Catching Up After The Substitute - 4/8/2014

I hope that things went smoothly today with the substitute.  Please make sure to pay attention to the following announcements.

AP English III

Your paper portfolios are due tomorrow.  Please make sure that you have all of the required documents assembled in the correct order.  I will not take any questions related to the papers from this point on.  You'll have to trust your own judgement or that of a friend.  Please make sure to use the Purdue OWL to check your citations as I find it to be the most helpful and thorough bibliography assistant.

I will be accepting papers from 7:00 to 3:30 PM.  If I am teaching or my door is shut, please place them in the box in front of my door.  Make sure that your name is on your envelope.

In terms of Invisible Man be sure to complete the reading of chapter twenty-four.  There's another sex scene here, but the Invisible Man's reaction to the events within the sex scene will show how much he has progressed.  As you look at the chapter, continue to use your motif charts.  We will begin our motif project next class.

Over break you will be assigned the end of the novel.  Feel free to finish it early if you would like.

Russian I

I hope that you all felt successful with your quiz today.  I will have them graded tomorrow and your scores on PowerSchool.  For tonight, continue to work on your vocabulary development.  I'll give you some goals next class for how to spend your Spring Break on your Russian skills, and we will continue our study of the one-stem verb system.

Lastly, I'll give all of you the joy of the Винни Пух marching song and some of his other songs, too.

See you all tomorrow!

Homework for B-Day Students: 4/7/2014

Honors English II

Tonight for homework I would like for you begin by reading Primo Levi's "A Good Day" from Survival in Auschwitz.  As you read this piece, pay particular attention to Levi's use of tone since it will be one of our focuses in our seminar on Wednesday.  Once you finish the piece, answer question seven on generalizations.  To complete this writing assignment, I would like for you to do a 1Q1P assignment.  In this, you will only use one quote (1Q) from the story to write one page (1P) answering the question thoroughly.  This requires that you find a deep and meaty quotation which you will analyze and explain thoroughly to answer the question on generalizations.  If you hand write your assignment will need to be double sided, if it is typed, please double space.  No more than one page will be collected from anyone.

Beyond that, make sure that you have your rough drafts for our workshop next class.  Final drafts will be collected after Spring Break.

ESL English III

Some of you forgot to turn in your movie posters today.  If you are in this category, you need to turn them in at the beginning of class on Wednesday.  Next class we will spend some more time working on our writing assignments before we go to the computer lab to type our three paragraph essays.  You can get ahead by finding your moments from the story and work on your explanation.  Think to yourself, "How does this moment show the theme that I have found?"

Homework for the Weekend - 4/4/2014 - A Day Students

AP English III

Remember to always keep your eyes tuned toward the sun!  I hope that you all enjoyed the seminar on Plato's "Allegory of the Cave."  This helps us to understand Ellison's points much more thoroughly and the deeper messages that he is sending us on knowledge, truth, and perception.  For the weekend I would like to make sure that you do the following:

1. Your final research papers will be collected on Wednesday.  I'll be out on Tuesday getting my teeth fixed, so that gives all of you an extra day.  Remember to have the following in your packet to ensure completion:
• your final draft, cover sheet attached to the front, works cited page attached to the back, rubric stapled behind everything.
• your draft from conferencing
• your outline
• your proposal

Place everything within your envelope and turn in your envelope to me between 7:00 and 3:30 PM on Wednesday.  Papers collected on Thursday for any reason will lose ten points due to lateness.

1. This is actually number two.  Read Invisible Man chapters twenty two and twenty three.  The substitute will give you an outline sheet to help you make sense of this on Tuesday.  You'll work on this outline in class to better understand the chapter.

Russian I

Over the weekend and Monday night you will need to prepare for your quiz on Tuesday/Wednesday.  This quiz will cover the use of the Prepositional and Accusative case as well as the differences in the prepositions B and HA.  There will be NO information on the one-stem verb system.  Study and focus on your endings.  The quiz will also have reading, so make sure to know your vocabulary thoroughly.  We will continue learning the one-stem system after Spring Break!

B-Day Homework Assignments

ESL English III

For the weekend your priorities are to finish your movie posters and have them turned in on Monday to receive credit for this assignment.  Also, you will need to finish reading The Kite Runner this weekend so that we can finish the film and the study of the book next week.

Honors English II

If any of you were absent last class you will need to see me with your outlines and your answers to the questions on Ovid to get credit.  I'm available to go over your outlines on Monday or Friday, for your answers I just need to see them.

Over the weekend you need to complete your PHASES assignment.  Be sure that you have a clear quote from the text to connect the character to the age and a clear symbol.  Avoid using images of people - focus more on the symbolic meaning.

Our draft workshop for rough drafts will fall on Wednesday.  Remember to have fifty percent of your draft complete to earn credit!

Lastly, you're going to want to buy a copy of our last novel of the year Night by Elie Wiesel.  My copy is the one pictured below, so buy that one as it's a) the best translation available and b) the same as mine.

Russian I - Announcements/Reminders

For tonight make sure that you have been studying your vocabulary in chapter four:  the nouns, adjectives, and adverbs are especially important and will be used a lot on your quiz.  Also, use the homework from last class as well as the previous assignments on accusative and prepositional case to continue studying.  Anyone who didn't have the homework when checked will need to have it completed for Friday/Monday.

On Friday/Monday we'll be playing two review games - one on grammar and one on vocabulary.  Prepare for those!  Lastly, here's a good link for all of you to use!

Radio Echo of Moscow / Радио Эхо Москве

Try to listen to Russian being spoken every day to train your ear.  Especially when working on Russian it's important to fully immerse yourself as much as possible.  Listen, watch, train your ear and learn those inflection patterns!

Homework for A-Day Students: 4/2/2014

AP English III

First your work for tonight.  Your first priority is to finish your reading of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" - you've got it in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read Plato, continue to stay focused on the ideas of light and dark, reality and fantasy, vision, and truth.  This piece is crucial in helping you to understand and make sense of what Ellison is trying to show in his text.  Consider the Invisible Man and his ability to see things as you read this.

Once you finish Plato, you'll want to launch right in to chapters twenty and twenty-one of Invisible Man.  The reading here will immediately pick up and continue the work from Plato.  Annotate heavily in preparation for our seminar.


Lastly, remember that your final drafts are due on Tuesday.  However, you may also turn them in on Wednesday for no penalty.  No drafts will be accepted past Thursday.  Anything submitted on Thursday will earn a ten point penalty.

Russian I

Tonight I want for all of you to focus on learning your new vocabulary as well as continuing to review your rules for prepositional and accusative case.  Check back over your homework and complete it or revise it as needed.  We will have a quiz on this content on Tuesday/Wednesday so prepare yourselves accordingly.

Homework for B-Day Students: 4/1/2014

Honors English II

Some of you that were absent today missed the chance to review your outlines and get feedback.  You must see me to get this credit made up.  Today in looking around class I saw that most of us needed the most work with examples - make sure that they're specific and precise.  Quotations and paraphrases from the texts under study are best; then explain those quotations in such a way that you connect and show your argument through them.  Your rough drafts for this essay will be due in one week - 4/9/2014 will be the day we do this; you'll need to have at least fifty percent of your draft to get credit.

For tonight's homework, continue reading Ovid's "The Metamorphoses" - when you finish reading, answer the questions at the end.  If you are reading from the "beige" book then answer questions 2, 3, and 4.  If you read from the "green" book, then your job is to answer questions 5, 6, and 7.  Make sure that you have thorough answers to these questions for next class.

AP English Assignment

All students are expected to complete the "Invisible Man Symbol Analysis" assignment. If you were in class it is due by the end of the day tomorrow. If you were not in class due to field trip or another reason, please see me to get the instructions or ask a classmate. 

Homework for A-Day Students: 3/31/2014

Welcome to the fourth and final nine weeks of the year!  Don't allow time to sneak up on you, remember that you actually have only seven weeks this quarter instead of nine because of final exams.

Russian I:

Today in class you should have completed the creation of your vocabulary guide, either using an online resource like Quizzlet or something more simple like vocabulary cards.  Regardless, be studying these new words every night.  You will have a quiz on Prepositional Case and the new vocabulary on 4/8 and 4/9 (B-day).  Prepare accordingly.  To help in your preparation, complete the worksheet on Prepositional Case.  In exercise B make sure to write out the sentence with the blanks filled in, don't just fill in the blanks.  In exercise Г try to answer the question logically about yourself.  If you can't change the verb, put the word in the parenthesis in the appropriate case.  Be sure to translate in this section.

AP English III:

Tonight you have a few things to accomplish.  First, if you didn't finish the symbol analysis in class please finish that tonight and turn it in to me tomorrow.  I want to have these graded before Wednesday's class as we'll need them to discuss the chapters.  Also, be aware that we will be discussing chapter sixteen thoroughly as well as the rest of chapter eighteen.  Read and annotate thoroughly to be ready for that seminar work.

Your final drafts of your research papers are due on 4/8.  I will go over on Wednesday what you will turn in on that day.  Be prepared to ask questions.  Also, be ready to go over formatting of the essay on Friday.  You may want to bring your laptop or iPad to do that work.

For this week, read to the end of chapter twenty-two in Invisible Man.  This is when he finally makes a change, pay close attention and use your motif charts well.

Powerschool Update!

Students -

At this point I have all grades in.  I've put in zeroes for missing work except in the case of major grades.  If you see anything missing you should get in touch with me ASAP.

Homework for the Weekend: 3/28/2014

I'm having a busy Friday since it's both the end of the grading period, a regular school day, and my teacher workday to do grades all at the same time.  Here's what you all need to accomplish this weekend:

Honors English II

This weekend you should finalize your outlines for your MGP paper.  Be sure to include the following in your outline:

• an argument statement which identifies your topic (change), your position on the topic, and WHY you have this position.  The explanation of the WHY is particularly important.
• quotations and paraphrases from all of your MGP texts
• explanations with the quotations/paraphrases as to HOW they help you to prove your position on change.

As I said in class, treat me like I don't know anything (including basic human emotions) - if something is bad, tell me.  Don't assume!

Homework for the Weekend: 3/27/2014

Russian I

You had your quarter exam today.  No homework this weekend, but get ready for the reality of fourth nine weeks which will include a lot more Russian speaking by me and you.

AP English III

This weekend your priority is to read the next major section of Invisible Man, chapters sixteen through nineteen.  These chapters will draw heavily on the motifs, so be sure to use your motif charts to help you organize and make sense of the chapters.  Here are your notes to consider as you go through each chapter:

• Chapter 16:  speeches, Battle Royal imagery, conflict, Marxism, new versus old
• Chapter 17:  time, Brother Tod Clifton, Brother Tarp, Ras the Exhorter, conflict, identity
• Chapter 18:  conflict, Brother Tarp's chain, family, reality/fantasy, machines, trial
• Chapter 19:  sex, violence, Trueblood's dream, manipulation, invisibility, freedom, Battle Royal, dream

Continue working on your drafts and essays.  The conferences have been going very well.  Remember to keep your draft from conferences as this is the only record of your grade for the fourth nine weeks.

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/26/2014

Honors English II

I've been very impressed with the amount of work that all of you have done on these projects and the level of thought that I see reflected.  I am working hard to get everything graded and updated soon.  If you were absent today or for some other reason missed your chance to present, please get that taken care of by Friday.  You'll have to come in outside of class and settle your debts.

Furthermore, tonight I'd like for you to do a bit of thinking and writing about Kafka and "The Metamorphosis" - consider the overall question on your outline sheets.  What do you consider to be Kafka's argument in this text?  What is he trying to communicate to his audience?  How does he show both sides of the situation and then convince his readers of a final conclusion?

Consider this thoroughly as we'll be opening class on Friday reflecting on this idea.

ESL English III

No homework tonight!

Homework for A Day Students: 3/25/2014

AP English III

We are right in the swing of things with conferences.  Make sure to continue to develop your drafts and your arguments so that they show me what you're really writing this argumentative essay about.  Don't forget that this and next Friday are drop-in days for additional help.  No scheduling necessary, but you will need to wait if someone is ahead of you.

For tonight make sure to read "Just Walk on By:  Black Men and the Public Space" by Brent Staples.  It's in 50 Essays or available at this link.  Annotate heavily noting Staples' use of diction to create tone and how this furthers his argument.  Also consider the connections between this text and Invisible Man.  We will do work related to multiple choice on this text next class, so please read thoroughly.

For next week, be sure that you have read chapters sixteen through nineteen in Invisible Man.  I'll outline this for you in more detail next class.

Russian I

Next class you will have your quarterly exam.  Be sure that you have prepared yourselves thoroughly and are ready for vocabulary.  Don't forget that I have already given you the dialogue which you will hear on your test and the reading which you will also have.  The reading is in the accusative case exercises at the very end.  Read and prepare, practice the questions at the end of the text, and ask any questions.  Remember that this is a cumulative exam and over one quarter of it will cover old information.

Lastly, please use PowerSchool to make sure that you're not missing any work.  The quarter ends on Friday and I will need to finalize my grades that day.  Please talk to me if you're not sure.  Some of you are missing quizzes and this will torpedo your averages if I put in a zero for that work.

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/24/2014

Honors English II

Tonight for homework your goal is to complete your Mutli-Genre Projects and your artist's statement for our presentations which will fall next class.  Remember that you will need to show all three pieces to the class; so find a way that you can do that.  Also you will need to give me your three products - my suggestion is to burn it to a disk or to use a flashdrive which you don't mind giving up for a few days.

For the artist statement there are a few things to make sure that you do:

1. Make sure to emphasize why you have chosen the particular project for the text.  What has it allowed you to show about change in your text/texts?
2. How does your piece express the idea of change in the text/texts?
3. What are you trying to show overall about the idea of change across all of your pieces? This should appear in your "introduction".
4. Also, consider that you will want to transition between the different products in your artist statement.  Don't just start and stop!

Lastly, remember to go through your notes from today's discussion and go back to your outlines.  If there are questions/tasks which you cannot complete, be sure to ask next time as I want next class to be our last day on Kafka.  And don't forget to bring in all of your textbooks.  I want to check those.

ESL English III

For those of you whom I told about make-up work, be sure to complete that Wednesday at lunch.  For most of you it's relatively minor.  Also, be sure that you continue reading The Kite Runner.  Try to make it to the end of page eighty-eight.

Russian I

Your Quarterly Exam will be held on Thursday and Friday! Not Tuesday/Wednesday I need us to finish the presentations and review a bit before the exam. I hope you all appreciate the extension. 

Homework for A-Day Students: 3/21/2014

AP English III

Over the weekend you need to complete the reading of chapters thirteen through fifteen of Invisible Man.  Use the notes and outlines that I gave you today in class to get through these chapters.  Also keep in mind that all of you have your rough drafts due on Monday for a completion check.  You will need to sign up for a conference at the same time.  Be sure that you accomplish these goals to prepare yourself for Tuesday.

Russian I

Your biggest concern this weekend is to prepare and study for your exam next class.  There are several grammar topics which you need to be able to do, they are listed for you here:

• conjugate first and second conjugation verbs
• distinguish between nominative, accusative, and prepositional case and use them appropriately
• selecting the preposition B or HA appropriately
• using adjectives versus adverbs
• moving between singular and plural in the nominative
• translating impersonal statements
• information on our Soviet republics such as:  geographical location, language spoken, relationship with Russia today

Sample questions related to our Soviet republics would be things such as:  What language is spoken in this country?  Where is the country located (use a map)?  Which is the country's flag?

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/20/2014

Honors English II

Tonight and/or over the weekend you need to complete your reading of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" - use the guide that I provided to you in class today and complete all questions or note taking tasks within the assignment.  Remember that you don't have to necessarily write down your answers, but you should be able to discuss all of those points on the guide.

Also, don't forget that Wednesday is your last day this quarter.  Our MGP projects will be due that day and you will present them.  Don't forget about your artist statement which will accompany the three pieces that you create.  Be sure to ask for help and ask questions as you are creating your products.  Further, continue to draft and revise your outline as the fourth quarter will begin with that essay.

ESL English III

I was very proud of all of you and your attitude during class.  Everyone was very serious and determined to do the work and that meant we got a lot done.  Excellent.  If you still need to complete and submit your project, please do that on Monday.  I will not take projects past that day.  Continue your reading.

Homework for A-Day Students: 3/19/2014

AP English III

I hope that today's class session on outlines help you all as you move forward into the drafting element of your work.  Please prepare yourself for the next due date which is March 24 - Monday.  On this day you will be expected to turn in your rough drafts.  Remember that rough drafts are required to be fifty percent complete - my recommendation is that you submit your introduction, at least two consecutive body paragraphs, and your conclusion.  On the 24th you will sign up for your draft conference.  Be sure to come early on the 24th for your choice of conference times.

For Invisible Man, you need to complete the following:  First, make sure to use the outline and guide that I gave you to complete and prepare chapters ten through twelve.  Secondly, be sure that by the 25th that you are to the end of chapter fifteen in Invisible Man.  I'll give you new motif charts on Friday to take you through the rest of the text.

Russian I

Next class you will have your Начало sheets collected as well as the homework on the accusative case.  Be sure that this is all complete.  Also, you will have your presentations on the former Soviet republics.  Please share or email me your presentation in advance of class beginning on Friday/Monday so that we can start the presentations quickly after class begins.

Furthermore, your quarter exam will now fall on the 25 and 26 of March.  Make sure that you are preparing yourself toward that exam.

If this isn't the last snow day I'm going to kvetch

I already freaked out once this morning, especially because we just got the schedule back to normal.  Oh well, I'll grade and readjust; here's what all of you should take care of on your new day off.

All Students:

It's important to realize that the end of the quarter will still be next week.  Many of you due to being sick or absent for another reason, and then with all the missing school for snow days, have missing assignments which must be made up ASAP.  Wednesday will provide a good day to take care of these things before next week when my availability will be limited.

AP English III

Your rough drafts are still going to be due next week and we will begin conferencing.  Outlines were ready for pickup, but not everyone did.  If you have your outline, and even if you don't, you will want to begin drafting and writing.  Remember to continue refining your topics to be more fine and specific and to push the argument deeper.  What is the big reason why this issue is so important?  Why should I as your audience be invested in this topic?  That's what you want to prove to me.

Next class will now be Wednesday; have your reading complete to the end of chapter twelve so that we can begin that analysis work.  I guess you all weren't meant to take the ACT; I still recommend that a lot of you take that exam - just for another data point, I did better on it than the SAT.

ESL English III

Continue reading The Kite Runner and complete your comic strips if you have not already submitted that.  Also, some of you need to finish your Persepolis test.  Make sure to see me this week to take care of those exams.

Honors English II

We will see each other again on Thursday and have our discussion of Chapter II as well as some time to work on the Multi-Genre Project.  Today gives you a chance to finish your first two products as well as your reading of the third genre.  As you read, take notes using the essential questions.  Many of you will see that these essential questions can be used to organize and approach the argument to your essay and structure that argument.

As a benchmark, please have everything that you've completed for your essay outline to class on Thursday.  I will want to see these, especially your argument on change!

Honors and ESL Students - The final day for permission slips is Friday.  Please make sure that you have that turned in!

Russian I

Our next class together will focus on finishing the Accusative case and doing some listening activities to prepare for the exam coming next week.  The date of the exam is now the 25th and 26th.  You will still have the weekend to prepare, but it is coming a bit earlier.  Our presentations will fall on the 21st (A-day) and 24th (B-day).  Use the time today to work on your presentations, build your vocabulary skills, complete the exercises on the prepositional case, and listen to the news about Russia.

Olympiada Team - Please still plan to meet with me this week.  Friday is best because I want to see all of you as a whole group to talk about the weekend and the fact that we're traveling next week.

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/17/2014

Honors English II

Tonight continue reading Kafka's "The Metamorphosis".  As you read, continue to take notes related to your essential questions and continue to note the motifs as they appear in your reading.  You should make it to the end of chapter two tonight.

Once you've finished the reading, respond to the following question using your knowledge of the text and your own personal opinion:

Both Oedipus and Gregor can be viewed as tragic characters because they are the victims of forces beyond their control; which of the two characters would you consider to be more tragic and pitiable?  Oedipus or Gregor?  Why?

Be sure to use references to the text and clear explanation to make your argument clear.  Don't forget that on Wednesday we will have time to work on the Multi-Genre Project and I will want to see what you've done on your outlines, so bring in what you need to bring in to be productive.

ESL English III

Continue moving forward in your reading of The Kite Runner.  If you did not have your comic strip today in class for presentation, be sure to have it next class for a late grade.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students: 3/14/2014

AP English III

Over the weekend you should spend your time preparing for the ACT on Tuesday as well as moving forward in your reading of Invisible Man.  In Invisible Man, you will need to be to the end of chapter twelve by Thursday's class.  Here are some places to pay attention:

• Chapter Ten:  The paint factory is an important setting, notice Lucius Brockway, as well as the conflict between the union and Brockway.  Notice as well the importance of white/black color symbolism especially as it relates to the paint.
• Chapter Eleven:  This is a difficult and confusing chapter.  You're in a hospital and the Invisible Man is going in and out of consciousness so his perspective is hard to follow.  Notice here the importance of the color white, the allusions to The Odyssey, as well as the creation of a new identity.  
• Chapter Twelve:  This chapter is very short.  Pay attention to the character of Mary in this chapter as well as the idea of a new identity at play for the Invisible Man.

Lastly, remember that your outlines will be ready for pick-up on Monday.

Russian I:

Today I outlined for you all of the topics which will be on your quarterly exam which will fall on 3/26 and 3/27.  Please take the time this weekend to study and begin to prepare yourselves.  With the worksheet which I gave you, you cannot complete all of the exercises starred.  Attempt for now to do the work that you can do on adjectives, subject, possessive and demonstrative pronouns.  The best thing for you to do with the exercise packet is to focus on the story.  Practice your reading and comprehension as you will have something very similar on your exam.

On Tuesday you all will be with Mr. Belvin since I'll be administering the ACT.  I'll have something fun for you, don't worry, as well as a chance to review for your exam.  Don't forget that your projects on Soviet states are due on the 20 and 21 of March, so put in some work for those this weekend too.

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/13/2014

Honors English II

Over the weekend you all have a few tasks to accomplish before our next class.  First, you need to complete the reading of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" to the end of chapter one.  As you are reading, be sure to refer to the Essential Questions in your Multi-Genre Assignment pack to help you consider and analyze Kafka's story.  Here are some other things to consider as you are reading:

1. What is the setting of this story?  How could the setting be symbolic?
2. How well does Gregor know himself?  How well can he control himself?
3. How often does language related to prison or confinement appear?  Why this trend in the text?
4. What makes Gregor angry?  Why?
5. Develop each member of the family and his/her characterization.
6. Where is there some humor in the story?  Consider the darkness of this humor as you read.
7. What is the reaction once Gregor finally is seen by the family?
8. How does the tone shift in chapter one?  What causes these shifts?

Furthermore, be sure that you are continuing to outline for your final essay on change, related to the Multi-Genre Project.  Remember that your products and your product reflection are due this nine weeks, the final essay will not be collected until the fourth nine weeks so that we have time to develop some great pieces of writing.

Lastly, don't forget your permission slips and money.  I need those on Monday!

ESL English III

Over the weekend you will want to finish the comic strip to go along with your personal story.  Make sure to follow the rules related to which colors you can or can't use in your art.  Remember to put all of the details of your story into the images that you are creating.  We will present these on Monday as we move forward into our study of The Kite Runner.

Homework for A-Day Students: 3/12/2014

AP English III

There are a lot of things for you all to accomplish over these next few days.  First, you have your research paper outlines due next class.  Remember that the key elements of this assignment are that I see your:

• argument (DADS) thorough and complete
• use of source material with parenthetical citation and bullets/sentences commenting on the source and its use in the argument
• a full MLA works cited page for all source material, indicate non-print sources
• the topics into which you have divided your argument
• any questions for me 

Be sure to submit this tomorrow from 7:00 to 3:00 in your envelope with your original proposal.  Also, you will have reading to the end of chapter ten as well as your group teaching assignment.  The emphasis here is on the teaching assignment, not on chapter ten, if you don't finish, that's okay, but do move toward completion.

Furthermore, next week will be a bit special for us.  We'll only have class on Thursday due to the ACT make-up for the whole school on Tuesday.  To this end, aim to have chapters ten through twelve complete by Thursday, March 20.

Russian I

You have one more group of exercises to complete in order to finish your work and review on the PREPOSITIONAL CASE, after today, as I've said, you basically know all there is to know about the PC except for plurals.  We haven't done any plurals except in the NOMINATIVE CASE.  For tonight, complete the exercises noted in class for another completion check on Friday/Monday.  Also, be aware that you will only have half of next class in the library to work on your Soviet Republic project.  Work effectively with your partner to complete this work.  Presentations will fall on the 20th and 21st.  I look forward to this day.  Our quarter exam will fall on the 25th and 26th.  And we will spend time next week preparing and reviewing for this.

Homework for B-Day Students: 3/11/2014

Russian I:

I hope that all of you enjoyed the festivities today during fourth period. Remember to complete your exercises on the prepositional case for a completion check and review next class. We'll also begin our research project on other former Soviet republics; look forward to that. 

Honors English II:

Today's workday should have been productive for all of you; I saw apt of reading and some drafts of products. Remember to review the instructions sheet thoroughly so you complete all of your assignments, as we reviewed in class there are five distinct parts. 

Spend tonight finishing your products, completing a draft of your product reflection, and begin drafting your outline. 

Next class will be finishing our reading of Oedipus the King and beginning "The Metamorphosis".

ESL English III:

I look forward to reading your reflections on today's class with Ms. T. Tonight you can continue reading The Kite Runner but be sure to spend some time on your comic strips. With last snow day the due date is now Monday. We'll have some time later this week to work on these in class. 

Homework for A-Day Students: 3/10/2014

AP English III

Hopefully we're at the end of winter and we won't be missing any more days due to snow or weather.  With that being said, here are your reminders for tonight and really to take you through the week.

• Next class you will have your assessment on Invisible Man.  Remember that you will have identifications (quotes/objects), a personal response related to a moment of the text which was challenging for you, and then finally an essay on a pattern which you have seen between these various African American authors (Baldwin, Lorde, Hurston, and Ellison).  However, you may choose to draw on another author (MLK, Twain, etc.) to develop this essay question as well.
• On Friday your groups will present on your chapters.  Be sure that your group has a visual aspect to guide the conversation.  Also be sure that you get to the end of chapter ten by Friday's class.  The teaching will be used to launch into the next chapter under consideration.
• Thursday your research outlines are due.  Make sure to follow all of the requirements which I gave you last class.  Turn in your proposal as well as your outline in the envelope on Thursday.  You will have until 3:00 PM and then it will be considered late.  You must turn in a hard copy, electronic copies will only be accepted with prior approval.

Russian I

Today was our Prepositional Case day!  Hooray for the Prepositional Case!  It's important to explain where things happen.  For tonight, you have seven exercises to complete using the prepositional case.  Be sure to use the charts within the pages so that you can develop your knowledge here.  Do the exercises on a separate sheet of paper and be ready for a completion check next class.  We will then review some of the exercises before we move on to our research projects on the former Soviet republics!

Another Snow Day. What the heck...

You're all at home again and I'm at school all lonely.  Here are some things to consider as you have this surprise three-day weekend.

All Students - Our next day at school will be an A-day.

AP English III:  You all should all be able to complete all reading and be caught up moving into Monday's class.  Remember to be to the end of chapter nine and to have all motif charts and annotations updated to this point as well.  In addition, I have met with Ms. Baker and we have adjusted the due dates of the Research Project.  Hopefully this is the last adjustment:

Outline Due:  March 13, 2014

Rough Draft Due:  March 24, 2014

Writing Conferences:  March 24 - April 2, 2014.  Only morning and lunch on 3/27.  

No conferences on 3/28.

Due Date:  April 9, 2014.  

Final Due Date:  April 10, 2014.  (Ten point deduction, lateness)

Be sure that you are moving to complete all of these deadlines.  Several of you have been speaking with me about your arguments.  Continue to ask questions to make this project come together easily for you.

Russian I:  Spend the weekend with your fundamentals.  We'll be beginning a review of cases before going on to our unit exam.  I'm planning that your Third Unit Exam will be held on 3/25 and 3/26.  We'll be reviewing a lot over the next two weeks to prepare!

Honors English II:  You will still have your quiz next class, so be sure that you're getting ready for it.  Also, you will still have your MGP project workshop.  I hope that all of you are reading over this time and taking good notes.  On Tuesday, you will need to work on a project, you should not be reading but being productive.

ESL English III:  This day off gives all of you a chance to be working on your visual projects.  Remember to focus on the characters.  Their faces, their expressions, to indicate how people are feeling and the general tone of the piece.  I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.  Remember our due date of March 17, 2014.  

Also - ESL and Honors Students - Don't forget that I can start accepting money for the Holocaust Memorial Trip on Monday.  Remember to give part or all of the cost to reserve your spot on the bus!

B-Day Student Homework and Reminders - 3/6/2014

Honors English II

On Monday, or whenever I see you next, you will have your quiz on Sophocles, Tacitus and vocabulary.  Remember that this quiz will look at knowledge related to the text as well as knowledge of the vocabulary.  If you have been paying attention in class with Oedipus the King and have taken good notes during our discussion you should do just fine.  Just be aware that this quiz is more than simply vocabulary.

Additionally, we will have our first workday for the Multi-Genre Project next class.  Many of you will want to work on your first product either on your choice genre or on Oedipus the King.  No matter what you will be doing during our workshop, make sure that you have brought what you need to do.

ESL English III

You comic strips which will go along with your personal memoir will be due on Friday, March 14th.  You need to begin to divide your story into frames and translate it from all words to visuals and words.  Make sure to use the instruction sheet to help you as you make this into a visual of what has happened to you in your life.

The A-day That Shouldn't - 3/5/2014

Today we had a class day that we shouldn't have had, but that's okay.  I was still able to make it productive for all of us.  Here are your A-day reminders for tonight:

AP English III

Tonight you have several goals to meet as we move toward the weekend.  First, you need to be to the end of chapter nine in Invisible Man by Friday.  Do not procrastinate in your reading or fall behind, doing so will begin to make things very difficult for you.  On Friday you will be placed in groups which will be tasked with teaching the different chapters.  Take good annotations so that you are prepared for this work.

Furthermore don't forget that you have your research paper outlines due on 3/13; these need to reflect all of your research and development of your argument.  Be sure that your full bibliography is attached.

Lastly, you will have your first assessment on Invisible Man on 3/11 - it will cover the Prologue to the end of Chapter Nine.  Prepare yourselves!

Russian I

Today you took your quiz so you have no required homework tonight.  However, you should spend some time studying your fundamentals of Russian (cases, declensions, and conjugations) as we will spend the next few classes focusing on these elements.

Also, start speaking to your parents now about our trip next summer.  Remember that the earlier your lock in and confirm that you will be coming, the lower your overall price!

Another Snow Day!

I thought this winter was done, and now here we are with another snow day.  Announcements about the ACT for Juniors and other school wide activities will be pending, the ACT will likely need to be rescheduled for the whole state, so it may take some time to get that put together.  Our next day at school will be an A-day.  All students should prepare for that.

Russian I students, you will still have your quiz.  AP English III students - try to make it to the end of chapter nine, we will likely have a regular class next time while the powers that be decide what to do with the ACT.

English II and ESL English III students should prepare for their next day.  Sophomores, you have reading to do - I hope that many of you are taking this time to put in some planning or work on your long-term projects!  Good thing I told you to bring your books home.  English III students, remember that you have a test on Persepolis next class.

Homework for B-Day Students

Honors English II

Today I gave you quite the project.  The multi-genre project will require a lot of time and effort from all of you but it is something that I know you can accomplish.  Follow the guidelines I gave you today in class as well as the timeline.  You've all taken your textbooks home, so you can begin to prepare and make selections now for what you will be studying in this project.

Tonight for homework, you need to continue reading Oedipus the King.  Read "Part Ten" which will take us to the blinding of Oedipus.  Stop there and complete your notes, including the how/why portion of these notes.  In addition, don't forget that you have a quiz on Friday which will cover Tacitus, Sophocles, and vocabulary.  Make sure that you're preparing!

ESL English III

Next class you will have your final exam on Persepolis.  Use this time to organize your notes and prepare.  Remember that we will take A lunch on the day of our test.

Work for the Weekend - All Classes - 2/27 and 2/28/2014

Honors English II

This weekend ladies and gentlemen you should prepare for your quiz on vocabulary and Oedipus the King which has been set for you as Friday, March 7th.  Remember not only to study your vocabulary words but also how these words can be used to discuss characters and situations within the play.

Next class I will also outline our major project this quarter which will focus on Oedipus as well as two texts we have yet to encounter.

ESL English III

You all will have your final test on Persepolis next week.  Make sure that you are studying and preparing, especially using your notes and question packets.  Next class we will spend some time working on our final projects as the due date for those is coming very soon.

AP English III

I will not be seeing you all as a real working class until Thursday due to the fact that we will have the ACT on Tuesday.  For Tuesday, make sure that you are rested and ready.  Review needed notes and use the Internet resources to prepare for the ACT day.  For class, make sure that you follow the instructions in the post below to outline your reading over the next few days.

Remember finally that your assessment on the Prologue to Chapter Nine will occur on March 10, 2014.  I will outline this assessment to you on Thursday and give you the weekend to prepare.

Russian I

Next class you will have a quiz on the new grammar topics.  Use the review packet as necessary and build off of what we were able to complete in class.  Remember to submit only the exercises for extra credit if you so choose.  Be ready for your quiz on Tuesday/Wednesday!

A-Day Homework and Reminders - 2/26/2014

Sorry for not getting this up sooner.  It was a bit of a hectic afternoon to start my Wacky Wednesday.  Here are your reminders.

AP English III

I'm very pleased with how well we seem to be starting on our study of Invisible Man.  I only hope that we can continue this same level of discussion and analysis as we continue through the text.  Continue to bring your top performance; I'm seeing a lot of new things this year and I think that's because of all of you.  Continue with your reading schedule - remember that with the ACT on Tuesday we will not be discussing the chapters until Thursday when we will be looking all the way to chapter nine.  Prepare yourself accordingly.  Here's my suggestion:

Read chapter five on its own.  This chapter will challenge you because of the different voice - that of a reverend.  Pay attention closely to his story of the Founder.  Use your motif charts heavily here.

Chapters six and seven pair well together, as do eight and nine.  I would try to read the two closely together or perhaps in one sitting.  My pacing would be to read chapter five by this Friday, six and seven over the weekend, and then eight and nine by Thursday.  This give you time as well to continue to move ahead in the schedule because chapter ten is tough.

As well, continue to research.  I would hope that on Friday some of you stay after to check your argument and division into topics.  That work should be settled in order to begin your research.  If it is not settled soon, then you are falling behind.

Russian I

The date of your next quiz has been set.  This will fall on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  Today in class we spent our time going over the topics which will be covered on the quiz.  I will be giving you all an exercise packet on Friday/Monday which will help you to prepare.  For tonight, your priority is your speaking assignment.  On Friday/Monday, all members of the class will present.  If your partner is absent, I will be your partner.  I will use the five point rubric to grade this assignment, but it will be a bit more expanded and precise since we've got a lot more preparation time.

If you need me, please come and see me tomorrow or Friday to ask for that help.

All of you got progress reports - if you need to, see me.  You know what you need to do, just let me know that it's happening.

B-Day Homework - 2/25/2014

Honors English II

Thank you to all of you for being flexible with the change in instructor.  I hope that you all enjoyed your time with Ms. Baker.  Tonight, I would like for you to devote yourself to studying our content so far on Oedipus the King as well as your vocabulary.  The date of your vocabulary quiz is still next week, so prepare yourself accordingly.  The quiz will likely rely more on the content of the play to answer questions, so a clear knowledge of the play will be important in being successful on this quiz.

This also provides you a chance to submit any late work for a possibly of make-up credit.  Remember that progress reports will be given to you next class.

Additionally, next class we will continue to review those discussion questions you ended with today in order to develop more depth in our approach to the questions.  Be prepared for that.

ESL English III

Today you received your drafts of your writing with thorough feedback from me and Ms. Gillen.  If you need to resubmit your work for a new grade, please do that.  If you are ready to move on to creating your comic strip, then please do that.  Next class we will begin finishing up with our work on Persepolis in the small groups.  You will be presenting your question next class, so if you need to do work at home in order to be able to do that - please do that work on your own.

Homework for A Day Students - 2/24/2014

AP English III

Tonight ladies and gentlemen you need to spend some serious time working on your arguments and your topics for your research paper.  Remember that by the end of this week you will need to have your argument finalized as well as your topics.  You will need to start researching and pulling out the pieces of information which you will use to prove your argument as valid.

With Invisible Man make sure that you have read to the end of chapter four and that you have completed your annotations and motif charts.  Remember that each chapter will be its own row on the motif chart, even if they are combined in our reading.  Prepare questions and ask to your hearts' content!

Russian I

Tonight you will be working on the concept that has been quite confusing for me - the difference between ТОЖЕ/ТАКЖЕ.  Complete exercise nine by combining the sentences using either word.  Remember that in some cases these words can be used interchangeably, but not often.  Use your notes as well as the example sentences to help you with this.

Also be reminded that you have a dialogue activity as well to test your speaking proficiency.  We will have time next class to continue working in groups.

Additionally, next class we will begin reviewing this unit and all of the new grammar.  You will have a quiz on 3/4 and 3/5 on the most recent topics (adverbs, conjunctions, negation, also) and then you will have a unit test on the whole unit after that, prepare yourself accordingly!

Homework for the Weekend - All Classes - 2/20 and 2/21

Apologies all for not getting this posted last night.  Here are your reminders to prepare for the last week of February.

AP English III

At this point you should be working on the development of your argument and topic for your research papers.  Once you have discovered what you are trying to prove, make sure to see me to check it for thoroughness.  Remember, as I've said in class, a few minutes spent with me now can save you a lot of time down the road.  You should also be completing your research as we will not be spending any class time in the library.

In Invisible Man you need to be working toward the next reading goal.  This portion of the text is relatively short, so do try to get through more than is required of you.

Lastly, don't forget that on Tuesday the 25th, all Juniors will report to their ACT testing rooms for Pre-Administration during 2nd period.

Russian I

Over the weekend you have several dialogues to read in Russian to review and study the use of conjunctions in Russian.  Something that I would suggest is that you mark any words which are difficult for you to say so that you can ask about them.  When you have read all of the dialogues, complete the three exercises at the end.

First, complete your analysis of the use of conjunctions in the dialogues.  Focus especially on the conjunction A and understand why it is being used.

Second, complete the fill in the blanks activity and then, attempt the translation.  We will review all of these on Monday/Tuesday to begin our wrap up of grammar in this unit.

Lastly, remember that progress reports are going out on Wednesday/Thursday:  Any missing quizzes or assignments must be done by that point.  Please ask if you need to.

Honors English II

With the AP Pre Test today I did not get to check your notes on section eight of Oedipus the King, make sure that you have completed these notes and that they are thorough before we meet again on Tuesday.  Also for Tuesday you will need to complete your vocabulary cards from our new set of words.  Remember the following for your cards:

Front of Card:  word, part of speech, word origin with explanation, sentence with word from play, citation of quote.

Back of Card:  two synonyms, explanation of difference between synonym and word.  one antonym

ESL English III

You should begin to plan for the next part of our assignment which is turning your story into a graphic novel.  Consider your drawings and how you will use light and dark colors to show emotion in your comic strip.

Homework for B-Day Students: 2/19/2014

Honors English II

Back into the swing of things today.  I hope that today's reading of Oedipus was fun for all of you in seeing how close they are to realizing everything.  For tonight, you've got a few things to work on to prepare for our next classes.

1. Read the next section of Oedipus - use the online text to read the next conversation between the strophe and the antistrophe after everyone goes inside.  Stop at the end of that conversation and then complete your notes.  Attempt to the the WHY/HOW notes and we will review them next class.
2. Your vocabulary cards for three words in the next section will be due on 2/25.  Prepare for those.
3. You will have your AP-Pre Test next class.  There's nothing you can really do to prepare for this as it's a raw test of your skills, but you should know that it is coming and your essay will count as a grade.

ESL English III

Next class we will be in the computer lab typing up the final drafts of our memoirs.  Please have your edited version with you so that you can complete this work.

Homework for AP English III and Russian I - A Day - 2/18/2014

It was so good to see all of you today - it felt like forever.  Here are your notes for tonight:

AP English III

Tonight you have two clear goals related to two very different assignments.  First, complete reading chapter two.  Use the notes I provided you in class today as your anchor as you either finish, or review the chapter to prepare for our seminar next class.  I expect to see full participation and thorough annotations as we work through this important chapter next class.

Additionally, you have received your proposals with my feedback.  Here are your steps moving forward:

1. Review your feedback and create your argument.  Remember to make sure it meets the DADS test.  Come to see me when you think you have it so that we can push it further.
2. Once your argument is complete begin to research using SIRS, CQ Researcher, Online, Print, and other sources as you see fit.  Cite everything.
3. Construct your outline.  Lessons on this to follow as we draw nearer to the due date.

Remember that due to the snow days we have shifted everything back by two classes.  Make sure that you have the new due dates.

Russian I

Tonight for homework you need to complete your reflection on your warm-up sheets as well as the writing of exercise six.

Next class I will collect completed warm-up sheets and this homework assignment for a grade.  Also, as I said today in class, you can continue to see me to submit missing work or to retake quizzes for new grades.  Progress reports go out next Wednesday and Thursday, so everything needs to be made-up and settled by that point.

Homework for B-Day Students - 2/17/2014

Honors English II:

Unfortunately I was not able to find the same excerpt of Tacitus as we have in our textbooks so you will have to take the books home to read the excerpt for tonight.  You will read "The Burning of Rome" from the Annals by Tacitus.  Make sure to read the biographical information as well as the story itself.  As you read, pay attention to the following ideas; I would take notes related to these topics to prepare for our discussion:

1. Where is Tacitus' bias in the piece?  How do you see it shown?  Are there any trends in his bias?
2. How is this piece about leadership?  What qualities make a good leader according to Tacitus?
3. How is this piece about a reversal of fortune?  Consider Rome and how its fortune changes in the piece as well as other characters or groups.

In addition, you should begin to prepare your vocabulary work.  Our next section of words are numbers twenty-one to thirty-six; prepare accordingly.

ESL English III:

After today's writing workshop you will need to take the feedback given to you by either me or Ms. Gillen and begin to revise.  You will want to have your revisions done by Friday because we will be going to the computer lab during that day to type our drafts for submission.

All These Snow Days!

Just a few quick words before I go back to digging my car out from the snowplows.  Our next day in school will be a B-day.  B-day students will have due what was mentioned in your previous post.  Given the weekend I expect that you will all have what is required of you and that it will reflect your best work.

AP English III students - I would seriously use this time to get ahead on Invisible Man.  I will be giving you new dates for the reading schedule, but we may have to speed up in a few areas.

Enjoy the weekend!

Homework for A-Day Students: 2/12/2014 - Winter Storm Watch!

Here we go sensationalizing our blog posts just like the weather reports do...

AP English III

Who knows when the next time I will see you all, no matter the date, be sure that the following is ready for me.  First, you will have a timed analysis at our next class.  Remember to review all of your notes on presenting a proper analysis and your goal in doing this type of writing.  The key thing is to explain clearly what techniques the author uses and how these techniques help him/her to accomplish his/her argument.  Secondly, you will have your research proposals due next class.  Be sure that you have thoroughly answered all parts of the assignment, especially focusing on the questions about your position and why it is important.

Lastly, be aware that not next class, but the following you will be expected to have read all of chapter two.  This is a difficult part of the text which will spark a lot of conversation.  Read carefully and be prepared to ask questions!

Russian I

Due to the shortened class there is no official homework tonight, but you should always be practicing.  Today we reviewed verb conjugations for all verb types as well as the formation of adverbs.  I would suggest doing some writing in Russian to practice with these and other concepts.  Write about your house, your family, your dog, or something like that.  Use vocabulary you know and make sentences.

This provides you a chance to earn some extra credit.  Students who complete this practice writing and submit it for correction will be eligible to earn two bonus points on our most recent homework check.  This bonus is available to all students, even if you missed the chance to turn in the assignment.

Homework for B-Day Students

Honors English II

Answer the following question in a one page response.  If you type - make sure that your writing is double spaced, if you hand-write, be sure that it is one-page front and back.  This is a mini-essay.  Make sure that you have a clear thesis/argument statement, that you are using the text and explaining its meaning, and finally that you give a brief conclusion which reviews your findings.

Here is your question:  In what ways is Oedipus a good king?  In what ways is he a good person?  How are these two qualities different?  How do these virtues relate to result in a negative consequence for Oedipus?  How do these qualities relate to the city of Thebes?

ESL English III

For homework tonight I would like for you to complete the first draft of your memoir assignment.  Move forward from our work in today's writing workshop and tell me the story of a moment in your life.  Be sure that you are using details, imagery, and figurative language to make your emotions and experience clear to me.

Homework for A-Day Students: 2/10/2014

AP English III

Today in class we began what will be our major project for this quarter - the argumentative research project.  Your first check-in for this assignment is due on Friday the 14th.  Make sure to meet all the goals of the assignment and be thorough in your approach to all questions.

Be sure to use the Durham County Library online resources for this assignment.  Remember that they are connected to only borrowers - so if you don't have a Durham library card be sure to get my number so that you can use mine.

For the week remember to meet the goals of your reading schedule.  You have to make it through chapter two by next Tuesday.  Also, for tonight I would recommend rereading the key scenes of the grandfather's curse, the battle royal, and the circus dream; we'll discuss these at length next class.  Also remember that we will have a timed writing on Friday - it will be an analysis - prepare accordingly.

Russian I

Since you had a quiz today there is no homework for you all tonight.  However, I would recommend that you practice your verbs and conjugation patterns as these will be our focus for the next part of the unit.

Homework for All Classes - Weekend - 2/6 and 2/7

I'm going to go ahead and post announcements and reminders for all of you since I'm going to be out of the building tomorrow.  Be sure that you're prepared for Monday/Tuesday and that you have everything taken care of in advance of next week.

AP English III

I'm so impressed by how much you've latched in to Invisible Man.  Over the weekend, make sure that you read chapter one thoroughly.  Annotate heavily and add to your covers.  Make sure as well that you will check in on your motif charts.  We can review that next week.

Also, you will have a timed writing on rhetorical analysis on 2/14.  Be sure that you are preparing yourself for this assessment.  It will be your first major test of the quarter.

Russian I

Your quiz will fall on Monday/Tuesday and will cover new verbs and singular/plural transformations.  Be sure that you complete the homework and check it as I will be grading it for accuracy on Monday/Tuesday.  Additionally, make sure that you are continuing to work on your vocabulary!  Learn those words!

Honors English II

You have your vocabulary quiz on Tuesday.  Be ready!  Study hard and know your words!

ESL English III

You should spend some time this weekend working on your memoir assignments.  We will start drafting these assignments next week, so be sure that you are prepared for this and that you can put your ideas on paper clearly!

Homework for B-Day Students: 2/5/2014

Honors English II

Remember students that I will not be here on Friday so you will not need to worry about much in this post until next week.  The first priority that you have is to complete the studying for your vocabulary quiz on Tuesday.  The quiz will have definition matching, fill in the blanks, and character explanation using the vocabulary words.  Be sure to know the full meaning of the words to prepare.

I made reference to an analysis assignment as well in class, but I don't want you to worry about this until I can go over the assignment thoroughly.  You may want to just make note of important lines by either Oedipus or Tiresias, but I would prefer to wait on this assignment so that you will have the chance to possibly analyze other characters.

ESL English III

After today's translation activity you should now begin to move on to the planning of your memoir.  Begin to develop your imagery in the assignment so that your words will be more than just words on a page.  Think about creating excellent sight, smell, and sound imagery so that I can be in the moment which you are describing for me.

Homework for A-Day Students: 2/4/2014

AP English III

Next class we will begin our reading of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  Like we do with every book we study as a class we will be reading the Prologue together as a group in class to set a foundation for you all to move forward into the text.  Make sure that you have your copy next class.  If you are using a copy which I will provide for you, be sure to bring post-it notes with you.

For tonight, I would like you to read Audre Lorde's "Fourth of July".  Pay particular attention to questions one and four as the use of diction and irony are especially important in this piece.  Further, you will want to consider how Lorde, Hurston, and Baldwin have given you an idea of different types of African American identity.  Are there common trends that you see between these voices?  What about the differences?

Enjoy the reading!

Russian I

Tonight you need to complete your work on exercise four which is on the reverse of our review sheet in class.  I made an error last time because you didn't know the verb conjugations which are used in the sentences.  Now that you know them, you can accurately do this work.  Remember that you are selecting ten sentences and making all necessary changes from singular to plural.  Pay attention to your verbs!

This will provide you a last good practice for our quiz which will occur on Monday (A-day) and Tuesday (B-day).  This quiz will focus on singular versus plural in the nominative case, irregular plurals, adjectives, verbs, and possessive pronouns.  Be ready!

Homework for B-Day Students - 2/3/2014

Back to the grind.  Since we missed last week due to snow we'll have quite a long stretch ahead of us to Spring Break.  Off we go!

Honors English II

Tonight you need to complete reading Part V which consists of the conversation between the Strophe and Antistrophe after Tiresias's departure.  As you read this section of the play complete your basic Who, What, Where, When notes.  Further, after you complete these notes I want you to begin your Why/How notes by characterizing these voices.  We've done this a bit in considering their tones, but also consider facial expressions, body language, tone, and general characterization.

Next class we will review Parts IV and V before moving on to some more vocabulary review.  Don't forget that I'll be absent on Friday and that your quiz will fall next Tuesday.

Homework for A-Day Students - 1/31/2014

It certainly was good to see all of you again today at school.  Here are your assignments for the weekend.  B-day Students - Be advised that your assignments which would have been due this week are now due on Monday as that is our next B-day.  Honors English II, ESL English III, and Russian I all have assignments due.

AP English III

Over the weekend you need to complete reading Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son", bring Invisible Man next class and also complete your reflection to this prompt.  Remember for the prompt that you must type one page, double spaced, with one inch margins.  I would like for everyone to use Times, 10 point font.  Do not go over a page.  Do not use a header.  Do not use a title.  Simply answer the prompt.  I would recommend at least two drafts of this.

Prompt:  When President Obama was elected in 2008, many commentators and thinkers posited that America was entering a post-racial society.  Do you agree with this idea?  Why or why not?  What evidence from our reading or your own experience strengthens your position?

In order to properly address this prompt you must first define the idea of "a post-racial society" and then evaluate the idea.  Use literature and texts deliberately and specifically to show your ideas and clarify them.

Russian I

This weekend I want you to complete your work on our review sheet with singular versus plural.  Complete ten of the sentences from exercise fifteen.  Change the singular to plural in the sentence and then translate the sentence.  Remember to change all singular words to plural including adjectives, demonstrative and possessive pronouns, as well as nouns.  Be on the look out for irregular plurals and spelling rules!

Snow Day - 1/29/2014

The roads are frozen and we're all at home.  If you go out today I'd recommend that you only go out on foot, but if you drive remember that doing everything slowly is the way to go in the snow.

Our next day back at school will be an A Day.  Plan accordingly and be sure to have all of your A Day assignments ready.

Homework for B-Day Students - 1/28/2014

Honors English II

Tonight for homework you need to work on completing your cards/slides for our vocabulary review.  Remember that if you are completing PowerPoint slides instead of index cards then you will need to share that with me via Google Drive or you should e-mail me the slides in advance.  Please plan accordingly.

For tonight's homework, I'd like for you to consider some of our reading and discussion questions on Oedipus the King.  In particular I'd like for you to think about the following:

• In what significant ways does the chorus contribute to the play?  Give specific instances of where the chorus serves important functions.

• How does Sophocles manipulate the fact that the audience already knows the ending of this myth? Analyze the importance of dramatic, verbal, and situational irony throughout the play and how it enables Sophocles to convey an argument to his audience.

ESL English III

Tonight you all should work on your individual memoirs.  Once you have selected your significant moment, start to write.  Remember to rely on the five senses as you are doing your writing to make the moment come alive for me as your reader.  Remember to focus on your specific moment and show me the details of that event.

Homework for A-Day Students - 1/27/2014

AP English III

Tonight I'd like for you to continue our reading of significant African-American writers by studying James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" - this piece can be found in 50 Essays as well as at this link.  For the reading, you only need to complete parts one and two of the article.  We can save part three for Friday's class; if you'd like to go ahead and read it, please do.

As you read, pay particular attention to the extremely different tone that Baldwin takes in his essay in contrast to Hurston.  Try to find the reasons for the difference in tone from his experiences.  Also, continue to notice trends in the subject matter and rhetorical strategies employed by these authors.

Lastly, don't forget to look up the novel Native Son so that you can understand Baldwin's use of literary allusion to frame his narrative.

Russian I

For tonight I want you to continue your work on the reading assignment to develop your skills at using the plural.  In the story I want you to mark all plural nouns, adjectives, pronouns, possessive pronouns, and demonstrative pronouns.  At the end of the story you should then transform these from their plural version back to their singular.  If you can work in reverse, this will show me that you really understand this concept.  Remember as you do this work, do not just mark a word as plural just based on the ending.  Read carefully and remember that the genitive and prepositional case also use these endings.  Think about context and work on your translation skills as you do this work.

Homework for B-Day Students - 1/24/2014

Students - Here are your assignments for the weekend.  Make sure that you're working hard to advance and prepare for next week.

Honors English II

Over the weekend ladies and gentlemen you should complete your vocabulary cards and notes as well as continue to study your first twenty words.  Your cards and slides are due to me on Thursday - we will present these cards and words on Thursday as a way to review the words before your vocabulary test on February 3rd.  Please begin to study and prepare for this examination.

To study I would recommend that you look up each word and find synonyms for each one.  Find a synonym which you know and then pair that word with the vocabulary word.  Use your vocabulary in your everyday speaking so that you can internalize these words more effectively.

Homework for A-Day Students - 1/23/2014

Students,

Here are your assignments to take you through the weekend.  Please make sure to pay attention to the details.

AP English III

I hope that you all enjoyed our musical analysis and poetry work today.  I think that these pieces do a very good job of setting the context for the Harlem Renaissance as well as helping all of you to understand some very important elements of our upcoming novel.  For the weekend I want you to read "How It Feels To Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston.  This piece is available in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read, keep attention to your key motifs of identity, gender, and race.  Also, pay attention to the use of diction that Hurston employs.  There's a lot of coded language in the piece which I hope that you will be able to uncover in your reading.

Read and annotate heavily.  Also, you should get started on Invisible Man so that you aren't thrown off when I give you the reading schedule.

Russian I

Now I can officially welcome all of you to the second semester.  Today in class we went over the basic system of making plurals in the nominative case as well as some exceptions to the basic system.  This weekend for homework you will complete additional practice to fully learn this system.

You need to complete on a separate sheet of paper the following:

• EITHER exercise 76 OR 79
• EITHER exercise 77 or 78
• EVERYONE completes exercise 80.

Exercise 1 on the opposite side is available for extra practice.  Exercise 2A is meant for you to work with reading and translation.  You do not need to complete these exercises for grading.

Next class I will collect your НАЧАЛО sheets and your homework for this weekend.  I will be checking the homework for accuracy!  If you are missing a НАЧАЛО due to absence be sure to make that note on your paper.  Here is the list of what I'll be checking on the НАЧАЛО sheets:

• 12/16 (A day) or 12/17 (B day) - The Real Russia:  Grocery Store.
• 12/18 or 12/19 - Cultural Information on Russian New Year and Christmas.
• 12/20 or 1/6 - Dehydrated Sentences
• 1/13 or 1/14 - Topics to Review for Studying
• 1/23 or 1/24 - Dictation of New Vocabulary

I hope that this gives everyone the information they need to get caught up.  Remember that I am available outside of class for additional assistance.

Homework for Honors English II - 1/22/2014

I'm glad that we all got a chance to get a bit of extra sleep today.  Given that I and the swim team are about to have a very late night, the extra sleep will sure come in handy.  Here are your reminders for tonight.

Honors English II

For tonight you need to start on your THREE vocabulary slides/cards which you will be studying in this first round.  Remember that you can pick from words one through twenty from the list, but be sure that you've encountered the word in the text since you have to write out the sentence.  Remember that for this assignment you will need to use either PowerPoint or index cards - either is fine for me.  Have all of the required information and ask if you need help, especially with the word origin information.

Next class we'll get caught up with Oedipus and hopefully move on to the third portion.

End of Sunday Workday!

And with that everything I brought home is graded.  If you have a comment on your grade or are missing an assignment I expected to have that assignment by 8:00 am on Tuesday or else I will have to give you a missing assignment score.

I'm off to enjoy the remainder of the long weekend.  Russian I students - Don't forget about your vocabulary study system.

End of a Saturday Workday

Just a quick post to let all of you know that grades are finalized in most classes except AP English III 2A.  I should have 2A's Huck Finn exams graded by the end of the day tomorrow.

Missing Assignments - Exams

Several students in my classes have missed exams due to being absent in class on either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  If you have missed an exam I have attempted to contact you and tried to also leave notes in PowerSchool.  Final administration of exams will be on Tuesday morning at 8:00 am.  My goal is to submit all grades by 11:00 am.  Please contact me this weekend via e-mail or come in for the make-up administration.

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students

I believe that I posted this yesterday, but just to make sure that we're all clear.

AP English III

This weekend you need to make sure to acquire your copy of Invisible Man - remember that I prefer you get the red and white cover or the green cover so that we will have matching page numbers.  We won't start our reading of this book for a week or so, but I do recommend that you start reading it now to get ahead.  This book will challenge you due to its post-modern style and type of narration.  It's not like Huck Finn where you have the language issues of understanding, it's just confusingly written.  Struggle and get through it and remember, Ellison is confusing you on purpose.  Think about why he would confuse you and how this perhaps relates to the experiences of the narrator and Black society as a whole.

Russian I

Over the weekend you should study your new vocabulary as well as the adjectives from chapter two.  Focus this weekend on your verbs, nouns, and adjectives.  We'll be working with those next week.  Be sure that you come in to class on Wednesday/Thursday with your study aid of choice for vocabulary.

Announcements and Reminders for All Classes - 1/16/2014

Sorry for not posting anything yesterday, it slipped my mind in my hurry to get to the gym.

AP English III

You all have your final exam on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Study hard and be prepared.  Remember to bring in your copy of the novel for your final annotation check.  Also, if you have not yet purchased a copy of Invisible Man I would recommend that you do this soon as we will be starting the novel next week.

Russian I

I've at this point graded all completed A-day exams and posted those grades.  I'm pretty pleased with what I see, there were some issues in the final section of the multiple choice, but that's to be expected since that information was pretty new.  Keep studying and reviewing!  Especially your cases and verb conjugation rules.  Next class (Friday/Wednesday) we will review our new vocabulary for this unit and then watch more of Doctor Zhivago - hopefully we will finish it.

Honors English II

Your homework is the same as the previous post.  Please make sure that you bring back your copy of Persepolis on Wednesday as I will be collecting them then.

ESL English III

You all have no homework for the long weekend.  Continue your individual reading.

Homework for B-Day Students - 1/14/2014

Honors English II

This assignment will not be collected until Wednesday 1/22/2014 which will be our first day of the third grading period.  Keep that in mind as you prepare the assignments below.  First, here is a link to an online version of Oedipus the King.  For those of you who don't want to drag your textbooks back and forth, this may be a good option for you.  Remember that the parts as I've broken them down will not be marked in this or in any copy of the play, so pay attention to the details in the instructions.

For homework you need to read the discussion of the Chorus.  In the online and regular text you will read the Strophe and Antistrophe until Oedipus reenters the scene.  This is part two.  Once you complete your reading of the part there are the following tasks:

1. Complete your WHO, WHERE, WHEN, and WHAT notes.  Do these in the same manner we did in class.
2. Work on your vocabulary.  Look for words.
3. Select one portion of the text.  Focus on one set of lines by the Strophe or Antistrophe and present a tone analysis of these lines.  In the analysis you will want to tell me what is the tone that the speaker has and how is the tone created.  Be sure to look carefully at the language and explain any particular word choice, imagery, or figurative language which creates the tone.  You should complete this assignment in a well written paragraph which draws heavily on the text to make your points clear.

I will check your notes for completion and collect your analysis for a grade.  Make sure that you do all parts.

ESL English III

Your goal for tonight is to reach the end of page thirty-two in your texts, the end of the chapter called "Persepolis."  Make sure that you stay focused on the main characters and what you're learning about them as they are really the most important part of the story.

Homework for A-Day and Russian I Students - 1/13/2014

AP English III

Tonight your key priority is to complete your websites and go through and edit the work of your peers so that you have your best possible product on Wednesday for presentation.  I went over the rubric and areas to be graded today in class.  Be sure to ask a group mate for this information.  I look forward to your presentations next class.  If we have time remaining after the presentations then we will move on to discussing a few smaller areas of "Where Are You Going?  Where Have You Been?" so make sure that you have the text with you next class too.

Lastly, you will need to purchase Invisible Man for next week.  We won't start reading it for a few more classes but I recommend that you purchase it now and start getting in to it.

Finally, don't forget that you have your exam on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on Friday's class.  Be prepared for that!

Russian I

Next class you will have your semester exam.  You should use your review packets as well as your study guides to prepare.

Homework for the Weekend - Honors English II

Honors English II

This weekend students you need to complete the final drafts of your essay and collect all of your supporting documents in your envelopes.  Here is a review of what you need to turn in to me on Tuesday:

1. Your final draft with the essay rubric stapled to the back.
2. Your rough draft with peer editing feedback.
3. Your original argument with my feedback.
4. You may also submit any additional drafts and notes or preparation work (outline) that you've done with this to show me your development and writing process.

Your essay will be scored using the rubric I gave you - you should use this to revise and check your writing.  The essay with the supporting material will count as a 150 point test grade.  Be sure that you do not miss this important end of quarter assessment.

AP English III - Weekend Addition

AP English III

The votes have been counted and we will be studying Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison next.  I'm super excited.  We won't start reading the novel for some time, but I would recommend that you acquire a copy as soon as possible so that you can begin to read it.  It's a dense text and it will take you some time to get used to the style and language.  Doing that work now will pay off down the road.

Also, I wanted to post some questions on the story that you are reading this weekend.  Use these to get into the text and unlock the meaning.

1.  Analyze the story's symbols.  Consider name symbolism.

2.  What are the numbers?  How could they be important on a symbolic level?

3.  Document the significance of the settings.

4.  What do you make of the references to music?  Do you see any allusions other than the dedication to Bob Dylan?

Dig deep with this story - it's fun.  Enjoy it!

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 1/9/2014

AP English III

Over the weekend you have a few things to complete for me.  First, you have to put in a lot of work on your websites.  The reading load has been light for the last few classes so that you can devote a lot of time to these projects.  If you need me to look at anything in particular, please ask.  Secondly, you need to read a short story by Joyce Carol Oates called "Where Are You Going?  Where Have You Been?"  It's available at this link or you can pick one up from me before you leave for the weekend.  We will spend a lot of time on this story in class on Monday, annotate it heavily to find its deeper meanings.

Don't forget as well that we will have our The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exam on Friday, and our website presentations on Wednesday.  Two major assessments next week.  Be prepared!

Russian I

Over the weekend your first priority is to finish your projects and have them perfect for turn in on Monday/Tuesday.  Make sure that you are not using translators, as if I see evidence of a translator in your work you will not receive a good grade.  In addition, you would be advised to begin studying for our semester exam which will be on Wednesday/Thursday.  Study all of your content from this semester, all the way back to the alphabet and the most recent grammar topics.  Help sessions will be available on Friday as well as on Tuesday.

Homework for B-Day Students - 1/8/2014

Honors English II

Today in class we completed the revision of our drafts as well as some additional instruction on writing introductions and completing citations.  On Friday we will finish reviewing information you will need for this assignment including how to structure your conclusions and how to transition effectively between paragraphs.  For tonight's homework you should complete your essay drafts and begin collecting all of your supporting documents for your envelope.  You also have the final rubric which I will use to grade your papers.  Use that to help you do your revisions.  Remember that your final drafts and all supporting documents are due on January 14, 2014.

On January 16th we will have our District Cumulative Assessment.  All you will need in class that day is a pencil to complete your test.

Homework and Reminders - 1/7/2014 - A Day

AP English III

Students, at this point you should be finished with your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, if you have not finished it then you will need to definitely finish before our exam next week as there will be several questions on this final portion of the novel.  Your main priority right now is your website.  Website presentations will occur on the 15th; we will go over the presentations next class so that you can prepare.  Be sure that you are completing all portions of the site and working with your group mates to review and revise your final product.

After today, we have gone over the synthesis portion of the assignment.  You should now be able to complete this portion and move forward to finishing the website.

Lastly, remember that you have a choice between what we are going to do next.  Your options are Invisible Man or The Crucible - it doesn't matter to me which you choose, but you should do a bit of research so that you can make an informed decision.  My suggestion is that we do Invisible Man next, but I'll leave that up to you.

Russian I

Due to the fact that so many of you have done a lot of work on your projects, I am rewarding that by giving you the rest of the week to finish your writing projects.  Your final draft is due on Monday/Tuesday.  This is a final due date - you may submit your work early, but the final date is fixed.  Please remember that if you are completing the assignment online then you will want to use Google Docs and share with my mrmillerjhs @ gmail.com e-mail address.  You can also submit this assignment on paper or poster.

For homework tonight you will need to complete your work on exercise ten, reviewing adjectives and demonstrative pronouns and case endings.  Remember that you cannot do the possessive pronouns in these sentences yet - those are going to be covered next class.  Make sure that you work on your adjectives, demonstrative pronouns, and nouns due to the fact that I will be checking this for completion next class.

Homework for B-Day Students: 1/6/2014

Welcome Back Everyone!  It's a new year!

Here are your reminders to prepare for Wednesday's class.

Russian I:

Be reminded that your extra credit assignments are due next class.  Have all parts completed in order to receive full credit.  Also, you have your written projects due on Thursday and Friday of this week.  I'm available on Tuesday and Thursday to help with projects.

Honors English II:

Next class we will be having a workshop on our essay drafts.  Be reminded that you must have forty percent of your draft completed to get full credit for this assignment.  Based on the feedback I got from you in class today I will go over several topics on Wednesday related to finishing out your papers.  Final drafts will be due next week so that you have the weekend to make any changes.

I hope that all of you enjoyed watching Persepolis today.  Remember that you can respond to one of these questions in order to earn two bonus points on your last quiz.  Here are the questions:

1.  How does the addition of voices change your understanding of the characters in the story?

2.  What did you like about the film adaptation of Persepolis?  Why?

3.  Are you surprised about what happens in the second part of Marji's life, after she leaves Iran?  Why or why not?

4.  Does the second half of the story, following Marji's life in Europe, still accomplish her purpose of telling both her story and Iran's?  Why or why not?

Please respond in a comment to this thread; be sure that you identify the question to which you are responding.  Be sure that you answer in a complete paragraph which fully answers the question asked of you.