English I and English III

Freshmen - Your projects are due next class! Be sure that you bring everything to class with you tomorrow. Also, if you haven't presented your speech yet, be sure that you are ready to do that next class.

Juniors - Your papers on Mean Girls/The Crucible are due on Thursday. If you are going to be absent on Thursday, be sure that you turn in your paper before you go.

English I - Last Weekend

Students,

This is your final weekend before the Shakespeare/Drama projects are due! If you've been absent the last few classes, it's important to come see me and get caught up.

Let me know if you need help.

English III - Work for Tonight and the Weekend

Tonight your group needs to get the scripts and costumes together for your presentations. Remember that I need a copy of your script with all of the names of the group members on the top. Everyone in the group will get the same grade.

Also, on Monday you will need to come to class with copies of your compare/contrast essay. Remember - try to keep it in the range of 600-800 words. Come up with a good title.

English I Reminder - 3/24

We're almost done with our study of Othello. Remember that on Friday/Monday when we present the group translations you will have to turn in one copy to the box for me. The copy for me must be turned in on time to get full credit for your group.

Also, a lot of you are absent for a variety of reasons (school, sickness, etc.) please make sure that everything gets in when it is due. Shakespeare/Drama projects are coming due soon - 30th for A day and 31st for B day. With the closeness of Spring Break, I can't really take these late.

See me if you need help. I'll be around after school next Monday for Study Hall.

English III Work - 3/24

Tonight I would like for you complete an outline for your Crucible/Mean Girls paper.  Please follow the outlining format as much as you can - show me what your thesis is as well as what elements from the texts you will use to prove your point.  Tomorrow we will finish watching the film version of The Crucible and you'll have time to work in your groups.

We'll present the group assignments on Friday!

English III - Reading - 3/23

Your assignment tonight is to read all of Act IV. I would break this up for you, but I think that it's important for you to read the whole act. There are several things that you should pay attention to as you read this section tonight.

1. How much time as passed between Act III and Act IV?
2. What is going on in the town of Andover? Why is this important when considering the idea of power and authority?
3. What happened to Abigail?
4. What has happened to Parris in Salem? His reputation?
5. Why are the judges so concerned about postponing the execution of John Proctor?
6. What has happened to the town of Salem?
7. The wind reappears toward the end of Act IV - what meaning could this symbol have?
8. Pay close attention to the scene at the end of John's confession. What's going on here? What is the meaning of the scene about honesty and truth?
9. What is the irony of Danforth discussing lies?
10. How is the motif of dark and light used at the end of Act IV?

If you can answer all of these questions about Act IV then you are in good shape. Be prepared to quickly review Act IV tomorrow and then work on a group assignment. Also, continue to work on your thesis statements for your Mean Girls paper. If your thesis was approved today, you may want to think about what you need to discuss to prove this and organizing your information.

If you need help, ask. I'm available after school on Wednesday.

English I - Homework and Reminders

Students,

As you prepare to give your monologue, be sure that you have your written paragraphs ready to hand in when you present your speech. One paragraph is on the context of the speech (what is going on when the speech is said) and one paragraph is on the importance of the speech (why is the speech important to the play). If you don't have these to hand in on time, you will not get the points for being punctual.

Also, on Wednesday/Thursday we will have a quiz on Act III. This quiz will have quotes and multiple choice questions. The quote section will ask you to translate lines from Shakespearean English to modern day English. Use the online text to practice. Look at the original, translate, and then check your answer next to the updated version. Also, be sure that you can recognize literary devices like irony (all three kinds) as well as metaphors, similes, personification, and other types of figurative language. Honors students, you will also need to say who said the quotes and why they are important to the story. Be prepared!

If you have questions - please ask! Currently I'm sitting in an empty study hall - this would have been a perfect time to seek help.

English III - 3/22 Notes

Today we finished reviewing Act III. We reviewed the five questions that I posted in the last post. If you were absent today, it is important that you get this information.

Tomorrow there will be a quiz on Act II and Act III. The format will be much the same as before: multiple choice, quote identification, and drawing. We will begin tomorrow's class with the quiz and then move on to work on the compare/contrast essay assignment.

If you have questions, please e-mail

English III - Weekend of 3/19

This weekend you need to finish reading Act III. As you finish the reading of this scene, look for the following elements:

1. What is the turning point of the play? Why is this so important? What turns? For whom?
2. Look at group mentality - are there more than just the group of girls? How does this group work? Why does it work?
3. Watch Proctor's anger. Why does he get so angry? How does he put his anger out against Abby?
4. Look at Elizabeth's mistake. What is the mistake? Why is it important?
5. What is the scene of hysteria? Who begins the hysteria? Why?

Sick Day - 3/18

A-day students and Juniors -

You both got worksheets today in class which I will check next class for a grade. I hope that you enjoyed the movie day.

Juniors - did you finish Mean Girls?

English III Homework - 3/16

Tonight for homework you need to finish reading Act II. You may find it useful to begin thinking about how some of the bigger ideas and conflicts are working toward some sort of a resolution. How is Miller continuing to develop this idea of honesty and trust? For what reason?

Tomorrow we are also going to read a really fantastic poem - I think that you all will like it a lot.

Finally, if you need to make up the Act II Quiz - you'll need to do that tomorrow afternoon.

English III Homework - 3/15

Tonight you need to continue your reading of The Crucible. Read until the appearance of Giles Corey in the middle of Act II. Please do not read beyond this point.

PS - I understand that today was Monday and that many of you were tired today, tomorrow I expect we'll be more awake.

English III and I and the Weekend

Not much longer to Spring Break. We'll make it. I promise.

Juniors - You don't have anything that you absolutely need to do this weekend. If you were absent today or yesterday, you'll need to make up the Act I quiz on Monday, after-school. If you were absent today or didn't turn it in today, make sure that you get it in on Monday. This weekend you do not have any reading that you need to do. If you would like to read ahead in The Crucible, go for it. This will save you from reading homework down the line. Remember, however, that reading quizzes can happen, make sure you know the assigned reading for the next day's discussion.

Freshmen - Some of you have monologues to perform next week. I have seen some people who have not yet even read their play - this is a problem. Some people have brought me their paragraphs for their monologues. Please continue to do so. Also, remember that you can bring drafts of other parts of your project as well. You have an in-class presentation on Tuesday and Wednesday - be prepared for that. Most of you have used your class time really well to prepare. Finally, I have reviewed Benchmark data with all of you and told most of you areas to work on before the EOC - during upcoming study halls I will be offering help sessions on particular areas. You should make an effort to attend these sessions OFTEN!

I am now going to play a few rounds of Call of Duty before I have to do laundry. Enjoy the weekend.

Work for Thursday, 3/10 - English III

Tomorrow you will have a quiz on Act I of The Crucible. The quiz will have multiple choice questions and quote identifications. You will need to review your notes and reading. Also, make sure that you review the information on McCarthy and the Cold War so that you know about the political allegory.

English III - 3/10 - Reading

Tonight you need to finish reading Act I. Continue to pay attention to the characters and what we learn about them. Also, pay attention to the final bit of Act I - there's a lot of hysteria in the last part.

Tomorrow we will review Act I and have a movie day! Act I Quiz on Friday and Positions Papers due Friday!

Freshmen!

Please come and see me about your projects! If you want to go over a draft with me before the due date - please do it! Remember that our final due date is 3/30 and 3/31 for the whole project, but some of you have speeches and paragraphs due in just a few days!

Be ready!

Reading Homework - English III - 3/9

Tonight for homework you need to continue reading The Crucible. I want you to continue reading Act I. Read until the entrance of Rev. John Hale. As you read, take note of how Arthur Miller builds upon the idea of secrecy and how Miller develops conflict in the text. Note who is against whom and why.

We'll discuss this tomorrow as well as hopefully finish Act I.

Homework for 3/8

Tonight each class has something to do:

Juniors - You need to finish reading the introductory information in Act I of The Crucible. Do not begin reading the actual play. You should also take tonight to make any revisions to your position papers - please come see me to look at your papers. Your final drafts of these papers are due on Friday.

Freshmen - Today you signed up for spots to give your speeches. You should begin memorizing so that you are ready! Also, you should go ahead and write your paragraphs to turn in on the day of the presentation.

Over the weekend

Freshmen - You should prepare for your quiz on Act II of Othello. The quiz will have multiple choice, and a fill in the blank summary which will test your knowledge of plot events, vocabulary, and literary devices.

Juniors - Your rough drafts of your position papers are due on Monday. Remember to work quotes from both the original source and your research into your writing. You don't need to have a bibliography for the rough draft, but you will need to have one for the final draft. Remember to cite your quotes using parenthetical citation of (Author Last Name, Page Number). If you don't have an author, use the title of the article. Follow the formatting rules for a position paper that we went over in class on Friday. We will really get into The Crucible on Monday.

If you have questions - leave a comment or e-mail!

English I and III Notes

Both classes had something relatively major today in class.

Freshmen. You had your Benchmark exam today. I feel for those of you that had two exams today, I know that they can be really mind numbing. Over the weekend you need to prepare for your quiz on Othello, Act II. Use the online text a few pages back to help you prepare. You will have multiple choice questions as well as a fill-in-the-blanks summary activity - study your vocabulary!

Juniors. Today you took a "quest" for me. I'll hand those back to you tomorrow. I'm seeing improvement and I like it. Tomorrow we will begin a new unit on Modern American Drama. We will also spend time in the library researching for the position papers.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

English III - Test Preparation

Tomorrow you're going to have a quiz/test on Early American Literature. The quiz/test will cover all of the pieces that we've studied so far. Here's a quick list.

Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States

Use of primary sources in the piece, rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), "unlearning"

Native American Literature

views of nature, organization of society, purposes of mythology, cyclical view of life and nature

Mary Rowlandson's "Narrative of the Captivity"

use of allusions, attitude toward the Native Americans, strong woman

Oluadah Equiano

use of irony, difference between Oluadah and Mary in their story and narration, purpose and rhetorical appeals, appeal to the audience

Phillis Wheatley

poetic style, the use of the master's letter, revolutionary and conformist

Anne Bradstreet

Puritan life and womanhood, poetic style

English I Homework/Announcements - 3/2

Tonight for homework I want you to do some work for your project. Answer the following question:

Which speech from your play will you present to the class? Why did you choose this speech?

Write your response as a good, well organized paragraph which is insightful. Really answer the question "why" giving examples from the speech.

Also, you have your Benchmark exam on March 4th (A) and March 5th (B). There will be a quiz on Act II of Othello on Monday and Tuesday of next week! Be ready!

English III Homework, 3/2

Tonight you need to read a few things in the following order.

First, read the biographical information on Anne Bradstreet on page 27. Feel free to skim this. Then read the information on plain style and inversion on page 28, and finally the poem on page 29.

After you've done all of that, you can read the article that I gave you. Think about how the article informs your understanding of Bradstreet and the poem.

Homework for English III - March 1

Happy March!

Take the conversation that we had in class today as a kick in the butt. Rise to the new expectations that have been placed on you and meet them!

Tonight for homework you need to read the packet that I gave you. Read the following from the packet:

• The biographical data on Wheatley
• The letter from her master
• "To the University of Cambridge in New England"
• "On Being Brought from Africa to America"
• "To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works"
• "To His Excellency..." and the attached poem which starts "Celestial choir."

Read the poems, mark notes. Underline lines. Be a good reader and really pick these apart!

English III Homework - Weekend 2/26

Over the weekend you have a bit of reading to do. Read the next captivity narrative in the textbook: "From the Interesting Life of Oluadah Equiano." The story begins with some biographical data on page fifty. Please complete all of the reading of Oluadah's story. It goes from page fifty to page fifty-nine.

As you read, pay attention to similarities and differences between Oluadah's story and Mary's story. Also, compare and contrast the two narrators in each story. Both of these stories are captivity narratives. How are they different from one another?

I will try to have your outlines back to you next week as well as your tests and projects.

If you have questions about the reading, please leave a comment.

English III Homework - 2/25

Tonight you have a few things to do:

1. Finish your outlines for your Catcher essays. Follow the formatting rules that I gave you today in class.

2. Log-in to the online textbook and complete the reading of Mary Rowlandson's "Narrative of the Captivity."

3. Complete your handout while reading "Narrative..." Bring the complete handout to class with you tomorrow morning. We will review this tomorrow.

That's all. Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail if you have further questions.

More about the Catcher Outlines

When you turn in your outlines on Friday I will be looking for the following information on your outline:

1. Your thesis clearly stated at the top of your outline.
2. Supporting topics. Remember that your topics should be parallel. How many topics you have is up to you - but three is a good number to shoot for.
3. With each topic you should have at least two quotes from the book with page numbers.
4. Under each quote you need to give a few bullet points that explain the quote's significance as well as the connection to the topic and thesis.

I hope that this clears things up. I'll go over this again tomorrow in class.

English III Homework - 2/23

Your outlines for your Catcher essays are due on Friday. I would take time tonight to get these put together. Please come and see me before Friday if you'd like some help on this. The best day to come and see me would probably be Wednesday or Thursday!

Updates

Juniors: You have a test tomorrow. You should study.

Freshmen: You should be done with your plays by the end of THIS weekend!

Sorry for the lazy update - it is Monday.

Weekend Reminders - 2/20

Juniors: You've got your Catcher projects due on Monday. Remember that you will present an aspect of your project as part of your grade. On Monday we will spend some time reviewing for the test.

Freshmen: You've got a quiz on Act I of Othello. You need to be sure that you know about the major characters, the plot events, and the larger ideas for the short answer section. There will also be a quote identification section for Honors students. Review the major speeches for help on this. Also, I will collect your I.3 worksheets in class on Monday/Tuesday. DO NOT put them in the box.

English III Honors - Homework - 2/18

Students,

Tonight you should finish reading The Catcher in the Rye. As you finish the novel, think about how things wrap-up. What are the final scenes? Why are these scenes so important? Also, go back and look at the bits of that Seng article that we didn't go over today in class.

Remember that your projects are due on Monday, you'll have a test on Tuesday, and then you will have your outlines for your Catcher essay due on Thursday of next week. Try to see me between now and then for help on your thesis/outline. You've got time to make something really fantastic!

Online Othello

English I Students:

Here's an online version of Othello that you can use to review at home. You can use this text as well to help you prepare for your worksheets and quizzes.


http://www.enotes.com/othello-text/act-i-scene-i#


This version is really useful because it has the modern translation off to the side which is really helpful.

English I Homework

Today in class you received a worksheet for I.3. This worksheet is due on the day that you take your quiz on Act I. The quiz will be on Monday for A-day and Tuesday for B-day. I will collect your worksheets on these days.

Also, in terms of your Drama/Shakespeare Projects you should plan on being done reading your plays by the end of February. This gives you most of the month of March to work on the projects. We'll probably start presenting speeches around mid-March.

English III Homework - 2/16

There are a few things for tonight:

1. Finish reading chapters twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two. The story is beginning to move to a conclusion. How do you see this story wrapping up? Are you beginning to understand the point of this story?

2. Your Catcher in the Rye projects are due on Monday. Your projects will have a presentation aspect. Think about which part of your project you would like to present.

3. Your Catcher in the Rye test will be on Tuesday. We will spend time in class on Monday reviewing for this exam.

4. I will be giving you an essay assignment for Catcher in the Rye this week. We will spend time breaking down these essay questions and working on them. We will be working on this as we move into our next unit.

If you have anything that you want to come and see me about - please do so. Especially when we get to the essays.

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.