Final Day of Class

I hope that you all enjoyed taking a shot at teaching in class. Tonight, you have no homework! You need to begin studying for your EOC - I will repost the list of things to review tomorrow. Also, we will have a review session tomorrow, after school, in my room. We'll begin at 2:45 and I'll leave when the last person leaves. Come with any questions that you may have.

Finally, I've noticed that a lot of people are still missing their textbooks. Return these to me by your exam. Also, if you didn't turn in your novel today, you need to do that ASAP or you will be charged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXyo68s-f1E -- The opening to Great Expectations...check it out!

Homework for the Weekend

This weekend should begin the wrapping up of the course. You will need to prepare for your cross textual group presentation. The presentations will be on Wednesday/Thursday. If your group has not yet given me your handout, you will need to give this to me as soon as possible so that I can make copies.

Also, you should begin using this time for studying. The EOC is coming soon and you will need to be sure that you've spent time reviewing your literary terms and grammar to help you get ready.

I will be having a review session on Thursday, after school, to prepare you for the exam.

Homework for 5/20 and 5/21

Your homework for tonight is to finish your novel! Also, I will collect your character charts. I will not accept these late. You must turn in whatever you have by Friday/Tuesday. Lastly, Honors students will have their Oral Exam on Friday/Tuesday. Be ready!

Finally, you will have your last meeting of your CTG group on Friday/Tuesday. I need to have your group's handout ready for me to make copies by Tuesday/Wednesday. If you are not ready this will cause your group's score to suffer.

What I'm Collecting and When...

Don't forget to keep reading. Here's a schedule of what we will be doing for the next few days.

Wednesday/Thursday (20th and 21st) -- Your homework will be to finish the novel. We will complete an activity on symbolism in class.

Friday/Tuesday (22nd and 26th) -- Honors students will have their oral exam on this day. I will collect character charts from all students on this day.

Wednesday/Thursday (27th and 28th) -- Standard students will need to turn in the second half of study questions. CTG presentations will happen this day. Books will need to be turned in.

Friday (29th) -- Last day of class.

Homework for 5/18

Your homework for tonight is to read. You're almost to the end of your books.

Honors students: You are to read to the end of chapter fifty-three. Remember that you character charts are due on Friday/Tuesday.

Standard students: You are to read to page 186. I will collect your study questions and your character chart soon!

Homework for the Weekend

By Monday/Tuesday, all Honors students need to be to the end of chapter forty-eight. I hope that you have begun to see the novel move into its last portions. Things are starting to come to an end in Pip's life. You may want to spend time at the end of the novel going back to earlier portions to see the connections to earlier foreshadowing.

By Monday/Tuesday, all Standard students need to be to the end of page 175. Remember that when you finish the book I will collect all of your study questions.

Also, here are some updates/reminders about upcoming major grades:

5/22 and 5/26 - Oral Exam for Honors Students, Collect Character Charts (quiz grade)

5/27 and 5/28 - CTG Presentations. Remember that you will get a grade for your presentation and your particular element of your project.

Homework!

Tonight's homework is to read...big surprise, right?

For Honors students, you need to read to the end of chapter 43. Pay close attention to the relationship between the convict and Pip. Also, make sure that you note Herbert's reaction to his friend's trouble.

Standard students, you need to read to the end of page 154. Keep up with your study questions as you read.

Lastly, if you have not yet turned in your Bildungsroman - it is due on Friday. Friday is the last day to turn in this assignment and I will not accept it beyond Friday. If you are going to Busch Gardens, give me the assignment on the bus. If you are staying behind, turn in the assignment to Mr. Brosnan.

Homework for the Weekend

Standard Students: Your homework is to read to page 139. On Tuesday/Wednesday I will collect your study questions from the first half of the novel. You will get your new study questions on that day.

Honors Students: Your homework is to read to the end of chapter 39. Be sure that as you read you are keeping up with your study questions.

All students should keep with their character charts as you are reading. Remember that these will be collected on the 22nd/25th for a grade.

Finally - I leave you with the wisdom of Ms. Sawaya:

"I smell like farts in a can!"


Have a great weekend!

Homework for Tonight

Honors students: You need to read to the end of chapter thirty-four. Remember to use your study guides as a tool to help you understand what you are reading.

Standard students: You need to continue to read in your book. Read to the end of page 112. Keep up with your study questions.

If you have any questions - please ask!

Tonight's Reading Homework

Tonight your reading is as follows:

Honors - Read to the end of chapter twenty-eight. Remember, as your reading you need to be able to answer the study questions that I've given you. A lot of you were asking me about study questions today in class. I remind you that you can also ask me about them or other questions related to your reading here.

While you're reading, be sure that you're keeping track of three major things:

1. How is Pip changing as a person? What is causing this change? Is the change positive or negative?

2. How are the people around Pip interacting with him? How are they changing and developing?

3. Do you notice recurring elements throughout the text? What is the meaning of these things?

Standard - You need to read to the end of page eighty-seven. Remember to answer your study questions as you are reading. I will check your answers.

Finally - Everyone should start working on their bildungsroman. I will explain this in more detail on Wednesday/Thursday.

If you have questions - please ask.

Info about the Quiz!

Hey all - Here's some information to help you prepare for the quiz you have at the beginning of next week.

Honors students: Your quiz has three sections: multiple choice, quotes, and short answer. You will need to study your notes about bildungsroman for the short answer section.

Standard students: Your quiz is all short answer. Some are sentence answers - some are longer. Also, I will check your study questions on Monday/Tuesday while you are taking your quiz.

If you have any questions about the text over the weekend, please let me know. If you have a specific question about a part of the text, please give me a chapter citation so that I can find your trouble spot easier.

Weekend Homework

Some of you have a lot of reading to do this weekend.

Honors students, you have a reading quiz at the beginning of the next week. You are expected to have completed chapters one through twenty-five.

Standard students, you also have a reading quiz at the beginning of the next week. You are expected to have completed pages one through sixty-nine.

If you have any questions about your reading - leave them here. I have meetings in Raleigh all weekend, but I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Be sure that you answer your study questions.

Tonight's Homework

You have papers are due next class. Be sure that you bring them with you to class.

Also - today you started working in your CTG's. Make sure that you keep up with your reading schedules. You have your first reading quiz on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Weekend Work

On Tuesday/Wednesday you will be peer editing in class. You will need to bring a rough draft of your essay to class with you. Be sure that your rough draft is complete. Furthermore, we will start working on our study of novels on Tuesday/Wednesday. Make sure that you keep up with your reading - we will have our first reading quiz next week.

Things to study for your test!

First, a few announcements:

1. Remember that you should be reading every night. Follow along with your reading schedule to keep up with the dates.
2. Your rough draft of your papers are due on the 28th and 29th.

Your major thing to do tonight is to study for your test. We spent a lot of time reviewing in class things that you should know. You should focus on the following things:

literary devices, titles and authors of all our poems we studied, denotation and connotation, plot of the narrative poems we've studied, elements of scanscion, different forms of poetry, hip-hop as poetry

Here is a list of all of the poem's we've studied this unit:

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
"Is Truth Liberating" by Haki Madhubuti
"We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks
"Conjugal Visits" by Al Young
"Back Again Home" by Haki Madhubuti
"Ode to Duty" by William Wordsworth (Honors)
"Ode to My Socks" by Pablo Neruda
"Fork" by Charles Simic
"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich
"The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot

The first four poems will be what you will need to know for your short answer questions. Also, Honors students, you have your essay.

If you have questions - leave them here. I'll be available after school tomorrow.

Announcements and HW

The first thing that I want to touch on are the upcoming announcements:

1. You have a Poetry Unit test on 4/24 and 4/27. We will review in class on 4/22 and 4/23.

2. Poetry Analysis paper rough drafts are due on 4/28 and 4/29. We will peer edit in circle groups on these days. We will also begin studying our novels in class on this day.

3. Final Draft of the Poetry Analysis paper is due on 4/30 and 5/1. Please come see me for help if you need it!!!

4. You will have your first reading quiz on your novels on 5/4 and 5/5. Read every night - answer your study questions!

Homework:

1. READ YOUR BOOK! You should read for at least one hour each night. Parents, please make sure that your student has a quiet place to complete their reading free from distractions.

2. Begin studying and reviewing for your test. Bring questions to the review session.

Poetry Forms and Structures

If you're not sure how to write a particular form of poetry check out this website:

http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk

It's a pretty cool tool to use and it gives examples of the different types. It may also be useful for those of you that want to experiment with a different form of poetry.

Over the Break

PHEW! I never thought we'd make it.

You've got your poetry projects due when we get back from break. If you have any questions while you're working on the projects, please leave me a note here. I won't be checking my work e-mail often, if at all, over break and I want to be sure to get back to you ASAP. I will collect these in class on the 20th/21st.

Also, when we get back I will be checking your analysis logs for your paper. Remember that you're looking at literary devices used in the poem that you are analyzing. Go into depth - explore the different literary devices and how they show the theme of your poem.

Finally, Honors students, you should start reading Great Expectations. You have a reading schedule and study questions for the first twenty-five chapters. Remember that there will be extra credit available for those that read over break and I will give you this extra credit when we get back from break.

I hope that you all relax, sleep in, and read!

Have a great break!

PS - Happy Passover :)

Homework for 6/7 April

Tonight's homework is to finish your Analysis Log. I will not be checking these until we get back from Spring Break but you should put some effort into these. Some students today saw that by spending a lot of time on the log, the paper and thesis was written for them. I would also recommend spending some time over the next few days to do a lot of work on your Poetry project or on your paper assignment as both of these major grades are due when we get back from break.

If you need help with the paper assignment come see me - I'll be available after school on Thursday to give some last minute help. Also, I will have the blog going over Spring Break - you can feel free to leave me questions here.

Lastly, be sure that you review your warm-ups. I may have a journal check before we leave for break.

Weekend Homework

Your homework this weekend is to read the four poems that won the Sweet 16 tournament. The poems on your handout are "Conjugal Visits" by Al Young, "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou, "Is Truth Liberating" by Haki Madhubuti, and "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks.

After you read the poems you will need to take notes on the poems. Your notes should look at the following elements in the poem: diction/word choice, imagery, meter, rhyme, structure of the poem, literary devices, figurative language, meaning of the poem, the speaker of the poem. You may want to look at other ideas in the poems as well, this of this as a jumping off point. Take your notes in your notebooks and bring these notes to class with you. I will check your notes on Monday/Tuesday.