If you tested yesterday in Russian II/III or Russian I then I have scored your final examination and calculated your final grade for the year. I am happy to report that everyone who has tested will receive credit for the class. However, some of you are not qualified to continue on to the next level of Russian. Some of you, if you choose to advance, will need to participate in tutoring in order to solidify some of your skills.
If you are planning to continue to the next level of Russian, please get in touch with me about what you can do over the summer to improve yourselves. There are plenty of great online resources and YouTube channels that you can use in order to improve your skills!
Поздравляю вас!
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Final Grades - English IV
If you took the NCFE on Friday or Tuesday I have your scores. You can come and see me for your exam scores and your final grade for the year. I am VERY HAPPY TO REPORT THAT EVERYONE WHO TESTED HAS PASSED FOR THE YEAR AND RECEIVED CREDIT FOR ENGLISH IV!!!!
Not Exempt? Names Posted
Russian and AP Students -
Students who are NOT exempt have been verified and those names are posted outside of my classroom. Please check in if you are unsure of your status. If you believe that I have made an error please stay with me to check your absences and grades and confirm your status related to the examination.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Grades Complete - Q4
A-Day Students
Your Q4 grades have been finalized. The only grade that you have left to earn is the examination, which counts for twenty percent of your total grade for the year.
Please remember to check in regarding exemptions if you are working to become exempt from the examination. Any student who fails to show for their examination will be given a zero for the exam. Make-ups are very limited. It is in your best interest to show for your scheduled examination time.
Your Q4 grades have been finalized. The only grade that you have left to earn is the examination, which counts for twenty percent of your total grade for the year.
Please remember to check in regarding exemptions if you are working to become exempt from the examination. Any student who fails to show for their examination will be given a zero for the exam. Make-ups are very limited. It is in your best interest to show for your scheduled examination time.
Let's Be Ready for Exams
Congratulations everyone! We've made it to the end. Since I will not be here tomorrow for the B-Day Classes I wanted to make sure that this was posted to go over exams for all of the classes.
Be sure that you are where you need to be for your final examination. Remember not to assume that you are exempt from a teacher made exam unless you hear that confirmation from me!
2A - English IV NCFE (No Exemptions)
Students will test on Friday the 25th at 12:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you are on time so that you have time to complete your entire test. Exams will be scored once I receive score reports from the State.
3A - Advanced Russian
Students will test on Wednesday the 30th at 9:00 AM. You will test Room 309 with me.
4A - Russian I
Students will test on Wednesday the 30th at 1:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you have reviewed all of the study materials that you have been given in order to complete this examination.
2B - English IV NCFE (No Exemptions)
Students will test on Tuesday the 29th at 12:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you are on time so that we can complete the examination in the required timeframe. Again, I will receive your scores from the State and input your scores once I receive them.
3B - AP English III
Students will test with me in our classroom on the 31st at 9:00 AM. Be on time. You will have identifications and two essays for this exam. Be sure that you have reviewed all of your notes and texts from the year so that you are prepared.
4B - AP English III
Students will test with me in our classroom on the 31st at 12:00 PM. Be on time. You will have identifications and two essays for this exam. Be sure that you have reviewed all of your notes and texts from the year so that you are prepared.
Exemptions for the AP English III students will be ready on Tuesday after I have graded your short story tests. It is your responsibility to check the class website or to see me for your exemption information. After I return on Tuesday from Boston I will begin to grade your examinations and have your scores finalized as soon as I can.
Be sure that you are where you need to be for your final examination. Remember not to assume that you are exempt from a teacher made exam unless you hear that confirmation from me!
2A - English IV NCFE (No Exemptions)
Students will test on Friday the 25th at 12:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you are on time so that you have time to complete your entire test. Exams will be scored once I receive score reports from the State.
3A - Advanced Russian
Students will test on Wednesday the 30th at 9:00 AM. You will test Room 309 with me.
4A - Russian I
Students will test on Wednesday the 30th at 1:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you have reviewed all of the study materials that you have been given in order to complete this examination.
2B - English IV NCFE (No Exemptions)
Students will test on Tuesday the 29th at 12:00 PM. You will test in our classroom. Be sure that you are on time so that we can complete the examination in the required timeframe. Again, I will receive your scores from the State and input your scores once I receive them.
3B - AP English III
Students will test with me in our classroom on the 31st at 9:00 AM. Be on time. You will have identifications and two essays for this exam. Be sure that you have reviewed all of your notes and texts from the year so that you are prepared.
4B - AP English III
Students will test with me in our classroom on the 31st at 12:00 PM. Be on time. You will have identifications and two essays for this exam. Be sure that you have reviewed all of your notes and texts from the year so that you are prepared.
Exemptions for the AP English III students will be ready on Tuesday after I have graded your short story tests. It is your responsibility to check the class website or to see me for your exemption information. After I return on Tuesday from Boston I will begin to grade your examinations and have your scores finalized as soon as I can.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Homework for The End! - 22 May 2018
English IV
Today was Senior Day! Congratulations to our future graduates. I hope that you all enjoyed the day and the festivities that were planned for you. As a reminder - I will not be on campus Thursday, which is your actual last day of class. Many of you were not in class because of the Senior Day festivities. For this reason I will continue to accept any more novel projects - please be sure that it is turned in tomorrow at the latest.
Today was also a day to cash in rubles or Falcon Feathers for extra credit. Please see me tomorrow before or after-school to do this in order to improve your standing at the end of the year.
On Thursday you'll have a substitute teacher and a chance to earn more points on your Frankenstein essays. Attend class, enjoy Young Frankenstein and then write about it. Should be a great last day.
The B2 exam is scheduled for Tuesday the 29th in our classroom. We will begin after lunch. You will have A lunch.
AP English III
Today was a visit from Student Services to talk about planning for next year. Then we had a chance to also talk about what planning for next year is like. As you continue to make your decisions and start your planning, come and talk as you wish. We also cashed in rubles and Falcon Feathers - remember to see me tomorrow with any last cashing-in that you may need to do.
Tomorrow we have our AP Exam! Yay! It's time to cross this finish line! I'll be out there to see you all and give you some of my super early morning energy. Remember to get a good night's sleep and a solid breakfast in you to prepare. Look over your tasks, skills, strategies and notes. Chill out and be cool.
Thursday you'll have your short story exam. Be sure that you have clear understandings of all five of our short stories (Orwell is not on this exam). There will be multiple choice, matching, and a short answer question. In this test you will be challenged with some questions to find the BEST answer. After that we'll have course evaluation time.
Remember that exam exemptions will be finalized on Tuesday of next week after I grade your unit tests. Check in after your grades have been posted.
Today was Senior Day! Congratulations to our future graduates. I hope that you all enjoyed the day and the festivities that were planned for you. As a reminder - I will not be on campus Thursday, which is your actual last day of class. Many of you were not in class because of the Senior Day festivities. For this reason I will continue to accept any more novel projects - please be sure that it is turned in tomorrow at the latest.
Today was also a day to cash in rubles or Falcon Feathers for extra credit. Please see me tomorrow before or after-school to do this in order to improve your standing at the end of the year.
On Thursday you'll have a substitute teacher and a chance to earn more points on your Frankenstein essays. Attend class, enjoy Young Frankenstein and then write about it. Should be a great last day.
The B2 exam is scheduled for Tuesday the 29th in our classroom. We will begin after lunch. You will have A lunch.
AP English III
Today was a visit from Student Services to talk about planning for next year. Then we had a chance to also talk about what planning for next year is like. As you continue to make your decisions and start your planning, come and talk as you wish. We also cashed in rubles and Falcon Feathers - remember to see me tomorrow with any last cashing-in that you may need to do.
Tomorrow we have our AP Exam! Yay! It's time to cross this finish line! I'll be out there to see you all and give you some of my super early morning energy. Remember to get a good night's sleep and a solid breakfast in you to prepare. Look over your tasks, skills, strategies and notes. Chill out and be cool.
Thursday you'll have your short story exam. Be sure that you have clear understandings of all five of our short stories (Orwell is not on this exam). There will be multiple choice, matching, and a short answer question. In this test you will be challenged with some questions to find the BEST answer. After that we'll have course evaluation time.
Remember that exam exemptions will be finalized on Tuesday of next week after I grade your unit tests. Check in after your grades have been posted.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Homework for the Last Day of Class - 21 May 2018 - A Day
English IV
As the title of the post implies, today really was the last day to submit any assignments for scores. Since I will not see 2B tomorrow for class, those students should see me outside of class tomorrow to submit anything that is left for this Quarter. On Wednesday we will finish watching Young Frankenstein and complete a brief writing assignment for extra credit on your Frankenstein adaptation essays. This assignment on Wednesday will be only for extra credit added to your previous Frankenstein essays. No work will be collected on Wednesday for other scores.
Advanced Russian
For those of you who will be absent on Wednesday it is imperative that I collect your rubric, grammar goals, and written work to replace your grades for Wednesday's project work. Tonight, you should all be actively preparing for our speaking task on Wednesday. Finish writing your statements and questions, use your textbooks to check on your grammar skills, focus on vocabulary! You'll want a bit of a costume that goes with your character (nothing too elaborate) and a good tone of voice to be your person.
We'll spend some time warming up on Wednesday, run through our speaking assignment, and then spend time asking questions related to the final examination. I'll also tell you on Wednesday if you are exempt or not - be sure that you've checked in on your absences before this time!
Russian I
On Wednesday's class we'll be finishing Office Romance and completing the second viewing guide. Many of you did very well on the first one, just be sure that you are always answering all parts of the question being asked of you. We will also have the chance on Wednesday to do a bit of review - as I go through your Начало sheets tonight I'll make a list of topics and go over the more popular topics for you then.
I'll also go over exemptions on Wednesday for all of you. As I said above, be sure to check in on your absences if needed!
As the title of the post implies, today really was the last day to submit any assignments for scores. Since I will not see 2B tomorrow for class, those students should see me outside of class tomorrow to submit anything that is left for this Quarter. On Wednesday we will finish watching Young Frankenstein and complete a brief writing assignment for extra credit on your Frankenstein adaptation essays. This assignment on Wednesday will be only for extra credit added to your previous Frankenstein essays. No work will be collected on Wednesday for other scores.
Advanced Russian
For those of you who will be absent on Wednesday it is imperative that I collect your rubric, grammar goals, and written work to replace your grades for Wednesday's project work. Tonight, you should all be actively preparing for our speaking task on Wednesday. Finish writing your statements and questions, use your textbooks to check on your grammar skills, focus on vocabulary! You'll want a bit of a costume that goes with your character (nothing too elaborate) and a good tone of voice to be your person.
We'll spend some time warming up on Wednesday, run through our speaking assignment, and then spend time asking questions related to the final examination. I'll also tell you on Wednesday if you are exempt or not - be sure that you've checked in on your absences before this time!
Russian I
On Wednesday's class we'll be finishing Office Romance and completing the second viewing guide. Many of you did very well on the first one, just be sure that you are always answering all parts of the question being asked of you. We will also have the chance on Wednesday to do a bit of review - as I go through your Начало sheets tonight I'll make a list of topics and go over the more popular topics for you then.
I'll also go over exemptions on Wednesday for all of you. As I said above, be sure to check in on your absences if needed!
Friday, May 18, 2018
Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students
English IV
It is very important that everyone realize that today really was the last day of class because of the Senior Day next Tuesday. On Tuesday we will not really meet because of the Senior Brunch. If you need to finish your final novel project over the weekend, you can and should. Please submit your work to me on Monday or Tuesday outside of class so that I can finish your grades.
I would also suggest that any of you with rubles gather them together. Come and see me to cash-in for extra credit so that we can raise your Q4 score as high as possible. If you have any questions, see me ASAP!
AP English III
I hope that all of you had fun interacting and playing around a bit. I'm happy that I still remember how to tie a toga from a bedsheet. Anyway - the main thing that everyone should be preparing for is your AP Examination on Wednesday morning and your Short Story Unit Examination on Thursday. Tuesday's class will be spent with guidance counselors and finishing up the quarter in terms of ruble exchange and the like.
Remember to look for any books that you may have checked out through the year so that everything is returned and cleared up before the end.
It is very important that everyone realize that today really was the last day of class because of the Senior Day next Tuesday. On Tuesday we will not really meet because of the Senior Brunch. If you need to finish your final novel project over the weekend, you can and should. Please submit your work to me on Monday or Tuesday outside of class so that I can finish your grades.
I would also suggest that any of you with rubles gather them together. Come and see me to cash-in for extra credit so that we can raise your Q4 score as high as possible. If you have any questions, see me ASAP!
AP English III
I hope that all of you had fun interacting and playing around a bit. I'm happy that I still remember how to tie a toga from a bedsheet. Anyway - the main thing that everyone should be preparing for is your AP Examination on Wednesday morning and your Short Story Unit Examination on Thursday. Tuesday's class will be spent with guidance counselors and finishing up the quarter in terms of ruble exchange and the like.
Remember to look for any books that you may have checked out through the year so that everything is returned and cleared up before the end.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Homework for the Weekend - 17 May 2018 - A Day
Russian I
Today in class we finished our first part of Office Romance and reviewed a bit around forming possession statements in Russian. Over the weekend I would suggest staying focused on your work to prepare for the final examination. I've given you all a set of exercises that review many of our main skills from this year in Russian I. These exercises are for extra credit and personal enrichment. Feel free to complete all or some, based on your needs. Points will be added to previous assignments.
On Monday we will begin watching Part Two of Office Romance since we finished with a bit of a cliffhanger. Then, we'll continue to review grammar and vocabulary points in preparation for our exam. We will also be cashing in our rubles on Monday.
Advanced Russian
Today we had our examination on Unit 7 or Unit 9 depending on your level. If you were absent, please see me ASAP to make up the examination. It should take you about an hour to complete.
Your main goal for this weekend is to complete a lot of your preparation for your final speaking assignment. On Monday we'll be participating in a workshop where we will review our work, go over some key elements of phonetics, and collaborate to prepare. We'll also watch a bit of a Russian talk show in order to understand how they operate a bit.
If you will not be in class on Wednesday due to the AP Examination, you are required to submit written work that aligns with your selected grammar points from the review sheet. This will be your grade for the project and it will be scored for grammar, vocabulary, and sentence complexity.
I'll announce exam exemptions for all Russian students on Wednesday. Please see the main office if you have documentation related to your absences as I will go off of the official absence count in PowerSchool for this class.
English IV
A few of you were able to submit your final projects today and many of you looked like with a bit more time at home or over the weekend that you would be able to finish your work with no issues. I'm really happy with how well you've been able to pull things together here at the end of the year. Here's a quick overview of the final project for those of you that need a reminder:
Today in class we finished our first part of Office Romance and reviewed a bit around forming possession statements in Russian. Over the weekend I would suggest staying focused on your work to prepare for the final examination. I've given you all a set of exercises that review many of our main skills from this year in Russian I. These exercises are for extra credit and personal enrichment. Feel free to complete all or some, based on your needs. Points will be added to previous assignments.
On Monday we will begin watching Part Two of Office Romance since we finished with a bit of a cliffhanger. Then, we'll continue to review grammar and vocabulary points in preparation for our exam. We will also be cashing in our rubles on Monday.
Advanced Russian
Today we had our examination on Unit 7 or Unit 9 depending on your level. If you were absent, please see me ASAP to make up the examination. It should take you about an hour to complete.
Your main goal for this weekend is to complete a lot of your preparation for your final speaking assignment. On Monday we'll be participating in a workshop where we will review our work, go over some key elements of phonetics, and collaborate to prepare. We'll also watch a bit of a Russian talk show in order to understand how they operate a bit.
If you will not be in class on Wednesday due to the AP Examination, you are required to submit written work that aligns with your selected grammar points from the review sheet. This will be your grade for the project and it will be scored for grammar, vocabulary, and sentence complexity.
I'll announce exam exemptions for all Russian students on Wednesday. Please see the main office if you have documentation related to your absences as I will go off of the official absence count in PowerSchool for this class.
English IV
A few of you were able to submit your final projects today and many of you looked like with a bit more time at home or over the weekend that you would be able to finish your work with no issues. I'm really happy with how well you've been able to pull things together here at the end of the year. Here's a quick overview of the final project for those of you that need a reminder:
- Central Panel - White Paper - Write a theme for your book. Remember that themes are complete sentences that state a lesson about an idea. What is your book saying about love? Family? Loneliness? Change? Write it as a complete sentence that fills the panel.
- Inside Side Panels - Construction Paper - What has been most important to develop the theme? Is it a character? A quotation? Put one significant element on each panel and then use bullet points to explain how this develops your theme.
- Outside Side Panels - Construction Paper - What is the title of your book? What cover art helps to show the main theme or message? On the other panel - Who is the author? When were they born and died? Where did they live? What are some important moments from their life that connect to the theme?
Remember that these should come to me on Monday finished. There will not really be any time to work on Monday since we will be: reviewing the practice NCFE and commonly missed questions, cashing in rubles for extra credit, doing our gallery walk of our books and participating in our seminar.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Homework for B-Day Students: 15 May 2018
Remember that since school is closed tomorrow the next day that I will see you will be on Friday.
AP English III
Today we had a very solid class working through Graham Greene's "The Destructors" and considering the way in which authors are able to fill their stories with important meaning through the inclusion of small details. This is a key thing for you to consider next week with your rhetorical analysis prompt. I will have your annotations graded later today.
Tonight you will need to complete your character review sheet for our party on Friday. If you need one, print and complete the questions based on your character. Remember that you can't answer all of the questions directly from the text, so use the text as inspiration. Your ticket to enter the party on Friday is the completed sheet. If you were not in class today, please see me to sign up for a character on Thursday.
Next week we have a very hectic week - there's guidance coming in to discuss senior year on Tuesday followed by ruble exchange and exemption announcements. On Wednesday we have our AP Examination - I'll be there in the morning to wish you all the best (my dog will be there too!). Then, on Thursday, you'll have your short story examination. Remember that you'll have ten questions on each of the five stories - O'Connor, Walker, Pushkin, O'Brien, Greene - and one overall short answer question. This is going to be your last grade of the year.
English IV
Many of you were able to get a lot of good work done for me today in order to get yourselves to a very good place. I'll have everything graded and returned for you next class. A lot of you were able to construct your theme books today and even get started on the content. Next class our goal will be to finish these pieces. You'll have access to the computers to print pictures as needed and to do your stencil for the theme statements. Hopefully everything will get finished on this on Friday and you'll be able to go into the last week of class with everything done!
AP English III
Today we had a very solid class working through Graham Greene's "The Destructors" and considering the way in which authors are able to fill their stories with important meaning through the inclusion of small details. This is a key thing for you to consider next week with your rhetorical analysis prompt. I will have your annotations graded later today.
Tonight you will need to complete your character review sheet for our party on Friday. If you need one, print and complete the questions based on your character. Remember that you can't answer all of the questions directly from the text, so use the text as inspiration. Your ticket to enter the party on Friday is the completed sheet. If you were not in class today, please see me to sign up for a character on Thursday.
Next week we have a very hectic week - there's guidance coming in to discuss senior year on Tuesday followed by ruble exchange and exemption announcements. On Wednesday we have our AP Examination - I'll be there in the morning to wish you all the best (my dog will be there too!). Then, on Thursday, you'll have your short story examination. Remember that you'll have ten questions on each of the five stories - O'Connor, Walker, Pushkin, O'Brien, Greene - and one overall short answer question. This is going to be your last grade of the year.
English IV
Many of you were able to get a lot of good work done for me today in order to get yourselves to a very good place. I'll have everything graded and returned for you next class. A lot of you were able to construct your theme books today and even get started on the content. Next class our goal will be to finish these pieces. You'll have access to the computers to print pictures as needed and to do your stencil for the theme statements. Hopefully everything will get finished on this on Friday and you'll be able to go into the last week of class with everything done!
Monday, May 14, 2018
Homework for 14 May - A Day
Remember that I will not see you on Wednesday due to DPS being closed for the demonstration in Raleigh. All of this work will be due on Thursday!
Russian I
Today we started working on our final assignment of the year - Office Romance / Служебный Роман - a film about romance and the workplace in the Soviet Union. Today you should have been able to answer questions 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Next class we should be able to finish Part One. After each part of the film we will spend time reviewing grammar and building sentences to discuss what has happened.
Be focused on making test corrections in order to prepare for your final exam. I'll remind you that you all also have your study guide for the final exam. Use this to prepare yourself now!
Advanced Russian
Today we began working on our end of the year speaking assignment and I have to say that I'm excited for what you all will do. If you are taking the AP English Language and Composition exam I will ask for a written version of what you would say related to your grammar topics in advance of the 23rd. This way I will be able to give you grades for some of the work and exempt you from the other pieces.
You also got your final study guide today - this includes your topics for your examination on Thursday, so it's a good thing to use in order to guide what you need to do. Remember that on Thursday you will have your Chapter Seven (Russian II) or Chapter Nine (Russian III) Examination. Be ready for this test!
English IV
I was very happy that so many of you were able to complete Project 3 today and get it submitted. Some of you were also able to make up for lost time and get some former missing work turned in. I will have your grades updated by the end of the afternoon. For tonight, continue reading and working through any missing work. If you still need to submit Project 3, you should aim to have that done at the beginning of class on Thursday so that you can move on to your theme project.
Remember that Thursday really is the last day of working on these projects. On Monday we'll review the NCFE Practice Test and then have novel presentations for anyone who is interested in earning extra credit.
Russian I
Today we started working on our final assignment of the year - Office Romance / Служебный Роман - a film about romance and the workplace in the Soviet Union. Today you should have been able to answer questions 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Next class we should be able to finish Part One. After each part of the film we will spend time reviewing grammar and building sentences to discuss what has happened.
Be focused on making test corrections in order to prepare for your final exam. I'll remind you that you all also have your study guide for the final exam. Use this to prepare yourself now!
Advanced Russian
Today we began working on our end of the year speaking assignment and I have to say that I'm excited for what you all will do. If you are taking the AP English Language and Composition exam I will ask for a written version of what you would say related to your grammar topics in advance of the 23rd. This way I will be able to give you grades for some of the work and exempt you from the other pieces.
You also got your final study guide today - this includes your topics for your examination on Thursday, so it's a good thing to use in order to guide what you need to do. Remember that on Thursday you will have your Chapter Seven (Russian II) or Chapter Nine (Russian III) Examination. Be ready for this test!
English IV
I was very happy that so many of you were able to complete Project 3 today and get it submitted. Some of you were also able to make up for lost time and get some former missing work turned in. I will have your grades updated by the end of the afternoon. For tonight, continue reading and working through any missing work. If you still need to submit Project 3, you should aim to have that done at the beginning of class on Thursday so that you can move on to your theme project.
Remember that Thursday really is the last day of working on these projects. On Monday we'll review the NCFE Practice Test and then have novel presentations for anyone who is interested in earning extra credit.
Friday, May 11, 2018
Homework for the Weekend - 11 May 2018 - B Day
English IV
Over the weekend you should all stay focused on your novel projects as we will be submitting work at the end of class on Tuesday. I will be collecting your close reading passages as well as your style analysis paragraphs. Remember that for this work you are writing a paragraph which examines and explains how the author writes. Your close reading of your two passages will give you the details that you need in order to complete this work. Please use the style analysis outline sheet to complete your paragraph or to make sure that you have all of the required elements.
On Tuesday I'll go over the elements of the final project and then we will work to complete that next week. As a reminder, your final day of class for a grade will be on Tuesday the 22nd. On this day we will complete all of our novel work and present our final projects for extra credit.
AP English III
Many of you must have come down with something today since our class was a bit light in the attendance factor. Be aware that our story today will be part of the final unit test which will fall on the last day of class - 5/24. You're going to have about fifty multiple choice questions covering all of the stories in our unit, so be sure to get the notes from a classmate today if you missed class.
For next class we will have our final reading assignment of the year - it's Graham Greene's "The Destructors". This story can be found at this link. For this story, it'll be very productive to consider the reasons why these boys are acting the way that they are. You may want to go back and look at the photos of London after the Blitz in order to understand the environment in which these boys live. Consider the ideas we discussed today around change because of war, and consider the idea that you can be a victim, even if you're still alive.
On Friday of next week we'll have our end of the year party. Please start to consider whom you will be for this party (maybe your top three) so that we can determine our characters on Tuesday's class.
Over the weekend you should all stay focused on your novel projects as we will be submitting work at the end of class on Tuesday. I will be collecting your close reading passages as well as your style analysis paragraphs. Remember that for this work you are writing a paragraph which examines and explains how the author writes. Your close reading of your two passages will give you the details that you need in order to complete this work. Please use the style analysis outline sheet to complete your paragraph or to make sure that you have all of the required elements.
On Tuesday I'll go over the elements of the final project and then we will work to complete that next week. As a reminder, your final day of class for a grade will be on Tuesday the 22nd. On this day we will complete all of our novel work and present our final projects for extra credit.
AP English III
Many of you must have come down with something today since our class was a bit light in the attendance factor. Be aware that our story today will be part of the final unit test which will fall on the last day of class - 5/24. You're going to have about fifty multiple choice questions covering all of the stories in our unit, so be sure to get the notes from a classmate today if you missed class.
For next class we will have our final reading assignment of the year - it's Graham Greene's "The Destructors". This story can be found at this link. For this story, it'll be very productive to consider the reasons why these boys are acting the way that they are. You may want to go back and look at the photos of London after the Blitz in order to understand the environment in which these boys live. Consider the ideas we discussed today around change because of war, and consider the idea that you can be a victim, even if you're still alive.
On Friday of next week we'll have our end of the year party. Please start to consider whom you will be for this party (maybe your top three) so that we can determine our characters on Tuesday's class.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Homework for the Weekend - 10 May - A Day
English IV
As a reminder we will be done with the fourth quarter on 21 May which is in three classes. The 21st will be the day that you will have the option of presenting your final project for extra credit. The final project will count as a test grade. I'll have the details for you on Monday, but you already have a rough sketch of the project on your overall novel assignment sheet.
Over the weekend you should all focus on completing your close readings and your style analysis paragraphs. I saw that some of you had drafts of this work, and I was very glad to give you feedback on your work. Remember that you should complete the close readings first as that will lead you to the ideas for the writing assignment. Be sure that by the end of our workshop on Monday you have turned in your third vocabulary card, close readings and annotations, and style analysis paragraphs. Feel free to work on this over the weekend in order to get a jump on next week.
Russian II/III
Most of the Juniors in the room were out taking the AP Environmental Science examination so be sure to get the notes you missed. Thankfully, most of you have me tomorrow for English. Today we reviewed the concept of combining sentences using , что / , чтобы - as you can see these words are close, but have some clear differences. Here's some information about the concept and it's also in Chapter Nine. You might want to stay after class tomorrow or at lunch to review with me. For homework you have your translations at the end of the chapter. Complete half of them. As Kendall said today in class, focus on vocabulary. Без слов, грамматика - ничего!
Your unit examination will fall on the 17th of May. This is the last test grade before the end of the year. You will have your last project grade on the 23rd of May (LDOC) and that is our speaking assignment. Do some work this weekend to plan for your character - we'll make selections on Monday in class since we should all be together. If you need to rewatch any of Летят Журавли check it out on YouTube by searching for it with MosFilm (the production company).
As a reminder we will be done with the fourth quarter on 21 May which is in three classes. The 21st will be the day that you will have the option of presenting your final project for extra credit. The final project will count as a test grade. I'll have the details for you on Monday, but you already have a rough sketch of the project on your overall novel assignment sheet.
Over the weekend you should all focus on completing your close readings and your style analysis paragraphs. I saw that some of you had drafts of this work, and I was very glad to give you feedback on your work. Remember that you should complete the close readings first as that will lead you to the ideas for the writing assignment. Be sure that by the end of our workshop on Monday you have turned in your third vocabulary card, close readings and annotations, and style analysis paragraphs. Feel free to work on this over the weekend in order to get a jump on next week.
Russian II/III
Most of the Juniors in the room were out taking the AP Environmental Science examination so be sure to get the notes you missed. Thankfully, most of you have me tomorrow for English. Today we reviewed the concept of combining sentences using , что / , чтобы - as you can see these words are close, but have some clear differences. Here's some information about the concept and it's also in Chapter Nine. You might want to stay after class tomorrow or at lunch to review with me. For homework you have your translations at the end of the chapter. Complete half of them. As Kendall said today in class, focus on vocabulary. Без слов, грамматика - ничего!
Your unit examination will fall on the 17th of May. This is the last test grade before the end of the year. You will have your last project grade on the 23rd of May (LDOC) and that is our speaking assignment. Do some work this weekend to plan for your character - we'll make selections on Monday in class since we should all be together. If you need to rewatch any of Летят Журавли check it out on YouTube by searching for it with MosFilm (the production company).
Russian I
Today you had your Chapter Three examination. I'll have these graded and entered in PowerSchool as quickly as possible - likely by the end of the weekend. Make sure that if there were sections you felt unprepared for, that you immediately schedule and study for a resubmission. I will only be offering resubmissions in a small period of time.
Over the weekend you should start to prepare yourself for your final examination. You have your study guide and your textbooks which are two of the most important things to start your journey. As I said to the II/III's - focus on vocabulary!
See you all on Monday! До понеделкика!
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Homework for 9 May 2018 - Victory Day!
Yay for Victory Day! I haven't watched any of this year's parade through Moscow, but I'm definitely looking forward to it! Here are some things for you to do, maybe as you watch the parade too.
AP English III
I think that we had a really productive class today focused on Orwell and his interesting use of compare and contrast to build his arguments around shooting an elephant and imperialism. Remember that in today's class we kept going back to key examples and devices and how they worked in conjunction to build arguments and attitudes. This is key to your rhetorical analysis. Do more with less! Build connections and consider the prompt at all times!
Tonight, you should finish your reading of Tim O'Brien's "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". For this story, you will want to think about the idea of truth versus Truth. How can a story be True when it's not really true? Think about what a character like Mary Anne Bell symbolizes on many levels. What about her change through the course of the story? I'm excited to see what you all think of this one.
Don't forget too, 4B has no Get Out Of Jail Free cards remaining. The story is linked in the previous blog post. Read and annotate well!
English IV
I think that everyone has a pretty clear understanding of what needs to be done in order to accomplish project three with the use of the writing outlines. Remember that on Friday we'll have our sample NCFE for grades (effort and accuracy) and then get to the library for time on our novels. Friday should best be spent focused on close reading and writing. Some of you (hopefully many) will be able to submit your Close Reading/Style analysis and vocabulary by the end of class on Friday and just make edits next week.
AP English III
I think that we had a really productive class today focused on Orwell and his interesting use of compare and contrast to build his arguments around shooting an elephant and imperialism. Remember that in today's class we kept going back to key examples and devices and how they worked in conjunction to build arguments and attitudes. This is key to your rhetorical analysis. Do more with less! Build connections and consider the prompt at all times!
Tonight, you should finish your reading of Tim O'Brien's "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". For this story, you will want to think about the idea of truth versus Truth. How can a story be True when it's not really true? Think about what a character like Mary Anne Bell symbolizes on many levels. What about her change through the course of the story? I'm excited to see what you all think of this one.
Don't forget too, 4B has no Get Out Of Jail Free cards remaining. The story is linked in the previous blog post. Read and annotate well!
English IV
I think that everyone has a pretty clear understanding of what needs to be done in order to accomplish project three with the use of the writing outlines. Remember that on Friday we'll have our sample NCFE for grades (effort and accuracy) and then get to the library for time on our novels. Friday should best be spent focused on close reading and writing. Some of you (hopefully many) will be able to submit your Close Reading/Style analysis and vocabulary by the end of class on Friday and just make edits next week.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Happy Victory Day! 8 May 2018
Happy Victory Day! May the freedom we have from fascism never fade! I'm very proud of the work that you all did today to celebrate our Russian holiday. Hopefully you enjoyed the пельмени and квас today in class. Here are your reminders about what you accomplish.
Russian I
Remember that next class you're going to have your Unit Three examination. You have a study guide for this exam. Remember that the main skills in Unit Three was creating and using adverbs as well as creating plurals in the nominative case. You will also see questions related to cases, verb conjugation, and some other fundamental skills.
Don't forget to study your culture notes related to the Former Soviet Republics. There will be several questions related to that on the exam too!
Advanced Russian
On Thursday we're going to start finishing the final elements of our grammar units before we start preparing for our final speaking activity. The final speaking activity will fall on Wednesday the 23rd which is our last A-Day of the year. Be sure that you've watched the film and that you've considered which of the characters you feel like being for the final speaking.
I would also spend some time reviewing your new grammar topics and vocabulary. Many of you did much better on your double negation work, but there is still some work to do related to the cases.
English IV
I'm very proud of the fact that almost all of you are ready to go with Week Two. Many people got everything checked off today. If you are still lingering with your novel project I would ask that you start to spend time at home to make up for lost time. Remember that for each week you only have to show me one reading log (except week three), one vocabulary card, and then the one required project.
Next class we will have time for our Practice NCFE. For this you'll get an accuracy score as well as an effort score. Be ready for this practice for our final examination. We will also spend time in the library to work on our novel projects and complete our close reading tasks.
Russian I
Remember that next class you're going to have your Unit Three examination. You have a study guide for this exam. Remember that the main skills in Unit Three was creating and using adverbs as well as creating plurals in the nominative case. You will also see questions related to cases, verb conjugation, and some other fundamental skills.
Don't forget to study your culture notes related to the Former Soviet Republics. There will be several questions related to that on the exam too!
Advanced Russian
On Thursday we're going to start finishing the final elements of our grammar units before we start preparing for our final speaking activity. The final speaking activity will fall on Wednesday the 23rd which is our last A-Day of the year. Be sure that you've watched the film and that you've considered which of the characters you feel like being for the final speaking.
I would also spend some time reviewing your new grammar topics and vocabulary. Many of you did much better on your double negation work, but there is still some work to do related to the cases.
English IV
I'm very proud of the fact that almost all of you are ready to go with Week Two. Many people got everything checked off today. If you are still lingering with your novel project I would ask that you start to spend time at home to make up for lost time. Remember that for each week you only have to show me one reading log (except week three), one vocabulary card, and then the one required project.
Next class we will have time for our Practice NCFE. For this you'll get an accuracy score as well as an effort score. Be ready for this practice for our final examination. We will also spend time in the library to work on our novel projects and complete our close reading tasks.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Homework for Monday - B Day - 7 May 2018
With the conclusion of today's class you only have FIVE remaining classes with me. Just a reminder that every minute counts!
AP English III
Today's class focused on "The Shot" by Alexander Pushkin as a look at how war can change the way that people view themselves and others. It is clear that Silvio has a very different outlook on life in the end of his life versus the beginning. I would contend that his experiences in war and as a veteran contribute to this change. Tonight, we'll be looking at another person who undergoes a significant change due to his experience with "war".
For Wednesday, read and annotate "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. This text is located within 50 Essays or it is available at this link. As you read and annotate, consider the following ideas and questions:
AP English III
Today's class focused on "The Shot" by Alexander Pushkin as a look at how war can change the way that people view themselves and others. It is clear that Silvio has a very different outlook on life in the end of his life versus the beginning. I would contend that his experiences in war and as a veteran contribute to this change. Tonight, we'll be looking at another person who undergoes a significant change due to his experience with "war".
For Wednesday, read and annotate "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. This text is located within 50 Essays or it is available at this link. As you read and annotate, consider the following ideas and questions:
- What does the elephant symbolize? How is it both itself as well as something greater?
- Who has the power in Orwell's life? Why is this important considering the larger point that he is making about power?
- How does this text relate to our larger ideas around war and its effects on people?
For Friday we'll be looking at "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". It's a longer story, so I'm posting it here in case you want to get a head start on your assignment.
English IV
Today we started to look at some choice literary devices which you may see on your NCFE before getting back to Young Frankenstein and our novel projects. During this week we should all be finishing the required task for Week Two and getting started on the close reading and author style analysis for Week Three. At the beginning of next week I'll be collecting your paragraphs on Author's Style as well as your annotated passages. Be sure that you are actively working on this!
On Friday we'll have our practice NCFE. Be sure that you are preparing by using your study guide and your review sheet. Hopefully after we take our practice test on Friday you will see how prepared you are!
Friday, May 4, 2018
Homework for the Weekend - 4 May 2018
English IV
Looks like a lot of you came down with something today. Something I think we call SeniorSkippitis in the teaching/medical field. Of course you all have the power to make your own decisions, but I would like to remind you all that missing a class means that you've missed a chance to work on your novel projects.
Today we focused on our literary terms review as well as the film Young Frankenstein before going to the library and working on our novel projects.
By the end of next week I'll be collecting your work on the two important passages. And we will then start the final project. Remember that everything will be collected and graded by the 21st as this will be the last day to submit work for Quarter 4.
Advanced Russian
We've got Victory Day celebrations coming next week! Make sure that if you need to go back and watch any of The Cranes Are Flying - do so before we see each other again on Tuesday. I would like to collect your viewing guides then. Also, if you didn't have exercises to show me today, I'll check those on Tuesday as well.
Don't forget that we'll be doing our final speaking assignment centered on this film. Think about who you'd like to be (top three) and start planning around that character.
Russian I
Next week we'll have our Unit Three examination. Be sure that you're using your study guide to prepare for what is coming. We also have Victory Day coming up on Tuesday. Over the weekend, spend time studying and reviewing for the exam! We won't be really reviewing on Tuesday because of our holiday celebrations, but I will have some time built in for questions.
Looks like a lot of you came down with something today. Something I think we call SeniorSkippitis in the teaching/medical field. Of course you all have the power to make your own decisions, but I would like to remind you all that missing a class means that you've missed a chance to work on your novel projects.
Today we focused on our literary terms review as well as the film Young Frankenstein before going to the library and working on our novel projects.
By the end of next week I'll be collecting your work on the two important passages. And we will then start the final project. Remember that everything will be collected and graded by the 21st as this will be the last day to submit work for Quarter 4.
Advanced Russian
We've got Victory Day celebrations coming next week! Make sure that if you need to go back and watch any of The Cranes Are Flying - do so before we see each other again on Tuesday. I would like to collect your viewing guides then. Also, if you didn't have exercises to show me today, I'll check those on Tuesday as well.
Don't forget that we'll be doing our final speaking assignment centered on this film. Think about who you'd like to be (top three) and start planning around that character.
Russian I
Next week we'll have our Unit Three examination. Be sure that you're using your study guide to prepare for what is coming. We also have Victory Day coming up on Tuesday. Over the weekend, spend time studying and reviewing for the exam! We won't be really reviewing on Tuesday because of our holiday celebrations, but I will have some time built in for questions.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Homework for B-Day Students: Weekend Edition - 3 May 2018
AP English III
Lots of big things going on in AP English Land my lovelies. Let's go over them one at a time.
Lots of big things going on in AP English Land my lovelies. Let's go over them one at a time.
- You have been given your AP Practice exams as well as strategies and suggestions for each of the sections of the test. We are not going to talk about the AP Exam in class from this point forward.
- Resources - As I said today in class there are several great online resources for you to use as you are preparing for the exam. First, there's appass.com - this gives you a score calculator as well as areas for studying. I would use the calculator to see where you stand right now and to see what you need to get the score you want. There is also this resource which goes over the fifty-five most common rhetorical devices on the AP Exam. You know most of these already!
- Your test will be held on May 23rd in the morning session. This is a make-up day since school will be closed on May 16th.
If you have individual questions about your essays and your performance, I am more than happy to speak with you outside of class.
Now, on to the actual class information. We did not have a chance to take a look at our source pack today in class around war. If you haven't yet had the chance to look at that, please do so before the weekend. I also have reading for you this weekend - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin's "The Shot". Read the story with the following questions in mind.
- What is the relationship between the various characters? How do these different characters react to war?
- How does the age of the character affect their psyche and attitude?
- What is interesting about the way in which the story is told, especially in terms of its organization.
English IV
At this point, most of you have worked through week two of our novel projects and you are going on to week three - focused on significant passages which really represent the book as a whole. Over the weekend you should continue reading your novels and decide on your two important passages. Remember that you want to use the resources I gave you today in class in order to determine the author's style and find significant literary devices or main ideas in the passages you have. This is a project focused on close reading - doing this well will make the final project very simple!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Homework for A Day Students - 2 May 2018
Russian I
Today we had some fun in class singing a great folk song to get into the spirit of the Spring Holiday in Russia! Hopefully the song got stuck in your head and you're singing it through the day. After that we spent our time reviewing our adjective and noun declensions to go into plurals from singulars.
For tonight, stay focused on the study guide as we are preparing for the unit examination on Thursday of next week. Make sure that you can do all of the tasks on the study guide, and make sure that you can do them well.
Furthermore, today if you saw missing work on your progress report make sure that this is done this week! You will not have a chance to make up assignments after the unit examination.
Russian II/III
We also spent time getting in the holiday spirit today! Good job my русский хор! Tonight, focus on finishing your exercises. We were able to work through a good review of prepositions as well as a good review of using genitive case in the singular versus in the plural.
For tonight make sure that you are ready for Friday! We will reassess on the double negative in Russian and we will be checking exercises. Be sure that this most recent set is complete before we take our reassessment on Friday!
English IV
Many of you are moving through week two and three now! Good! I think that everyone is really done with Week One. There are a few exceptions, however. Right now you should all be focused on reading your books in order to discover your important passages as well as information about the characters.
I gave you several great resources today to help you work through project three - the style guide as well as the literary devices list. Be sure that you are using this to review for the NCFE and prepare your project work.
Lastly, remember that we will take a practice NCFE next week on Thursday.
Today we had some fun in class singing a great folk song to get into the spirit of the Spring Holiday in Russia! Hopefully the song got stuck in your head and you're singing it through the day. After that we spent our time reviewing our adjective and noun declensions to go into plurals from singulars.
For tonight, stay focused on the study guide as we are preparing for the unit examination on Thursday of next week. Make sure that you can do all of the tasks on the study guide, and make sure that you can do them well.
Furthermore, today if you saw missing work on your progress report make sure that this is done this week! You will not have a chance to make up assignments after the unit examination.
Russian II/III
We also spent time getting in the holiday spirit today! Good job my русский хор! Tonight, focus on finishing your exercises. We were able to work through a good review of prepositions as well as a good review of using genitive case in the singular versus in the plural.
For tonight make sure that you are ready for Friday! We will reassess on the double negative in Russian and we will be checking exercises. Be sure that this most recent set is complete before we take our reassessment on Friday!
English IV
Many of you are moving through week two and three now! Good! I think that everyone is really done with Week One. There are a few exceptions, however. Right now you should all be focused on reading your books in order to discover your important passages as well as information about the characters.
I gave you several great resources today to help you work through project three - the style guide as well as the literary devices list. Be sure that you are using this to review for the NCFE and prepare your project work.
Lastly, remember that we will take a practice NCFE next week on Thursday.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Homework for B Day Students - 1 May 2018
English IV
Keep working on your novel projects kids! Remember that we're cutting project four so that we can focus on project three, which is the most important project to prepare for the final one. Check on PowerSchool for any missing scores or zeroes. I think that after today most everyone is good to go on Week One work, now be sure that we keep our focus on Weeks Two and Three. Keep reading. Keep thinking. Keep working!
AP English III
We've had two really great classes focused around stories that look at family in a very different way. I especially enjoyed the ideas that we saw today that looked at the connection between characters and tone. Remember that tone is a great device to focus on as we prepare for the AP Examination.
For tonight there's no reading for class discussion, but there is reading of documents to prepare for the next part of the unit. Consider this as both a chance to brush up on our synthesizing skills as well as our abilities to "read" various types of texts. Be sure that you watch the video as well which is given on your assignment sheet and at this link. Complete the questions on the cover sheet as sentences or as bullet points.
Also, be sure that you're finishing the AP Practice Exam. I want to have everything back to you on Thursday.
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