if it's for something as simple as an additional certification for your career. Have a great night and day tomorrow, I look forward to seeing you on Friday!
Today, the class did an excellent job pushing through and understanding the first two scenes from Twelfth Night. I was very impressed with how you were all able to engage with Shakespeare's dirty humor. We also spent a good percentage of the class in the computer lab working on college applications through CFNC and the Common App. This is extremely important work, as it has the potential to change your life. I encourage you to keep thinking about applying for postsecondary education, even if it's for something as simple as an additional certification for your career. Have a great night and day tomorrow, I look forward to seeing you on Friday!
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Homework for B Day Students - 14 November 2017
English IV
Today, we went through the same lesson as your counterparts on A Day. Next class, we are going to continue our study of Twelfth Night, focusing on characters and preparing for a class "production" of the play. We will also spend time in the library working on college applications. Have a great rest of your night, and see you on Thursday!
AP English III
Today, we learned about a new style of AP Timed Writing: Rhetorical Analysis. We also continued our conversation about themes, strategies and motifs in The Great Gatsby and went over some new (and old) rules for good writing. Before next class, please read and annotate "The Gospel of Wealth" by Andrew Carnegie, which is accessible at this link. When we arrive, we will analyze specific passages from Chapters 2 & 3 of Gatsby in light of Carnegie's writing. Have a great week, start reading, and see you on Thursday!
Today, we went through the same lesson as your counterparts on A Day. Next class, we are going to continue our study of Twelfth Night, focusing on characters and preparing for a class "production" of the play. We will also spend time in the library working on college applications. Have a great rest of your night, and see you on Thursday!
AP English III
Today, we learned about a new style of AP Timed Writing: Rhetorical Analysis. We also continued our conversation about themes, strategies and motifs in The Great Gatsby and went over some new (and old) rules for good writing. Before next class, please read and annotate "The Gospel of Wealth" by Andrew Carnegie, which is accessible at this link. When we arrive, we will analyze specific passages from Chapters 2 & 3 of Gatsby in light of Carnegie's writing. Have a great week, start reading, and see you on Thursday!
Monday, November 13, 2017
Homework for English Students - A Day - 13 November 2017
English IV
Today, we began class with a survey from Mr. Nowak relating to college choices and your perspectives on what services the guidance office could provide students at Jordan. After that, we discussed the makings of an effective love song, and connected these traits back to Shakespeare and sonnets. We read Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," began thinking about Twelfth Night, and watched the trailer to She's the Man. Overall, we had a productive day, but I would love to see the energy level get higher as we continue to move through the quarter. For next class, jazz yourself up to work on props, costumes and ideas for our class version of Twelfth Night. Have a great week!
Today, we began class with a survey from Mr. Nowak relating to college choices and your perspectives on what services the guidance office could provide students at Jordan. After that, we discussed the makings of an effective love song, and connected these traits back to Shakespeare and sonnets. We read Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," began thinking about Twelfth Night, and watched the trailer to She's the Man. Overall, we had a productive day, but I would love to see the energy level get higher as we continue to move through the quarter. For next class, jazz yourself up to work on props, costumes and ideas for our class version of Twelfth Night. Have a great week!
Homework for Russian Students - 13 November 2017
You may reassesss on your quizzes all this week. You must schedule a time to do this outside of class. If you missed the quiz last week, then you must schedule a time to take it before the end of the day on Friday. Here are other reminders and announcements for today.
Russian I: This quarter you will be working on a long-term writing project in which you write about yourself and two friends (one male, one female) in Russian. For tonight, you should find six verbs that apply to you and your friends. Find the verbs in Russian and then conjugate them for all forms. You can do this on the back of the assignment sheet, or you can make vocabulary cards. These will be the verbs that you will continue to use through the majority of the project.
Russian II/III: Next class we will stay together and continue to work with the verbs that we have learned today. Focus on studying them thoroughly tonight. Use them. Focus on the strange conjugations. To help you do this, translate the sentences we were looking at during the end of class. You know which verb to use, now put it in the right form. We'll start by reviewing these translations next class.
Russian III: Take a look on Google Classroom - I have created templates for you to use in order to structure your writing assignment. By the end of this week you should complete the abstract and works cited page.
Russian I: This quarter you will be working on a long-term writing project in which you write about yourself and two friends (one male, one female) in Russian. For tonight, you should find six verbs that apply to you and your friends. Find the verbs in Russian and then conjugate them for all forms. You can do this on the back of the assignment sheet, or you can make vocabulary cards. These will be the verbs that you will continue to use through the majority of the project.
Russian II/III: Next class we will stay together and continue to work with the verbs that we have learned today. Focus on studying them thoroughly tonight. Use them. Focus on the strange conjugations. To help you do this, translate the sentences we were looking at during the end of class. You know which verb to use, now put it in the right form. We'll start by reviewing these translations next class.
Russian III: Take a look on Google Classroom - I have created templates for you to use in order to structure your writing assignment. By the end of this week you should complete the abstract and works cited page.
Friday, November 10, 2017
Homework for the Long Weekend - B Day Students - November 9
English IV
Nice job working through the unit test today. When we return next week, we will begin our Shakespeare/humor unit in earnest, so be prepared to digest some challenging language, learn new styles of jokes and comedy, and have fun as we read Twelfth Night!
AP English III
Both classes did a great job today working with close reading and the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. As you're rereading and annotating this weekend, consider how literary devices are functioning in the text. Figure out what is making the message clear, unclear, interesting and confusing. For next class, make sure you have thoroughly read and annotated (including your covers) Chapters 2 & 3, and are prepared to talk about Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Also, don't forget to bring in a passage you'd like to discuss, with some specific talking points in mind.
Nice job working through the unit test today. When we return next week, we will begin our Shakespeare/humor unit in earnest, so be prepared to digest some challenging language, learn new styles of jokes and comedy, and have fun as we read Twelfth Night!
AP English III
Both classes did a great job today working with close reading and the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. As you're rereading and annotating this weekend, consider how literary devices are functioning in the text. Figure out what is making the message clear, unclear, interesting and confusing. For next class, make sure you have thoroughly read and annotated (including your covers) Chapters 2 & 3, and are prepared to talk about Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Also, don't forget to bring in a passage you'd like to discuss, with some specific talking points in mind.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Homework for the Long Weekend - English A Day Students - 8 November 2017
English IV
Nice job today working through the unit test. Grades should begin appearing for the test on PowerSchool before the weekend is over, so keep an eye out for those. For next week, begin mentally preparing to tackle Shakespeare and learn more about comedy/humor, it should be a very fun and rewarding rest of the semester!
Nice job today working through the unit test. Grades should begin appearing for the test on PowerSchool before the weekend is over, so keep an eye out for those. For next week, begin mentally preparing to tackle Shakespeare and learn more about comedy/humor, it should be a very fun and rewarding rest of the semester!
Homework for the Long Weekend - Russian Classes - 8 November 2017
We all had quizzes today! If you felt unprepared on a section make sure that you study so that you can complete your reassessment on that section after I return them to you. Here's what you should complete over the weekend:
Russian II: Complete the final drafts of your aspect sentences. Make sure that you are increasing your sentence complexity by adding in adverbs that relate to the aspect (this will help you study the new vocabulary) as well as prepositional phrases (with the list of prepositions I gave you earlier). By applying and using the words I give you, then you will better learn them.
Russian III: Your goal this weekend is to share a document between yourselves and me in which you start drafting your paper's abstract. The abstract should review the argument of the paper as well as the source material that will be used to prove the point of the paper. This can be done in English and in Russian. Use Russian where you can and use English where you need to.
In another shared document you should put together your outline. In the outline you should include your argument and the topics that you will explore to prove your argument is valid. In the topics you should include information from your source materials as well as your commentary. Again, this can be done in a mixture of English and Russian.
Please be sure to share these documents with me as I will help with corrections, translations, and formatting for the APA style requirements. Your paper must be finished after Thanksgiving Break - so it is very important we finish these elements this weekend.
Russian I:
Over the weekend complete the review activities that I gave you. In the first you will be using possessive pronouns in order to talk about ownership of items. In the other exercises you will be working with verb conjugations and subject pronouns. This is a great review of all of the things that you have learned so far in this grammar unit. Make sure to complete all of the activities.
Russian II: Complete the final drafts of your aspect sentences. Make sure that you are increasing your sentence complexity by adding in adverbs that relate to the aspect (this will help you study the new vocabulary) as well as prepositional phrases (with the list of prepositions I gave you earlier). By applying and using the words I give you, then you will better learn them.
Russian III: Your goal this weekend is to share a document between yourselves and me in which you start drafting your paper's abstract. The abstract should review the argument of the paper as well as the source material that will be used to prove the point of the paper. This can be done in English and in Russian. Use Russian where you can and use English where you need to.
In another shared document you should put together your outline. In the outline you should include your argument and the topics that you will explore to prove your argument is valid. In the topics you should include information from your source materials as well as your commentary. Again, this can be done in a mixture of English and Russian.
Please be sure to share these documents with me as I will help with corrections, translations, and formatting for the APA style requirements. Your paper must be finished after Thanksgiving Break - so it is very important we finish these elements this weekend.
Russian I:
Over the weekend complete the review activities that I gave you. In the first you will be using possessive pronouns in order to talk about ownership of items. In the other exercises you will be working with verb conjugations and subject pronouns. This is a great review of all of the things that you have learned so far in this grammar unit. Make sure to complete all of the activities.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Homework for B Day Students - 7 November 2017
English IV
Today, we had a productive review session in preparation for our unit test on Thursday. We also learned a little bit about puns and how they work with regard to Shakespeare's language. After the test, we are going to move forward learning about different kinds of humor and reading Twelfth Night. As you prepare for your test, remember the different qualities Chaucer likes and doesn't like, as well as plot details and characters from The Canterbury Tales. Good luck studying, I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!
AP English III
Both sections had a very productive first day of the unit on The Great Gatsby. It was a lot of fun for me and Mr. Miller to see how each of you processed the visual discussion as well as the reading of the Declaration of Independence. For next class, you will need to read the first chapter of Gatsby, making careful annotations that relate to Fitzgerald's strategies and purpose. Why is he making the choices as a writer he is making? Like I said, today was excellent. Let's continue to stay focused and do well as me move through the unit together.
Today, we had a productive review session in preparation for our unit test on Thursday. We also learned a little bit about puns and how they work with regard to Shakespeare's language. After the test, we are going to move forward learning about different kinds of humor and reading Twelfth Night. As you prepare for your test, remember the different qualities Chaucer likes and doesn't like, as well as plot details and characters from The Canterbury Tales. Good luck studying, I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!
AP English III
Both sections had a very productive first day of the unit on The Great Gatsby. It was a lot of fun for me and Mr. Miller to see how each of you processed the visual discussion as well as the reading of the Declaration of Independence. For next class, you will need to read the first chapter of Gatsby, making careful annotations that relate to Fitzgerald's strategies and purpose. Why is he making the choices as a writer he is making? Like I said, today was excellent. Let's continue to stay focused and do well as me move through the unit together.
Monday, November 6, 2017
Homework for Russian Students - A Day - 6 November
You all have quizzes next class and this is your priority for tonight. Details are below.
Russian I - Your quiz will focus on pronouns (subject and possessive), nouns from Chapter One, verbs from Chapter One, and cognates. You should be able to spell them, tell the meaning, and the gender. If the word is a verb, you should be able to tell if it is first or second conjugation. For this quiz you do not need to worry about conjugating verbs.
Russian II - Your quiz will focus on verb pairs and adverbs related to aspect (the red flags for aspect). You should be able to define the words, spell the words, and in terms of the verb pairs you should be able to move between the pairs (for example, you are given a perfective verb and you can derive the imperfective).
Russian III - Your quiz will focus on time expressions and language related to time. You should know your days of the week, months of the year, and your numbers in their ordinal and cardinal forms. You should know different ways to measure time as well (hours, seconds, minutes). You will also be asked about different prepositions used to talk about time.
If you have any missing work from the first part of these units that work is due on Wednesday when you take your quizzes. After the quiz we will go back to our films.
Russian I - Your quiz will focus on pronouns (subject and possessive), nouns from Chapter One, verbs from Chapter One, and cognates. You should be able to spell them, tell the meaning, and the gender. If the word is a verb, you should be able to tell if it is first or second conjugation. For this quiz you do not need to worry about conjugating verbs.
Russian II - Your quiz will focus on verb pairs and adverbs related to aspect (the red flags for aspect). You should be able to define the words, spell the words, and in terms of the verb pairs you should be able to move between the pairs (for example, you are given a perfective verb and you can derive the imperfective).
Russian III - Your quiz will focus on time expressions and language related to time. You should know your days of the week, months of the year, and your numbers in their ordinal and cardinal forms. You should know different ways to measure time as well (hours, seconds, minutes). You will also be asked about different prepositions used to talk about time.
If you have any missing work from the first part of these units that work is due on Wednesday when you take your quizzes. After the quiz we will go back to our films.
English Homework for A-Day Students - 6 November
English IV
Today, we began our discussion of Twelfth Night with a small exercise on puns and wordplay jokes. We then spent the rest of class finalizing our review before the unit test next class meeting. More specifically, we covered avoidable mistakes on resumes and cover letters, as well as some important things to remember when doing professional writing.
We also spent time reading and analyzing passages about characters in the "General Prologue." Make sure you are remembering the processes we covered in class for textual analysis; they will come in handy on Wednesday.
Be sure to study and come to class prepared for a test, I believe all of you have the capability to excel with the right amount of preparation!
Today, we began our discussion of Twelfth Night with a small exercise on puns and wordplay jokes. We then spent the rest of class finalizing our review before the unit test next class meeting. More specifically, we covered avoidable mistakes on resumes and cover letters, as well as some important things to remember when doing professional writing.
We also spent time reading and analyzing passages about characters in the "General Prologue." Make sure you are remembering the processes we covered in class for textual analysis; they will come in handy on Wednesday.
Be sure to study and come to class prepared for a test, I believe all of you have the capability to excel with the right amount of preparation!
Friday, November 3, 2017
Homework for the Weekend - B Day - November 3
English IV
Today, we had a very productive review session before our unit exam next Thursday. We also spent some time going over Shakespeare's life and style of insults. Over the weekend, it would be a productive use of your time to study your notes and visit the Jeopardy game I made at this link. Have a great weekend, I look forward to seeing you next week!
AP English III
Today, we completed the second timed writing of the year, which Mr. Miller and I will begin grading this weekend. We also finished monologue and scene presentations for the Crucible drama project. This weekend, you need to get yourself a copy of The Great Gatsby if you haven't already done so, as well as write a 500-word response to one of the following two questions:
1. What does it mean for literature to be "American?"
2. What does it mean to be an "American?"
Remember, don't be basic. Obviously, literature is American if an American writes it, but you can go deeper than that. What are characteristics that define America/American literature?
Have a wonderful weekend, I look forward to seeing you next week!
Today, we had a very productive review session before our unit exam next Thursday. We also spent some time going over Shakespeare's life and style of insults. Over the weekend, it would be a productive use of your time to study your notes and visit the Jeopardy game I made at this link. Have a great weekend, I look forward to seeing you next week!
AP English III
Today, we completed the second timed writing of the year, which Mr. Miller and I will begin grading this weekend. We also finished monologue and scene presentations for the Crucible drama project. This weekend, you need to get yourself a copy of The Great Gatsby if you haven't already done so, as well as write a 500-word response to one of the following two questions:
1. What does it mean for literature to be "American?"
2. What does it mean to be an "American?"
Remember, don't be basic. Obviously, literature is American if an American writes it, but you can go deeper than that. What are characteristics that define America/American literature?
Have a wonderful weekend, I look forward to seeing you next week!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
English Homework for the Weekend - A Day - November 2
English IV (2A)
Today, we spent some time doing grammar practice and familiarizing ourselves with some of the funnier elements of Shakespeare's language. We then dedicated the rest of class to reviewing details from Quarter 1 (The Canterbury Tales, elegy, vocabulary) before next week's test.
Over the weekend, continue studying your notes and making sure you know the plot details from both "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and "The Miller's Tale." The more you study now, the easier the test will be. Have a great weekend, looking forward to seeing you on Monday!
Today, we spent some time doing grammar practice and familiarizing ourselves with some of the funnier elements of Shakespeare's language. We then dedicated the rest of class to reviewing details from Quarter 1 (The Canterbury Tales, elegy, vocabulary) before next week's test.
Over the weekend, continue studying your notes and making sure you know the plot details from both "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and "The Miller's Tale." The more you study now, the easier the test will be. Have a great weekend, looking forward to seeing you on Monday!
Homework for the Weekend - A Day - 2 November
Russian I
Over the weekend you should focus on studying your verb conjugations that we did in class today. On Monday we'll have more time to practice with those. The goal of studying this weekend would be for the verbs and nouns in Chapter One as well as the cognates from earlier. Your quiz on Wednesday will focus on vocabulary. Make sure you know words, their meaning, and how to work with those.
Advanced Russian
II - Over this weekend you should revise your sentences about aspect to include more complexity as well as some of the triggers for aspect (aka the adverbs). By using more of the vocabulary you'll be learning more of the vocabulary, and that is always a plus. You may also want to start creating your comics to go along with your work. You can draw them by hand, or you can use an online program (Bitstrips) to make your comics. Make sure that the language and the comic clearly connect.
III - Over the weekend continue to review and practice with your language related to time. To help you do this you will need to complete exercises 8.7 and 8.8 which review prepositions and other expressions related to time. As always, this gets complicated. One of the only ways to really understand it is to use it.
II/III - Don't forget that next week you'll have one of our new, regular vocabulary quizzes. Russian II should focus on pairs for commonly known verbs as well as adverbs related to aspect. Russian III should focus on language related to talking about time (numbers, questions, expressions).
Over the weekend you should focus on studying your verb conjugations that we did in class today. On Monday we'll have more time to practice with those. The goal of studying this weekend would be for the verbs and nouns in Chapter One as well as the cognates from earlier. Your quiz on Wednesday will focus on vocabulary. Make sure you know words, their meaning, and how to work with those.
Advanced Russian
II - Over this weekend you should revise your sentences about aspect to include more complexity as well as some of the triggers for aspect (aka the adverbs). By using more of the vocabulary you'll be learning more of the vocabulary, and that is always a plus. You may also want to start creating your comics to go along with your work. You can draw them by hand, or you can use an online program (Bitstrips) to make your comics. Make sure that the language and the comic clearly connect.
III - Over the weekend continue to review and practice with your language related to time. To help you do this you will need to complete exercises 8.7 and 8.8 which review prepositions and other expressions related to time. As always, this gets complicated. One of the only ways to really understand it is to use it.
II/III - Don't forget that next week you'll have one of our new, regular vocabulary quizzes. Russian II should focus on pairs for commonly known verbs as well as adverbs related to aspect. Russian III should focus on language related to talking about time (numbers, questions, expressions).
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Homework for B-Day Students: 1 November 2017
English IV
Your work is the same as your colleagues in the A-day group. Begin collecting and reviewing your notes on The Canterbury Tales for review and to prepare for your exam next week. The exam will cover The Canterbury Tales as well as information around writing and vocabulary. Prepare yourselves! We'll continue to review on Friday.
AP English III
You may continue to present your monologues on Thursday (before or after school) or on Friday (before school, after school, during B lunch, or during class in our time). All visuals and paragraphs will need to be collected by Friday so that Mr. Bernhard and I can have them graded in time. This project is a good example of how to work in this class. You can't do this project all in one night. It can only successfully be done if you work on it a bit at a time. Hopefully those of you who procrastinated on this assignment will learn from that mistake and rectify this in the future.
You will also have a timed writing on Friday. We will start with the timed writing. It will draw on The Crucible and Mean Girls - you will be expected to draw on those two "texts" for the majority of your evidence. You will be able to use your notes for the assignment, but your notes will not be graded themselves.
We are starting this quarter with six "test" grades - make sure that you're not getting yourselves into a deep hole. See me if you need help.
Your work is the same as your colleagues in the A-day group. Begin collecting and reviewing your notes on The Canterbury Tales for review and to prepare for your exam next week. The exam will cover The Canterbury Tales as well as information around writing and vocabulary. Prepare yourselves! We'll continue to review on Friday.
AP English III
You may continue to present your monologues on Thursday (before or after school) or on Friday (before school, after school, during B lunch, or during class in our time). All visuals and paragraphs will need to be collected by Friday so that Mr. Bernhard and I can have them graded in time. This project is a good example of how to work in this class. You can't do this project all in one night. It can only successfully be done if you work on it a bit at a time. Hopefully those of you who procrastinated on this assignment will learn from that mistake and rectify this in the future.
You will also have a timed writing on Friday. We will start with the timed writing. It will draw on The Crucible and Mean Girls - you will be expected to draw on those two "texts" for the majority of your evidence. You will be able to use your notes for the assignment, but your notes will not be graded themselves.
We are starting this quarter with six "test" grades - make sure that you're not getting yourselves into a deep hole. See me if you need help.
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