Monday, Monday...

That's a song by The Mamas and the Papas.  Great group, great songs.  Just a few quick reminders and announcements for those of you out today on the ski trip.

AP English III:


We were missing a lot of people today due to the Physics field trip as well as just a few absences.  Today we discussed "Notes of a Native Son" as well as the SYNTHESIS prompt.  There's a lot of information about the synthesis in the previous post.  I would highly recommend that those of you absent today come to see me tomorrow about this type of writing.  I don't want you being blindsided by your timed writing on Wednesday.

Be sure that you've read to the end of chapter two.  It's difficult, but get through it.  Just keep swimming with your eyes focused on the shore.

English I:


All of you that were present today have gotten progress reports.  If you missed the Queen Mab worksheet you must come to study hall tomorrow to get credit.  Some of you are really underperforming due to the fact that you're not submitting homework.  Remember that this quarter you get the grade you earn - no more sixties.


To all of you:


Homework is definitely something for a lot of you to step it up on, AP kids, you too.  Doing homework as class begins is unacceptable and wont earn you a lot of credit.  Don't be lazy.  Don't procrastinate.  Done.

Homework for the Weekend and Monday

AP English III:

Today we've begun the process of unlocking the SYNTHESIS prompt.  I'm attaching a link here that has a lot of information on doing the SYNTHESIS.  Use this link to look at the sample prompts, sample responses, and guidelines for scoring.  You won't have one of these prompts for your timed writing (that'd be too easy) but remember that the skills are the same no matter what.  Spend some time this weekend reviewing and thinking.  Work on your skills.

Also this weekend you've got to finish reading chapter two of Invisible Man.  Focus on the character of Jim Trueblood.  He's quite symbolic.  Think about what's going on there.  Also, pay attention to the rape of the daughter and the idea of dreams.  We're hitting a lot of information about dreams.  Notice the trends.

Lastly, your research questions and topics are due next class.  I'd like for you to phrase your questions as thoroughly and specifically as you can.  I'll take some time to read over these and give you some feedback to help you make things a lot stronger.  We'll be moving on to developing arguments and starting the research next week.  Tuesday/Wednesday I'm planning on us looking at just chapter two and doing that synthesis prompt.  It'll be a big day!

English I:

Over the weekend you all need to prepare for your first Romeo and Juliet quiz.  In order to prepare you need to first review your notes and make sure that your notebook is well organized because I will be checking those notebooks on Tuesday/Wednesday during your quiz.  This quiz is going to focus on a few different elements of the play.

1. The questions are going to focus on your comprehension of the events of the play.  Do you know what the major events are?  Can you put the events of the play in order?
2. What have been our major literary devices that we've seen in this play?  What is the purpose of these literary devices?  Can you read Shakespearean language and recognize them?
3. Do you know all of the characters in the play?  Can you tell me why they are in the play?  Are they symbolic?
4. Honors students - you're going to have quote identifications.  Remember that you'll need to tell me who said it, when it was said, and why the quote is important to the play.
5. Standard students - you're going to have short answer questions.  Focus on the major ideas we've seen in the play.  Opposites, irony, the prologue, the conflicts, all that good stuff.

Study hard.  Also, with your progress reports.  If you need to make up the Queen Mab worksheet, you need to come to study hall on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday (only for B-day) to get that credit.

Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.  Enjoy your weekend!

Invisible Man Help Sessions

AP Kids,

Now that we're getting into Invisible Man we are going to hit some really rough water.  Some scenes will be very troubling to you on a lot of levels for a lot of reasons.  Remember at all times that Ellison is doing this for a purpose.  Mood is a key element of good literature.  Consider what you feel and why you feel it.  Investigate the language.  Take your time with this book and go in deep.

On that point, on Fridays and Wednesdays I invite you to come and discuss certain passages with me.  A small reading group is always useful to discuss particular areas and work through the rough spots.  This will invariably help with your writing skills as well (good readers are good writers), so come and have some tea and read.

Keep swimming.

Homework for 2/1 and 2/2

AP English III:

I was very pleased with our conversation today regarding the first chapter of Invisible Man.  Remember that this will take some time to get used to.  Keep reading.  Your next checkpoint is next week and you need to be to the end of chapter two.  This is a long chapter and will take several attempts to get through.  Be smart, chop up the reading, and do a little bit each night.  Make sure that as you're reading you do fill out those motif charts.

Tonight as well as starting the reading of chapter two I also want you to do a bit of writing for me.  I'd like for you to take a group of sentences from our sentence combination activity on the Battle Royal and create a thorough paragraph using those sentences as your starting point.  Remember to include details from the text and push those sentences to a clear conclusion.  I'll collect this from you at the beginning of class on Friday/Monday.

Other reminders:  Your research questions are due on 2/7 and 2/8.  This is not that far away.  You either need to share a Google document with me or you will need to turn in a hard copy of your question that day. 

English I:

We're nearly done with our first act of Romeo and Juliet.  I hope that all of you are enjoying it.  You will have your first quiz on Act I on Tuesday/Wednesday next week.  Your quiz will be based heavily on your notes - please make sure that you're organized and prepared.  For tonight's homework you need to finish the Queen Mab worksheet that I gave you today in class.  Make sure that you follow the instructions thoroughly.  This worksheet is due to the box on Friday/Monday.

I think that does it.  See you soon.

Attention Freshmen!

I'm putting a link here to an online version of Romeo and Juliet.  I think that this text will be a bit easier to use than the online textbook due to the fact that there have been a lot of glitches with the online book.  Remember that online book glitches are not a valid excuse for not finishing your homework or doing the reading.  Troubleshoot and find other resources so that you can get your work done.

And thus begins another week...

Thank you Freshmen and Juniors for getting this week off to a great start.  Here are your tasks to complete before our next class on Wednesday/Thursday.

AP English III:


You are now embarking on one of the most amazing journeys that we will have this year as we attempt to answer #whoistheinvisibleman.  Remember what I said in class today about reading a difficult book such as this - the shore is all the way at the end, to make it - you just have to keep reading.  Don't try to understand everything, don't fight the current, just stay with it and keep digesting.  This is the type of book where you won't understand a lot of stuff; mark those passages and bring them to class so that we can work through those questions.  Remember that you're not the only one having trouble; I've probably marked a lot of those passages myself with questions.

Begin on your reading schedules tonight completing chapter one - pay special attention to the Battle Royal scene as we'll be focusing in on that heavily on Wednesday/Thursday.  Also don't forget as you read to fill in your motif chart and annotate heavily.  Continue to think about a lot of the issues we raised in our introductory week last week.

Also, don't forget that your research topics and questions are due next week.  You may want to start developing that and asking for help before the due date!

English I:


Tonight you need to take your notes as you finish reading Act I of Romeo and Juliet.  Remember that Act I, Scene 5 is divided into two parts.  When I check your notes I'll be looking for one set of notes on part one (up to line 92) and one set of notes for part two (line 93 to the end).  You will want to make sure that your Romeo and Juliet notes are well organized as I will be checking notebooks soon.

Also, next class we will have a warm-up check.  It may be a good idea to review your grammar journals as well as your reading very carefully for any potential reading questions.

I think that'll do it.  Enjoy the reading!

Homework for the Weekend - 1/26 and 1/27

Wowzers - feels like this week is just flying by.  I've been having a really good time with all of you this week.  I hope that all of you have been enjoying class.  Here are your reminders and pointers for the weekend.

AP English III:

This weekend I'd like for you to read a bit of a lengthy piece by James Baldwin called "Notes of a Native Son."  It can be found in 50 Essays or at this link.  This essay is highly similar to what we will see in Invisible Man, so I think that it's a good piece for you all to take a look at before we begin studying Ellison.  I want you to continue to really look for the connections between this piece and the Hurston piece that we discussed today as well as any connections to the blues and jazz music that we've been listening to.  We'll discuss this piece on Monday/Tuesday as we begin reading Ellison.

Final note:  Please make sure that you have your copy of the book Monday/Tuesday.  We start reading then.

English I:

Well, now you've met Romeo.  Just wait until you meet Juliet.  For tonight I want you to continue reading and thinking about the play.  Remember that the goal is that as we continue to study and read in class you should find yourself understanding more and more of the play.  Tonight, read Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 from the textbook.  With each scene, you will want to take your Who, What, Where, When notes.  Remember that you do not need to go into detail about the language, but focus solely on the plot.  What are the plot events in these scenes?

Be sure that your notebook is well organized as I will be checking notebooks next week.  Be ready!  Also, I'll be getting titles from you next class for your projects.  Be sure that you've made a decision about which play you want to study.

English I Online Textbook

Freshmen,

I've created a generic login that all of you can use to access the online textbook if you've lost your original login.  Please navigate to http://my.hrw.com/.  Login with the username gstudent677 and the password n4x4a.

Remember that you have homework due to the box.  Please get this quarter started on a good foot.  Get those four questions answered and submit your answers.  Answer the questions thoroughly.

Homework for 1/24 and 1/25

And with that we get right back into the swing of things.  Below are your announcements and reminders for tonight.

AP English III:

I really hope that all of you enjoyed our musical exploration this morning.  I really want you all to keep coming back to a lot of these ideas as we work our way into Invisible Man - especially this idea of the natural/unnatural that we began to see.  For tonight I would like for you to read Zora Neale Hurston's essay "How it Feels to be Colored Me" which can be found in 50 Essays or at the following link.  Please make sure that whatever version you read that you annotate your text heavily.  Look for the way that Hurston builds on the idea of jazz and blues music and the way that it connects to her identity.  Also be sure that you are thinking about her style and her use of language, like the good AP students that you are.

Finally, if you haven't yet got yourself a copy of Invisible Man or started reading it yet, I would recommend that you do ASAP.  This is the type of book where you can easily fall behind.  Don't let that be you.

English I:

Today we've begun our study of William Shakespeare and one of his most famous plays Romeo and Juliet.  After today's lesson I'm hoping that you all are a bit more proficient at understanding some of the literary devices used in the play as well as some of the language that Shakespeare is using.

For tonight I would like for you all to finish reading Act I, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet.  This will take you to page 795 in the textbook.  There are three parts to scene 1.  Part one is what we studied in class.  Part two concerns the Prince's speech to the exit of Lord and Lady Montague.  Part three goes from Benvolio's line "Good morrow, cousin" to the end of the scene.  What you need to do for tonight's homework is two things.

1. Read the rest of the scene and take your Who, When, Where, What notes on each part of scene one.  Keep your notes in your notebooks.  I will be checking notebooks throughout this unit, consider this your warning.  We will discuss the Why/How in class.
2. After you read, answer the following questions in complete sentences/paragraphs and submit your answers to the homework box no later than Thursday (A)/Friday (B) morning at 7:30 am.

QUESTIONS:

1.  Look at the Prince’s speech really carefully. What is the Prince’s tone toward the Capulet and Montague families? Pull out three or four examples of diction (word choice) that support your idea. Honors students, explain how three of the words support your tone selection. Standard students, explain one word to explain your choice.

2. Look at the interaction between Benvolio, Lord and Lady Montague and Romeo. What is their family dynamic? Do they seem like a strong family or a weak one? Why?

3. Romeo finally comes on stage and makes his first impression to the audience. What is that impression that he makes? Look carefully at his speech from lines 168 to 192. What is the topic that he is discussing here? What is his tone toward this topic? How do you know? How does Romeo use oxy morons (opposites) in his speech?
4. Play a bit with Romeo and Benvolio’s final discussion. Notice the use of wordplay or pun on the word “hit” - there’s a hidden meaning these two are playing with. Try to figure it out, use the footnotes in Romeo’s speech from 205 to 213 to help you out. Let your brain be dirty.  What is Romeo's meaning?  How does Benvolio react to Romeo's speech?  What does this show about the relationship between the two boys?


All of you will be getting work and papers returned on Thursday/Friday.  We'll reflect on our first semester, and then keep moving together as a group forward to our next nine weeks.  Only nineteen more weeks of school, including exams, not Spring Break.

The End of the Nine Weeks

And thus ends another quarter and the first semester.  Just a few reminders for the weekend.

AP English III:


We're about to begin what I would consider to be our capstone piece for the year, Invisible Man.  I'm very excited about teaching this book and reading it with a large group of students.  I just read it for the first time last year, so I hope that you'll help me connect some dots in a few places.

I strongly urge that you do all purchase a copy of this book as we will be spending a lot of time with it - an entire nine weeks.  My edition is the one with this cover:

(Thanks, Amazon.com and Vintage International)

Of course our editions don't have to match.  We seem to do quite well with helping each other out in finding pages in different editions.  We'll begin reading on our schedule not next week, but the week after - the 30th/31st.  

I would encourage all of you to start reading in advance, this is a difficult book to start until you find your rhythm with the narrator.  If any of you would like to check out a copy until you get your own to read in advance, I've already picked some up from the bookroom.

Other than that, relax.  Take a load off.  But do get a copy of the book ASAP!

English I:

We'll be starting in earnest on our study of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I'm very excited to start this with you.  I've already introduced our first major component which is the Drama/Shakespeare project.  Try to decide on a play over the weekend, I'll be collecting titles soon from you - most likely Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please remember that any play not listed on your handout will need to be approved by me in advance.  You must bring me a copy of the whole play for my approval.  

If you haven't had a chance to look over the introductory information on Billy Shakes and England of his time, then I'd navigate to the online textbook (or the paper book) to pages 776 and read as well as take notes until page 783.  There's a lot of good information here which we'll go over to begin the unit on Tuesday/Wednesday.

BTW, Freshmen, Young Jeezy's coming to visit class next week.  I think.

I am a machine...

At this point I have graded all completed English I tests and vocabulary exams.  If you have not finished either of these two assignments, please try to come tomorrow (Thursday) at A lunch to finish.

Tomorrow I'll be collecting A-day papers from all of you.  All of you have the rubric that I will be using to grade your papers.  Please take a moment to have a parent, friend, or sibling (same age or older, preferably) read over your final draft and score you using the rubric.  You may find some final areas of improvement.

When we begin the next quarter (Tuesday/Wednesday) I'll be handing a lot of work back to all of you and we'll take some time to organize our portfolios and reflect on the first semester.  Reminders about turning in papers are in the post below.  Please follow those guidelines.

The Day Before the End of the Quarter

Alrighty - we're hitting that halfway point.  Keep the momentum going into third and fourth quarter.  Be aware that things are only going to get more difficult from here on out.

AP English III:

Students, you have your final papers due tomorrow.  I am very excited about reading these and giving you some feedback as to your overall improvement in your writing.  Today in class I gave you an envelope into which you will put all of your supporting documents.  Below is the list of what to turn in and how I want it.

• Please STAPLE the following together in the following order:
• Cover sheet
• Final Draft
• Bibliography
• Rubric
• Include any rough drafts, especially the one from peer editing day.
• The Google Docs survey which I will give you on Thursday/Friday.

On Thursday/Friday we'll discuss the last chapter and finish watching Pleasantville.

English I:

Today you had your Animal Farm exam.  I hope that you all felt prepared and successful on this test.  Tomorrow you will have your district test so that I and the powers that be downtown can see how well you're doing on meeting this course's reading goals.  By this point you know the types of questions that you are going to be asked, I would focus on reviewing your notes and looking at your test taking strategies.

You all also have an essay due on Thursday/Friday.  Here is the order in which I would like it submitted.

• Final Draft
• Rubric
• Rough Draft from Peer Editing
• All of these things should be stapled together in this order.  You may bring your papers to the box, but I would prefer that you turn them in to me in class.

I will see all of you on Thursday/Friday for the end of the quarter!  Finish strong!

Martin Luther King, Junior Day

Students,

I hope that all of you have a relaxing day off today.  Juniors, I hope that you especially spend some time today thinking about Dr. King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail."  Hopefully reading that earlier this year gives you a bit of a deeper appreciation for this day that you didn't have before.

See you all tomorrow!

AP Additional Announcement

Students,

Since next week is a four day week I'm going to hold strictly to my 24 hour rule.  I will see A-day students and discuss papers for the final time on Tuesday.  B-day students, your final day is Wednesday.

On Tuesday/Wednesday we'll discuss how I want you to submit your final draft.

Homework for the Weekend 1/12 and 1/13

I just realized that tomorrow is Friday the 13th, creepy.  Below is the list of things that you need to accomplish over the weekend.

AP English III:

Next week we are going to finish our discussion of The Catcher in the Rye as well as finish our work on the film Pleasantville.  I would like for all of you this weekend to spend a lot of time on your papers.  Make sure that you've put in effort to make your argument clear and your discussion of the literature clearly relates and proves your argument.  Final drafts are due on 1/19 and 1/20.

English I:

You all also have an essay to work on this weekend.  Make sure that you are following the rubric that I gave you last week as you are editing and revising your essays.  That is the same rubric I'll use to grade your essay, so it's a good tool to use.  Your essays are due on the 19th and 20th.

I also want to remind you to study for your unit exam on Animal Farm.  You will want to be sure that you know the book well, but also spend time reviewing your literary devices as well as your grammar notes.  There will be a bit of that on the test as well.  Your test will be on the 17th and 18th.

Next week is the last week of the quarter, be sure that you're finishing strong.

B-Day AP Students - Additional Homework

Students,

As today is a PLC day we did not get the chance to finish our work on Sedaris and the elements of comedy.  I'd like for you all to finish reading the Sedaris piece tonight so that we can begin on Friday with just a bit of a discussion on this before we move on to the Buckley piece.  Remember that the rest of your work for tonight is in the post below.

Here is the link to the Sedaris piece.

Homework for 1/10 and 1/11

AP English III:

You have a few things to work on tonight as we move toward finishing the quarter.  First, I would like to remind you to finish The Catcher in the Rye.  We'll have probably our final discussion on the novel on Thursday/Friday before moving forward to begin our next major piece.  In connection to finishing Catcher I'd like for you to read the piece called "Why Don't We Complain" by William F. Buckley.  This can be found in 50 Essays or at the following link.  Read this thoroughly and annotate it.  Pay particular attention to the argument that Buckley presents and the way in which he goes about proving that argument.

Lastly, papers.  I've been seeing a lot of you this week to conference.  Please keep coming to see me.  I like that I can see a lot of movement with these papers and from talking to a lot of you, it seems as though you're really getting into this new kind of academic writing.  We will continue this type of writing with not a lot of pause as we will shortly begin working on our research papers.

English I:

On Thursday/Friday we will have our quarterly vocabulary quiz on words from Animal Farm - please use the list that I gave you last week to prepare for this.  We will also be having our Animal Farm unit examination on Tuesday/Wednesday of next week.  You should all begin preparing for this if you haven't yet done so.  I'll be giving you a study guide on Thursday/Friday that you can use over the weekend to prepare.

As well for all of you, papers.  Please keep writing and revising.  A lot of you are coming to see me, which is a really good thing.  I'll be collecting your final drafts next week.  Don't miss an opportunity to show how your skills have improved this year.

Homework for 1/6 and 1/9

A few things to accomplish over the weekend.  Spend some time to get prepared and make sure that you're ending the quarter on a really good note.

AP English III:

You're all at very different places in the drafting process which is fine.  You have all of the next two weeks to complete drafting.  Remember that you have your rubrics that will be used to grade the essays.  This should be by your side as you draft so that you know what you're going to be scored on.  Please try to see me next week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) after school for conferencing on your papers.

Over the weekend you also need to finish reading The Catcher in the Rye - this should be a quick finish for you as the ending of the book moves quite rapidly.

Lastly, you need to know that you will have another timed writing soon.  It will be an analysis.  Please review your notes on crafting a good analysis so that you are prepared for this timed writing adventure.

English I:

Your biggest priority this weekend is to finish your propaganda homework assignment.  This assignment is due on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Remember that you need to turn in not only your poster but also your worksheet with all seven slogans on it.  Also, Honors kids, remember that you have an additional writing assignment to complete with this poster as well.  The other major priority you have to is to begin revising your essays.  Remember that the essays will be due on the 19th (A-day) and 20th (B-day).

Next week you have your vocabulary quiz.  This will happen on Thursday/Friday.  We also have that Animal Farm examination.  I know that there's a lot to get done here at the end of the quarter, but I'm sure that you all can rise to the challenge.  Please be sure to see me after school to get help on your essays or anything that you're working on for me.

Homework for 1/4 and 1/5

Sorry for not getting this up earlier for all of you.  I had people with me after school and then I had to run immediately to my optometrist appointment.  So, here's your homework for tonight.

AP English III:


The biggest priority for all of you is to really get drafting on those papers.  You've got a workshop for your drafts on Friday (A-day) and Monday (B-day).  I want you to have as much of your paper together as possible for this draft workshop.  You should have at least your introduction and first body paragraph or two put together.  I'll be available after school next week and Friday of this week for you to get some one-on-one help if needed.  I would recommend that as many of you as possible come to see me to get some extra feedback.

I want to remind you all of something really key to this paper.  This is an argument.  You are creating your argument about whatever topic you see; then you use the literature to support your argument.  Most of you are really strong at writing arguments.  I think that some of you are losing that angle of this paper - keep that in mind and keep your argument at the forefront of your essay.  Then you'll do really well.

Lastly, for Friday/Monday, be to the end of chapter twenty-three in Catcher.  Your next reading check will be to finish the novel - some of you may want to just go ahead and finish it.

English I:


Alright - a few things for you all to get accomplished before our next class.  Your first priority it to also finish your drafts of your definition essays.  It seems from talking to a lot of you today that many of you have finished or nearly finished your essays.  Very good work.  On Friday/Monday we will also have a draft workshop and then we'll have chances after school next week for you all to come see me to get some extra help.

One reminder for all of you is to make sure that you always connect your examples clearly to your topic.  From the drafts I've seen so far, a lot of you are leaving me to see the connection to your examples and the idea of leadership, for example.

The homework assignment that you have to complete builds on the idea of propaganda that we discussed today in class.  Follow the instructions on your worksheet to the letter.  When you turn in your poster, you will also need to turn in your worksheet on the slogans.  Honors students, remember that you have an additional requirement to explain your symbolism.  This poster assignment is due on Tuesday/Wednesday for all of you.

Finally, I gave you all your vocabulary list to prepare you for your quarter two vocabulary exam.  Use that list to study and prepare for your vocabulary exam.  You will have that exam next week - get ready over the weekend.

Final Break Update

All,

I'm excited about getting back into the swing of things with all of you tomorrow!  I've just made my final edit of the Google documents for tonight and I won't be posting new comments until tomorrow.

Enjoy the last night of your break.  Make sure that you all (Freshmen and Juniors) have made a lot of progress on your papers - draft workshops are the 6th for A-day and the 9th for B-day.  I'm available before that for those of you who may want to finish things a bit early, perhaps.

Also, don't forget about those novels we've been studying.  Juniors, you have a reading goal to meet.  Freshmen, you should have spent some time reviewing the story over the break.  We will have an exam very soon on Animal Farm and allegories as a whole.

See you in the morning!

AP Term Papers - End of Break

I'm seeing a lot of you working on your papers which makes me happy, but many of you have really procrastinated on this assignment.  I just finished my read through for today and I saw a lot of you working while I was reviewing what was up from earlier.  I'll do another read tomorrow afternoon with comments for all.

I'm going to make myself available on Wednesday afternoon this week for any individual conferencing that you may need before draft workshop on Friday/Monday.  I'll also be available after school Monday of next week to provide extra assistance.

See everyone on Tuesday.

A Friendly Reminder

I hope that all of you are having a really restful and enjoyable break.  Remember, especially AP kids, that you do have essays to do.  From what I'm seeing on Google Docs, some of you haven't taken a look at your online document for a almost two weeks.  Don't forget that you do have a draft due shortly after we return from break.  This is a challenging paper, do not wait until the last minute and then expect a lot of in-depth last minute assistance.

I look forward to seeing what you all are coming up with, but please do start sharing and working.

Homework for Winter Break - Get it Done!

Here are your guidelines for Winter Break.  You do not need to complete any of this work for Tuesday.  On Tuesday we're going to have a nice relaxing day of films and review.  A smooth transition to the break!  Remember that it's a B-day when we get back.  B-day students, we'll be having our movie day the first day back for a nice smooth transition.

AP English III:

You have two massive priorities for Winter Break:  your term papers and your reading.  Let's deal with the reading first and then the papers.  By the end of Winter Break you need to be to the end of chapter twenty-one in The Catcher in the Rye.  This is a good chunk of reading to get done over break, but it's not impossible.  Some of you may even be able to finish this in the first few days of break.  As you read, continue to develop your annotations and look closely at the deeper issues that we've begun discussing as a class.  I look forward to seeing what you all come up with after Break.

Your other major goal for Winter Break is to complete a draft of your term paper using the Google document that you've shared with me.  If you have yet to construct and share your document you are falling behind!  This is not the type of paper that you can throw together in a weekend and expect to do well on.  Once you've completed your brainstorming and gotten my approval, you should then begin your outline.  Once I see that your outline is fully developed, then I will tell you to start drafting your essay.  Remember the important steps of the outline process:

1. Construct your argument.  What is this essay going to prove?  We used to call this your thesis, but I prefer to call it an argument.  Make sure that as you construct your argument you make sure it's got DADS (debatable, analytical, defensible, specific).
2. Pull out all possible quotes from your sources and group them together.  As you do this, think about how you're going to organize your essay.  What will you need to discuss first?  What will you need to discuss second?  And so on...
3. After you've pulled out the quotes and examples, begin to connect them to your argument.  How do these different quotations support and prove your argument to be true.  Put this information under the examples and explain!  Remember, you want to leave absolutely no doubt in my mind that your idea is valid.

Once you've done this, you'll be ready to draft.  The idea that I always get back to with writing essays is that if you spend a lot of time preparing, then you'll have an easier time writing the essays.  Your first drafts will be due to class for editing on the 6th of January for A-day and the 9th for B-day.  Then you'll have a week to make your edits before the final drafts are due.  Please ask for help as you're working.  I'll keep checking in on you over break.

English I:

Over break you all have an essay to be working on as well.  Hopefully by this point you've figured out what your introduction paragraph is and you've pulled out your nine examples that you'll discuss in the essay.  Your rough drafts are also due on the 6th of January for A-day and the 9th for B-day.  Please make sure that you're keeping everything focused on the novel Animal Farm and your concept and definition.  Tie all of your examples back to your definition through your explanation.  I will be available the first week that we get back for any individual conferencing that you may need. 

I did also want to let you all know that you should expect an exam on Animal Farm in the second week after we get back from Break.  Review the story and your notes over the break to make sure that you're prepared.  This exam will also cover some of the concepts we've studied in the first semester, making it more of a midterm.  It would be a good idea to also take a look at your earlier literature and writing notes to prepare for this exam.

I hope that you all have a lovely and restful break!  Enjoy the time off but make sure that you get done what you need to get done.  A-day kids, I'll see you on Tuesday.  B-day kids, I'll see you in 2012!

Notes for the AP Kids

AP English III:

Students - Below you'll see two links that will take you to the notes we've taken the past two classes from our discussion of the opening of The Catcher in the Rye.  Feel free to look at both sets of notes for a fuller perspective on these two chapters.

Don't forget that for Friday/Monday you need to be to the end of chapter nine and that you'll be having your states quiz.

A1 Notes

B1 Notes

Also - I will be doing more comments on term papers on Friday afternoon for all of you that have uploaded and begun them.  Look for my comments then.  We'll next work on outlining which is the next step in making our drafts.

Today was the last Wednesday at school of 2011

It really puts things in perspective to think like that, I think.  Here's what you need to do.

AP English III:

Your first priority is to continue working on your term papers.  You should be checking in on the document that you shared with me nightly to see my comments.  On Friday/Monday I'm going to walk you through how to construct an outline that works which will be your second step before you start drafting your paper.  Think about what your argument is going to be.  What are you trying to prove?

The other thing that you will need to do tonight is to read to the end of chapter nine in The Catcher in the Rye.  Keep adding to your covers and keep annotating.  Pay attention to a lot of the ideas that we're playing with in class.  They're important.

Lastly, you have your quiz on the states on Friday/Monday. 

English I:

For tonight I really want you to put a lot of work on your essays.  After today's discussion you should feel a lot more comfortable moving forward and writing your body paragraphs.  Remember the due dates that I discussed with you today in class.  Please come see me if you want me to check what you're doing.  The other major assignment for tonight is to finish reading Animal Farm - I think we'll have a great discussion on Friday/Monday about the ending of this novel. 

Finally, don't forget that you have vocabulary bookmarks due on Friday/Monday.  I'm looking for fifteen words with page numbers and definitions.

Comments on your Docs!

AP Kids:


Please don't delete the comments that I've stared leaving in your documents.  Even if it's just "You need to get started."  Use this as a space to talk with me and work with me.  Ask questions back!  Ask for help!  Use technology to your advantage!

PS - I really am excited about what I've been seeing so far.  Keep it going.

Getting ever closer to break...

Students - Below you will find your reminders and announcements for class.  Remember to stay prepared and stay diligent in your work.  You have a break coming up soon, but it's not here yet!

AP English III:

I am so excited to be studying The Catcher in the Rye with all of you.  For tonight, be sure that you've read and annotated until the end of chapter five in the novel.  This book moves very quickly, if you would like to read ahead, please do so.  I would also suggest that those of you thinking that you would like to write your term paper on Catcher do try to get ahead since you'll need to start digesting this book much faster than others. 

On the topic of those papers - please be sure that you have shared that document with my gmail account that all of you are using.  Those of you who have shared to my dpsnc.net account - please also add my gmail address.  I want to see you starting to brainstorm more and get your ideas down on paper.  In a few days we'll talk about how to attack and outline this sort of paper.  I'm looking forward to seeing what all of you come up with for your first term papers.

Lastly, expect your states quiz this week.  Don't say I didn't warn you :)

English I:

It's time for us to embark on our first essay assignment!  Today we went over a lot of the basics of structuring a five-paragraph essay.  For tonight, you need to complete your introduction paragraph.  Please use your notes to complete the introduction, paying special attention to the order of the sentences and what a successful introduction has.  You need to make sure that you bring these paragraphs to class with you on Wednesday/Thursday - so that we can peer edit.

Lastly, make sure that you've read chapter eight of Animal Farm - keep up with your vocabulary bookmarks as I'll be collecting them on Friday/Monday.  Minimum of fifteen words for this round of checkins.

Announcements and Props to A1

We're drawing ever closer to Winter Break - I'm especially beginning to notice it more due to the fact that it's actually starting to get cold outside.  Here are your reminders for tonight and the weekend.

AP English III:

A1 kids, the visitor that we had today from downtown was very impressed with the presentations that she saw.  I wanted to be sure that you all knew that other people realize that you all are quite amazing.  For tonight/this weekend I want to be sure that you read the article by Sanders called "The Inheritance of Tools."  It's available in 50 Essays as well as at this link.  Make sure that you read an annotate the article heavily paying particular attention to the idea of family as that is what we will be focusing on.  Also, don't forget that you need to have a copy of The Catcher in the Rye for class on Monday/Tuesday.  If you don't have one, I'll have school copies that you can check out from me.

Lastly, I want you all to begin working on your term papers for the first semester.  Please create a Google doc that you share with me as an editor no later than Sunday evening.  Please begin to outline what you would like to write about for this first paper.  Remember that you need to use at least one novel and one "minor" piece that we have studied this semester to create your thesis.  This is meant to be an informal way for you to begin to get your ideas together.  You will be graded on setting up and sharing your Google document.  Be sure that it's done no later than 7:00 PM on Sunday.  If you cannot meet this deadline you must speak to me in advance with your reason.

English I:

I want all of you to begin to take what we discussed today in class and use that as your foundation to see what is happening in the rest of this book.  I'm glad to see that you're seeing the irony, remember to always think about why the irony is there.  For tonight you need to read chapter seven of Animal Farm.  Be sure that you are working on your bookmarks as well - I will be collecting another bookmark before we leave for Break.  Lastly, continue to work on your quote logs.  These will save you a lot of time when it comes to your essays which we will begin next week.

Keep on keepin' on...

I think that all of the classes did pretty well today.  AP kids, great job in the discussion; I thought that it was pretty productive and hopefully you found yourself understanding the story more than you did when you walked in.  Freshmen, lovely job on your election campaigns.  I'm glad to see that you all are getting into this book really deeply and having fun with it.  Below are your reminders for Thursday/Friday.

AP English III:


Websites.  Websites.  Websites.  We present next class.  Tonight you need to polish these websites and have them ready to be presented.  Please recall what I said today in class about your presentations.  You should not read verbatim what you have written.  Each member should present his/her analysis and then the group will present its synthesis.  I want you to share with the class what you learned from this project. Leave the reading of everything to me.  Also, be sure that you have a copy of The Catcher in the Rye for Monday/Tuesday as we will begin reading it then.

English I:


Tonight you have two things to accomplish.  First you need to read chapter six of Animal Farm.  As you are reading, you want to pay particular attention to the ways in which things are changing for the animals on the farm.  As always, be adding to your vocabulary bookmarks and use the questions to help you understand.

In addition, I would like for you to begin keeping your quote log focused on the ideas of equality, justice, and leadership.  As you are reading if you see a quote that connects to one of these ideas you need to write down the quote word for word and at the end put the page number in parenthesis.  This is an activity which will prepare us for our first formal essay which is coming not too far from now.

As always, let me know if you need any help.

Homework for 12/2 and 12/5

Students - We are only a few short weeks away from Winter Break.  As we continue moving toward the break it's important that you all keep up the momentum and don't fall behind.  Below are some reminders for you as well as your homework for next class.

AP English III:

I definitely need to start seeing a lot more forward movement on these websites this weekend.  You should be finishing your analysis and moving on to the synthesis piece.  Now is the time ladies and gentlemen to be polishing your work and preparing for your presentation.  I will go over with you all on Tuesday/Wednesday what you should complete for your presentations.

Before next class you need to read and annotate Joyce Carol Oates' "Where are You Going?  Where Have You Been?" - it's an intriguing story and probably one of my favorite pieces of short fiction.  Use the questions at the end of the story to help guide your annotations.  We'll be discussing the story thoroughly on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Be prepared.

English I:

Before next class you have a bit of reading to do for me.  All of you should read chapter five of Animal Farm.  As you read you should begin on your second vocabulary bookmark.  Chapter five is a bit lenghty.  Be sure that you understand the chapter thoroughly and that you are using the questions to help guide your understanding.

Honors students, you have an additional piece of reading this weekend by George Orwell called "Shooting an Elephant."  After you've read the article, I want you to answer questions one and four at the end of the piece.  When you answer question one you need to consider at least two different reasons why Orwell shoots the elephant.  Your answers should be done in good throrough paragraphs.  Please submit your work to the homework box on either Tuesday or Wednesday morning depending on your class.  Feel free to also use this piece to add to your vocabulary bookmarks.

Enjoy your weekend, and your readings!

Homework for 11/30 and 12/1

I can't believe that December is basically here.  It feels like we just got started with the year.  Soon we'll be prepping for final exams and all of those things, but for now we just need to get ready for Friday/Monday.

AP English III:

On Friday/Monday you will have your Quest on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Remember that this assessment is only on the book, you will not be asked about any of the non-fiction pieces that we read.  The Quest is broken up into several sections - you would do well to study and prepare for the following:

1. Characters - You will get a description and will need to tell me who the character is.
2. Disguises - I will give you one of Huck's many disguises, you need to tell me what was happening when he used that particular one.
3. Short, short answers - I give you a brief question, you give me a brief answer.
4. Multiple Choice - Think of these as Diet AP questions.  They cover a lot of the major events and ideas in the novel.
5. Quotations - None of the quotations have been used so far.  You know what to do with quotes:  speaker, context, and importance.

The other thing that you should do before Friday/Monday is work on your portion of the website so that your group is moving toward completion.  I will be checking in on these this weekend as you all are putting more touches on the work.  I appreciate that many of you have come to see me outside of class for help.  On Friday/Monday you will have time to work in your groups to prepare for the weekend.  Be sure that you use your time well.

English I:

You all will be having a pretty major quiz next class on allegory, "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind", and the first four chapters of Animal Farm.  You need to be sure that you're studying and preparing for this.  Also, I will be checking your vocabulary bookmarks - try to get to twenty words, but at least be sure that you have ten for our first check.

There is no reading homework for the next class.  I think we've been moving kinda quickly through the first few chapters, so I want to pause and spend some time working through what we've already read.  After the quiz on Friday we'll spend some time reviewing some of the important elements of chapters one through four.  Be sure that you've read thoroughly so that you understand everything.

First Monday after a break is always a day...

I don't know about all of you but I'm a bit wiped out after today.  The first day back after a long break or a long weekend is especially rough, but I think the one after Thanksgiving is one of the hardest.  Anyway, here are the reminders to prepare for tomorrow.

AP English III:


Today I just did a quick check of your annotations.  It's clear to me that some of you haven't read the ending of the book as thoroughly as you needed to.  I hope that the web activity today helped to open up this ending.  My plan for Wednesday/Thursday is that we will begin to develop some more of the overarching themes of the book out of the motifs that we have been working with throughout.  On Friday/Monday I will collect your novels and you will have your quest on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  This annotation check will be more thorough than todays.  Go back, reread, reannotate.


For tonight you should put in some serious time on your websites.  I checked in over break and saw some paltry pages.  I'm hoping that toward the end of break you got more content in there.  I will begin to take a second look at websites Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Remember that this weekend is your final weekend on these projects.  I want to redirect all of you back to the project outline document found here.  Look especially at the requirements with each section of the site.  Lastly on the topic of the website projects, please use each other to peer edit your work.  I am more than happy to look at things, but you all need to self-evaluate and peer-evaluate.  Help each other out!

English I:


I was really happy with what was going on today in our discussion of Animal Farm.  I want to continue with this momentum.  For Wednesday/Thursday I want to be sure that you all read and understand chapter four of the novel.  Remember to use your reading questions to help your understanding.  As you read, keep looking for vocabulary because the bookmarks are due on Friday/Monday.

About the bookmarks, they can be words that are completely new to you, words that could be slang, or words that you may know but don't feel confident.  The goal here is to build your working vocabulary. Remember to write down the word, the page number, and the definition in your own words.  A thesaurus is a good tool for this.

Lastly, Friday/Monday we are going to have our quiz on allegory, "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind," and the beginnings of Animal Farm.  It may be a good idea to go back and reread/reexamine the story since we did study it before break.

Homework and Reminders for Thanksgiving Break

I hope that all of you have a really restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving Break.  There are a few things that I want to make sure that all of you accomplish before I see you again on Monday/Tuesday; please make sure that while you're relaxing you are getting all of these things done.

AP English III:


After our time together in class today I am hoping that you and your group have worked out a plan moving forward about what needs to get done and when with your websites.  I will continue to check in over the break to see what kind of progress is being made and to give suggestions where necessary.

I do want to remind all of you that before you can create the synthesis piece, you all must do your individual pieces of analysis.  I also expect that in your collaboration you peer edit, advise, and ask for help from each other - you're working in a group for a reason.  As a benchmark for your groups to be highly successful, I would recommend that you aim to have your analysis piece uploaded to the website over the break.

You also need to finish reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn over Thanksgiving Break.  Be sure that you have finished your annotations on the novel and that you are prepared for a lively discussion on my least favorite part of the book.  As you finish the novel, pay attention to how Twain is developing all of these different motifs into more specific arguments and themes on these different ideas.  Also, be sure to follow any symbols and characters to their natural end.

English I:


I apologize to those of you who did not get a chance to present today.  We will begin class on Monday/Tuesday with your presentations.  As I said today in class, it's important to think about what you learned about these different topics or people today as all of these things are represented in some way, shape, or pig in Animal Farm.  As you read chapters two and three over the break I really want you to think about who each of these characters really represents - is it a person?  a group of people?  an idea?  all of the above?

Don't forget that while you're reading you need to keep up with your study questions as well as with your vocabulary bookmarks.  Vocabulary will be collected, study questions will not.  The study questions are meant for you to check your understanding of the story.  If you can't answer a question, that's an indicator that you need to go back and reread the chapter more closely.

Finally, I want to recommend that you take notes while you read.  But we'll talk about how to do that more when I see you next time.

Gobble, gobble!

MAD PROPS!

Big ups to B1 on the shoutout from Mr. Leathers!

See - you all really are amazing!

Homework for the Weekend: 11/17 and 11/18

First of all A-day students, I want to thank you for a great day.  I think that in all of the classes today we were productive and had some fun too, which is always good.  Over the weekend there are a few things for all of you to accomplish, and here they are.

AP English III:

I bet you never thought you'd read an analysis of Rebecca Black's "Friday" - but, lo and behold, there it is.  I'm putting the link to that piece here.  So that you can revisit it and share with your friends.  As you look at it and remember our conversation in class today, remember the things that a good analysis does.  It finds the original author's argument and then shows the way in which that argument is proved and supported.  This is much the same thing that we saw in our sample prompt and sample essay.  We've been doing all of this work on analysis due to the fact that you will have your second timed writing on Monday/Tuesday and it will be an analysis.  To prepare for this I would do the following:

1. Review the sample prompt and sample essay.  Look at what the writer does well, and things to avoid.
2. Review the questions I gave you last class on "Crafting an Analysis" - these will provide you some ideas to consider as you construct your own analysis.
3. Write a practice essay on the sample prompt and then compare it to the sample essay.  Is it the same (a seven)?  Better (an eight or nine)?  Or worse (six an below)?
4. You should also begin on your analysis of your piece for the satire project.  All of this stuff we're doing now is a means toward that end.

Speaking of your projects, on Monday you will have time to meet in your groups for about twenty minutes to check in and ask for help.  Thanksgiving Break will require you to work on your projects and finish reading Huck Finn.  BE SURE THAT YOU'RE DONE WITH THE BOOK AND ANNOTATING WHEN YOU COME BACK FROM BREAK!  I don't think I need to tell you what that means...

English I:

I hope that you all enjoyed our opening of Animal Farm.  If you didn't mark vocabulary on your bookmark as we read today in class, be sure that you do that tonight for chapter one.  Over the weekend you will need to be sure that your presentation is ready for Monday/Tuesday and that you have prepared for the District Test.  If you want to get ahead in Animal Farm that's perfectly okay - but you can't bring up anything in class that we haven't gotten to as a group.

Have a lovely afternoon and weekend!

Homework for 11/15 and 11/16

AP English III:


After today's class you should be feeling much more comfortable with the idea of an analysis.  What you're supposed to do when you analyze, the type of thesis to write, and how we've basically been doing analyzing so far in annotating.  Now is when you start putting all of that to use.

For our next class, I expect that you will be to the end of chapter thirty-three in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  We're about to move into one of my least favorite portions of the novel, I've started coming to terms with the end, but I'm not there yet.  Maybe you all can help to get me there.  Also, you need to complete you vocabulary slides - in the last post is where you can access your class's document.  Make sure that if you word is coming from something that we've read that you provide the context for the word.  This is something that some of you that have started have left off or dealt with imperfectly.


In terms of writing/product for next class, I want you to complete the 1Q1P assignment using a portion of Huck Finn.  Remember one quote (no more than fifty words with chapter/paragraph reference) and one page (i.e. the rest of the page) to present the analysis of that quote.  These should be typed, double spaced, in a standard font.  For this assignment, forego MLA citation style, no header is necessary.


I'll be available Wednesday/Thursday after school if you need help with your analysis or to present a draft.  


English I:


Today we briefly reviewed the story by Ray Bradbury "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind" and discussed the various symbols in the story.  It's important to also consider the historical allegory of the story and relate all of this back to the story's theme.  I think that now that you have read the story and we've discussed it, it may be a good idea to reread the story so that you fully comprehend.  You may actually find things you missed the first time (more symbols, different language, imagery, and so forth).  Regardless if you read the story again or not, you should find a few words from this story and get them onto your vocabulary bookmark - remember look for words that are challenging for you to define.  Maybe they're words you're seeing for the first time.


Your other homework for tonight would be to work on your research projects.  Remember that any information you find needs to be cited properly with MLA citations.  Get all of the information that you can on your source and organize it properly.  For tonight, you should make it a goal to complete one information slide related to your topic as well as one image slide related to your topic.  You may choose to put imagery and information on the same slide, but you should then do two slides.

We will present the first part of the projects next week.  Thursday and Friday are our last days in the library.  Work hard.

Change to English I Homework

Freshmen,

Yesterday when I logged in to the online textbook it seemed as though I couldn't access the Bradbury story.  I gave copies to Mr. Gardinier and Mrs. Brightwell to give to you if you had me on Thursday.  Those of you whom I saw today I gave a handout.  If you can access the story in the textbook (either print or online) I want you to do the assignment as outlined in the previous post.  If you only have the packet for the story I want you to read the story and answer questions 2, 3, 4, and 7, 13, and 14.

Sorry about the confusion.  Also, remember to start your vocabulary bookmarks with this story.  There are a few words that may be productive for you.

See you tomorrow!

Freshman Homework - 11/10 and 11/14

Freshmen,

At this point all of you have your progress reports.  Remember that the test scores right now are what I like to call "raw scores."  Some of the questions are going to be thrown out and the test will be curved; however, I can't figure out the curve until everyone finishes the test.  You must finish no later than Monday's study hall.  If you're not finished by then, I'm grading what you've completed - everything missing will be zero credit.

Over the weekend (or Monday night if you're in B-day) you will need to read Ray Bradbury's "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind."  It's in the textbook.  I'll remind you that you need to read the information before the story about the history and allegory in order to fully understand the story and answer the questions.  When you finish the story, answer questions two, three, five, and six in your notes.  Remember that since you're putting your responses in your notes you can answer these questions in bullet points, but be sure that you're thorough use details from the story to craft your response.  While you're reading, this is a great chance to get started on your vocabulary bookmarks.

Also, you may want to keep working on your research projects if you've started on those.  We'll go back to the library on Tuesday/Wednesday to take more formal notes on the topics and go over the details of the assignment more.

Homework for Veteran's Day Weekend 11/10 and 11/14

Lovely AP Students,

I continue to be impressed with the conversations that we're having in class.  I do want to ask more of you to speak up in class - remember that participation is important.  As we move to the second nine weeks and further, it's not enough to simply look interested.  You need to be engaged and produce ideas for our discussions.

Over the weekend you have a few things to make sure you take care of.  First, you do have the long weekend, your goal should be to get caught up or even ahead in your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  As you read, keep annotating and keep looking for how Twain is developing the symbols which we began to uncover today.  Furthermore, you should do some work on your websites - get your individual pages up and then start to work on your portion of the assignment.

Over the weekend you do have a piece of non-fiction to also read.  It's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" (link available here) by Gloria Anzaldua.  This can be considered to be our final piece on the idea of language and identity.  It may be useful for you all to consider how everything we've read is connected to this idea.  Where do you fall on the idea of how we speak telling about who we are?

Finally, I've created the powerpoints for your vocabulary slides.  Please use the links below and add your cards.  These assignments are due next Thursday (17th) and Friday (18th).  Remember that it's first come first serve, if you wait until the last minute, someone may have taken your words.

A1 Vocabulary Slides Link

B1 Vocabulary Slides Link

As always AP kids, be sure to ask for help if you're feeling overwhelmed or if you think that things are moving too fast.  This is a class where we do a lot and learn a lot, be responsible for yourselves and keep pushing forward.

Have a lovely long weekend.

English I Homework - 11/8 and 11/9

Freshmen,

Tonight I would like for you to continue your work with the idea of allegory by investigating one of your childhood stories.  Pick any story from your childhood (fairy tales are really effective here) and do the following.

1.  Write the title at the top of your paper.
2.  Construct a plot diagram with all of the major events of the story as well as labeling all of the elements (exposition, rising action, climax, etc.)
3.  Write a sentence that states the theme/moral of the story.
4.  Answer the following question:  Is the story allegorical?  Why or why not?

This needs to be turned into the homework box no later than Thursday/Monday morning.

AP English III Homework - 11/8 and 11/9

Juniors,

I hope that you all are seeing that this class is going a bit more technological than some of your other classes.  Remember that we're not only working on skills regarding literature and writing, but also skills regarding technology and web tools which make learning easier.  Tonight your biggest priorities are the following:

1. You MUST get your Google site up by next class and share that website with me.  You don't need any content, but all of the pages MUST be set up.  This is a must do.  If you're having problems getting it set up - please see me Wednesday afternoon.
2. You should be keeping up with your reading.  By Thursday/Monday you should be to the end of chapter twenty-eight.

Next class I will give back your vocabulary bookmarks so that you can start on the next phase of our vocabulary assignment.  I will post the links to the documents and example for next class's post.  Next class we will discuss the characters of the Duke and the Dauphin very thoroughly.  Be sure that you've read.

English I - Homework for 11/4 and 11/7

Freshmen,

Over the weekend and Monday night I'd like for you to take a break and relax after your big unit test. I hope that you all feel confident that you did your best. If you studied and prepared as you should have, then I'm sure it will pay off. If it's not paying off, then please see me for help.

Next class we are going to begin our work on Animal Farm by George Orwell and allegory. We probably won't start reading Animal Farm for a few days, but you might want to start early so that you can be ahead. I do suggest that you get your own copy of the book, but I will issue copies if you don't have on on Tuesday/Wednesday.

It's a pretty exciting novel, and I think you'll all enjoy it. I'm looking forward to Tuesday/Wednesday!

AP English III - Satire Project

Students,

Today we spent a lot of time going through the requirements for your major project - Google Sites for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Satire. Remember that your group contract is due to me on Tuesday/Wednesday. This is a requirement. Please be sure that you are following the deadlines on the project sheet as I will be checking in on all of you. When you share your websites, please make sure that you include me in the sharing as an owner; use my mrmillerjhs (at) gmail (dot) com e-mail address. This way I can keep up with your progress. I'm posting links to two important documents.

First we have the project document and outline. This goes over all of the requirements and the timeline for the project. Second we have the project mockup on Google sites. Use the mock-up of the project to review everything that you need to have on the individual pages.

Take the time this weekend to get ahead on your website, time spent now will pay off in the future. Also don't forget the following for next class:

1. Vocabulary bookmarks are due next class. You need 20 words, the definition (personal), the page number and the source.


2. Keep up with your Huck Finn reading. By next class you should be to the end of chapter twenty-two. We'll be discussing chapters thirteen through eighteen.


3. Start work on your website and finish your contract.

The class is getting more serious and a bit more difficult; I know you are all up to the challenge. Please start coming by on Wednesday afternoons if you need help!

AP English III Announcement

I was happy to see that over the past few days that some of you had read ahead. By and large I was pleased with your annotation check, just remember to keep track of your cover notes as a key part of the annotations. On each page, you should look for what you put on the covers, specifically the topics/motifs/symbols as well as key character development.

I also wanted to repost the reading schedule, remember that the one on the bookmarks isn't correct.

Chapters 13-18: A day 11/4 B day 11/7

Chapters 17-22: A day 11/8 B day 11/9

Chapters 23-28: A day 11/10 B day 11/14

Chapters 29-33: A day 11/17 B day 11/18

Chapters 34-43: A day 11/28 B day 11/29 (After Thanksgiving Break)

Be prepared for snap annotation and reading checks. You know what I expect.

Homework for 11/2 and 11/3

And we keep on rolling, merrily along.

AP English III:

Please keep up with your Huckleberry Finn reading schedules. By next class you should be to the end of chapter eighteen. This next section of the novel will provide a lot of opportunities for us to discuss some really important scenes in Huck's life. Annotate closely, think deeply. In addition to that reading, I want for you to begin compiling your vocabulary bookmarks. You'll be turning in your second bookmarks on Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. Lastly, I have asked all of you to get a Gmail account if you don't already have one. Please go to this link and fill in the required information so that I have a record of your e-mail addresses.

English I:

You have an exam coming up on short stories on Friday/Monday. So, you need to study. I will be here late on Thursday if you'd like to come by for individual questions.

Homework for 10/31 and 11/1

Welcome to the second nine weeks everyone!  I find that this quarter of the year goes by really quickly what with Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break in the middle.  So, this means that we'll get a lot done this quarter, but you'll need to make sure you're staying on top of everything.

AP English III:

You need to be sure to read and annotate thoroughly the piece from The Narrative of the Life of Oluadah Equiano.  This piece provides some excellent insight on some of the true horrors of slavery from the perspective of a slave, one Oluadah Equiano.  As you read, you may want to think about his audience and how he crafts his message to be perceived by his audience.  Also, be sure that you're keeping up with the reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  You should always try to be ahead of the reading schedule -- and always annotate!

Further, you will want to start culling vocabulary for your second vocabulary bookmarks; we're actually going to go a bit further with vocabulary this nine weeks, so be on the lookout for that.  Finally, get yourselves a GMAIL account if you don't already have one.  This will make a project that we'll be starting later this week a lot easier to complete.

English I:

Next class you will all be preseting your group projects, so your biggest thing to work on for tonight is getting that project finished.  Be sure that you've done your part and that you've communicated well with your group mates.  Remember that one copy of your group's script will need to be turned in to the box for your group to get full credit.  If you have anything that needs to be projected onto the SmartBoard, please bring that on a flashdrive or be sure to e-mail it to me in advance.

If you've not started studying for your short stories test, I would recommend doing that.  Any time left in class on Wednesday/Thursday will be spent reviewing for the short stories test which will be on Friday/Monday.

Homework for the Long Weekend - 10/26 and 10/27

AP English III:

I'm really looking forward to reading your timed writings. I want you all to remember that this class is a marathon, not a 100 meter dash. Keep the stamina up as we move forward. Continue to review your progress and your work. For the weekend I want you to read and annotate Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" which can be found in 50 Essays or here. This is probably one of the better versions online because it retains Truth's vernacular as well as most of her physical additions to the speech. Due to the fact that the speech is so short, please read it thoroughly and be ready to discuss it as well as the Amy Tan piece. Also, I expect that you will all be to the end of chapter twelve and ready to discuss those chapters from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This weekend provides you a great chance to get ahead in your reading schedules.

English I:

After today's mega testing I'd like for all of you to reflect on your progress in the first nine weeks. Some of you have really been working hard, and some have not. I don't want any of you to be surprised when report cards come out. So, really think to yourself, "Is this the best that I can do?"

You may want to get yourself a copy of our novel Animal Farm this weekend. We'll begin studying the novel in the second week of November.

Enjoy the long weekend everyone. I'll see you all on Monday for the beginning of our second quarter of the year.

Homework for the Last Week - 10/24 and 10/25

Studeefnts,

It's our final week of the quarter - there's a lot to be sure that you're prepared for. Look below for reminders.

AP English III:

Do your reading. Do your reading. DO YOUR READING! By Wednesday/Thursday you should be to the end of chapter six in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I would recommend that you get yourselves ahead in the reading schedule as opposed to being behind. We'll probably not have a chance to really start getting into the book until next week. Next class you'll have your first timed writing assignment - be sure that you have your favorite pen for this. Then pen you'll use for all of our timed writing assignments.

Lastly, be sure that you organize your annotations on Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" using the question sheet I gave you today in class.

English I:

You need to prepare for two tests - the district test which will (I think) be very similar to the last one you took; and then your Wordskills exam. You'll have both on Wednesday/Thursday. You should also be sure that you're working on your review project. Make sure that you've got your portion done so that when you meet back with your groups next week you'll be ready to put everything together and practice your skits!

As always, ask for any assistance you may need!

AP English III - MASSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT

I was really proud of those reading bookmarks that I gave you all, and then I realized that the schedule is completely wrong. Dang. Below is the revised schedule, I'll review this with you all in class on Monday/Tuesday.

Chapters 1-6: A day - 10/26 B day 10/27
Chapters 7-12: A day - 10/31 B day 11/1
Chapters 13-18: A day 11/4 B day 11/7
Chapters 17-22: A day 11/8 B day 11/9
Chapters 23-28: A day 11/10 B day 11/14
Chapters 29-33: A day 11/17 B day 11/18
Chapters 34-43: A day 11/29 B day 11/30

Basically this pushes everything back one class. Sorry for the confusion. Notice that there's a week in the middle where the reading is a bit heavy, I would try to really be ahead that week.

Homework for the Weekend - 10/20 and 10/21

We've only got one more week until the end of the quarter. I hope that you all are working hard to a strong finish and preparing to move forward to the second nine weeks. Remember, things will only get more difficult from here on out. It's important that you ask for help if you need it!

AP English III:

Remember that you have your reading assignments for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on your reading bookmarks. Even if I don't remind you of these assignments, it is my expectation that you will follow the schedule that you were given. For Monday's class I would like for you to read Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" which can be found in 50 Essays or at the following website. Please annotate the article heavily. As you read, you may find it productive to think about the idea of language and what it says about a person; the same way that we discussed this idea of language and identity in Twain's "Explanation." It's a very intersting piece which I hope you will all enjoy.

Furthermore, I did want to let you all know that you will have your first timed writing assignment in class on 10/26 (A-day) and 10/27 (B-day). You will get the prompt as we begin and then you will have 50 mintues to draft an essay. Please be ready by reviewing all of your bootcamp notes.

English I:

I think that slowly but surely we're starting to reach an understanding about what I expect in this classroom. Don't just look at your grades and get angry, do something about it. Come see me outside of school, start changing your behaviors so that your grades will also change. Ask for help!

Tonight for homework I would like for you to reflect on the stories we've read in this unit. They are:

• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe


• "The Necklace" by Guy Du Maupassant


• "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson


• "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell


• "The Interlopers" by Saki

In your reflection I want you to tell me which story was your favorite and why.  Your response needs to be one page long. Make sure that you use good details, but as we discussed in class, don't just list the details - explain why the details are important - how they make you like the story.  Use quotations and explain their meaning.

Also, you should begin to study for our vocabulary unit exam. This will be happening on the 26th and 27th of next week which is the same day as your district test.

Homework/Announcements - 10/18 and 10/19

AP English III:

Phew, take a break. Tonight I'd like for all of you to recover from your first big test. Eventually I'll write a test that you can actually get done during class. But for now, I appreciate the fact that you're coming outside of class to get things done. Tonight, all you need to do is get yourself a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you need me to get you one from the bookroom, please let me know either by speaking to me or sending me an e-mail. I'll try to get a few extra copies for Thursday/Friday so that you can check one out if needed.

English I:

I'm starting to see some improvement in all of you regarding what we talked about last class. Keep coming during lunch, and keep asking for help. Tonight, for homework, you need to read our final story in this unit which is called "The Interlopers" by Saki. It starts on page 151. After you read, I would like for you to answer questions three, five and six in your literature notes. We'll then use your responses and notes to get ready for our class discussion. I will check your notes for a grade.

Attention B-day Students!

Your assignment to prepare for Wednesday is in the post below.  Remember everyone that the quarter is ending next Thursday - if you've got outstanding assignments that can still be made up, you need to get on this.  All of you will be getting progress reports this week too - AP students can expect theirs on Tuesday/Wednesday; Freshmen will get reports on Thursday/Friday.

Homework for the Weekend - 10/14

A few things for all over the weekend and on into Tuesday/Wednesday of next week.  Review, prepare, finish the quarter strong.

AP English III:

Over the weekend you have one major thing to do - which is to study for your examination on Transcendentalism. As I stated in class today, portions of the multiple choice will be open book, but you won't be able to use your notes at all. You should still study those pieces thoroughly so that you use the book as a resource and not as a crutch. Half of your exam grade will be multiple choice and half will be short answer. There are four sections on the short answer, each with two questions, you will choose one question from each section to answer. Recall that these are not meant to be essays, but you may need more than just one paragraph to answer a few of these questions. If while you're studying you have questions, please e-mail me or leave me a comment in this thread so that I can get back to you as soon as possible.

Also, please get yourselves a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - we'll begin our study of this novel on Thursday/Friday. If you need me to get you a copy from the bookroom I will, but you will need to get some post-it notes so that you will be able to annotate in the text. I'm really looking forward to moving forward with all of you beyond the summer reading an on into the later portions of American literature.

Study hard, ask for help if you need it. I'll be here late on Monday if you'd like to come by and ask questions.

English I:

First, if you did not turn in your writing assignment to the box or in class be aware that you are losing points due to lateness.  This does count as a test grade. Make it a priority to get this turned in to me as soon as possible to lose as few points as possible. Over the weekend I would like for you to complete a creative writing assignment based on Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." Please rewrite one of the scenes in the novel, but instead of using Montressor's perspective as Poe does, tell it from Fortunato's perspective. The point here is that it's the same story, but a different viewpoint.  You should also review the story again and reread it.  There's a really neat song/video of the story that may help clarify the plot. Review it and then reread the story.  Remember to do the vocabulary, which this song doesn't really have...



Also, we're going to be wrapping up our unit on short stories soon. You would do well to start reviewing in preparation for your unit examination.  Remember, A games.

All:


You're getting progress reports next week.

Mad Props!

AP English III:

I'm glad that I can say this for all of you now - mad props to all of you! The past two classes have been absolutely fantastic; you've ripped apart a flawed argument and showed to me that you know how to do all of this stuff. I hope that Friday and Monday will be as good as today when we discuss the end of Grapes of Wrath and King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail". Your assignment is in the previous post.

Homework - 10/11 and 10/13

Remember that this week we have a strange schedule. These assignments will be due on Friday for A-day students and not until next Monday for B-day students. B-day students will not have their normal class until Thursday as Wednesday's classes will only be about 30 minutes long.

AP English III:

First off, A-day kids, amazing job today. I can't begin to express how impressed I was. I'm looking forward to reading your journals and reflections and getting everything back to you by Friday/Monday. To prepare for our next class I want you to review a few chapters from Grapes of Wrath as we wrap up this unit on Transcendentalism. Please read an annotate chapters 19-21, 25-26, and 29-30. As you read and consider these chapters, try to look for links to Transcendentalism and any other ideas that we've been discussing.

Also, we will be having an exam on the 18th and 19th on Grapes of Wrath and Transcendentalism. In class on Friday/Monday I will give you more details about this test.

English I:

I would like for all of you to read the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe from the textbook. As you read, you will encounter a lot of vocabulary that may be new to you. I would like for you to complete a vocabulary log in your notes where you write down the word, the page number, a definition for the word, and then finall the part of speech. Please do this in your vocabulary section.

Also, don't forget that on Friday/Monday you will need to turn in your writing assignments and worksheets to the box. Remember that this assignment is counting as a test grade! Do your best and be sure to refer to your notes on writing to help you complete this assignment

Homework for the Weekend - 10/7 and 10/8

All classes have work to accomplish this weekend - B-day Freshmen will get this writing assignment on Monday. B-day AP students should take some time to read the King piece this weekend so that you're ready for next week.

AP English III:

All of you need to continue to reflect and improve on the writing instruction that we've started today. Remember, it's bootcamp! After today you should feel a lot more comfortable about thesis statements and what exactly a thesis should look like. Remember that we'll be building on all of these skills and then we'll culminate with an in-class essay so that I can see how you're doing with these skills.

Over the weekend keep living as a Transcendentalist. Remember that your journals and reflections will be due on Tuesday/Wednesday. We will discuss King in class on Tuesday for A-day and Thursday for B-day as Wednesday's class will only be about thirty minutes long.

English I:

Over the weekend you should begin your writing assignment on The Simpsons and "The Most Dangerous Game" - I'm including the link to the video clip here so that you can rewatch it if you need to. Remember to use the notes we went over today to accomplish this assignment. See me during lunch or at study hall to get help. These are going to be due on 10/14 for A-day and 10/17 for B-day. Remember that it will count as a major test grade.

Have a lovely weekend!

Attention Juniors!

Here is the link to a version of King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail". Be sure to read it closely and annotate it heavily. As you read it, you may want to consider the Transcendental ideas that King is also incorporating into his letter. As I said in the previous post, it's pretty lengthy - all of you would do well to take your time in reading it this weekend. It's also available in 50 Essays.

Homework for 10/5 and 10/6

Sorry that I'm late in posting this.  It just slipped my mind as I was leaving.

AP English III:


I've finally finished those summer assignments.  And now I know where we all are as to writing and looking at literature.  I think that a lot of you have really improved the way that you're looking at literature from our first few weeks together - but we haven't spent any time working on writing.  As I said today in class, we start bootcamp soon.  We're going to spend time every day of class looking at a particular element of writing and then working on that element.

Your homework for tonight is to finish your first vocabulary bookmarks and to continue living as a Transcendentalist.  Please make sure that you follow the instructions on the bookmarks.  Also, I suggested that you all get going on reading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" - this will be assigned next class, but it's pretty weighty, so you may want to take a bit of extra time on it.

Lastly, we're going to start reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn very soon.  I would recommend that you secure yourself a copy in the next few days and start reading.

English I:


In a strange turn of events you all don't have any homework tonight.  Though, you do have another major writing assignment coming soon related to "The Most Dangerous Game" - I would have given it to you today, but we didn't have a chance to discuss the assignment.  To prepare for this assignment you could review the story and pay particular attention to the characters of Rainsford and Zaroff - these may be focal points of your assignment coming up.  Also, you will have a grammar test before the end of this quarter - studying your grammar packets would be a good idea.

Lastly, we will be studying our novel for this year - Animal Farm - next month.  You may want to get yourselves a copy of this book.

Homework for 10/3 and 10/4

To prepare you for class on Wednesday and Thursday I would like for you to do the following.

AP English III:

Before you come to class next you should make two entries in your bluebooks about your life as a Transcendentalist. Remember that you are expected to make an entry every day and that these will be collected next week. In addition to your writing I would like to be sure that you've read the piece by Thoreau and the piece by White in 50 Essays. The White piece can be accessed at the following link. Thoreau can be found either in the earlier post or at this link. Please be sure to read an annotate heavily. As you read the Thoreau, definitely consider the ways in which Thoreau is exemplifying the philosophy of Emerson. As you read White, consider the fact that this is written after Thoreau's time.

We will spend the majority of class on Wednesday/Thursday working through these pieces and playing some poker.

Lastly, I'll be collecting vocabulary bookmarks soon. Be sure that it's complete!

English I:

Today's class was cut a bit short due to our district test. I'll be sure that we get that time back on Wednesday/Thursday. For tonight I would like for you to review your reading of "The Most Dangerous Game" - think especially about those ideas we discussed in class. Then, based on your reading and our discussion I'd like for you to answer question three in paragraph form. This homework will need to be turned into the homework box to recieve credit.

Online Textbook

The freshmen already have this information, but I figure that it may be helpful for those juniors who would also like to review the passages we study from the textbook.

To access the book, go to http://my.hrw.com.  You'll need a username and password to access the book.  I can generate a personalized one for you at school, but to access it this weekend you can use the following username (generic68) and the password (t9v2a).

Let me know if you have any questions!