21 November

English 11

A good end to the week today as we worked in English 11 to review our writing skills. We took a look at grammar and then we dug into outlining an argument. It is so important to remember that all of your paragraphs need to focus on proving your main idea / the thesis is true. You'll use evidence and explain the evidence in order to do this.

One main takeaway from today's class was the idea that assertions should clearly link to your thesis and they should NOT be evidence. Consider this sentence starter for your assertions: A main reason why...is because... Then you can follow with evidence. After the evidence, we have commentary. Sentences that start like This is important because... or This evidence proves... can help to reconnect to your main idea. Remember that key words and phrases from your thesis will be crucial to use throughout your essay.

We completed a quick outlining activity before moving into vocabulary and independent work. Remember to submit your outline assignment by the end of the weekend. Use the example in today's slides to help you out. I look forward to seeing you after Thanksgiving! Enjoy your film study on Monday. 

5th of December - Monday!

English 10

Easy day today in English 10. We took our vocabulary test on Membean (our first one!) and then went back to Poland and Escape from Sobibor. As we're watching and studying this film, I hope that you're getting the idea of your next essay. We'll go back to defining concepts, so how does this movie provide evidence for defining different concepts? We have two more things that we'll be reading before getting to that assignment, but it's always a good idea to be thinking.

Next class we'll finish with Sobibor and take time for a speech from another part of the world. I'm hoping that we'll be done with all our readings before we start Winter Break, then we'll come back and write about it. 

Have a great week, everyone!

Friday the 21st - End of the Week

English 10

Super easy day today leading into the long weekend. We finished our work with Spirited Away in order to understand some elements of Asian culture at play in a text - I hope that you noticed the hero, the elements of their culture, and the idea of mindfulness and focus on the moment. I love this film and the director/writer has a lot of other great films out there too.

We then moved on to two computer based tasks - Membean and NoRedInk. Thank you for your efforts. Please get your permission slip signed this weekend. We'll use Membean in class every day to help improve our vocabulary through the year. Next class is going to be a writing class, note that we'll be starting Quarter 2 with a major grade, so be ready for that! Enjoy the long weekend! Happy Diwali!

19 October - Grey Wednesday

English 10

We almost finished Spirited Away but got caught by the last ten minutes, oh well. We'll finish it up on Friday. Friday is going to be a working day for us - there's going to be time for finishing the viewing guide and then we've got two online assessments to take care of - vocabulary and grammar. These two assignments are completion based, so get them done and get your A. These are also going to likely be the final grades for the quarter. Finish strong, raise your grades, show your skills!

17 October - Beginning the Week

English 10

Today we started our viewing of our major text for this unit Spirited Away. It's a great film from Studio Ghibli which really brought Japanese animation to America. We focused on the characters of Haku and Chihiro and the establishment of the plot and conflicts that will drive the film.

Next class we'll be viewing to finish the film. We have a bit more than an hour left in the movie. The viewing guide is going to be a major assignment for you - so be ready to finish strong. We'll do some writing about the movie after we finish it and start next quarter with our final project on the unit. Be ready for a strong finish!

13 October - End of the Week

English 10

Great day today everyone as we spent our class in Japan. We focused on poetry and art today - and this class was our final class before we start our film next week. Remember that the film is the major work for this unit and the last thing that we'll study. 

Over the weekend, focus on any missing assignments that you may have. Most of us are doing fine in the gradebook, but a few could do better. You'll have your final assignment for this unit coming up soon, and those will be your final grades for this quarter. Keep pushing to the end!

Remember that next week is the last full week of the quarter.

AP English Language 

Due to the PSAT and the loss of yesterday's classes - we had a bonus workday today. I hope that you found the time useful. I saw a lot of work on vocabulary and on projects. Use the video below, Mr. Friedman and I are trying to do what we can to provide you support. 

Submit your end of unit tasks as soon as you can. Have the first chapter of The Great Gatsby read for Monday. We have a lot to discuss on Monday related to this wonderful book.

11 and 12 May (Also the End of the Week)

I'll be out this week on Thursday and Friday for some medical appointments and personal recuperation. I'll be back on campus on Monday if you need anything.

AP Language

And here we are on the other side of the examination. We are officially OVER the hump. I hope that your letter gave you the opportunity to get your feelings about the examination out of you so that you can move on. You'll have your scores in July and then you can make next steps as you need to.

Time in class is now focused on finishing up our novel tasks. You have six classes remaining and most of them are working days for your novel tasks. Use the templates and the resources provided to help you complete your work. I'm looking forward to a strong finish with all of you!

English 10

Today was our day to finish Spirited Away and our viewing guides on the film. As I watch the movie, I'm struck by how many similarities there are between this and so many other stories throughout time and cultures. You may want to explore some of these similarities as you complete your Demonstration of Learning, but more on that next week.

Next class I will be away recovering from my medical appointments tomorrow. The class will be a catch-up day for you. Remember that you do have vocabulary due for this unit, so next class is a perfect day to pull that together and turn it in. If you have missing work from earlier in the quarter, this is your last catch-up day to get it in. I'll update the gradebook next week and let you know where you stand as we approach the final classes of the year and our last unit - our year end portfolio.

10 and 11 February

AP Language

Today was a basic day - a day for an FRQ and MCQ on AP Classroom. As a reminder, this is the last time you'll be scored on the easier FRQ scale. From here on out the translation of the six point rubric to the 4.0 grading scale will be a bit more stringent. Why? Because it's second semester, the exam is three months away, and you've done each of the tasks already. Welcome to the big leagues.

The goal for other remaining class time is the work on our outlines. I've included two examples of high achieving outlines as models for you. Feel free to ask me questions and conference as you're doing this work, it's very helpful. As you build your outlines, find your vocabulary words, the end of the unit will be here soon!

English 10

Today's class was our movie day. We're currently watching Escape from Sobibor a true story about how a group of prisoners at a Nazi concentration camp called Sobibor united together to escape their prison. It's a great story of resistance and relates well to our unit. 

If you weren't in class today, the movie and the viewing guide is posted in Materials. We'll finish the film next class. This remains a fantastic time to pull together your vocabulary for the unit so far. I'll have quizzes returned to you next week and we'll have time to do some revisions of those as well.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day - 18 October

AP Research

Good work today y'all working through our web activity. I think that this is a great lesson where you all were thinking through the essential elements and sources that support your research question and statement. Remember that as you are working this weekend there are several moving parts going on.

1. Be sure that you are constructing your pitch and poster to align with your pitch. Posters and pitches will be presented on the 24th.
2. Take a look at your reflection folder and be sure that all of the reflections are complete. If you are missing any, be sure that they are done. I'll do a final check at the end of the quarter.
3. It would be a good idea to start writing your LIT REVIEW based on your web/outline. First get it into some sort of logical order and then fill in the content. Consider the feedback you received on your Annotated Bibliography and be sure that you are looking at the documents I have given you related to the Intro/Lit Review and the Academic Writing Templates.

Russian I

Sorry to abandon you all today, but I don't think that you want me in the state I'm in. If you did not finish the small writing assignment in class, be sure that you finish that and turn it in on Tuesday. We will continue watching Doctor Zhivago on the 28th. So please keep your viewing guides. If you turned them in to Ms. Metcalf, great. 

Don't forget that next week we will retake the possession and gender quiz. Make sure that you have studied and reviewed in preparation for this.

Advanced Russian

Again, sorry for the abandonment today in class. Today in class you should have reviewed the first content of your new chapters and completed exercises as a group to study and begin on these concepts. You should also have finished your free-response portion of the test today in class and turned that in to Ms. Metcalf. Over the weekend, focus on your new vocabulary. Be sure that you are learning your verbs and your nouns to start the new unit. Next class, we'll have some time for guided review of the concepts.

Homework for A-Day Students - 20 May 2019

AP English III

Happy Monday, all! Today in class we had two major things - first we finished our work with the Joads by completing the film - The Grapes of Wrath. I like the film, but it definitely has its issues. Remember to complete your film review using your notes and submit this to Google Classroom by Friday. The rubric is also posted there for you.

I am actively scoring and putting your grades for motif projects in the gradebook. I see that some of you are missing motif charts, or illustrations, or 1Q1Ps - some of you are missing everything. Be aware that Friday is the final day that any work will be collected to be scored. If you want to submit rubles or Falcon Feathers for grade improvements, Tuesday is the final day for that.

Next class we will have our Steinbeck prize presentations, and then we will prepare for our final day of class celebrations. Be ready for some fun!

English IV

Today in class we spent time watching The Diary of Anne Frank. I think that a lot of you are seeing a lot of connections between your books and Anne's story. You may even want to look at Anne as one of your examples for your writing assignments.

I handed back essay pre-writing and planning. Some of you need to revise these to answer the questions more fully and get all of your points. If you did not complete this assignment, be sure that you do. We've got very few days left together - let's be sure that we fill them in the best possible way.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students

AP Seminar

Over the weekend it's really all about the IWA and the outline. It's time to put it together, to keep researching, and to keep writing. Remember that the more that you write, and the more content that you generate, the easier it is to move through the editing and refining process.

Be sure that you are using the rubric, the sample documents, and the activities we complete in class to help you with all of this. I'm available a lot during class and outside of class for anything that you need. Remember to use me as you need me.

Russian II/III

Today in class we had our vocabulary quiz on Unit 7 and Unit 9. I'll have these scored and back to you on Monday. If you would like to resubmit the quiz, please study and review this weekend and see me next week. Over the weekend it would be a good idea to review your PowerSchool and to complete any missing assignments or to budget your rubles that you may have for extra credit on low scoring assignments.

I'll be collecting your viewing guides on the film on Monday. They should be completed. The film is available on YouTube if you need to go back and watch anything.

Russian I

This class looked a lot like Advanced Russian today. We took a quiz and then we watched more of our film - Служебный Роман - to complete part one. Your viewing guides are due on Monday. They should be complete. Remember to add the final paragraph response and answer in at least an ACES paragraph:

Who is your most or least favorite character in the film? Why do you have that opinion of them?

It would also be a good idea to complete the drafts of your floor plan paragraphs this weekend. We'll have some time on Monday to write, but really the writing should be mostly revising.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 9 March (Saturday)

Sorry for not posting yesterday everyone - it was a long day of training, and I just forgot. Here are your reminders for Tuesday.

AP Seminar

Thank you to those of you who emailed or got in touch about question development and conferencing. I will be available to finish conferences on questions Monday and Tuesday before class. Please come and see me to complete that portion of your grade. For those of you who have already had your conference, please unsubmit your Question Generator and continue to use it if needed.

By this point it's important for everyone to have a Research Question 2.0+ to get busy with EBSCO and online databases and researching. I've been asking a lot of questions about scope, focus, connection to the stimulus pack, and the argument or point that you're trying to make. Be sure to also consider the - SO WHAT? - Why does this investigation, question, resolution, or conclusion matter? As you research continue to refine your question and by extension your answer.

The next few days of class will be filled with researching and developing outlines. Our next assessment in class will be elevator pitches of questions, arguments, and sources. Be ready for that next week - details forthcoming!

Advanced Russian

I hope that you all enjoyed the film Девчата from the note that the sub left you have just about ten minutes left to watch. Be sure that you've completed the questions up to that point in the film. It's available on YouTube if you need to rewatch anything. We'll finish the movie on Thursday after our quiz. Russian II/III students will have a quiz on new vocabulary (weather terms, adjectives, foods) and the use of the Dative Case on Thursday. 

Additionally over the weekend you should work on your writing assignment (Russian II) on weather and feelings (accurate use of dative case, adjectives and adverbs). Or you should be working on your recipe steps (Russian III) and learning new vocabulary (verbs) related to cooking. These verbs are great when paired with your modals (use of the Dative/Nominative case.

Tuesday is ACT day and a good chunk of the class will be missing - plan on an Enrichment Day on Tuesday!

Russian I

I hope that our romcom - Служебный Роман - was fun and enjoyable. I hope that it also helped to give you some insights into Russian women of different types, especially thematic for International Women's Day. I expect to see viewing guides with questions answered to about the 1:10 mark of the film. If you left your viewing guide on the floor at the end of class, I would suggest coming to see me and get another. The film is available on YouTube if you need to rewatch anything.

Over the weekend you should work to complete the Chapter 2 reading as well as any remaining problems from our previous exercise set. You should be reviewing your color vocabulary and case endings nightly in order to memorize them and be able to apply them correctly. The reading assignment is a great tool to help you do this so that you can see cases in action. Try to translate as you read.

We will have a quiz soon on case functions, some endings, and color vocabulary words. We'll also have a writing workshop on Tuesday related to our projects. The final draft of the houses project will likely be on Monday of next week - be ready for that!

Homework for B-Day: Wednesday 6 February

AP Seminar

From our work today in class and from the reflection data that you all sent to me, it's pretty clear where we need to be working as a group. It's time for us to talk. It's time for us to present. It's time for us to collaborate and to draft. Keep helping each other. Keep making each other better. Keep working!

Next week we'll be presenting on Tuesday and Thursday. Be sure that you have put your work in Digital Portfolio upon the conclusion of your presentation.

Advanced Russian

Today we had a wonderful class working through using and applying verbs of motion in preparation for our quiz on Tuesday. This quiz will cover verbs not yet assessed through the same process of filling in the blanks, conjugating, and applying for certain situations. Be prepared for this by completing our practice exercise as well as exercises 6.8 (II) and 10.9 (III).

On Friday we'll be having a workshop for our projects for part of class. During this time you'll be performing your poems for me. Remember that you'll be able to do your performance as many times as you need to in order to get a perfect score. Keep rehearsing and practicing your reading to prepare yourselves.

Russian I

Today in class we returned to Leningrad and began the second part of The Irony of Fate. As we watch, we are continuing to track the characters and their behaviors. Additionally, we're looking at what this film helps us to learn about relationships between men and women in the Soviet Union.

After we finished, we moved on to a writing practice where we worked together to develop sentences about the characters using our different cases. This is a good review for us since our quiz next week will have similar skills.

Next class we'll watch more of the film and work on our projects in class. We will also have our poem recitations next class. I'll call you over as you work for the poems. If it's not good enough, I'll ask you to do it again. Be prepared!

Homework for the Weekend - A Day - 1 February

AP English III

I hope that you all enjoyed the documentary about Nina Simone today in class. I think that the film raises some very important questions about our society, race, and gender. Nina Simone is also a very intriguing figure who has had some important impacts.

Make sure that you've considered your viewing guides. This weekend also provides you a wonderful chance to go through your work on Beloved and check in on annotations and areas for your 1Q1P assignment. We'll be quickly moving on to the next unit and our research papers - consider your interests or areas to research.

English IV

I hope that you all were able to complete your projects and do some work to prepare for Part Two of the project. This weekend, focus on vocabulary. We'll be having a vocabulary test very soon - next week. Begin to prepare now so that this is a help for your grade.

Did you miss our film?

Russian Students:

Some of you may find it helpful to rewatch portions of Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears / Москва слезам не верит - some of your viewing guides were a bit lacking in some areas and a few of you missed a day.

Here's part one:
And here's part two:

Enjoy!

Homework for B-Day - 4 September 2018

Remember, the next time that I see you I'll be a bit smarter since I'll be a bit older! Make sure that you're ready for our next class by preparing the proper tribute aka gifts aka homework assignments.

Russian I

We're almost halfway through the Russian alphabet! Hooray! As we keep working, remember that you should be working through your handwriting packet on a daily basis. Be sure that you remember to review and study every day so that you are able to memorize these shapes and sounds. Looking at the letters we have done so far, you should be able to complete the following exercises:

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13

Feel free to do more if you would like, but those would be the minimum requirement. See you all next class!

Russian II/III

Today we spent a lot of time drawing and writing outside before getting back to our work on verbs. Tonight, you have two assignments to work on - one you'll complete and one you'll just begin.

Start by completing Exercise 8B - complete what we started in class by finishing the even questions. Remember to follow the chart format where you address the process of joining, the stem, and show how the process works. Then, move on to your verb cards.

For the verb cards you'll be assigning one verb to each card. For tonight, I want you to try to show the verb in its Standard Transcription for the infinitive and past tense endings. Show the stem + the ending, and how they combine.

Next class we'll start looking at present tense (aka non-past) to understand more about what stems are telling us.

AP Seminar

For our next AP Seminar class we'll be focusing in on the idea of perspective and approach to questions and inquiry. We started to discuss some of these ideas today at the conclusion of class. For this, you'll be taking a look at the film Blackfish and considering the perspective on the issue that the film explores.

Take a look at our previous post so that you remind yourself of what to follow as you watch the film. Take notes as you watch related to those ideas, and don't forget to read over SeaWorld's official response to the documentary. We'll have some interesting ideas to bandy about on Thursday.

30 August - Homework for the Weekend - B Day

AP Seminar

This weekend you have two tasks to accomplish. Now, you really don't have to do the second one until next week, but I would recommend getting it done now while you have the three-day weekend.

For Tuesday I want you to have read and annotated the article called "Put Your Husband in the Kitchen" - remember to keep your notes and have them to show if asked. You may print and annotate the article or just take notes as you read. We'll also be finishing our QUEST posters on Tuesday. For Thursday I want you to have viewed and considered the film Blackfish. There's also this response to the film by SeaWorld which you should also read. As you are viewing these documents, consider the following tasks:

• Identify EVERY invested party brought up in the documentary
• Identify parties that were NOT brought up.   
• Make a list of lenses that the film focuses on and the lenses that are neglected.
• Lastly, write a strong paragraph that analyses the approach that the documenary creators use in specific regards to lens and how it relates to their purpose/objective. 

I will collect the paragraphs for a grade. You may not be able to complete the whole assignment for Thursday until class on Tuesday due to what we'll be covering related to lenses and approaches.

Advanced Russian

For homework over the weekend I want you all to practice working with verbs in transcription and going through the process of joining verbs and stems together. Take a look at Exercise 8B on pages 168-169. Organize the work through a chart. Identify the process of joining (truncation or addition), the stem of the verb, and then join them together to show HOW they combine.

This, and then working through your vocabulary from Units 1-4 (focusing on the verbs) will prepare you for Tuesday. We have a holiday to celebrate on Tuesday - bring sidewalk chalk if you have it!

Russian I

Today we finished learning our Group Two letters (the tricksters) while we also reviewed our Group One letters. I think that everyone so far is showing me some impressive skills. I was very happy that while we were doing our cafe simulation you were able to order coffee drinks and read a Russian menu! That's really great work!

Over the weekend be sure that you're prepared for Groups One and Two. You should start working through the handwriting packet in earnest now so that you can start to complete the exercises. As I said to the Russian II/III students, if you have sidewalk chalk, bring it to class on Tuesday!

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

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.

Winter Break Reminders!

English IV

Today, we did much of the same work as your counterparts in 2A. We finished watching She's the Man and completed our viewing guides that accompanied the film. After a discussion of the similarities between the film and Twelfth Night, we began working on a short writing assignment. When we return from break, this writing assignment will be our primary focus as we get back into Twelfth Night. Have a wonderful break, have fun, and make good decisions. We'll see you in 2018!

AP English III

Today, we had a couple of great classes engaging with William Buckley, Jr.'s essay, "Why Don't We Complain?." Overall, Mr. Miller and I were very impressed with how thoughtful each of you were in engaging with a complicated topic. We also went over some Rules For Good Writing and connected some overall threads from the entire semester. Over the break, you are tasked with completing the first part of the annotated bibliography assignment on Google Classroom. Start looking at that sometime this weekend, but don't worry about submitting anything until December 28th. Have a wonderful break, have fun, and make good decisions. We'll see you in 2018!

Homework for B Day Students - 13 December 2017

English IV

All in all, we could have had a more productive day in class today. I think we started strong, and somewhere near the end of the lesson, we collectively weren't clicking like we normally do. Next class, arrive prepared to watch She's The Man, and take some time to reflect on how I can better structure class to cater to your needs and you can prepare to be engaged and respectful to your peers, your time, and your teachers.

Next week, we are going to have an assessment on Act II; make sure you are carefully studying your notes so you're able to succeed. This quiz will likely have a similar structure to the one you saw on Act I. Have a good day, and see you soon!

AP English III

Today, you worked independently through some work while I was at Duke and Mr. Miller was at Carolina. The good news? I finished and submitted my essay, so I am done with all of my Duke coursework for the semester! This means I can focus more of my attention on all of you! Also, you were able to get some good vocabulary practice in and work towards developing themes for your soon-to-be-announced final assessment for the unit.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday (don't forget your timed writing and all unsubmitted/resubmitted work), have a great day!