Beginning Unit 2 - 28 and 29 September

AP Language

And off we go to Unit 2! In this unit, we'll be looking at texts from the Colonial period of America as we are reading and studying Arthur Miller's The Crucible. For tonight, I want you to get enmeshed in the culture of the Puritan world by reading Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry G-d". As you read, annotate for tone, the way he uses fear, and his topics. This is a great text for vocabulary as well - remember that you have another set of ten due later in the unit.

Finish and submit your Unit 1 projects as well as your Unit 1 vocabulary to the spaces to the side. I'll have grades updated as soon as I can. Keep in mind that Act 1 and 2 will be discussed next week. Be sure to begin your reading and annotating now. See the unit plan posted below or in the unit folder for your reading schedule.

English 10

Projects are due today to round out Unit 1. Be sure that you have submitted your work to Schoology for this first unit of the year. If you are missing any work from Unit 1, be sure that you've made a plan with me for how to complete and submit that work before the end of this week. It's important that we get everything settled before we move on.

Today in class we took time to get into our novels and focus on characters. Remember that in some cases, the characters are real people, since the books are pieces of non-fiction. We're looking at conflicts and how they impact the characters as well. We're also actively reading for new vocabulary as we work through these books.

If you have your projects done, then tonight should be about vocabulary. If those things are both complete, then take this time to enjoy your book. We'll start reading something together as a class next time.

September 8th and 9th

AP Language

Great day today everyone! We worked through Abraham Lincoln's "Gettsburg Address" in order to understand the rhetorical appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos as well as the way in which meaning is created and layered through the text.

For tonight, I want you to interact with another speech. It's on page 272 in your textbook - Mario Cuomo's Speech to the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Read the speech or interact with it via the video linked on Schoology. Apply one of our note taking structures to help you pull apart the meaning in the speech.

Don't forget to submit your dirty outlines. For this remember to use the Singer prompt and spell out your thesis, body paragraph claims, evidence, and explanation, and a refutation. This should appear like a bullet point list, not a full essay.

Next class we're looking at letters.

English 10

Great work today in class as we worked through Archbishop Tutu's "Let South Africa Show the World How to Forgive". We focused on his main claims as well as the evidence he provided to spell out and support those claims. Remember that claims can be spread across paragraphs as can evidence. 

From there, we spent time with another South African text, before we took time to finish our day with a writing assignment. For homework, be sure to complete and submit your South Africa reflection. You can use any text that we've studied for your evidence. Be sure to answer the question clearly and provide a clear piece of evidence to support your claim. Submit to Schoology!

The Long Weekend (Before and After)

AP Language

Today in class we had a workday in which we focused on reading/annotating/vocabulary and/or our first project of the year called "What's the Situation". Remember that the reading will be officially assigned to you later in this unit, this is just a chance for us to get ahead a bit.

Over the weekend, be sure that you've uploaded your dirty outline as well as completed any forms (syllabus signature and/or the student questionnaire). Next week we'll have additional time to work on our project in class. Your project is due at the end of next week.

We've got some diagnostics coming to us around the corner. So far so good in AP Language land! Keep pushing and striving.

English 10

Today in class we started our first country focus - South Africa. We began by looking at a clip from a movie about South Africa called Sarafina, and then we did some research on South African culture. We learned a lot about the culture and especially about the strife in South Africa and the various examples of culture clash. From there we read. Our story we're reading right now is "The Train from Rhodesia" by Nadine Gordimer.

To finish the story, complete your story notes. Remember to note new vocabulary words, draw the setting to the best of your ability, and fill out the column notes based on your reading. Turn this in to me next class!

Homework for B-Day / 19 February 2020

AP Literature

Today in class we spent our time with a close reading of Sonnet 18 and then some critical viewing of the Globe Theatre. We studied Act 2, Scene 2 and 3 - a very critical scene in Twelfth Night as the conflict and the plot is getting developed.

For tonight, you should continue with reading. We have Sonnet 29 and Act 2, Scene 4. Things for reading are available in the slides. Be sure that you are building your vocabulary cards - you should do one per scene.

If you have any missing work it should be turned in this week.

AP Research

Today was an important day. If you were absent, be sure to see me for the handouts that you missed and to see your classmates for the information as well. Our mini-lesson was geared on the Literature Review and how to create that section of the paper. Be sure to see the slides and the templates below.


Next class will be a full workday. We will also finish any conferences that we need to. There will be a drafting day on Tuesday. Be ready with your Intro + Lit Review and Method section ready to go!

Homework for A-Day - 5 March 2019

AP English III

Good work today with your unit examination on Transcendentalism and your synthesis timed writing. I'll be reading and commenting this week and will get that work back to you next week. I was also very happy with your Synthesis Sourcepack assignments. Most of you received near perfect scores. If you lost points, it was probably related to your citations - be sure that we've reviewed this before the outline is due.

The outline for your research paper will be collected on Monday. The outline should document your argument (DADS), key topics/reasons (at least 4-5), and the way in which you are using your sources (quotes/paraphrases) to support your argument. I'll be available all week in the morning for help on this. Remember all that we have learned related to argumentative writing.

Next class we'll begin our unit on The Grapes of Wrath. Please see the Unit Plan for details on this. Tonight you should do some preliminary research on John Steinbeck. Who is he? What did he write? What did he believe in? What were his politics like? Come in with some information so we can start reading!

English IV

Today in class we were really focused on getting some more reading done before we got into groups to discuss and work on our characters. I was happy to see that so many of you have a good understanding of your protagonist, antagonist, and some of the conflicts that are happening in your book so far. I think that everyone has a good understanding of the basic set-up of the novels so far.

Tonight - keep reading! Keep going! Get further into your books so that they get more interesting. Next class we'll be doing a workshop to prepare for Durham Tech and other college applications!

Homework for B Day Students - 5 April 2016

AP English III

Please remember to get caught up with your reading and blogging in advance of Thursday's class.  By the beginning of class on Thursday I should be able to find your question and thesis post for your mural, your analysis of the motifs in Chapters 23, 24, and 25, and lastly your synthesis post for the last half of the novel.

You should also be working diligently in your group to plan your mural - remember to use your blogs since that is a record of your thoughts, quotes, and ideas about these motifs.  I would recommend using a piece of notebook paper/computer paper to start planning out what will go where on your murals.  Lay out the quotes, images, and other elements.  Organize them in a way that makes sense.  Remember that you're proving your thesis through your mural - you want to organize and plan the same way you would a written essay.

Next class we will be finishing our seminar on Invisible Man, be caught up and prepared to participate.  Next week we will begin our work on The Crucible.  Make sure that you have your copy.

English II

Great class today to begin our work on South Africa.  For tonight, I want you to read Bessie Head's "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses".  As you read, pay attention to the idea of apartheid/segregation.  Also notice the two main characters of Brille and Hannetije.  Why are they in conflict with each other?  How does the conflict develop?  How is it resolved?

You have your own copy of the story, so you can take notes and highlight as you read.  Don't forget to be able to answer the first three questions at the end of the story in advance of a possible reading quiz.  Next class we will spend more time developing our essays and learning more about South Africa.