8 April - Terrific Tuesday

English 11

You all were crushing it today in English 11. We started off by discussing author's purpose and brainstorming some of the reasons why an author would choose to keep key details like characters and settings ambiguous instead of specific. This took us into our study of John Dos Passos's U.S.A. We studied the "Prelude" to his larger novel to understand the role of the main character as a symbol for the blue collar American worker. We also discussed the stylistics in the text like listing, lower case letters, and shifts that made meaning clear.

From there, we focused on our SOL Reading Bank and processed the text. Today's text, as an allegory or short story, provided us a lot of conflict, symbolism, and character. We also were able to identify irony and tragedy as this text dealt with the tragedy of American capitalism. As you keep reading your plays, I hope that you'll take some time to process them with this tool.

We ended the day with vocabulary. The assignments will stay open for the rest of the week. If you did not finish your vocabulary assessment in class, please make that a priority. Next class we're going to take the time to complete our FCPS Reading Test. This will help me to prepare us for the Reading SOL since it tests your reading ability. Be sure to have your FCPS laptop to take the test. If you finish the test before the end of class, then you'll have time to finish any other assignments. 

Kicking Off Q2 - Grey Day - 11/4

Since we didn't have a Blue Day yesterday, today is a bonus day for Grey Day English classes. I hope that you enjoyed the new class setup today. As always, I appreciate and welcome your feedback.

AP Language

Today we had an enrichment day to reflect on the quarter, talk about some test taking skills for future exams, and hopefully have some time to work with our classmates and get to know each other better.

Next class we'll be focused on our reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. You've got Chapters 11-16 (a bit of a transitional section with some mini-adventures). Pay attention to symbols and big ideas as these will be the focus of our work on Friday. We'll also be discussing the final project for this unit and beginning our task with it. Don't forget that you should submit the Amy Tan Reflection (Day 16 work) and Vocabulary Cards.

English 10

Today in class we took some time to read in Persepolis, work as groups to learn more about each other, and reflect on our vocabulary and in general on Quarter 1 of the year. I know that there were some quirks to our first stations day; hopefully next time we do this it'll run a bit more smoothly.

Take a look at the asynchronous work from last class if you haven't yet. You may want to review the assignment tonight and do some reading to prepare to complete the work. We'll practice a bit with this skill next class as we examine several important scenes in Persepolis.

AP Research

Today in AP Research we had a quick lesson to review the components of the first research "poster" and pitch for class. Keep in mind that one of the key functions of this work is to check and ensure the ever important idea of alignment exists between all of the areas of our work. Go back into the work that you've done so far, especially as it relates to your research question and consider how you can repurpose some of that work for this new task. 

Next class you'll have a full day to work - spend it practicing your pitch with each other or Ms. Greeves. There's also AB Entry writing or developing the poster. Next week we'll present our work and review the elements of the Inquiry Proposal form in order to submit our proposals for review and authorization.

Homework for A-Day Students: 4 December

AP English III

We had a very productive day today in class which focused on new symbols which are uncovered in Chapters Six through Eight. These symbols were productive because they related to previous symbols as well as motifs and topics which are being woven through the text by Morrison. We were then able to distill the information about the symbols in to clear outcomes related to conflicts and information about the characters.

For tonight, finish reading James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" this text is in 50 Essays, and I posted the pdf of the reading in Google Classroom. Remember that all we have left is Section III.

As you finish your reading of Baldwin, start to think about topics or ideas we have encountered in various texts. We'll be doing some in-class writing on Thursday related to finding and drawing connections between various authors and time periods. This will be one of the preliminary assignments as we consider the final project for this unit.

English IV

Today in class we finished watching A Doll's House. Quite the ending, right? We then finished some questions to go over what happened at the end and what this really means for the characters.

Next class we'll be focused on our projects. You should be able to finish the remaining projects on Thursday's class. If you need additional time, you'll have the weekend to pull together any last work.

Remember that next week you'll have your final quiz on A Doll's House. It'll focus mostly on Act III, but there will be some questions that cover the whole play as well. It would be a good idea this weekend to take your notes with you to study and review.

Homework for the Weekend - 30 November - A Day

AP English III

During today's class we were really focused on understanding how Chapter 5 and the arrival of Beloved act as a break or a caesura in the text. This is a clear moment that affects the characters now, and it will continue to affect them as we move forward in the text. As we investigated the changes in the characters, I want you to follow this as you keep reading by looking at the changes in the symbols in the text as well.

Over the weekend, read and annotate Chapters 6-8. As you're reading, look for symbols that we have noticed before, but also consider the way that these symbols are shifting or developing in their meaning. You're also going to want to keep an eye out for irony in the text too. As we discovered, irony really is the key device Morrison will be using through her text to communicate big understandings to us.

Remember that for Thursday we'll have the end of James Baldwin's piece as well. There will be an in-class writing/synthesis assignment on this day where you'll draw on many of our different authors to understand how many of them are developing a meaning around a particular idea.

English IV

We're spending our time working our way through Act III. Today we saw the beginnings of the end as Torvald and Nora begin to argue heatedly. For the weekend I think that it's a good idea to work on your projects if you can. We'll have a workshop in class on Tuesday, but I would suggest finishing your paragraph or other project so that we can move on to finishing the play.

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!

Homework for B Day Students - 11/17/2015

Sorry for the delay everyone!  Here are your reminders for Wednesday's classes.

English II

You have some reading to do tonight - please read the next chapter of Persepolis called "The Cigarette" - as you read, consider the importance of the cigarette in this chapter as a symbol.  What does the cigarette mean?  How does it relate to a larger idea?  Why is this larger idea important to the story and to Marji?  Consider these ideas as you are reading.

Next class we'll spend time working on symbolism and our projects - so be prepared for that.

AP English III

Next class you have your rhetorical analysis timed writing - review the idea of a rhetorical analysis as well as the process of completing this type of assignment.  Remember that in this type of writing you are proving someone else's argument and how they are supporting that argument.

Additionally, you have some pieces to be working on for your papers.  You have your outlines for your essays due on 11/24/2015 - please follow Ms. Ginocchio's instructions for completing the outline - remember that it isn't as detailed as the first outline you completed, but the more work you do in the outline, the easier the paper will be to complete.  Lastly, you'll be finishing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn over Thanksgiving Break, so you may want to move toward that goal sooner, rather than later.

Homework for B-Day Students - 2/10/2014

AP English III

You all have a few things to accomplish for tonight and leading into next class:

1. Make sure that you have completed the reading of chapters two and three.  Chapter two is long and complicated and also quite disturbing - get through it.  Use your motif chart to guide you through the reading - all of the motifs show up in chapter two.  Pay attention to new characters like Trueblood and Norton.  Consider any patterns you're seeing in the Invisible Man's behavior.  Annotate!  Draw connections.  In chapter three there's a bit of a break because it's kinda short - note the motifs - you have all but one represented.
2. Begin work on your first mini-essay on the symbolism of the Battle Royal scene.  Make sure that you follow the instructions given by Ms. Alley.  Remember that your draft is due on the 16th.

English II

Any extra credit or missing assignments that you did not submit today in class will be due from you by your next class.  Any assignments still missing will be converted into actual zeroes.