Homework for the 1st and 2nd of March

It certainly feels as though spring has sprung.  What a beautiful day!  I hope that you all get a chance to go outside and enjoy this weather.

AP English III:

Next week is going to be a bit strange due to the fact that Tuesday will be ACT day.  Your reading - to be to the end of chapter fifteen - is going to be due on Wednesday and Thursday of next week.  Monday - for A day students - is going to be more of an enrichment day than anything else.  As you finish your reading assignment, you will need to make sure that your motif chart is as completed as you can make it.  This will count as a major homework grade - so be sure that it reflects your best work.  You can feel free to combine some chapers - but I would prefer that you use one row for each chapter.  This will require that you do chapters fourteen and fifteen on a separate sheet of paper.  I'll give you another motif chart next week so that you can finish the book and keep your ideas logged. 

That's all you need to do this weekend.  I'll give you back your outlines, tests, and anything else next Wednesday and Thursday.  Then we'll move to the next phase of our papers - the actual drafting and confrences!  Feel free to start early.

English I:

For the weekend I would like for you all to do a bit of writing for me.  You are a lawyer and you are pressing charges on one of the characters in Romeo and Juliet for the murders that have occured in III.1.  You can choose to blame someone in this scene, or you may choose to be a bit more abstract - blaming someone that wasn't even in the scene.  Regardless of whom you blame, be sure that you present a clear case using at least three to four specific examples from the play to support your case.  You need to focus on only one character; your legal brief should be no longer than one page.

This is due to the homework box Monday/Tuesday.

B4 Announcement

B4 Students,

Remember that you don't have the board games assignment. Instead you need to work through the first three parts of the scene and complete your reason guide which I gave you in class. Please make sure that this reading guide is turned into the homework box by Friday morning. We will continue straight on to the second half of III.1.

As always, see me if you have any questions.

Tuesday and Wednesday (2/28 and 2/29) Homework and Reminders

It's a leap year.  Those people Mr. Leathers announces tomorrow will be turning four, since they've technically only had four birthdays.  Anyway, the business is below.

AP English III:

After today's class you've gotten something big off of your plate - there is one more big thing for this week and then a rather large reading goal moving to next week.  The major thing remaining is your research outline.  I have started to see a lot of movement on these in a variety of ways, keep going.  Please use the rubric as you craft your outline.  Think to yourself, "Am I doing this part of the rubric?"  If the answer is yes, make sure it's done thoroughly.  If the answer is no, you have a major problem.  Outlines are due Thursday and Friday.  You have one remaining day to ask for help - tomorrow.

Looking forward to next week - you have a large reading goal.  Follow your reading schedules closely and get to the end of chapter fifteen.  The novel is going to start being a lot more cohesive here, which is something I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for, grab on to this plot with the Invisible Man.  Continue to notice the cycles.  On your reading, you will have a deadline/honesty check on your motif charts.  You should be able to get chapter thirteen on your chart.  You'll then need to create one to log chapters fourteen and fifteen.  I'll give you new ones next week.  Remember to do this AS you read; it'll save time.

English I:


You have two things due next class:  a homework assignment and a project checkin.  Your homework is the "Board Games" assignment.  First you must block or diagram the movements of the characters in the key moments of III.1.  Follow the instructions on the sheet.  Give a key to your diagram and use arrows to show movement.  Make sure that each event is clearly marked in your diagram.

You will then answer the three questions listed at the bottom on the back of the worksheet.  As you answer the questions, really try to understand the character.  You'll want to comment on how he understands certain events as well as his emotions.  Be clear and concise in your answers.  Turn this assignment in to the box.

This is your first project checkin as well.  I've been happy that some of you have brought me drafts.  This assignment may also be submitted to the box, or you can bring it to class.  I understand that some of you may need to print during lunch in the library - be sure to get a pass in advance.

See you all tomorrow!

Notes and Reminders for the Weekend

AP English III:

You all have a lot of things on your plate for this class right now.  Remember not to procrastinate.  The best option you have is to get immediately on your tasks and deal with what you have to do.  I'm going to outline your goals for you in order of importance.

1. Your takehome test is due on Tuesday/Wednesday.  This needs to be typed and you need to review your answers.  Remember that you can ask questions - but your chance to do that is quickly disappearing.  Use your books - make your answers good.  Follow your ideas to their conclusion and clearly explain yourself.  Remember, you should be able to accomplish this test in a regular class period.  Time yourself, but then take time to review, edit, and perfect.
2. Research outlines are due on Thursday/Friday.  Some of you have come in and asked for help and even shared drafts.  You have the rubric - follow it.  Research.  Get your sources.  Get it organized.  More time spent on the outline will save you time in your writing.
3. Read chapters ten, eleven, and twelve in Invisible Man.  We're going to see some big changes for our narrator.  Notice those.  Also, be aware that I will probably collect your motif charts soon.  Get them filled in!

English I:

This is your final weekend to work on your projects before the first part is due.  Work hard, get it done.  Many of you missed your homework check this morning, if you missed that grade, be sure that you get the work done this weekend and sit study hall next week.  Don't let these little grades be the death of you!

Homework for the Evening - 2/21 and 2/22

This is a bit of an odd week for us what with the delay yesterday and the shortened day yesterday.  Here are your notes about things to take care of before next class.

AP English III:

Today I gave you two very important assignments.  Let's deal with them in the order that they'll be collected.  First, you have your take-home examination.  I want to remind all of you that this is due on the 28th and 29th of February.  These will not be accepted late.  At all.  You have a week, use it.  You should spend a lot of your time this weekend completing this.  I would like for this to be typed, if not typed, please make sure that it's written in ink.  Follow all of the instructions listed on the sheet, be sure that you complete all parts.  Please feel free to ask any questions, but be reminded that I will not look at any drafts.  A final reminder:  Any evidence of cheating, sharing answers, or consulting sources other than your notes, books, or minds will result in a very bad thing.  Be honorable, do your own work. 

Other things:  Your outline rubric goes through what you need to complete for this assignment.  Remember that outlines are due next week on Thursday and Friday.  Feel free to do your outline on Google Documents and share it with me for faster feedback.  If you do this, please title your document FirstName LastName Research Outline Class Period.  This will help me organize my files. 

Lastly, please make sure that you've thoroughly read chapters seven through nine of Invisible Man.  We'll discuss these on Thursday/Monday and then begin moving on to chapter ten.  If you'd like to begin readig chapter ten, that's a good idea, but I would definitately work on your other assignments first.

Lots to do AP kids, see me for help if you need it.

English I:

Tonight I'd like for you to finish reading Act II.  Please read Act II Scene 5 and 6 - complete your who, what, where, and when notes for both scenes.  Also, at the end of the act please answer questions one through five to check your understanding of the Act.  These questions are on page 843.  Keep your notes in your notebooks and your question answers as well.  I will probably check Act II notebooks next class - be prepared!

Also, don't forget that your first check-in on your project is very soon.  None of you have yet asked me for any help, so I assume that everything's fine.

A Substitute Day - Reiterating Some Things

I hope that your day, B-day, with the substitute was productive.  I know that with the two-hour delay some things got pushed around or shortened; let me take this time to reiterate a few things to you all so that you're prepared for Wednesday.

AP English III:


I'll give you the results of your partner practice test on Monday of next week.  Wednesday's going to be a bit packed with the business of the day which is chapters seven through nine of Invisible Man.  Make sure that you go through all of the quotations on the handout thoroughly and that each is annotated.  You should be able to draw these to major motifs, character development, as well as other linguistically interesting things (diction, syntax, tone, and so forth).  You'll also want to make sure that you've read the chapters in the book thoroughly.

Also next class I'll be giving you the rubric for our research paper outlines.  This is our next major step in developing these argumentative essays.  It is imperative that you have begun to research in order to complete the outline.  Don't delay on this.  Find your sources and begin to have a conversation with them.

English I:


All of you today should have watched the more modern version of Romeo and Juliet as well as the more traditional one.  We will continue to watch these two films as we study this play.  You will continue to make observations in preparation for a writing assignment regarding the adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy.  For tonight, you should continue working on your projects.  Remember that you do have some goals to start meeting very soon.

4B - You should all take some time to complete the grammar packet as well.  I'll be reviewing that with you on Wednesday's class.

I think that should do it.  Please come see me tomorrow if you have any questions.

Work for the weekend and Monday night

Students,

I will not be here on Monday due to the fact that I'll be at a workshop at UNC Chapel Hill all day.  I'm looking forward to spending the day at my alma mater reconnecting with a few former professors of mine.  B-day students will complete their tasks for the day with a substitute.  Here are your notes on what you need to complete at home.

AP English III:

You have several big reading portions to take care of.  By Tuessday/Wednesday you'll need to be to the end of chapters seven through nine.  By Thursday/Monday (27th) you need to be to the end of chapter ten.  Chapter ten is a bit on the confusing side, but given the fact that you've been reading this book for some time I think that all of you will be able to handle it.

Please complete your quote analysis sheets at home if you didn't have a chance to thoroughly read an annotate all of the passages.  We'll use this as an anchor for our discussion of chapters seven through nine on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Also, don't forget that you have an outline for your research paper due soon.  You should be researching now in preparation for this deadline.  Remember - procrastination kills.  Be ahead.

English I:

I hope that you are enjoying these films.  As we continue to read, we'll continue to watch.  For this weekend, spend some time getting ahead on your projects.  Remember that we have a deadline coming soon.  Next week would be a great time to see me with a draft and ask for help.

Enjoy your weekend!  Oh, and Juniors, you have progress reports coming out on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Homework for Wednesday/Thursday - 2/15 and 2/16

Alrighty kiddos, here's what you need to do.

AP English III:

Your next reading goal in Invisible Man is to read chapters seven through nine.  This is where the Invisible Man moves off to New York and begins the next phase of this novel.  I would like for all of you to attempt to have this done by Friday/Monday.  However, we won't be discussing these chapters until the 21st and 22nd.  So, know that you have a bit of leeway in your reading.  Since you do have that leeway, you should be continuing to do your research and move forward with your papers.  Remember that we will have another checkin on these papers due very soon.  In about two weeks you'll need to submit your outlines - remember that in order to outline you need to already have your sources.  Remember not to slack.  Slacking leads to bad things.

Finally, you're going to have your first assessment on Invisible Man on the Prologue to Chapter Six.  Prepare.  Be ready.  Ask for help if you need it.

English I:

Tonight you're taking a break from Romeo and Juliet and spending time with your projects.  Remember the goal to have the reading done by the end of next week.  Our first deadline is March 1st and 2nd.  Don't miss this deadline, remember that it's a quiz grade.  You should start coming to see me soon to get extra help or for me to edit your projects. 

And we have another Monday...

And so it is, another week.  Though next week we've got only four days, so that's something to look forward to.

AP English III:

Tonight you need to finish your reading of chapters five and six of Invisible Man.  A lot of you who are ahead told me that you were really confused about chapter five.  That's to be expected.  As I said in the last post, it's entirely stream of consciousness.  The goal here should be to get through the chapter, develop questions, and bring those with you to our discussion on Wednesday/Thursday.  Personally, I haven't made sense of everything in that chapter yet.  I'm hoping with your help that we'll discover some things together.

After today's class you have all gotten your research topics back.  It's time to start researching and writing your thesis.  Remember that by the last week of February/first week of March you should have your outline completed with your sources.  I'll be giving your a rubric for your outlines soon which will outline (heh) what I'm expecting.

Lastly, we're having another timed writing Wednesday/Thursday to prepare for the ACT.  It's an argument, so I think that you'll all do fine.  Just review what a good argument is made of.

English I:

We're two-thirds of the way through the balcony scene.  We'll finish it as a group tomorrow.  Tonight for homework you need to read over Act II, Scene 3 and take your notes on Who, Where, When, and What.  As you read, I also want you to keep track of the various opposites in this scene.  As you see opposites, you'll want to write down the line numbers as well as the opposite words.

We will also be having a warm-up check next class.  It would be a good idea for all of you to make sure you get the reading done thoroughly and that you've reviewed your grammar.  As you've seen, the warm-ups are getting trickier, the later we move into the year.

Lastly English I kids, we've got quiz corrections available this week on the Act I Quests.  You can come after school or during lunch on Wednesday and Friday.  This opportunity doesn't come often.  Make sure that you take advantage of it.

With that, I'm off to grade your homework.

Homework for the Weekend - 2/9 and 2/10

Cheers to the weekend!  As I paraphrase Rihanna, please look below for your reminders for this weekend.

AP English III:

Your next big reading goal will be the 15th and 16th.  You've got to move through chapters five and six.  Chapter six ends the college section and will be where we'll have our first major assessment on Invisible Man and other pieces that we've read up to this point.  Chapter five will probably be pretty difficult for most of you.  This is where the Rev. Homer Barbee gives his sermon and the Invisible Man listens, letting his mind wander.  Remember the idea of stream of consciousness.  Look closely at this section, read carefully.  Chapter six is a punch in the gut, and it's pretty short too.

Since you have a bit of extra time, I would like for you all to begin researching and coming up with some sources.  You'll really begin researching in earnest next week after you've gotten your topics back, but doing a bit of leg work this weekend will be useful.  Remember that you need a mixture of primary and secondary sources; print and non-print sources.  We'll talk about what all of this means on Monday/Tuesday.  I'm also hoping that on Monday/Tuesday we'll also have a chance to look at a few more passages from Invisible Man that I think are pretty noteworthy.

English I:

This weekend you're going to continue moving forward on your projects.  We'll be doing a lot of Act II of Romeo and Juliet in class simply because it's probably one of my favorite acts.  This weekend I want you to continue reading your plays, but I need you to turn in some evidence of your reading. 

Honors and Standard students:  You will construct a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the play that you're reading with Romeo and Juliet.  Be sure that you identify the title of your play.  I'm going to be looking for ten points of contrast (differences), and five points of comparison (similarities). 

Honors students:  You will then take that venn diagram and write me two paragraphs comparing and contrasting your play and Romeo and Juliet.  As you write, you may want to focus on just one or two similarities and differences, explain them thoroughly, and show why these similarities and differences are important.  Remember to follow good writing rules, use clear details from your plays, and fully explain your ideas.

This assignment is due to the box Monday (A-day) or Tuesday (B-day).  Also, Standard students can do the writing assignment to earn some extra credit on a previous homework assignment.

To all:

On Monday/Tuesday you'll be getting a good amout of work returned to you.  Just giving you a head's up.

I don't know any songs about Tuesday

So instead of talking about that, I'll just let you know of your homework.

AP English III:


You've got two more chapters to read, three and four of Invisible Man.  These two chapters are linked to chapter two in a strong way.  We have only begun to scratch the surface of chapter two!  We will go a lot deeper with chapters two, three, and four during class on Thursday/Friday.  Please make sure that you have read and thoroughly annotated these chapters.  Chapter four is relatively short, and provides a good place to pause before the next slog to the end of the college section.

Your first major assessment with Invisible Man will happen after we've discussed chapter six.  Make sure that you're preparing by being a good reader.

On to research - If you did not submit your research plan today before our timed writing then it is due at the beginning of class on Thursday/Friday.  Don't slack on this.  You may find that you need to do a bit of research before you can actually can write your question.  Use your sheet and answer all parts, thoroughly.

English I:


Today we had our first assessment on Romeo and Juliet, covering Act I.  Things will continue to develop and get intense as we move into Act II.  This is where Shakespeare really turns up the intensity and the complications and foreshadowing abound.  Tonight, take a break from Romeo and Juliet, but spend your time on your play for your project.

You should spend an hour or two reading over the next few days.  I gave you the goal in class today of having your play read by the 24th.  This is a realistic and good goal for all of you.  Remember your first due date with this project is March 1st and 2nd.  Honors students will have their scene translations due at this checkin.  Standard students will have the adaptation assignment due.  Be sure that you have read and understand the instructions.  Misinterpreting the instructions will lead to a poor score.  As always I'm happy to look at drafts and provide feedback for this project.

Have a good evening!

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.