5 January 2023 - Moving on Along

English 10

Great day in English 10 as we finished "The Overcoat" and discussed Gogol's messages about society in Russia in the 1800's and some of the connections to our world today in 2023. This is the last text that we'll read for our Russian and Eastern European Literature Unit. I hope that you found something to enjoy in this unit. Our next unit is going to be focused on research and letter writing. I'm excited to teach you some new skills and open up some choices for you.

The remainder of class focused on preparing for our essay. Next class we'll have a writing workshop and look at outlining a response. It should be a useful day to prepare for writing the essay. You'll be writing on Friday of next week, so the time we have in advance is to prepare for excellence. Remember that this is the essay score that matters as this is the final chance to show this skill this quarter.

Welcome Back - 3 January

English 10

Welcome back to the grind everyone! I hope that you all found time to rest and recover over break. I had a good time seeing family and friends in Oregon and in North Carolina. There were definitely a few days on the couch reading and playing video games too. 

Today we reviewed "The Overcoat" read a bit more and prepared for the ending and Akaky's revenge for the theft of his coat. We also started working on our planning and pre-writing for our final essay. We have seven classes to the end of the quarter - you'll have the end of this unit, some assessments on Membean, and our final essay for the semester. Keep in mind that the grades will replace with your essay, so the goal is to show improvement or maintain. 

Next class we're finishing "The Overcoat" and focusing in on our essay prep. Be ready for a quick turn to the next unit!

13 December

English 10

Great day today everyone as we started our final story of the year "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol. We focused in on the character of Akaky and the various struggles that he faces including himself, his coworkers, and the weather in St. Petersburg. I hope that you enjoyed my photos of the city, it's an incredible place.

Next class we'll be finishing the story and getting started with our pre-writing for the final essay. The end of this story is really fantastic. I hope that you enjoy it. If you were absent, the story is posted in our folder.

3 and 7 March

AP Language

Another writing day in the books! Don't forget about your vocabulary cards and your writing conference. It's a great chance for us to talk and review your work. We'll finish conferences next week. The paper is coming due soon. Use Lion Time, it's super valuable! There's also vocabulary to be completed - just five cards for the end of the unit.

English 10

Today was our working day to get us to the end of the unit. Normally this is a catch-up day to make up missing work, but so far this quarter we've been doing a great job in class of finishing our work and getting it turned in. I'm really proud of all of you for this!

I handed out the final project and reviewed its components for all of you. Remember you can choose a creative writing project OR a research project. You're only picking one. Next class is going to be our workshop day for the project, so don't worry about starting it now. Projects will be collected and presented next week. If you're working on test corrections over the weekend or other tasks for class, remember that the corrections are due on March 8. No test corrections will be taken after this date.

1 and 2 March

AP Language

Today we kept our selves on along as we continued through our writing days. The paper is due next week, so our days building to that eventuality are days for writing, conferencing, and working with partner groups to develop the draft. Use this time! Be efficient. Get content drafted. Your paper is due on the 10th of March at the end of the day. The 10th is the last day of the unit, so vocabulary cards are also due that day. 

English 10

Today was a really wonderful day. We took time to make a choice of what to read and then worked to collaborate with our peers to understand, analyze, and draw connections between the texts that we've read. I was glad to see your communication and collaboration with each other. Today was our last day of reading in the unit. Next class we will start with our final projects and final tasks for the unit.

Your quizzes have been returned to you online. You can do test corrections and recoup any missed points. Test corrections are due on March 8/9. I will not accept them after this date. You can also use rubles to raise your score, but that's a limited route - so I'd suggest the corrections. Next class will be a workshop day for us, so you'll be able to work on the final project or complete any final tasks for the unit like vocabulary or test corrections.

23 and 24 February

AP Language

And now we move forward into the drafting phase! Today's class was about feedback on our outlines in our cohort groupings followed by time to finalize the Synthesis Prompt building assignment. Remember that this is due today! It's very easy, just a lot of copying and pasting.

Outlines have been returned with feedback! The biggest thing that I saw across the board were big blocks of quotations and lacking commentary in places. Be sure that the line of reasoning is clear throughout the assertions, argument, and the commentary. It's got to line up. Remember that part of the process of writing will involve a resubmission of the outline. If it's missing, I need it immediately. Sign up for your conference and be ready for workshop days across the coming classes.

English 10

Today we took our time to finish Escape from Sobibor - a true story of the only successful prisoner revolt during World War 2 in a death camp. It's only because of the survivors that we know what happened. I look forward to reviewing your viewing guides and getting those back to you soon.

Be aware that we're finishing the unit soon. Next class we'll take a look at a short story as we consider reactions to tragedies. The week following will be our week to begin our final projects, tie up loose ends, and begin to move on to Latin America (our next unit of the year). If you haven't yet taken your test from the first part of the unit, you'll need to do that ASAP to avoid a missing score. Test corrections will happen next class.

Presidents' Day Weekend (18 and 22 February)

English 10

Movie day! Movie day! I hope you enjoy the movie - it's a good one, and the ending is fantastic. I know you didn't finish, so we'll take care of that next week. Be sure that as you watch, you are completing your viewing guide! This is going to be your grade for this film. If you missed anything, the movie is posted in Schoology for you.

AP Language

If you've received an extension on your outline for the weekend, be sure that your work is in as soon as possible. I'd like to finish all of the outlines on Tuesday to get you your feedback to begin drafting. Today is a timed writing day! I'm not with you, so it's a timed writing day. I hope you enjoy the prompt - it's a bit perfect for Fairfax High School students, if you think about it. This is a good time for this essay because it'll help us as we develop our drafts in our own research papers. Don't forget about your next assignment - the template is there to help you complete it easily. Just use a page for each of your five sources and only give five sources - I know some of you have more.

I'll be back with all of you on Wednesday, Delta Airlines willing, I suppose!

16 and 17 February

AP Language

Today was our full on library day to focus on the completion of our outlines. The better the outline, the easier the paper. We began by reviewing the requirements of MLA formatting and setting up our outline documents. We also reviewed the rubric in order to understand how to earn full credit for this assignment.

Keep in mind that an outline is a picture of your thinking. You don't have to use all of this as you move to the draft, but you'll find it easier to put together with a thorough and complete outline. Be sure to review the samples posted as you complete this task - they're very instructive.

English 10

A good day in English 10 today with some poetry, some focus on major ideas, and a bit of movie time at the end to relate to our themes that we're exploring in this unit. I also enjoyed seeing you all work through the silent conversation - I think that's a fun and interesting way to share our thoughts and see what people think, even anonymously.

Next class will be our full movie day for Escape from Sobibor. You'll get your viewing guide back to finish as you watch the film. Be sure that it's complete. If you don't finish the movie, then we'll finish it up next week. If you haven't done your vocabulary, do so now from the things we've read so far this unit. We'll be ending the unit in a few weeks, so be ready for another quiz and your end of the unit project.

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.

8 and 9 February

English 10

Today was a quiz day for us - so it was a pretty simple day. The quiz asked you about all of the things that we've studied so far in this unit including fairy tales, poetry reading, our short story "A Problem" and some of the historical and cultural context we reviewed to open the unit.

After the time for the assessment, there was time available to complete any remaining tasks and begin with your vocabulary for this unit. Remember that you are responsible for ten words each unit we read texts together. You can submit your work electronically or on paper, as long as it's complete - we're good! Remember to give me the text, the word, the definition, and two synonyms.

AP Language

Today was our first full-on library day. Huzzah. You know how to access the databases, how to find resources, and how to outline, so now it's time to do it. As you are working and researching and finding, you should also be revising. Remember, this is a recursive process - it builds on itself. Your outlines are due next week - you have ample time to build this boat, but stay on your grind.

Next class we'll take time for our AP Classroom MCQ and FRQ followed by time in class for researching and outlining. See you then!

4 and 7 February

English 10

Good times today in English 10. We took our class time to finish our work on Anton Chekhov's "A Problem" by reimagining the story in a more modern context - we changed the setting and the parameters, but we kept the story the same. This allows us to really understand the themes and the conflicts in a very real way.

Next class we'll be taking a brief quiz on the first section of Russian literature. Be sure to review your notes, slides, and previous lessons so far in the unit. The quiz will be a mix of multiple choice, true or false, short answer, and matching. This also gives you a great chance to pull your vocabulary together, too! 

AP English Language

Today's class was all about moving forward to our next steps - the outline! First, you have to revise your question. We discussed today in class the importance of reasons. As you do research, you'll probably find more reasons to support your argument, but it's important to have an idea of what you're looking for. Also it's important to define your concepts clearly. What does "effective" mean in the scope of your investigation? Pin down your terms so that your argument is clear.

We'll be back in the library next class to complete revisions and work toward our outlines. Use the rubric posted as you create your outline. 

2 and 3 February

AP Language

Wow! What a day! We did a lot of great work today as we really collaborated to make each other better researchers. We reflected on our questions, found some of their glitches, and then began the process of revision with our cohorts. Now - it's time to put the pedal to the metal and revise!

Your next step is to submit your revised research question (version 2.0). Use the same document, it's returned to you, make a copy and put it in your folder for this assignment. When you have finished your revision and written your argument, resubmit the document at the Step 2 assignment space. 

We'll be in the library next class, and we'll discuss the next steps of the project which involve the source pack and the outline.

English 10

It was a wonderful Wednesday for Anton Chekhov. We read "A Problem" today and discussed characterization, irony, symbols, and themes. I really love this story and the ending, especially. Seeing what Sasha does at the end to Ivan is a great example of an ending that works on a lot of levels. If you enjoyed today's reading, then you'll want to take a look at some of Chekhov's plays - I think they're even better.

Tonight is a great night to pull together vocabulary if you haven't already done so. Between our poems and our story, you can probably find ten words. Next class we'll be doing an activity with today's story and next week we'll have our quiz on the first part of our unit. Be sure that you're reviewing regularly so that you're prepared!

No More Content - Just Final Tasks

AP Language and English 10

All new content for the year is done and taught and complete! The final things we have to do in class are our final portfolios (English 10) or final motif projects (AP Language).

AP Language

Today was our day for the end of the book. We did a lot of individual thinking and reflecting, but then we also had time for some collaboration as well. The only thing we have left to complete is our final project for Invisible Man. The assignment and the exemplars have been posted for you to review. We'll take class time after the exam to work on and complete the project in class.

Over the weekend, focus on preparing for the AP Exam. If you have any missing assignments, now is the time to complete them. I've reopened all of the MCQs if you need to complete or review anything. As always, reach out if you need anything. We'll complete our examination set-up steps in class next week before the exam on Wednesday at noon.

English 10

Today's class was our day to understand and begin our final portfolios for English 10. By completing this portfolio you are showing and proving that you have all of the necessary skills to move on to English 11. For this portfolio you'll complete four items and turn them in. You can turn them in all at once or bit by bit - however you choose. By the end of the portfolio you'll have one item for reading, writing, oral communication, and research.

Each class you should complete one or two items. We'll have time over each of the following classes to complete these tasks. This is the final work of the year and your final chance to improve your Q4 grade.

The Beginning of the End - 18 May

AP Language

Today in class we got in a time machine to return to ancient Athens and learn from Plato about reality, truth, and the process to find it. As we read the "Allegory of the Cave" we see many of the same steps in TIM's journey to knowledge and truth - it's important that we reflect on the process we see and the mirror for ourselves which may be held up here. Plato and Ellison ask us to always consider what we know and where we got that knowledge from. 

Next class we'll finish with Invisible Man and have time to begin our work with our final assessment on the novel. I'm excited to see everyone's creativity and thought when it comes to this novel and the ideas that it leaves you with. If you have anything missing for class - be sure that it is complete as soon as you can.

English 10

Today in class was our time to complete our final assessment for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. If you completed the test or project today, great! If not, be sure that you're finished and submitted by Friday so that I can do final grading. If you had any extra time in class, that would have been used for final notes/vocabulary and any missing assignments from this unit.

Next class we'll begin our final portfolio for English 10 - the instructions are already uploaded for you to review. The final classes of the year will be spent devoted to our final portfolios, so everyone will have the chance to complete everything during class.

Ending the Week - 13 May

AP Language

Today was a great day! We really ripped open Chapters 22 and 23 to understand TIM's development, the end of several cycles in the text, and the importance of these ideas as the novel draws to a conclusion. The connection to all of you as you codeswitch and alter your identities for different contexts and situations is a clear one. Remember - we're all affected by veils and double consciousness.

Over the weekend I would suggest finishing the novel. If you haven't submitted your mini-exam, be sure to do so ASAP. I'll be scoring again soon to update SiS.

English 10

Today was our classroom catch-up day for our Russian literature unit. If you have any missing assignments to turn in, now is the time before we finish the unit next week and move to our final, end of year assignments. Be sure to find your progress report which was sent to you today as a list of what you are missing. All assignments are available on Google Classroom and some even have recordings to guide you to completion. Be aware that this will be our ONLY catch-up day this quarter. 

Homework for A Day - 25 September

Today we had a big assessment in AP English III and the preparation for one in English IV. Let's be ready for what awaits us as we march forward to next class.

AP English III

For tonight you have two texts to read from our two key authors - Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Arthur Miller - these are texts where the authors explore their reasons for writing. Read these texts carefully and consider their purpose for writing. Why do they write? What challenges are they overcoming? What do you understand about these men?

An understanding of these texts and these questions will help us to understand some of the larger context behind their works - a discussion we'll be having on Thursday.

Don't forget to prepare for the unit ahead by looking over the unit outline, purchasing or finding your texts, and sketching out your reading schedule so that you have accomplished your reading in advance of class.

English IV

Today we reviewed our grammar, vocabulary, and the story's we have read so far this unit ("Heartbeat," "I Go Along," and "Theme for English B"). Remember to look over the guided notes from today's class to help you study for the assessment on Thursday.

We also began brainstorming for your personal "This I Believe" statements. I saw some wonderful starts and cannot wait to see what you all come up with! If you are still thinking of a topic, look back to the identity wheel's we've been filling out in class as well as the graphic organizers from today to get you started. We'll be working on these throughout the next two weeks.

Good luck studying for your assessment, let us know if you have any questions.

Homework for B-Day Students: 10/7/2015

Apologies B-Day Students for not getting this posted yesterday.  Here is what you have coming up for Friday:

English II

Your projects are due on Friday.  I'm so proud that a few of you were able to finish up during the workshop in class and get your worked turned in.  We will present our projects and then wrap up our unit on Russian literature for Friday.

AP English III

For Friday you will have your timed writing and it will be an argument.  Make sure that you know your bootcamp notes as well as your DADS notes and your rules for good writing.  All of these will help you as you complete your timed writing on Friday.  In addition, remember that your final drafts are due on Tuesday of next week.  We'll go over all of the elements that you'll need to submit on Friday as well as how.  Lastly, if you haven't already purchased your copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn do so soon as we will likely be starting the text toward the end of next week.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 10/3/2015

Sorry for not getting this up before now; I didn't realized that I'd forgotten.  Here are your reminders:

Students of Russian/Дорогие мои студенты русского языка!

I wanted to post a few things for you to use as you are writing your journals (Russian II/III) and working on your grammar homework and preparing for your first major quiz (Russian I).  First for II/III -

• Your homework this weekend is one double-spaced page in your journal using the phrase "Ни пуха, ни пера! К черту!".  Remember as you write to apply your knowledge of stems and the one-stem system.  I want you to edit and revise.  Read and consider - use your knowledge and your notes.
• If you need a dictionary there's this wonderful online resource from Duke - A grammatical dictionary of the Russian language.
• If you would like a reference guide for grammar you can use this - also from Duke and actually from one of the authors of our textbook.  

Russian I Students - You should continue working through the exercises on gender as well as studying your vocabulary words in chapter one.  In addition to the nouns you should know the possessive pronouns (моя, твое, его, их, наша, ваш) and the question words that we have learned in connection to the intonation patterns.  All of these things will be part of your vocabulary quiz on Thursday.  Don't forget too that you will have your project presentations on Thursday - is anyone bringing Russian food?

For all of you - here's our video about Кострома which we started in Russian II/III for the warm up - feel free to watch it to the end.  Remember our guests will be visiting in about a month!

English II:

If you didn't turn in your viewing guide from the Bulgakov film today then you will need to finish that for homework to turn in on Tuesday.  In addition, we'll be working on our projects on Tuesday before the due date and presentation on Thursday.  Feel free to work on your projects this weekend in preparation for our library workshop on Tuesday.  If you do research online, try to save the website addresses so that Ms. Ginocchio and I can show you how to complete your bibliography. 

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students - 10/1/2015

English II

You had a major quiz today so you don't have any official homework for tonight.  You should focus on your projects so that you are ready for the workshop we'll have in the library on Monday.  Try to do some work to select the project you want to do for your final test grade.  We'll have time to work as a class on Monday and Wednesday next week to put these projects together.

AP English III

Your homework this weekend is to read an annotate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" - it's available in 50 Essays as well as at this link.  As you read, pay attention to the ideas of Transcendentalism that we have been talking about in class.  In addition, pay attention to King's ideas of morality versus immorality and the concept of justice versus injustice.  Where do King's morals come from in this text?  This piece is rich in rhetoric and meaning and we'll have a lot to discuss with it.

Looking to the horizon, you'll have your first timed writing on Friday - it will be an argumentative piece.  Study your notes as you are preparing.  Your final drafts will be collected on the 13th of October - for these make sure that you have all of the supporting documents that have come together to make your final draft (outlines, rough drafts) so that I can see the whole development process.  Lastly, get your copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - make sure that it is complete and unabridged.

Homework for A-Day Students: 30 September 2015

English II

Today since we had our quiz on Russian literature we have no official homework to complete.  However, I have given you your final project for our Russian literature unit, and it would be a good idea to start working on your project tonight.  Next class we'll spend some time in the library working on these projects - make sure that the time in the library is useful by starting tonight.  Remember you have to select one of the four projects to complete.  Consider what you think will give you your strongest work.  Your projects are due on October 8th.

Russian I

Tonight for homework I want you to complete the reinforcement exercises from my Russian grammar textbook.  You're completing exercises 51, 52, 53, and 54.  For most of these you need to review your notes on gender and possessive pronouns.  Remember to select the appropriate pronoun based on the gender of the item.  We'll continue working on this and phonetics for Friday's class.

Make sure that with the homework that you write out all of your answers and sentences.  Don't just fill in the blank or write the word - writing the whole sentence will help you with your handwriting and your grammar knowledge.

Russian II/III

Tonight you'll continue working on questions and answers as you work through exercise one in chapter four.  There are fifteen questions there.  I want you to select ten and then complete the example where you give answers to the questions.  Make sure that you follow the model.  Use this as a chance to check in with verbs and to practice your knowledge of the one-stem verb system in Russian.  This is also a good chance for you to review your intonation patterns as we'll be doing some speaking related to questions and answers next class.