Homework for 9/25 and 9/26

Students,

I'm out of the building tomorrow in observance of Yom Kippur.  B-day students, I hope that you enjoy your day with the substitute.  Below are your reminders of what you need to have accomplished before you enter class on Thursday/Friday.

Freshman Focus

For Thursday's class we will be seeing several presentations depicting your ideas of the second part of Family Man.  On Thursday you'll have ten minutes to prepare and then we will go through our scenes.  Remember that you need to have a copy of all three skits to turn into me.  You also will want to have props and costumes for your characters as well as any backgrounds or music.  Remember that everyone needs to have a role in the presentation in order to get credit.  You'll be graded as a group on your scripts and then individually on your acting.

AP English III

On Thursday/Friday I'll be collecting your journals for this first nine weeks as well as your tone analysis assignments.  Let me review for you a few of the important aspects of the tone assignment.

1. You're going to want to structure both an argument and a paragraph clarifying your argument.
2. Your argument should pass the DADS test.  Part of what I'm assessing is that you have embraced this idea.
3. I will want to see clear explanation of details from the paragraph you've chosen to help support your argument.  Remember to make connections and explain them.
4. I'm looking forward to seeing how you all have begun to improve as writers from bootcamp.

English IV

We will be finishing our discussion of Book One of 1984 on Thursday/Friday.  Make sure that you've finished reading to the end of chapter eight to be ready for this.  Also, you will want to make sure you've spent time studying your vocabulary lists.  There will be a vocabulary section on your Book One test.  Lastly, make sure your journals are in order and all the entries are finished as I'll be collecting those too.

Progress reports will go out on Thursday/Friday after I return.

Apologies for Posting Late! Homework for 9/22 and 9/24

Again, apologies everyone!  Here are your reminders for what you need to accomplish before our next class on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Freshman Focus

There is a very important thing you should all be aware of - progress reports are going out next week.  Some of you are missing some assignments, including your Future Autobiography project.  Make sure that you get these assignments done and turned in as soon as possible.  Over the weekend you may want to spend some time working on your skits project.  Consider props and costumes for your character to use during your presentation.  You will have time to work on this more on Tuesday/Wednesday, but you should really attempt to be to the point where you are practicing with your group in class on Tuesday/Wednesday.

AP English III

For our next class I would like for you to begin putting our work from bootcamp into your composition.  I would like for you to take a very close look at one of Dr. King's paragraphs from his "Letter" - take a special look at tone.  Determine what King's tone is and then show me what King uses to develop and make his tone clear to the reader.  Make sure to stay focused just on one paragraph and stay focused on tone.  You should open your piece with an argument about what King's tone is and then prove that argument to be true using evidence from the paragraph under consideration.  The idea here is to focus focus!

English IV

We are going to get into the final bit of Book One of 1984.  Some very exciting things happen to Winston, especially as we get ready to get into Book Two.  We're going to start focusing on a lot of the literary elements of the text and focus in on writing as we move forward.  Continue finding ways to get interested in this text.  Many of you are doing very well in understanding what Orwell is creating in this book.  Read chapter six and seven of 1984 and we will discuss them on Tuesday/Wednesday. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Homework for 9/19 and 9/20

Happy middle of the week, everyone!  A few assignments and pieces for you to consider tonight to prepare for Friday/Monday. 

Freshman Focus

You all have two things due for Friday/Monday.  First, you will need to be sure that you complete the Family Man viewing guide and have all questions thoroughly answered.  This will count as a larger classwork grade, so be sure that it reflects your best work.  The second thing to complete is your Future Autobiography Comic Assignment.  Follow the instructions on the planning guide.  On Friday you will have approximately twenty minutes to put any finishing touches on your work and then we will present.  Each member of the class will be expected to present one comic strip and explain how it shows your personal definition of success.  The presentation will count as a part of your overall grade on the assignment.

AP English III

I want all of you to remember that we are starting a hard journey today.  The journey to improve your writing, which is one of the most important things I can do for all of you.  Remember that I'm always here on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to give personal assistance or guidance if you need it.  Next class we are going to spend some time discussing arguments/thesis statements and then we will go into the King piece thoroughly. 

To add some depth to our discussion of Dr. King I'd like for you to read another piece by Thoreau which can be found here.  This piece is heavily excerpted, but you should be able to do the following:  read it, annotate it, uncover his argument, and compare his piece to that of Dr. King.  Understanding Thoreau will help you to make some leaps to Transcendentalism, which is of course important.

English IV

As we are beginning to explore some of the more significant elements of 1984, I want you tonight to take a bit of time to reflect on what you've learned today about North Korea.  In a one paragraph response I want you to explain to me (1) what is most surprising to you about North Korea, and then (2) explain why that element is so surprising to you.  As we move to Friday/Monday we will begin our first project on propaganda and continue reading to the next section of the book. 

As always, if you have questions - please ask!

Homework for the Weekend 9/13 and 9/14

We've finally started to hit our stride a bit this year.  At least I feel like I have finally gotten back into the swing of school.  Here are some reminders for all of you this weekend.

Freshman Focus

Over the weekend you should spend some time working on your first project grade, your future autobiography comic strip assignment.  As we went through the instructions today it's important that you realize that each moment of success needs to have its own comic strip.  All together, these comic strips will create your future autobiography.  You're not going to be graded on your artistic skills, but I do want to see that they're neat, colorful, focused on your moments of success, and that you're showing me the process which leads to your moment of success in each strip.  You'll have some time to work on these assignments in class on Wednesday/Thursday.  They'll be due on Friday/Monday.

English IV

Over the weekend you will need to read to the end of chapter five in preparation for your first quiz on 1984.  I'm going to ask you questions about the major moments of the plot, the characters, some interpretation questions about important quotes, and your opinion on some of the major issues that this book as raised in class.  There may also be some questions related to the article we read in class about the government's surveillance center.  The quiz will be open book and open note.  Remember that my goal is not to trick you but to see what you know and think about this book.

Make sure that over the weekend you read to the end of chapter five which happens around page fifty-five.

AP English III

I hope that all of you in all of these conversations that we're having in class are starting to see connections between the different elements of the philosophy of Transcendentalism and the different pieces of literature we've been studying.  Over the weekend I want you to read an annotate Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" - it can be found in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read, look for the elements of the philosophy which we've been discussing in class.  Use those as your anchors and notice as well what Dr. King's argument is and how he goes about proving his argument.  We will not discuss this piece until Wednesday/Thursday, but do have it prepared.

I think that's all.  Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Homework for 11/12 September

All classes have something to accomplish outside of class before we see each other again, feel free to ask any questions about the assignments in a comment or via e-mail.

Freshman Focus

I would like for all of you to spend some more time thinking about your values and the values of the people around you.  For the Values Venn Diagram assignment I would like to see you compare and contrast your values to those of your Parent/Guardian and one of your friends.  Ask then what they value and then consider any similarities or differences.  Remember that for each person you must consider a minimum of five values.  There are ideas on that sheet as well as other values which we've discussed earlier in the week.

English IV

For homework tonight I would like for you to continue reading Book One of 1984.  This will take you to page thirty-four in our editions.  As you read, continue to be on the lookout for new vocabulary words to learn and new insights about Winston's society.  I was pleased with what you all were noticing today in class and the connections that you were able to make.  I look forward to seeing what other observations you make as we move forward.  Also be aware of the fact that we will have a quiz on this opening part of the book next week.  It would be a good idea to prepare by reviewing.

AP English III

For tonight I want you to continue chewing on Transcendentalism and read one of the most important pieces in this movement.  Tonight you'll read "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" by Thoreau.  This is in 50 Essays and can be found at this link.  Please read and annotate the text and then answer question four from 50 Essays.  The question asks you to consider something like the railroad from Thoreau's text (an object created to be useful but which actually creates a burden in our lives).  I want you to think of a similar object and consider the reasons why this object is burdensome instead of helpful.  Written responses to this question should be no longer than a page (typed, double spaced) and should be ready to be collected at the beginning of class.

Homework for the Weekend and Monday

A few notes and reminders for all of you as we move to the weekend.

Freshman Focus:

You all don't have any homework this weekend.  Please remember that if you haven't turned in your signed rules and policies sheet then you will need to get that to me Tuesday/Wednesday.

English IV:

We've been thrown off a bit what with being moved to a new class and then with the senior class meetings with guidance which have fallen during our class these last few days.  When we get together again on Tuesday/Wednesday I would like to make sure that all of you have read the first chapter of Orwell's 1984.  We will do work with this first chapter on Tuesday/Wednesday to understand what ideas Orwell is setting up for us at the beginning of this novel.

AP English III:

You all have Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Over-Soul" to read and annotate.  As I said in class, this piece is difficult namely because it is a piece of philosophy and that it was written in the 1800's.  The sentence structure is hard to follow and some of the vocabulary may be over your head.  I want you to keep coming back to Jim Casy as you go through this piece and work for understanding.  Try to find the similarities between Emerson's philosophy, concept of the over-soul, and Jim Casy's guiding philosophy.  This piece is integral in understanding one of Steinbeck's main points in the text.

We will be having a seminar on Tuesday/Wednesday on this piece.  Come with thorough annotations as well as any questions that you would like to raise with the group.

Have a lovely weekend!

Homework for All Classes - 5/6 September

Today was a bit of a first day of school for me.  Meeting new groups of students and starting with some new classes.  I'm excited to get going with all of you.  Here are your reminders to prepare for Friday/Monday.

Freshman Focus

I would like for all of you to turn in your parent contact forms on Friday.  This is your only homework assignment for tonight.

AP English III

For our next class I'd like for you to review chapters three and four of The Grapes of Wrath.  I really want you to focus in on Jim Casy and understand his philosophy.  This way of thinking is going to be very important to the way that we study the rest of the text.  Furthermore, I'd like for you to read chapters five, seven, and eight.  As you read those chapters, focus on the characters, the idea of irony, the American Dream, any symbolism, and the comparison of people to animals.  All of these things are important elements of Steinbeck's writing.

Furthermore, remember that you have writing assignments due on Friday/Monday.  I really appreciate the fact that so many of you have come to see me for extra feedback.

English IV

Tonight I want you to finish reading the first chapter of 1984 by George Orwell.  As you read, remember to continue to add to your character list, noting the name of the character, the page number, and any notes that you got about that character from the page.  Also, continue to make note of new words, we will spend some time on Friday/Monday working through those new words and developing our vocabulary.

Also, I need your parent contact form returned.

I think that'll do it for all of us, see you Friday/Monday.

Homework for the Long Weekend

As we move forward it's important that you try to get yourselves ahead of the curve as opposed to playing catchup.  The work is going to start picking up starting now.  Put your noses to the grindstone and power through.

 

AP English III:

 

For the weekend you have two reading assignments and a writing assignment to prepare.  Let's review the reading first.  I'd like for all of you to reread the first four chapters of Grapes of Wrath.  Now that we've begun reading and annotating as a class, I hope that you will revisit your preliminary notes and start to go deeper into the text.  I would also recommend that you try to connect the reading assignment from Steinbeck to the first two pieces that we've read together as a class.  Seeing connections is always important.

 

Secondly, I want you to reread the chapter called "Harvest of Shame" from Shipler's The Working Poor.  Again, revisit your annotations, delve deeper and make connections.  I especially want you to continue looking for the author's argument and how the author supports that argument.

 

Lastly, you have a writing assignment due soon, your introductions.  Take your notes from peer editing and make any revisions that you see as necessary.  I'll be available on Wednesday and Thursday for conferences.  Make an appointment and let me know if you're planning to come.  Remember that this will count as a major grade.

 

I'm looking forward to studying Steinbeck with all of you and building bridges to other periods of American literature and writing.  Be prepared for Wednesday/Thursday!

Homework and Reminders 8/29 and 8/30

AP English III:

We did not get a chance to get to our peer editing of the introduction assignments.  Please make sure that you bring these back with you next class.  We will begin our work together with editing.  You may want to take this additional time to go over your draft and make some edits of your own.  Secondly, for our next class I'd like for you to read and annotate Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving" - you can find it in 50 Essays or at this link.  It's a longer piece, so take your time to read it.  Lastly, please bring your copy of The Working Poor to class on Friday/Tuesday so that we can begin to look at this text and make connections to some of the other pieces that we've studied.

First Day of School 2012/2013

Welcome Back Students!

I had a great day today getting to know all of you and beginning our work together.  I wanted to remind you of a few things to do tonight in order to prepare for tomorrow.

AP English III:

Tonight for homework I would like for you to complete the rough draft of your "Introduction" assignment.  Remember to put it in MLA format and to be creative.  The goal is not to copy the original piece, but to adapt it to your own life and experience.  Remember to have fun as you begin this work.

Also you will need to fill out the parent contact form, and return that to me.  Lastly, there is a piece to read tonight for homework called "On Compassion".  If you've already purchased 50 Essays you can find it there or you can find it here.  Please print, read, and annotate the handout.  Be prepared to discuss.

English II:

Tomorrow we will continue with the work we started today.  For tonight, I would like for you to finish your Parent Contact form and return that to me.  Also, you may want to get your supplies together so that we can begin working in earnest on Tuesday. 

One day done, 179 left to go!

The Requisite End of the Year Post

All,

It's been a lot of fun this year.  I'll be seeing some of you next Friday for the Freshman Academy trip to King's Dominion.  Some of you I won't see until August.  Some of you I may never see again.  Whichever category you find yourself in, know that I had a good time this year and enjoyed working with all of you.

If you will be at Jordan next year, come and visit.  You know where I'll be. 

Enjoy your summer!

Character Cafe Reflections B1

One of the joys of A/B scheduling is that when I do something really fun for A-day, I get to do the exact same thing with B-day.  Thanks for making the last day of class start off on a great note B-day kids.  Here are our group text photos. Remember to post your reflection in the comment thread below and attach your name to your comment. Your reflection should cover the following:

• What did you learn about the individuals present and who impressed you the most?
• What was your core statement? What idea would people come away with if they interacted with you?

 

And now the pictures:

 

The Great Gatsby and Virginia Woolf

The Grapes of Wrath

Sojourner Truth and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Catcher in the Rye and Arnold Friend from "WAYG? WHYB?"

The Things They Carried

Invisible Man

 

Character Cafe Reflections A1

I had so much fun this morning with all of you.  Here are our group text photos.  Remember to post your reflection in the comment thread below and attach your name to your comment.  Your reflection should cover the following:

• What did you learn about the individuals present and who impressed you the most?
• What was your core statement?  What idea would people come away with if they interacted with you?

And now, the photos:

Virginia Woolf, the spider and the wasp

The Great Gatsby and the turtle from Grapes

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Catcher in the Rye

Invisible Man and Plato

The Things They Carried

Remember your reflections are due here in 24 hours!  Those of you taking the exam, I'll see you Wednesday morning!

And this is it...almost

We've only got one more day of class ahead of us, there's the final exam ahead of you except for those Juniors who happen to be exempt.  Below are your final reminders to get you ready for LDOC (last day of class).

AP English III:


None of you are coming to class for LDOC - instead I expect to see Huck, Jim, Rinehart and all of the other characters that we've met this year.  Please come in costume and in character.  We'll follow the procedure given to all of you today in class on the handout called "The Lavender Room."  As an entry ticket, you must have completed your "Character Bone Structure Sheet" so that I can see that you've thoroughly prepared your character.  Remember to answer all questions on the sheet.

Also, don't forget to bring your food item for the class to share.  Don't be late to class on Friday/Tuesday - we're going to need all 90 minutes to do this well.  I'll be announcing which of you are exempt from the exam on Friday/Monday during class.

English I:


On Friday/Tuesday we've got two big things ahead of us, a second matchbox and the presentation of our poetry projects.  We'll begin class with the poetry projects.  Each of you will come to the front of class, turn in your work to me and present your poem.  Then you'll get mad snaps.  Remember to follow the instructions on the assignment sheet thoroughly and have all four required elements.  Each part will contribute to the overall 100 point test grade.  Each particular item is worth twenty-five points.  Failure to turn in an element will earn you a zero, automatically for that element and bring down your overall score.

Also, remember that no late work will be accepted past the last day of class.  My grades are locked after that day and I have no intention of changing them - if you've missed an opportunity to make up work, it's too late now.  Spend your time completing what you have left and doing it well.

See you on Friday/Tuesday.  B-day students, hopefully you'll see me a bit more relaxed after a long weekend at the beach.

Homework for 5/21 and 5/22

Students,

As we move toward the final two classes of the year it's important that you not miss due dates and that you complete everything to your best ability.  Remember that when the final day of classes comes, that's it.  No more late work and no more extensions.  Work hard and you'll be rewarded.  Here are your more specific reminders:

AP English III:

You all have two big things left to complete for the year.  First, on Wednesday and Thursday we will be having your final on The Things They Carried.  It will pull specifically from the stories which I assigned you and that we studied as a whole class.  Remember to have your annotations ready as I will be checking your books on this day as well.  On Friday/Tuesday (LDOC) we will be having our character cafe.  Please remember to bring your item for the party and to bring your personality (whoever that may be.)  I look forward to finishing the year with you all and celebrating your growth as students.

English I:

Today in class you all received your EOC review sheet as well as your EOC retest letter.  It's important that you fill out the retest letter and get that turned into me as soon as possible.  You probably won't need it, but it's best to be prepared.  On Wednesday/Thursday we will be completing another Matchbox and going over the review sheet.  That usually works best (the review) if you've generated questions about the terms, so spend some time doing that tonight.

Also, don't forget that your poetry projects are due on Friday/Tuesday.  This is the last day of class (LDOC) so you won't really be able to turn in these late.  You've had a lot of time to work on these, so my ability to accept your excuses will be non-existant.  We will likely also do another Matchbox on LDOC to finish preparing. 

Lastly, Honors students, if you did not finish your test essay during the class period I expect that you finish it tonight so that it can be submitted at the beginning of class on Wednesday/Thursday.

Study hard, work hard, relax in a few weeks.

Work for the Weekend and Reminders

My last post was number 666, thankfully the website is less evil today with post number 667.

AP English III:

I hope that all of you who took the exam felt confident and well prepared.  Remember, it doesn't matter what the score is that you get in July.  The point is that all of you have grown and accomplished a lot.  I'm proud of you and you should be proud of yourselves.  A-day students, you'll be finishing your discussion circles on Monday.  B-day students, you're going to finish these on Friday.  I was very impressed with both classes and your work in groups one through four.  I look forward to being equally impressed as we move forward.

Finally, you'll be having your final exam on The Things They Carried on Wednesday and Thursday of next week.  I will be checking your annotations on the whole book this day - so be ready.

English I:

All of you have due next week what I refrenced in the last post.  Be sure that you are meeting those goals and finishing strong here at the end of the year.  As a final reminder, any and all missing assignments must be made up by 4:00 on Monday the 21st.  Failure to make up any assignment by this point will result in that assignment being locked in as a zero.  You've had all quarter, and it's time for me to start wrapping up my grades for the year.  Lastly, the final day to turn in extra credit is tomorrow - Friday the 18th.  Make sure that if you're doing this assignment you get it turned in.

Homework for English I - 5/15 and 5/16

English I:

The date that all of you should be focusing on is 5/21 (A-day) and 5/22 (B-day).  These are the days when your vocabulary assignment will be due as well as our final poetry quiz for the year.  The poetry quiz is going to cover the following poems.  We've studied the first three already, the fourth one will be read and studied in class on Thursday/Friday.  The poems for the quiz are:

1. "in Just-"  ee cummings
2. "Fire and Ice"  Robert Frost
3. "Once by the Pacific"  Robert Frost
4. Ballad of Birmingham  Dudley Randall

You will be asked short answer and multiple choice questions.  Begin studying and be ready.  This will count for a lot of points.

Also, you have your vocabulary assignment due on the 21st/22nd - the NEOLOGISMS assignment.  Let me review the important elements of this assignment.

Honors - Create FIVE neologisms using at least FOUR wordparts.
Standard - Create THREE neologisms using at least THREE wordparts.

For each neologism you must do the following:

1. the new word (neologism)
2. a breakdown of the word with its wordparts and their meaning
3. an actual definition of the word that makes sense
4. a sentence using the word in context (I should understand the meaning of the word from reading the sentence)
5. an image or picture to go along with the word

Each word will need to be on its own piece of paper to fit everything and do it well.  Make sure that you use color and graphics to add to your word page so that it pops.  Feel free to do one and bring it to me so that I can look over it.

I think that does it!

The Day Before The AP Exam

Alright Juniors, the day is finally here.  Tonight you've got your last night before you go in tomorrow for three hours of fun.  Here are some final reminders for you all as you're reviewing and studying tonight.

1.  Get a good night's sleep.  Bedtime:  no later than eleven pm.  No all nighters.  You need to be fresh in the morning.

2.  Get a good breakfast in the morning.  There's nothing worse than trying to write an essay on an empty stomach.

Study Tips:

• look over all of the multiple choice practices that I've given you - focus on the questions that you've been getting wrong and understand why the correct answer is the correct one.
• focus on reviewing rhetorical devices and tone words - there are plenty of online resources for you to use for this - I posted some for you a few posts back - here's another link for you of good devices to know
• remember the three types of writing:  synthesis, analysis, and argument - remember what you need to do in each one

Lastly, AP Kids, tomorrow - don't write like this:  "I feel like people try to blame humorists and sue them because of the things he or she may say but must I remind you of our unalinable rights and not only our unalienable rights but our Bill of Rights saying and stating that we have freedom of speech meaning that a humorists can say what it pleases and he or she also have the right to a speedy trial meaning if they were to get sued or arrested to can plead their case.  My main point is that it is too much hatred in the world and not enough encouragement."

Yeah, someone wrote that for their AP exam.  Good luck.  Come see me tomorrow and let me know how it went!

Apologies that this post is late...

With my first period class being a bit out of whack with AP Exams, I completely forgot to post the homework for the weekend.  Here we go:

AP English III:

We're still in a period of the year where B-day is ahead of A-day due to the schedule.  Tomorrow (Monday the 14th) B-day students will be doing their discussion circle groups for the first four sets of stories.  Make sure that all members of your group are prepared to lead a dynamic conversation about the story or stories.  I look forward to seeing how you all teach the class and create knowledge for yourselves.  Make sure that you have your finalized outline, learning objectives and essential questions, as well as your multiple choice questions ready for the discussion groups.

A-day students, I'll be seeing you on Tuesday for our discussion of "The Lives of the Dead" - please have this read and annotated before class on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday is the AP Exam, first thing in the morning.  I'll be holding a review session/preparation session on Tuesday afternoon.  I think that this would also be a great time to take our class photo.  Please plan on coming to my room right at 2:30 so that we can take our photo.  You can then leave or stay for the study session.

English I:

This week coming up you all have extra credit assignments due for me.  Remember that there are two options for the extra credit:  the extra credit journals as well as the pamphlet/letter.  The journals will factor in as a homework grade and the pamphlet/letter will factor in as a test grade.  I hope that all of you complete at least one portion of this to improve your standing in class.  Remember, extra credit can only help you.

For the weekend, you should be focused on your poetry projects and your extra credit projects.  The poetry projects are coming due soon and I haven't seen that many of you for feedback.  Please come and see me this week during lunch to get my review of your poems and written work.  Also, make sure that you've been practicing your memorized poem for our poetry slam.  

Lastly, you all have your progress reports.  There are only a few days left in the quarter.  If you're missing something, the time is now to get it taken care of.  No late/make-up work will be accepted past the 21st of May.  This means you have one week.

AP Resources

I wanted to share this website with all of you. I just learned of it today from Ms. Baker and wanted to pass it on soon.

http://appass.com/home

You can calculate what you need to make on each portion of the exam and fidget with the numbers a bit. There are also a few study aids.

Remember to think abut when we can do our class picture. I'm here Monday and Tuesday afternoon.

See ya tomorrow.