April's Finished - On to May (April 29, 2021)

AP Language

Today in class we spent time discussing symbols and characters who function symbolically. We then took time for a brief close reading to see the way in which multiple levels of meaning are woven in to the text. Ellison really is a master at this, and sometimes it hits pretty fast. If you see a big passage with lots of moving parts, try to always grab on to the parts that make the most sense to you. Remember that there are always multiple meanings in a text, your job is to always focus on constructing and developing one.

Over the weekend, focus on finishing your MCQs and reading in Invisible Man. MCQ 8 is due on Monday as is the most recent round of vocabulary cards. Remember that your cards should come from MCQs and Ellison's novel. Next week we'll finish our focus on the AP Examination - and begin preparing more individually and with some choice. MCQ 9 is available for extra credit/extra practice/replacement of a previous MCQ. 

As always, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. It's gonna be May next week - off to the last full month of school!

English 10

Today's class focused on reading in order to understand pages 126 to 135 in our novel. We met a new character called "The Limper" who embodies one of our clear conflicts in the novel as well as a type of brutal power. Also, we discussed more about Tzesar Markovich and Shukhov. Especially their character traits.

Over the weekend be focused on any missing work and updating your notes from the reading so far. Next week will be our last week with this novel. I look forward to hearing your final thoughts and reflections on the book. From there we'll be working on a lot of end of the year assignments. Be ready for the year to end fast!

AP Research

Remember that next week you have two assessments due. You'll need to meet with me to complete your EOC Conference, and you'll need to meet with a peer to complete your Mock POD. I'll be available all next week during class time as well as on Monday. If you haven't yet scheduled your POD for the week of May 10, be sure to do so ASAP. Reply to the email in your inbox to set your date and time.

Mid-Week - Wednesday the 28th

AP Research

Today we had a great conversation on PODs and scoring. We got in-depth on the rubric and by seeing the work of a student presenter, we get a good idea of the requirements of the rubric. Over the weekend, be sure to complete your reflections for question set three. Remember that for your POD you'll be asked three questions - one from each set. Be sure that you review the earlier questions we've already done - be sure that the answers align with your work as it currently stands.

Next week you'll be working mostly asynchronously. Your goal will be to complete your Mock POD (See the assignment posted on Classwork) as well as your EOC Conference. Details are posted in the recording.

AP Language and English 10

Be sure that you're checking in with any missing assignments so far this quarter. We'll be focused on our novels next class to continue our process of reading and unlocking meaning in the text. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. More details are in the post below.

Beginning the Week - Tuesday the 27th

English 10

Today in class we focused on reading to cover pages 117 to 126. This section of the novel is important because it highlights some important conflicts and examples of irony in the text so far. Next class we'll look at another section of the novel to prepare us for the end.

Use your homework time right now to catch up on any missed assignments. Remember that if you're missing an assignment from last week, there are recordings to help you with your submission. If you want to use a freebie or extra credit, please say so in a comment.

Next week we'll be finishing the book. Be sure that you're keeping up with your annotations and vocabulary. We'll have a final assessment at the end of the unit and then our end of the year work. Be sure to stay focused and use class time effectively to not have a lot to do at the end of the year.

AP English Language

Today was our day to work through a full length exam MCQ as a team. Since we were working as a team, you likely worked a bit more slowly than normal. Those of us in class took time at the end of the section to compare and discuss answer choices - especially some questions that were a bit challenging.

Be sure that your group has submitted answers via AP Classroom or a Google Doc on the assignment. All group names should be on the document if submitted there. I would also recommend submitting your answers on AP Classroom to get feedback on your choices. Grades will be posted for the groups soon and we'll review once all the data is in.

Tonight, be sure to work on vocabulary cards and your reading for next class. Today was a bit of a bore because of our focus on MCQs - so next class we'll have some time for arts and crafts, of a sort. Chapters 16, 17, and 18 are a great section of the novel. I'm looking forward to your thoughts.

Friday - 23 April 2021 - The End of the Week

AP Research

Great day today everyone as we met for our final session of peer review. Today we began our day by focusing on some key notes and takeaways from the Chief Reader Report from 2020. This is a great resource to see some of the trends in the performance of students on the academic paper last year. The suggestions are important for us as we are winding up our work and finalizing our papers. Being sure to be explicit about our process, our ethics, and our reflection on our work are all key takeaways for me.

Be sure to submit your document as a record of today's work with your group. We'll meet together next week to go over the plan for Unit 6 (the last unit of the year) and the final assessment tasks for the year. On Wednesday we'll also take a look at another Presentation and Oral Defense and practice with scoring. We're a few weeks out from submission - stay focused on your process and the rewards will flow!

AP Language and English 10

Be sure to follow the reminders and guidelines below as you are reading and working over the weekend. Be sure that any missing assignments that you can turn in are submitted ASAP. This is not the quarter to fall behind since we don't have much time left.

Ending Week 30 - Thursday the 22nd

AP Language

Today in class we focused on understanding some of the major ideas at play in Chapters 13-15. These chapters provide TIM a chance to break away from some of the cycles plaguing him in the text, but unfortunately he leans right back into them. We did some close reading, focus on motifs, and great thinking as a team today.

Over the weekend, be sure to complete MCQ 7 - it will lock on Monday night. You should also finish your vocabulary cards - they'll be collected on May 3rd. Reading for next week is Chapters 16-19. I'll have videos posted on YouTube shortly.

English 10

Today was a reading day. We took time to read as a whole group or in small independent groups to focus on pages 100 to 107. This section told us a lot about Shukhov as a person - so be sure to update those character notes. We answered some comprehension questions and then did some writing focused on some of the major ideas in this novel so far.

Over the weekend, take time to finish any of you missing assignments so far. If you need to review today's work, use the recording posted to finish your questions and writing. You've had two major assignments so far - the Illustrated Quotation and Grammar Exam - so if these are missing it's important to get them in. Be sure to read to page 117 in the novel as well.

Beginning Week 30 - 20 April 2021

AP Language

Today was our day to focus on reading quickly and addressing our required task - reading and writing. There was a secondary focus today on teamwork and building stamina as we had two things to complete - an MCQ and FRQ. We'll have a lot of extra credit built in to today's Matchbox. Scores will be uploaded later this week - it'll take time for me to read over the FRQs.

For this afternoon, be sure to complete your reading and annotating in Invisible Man - Chapters 13, 14, and 15. We'll work through the chapters as a team on Thursday. I've unlocked your next MCQ for your independent work. Remember it will lock at 11:45 on Monday. We'll have vocabulary turned in soon - you should hopefully be finding your tenth word soon. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you!

English 10

Today in class we spent our time reading and understanding a key component to the novel - Tiurin's Story. Remember that you can complete the reading questions via the Google Document or the PearDeck slides. I'll be checking them tomorrow for your answers and work. From our reading, you should also be able to find a few vocabulary words.

For tonight, be sure to keep reading. Make it through to page 100 to finish the scene of the men working. Also be sure to take time to check in on any missing assignments like your Illustrated Quotation or the Grammar Test on No Red Ink. These are both major assignments and worth a lot of points. I look forward to seeing you all next class for some more time in the prison and a closer look at some of our themes.

End of the Week - AP Research

AP Research

With the information we reviewed on Wednesday, you should be all set to finish your draft of your academic paper. Given our earlier rounds of peer editing, it's my hope that you feel well prepared, and that you have completed a solid piece of work. Remember that your example AP Research papers as well as papers in your Body of Knowledge are very useful here as models for your work. 

Next week we'll meet on Friday to review our papers as a complete draft. Use these days to write, revise, and create your slides. The reflection document has been updated. If you have trouble writing your abstract, let me know and we can meet to review this task.

End of the Week - Thursday the 15th

AP Language

It's the end of another week here in Room A132. We focused today on the idea of allusions in Chapters 11 and 12 and how they're being used by Ellison to add a lot of meaning to TIM's process of creating and understanding his identity and role in the world. Today we focused on musical allusions, The Odyssey, and the Bible in these chapters.

Over the weekend, be sure to focus on reading in Invisible Man as well as your MCQ 5. Keep in mind that the MCQ is for accuracy, so failure to complete it will result in a missing score. If you have any missing assignments, get those turned in over the weekend so that I can update your grades.

English 10

Today in class we had a bit of a chill day - it was a day to take our End of Year Grammar Diagnostic on No Red Ink and then have some independent time for working as needed. Over the weekend, you should find time to complete and submit your Interpretive Reading assignment (paragraph and recording) as well as reading in your novel to page 80. In this section of the novel you'll want to pay attention to food and the way that Shukhov works and uses his time.

Next week we'll spend more time in the camp with our prisoners as well as discuss some other End of Year assessments. Keep pushing, we've just got 12 more classes left!

Firmly in the Middle - Wednesday the 14th

AP Research

Today we started talking all about the end of things because that is where we find ourselves. At the end. The section guide posted in the Classwork tab will review the requirements for your Conclusion/Final Directions section of the paper. Remember that if you've already discussed your limitations and implications, that you may choose not to review them again. This section of the paper can be pretty short - remember that the Manzanar paper was only about one page. You should also check in on your bibliography when you complete the paper - use Control + F to find your sources in the body of the paper. Make sure that everything is properly cited; ask for help if needed.

Friday the 16th and Wednesday the 21st are going to be working days for you. These should be days for you to finish your Academic Paper. We'll meet again as a group on Friday the 23rd to do another round of Peer Review - bring a complete draft of your paper to that meeting. Reflection questions have been updated. Begin working on your slides if you haven't yet. Hopefully the examples were helpful for you.

AP Language and English 10

Reminders posted below are the same as what you will find for yourself. Remember that any missing assignments from this week should be submitted ASAP, don't let things pile up this quarter.

Beginning Week 29 - Tuesday the 13th

English 10

Today was a day to get our hands dirty working with One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. As we were reading and working today, it was all about emotion. It's important to notice the way in which authors use small details in order to create real emotion in a text. These emotional clues can help us better understand a character, a setting, symbol, or idea in a novel. Our assignments right now are all about close reading. Focusing in on the details to understand their purpose.

Remember to submit your assignments by the end of the week. For this week you have a recording to complete as well as a small writing assignment. Next class we'll have our End of Year Grammar Test. Be ready!

AP Language

Today in class we had time for our Matchbox for MCQ 4 as well as a quick review. We also had time to discuss the end of the year and to get ahead on some of our upcoming assignments. On Thursday/Friday we'll be discussing Chapters 11 and 12 - see the videos on YouTube for guidance in your reading. Additionally, MCQ 5 has been unlocked. It'll be for accuracy this time, so don't miss it. Use your strategies and don't forget to reflect when complete. See you next time for our Invisible Man class.

End of Week 28 - Friday the 9th

AP Research

Today was our day to meet very quickly and discuss the sections we're focused on creating right now - the Findings and the Analysis of the Data. Keep in mind that the section guide views this as one section, but we should really see it as two. The majority of our day was spent on Peer Review to give feedback and suggestions for improvement moving forward.

Next week we'll look at the conclusion section of the paper as we end Unit 5. By the end of next week, you should find yourself with a full draft of the Academic Paper. It's a beast coming in at 4000-5000 words. I hope you recognize your achievement here - it's a big deal.

Focus now on editing, revising and finalizing your report. Remember that it is a good time to also begin the construction of your slides. Unit Six will focus on the POD and we will also complete our presentations in the next unit to be scored. Mark your calendars for May 10th. This will be our presentation week. Remember that everything is due to Digital Portfolio by May 20 at 11:59 PM. You may want to access your Digital Portfolio now and review the requirements for submission.

AP Language and English 10

See the post below for your reminders over the weekend. Be focused on the reading of your novels as well as turning in assignments from this week. As a reminder, I'll be in BBCU on Monday from 10-11:15 for Office Hours if you need me.

End of the Week - 8 April

AP Language

Chapter 10 and 11 of Invisible Man are some of the hardest chapters to read in this portion of the novel. Chapter 11, especially, is a doozy. It'll take you on a bit of a journey through postmodernism and throw some different modes of story telling at you. Focus on what you can get out of it and bring questions to me next week as we work.

This weekend you should find time to finish your Veil Self Reflection, MCQ 3 and a bit of reading in Invisible Man. Next week, we'll be focused on reviewing Chapters 11 and 12 as well as completing our first team MCQ for an accuracy score. If you need anything, please visit on Monday during Office Hours. I hope that we will keep moving in a good direction this quarter - remember we only have 16 meetings left.

English 10

Today was all about characters and characterization. We spent a lot of time working through pages twenty six to thirty six and focusing on the characters we meet in the squad of prisoners and in the camp. We'll keep learning more about some of them as we go. We worked through some Russian words which tell us more about our characters and understood some of their key elements. Be sure that you're updating your annotations as we work.

Over the weekend, be sure that you finish your Illustrated Quotation assignment as well as any missing work from last class - the poetry notes. You should also read to page forty six. This will take you to the work site the prisoners have and their job for the day.

7 April 2021 - Wednesday

AP Language / English 10

Note the reminders below or on Google Classroom related to today's classes. Remember that if you miss anything, recordings are all posted on the stream on Google Classroom. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Friday to keep working with our novels.

AP Research

On Friday we'll be focused on Peer Review of the Findings and Analysis sections of your paper. Think of these two as clearly linked. The Findings will present your key takeways, groupings, or charts/graphs/tables of data. The Analysis will explain key links and takeaways from that data. Remember to go back to the sample papers posted in our classroom space for examples of this in action. I look forward to seeing you Friday for a productive and useful day.

Beginning Quarter 4 - 6 April 2021

AP English Language

Today we started breaking open the AP English Exam to get at the ooey, gooey stuff inside. By understanding the structure and design of the exam, you can exploit this knowledge to your own benefit. Remember that you'll have AP MCQs assigned to you regularly on AP Classroom. You'll need to use the tracking document to track your progress and reflect. Remember that you can grab vocabulary from these sets - especially from the questions and answers - as you construct cards moving forward.

Next class we'll have time for Invisible Man. Tonight, enjoy Chapter 10 - The Liberty Paints Chapter. There are echoes of the beginning of the novel and several of our cycles come back into play. The video for Chapter 10 is uploaded. I look forward to our conversation and your thoughts.

English 10

We were going hard today and had some great outcomes as a group! I was glad to see a lot of great engagement and thinking with our poem "In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself". We used the TP-CASTT method to unlock the meaning of the poem and make some great connections back to the novel we're studying as well as the contemporary world. Be sure that if you didn't submit the document from today, that you use the recording to catch what you missed and submit your work.

For tonight you should focus on reading pages 29-39 of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. You'll meet a lot of characters. Keep track of who they are and what you learn about them. We'll delve deep into the characters on Thursday. Also remember that you have an assignment due on Monday. We'll take more time to work on it after our work with the novel on Thursday.