17 April - Back in the Building

AP Language

Today we started the process of reviewing feedback from our final practice examination. I'll have grades finalized pretty soon, it does take me a good amount of time to process eight grades for all of you. So, hopefully today's class helped you get started on the process of reflecting and making a plan to improve before the end.

Tonight, review the choice board for Unit 6 and reflect on your process this year. What will be your path to finish this course in Unit 6? What are going to be your key skills for focus? I'm here to help you figure this out, be sure to meet with me and conference as you need to!

If you were finishing your exam in the hallway today, then please use the recording to review our classwork today on ROR and difficult questions.

AP Research

We are in examination season in this classroom, so it's time for us to finalize our work and move toward the finish. I've scheduled your PODs for the next few days, be sure to check your email and accept the invitation. You'll have observers at your POD, and it'll be recorded for College Board. Be sure that you submit your slides so that I can access them easily. Your paper is also due at the end of the month.

Once we finish PODs we'll have a lesson to finalize our paper and do all of our checks with Digital Portfolio. Be sure that as you are finishing this part of the course you are submitting all of the needed assignments for your exam: Academic Paper, POD Slides, Abstract, Final Reflections.

I am very excited to see the end of your work this year. Let's enjoy the final!

12 December - The Last Week of School

AP Language

Good day today reading Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" - it's a rigorous yet rich text. I hope that you were able to see some of the larger connections to truth, reality, manipulation, lies, and power. There's also the idea that it's an allegory, which is what our play is, so there's a connection point there. Plato's ideas are at the heart of a lot of what we are doing in class and what a lot of our authors are pursuing in their texts. Use the multiple choice questions to practice before the examination. We'll do a second AP Exam in January.

For tonight, focus on finishing The Crucible. We've got Act III next class and then Act IV after that. This is also a key time to complete your vocabulary or any other tasks missing from the last unit. Show your skill before our mid-point examination. 

AP Research

Solid day today everyone as we had a lesson focused on the construction of the academic paper. Today's lesson I hope makes clear the need to focus on the essentials of the paper. What are you doing that's new? How are you showing what's new? Use your existing papers and the papers in your body of knowledge to help you structure your paper and your POD (remember, it's a buy one get one situation here).

It's important to be writing right now. You don't have time later to waste now. Working through a survey with multiple respondents is work! And that is also time. Your paper should be written to the method (or at least outlined) by the time we come back from break. Submit your drafts!

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.

Homework for Monday - 11/18 - B Day

AP Literature

We had our final work with The Stranger today in class as well as a circle discussion to review some of our main themes and takeaways from the novel. I was really happy to see you all in the circle room as you tried something new, listened and respected each other, and you all engaged in creative and critical discussion about the novel. Молодец! Wonderful! All of this discussion is key in preparing for Q3 next class - Hopefully you see the connection to the various themes.

Tonight you should spend some time at AP Classroom. Look at your Unit 1 MCQ - What did you get wrong? Why did you get it wrong? Why is the correct answer the better answer? Be sure that you're looking at the specific verbs and adjectives/adverbs - that's usually the difference between better and best.

Prepare for Q3 (The FRQ) by reviewing your annotations. Checking in on your back covers and understanding connections between those elements is key. Also, be sure to look at the practice we did in class related to Q3.


Lastly - we'll start Dostoevsky on Friday. Get yourself a copy of the novel - or save the link here for a copy of it. Remember, no matter how you read, you are still expected to annotate. We'll be reading this book fast - it's a quick read.

AP Research

Today was a workday for all of us. I was reviewing your proposals and you were working with each other or on your own. I'm planning to sit with you at the beginning of next week to go through your proposals and address feedback. As you are working this week, don't forget that we have a new reflection posted.

I would highly suggest that you all spend the time that you need this week working through your method. Do you have a firm understanding of what data you need to collect and how you are going to get it? How are you taking these generalized methods and making them specific to your question and study?

You'll have the chance to recoup your points this week if you missed any. Please review your work as it is returned to you. I'll hopefully have them all returned to you on Google Classroom by the end of tomorrow.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day - 17 January

AP English III

Today in class we spent time working through an AP Multiple Choice sample and then three chapters of Beloved focused on better understanding of the three key female characters through close analysis of their language and syntax. Remember as I said today in class, the book is starting to come to a conclusion. Start to pay attention to the ways in which Morrison is coming to a conclusion about her key motifs and topics to create themes and arguments.

For the weekend, your first priority is to finish reading Part Two of Beloved. This is just two chapters (don't forget to finish what we started in class). As you read, focus on Paul D and Stamp Paid. Why is Morrison choosing to focus on these two men immediately after three chapters filled with the voices of women? 

At this point, you should be actively constructing your final project. This is due on February 1. You'll complete your presentations earlier that week. This will be a Q3 grade. 

The final grade for Q2 will be your AP Midterm on Thursday. This will be approximately twenty-two multiple choice questions and a rhetorical analysis timed writing. 

English IV

Today in class we worked through a great poem by Claude McKay called "The Tropics of New York" in which we learned a new method of working through poetry called TP-CASTT. In this method, we look at important parts of a poem to see how they work together to create meaning. So, tonight I want you to practice this with the poem I gave you at the end of class.

Tonight, or over the weekend, read "About School" - Use TP-CASTT to understand it and take notes as you read. Then, answer the attached questions. Be sure to try your best on all of the questions that you can answer.

Homework for A Day - 15 January 2019

AP English III

Today in class we focused on our projects and the AP Examination before doing a quick check-in on some major ideas and trends in Chapter Nineteen. Here are your reminders as we move forward to next class.

Make sure that you've read and annotated Chapters 20-22 for next class. These chapters present basically the same content in three different ways, through three voices. Look at what makes these voices different. What does each talk about? Why is this important? As you read, don't forget to go back and consider Chapter Nineteen with the notes from today's class.

Additionally, remember that we'll be doing another multiple choice section next class. Practice with the skills and strategies today, and don't forget to start learning any terms from that sheet which may be new or unfamiliar to you.

Lastly, the dates for presenting your final project will be the 28th and 30th of January. Remember that you'll only have about two minutes to present. The final product is due that Friday, February 1.

English IV

Today in class we focused on learning some new literary devices often seen in poetry before going on to trying our hand at making or interpreting the devices. Many of these literary devices are used in poetry as well as in other types of text, and I would bet that you'll see these devices referenced on your NCFE at the end of the year. After that, we went back to our documentary on slam and performance poetry.

Next class we'll be looking at studying poems and identifying these various literary devices in them. It is also important to think to yourself about the way that these devices are used by authors to put together their themes or main ideas. Take a look at your poet's poem and see if these devices are being used to support the theme.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 4 May 2017

AP English III

I will have your AP Multiple Choice forms ready for you tomorrow morning if you would like to pick them up in advance of the weekend to prepare for your exam on Wednesday.

Over the weekend you should continue working on your assignments in Google Classroom related to annotating the amendment(s) that you are studying as well as the historical context and development of the amendment(s). I would seriously consider the outline assignment as you are working on your close reading and research. Remember that for your timed writing you will be presenting your interpretation of the meaning of the amendment(s) through analysis of the actual language as well as inclusion of facts from research. As I said, it's a bit of an analysis and a bit of a synthesis. You'll have access to these documents for your timed writing.

Continue as well studying and preparing for Wednesday!

English II

You should spend time this weekend reviewing your vocabulary crossword puzzles in advance of the final vocabulary quiz of the year.

Homework for B-Day Students: Tuesday, 2nd of May

AP English III

Next class we will have our last AP Multiple Choice practice to prepare for the examination. It'll be another full-length test from a previous year. To prepare for this make sure that you have reviewed your previous multiple choice practices and begun to fully learn some of the vocabulary that may have caused you to stumble before.

Additionally, you may want to continue working on your research/close reading of your amendments to the US Constitution. We will be closing that assignment on Thursday and I'll be checking your work to prepare for your timed writing.

English II

Good work today finishing up Spirited Away.  Next class we will continue to read "Rama and Ravana in Battle" as well as get started on our final writing assignment - a character analysis!

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 28 April 2017

It's the end of the month! Huzzah! We've only got a few classes left until we begin our final examinations and review sessions.

AP English III:

Over the weekend you have a few things to do and work on to prepare for next week. First, make sure that you read and annotate the article I gave you today in class called "Two Ways to Belong in America." If you lose this piece, then you can access a .pdf of it at this link.

Second, continue to work on your projects in Google Classroom. Remember that we will only have about thirty more minutes in class to complete research, so putting in time over the weekend is important to do. I would recommend trying to finish one of the slideshows/documents.

Third, remember that we will have our final AP Multiple Choice practice on Thursday. On Tuesday I plan to review some of the more commonly missed questions on this test. You may find it helpful to review these yourself and perhaps doa second attempt to prepare.

Fourth, take a quick read/annotation of Articles Four through Seven in the Constitution. Keep these questions in mind as you read:

1. What do these articles deal with or accomplish?
2. Why are they needed?
3. How do the outlying articles relate to the three main articles of the Constitution?

English II:

There is no required homework this weekend. If you would like to resubmit any assignments as we begin to prepare for the end of the year, please study and review and then schedule a reassessment time. I would recommend before school or during lunch. Keep an eye on your progress reports that I gave out last class to prioritize what you should do. We will soon begin our final major assignment which is an essay.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 20 April 2017

English II:

Remember that on Monday you're going to have a quiz on your vocabulary words from the Zen Parables - it's going to test your knowledge of the definitions, parts of speech, and your word analysis skills. Make sure that you've not just studied the meaning of the words, but also the prefixes and the roots that we've been learning.

AP English III:

If you were absent from class today because of the matinee production of Legally Blonde then know that you missed a full lesson today on historical context of the US Constitution, a review of rhetorical analysis skills, and a practice analysis of the Declaration of Independence. I would speak to a classmate or to me about the notes you've missed.

Over the weekend you need to read and annotate Article One - the roles and responsibilities of the legislative branch. Also, you'll have your full-length multiple choice practice on Monday. It'll be timed. Review your skills and AP vocabulary in order to prepare for this.

Also, for any of you who missed the Invisible Man timed writing, there will be a chance to make-up the assessment on Monday morning, before school. Remember to bring your book to this make-up assessment since I'll also be checking annotations.

Homework for B Day Students - 25 April 2016

AP English III

Next class we will be working through our AP Multiple Choice for the vast majority of class since the day is a PLC Day.  Additionally, make sure that you have completed your written homework - the tone analysis.

Remember for this assignment you will be analyzing five lines for their tone.  Be sure to copy and cite the line from the book to your response.  Annotate the line to draw out the tone.  Apply your tone sheet and develop your tone vocabulary.  With each line, be sure to explain how that specific tone is significant to the work as a whole.  Three lines should be from each act (I-III) and the last two are your choice.

The goal of this assignment is to reactivate your skills of analysis and explanation - things we'll need for the upcoming exam!

English II

Your homework for tomorrow's class is to finish your viewing guides for Hotel Rwanda and (if you didn't already turn it in) The Wave.  There is no additional homework tonight.  Essays will not be collected until the end of the week on Friday.  If you need me, I have cleared my schedule on Tuesday to meet with you on your essay if you need me to review it or give you final notes.

This essay grade is a major part of your grade this quarter - don't miss the chance to turn it in and do well!

B-Day Homework - Super Late - So Sorry - 5/12/2014

Honors English II

Incredibly sorry that I didn't get this posted.  I had a presentation which threw off my afternoon and this just flew out of my mind.  I'll also blame cutting the grass since I was too exhausted to do anything after that.

To those of you who submitted your papers yesterday, thank you.  The resubmission window is open and Friday is the last day to submit those items.  Friday is actually the last day for all items for everyone.  For tonight finish reading Night.  We'll be taking our final exam on Wiesel's narrative on Tuesday the 20th and then present our website projects on Thursday the 22nd.  The extension for the websites is due to the technical problems we were having in the labs.

With the website projects, remember to use e-mail to communicate with me on those.  If you've shared with me I can get in there and help you to format and incorporate things.  Also remember to use images and videos, but to cite all sourced information.

ESL English III

I was happy that many of you performed well on the practice multiple choice.  We'll be doing more of those in the days to come.  For tonight, continue to review those questions and strategies.  If you got a question wrong, look at the right answer and try to ask yourself why the answer you selected isn't as good as the one labeled correct.

Next class we will have our (hopefully) last day in the library and you'll be printing all of your items for submission.

Welcome Back! Homework for A-Day Classes - 4/21/2014

Welcome back students!  It was wonderful to see you and to hear some of your stories from Spring Break.  A-day students, be reminded that I will not be with you on Wednesday due to the fact that I will be traveling to DC with my Honors and ESL English classes to visit the Holocaust Museum.  Please follow the instructions from the substitute.

AP English III

Tonight your goal is to prepare for your Multiple Choice day on Wednesday.  You will be taking a full length AP Multiple Choice test to approximate this experience for you which will happen on the 9th of May.  This will be graded on a scale score.  You don't need to get all of them write to get an A on this, but you will need to shoot for at least 85 percent accuracy in order to score that level.  Your preparation task is as follows:

1. Select four consecutive paragraphs from chapter twenty-five.  They can be any four paragraphs which you choose, but they must be consecutive and should be meaningful.
2. Using your question stems and instruction sheets you are to write one multiple choice question of each type.  The five types have been organized for you on your stem sheets.  
3. You must write five answer choices for each question.  Indicate the correct answer.

These will be collected on Friday, but it is important to do it tonight as writing these questions and thinking in this way will allow you to get into the brains of the test makes, thus leading to better performance on the practice test.

In addition, on Friday we will finish our discussion of Invisible Man.  Be prepared for that!

Russian I

Your quiz retake will be happening on Friday for A-day students and Monday for B-day students.  You must be prepared by knowing all vocabulary from chapters one through four.  I hope that you prepared over break!  

A-day Students:  I will be checking your viewing guides from our films on Friday.  Make sure that you've answered all questions thoroughly.

B-day Students:  I will be checking your viewing guides from the same films tomorrow.  Have these ready for me.

Homework and Announcements - 8/28

AP English III

Apologies for not getting to the peer editing of our introduction pieces today in class.  I just got so caught up with "On Compassion" and the elements of RHETORIC that I lost all track of time.  For next class you will definitely want to arrive with a complete version of your rough draft.  I'll be available next week for conferencing if you would like.  In addition, I would like for you to complete the multiple choice practice for "On Compassion" - give yourselves just ten minutes to complete the questions.  It is open book, so use the text.  In addition, be sure that you mark any words that are new to you so that you can begin your vocabulary logs. 

Lastly, I want you to reread the Introduction and the chapter called "Harvest of Shame" from The Working Poor.  As you reread and reannotate these pieces I would ask that you apply what we learned today in class about the rhetorical appeals:  How do you see ethos, pathos, and logos at play in Shipler's writing?  How does this help to make his argument more effective?

Russian I

At this point in class we have reviewed letters in groups one, two and three.  You now know the majority of the alphabet.  Next class we will finish with our alphabet study and begin working on writing words.  Tonight for homework I would like for you to complete the "Pre Lesson" handout to improve your handwriting.  As you write, make sure to fill the line with the writing and also be sure that you are saying the letters, sounds and words as you write them.  Saying as you write will help you to remember the sounds. 

As a head's up - be aware that you will have your first quiz at the end of next week on the alphabet.  Prepare yourselves accordingly.

Homework for 4/30 and 5/1

And now we can say goodbye to April.  Here are your reminders and announcements to prepare you for tonight, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

AP English IV

Tonight you should finish reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.  Next class we'll finish our work on Akhmatova's "Requiem" and then from there move on to looking at multiple choice.  I need to finish checking the key for your AP Multiple Choice practice as I think that it is so very wrong...

AP English III

A few announcements for you:  Your research papers were due today.  If you did not submit it today then you are losing points daily for it being late.  Please make sure to see me if this is an issue for you.  Further, we are now starting our final push to our AP Exam.  Today you should be feeling relatively confident in terms of Multiple Choice testing and strategies.  Here's a great link of the 100 Most Commonly Used Terms on the AP Exam.

Tonight I'd like for you to reflect in your journals about the three types of writing - synthesis, argument, and analysis - With which do you feel the most confident?  Least confident?  Why?

Next class we'll finish Multiple Choice and then move to writing.  Lastly, your Calligraphy Projects are due on the week of the thirteenth.  Find a date which works for you!

English IV

Today you received your final project for the year.  You should begin working on this to prepare for your final presentation and due date.  I look forward to seeing what you all create!

Homework for 2/6 and 2/7

Here are your reminders for tonight.  I'm not going to be here for the B-day classes - so if any of you have any specific questions please be sure to e-mail me or see me on Friday.

AP English IV

Next class we are going to take a full length AP Multiple Choice exam.  To prepare for this, I would recommend that you spend time taking a look at our previous practice sets to look over question types and the reasons why you got questions wrong before.  You'll have sixty minutes to complete this in class on Friday - come prepared.  

Also, you'll need to read Wilfred Owens' "Anthem for Doomed Youth" - it's our bridge text to our final short story in this unit.

AP English III

You all are also going to have a full length AP Multiple Choice exam next class.  You've had a lot of practice sets, so be sure that you use those to review.  Look at question types, review your terms and tone words, and be sure that you're always thinking!  Outside of this you need to put in some good work on your essay outlines.  I would like to remind you that next week is still open for conferences and toward the end of next week you should have at least half of your draft done.  Work hard, ask for help if you need it.

English IV

You all tested today, so no homework tonight.  We'll continue with Act II next class, it's just going to get zanier from here!

Freshman Focus

With the news article you all read in class today with the substitute you have a reflection to complete for homework.  Please make sure that you follow those guidelines on the assignment so that you get full credit for this assignment.  Have it ready to turn in on Monday!

Homework for the Weekend - 4/19 and 4/20

AP English III:

Over the weekend you have two things that you need to take care of.  First, you need to use the packet that I gave you on writing AP Multiple Choice questions and compose one question based on the section of "The Things They Carried" which you discussed in our inside circle discussion group.  Use the question starters to get going and then fill in details and answer choices based on the text.  If you're asking about a particular passage, please make sure that this is made clear in your question.  Your question needs to be submitted via the class website (use the two threads above) before class begins on Monday/Tuesday.  This will count as a homework assignment, so don't miss these points.  Also, please read the next major story in The Things They Carried called "On the Rainy River."  We will work through this story next week and do a bit of work on the anti-war movement.

English I:

Over the weekend I would like for you to continue thinking about the poems that you read by our four female authors.  Based on the poem that you were assigned in your small groups I would like for you to answer two (Honors) or one (Standard) of the discussion questions at the bottom of your worksheet.  Remember that you need to turn in this work to the box on Monday/Tuesday morning before the day begins.

Also, you will have two more class periods to work on our in-class assignment.  One day will be spent working and one day will be presenting.  Lastly, expect a Wordskills test next week.  You should study your wordparts over the weekend.