31 January - Chapter 2 and Jim Trueblood

AP Language

Great day in AP Language today as we dealt with one of the most difficult and complex chapters of the book, Chapter 2. During today's class we focused a lot on characters and their importance in the novel. As we move through this opening section of the book, it's important to see the way in which TIM interacts with different characters and how they affect him. Consider what he understands and what he doesn't understand. We often will understand more than he does because we can see things that he doesn't. 

Remember to use your motif trackers as you are moving through the book. All of the motifs are present in the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2. As we move to Chapter 3, you'll start to see some gaps in the motif chart. 

Next class we'll be finishing up our work on James Baldwin. Be sure to read and annotate the second half of the article. If you lost your paper copy, the PDF is posted for you. Next week we'll get into Chapter 3 and 4. Keep reading and getting into this fantastic and challenging novel. I'm excited to help you continue to discover. Next class I'll be out and you'll have a substitute. Be sure to complete all of the tasks by the end of the day.

29 January - Kicking Off Quarter 3 and Semester 2

AP Language and Composition

Fantastic day with James Baldwin today in AP Language. I was glad to see the way in which you were understanding his father on multiple levels and the way in which Baldwin makes a complex relationship very real. The conversations we had around the past, racism, inherited trauma and burdens, and identity are key connection points over to Invisible Man as we see TIM go through many of the same questions and complex relationships with older males in his life. 

For tonight, be sure to read Chapter 2 (Trigger Warning: Rape/Sexual Assault Descriptions). We'll be working through this very important chapter next class. It's a beast, but important for the effect that it has on TIM and on us, the reader. You'll be challenged. Get what you can out of it and come to class with questions. We'll delve into key passages in order to understand what this chapter is telling us. We'll finish Baldwin on Friday. Be on the lookout for assignments posted on Friday since I'll be out working at another school in the district.

See you Wednesday!

24 January - End of Semester 1

AP Language and Composition

Wonderful day to end things in AP Language for the first semester. We started our dive into Invisible Man and worked through the major ideas of the Battle Royale in Chapter One. This scene is so important because it is the major cycle for the text. We used our resources such as our motif chart, our annotations document, and our key passages to unlock meaning and collaborate to understand.

Remember, you are not expected to understand this book as you read. You are expected to read and to try. Failure to do so will not improve your reading skills, which is something that needs to happen.

Over the weekend focus on continuing your reading into Invisible Man; we have Chapter 2 coming up next week. You also have James Baldwin to read for next class. You can read the whole article if you'd like to, but be sure to read the first portion. The stop is highlighted for you. Build connections between Baldwin and TIM as well as the other authors in this unit.

See you in Semester Two!

22 January - Registration Day

AP Language and Composition

Today was registration day for senior year. I hope that you had productive meetings with your counselors to make your plan for next year. Of course, it's not really about next year this year, it's about the year after and after. When you're making your choices for senior year, consider your plans for after graduation. What's going to set you up for the best success? How are you going to achieve some balance for yourself to give yourself the time you need for everything? 

Next class we should meet and have a normal day. Be ready for Chapter 1. We've got the video guide, the motif tracking document, and the annotation anchor document. Use your resources to tackle this difficult text. We'll also start jumping into the research project next class. Chapter 1 is rough for a lot of reasons, but it's also super important because of the cycles that it sets up. Read carefully!

I'm looking forward to a normal class with y'all next time. All the best!

3 and 6 December

AP Language

We really killed it today. We zoomed in on a significant passage in the forest of Chapter 3 - and we found a lot of significant meaning as we kept examining the text. I'm really happy with what you're seeing in the text - as you keep looking you keep finding. All of this work that we're doing is so important in building the skills to analyze and build a rhetorical analysis that works.

Over the weekend you're reading Chapters 4 and 5. Pay attention to the idea of time, especially past versus present, it's super productive. Build links to the ideas of fantasy/reality as you look at these chapters. You should also be able to finish your vocabulary at this point. 

Next class we're going to work through Chapters 4 and 5 as well as take our next step on our project workshop. You'll need to come in with Level 1 annotations of your text for the next workshop.

English 10

Today was a day to move into Step 2 of our new unit. We solidified our choice of country and then began the process of researching that country and building our slide deck about the country. We went to the library and heard from Mrs. C as she reviewed the tools of the library catalogue and the online databases. I love these databases - they do a lot of the work for you.

Next class will be our whole class workshop. You'll have the entire class to finish your Step 2 work. If you finish, you'll be able to move on to Step 3 - finding an author and a text by that author to study. Keep in mind that you have to finish each step before you move on to the next one, so no half-stepping and no missing assignments!

Ending the Week - Thursday the 11th

English 10

Today was our day to begin our work on Solzhenitsyn, Soviet Realism, and the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I first read this novel when I was your age, and I remember being very affected by it. I think that it will give us all some great opportunities to think and reflect.

We played bingo today to review important concepts. I was glad to see so many of you engaged in learning and responsive in the chat. We didn't start reading in class, so this weekend, try to read the first seven pages of the novel. Fill out your notes focused on characters you meet. Next week we'll focus more on reading and discussing the main ideas.

Remember that we are finishing Unit 3 this weekend as well. If you haven't turned in your final interpretation, be sure to do so. It's one of the last big grades of the quarter.

AP Language

Today was a day to dig deep and analyze to put together some of the threads we looked at last class. I was excited to see the connections that you're making in this novel and the ideas that you're building. Remember that we're just starting, so it's best to view all of this as ideas in progress.

Over the weekend be sure to read and focus on our next chapter set - Chapters 5-7. This is a shorter span of the novel, the videos will help on YouTube, especially Chapter 5. There is a fair amount of violence in Chapter 6 - consider your motifs and how this violence is representative of cycles in the text. As you read, collect vocabulary - cards will be due soon.

Don't forget to submit your analysis assignment for today by Monday.

Homework for A-Day Students: Long Weekend - Holiday Weekend: 17 April

AP English III

Today in class we focused around rhetorical analysis (noticing patterns in a text to connect them to an argument) as well as synthesis (creating connections between various text/authors) as we discussed Steinbeck and Orwell. We didn't have time to review the multiple choice work, so we'll go over that on Tuesday.

Remember as I said today in class, it's all about preparing for the exam right now. Thinking and speaking is just like writing. If you're talking and thinking in class then your practicing for the exam - if you're not, then you're not. Consider if you're maximizing your opportunities right now.

Over the weekend we have Chapters 25 and 26 to read and consider. We'll have presentations of Chapters 17 to 26 on Thursday. Be prepared for this work. Have complete motif charts - we'll have a bit of time to select our motifs next class and we'll also do some work with literary criticism. Super exciting times ahead! Also, don't forget that all paper resubmissions are due on Thursday/Friday.

English IV

Today in class we had some fun and we did some reading (which is also pretty fun). The main task we had today was to prepare for our Vocabulary Exam on Tuesday. Remember that this exam is going to cover all of the roots we have studied in this unit. You should know the meaning of the roots, the association words, and how to determine the meaning of a word given its parts.

This test will also count as your resubmission of the earlier quiz. Be ready for our examination!

Homework for A-Day Students: 9 April 2019

English IV

Today almost everyone was out on a field trip - I hope that you enjoyed your time at Durham Tech today! It's really exciting when you're getting ready for college and what's to come! Today we spent our class time reading and working on reading journals. Remember that everyone's goal is to finish their book by the end of the month. If you need to be reading tonight to make up for class time, please do that.

On Thursday we'll have time in the library to complete our research projects related to our books. After we come back from Easter Break I'll go over the requirements for our final projects and the last classes of the year. Be ready to finish strong!

AP English III

Sorry for the confusion everyone - we'll have our college planning workshop next week on Monday. Not this week. Today in class we focused on Machiavelli and the different strategies he uses to communicate his idea on effective leadership. We made a lot of connections back to Steinbeck as well as we discussed various "princes" in The Grapes of Wrath. Our main motif was power - but I think that there was a bit related to corruption too.

Tonight you should continue reading in Grapes to the end of Chapter 21. Chapter 20 is very long and chronicles the Joads arrival to California. Notice what the reality of California is. Why is it different from the fantasy? Why does this matter? Be sure that you have also completed your motif charts up to Chapter 21 - they'll be necessary as we begin to prepare for our final project on Steinbeck.

Homework for A-Day Classes: 3 April 2019

AP English III

I have reviewed your papers and logged whose papers I have and whose are missing at this point. I'll begin scoring this weekend. If your paper is currently marked as missing, please be sure that you have submitted a paper to me (electronically via Google Classroom or a hard copy) before I leave this weekend. Once returned, everyone will have one resubmission of the paper. I plan on having these back to you in about two weeks.

In terms of The Grapes of Wrath we have Chapters 17, 18, and 19 for reading. You'll also need to complete just ONE vocabulary card from this section. As you read, be sure that you are updating your motif charts and logging what you find. We'll be focusing on this section of the novel on Friday and discussing a bit about Marxism. You may find it helpful to do a bit of preliminary research on the topic to enrich our conversation.

English IV

Remember that you should finish your novels by the end of the month. Big congratulations to the student who already has finished their book! Today we began to do some research of topics related to our novels. Next class we'll have time in class for reading, journaling, and then researching. The idea is that when we get together next week you will know about your topic and be able to share with the people who are reading your book.

Homework for Spring Break - A Day - 21 March 2019

We made it everyone! Break is upon us! Here are your reminders for what to accomplish over the break. Enjoy yourselves! Get a lot of rest and come back ready for the final push!

AP English III

Over the Spring Break we have reading and writing to accomplish. The reading is in The Grapes of Wrath and will take you through to the end of Chapter Sixteen. As you read you'll be going through the journey to California. Watch the characters. Use your motif charts. Those of you with chapter presentations in this section, be prepared for these - they'll fall on Wednesday after we return. As I said in class - there will be a quiz on this section of the reading. Don't be fooled.

On Monday when we return there will be papers due. Remember that your final draft should be that. You'll have one chance to resubmit it after it is scored. It should be printed, and submitted with a cover sheet and rubric. Submit your final draft with your process pieces - the rubrics - in your envelope on Monday.

English IV

Today in class we took our vocabulary quiz, had some time to do some poetry test corrections and then it was time to head to Room 401 to work on our applications with Mr. Clark. I know that some of us got a bit of bad news today, but remember that there are still a ton of options for you. Life is all about what you make it - so keep striving even if you can't get exactly what you want.

Over break I would suggest spending time relaxing and reading. Remember that when we return we have several weeks left before we begin to prepare for our exams! Be ready for a strong finish!

Homework for A Day Classes - 13 March 2019

AP English III

Today in class we did a great job working through Eighner and the similarities and differences that he has with Steinbeck in crafting his narrative and discussing the poor. I think that all of these ideas are important as we keep reading through The Grapes of Wrath. I hope that you enjoyed the text.

Tonight we are continuing forward on our research papers and our reading. The reading is two chapters - Chapter Five (intercalary) and Chapter Six (content). Remember that we'll have our first round of presentations on Friday. Have any slides or documents shared so that I can prepare in advance. You should also be completing your motif charts as you read.

We are also signing up and completing our rough drafts for our research papers at this time. The draft conference sheet is on my door. Remember that you are bringing me a 50% draft (at the minimum you should have your introduction and one whole topic and bibliography). At our conference we'll review your work and other parts of this assignment. This is the final grade for Q3 and the final part of the paper before the final draft is due. Remember that no work will be collected for this assignment past Friday of next week.

Keep grinding hard - it's almost over!

English IV

Today we spent time talking about our characters and reading more of our novels before starting on a German film called The Wave about conformity and social control. This movie will connect to all of your books since we have similar themes throughout.

Remember at this time you want to check your PowerSchool for any missing or low scoring assignments. Be sure that you have completed everything or that you have redone any low scoring assignments in order to show your best score at the end of the quarter!

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 22 February 2018

AP English III

I think that you are all doing a pretty wonderful job of working through Invisible Man and understanding some of the very large and real questions that Ellison is exploring through the text. Over the weekend you have a few important things to work on and complete.

Make sure that you have read and annotated Chapters 5 and 6 in Invisible Man. As you do this, consider your motif charts and your vocabulary requirement. In Chapter 5 you will have the story of the Founder - it's a story within a story - the reverend will tell the story while TIM is listening. Stay focused on the character of the Founder and some of the fallacies that are in his story. Chapter 6 will show you a new side of Bledsoe. Pat attention to him closely - what accounts for his change?

You also have your instructions on how to complete your outline for your research paper. Be sure that you are formatting your outline using the rubric as well as your sourcepack. See me if you have any questions.

English IV

On Monday we will have our vocabulary quiz on roots one through ten. Make sure that you can identify the parts in words as well as knowing your parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). Hopefully you are using your study guide to review words and the ways in which meaning is built when word parts combine with each other.

Homework for B-Day Students: 12 February 2018

English IV

Your homework is the same as your classmates in 2A. Tonight I want you to read the next two letters from Frankenstein - Letter Two and Letter Three. As you are reading, look for details about Robert Walton as a person. Highlight or underline the details and then in the margins, write a word or phrase that states what this says about him. This is very similar to what we were doing in class today with our chart.

Next class we will review this before we start on the real story of Victor Frankenstein and his creation.

AP English III

I feel as though there was some very natural confusion as we started reading Invisible Man today in class. This is very natural. I keep finding things that make more sense every time I take a group of students through this opening chapter. Today in class, as we read, we completed our annotations via our motif charts, focused on understanding elements of post-modernism in the text, and got a full understanding of the narrator/main character.

Tonight you should begin reading Chapter One. All of the motifs are present in Chapter One. You will also want to complete a vocabulary card from Chapter One - just like we did with the Prologue. As you read Chapter One, pay attention to the symbolism of the boxing match. We'll try to tie things together and make understandings on Friday.

Remember that next class we will have our first synthesis timed writing and on Friday your synthesis sourcepack for your own research paper is due. The work due on Friday should be submitted electronically via Google Classroom.

I look forward to taking you all through this fun and complicated novel. Remember - just keep reading!

Homework for B Day Students - 7 December 2017

English IV

Today, we worked through more of Twelfth Night, getting caught up with our counterparts in 2A. We read and discussed Act II, Scene II before moving into some close reading of Act II, Scene III with special focus on Malvolio as a character and a word. Oh, and how can I forget the beginning of class, where we worked on our Shakespearean insults by letting Mr. Miller have it, and then learning about practical joking and what it means for someone to be a "mark." Next class, you will work in small groups to prepare for reading the next scene, so arrive prepared to be productive! Today was a great class, let's keep the positive momentum moving forward!

AP English III

Today, we had a couple of fantastic classes. We began with group work reimagining Gatsby's death, which led to some great creativity in reading the novel. We also analyzed Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of Gatsby's death, thinking a little bit about the ways we can break down films much the same way we break down novels/poems/essays. For the last bit of class, we worked through many of Fitzgerald's most prominent symbols/motifs, including the green light, the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, cars, and Gatsby's clothing.

At the end of class, I asked you to consider the following question: If the American Dream is a lie and with money comes unhappiness, what do we live for? As you continue thinking about Gatsby, I want you to work through this question. What do we work for everyday? Why do we wake up in the morning and go about our lives?

For next class, please read and heavily annotate Audre Lorde's "Poetry is Not a Luxury." If you have time, read this essay twice. When you're annotating, think about how Lorde is similar/different to Langston Hughes in "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." Also, I would like to come up with an answer to the question, what is Audre Lorde's "dream?" This will inform much of our discussion on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend, and see you soon!

Homework for B Day Students - 5 December 2017

English IV

Today, we took a quiz on Act I of Twelfth Night before continuing to develop our skills with Shakespeare's vocabulary. We ended class with a writing exercise involving Shakespeare-style insults, which I hope you all have been able to put into use already! Next class, we're going to return to the insults before reading and watching more of Act II from the play. Have a great day, see you soon!

AP English III

Today, we spent a good deal of class analyzing Virginia Woolf's "The Death of the Moth" alongside passages from The Great Gatsby. If you missed class today, make sure you see me to get the classwork for the day, which involved planning an AP-style rhetorical analysis essay. Near the end of class, we thought about the way Woolf/Nick/Fitzgerald use various kinds of tone to accompany death sequences in their work. For next class, make sure you're looking at your annotations for the following five motifs/symbols:

1. The green light
2. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg
3. The valley of ashes
4. Cars/driving
5. Gatsby's clothing

For class, please write one paragraph that describes how Fitzgerald uses this symbol/motif to further his argument about the American Dream. Have a great day, see you soon!

B-Day Homework - Weekend Edition - 16 March 2017

Sorry for the lateness in posting this - when I have to go to the grocery store after work it really throws off my normal leaving work routine.

AP English III

Please make sure that if you miss your scheduled conference that you re-schedule as quickly as possible. There are still spots for next week. After your conference, make sure that you pay the notes and comments that you're given forward as you continue to develop the draft. There is no more required feedback on these papers before the final draft. Many of you have expressed a desire for a second conference - great! We'll have these the final week of March to prepare final drafts; they'll be drop-in conferences before school all week.

In terms of other work - make sure that as you improve and edit previous research project documents that you keep me in the loop about that. I plan on updating the gradebook this weekend; if you have made changes that you feel are not reflected in your grade, please let me know. Also, please make sure to share to and message my dpsnc (dot) net email address.

For Invisible Man you have your reading and blogging up to Chapter 19. This is a good chunk of reading, but if you pace yourself, you can get it done no sweat. Keep up with the motifs with the new motif charts you were given today.

Lastly, there's a writing assignment for you to complete this weekend related to the documentary you've watched and Invisible Man. In no more than three paragraphs, synthesize the information from Invisible Man, Accidental Courtesy and "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" - you may also refer to other texts as you develop your argument to the question. What is the most effective way to combat white privilege/systemic racism? Where in Invisible Man do we see this privilege exercised? Is the Invisible Man working to dismantle these systems? Be sure to have this as a hard copy or share it at the beginning of class.

English II

Great work today on your workshop in class today. I'm really glad that so many of you were able to accomplish so much. On Monday we're going to have an assessment on Oedipus the King. You're going to have multiple choice questions, matching, and short answers. Make sure that you look over your notes - a lot of you took photos of them to help you study this weekend!

If there's any work you didn't finish today, make sure that's in soon! The quarter ends on Friday of next week!

Homework for B Day Students - 14 February 2017

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!!  Make me your valentine by doing your homework tonight.

AP English III:

There are many things for you all to be working on/complete over the next few days. I'll outline the specific instructions for each task below.

1. Invisible Man reading. Your task is to read and annotate to the end of Chapter Two, the Trueblood chapter. It's a challenging piece of writing in terms of the language, the ideas, and the disgust you'll be feeling. Stay focused on the motifs to help you get through. The idea of double consciousness can also be productive. We expect you'll be coming in with a lot of questions.
2. Invisible Man blogging. Your task is to set up and post your introduction post as well as your posts on the Prologue, Chapter One, and Chapter Two. All of the posts should be up no later than 6:00 PM on Thursday the 16th. The posts are meant to be a more thorough version of your motif charts. You should identify how the motif is seen in the chapter as well as its importance within the chapter. There is a great version of the blog project here from last year. Keep in mind that in the example students tracked two motifs and did vocabulary as well, this is not part of your task this year.
3. Outlining for Research Papers. Your task is to create a Google Document and share with me (daniel_miller (at) dpsnc (dot) net). In the GD you should include your argument statement and outline one of your topics. You should share this no later than Sunday so that you can get feedback before the full outline is due on 24 February.

There's a lot going on in AP English III right now. Stay ahead and use your time wisely. See your teachers if you start to fall behind and need help!

English II:

Today we spent all of class working on our projects to finish our unit on Latin American Literature. If you are able, continue to work on your project at home or on your device. Remember that final projects will be graded next week!

Homework for B-Day Classes - 8 February 2017

AP English III

Tonight you should continue reading in Invisible Man to get through Chapter One. This chapter is often called "The Battle Royale" and was actually published as a stand-alone short story before the novel was published. As you read, make sure to find all of your motifs. Continue to find key ideas that relate to some of the authors we've studied previously (DuBois is really useful).

Use the link below to access Invisible Man on a .pdf if you don't have the book.

In terms of working on your research papers you should be focused on collecting sources and making your argument/topics more specific. Remember that you only have five to seven pages. You need to focus on local issues rather than international ones. Focus on one thing instead of all of the things. See what your sources give you. Your next major due date is the 22nd when your full outlines are due. We'll be doing arguments next week (Tuesday) and the outline of one topic (Thursday) to prepare for the full outline.

English II

There's no official homework tonight. Now we have read Marquez - so if you are interested in following his story for your creative writing project, you can get started with that planning. The major goal that you should be working on right now are your Latin American Literature projects - either researching or writing.

AP English III - 5 April Workshop

AP English III Students - Please refer to this blog post on the motif instruction blog for today's workshop.

Homework for B Day Students: 16 April 2015

AP English III

Today is Ralph Ellison's death day.  He died on this day in 1994.  Remember that by reading him he continues to live.

For the weekend you should do some serious work on your motif projects.  Hopefully by this point you've been completing your motif chart, you've reexamined your chapter under consideration, and you've selected a quotation.  Now - plan your illustration of the quote.  Think about arrangement and design of the words.  Consider your work to pair it with illustrated meaning.  Plan your writing.  Three paragraphs for the three parts of the question.  Once you've selected your quote you are able to do this, so remember, pick your quote first.

Also you need to read chapter twenty-five to prepare for Monday's class.  We'll finish reading it in class on Monday.  This will bring us to start The Things They Carried next Friday.  There will be a timed writing to finish Invisible Man on Wednesday.  We'll be transitioning on Wednesday to Vietnam.

English II

Your post below will go over your homework for tonight.  Read the two journal excerpts from Holocaust survivors about their experiences living in the ghetto.  As you read, underline elements of the text which tell you about living conditions in the ghetto.  Compare and contrast these to the experiences that Anne has living in the Annex.  We'll be reading more of Anne next week, but it's important for us to look at the experiences of the other victims of the Shoah.