Homework for A-Day Students - 15 April

It's tax day! Remember for any of you who file income taxes that your filing is due today. If you have to do taxes, I certainly hope that you get a bit of a refund! Here are your reminders for tonight.

AP English III

I hope that all of you enjoyed the presentation from the Emily K Center today on applying to and preparing for college. It's quite a process, but it's good to know that all of you have a lot of support in this community to help you meet your goals and future planning. Go to their fair this weekend - see their website for details - as it will give you some leads you may not have considered before related to your own goals and planning.

We did not discuss Steinbeck at all today, so be sure that you have good notes and annotations on these chapters (22, 23, 24 - The Weedpatch Section) coming in to our class on Wednesday. We'll be reviewing this section of the text as well as George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant". You can find the text in 50 Essays or at this link. The copy is available in class, so just take good notes as you read - no need to print it out.

I also had the chance to hand out your research papers today. Remember that as we continue to learn about writing that the expectations only increase and get more rigorous. What was acceptable at the beginning of the year is no longer acceptable as we should have new skills to show and use. Please apply your comments to your resubmission and find more ways to use and explain your evidence in relation to your overall point. Look especially at your transitions. I'm available to conference and discuss whatever you may need. Remember that all resubmissions are due by Thursday the 25th of April.

English IV

Today in class we had the chance to practice a bit with our vocabulary knowledge related to word parts in Lesson 17 as well as to finish our research, present to our book groups, and take some time with our novels. Since we're all in a bit of different places, it is important to note that we're all working at our own pace to accomplish our goals in class. Make sure that you have your notes on Lesson 17 since we will have our Vocabulary Examination next week on Tuesday. You should also be finishing your novels since we will have our Major Projects coming very soon!

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!

Homework for All Classes 12/10 and 12/11

Tonight all classes have goals to accomplish.  Look below for specific notes to help you out.

Freshman Focus

Today in class we began the mock college application process.  By this point you should all have an application on which you are working.  Tonight, I want you to spend some time working through brainstorming your college essay.  If your application does not have an essay which really draws you in or interests you, I offer you this topic:

Describe a risk that you have taken and discuss its impact on your life.

You might want to begin with a few possible ideas to answer this question and then follow the one that you can discuss the most thoroughly.  Remember that you want to be specific and personal.  Rough drafts will be collected from you on Friday/Monday and we will be editing that day.

AP English III

Tonight you have a few goals to accomplish.  First, I would like for you to read Gloria Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" - it's available in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read this piece you're going to want to think about a few major ideas:  the idea of language as an act of revolution, the connection between language and identity, and the use of vernacular.  Also, you're going to want to consider how the author manipulates her organization in order to emphasize her points.  You'll be doing a lot of individual work on this piece on Wednesday/Thursday.  So, be prepared for that.

Also on Wednesday/Thursday you will have some time in your groups to work on separating out your work on the Satire websites.  By Thursday you should each have decided on your text that you will analyze and you should begin to create those pages on your website.  Your individual pages must be up by the end of the day on Sunday - that way you can start to fill those pages with content.  

Lastly, stay on your reading schedules.  We will be spending a lot of time on Friday/Monday discussing TAoHF.  Be prepared with thorough annotations!  

English IV

Leaving the room today you should all have your introduction paragraphs done.  Consider yourselves on the way to finishing your essays.  Tonight I want you to collect the evidence that you are planning to use in this essay.  I would recommend that you make a list of page numbers or moments in the text and then organize those moments around the different parts of your thesis.  This will then make your lives a lot easier as you begin to write your body paragraphs.  

Please let me know if you need any help with anything.  Remember A-day students that I will not be in on Wednesday.  See me Thursday or Friday with any questions or concerns.