English III Homework - 2/15

Tonight you will need to finish the reading of chapters seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen. As you read, keep track of the big ideas that we keep getting to in class:

• childhood versus adulthood
• change
• fantasy versus reality
• escape
• women

Think about how this new information helps you to create a message about these particular ideas in the text.

English I - Project (Shakespeare/Drama), Notes

Students -

Every night over the next few weeks you should be reading your plays. I expect that you will be done with your plays in approximately three weeks. You should read in your play for about an hour a night.

If while you're reading, you feel as though you don't understand - please come and ask for help. Use sticky notes to mark places in the text that you have questions about.

If you need help on any of the other parts of the project, please ask for my help. This is what you should be working on for the next six weeks.

While we're studying Shakespeare it's important that you not miss class! If you miss class, you should meet me after school, during study hall, or during lunch to review reading and go over notes. Remember that when you're absent, you're missing discussion and that's how we review things in class.

Keep bringing your plays with you to class. We will read in class from time to time. This may count as a homework grade...you never know.

English III Homework - 2/11

Tonight for homework you need to finish reading the article that I gave you earlier this week. As you read, interact with the text. Highlight things that are interesting to you. Note questions. We'll work on discussing this in class tomorrow. Also, think about what you learn about Salinger as you read about the text. Is it important to understand the author's biography in order to appreciate the text?

Also, the reading that we will discuss on Monday is chapter fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen.

That is all.

Suave as hell, boy.

Homework for English I - 2/10

All students in English I should begin reading their supplemental plays. I would recommend that you all find the speech that you are interested in performing to the class. If you need me to get you a copy of the play, you need to let me know in writing so that I won't forget.

See me if you have any questions.

English III Homework

Students,

I hope that you enjoyed watching the opening clip of Rebel Without A Cause today in class. As we continue to read more of The Catcher in the Rye we will watch more clips from Rebel.

Tonight's reading is not going to be discussed until THURSDAY. Tomorrow in class the Junior guidance counselors will be coming to discuss colleges and the admission process with you. Please come with any questions that you have about this very daunting process. Tonight's reading is to review chapters ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen. If you're caught up, take this opportunity to get ahead in your reading.

Don't forget that you have that article due on Friday.

Homework for English Classes - 2/8

English III

Tonight you will need to read to the end of chapter tweleve, or page eighty-eight. As you read, as always, keep up with your dialectical notebook entries. Furthermore, I think that after seeing the first section of the novel end you are starting to notice some patterns within the text. Keep track of these patterns as you keep reading.

English I

On Wednesday/Thursday you will have a quiz on the Elizabethan Theatre handout as well as the notes we reviewed on William Shakespeare and Othello. Spend some time tonight reviewing these notes. Also, you will need to come to class on Wednesday/Thursday with a copy of the play that you will be studying. Only one student has contacted me about a play not on the list. Remember that if the play is not on the list I will need to approve it before you can study the play.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

English III Homework - 2/5

I think that our class discussions are getting better. I especially found that after we watched the video clip it brought a lot of things together for a lot of you. To those of you that are still staying really quiet in class, please speak up.

Over the weekend English III Honors students will need to complete the delve-in assignment. You may use only quotes and examples from chapters one through seven. Be sure to use the graphic organizer and the model that I gave you today in class.

Also, I gave you an article today that I would like for you to read by next Friday. It gives a lot of insight into Salinger and some of his motivation behind writing the book - supposedly.

That's all - if you've got any questions, please ask.

Homework for 2/4

I feel like I haven't seen you all in forever. Each class has something to accomplish for tonight.

English III

Please read chapters four, five, six, and seven. This will take you to page fifty six. Make sure that you keep up with your dialectical notebook entries.

English I

Since we didn't finish the introductory notes on Othello you will not have a quiz on these terms. You do need to find your play and have that ready by Wednesday/Thursday. Do some research over the weekend to find a play that you're going to like!

2/1 is a SNOW DAY!

I know that you all are very excited about this, and I know that some of you probably aren't even going to read this post.

But, if you do, here are some reminders and tips for the next few classes.

English III:

If you'd like to spend some time getting ahead on your reading for Catcher, go for it. Please don't talk about future events in the novel during in class discussions (nobody likes ending ruiners...). If you choose to read ahead, keep up with your dialectical notebook entries.

English I:

A day poetry projects will be due the day we get back. That day will be an A day!

We will also begin studying Othello. While we're reading one play in class you will be reading one play on your own at home for a project. Honors students will be reading a Shakespearean play; Standard students have an option of a Shakespearean play or a play by another author approved by me. Take this time to do some research about a play you'd like to read.

Weekend Work - 1/29

English III

Over the weekend you need to finish reading chapters two and three of Catcher. As you read, complete your dialectical notebook entries. As you get further into the book it will be important to notice patterns and to consider what they add to the text.


English I

Your Poetry Projects are due the next day in class. Please bring them with you to class on Monday/Tuesday. If you have questions over the weekend, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment. I will NOT read drafts over the weekend!


Let it snow...Let it snow...But not too much.

Homework for 1/28

English III

Tonight you need to finish reading chapter one of The Catcher in the Rye. I would suggest that you reread the section of the text that I read aloud to you today at the end of class to review that information. Don't forget to complete your dialectical notebook entry for chapter one as well. Follow all of the instructions on that sheet.

English I

Over the weekend you need to finish your Poetry Unit Projects. Make sure that you have all of the pieces ready to go. Bring everything with you to class on Monday/Tuesday. I appreciate the fact that some of you have come to see me and conference about your projects. This is a great way to improve your score!

English III Honors - 1/27

Tonight for homework you need to finish your "America" papers. Take the commentary on the rough draft and turn the essay into a really polished piece of writing. Use the rubric to make your essay great!

Tomorrow when you come to class, I will collect your rough draft, final draft, and the rubric that I gave you today in class.

Jan. 26 - Homework for All Classes

First, English III:

I hope that you all had a good first day in class today. I threw a lot of information at you all but I think we're going to have a really good year. It's going to be important to keep the chatty-ness under control as we get going in the year. Tonight you need to finish your diagnostic essay assignment. The question that you're answering is:

What is "America"?

Use the brainstorming that we did in class today to begin this assignment. Do your best writing so that I can see what we need to work on throughout the semester.


Now, English I:

You all need to study for your Poetry Exam. Take the study guide I gave you and get ready. You should probably spend at least ninety minutes or so each night getting ready.

If anyone has any questions, please ask them here.

Homework over the Semester Break

9th Graders -

Over the long semester break I would like for you to work on your Poetry Projects. This break gives you a lot of time to get it finished and then you have time to check in with me before the project is due. Please take this opportunity to do good work and not be rushed.

Enjoy the time off.

Online Textbook Problems

I'm hearing from a lot of you that there are problems with the online textbook - I'm having these same problems. Continue to try, but if you can't get it to work, come to the room in the morning to work on this assignment - we'll review it in class. Do not put this assignment in the box.

UPDATE!!!!

I called the tech support people and they said that they were having problems with the website. Keep trying, but if you can't get it done - don't worry about it.

English I - Poetry Homework

Tonight you need to read two poems from the textbook. First, read "Once by the Pacific" by Robert Frost on page 423. After that, read "Country Scene" by Ho Xuan Hu'o'ng on page 425. After you've read both poems, answer the questions after "Country Scene." About Frost, answer questions 3, 4, 5, and 8. About Ho, answer question 4.

Bring these questions with you to class on Wednesday/Thursday.

Honors Assignment Only

Honors English I Students -

Your assignment this weekend is to read the poem by Wordsworth called "Ode to Duty." This is a very difficult poem to understand, but I'm sure that you can do it. Use the footnotes on the bottom of the page and my annotations. After reading the poem - answer the eight questions on the page.

If you need help - please leave a comment.

English III Homework - 1/6

Tonight's homework (which is the final homework of the course) is to complete a 1Q1P for "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock." Remember at the beginning of your paper to include the quote from the poem and the line number. The poem is not available from the online textbook. But you should be able to find it by doing a google search.

Your goal in the paragraph is to explain how the line connects to the meaning of the overall poem. As you write your paragraph, explore every part of your line. You are completeing a deep reading of the line. Leave no letter unturned

Tomorrow in class we will look at our last few poets and we will review for the final exam.

First Homework of 2010!

9th Graders!

For tonight, I want you to do some work on the poem that you selected for your poetry project. I would like for you to read your poem several times tonight - after you've done this answer the following question and put your response in the box.

Why did you choose the poem that you chose?

As you answer this question, I would like for you to answer with a clear topic sentnece that identifies the author and title of your poem written in the correct way. In your topic sentence, you should identify two or three specific things (literary devices) about the poem that influenced your decision. In the body of your paragraph, use examples from the poem to explain your answer.

This is due to the box on Thursday/Friday.

Work over Break!

To all of my students,

You don't have anything to do over break for my class. I would love it if you all picked up a book and read over the break - but I know that's probably not going to happen :)

You all have been working really hard. Take a long break, you deserve it. I'll have your papers back to you the day we return.

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!


Miller

English III - Final Draft Night!!!

Tonight you need to finish your final drafts! I will not read over drafts tonight but I will answer questions that you may run into. Please e-mail me at daniel.miller1234@gmail.com to ask questions.

Also, Psycho starts at The Carolina Theatre at 9:20. I'll be out front of the theatre around 9:10 to meet any of you that want to see the show.

Hope to see you tonight! Finish your paper, then come to the movie.

English III Work for 12/16

Tonight is the night you write your draft or format your draft if you've already written it.

Make sure that you follow all of the rules for MLA format in your draft. These are very specific rules, and I must hold you to these rules. If you do not follow these specifications, you will be accused of plagiarism.

At the end of your draft, make sure that you have your Works Cited page formatted appropriately at the end of your paper. Bring in everything tomorrow as we will work on drafts tomorrow.

If you have questions on MLA format, use the sample paper that I gave you. Everything in this paper is good except for the works cited page, I think that this is not in the 2009 format rules.

If you run into any problems, please e-mail me. I will spot check your papers for MLA citations tomorrow.

English III Homework - 12/15

For tonight!

A lot of you in class today had errors in your outlines that will get in the way as you begin drafting. I would recommend that tonight you spend your time reviewing your outlines and revising the errors seen within those. If you have revised your outline or think that you have an understanding of your errors. Begin to draft!

I will give you a crash course in formatting your draft tomorrow. Tonight, if you choose to write your draft, don't worry about the MLA formatting. You can add this in afterwards. Get your ideas down on paper and create a good research paper. Remember that as you write each body paragraph you will need to make your topic sentences connect to your thesis, and make your examples connect to your topics through thorough explanation.

If you need help/assistance - please e-mail! Ask for help!!!

English I Homework - 12/14 and 12/15

Please be sure to bring your final drafts of your essays with you to class on Wednesday/Thursday. Your final drafts will need to come in with your rough drafts, outlines, and rubrics. Be sure that you have everything on the day that it is due. If you need additional help, please come and see me before the paper is due.

English III Homework - 12/14

Students,

Tonight you MUST complete the outlines for your research papers. Make sure that you follow the outline format that I gave you today in class. Be sure that everything is labeled. Make sure that every topic relates back and proves your thesis and that all of your topics have evidence to support them.

Tomorrow in class I'll be calling each of you over to go over your outlines. We'll also talk about how to turn the outlines into a full paper tomorrow.

Lastly, Psycho will be showing at The Carolina Theatre at 9:20 PM. It's a pretty late showing. I think that Thursday would be a good day to see the movie, how do the rest of you feel about this?

If you need help on your thesis statements or outlines, please e-mail me or leave a comment.

English I - Weekend Work

This weekend you all need to write your rough drafts of your paper about A Separate Peace. Bring your paper with you to class on Monday/Tuesday. Be sure that you have used your outline, and that you follow the rubric to help you write the essay. The rubric will be helpful to show you what you will be graded on.

If you need help over the weekend, e-mail me or leave a comment. I will not read drafts this weekend.

English III Weekend Work

This weekend you should collect ten notecards on your novel - your primary source. As you go through your novel, think about your thesis. What quotes and evidence support your idea? How can you connect the quotes and evidence from your novel to the criticism that you have been finding the last few days?

Bring your ten notecards with you to class on Monday.

Also, for those of you interested in doing some more research I would suggest Perkins Library on Duke's West Campus. If you are interested I will be willing to meet you at Perkins Library around 2:00 PM on Sunday for a few hours of outside of class research. Let me know by Saturday afternoon (5:00) if you're coming. I'll send an e-mail to those interested letting you know where to meet up. We can also, at this time, work on forming outlines and the other important parts of the paper. If you're interested, send me an e-mail (daniel.miller1234@gmail.com) or leave me a comment here. If you leave a comment, leave your e-mail address so that I can respond.

English III Review of Day - 12/10

Today we started the process of researching for your papers. Tonight, to work on this assignment I would suggest that you think about what you found today to create your thesis statement. Your thesis is (like always) key to this paper. Today we also talked about how to create an outline. As you work and research, you should think about organizing and outlining in your head.

Tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday we will be in the library to research. The reason why is because, as you learned today, the process to research takes a long time.

Another thing that you can do at home is to collect evidence from your novel to support your thesis. Remember that this paper will need to include evidence from critics and from your novel.

If, at any point during this process you feel lost, please come and see me! Don't wait to get too overwhelmed. This is a difficult assignment.

English III Reminder

BUY INDEX CARDS!!!!!!! WALK IN TO CLASS TOMORROW WITH ABOUT FIFTY INDEX CARDS IN YOUR POSSESSION SO THAT YOU CAN DO RESEARCH!

Homework - 12/8 and 12/9

English III:

Your homework for tonight is to study for your Realism test. You should also spend some time working on your thesis for your research papers. Work on that three part chart that I gave you today in class to help organize your thoughts on a thesis. As you begin to get into the library and work on researching, you will clarify this thesis.

English I:

Your homework for tonight is to work on your outlines. Use the rubric to see where I took points off of your original outline. Bring your revised outline to class with you on Thursday/Friday. We will use these outlines to write body paragraphs on Thursday/Friday.

If you have questions - please ask!

English III Homework - 12/7

Your homework for tonight is to complete the reading of Jack London's "To Build A Fire" and to complete writing your dialectical notebook. Be sure that you follow all instructions in completing this assignment.

Furthermore, you should work on your thesis statement for your research project if you have not already gotten approval from me on your thesis. Final thesis statements are due on Wednesday.

Things to do over the weekend...

This post is for all classes - you've got some things to accomplish this weekend.

English III:

This Monday you are going to have a timed writing assignment on your novels. I would recommend that you spend the weekend looking over your novel, and reviewing the information about your themes, topics, and motifs.

English I:

Over the weekend you will need to finish reading A Separate Peace. Your finished Dialectical Notebook sheets are due on Tuesday for A-day and Wednesday for B-day. I will be checking for your entries for chapters eight through thirteen. This will result in twelve entries for Honors students and six entries for Standard students. Also, as you finish the book, I want you to think about the following question - you don't need to write something about it, just think.

What did you learn about life from this book? How did you learn it?

Also, on Monday, I will have a redo session for Essay outlines. If you are not happy with your essay outline grade, then you will have the chance to redo this assignment during Monday's study hall. Don't miss this chance!

English I Homework - 12/2 and 12/3

Tonight for homework you have a few things to do:

1. Read chapter twelve of A Separate Peace. Things in the novel are starting to move to a conclusion - begin to start wrapping up the novel and see what happens to all of our major characters, especially Finny and Gene.

2. Complete your dialectical notebook entry for chapter twelve.

3. Your essay outline is due to the box on Friday (A-day) or Monday (B-day). If you need assistance completing this. Please let me know as soon as you can. Don't turn it in late!

English III Homework, 12/2

Tonight for homework you need to read Jack London's "To Build a Fire." This story can be found in your textbook on page 481. As you read, for each page, you will need to write down a significant quote and explain the quote's significance. For example:

"It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun." (481)


This quote is significant to the story because it sets the mood at the opening. The word pall, gloom, and absence of sun make the setting and mood scary and foreshadow a difficult time for the main character.


As you can see - in the entry I have written down the quote, the page number, and a thorough explanation. You need to do the same, one entry per page, eleven entries total.

English III Homework - 12/1

Tonight, your homework is to read Flannery O'Connor's story "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." This story is a fantastic representation of the Southern Gothic. As you read - be an active reader. Underline things in the text you find interesting, ask questions, make connections. I want for you to identify elements of the text that are particularly indicative of the Southern Gothic. Focus on the following elements:

1. Grotesque
2. People that are marginalized in Southern society.
3. Southern culture and traditions
4. Disturbed personalities

Enjoy the story - it's pretty good. Not O'Connor's best, but definitely good.

Homework for 11/30

English III:

Your homework for tonight is to read Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The story can be found on page 460 in your textbook. As you read, keep note of the way that Twain uses different comedic devices in the story to help make the story richer.

We will discuss the important elements of this story tomorrow in class.

English I:

Your homework for tonight is to finish your reading of chapter eleven of A Separate Peace. If you've already finished your reading, you should spend a lot of your time tonight working on your outlines. Your outline is due to the box on Friday morning for A-day and Monday morning for B-day. If you need help on your outline, please see me!

Homework for English I and III

Freshmen:

Your homework for tonight is to study for your quiz on chapters six through ten. Remember your last quiz - it will be very similar to that one in format. In addition to studying, you will need to read chapter eleven and complete your dialectical notebook entries.

Juniors:

All of you need to be finished with your reading by the end of the week when we get back from Thanksgiving. We will be working really hard when we get back from break as you all need to write your lesson plans and your research papers. It's going to be a lot - but I know that you can do it.

Homework - 11/19

English III -

Today we went over the idea of historical context and what that means. Tomorrow we will be spending the period in the library doing research for our long term projects. Be prepared to work hard.


English I -

Your homework for tonight is to read chapter ten and complete your dialectical notebook assignment. Also, I went over a lot of information today about thesis writing. This would be a great time, as you read, to think about the thesis that you are forming for this novel. You may need to alter or reconsider your thesis as you continue to read.

Let me know if you're having any problems or concerns!

English III Homework - 11/18

Tonight for homework you should spend your time preparing for your quiz tomorrow on Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. You should be able to comment on their style, literary devices apparent in their work, and the meaning of the work. You will be presented with two poems by these authors that you have never seen before. You will need to do a cold analysis of these two poems. Look at our discussions up to this point to aid you.

Also - I hope that you enjoyed the scavenger hunt today. Leave questions here if you need to ask. Also, don't forget that your final drafts of your poems are due tomorrow. Please submit your rough and final drafts together.

English I Homework 11/17 and 11/18

Your homework for tonight is to read chapter nine of A Separate Peace. There is a HUGE unexpected plot twist in chapter nine that will really throw you for a loop. You may want to continue reading chapter ten to get a resolution - that's fine. But you can't talk about chapter ten until the class gets there.

Don't forget your dialectical notebook entry for chapter nine as well.

English III - 11/17

Today in class we covered a lot of information about our newest poet - Emily Dickinson. We talked a lot about her biography and different elements of her style that impact the meaning of her poetry. I would highly recommend that you spend time reviewing Dickinson and the information on Whitman - you will have a quiz on Thursday on these two poets.

Tomorrow we're going to do a poetry review through a scavenger hunt. It should be a pretty fun activity.

See you tomorrow morning!

Homework for 11/13

English III

Your homework is to complete your rough draft of your poetic memoir. Bring this draft with you to class on Monday - we will do a draft workshop on this day.

English I

Your homework is to read chapter eight of A Separate Peace and complete your dialectical notebook entries. Chapter eight is pretty long - you should split this up over the weekend in order to get the chapter done.

Homework for all classes - 11/10

English III:

Remember that while we're studying poetry for the next few classes you won't have any "homework" - but you do have a lot to work on. You need to keep up with the reading of your novel outside of class. Remember that your goal is to finish your novel by the first week of December. This will make life a lot easier for you as we will begin studying our last novel of the year - The Great Gatsby - around that time.

English I:

Tonight you need to read chapter seven of A Separate Peace. In addition, you will need to prepare for a check on your dialectical notebooks for chapters four, six, and seven. Honors students should have six entries (two per chapter) and standard students should have three entries (one per chapter).

English I Homework

Freshmen,

Your homework for tonight is to read chapter six of A Separate Peace and complete your dialectical notebook entries. You may be running out of space on your worksheet and will need to attach a separate sheet of paper.

In addition to your reading you will need to be ready to hand in your final draft of your Reminiscience assignment. Bring your rough draft, peer editing checklist, and final draft to class with you for collection. Be sure that you have all of the pieces that you need.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

English III

On Monday you're going to have your exam on Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and Gothic literature. I went over what you need to study in class today. Here's a reminder:

Opening notes on the literary periods/movements
Longfellow's "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" and "Cross of Snow"
Bryant's "Thanatopsis"
Emerson's "Nature" and "Self-Reliance"
Thoreau's "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience"
Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil"

Also, you'll have an essay about Transcendentalism. Study hard, ask questions if you have them!

Homework for 11/4

English III:

Tonight you need to finish reading the story "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Complete the worksheet as well. Hawthorne is pretty dense, focus on understanding the main events of the story and answering the questions that you see on your worksheet. Remember that I will no longer accept late homework assignments. If you need help, ask.

English I:

Your homework is to study for your quiz on chapters one through five of A Separate Peace. There's a lot of information on this test on literary devices, your notes on bildungsromans, and the information on the events of the chapters. Study hard!

Also - you can continue to get ahead on your reading if you would like.

English I Homework - 10/2 and 10/3

For homework you need to read chapter five of A Separate Peace. In addition, complete the worksheet that I gave you to go with the chapter. You don't have to complete a dialectical notebook entry, just answer the worksheet. Bring the worksheets to class, don't put them in the box.

Homework for English III 11/3

Today we did a lot of Thoreau - I know he's dense. But there's some interesting things going on in there. Tonight, you need to finish reading Thoreau's "Civil Disobediance." There is about a page and a half left for you to read on your own.

After you finish that, you will need to complete the reading by Ghandi or MLK. Number ones will read Ghandi, number twos will read King. After you finish reading, consider question five. You don't need to write anything - but it will be really helpful as your group prepares for an in-class debate.

Ok - I think that's it. Enjoy Thoreau!

PS - You have a test coming up soon. We will review in class on Thursday.

Weekend Homework for English I

Freshmen,

I thought that I'd already posted your homework - then I looked and saw that I hadn't. So, here's your reminder for the weekend:

1. If you're not caught up to the end of chapter four in A Separate Peace, you need to spend some time getting caught up.

2. You need to be sure that you have your rough draft of your reminiscence ready for peer editing on Monday/Tuesday. Make it as complete as possible. This rough draft and participation in peer editing will count toward your final draft grade.

3. If you need anything else to do for English this weekend, you should get ahead in your reading of A Separate Peace.

English III Homework - 10/29

Tomorrow you're going to have your first group meeting. I'm giving you the whole class tomorrow to work and accomplish goals. Be sure that you come to class tomorrow and are ready to work with your group.

Also, over the weekend you need to read the excerpt from "Walden" on pages 193-200. If you want to read to the end at page 204 - that's fine, but I'm not requiring it. You have until Monday to complete this assignment.

You all have been doing really well during our discussion of Transcendentalists. I hope that you are enjoying what we've been studying lately.

Remember, "to be great is to be misunderstood..."

English III Homework - 10/28

I hope that you all enjoyed our introduction to Transcendentalism today. Tonight, for homework, I want you to think about the following question. It may help for you to write a response, but I will not be collecting this for a grade. We will use this as a springboard for discussion tomorrow.

What is something that you allow to control your life. How would your life change if this thing were no longer around?

Remember that the idea here is to think about something that you have some control over - your parents or school don't really count. Things like cell phones, facebook, and other obsessions would.

Think creatively!

Homework for 9th Graders

Freshmen -

Your homework for tonight is to read chapter four of A Separate Peace and complete your dialectical notebook entries for chapter four. Also, today I gave your reminiscience assignment out. Try to focus on your topic for this writing assignment. Your rough draft of the Reminiscience is due on 11/2 and 11/3.

Juniors - Read This!

Today I threw a lot of information at you. I would go over this assignment with your parents tonight and discuss what you will be doing over the next nine weeks. I would recommend that you buy your own copy of the book - but I will issue those that I can.

Those of you who elected to read Sister Carrie or The Crying of Lot 49 - you will need to buy your books. Please go to Nice Price Book on Broad Street to find good used copies at a discounted rate. Tomorrow you will begin your group contract - this will set the ground for the work that you will do all quarter.

It's going to be a great quarter. You're about to do some great work!!!

Freshman Reminders

Remember that by the end of this weekend you need to have read the first three chapters of A Separate Peace. Also, I will be checking dialectical notebooks on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Don't start the second quarter with a bad first step. Be thorough and complete in your dialectical notebook entries!!!

Homework - 10/22 and 10/23

Juniors:

Your homework tonight is to review the information on pages 138-145. This is an expanded version of the information that I gave you in class today. In addition, you need to read the two Longfellow poems on pages 172 and 174. You will also need to read the information on Longfellow provided on page 170.


Freshmen:

Your homework is to read chapter three of A Separate Peace. Standard students will complete one dialectical notebook entry and honors students will complete two. By the end of the reading you should have made the following entries:

Honors - Four entries for chapter one. Two entries for chapter two and three.
Standard - Two entries for chapter one. One entry for chapter two and three.

I will be checking your DN's in class on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Junior Reminders

Juniors,

Remember that your compare/contrast papers are due tomorrow. We're getting to crunch time for the end of the quarter - make sure that you're turning in good, quality papers tomorrow.

Also, tomorrow we will move on to a new unit on Romanticism and the 1800s. It'll be some fun stuff.

Lastly, tomorrow afterschool you will have your opportunity for extra credit. Please report promptly to room 119 at 2:45 to have this chance. This will be your only chance for extra credit this quarter.

Homework for English III and English I

Freshmen:

You will have your first Wordskills Exam on Thursday/Friday. For this exam you should focus on learning your twenty five prefixes. Honors students also need to learn the main bases of the words that we studied in this unit. You shouldn't focus on wordparts such as ia, y, ic, and other suffixes.

Also, you need to read chapter two of A Separate Peace. Honors students: You need to write two dialectical notebook entries for chapter two. Standard students: You do not need to complete a dialectical notebook entry - we will do this in a group next class.

Juniors:

You will have your timed writing tomorrow. I will also hand back your group analysis papers so that we can discuss them.

English III Homework and Reminders

Juniors,

Your group analysis assignment is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. If you have questions while you're working on this, be sure that you ask questions here.

Also, tomorrow you will have your first timed writing related to The Crucible. Remember that one topic will focus on the idea of tragedy and one will focus on the applicibility of the play's message. Spend some time tonight getting ready for this assignment.

On Thursday I will be collecting your compare/contrast assignments. Please come and see me if you need assistance with this. Monday and Wednesday are the best days for help.

That's all!

9th Grade Homework

Freshmen,

This weekend you need to finish your vocabulary review sheets. B day students will turn them in on Monday and A day students will turn them in on Tuesday. Your Unit One vocabulary exam will occur on Thursday and Friday of this coming week.

Also, A day Honors students need to complete a second dialectical entry for pages 1-4 of A Separate Peace.

English III Reminder

You have a quiz coming up on Act II and Act III. If you were absent from class these days you should get notes from someone and read the play yourself. You've got to keep up with the reading on days you are absent.

The quiz will be very similar in format to the last one. Multiple choice and quotes.

Leave any questions if you have them

Homework - Freshmen

With the strange schedule over the next few days I need to clarify that this homework assignment is due Friday for A day and Monday for B day.

You have a few things that you need to do for homework:

1. If your class finished WordSkills lesson one, you will have received a worksheet reviewing lesson one. Complete this and put it in the box.

2. Buy a pack of post-it notes. Bring these with you to class.

3. Find your copy of A Separate Peace and bring it to class!

9th Grade - Test

Freshmen,

You have a test next week on Tuesday for A day and Thursday for B day. Your test will cover the autobiographical excerpts that we have read in class. Below is a list of excerpts and some ideas on what to study with each piece. This list is not all you need to know but only meant to get you started.

1. Malcolm X's "Growing Up" and "Conking"

tone, theme, irony, views of whites, racism, pride

2. Holocaust Narratives

vocabulary about the camps, roll call, selection, dehumanization

3. David Sedaris's "Go Carolina"

stereotypes, characters, tone, theme

** Honors Students, you will also see questions on "Me Talk Pretty One Day"

4. Introductory notes on autobiography, biography, and memoir

5. Rules for Good Writing

Honors English III Homework - 10/8

In the midst of teaching my Russian class I realized that I forgot to post the homework.


Please write a one paragraph personal response to your section of "Half Hanged Mary" by Margaret Atwood. In this you may break good writing rules because you are writing a personal response. Please make sure to stay focused in your paragraph and provide a lot of examples from the text to support what you're saying.

See you in the morning!

Homework - 10/5

Freshmen:

Your task is to read the excerpts by David Sedaris that I gave you today in class. Honors students need to read both "Go Carolina" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Also, be sure that you answer the questions on the worksheet. Honors students need to be sure that you answer all of the questions.

The worksheet will be due on Friday for A day and Monday for B day.


Juniors:

You need to keep up with your reading in your independent dramas. Tomorrow we will begin presentations of the speeches/dialogues. Tomorrow we will get the dates set for the presentations and I will be handing back a lot of work.

English III Homework - 10/2

Over the weekend you're going to need to continue reading your independent play and preparing for your upcoming presentations. Furthermore, you will need to prepare for your quiz on Act I of The Crucible. Focus on important quotations, plot events, and information about the characters that we have learned about so far. If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment.

Homework for English I and III - 10/1 and 10/2

English I:

Your homework tonight is to finish reading the piece by Malcolm X and complete the handout as well. Be sure that you complete both sides of the handout and answer all questions. Bring your work with you to class on Monday/Tuesday as I will begin class by checking your work.

English III:

You should be reading your play and working on the memorization of your speech. Please see me if you need any help - I have a lot of tips and tricks for memorization. Also, we will be having a quiz on Act I of The Crucible pretty soon (Monday). You should spend time reviewing what we cover in class and studying.

Reminder for Freshmen!

When you come to school on Thursday/Friday please remember to bring your final draft, rough draft, and planning guide with you to English. Also, remember that the "breakdown" is part of your story grade. Instructions for completing the breakdown can be found on your short story project assignment sheet.

Finally, Honors students, remember to complete the Honors Enrichment assignment. Instructions for this can also be found on your assignment sheet.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Homework, English I and III

First, the freshmen:

Your homework is to complete the final draft of your short story projects. When you come to class on Thursday/Friday you will need to turn in your final draft, rough draft, and planning guide. Please do not put any of the work in the box. Bring it all with you to class.


Now, the juniors:

If you have not done so, please select a play to study for your out of class project. I will collect the titles from you next class.

English III and English I Homework

English III:

You should begin researching to find out what play you want to read for your project. Remember that you are locked in after Tuesday. If you find a play that is not on the list and would like approval, please e-mail me or leave a comment.


English I:

Your homework is to study! Get ready for your test!

Short Story Project Reminders

Freshmen - Remember that your rough draft of your short story needs to come with you to class on Friday/Monday. Your final draft is due on 10/1 for A day and 10/2 for B day. On the day you turn in your final draft you will also turn in your rough draft as well as your planning guide.

English III Homework - 9/24

No homework tonight! Rest!

Homework - All Classes, 9/23

Your homework for tonight is as follows:

English III: Study for your test. You will have to be knowledgeable of the following pieces:

All poems by Phillis Wheatley
Anne Bradstreet's "Verses Upon the Burning"
Oluadah Equiano
Native American Literature
Mary Rowlandson


English I:

Come to class tomorrow with a copy of your rough draft of your short story. Be prepared for Peer Editing.

English III Homework - 9/22

Your reading for tonight are the selected passages from Phillis Wheatley. I would like for you to read the following:

1. Her biography.
2. The preface and letter written by her master, Mr. John Wheatley.
3. The poems "To Maecenas", "To the University of Cambridge, in New England", "On Being Brought from Africa to America", "On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitfield", and "To His Excellency Gen. George Washington"

Make sure that with all of the poems you use the footnotes to better understand the text.

English I Homework - 9/21 and 9/22

Your homework for tonight is to finish the story, "The Most Dangerous Game" which starts on page four in your textbook. You will need to answer questions three and four at the end of the story. This is the last story that we will study in our short story unit. Your final test is coming soon!

English III Homework - 9/21

Tonight for homework you have a few things to do:

1. You have to edit your papers and turn in your final drafts tomorrow along with your rough drafts tomorrow.

2. You need to read Oluadah Equiano's narrative tonight and complete a list of similarities and differences between Mary's narrative and Equiano's. Be sure to read and pay attention to a lot of the details contained in the text. Be sure that you pay attention to both parts of the narrative.

That's all - I hope that you enjoy the reading tonight.

English III Homework - 9/18

Over the weekend you are going to begin your first position paper. These are an important genre of writing to get downpat because you will often write these in English and Social Studies classes. The purpose of a position paper is to state a clear position on the topic (thesis) and then prove that.

Your question is as follows:

Do you think that Mary Rowlandson shows an englightened (educated, rational, free from predjudice) attitude toward Native Americans? Why or why not? State your position in a clear thesis at the top of the page and then complete two body paragraphs filled with examples that prove your point.

Be sure that you review Mary Rowlandson's narrative as well. This will be helpful to you as we move forward.

If you have any questions - please leave a comment. If you need your login for the online textbook, please e-mail me as I don't want to give out this information publicly.

English I Homework - 9/17 and 9/18

Your homework for the weekend is to answer questions related to "The Cask of Amontillado". The questions that you need to answer are numbers three, seven, nine, and twelve on page 181. Honors students will also answer questions ten and eleven. You will need to turn this in on Monday (A-day) and Tuesday (B-day). When you turn in this homework, make sure that you're also turning in your paragraph about revenge.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

English III Homework - 9/17

Sorry about the depressing reading about genocide and Christopher Columbus this morning. I think it's necessary to get some real context for the literature and the history that we're going to be exploring. Anyway - your assignment for tonight is to read pages thirty-five to forty-two in your textbooks. Be sure that you read all of the related information - not just the narrative of Mary Rowlandson. We'll be discussing this in depth tomorrow in class as well as finishing up our excerpt from People's History of the United States.

English III Homework - 9/16

Tonight you are starting with the earliest American literature - Native American Myths. Begin by finishing the reading on page twenty-three. As you read this article by Joseph Bruchac, focus on what you are learning about Native American literature. What are some of the elements of Native American literature that are indicative of the genre? In what ways does the literature reflect the culture? After that, read the three pieces on page twenty-four and twenty-five. For the myth called "The Sky Tree" focus on the idea of creation as this is a creation myth. For the myth called "Coyote Finishes His Work" focus on the idea of destruction.

Finally, review the questions on page twenty six, you are not required to write anything down, but we will be using these questions tomorrow in our discussion of these three pieces.

English I Homework - 9/15 and 9/16

Your homework for tonight is to write a one paragaph response on the following topic:

Do you have any experience with revenge? Have you gone to get revenge? Why do people do this?

Your homework isn't due until Monday/Tuesday. You may turn it in early - but I won't be grading it until next week.

English III Homework

Your homework for tonight is to login to the online textbook and make sure that it works for you. If you have problems using the online textbook, please let me know so that I can get you a real textbook. You can leave me a comment here on the blog or send me an e-mail letting me know that you had a problem with the textbook. Remember that the book is located at http://my.hrw.com - login using the username and password that I gave you today in class.

English III HW - 9/14

Your homework for tonight is to study for your test on The Catcher in the Rye. We went over a lot of the things that you will see on this test tomorrow today in class. Be sure that you're ready!

If you have any questions about studying or anything that we've gone over in class please leave a comment. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

This thread is OPEN!

English III HW

Your homework for the weekend is to finish your projects. You'll be presenting part of your projects on Monday as a part of your overall grade. Also, you need to be sure that your final dialectical notebooks are ready to go! I'll be collecting those from you on Monday as well.

Homework 9/10

English III:

Juniors, your homework for tonight is to finish The Catcher in the Rye. As you finish your reading make sure that you keep up with your dialectical notebook. I will be collecting your final entries with your dialectical notebooks on Monday. As you finish your reading, be sure that you review the second half of the Seng article as you are about to read what Seng thinks is the most important aspect of the book.


English I:

No Homework! Relax!

English III Homework

Your homework for tonight is to read the critical article that I gave you today in class by Mr. Seng. If you are behind in your reading of The Catcher in the Rye you will want to get caught up and also get caught up with your dialectical notebooks. Your final dialectical notebook will be due on Tuesday for chapters sixteen through the end.

English III Homework

Tonight you need to keep reading! You need to read chapters twenty one, twenty two, and twenty three. Make sure that you maintain your dialectical notebook even if you don't have the handout.

Tomorrow we'll finish our discussion of today's reading and we'll go over the reading for tonight.

English I Homework

Your homework for the weekend/Tuesday night is to study for your first quiz. Your quiz will cover the two stories that we have read as well as the notes on short stories that we took a few days ago. Focus on the literary terms that you have been learning as well as the characters and events in the stories.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. However, I'll probably not get back to you until Monday as I'll be celebrating all weekend.

Have a good, restful three days off!

English III HW - Labor Day Weekend

Your homework over the long weekend is to read chapters sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. This is a lot of reading but this section of the book cannot really be broken up in any other way. As you read, think about the excerpt of Freud that we discussed today in class. Furthermore, you will need to maintain your dialectical notebook. One entry per chapter.

English III Homework

You don't have any reading homework tonight. You should spend the time making sure that your dialectical notebooks are caught up - you should have fifteen entries. Also, be sure that you work on your projects tonight!

Homework for English III and English I - 9/2

Another pretty fantastic day. The DPS e-mail account seems to be back to functioning normally, so you can feel free to e-mail me there. Let's go ahead and talk about homework.

English III

Your homework for tonight is to read chapters thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. Tomorrow we are going to spend a lot of time reviewing the first half of the novel. So you may want to take some time to go back and look over any trends that you have begun to notice throughout the text.


English I

Your homework is to read the story "The Necklace" in the textbook. It starts on page 160. If you are using the online textbook, you will go to http://my.hrw.com. Use the login and password that you received in class today. At the end of the story, answer the following questions: Honors will answer questions two, three, four, five, and six. Standard will answer only questions three and four. When you answer the questions, be sure that you answer the questions completely and that you do your homework in pen. The answers to the questions are due to the box by 7:30 on Friday/Tuesday.

English III Homework - 9/1

I was really happy with what we were talking about today in class. Tomorrow we'll finish up our discussion of Catcher to the end of chapter twelve. Tonight, you should be sure that you're done reading up to that point. Also, be sure that you are keeping up with your dialectical notebooks!

See you tomorrow morning.

E-Mail Outage

For the time being I would prefer you e-mail me at my gmail address and not my dps address. Access to dps e-mail is spotty and unreliable.

Another late posting for both classes

I'm combining both of your entries in one - I hope that's okay. Sorry that I'm late in posting, the internet at Jordan is super unreliable and I've had to wait to get home to post.

Anyway, here goes.

English I

Your homework is to take your favorite book or television show and plot out the events on a plot diagram. Make sure that you're accurate in labeling each part.

English III

Tomorrow we're going to finish up our discussion on chapters four through seven. Furthermore, for tonight you are to read chapters eight through twelve. There is a lot of important information going on in these chapters and we will spend a lot of class tomorrow pointing out what's happening in this section.

If you have questions - leave them. I'm going to get back to my heap of grading.

Homework, English III, 8/28

Over the weekend you need to read chapters four through seven. As you're reading be sure that you keep up with the different characters that you meet. When you meet a new character, please write down their name and begin a list of any character traits you notice from them.

Also, be sure that you're maintaining your dialectical notebooks. If you're behind on your reading - get caught up this weekend.

If you have any questions as you read, write them down and bring them to class on Monday.

PS - I'll never attempt to draw a cannon on the board again.

English I HW - 8/27 and 8/28

This weekend for homework you have two things to do. The first thing that you need to do is to finish your final draft of your paragraph. Be sure that you use the notes that you got today during peer editing to help you improve.

The other thing that you need to do is to finish your worksheet on the poem "About School" - be sure that you answer all of the questions for your section.

If you have any questions - leave a comment and I'll get back to you soon!

English III HW - 8/27

Today we began our study of The Catcher in the Rye. Your assignment for tonight is to read to the end of Chapter Three. As you read, make sure that you keep up with your study questions to guide your comprehension. Also, I remind you to complete your dialectical notebooks - one entry per chapter.

As you're reading tonight, remember the questions that I brought up today at the end of class:

1. Is Holden someone that you would like to hang out with? Why or why not?
2. If Holden went to Jordan, what would his routine be like? Where would he hang out?
3. What is Holden's deal?

Today a lot of you were pretty quiet when you should have been talking. I will call on more people tomorrow - be ready.

English III Homework - 8/26

You all did wonderfully today during peer editing. I hope that you found some of the comments that you got today helpful in crafting your final draft. Tonight you need to finish up the essays and be ready to turn them in tomorrow morning. Fill out your cover sheets and follow the rules specified there - be sure that you answer all of the questions on the cover sheet.

Sorry that I'm late in posting today. I came home and promptly fell asleep.

See you in the morning!

Homework for English I - 8/25 & 8/26

Hello Freshmen!

It was great meeting all of you today! Both of the classes went really well and I'm looking forward to working with you for the rest of the year. Today you have a few things to do for homework:

1. Get your school supplies. The supplies are listed on your policies and procedures page. Be sure that you have these by the beginning of next week.

2. Finish your Tell Me About You questionairre if you didn't finish it today in class. Please turn it in to the box.

3. Write the rough draft of your first paragraph. Turn this in to the box as well. We will peer edit these assignments next class.

Remember that your homework is due to the homework box in Ms. Kaneko's room by 7:30 am!

See you next class!!!!

Homework for English III - 8/25

Welcome to the new year! I'm really excited to be teaching the new class and working with all of you this year. Today we started unpacking the question that we will attempt to answer for the whole year:

What is America?

You started brainstorming the answer to this question today in class - tomorrow we'll work with some of these answers.

Tonight, your homework is to write a 500 word answer to this question. In your essay, I'm looking for a clear thesis statement and developed examples. We will edit these responses tomorrow in class and discuss some of the ideas that this question is hiding. If you have questions - leave them here on the blog. Remember to double space your response. We'll talk about more of the nuts and bolts of how to format your response tomorrow.

All good things...

As the quote goes, the goodness of summer must be replaced with the return of the school year. I'm looking forward to teaching a new class (Honors English III) and meeting a new group of freshmen for English I.

Blog posts and updates for the new year will begin with the first day of school on Tuesday!