Homework for B-Day Students, Weekend Edition, 17 September 2015

English II:

Tonight you need to read section two of Gogol's "The Overcoat".  As you read, make sure to complete the following tasks:

1. Collect five new vocabulary words.  Collect more if you want, but five is the minimum.
2. Take notes on the symbol of Akaky's coat.  Why do you think it is important?  What does it symbolize?
3. Take notes on how Akaky changes as a person - go back to what we've discussed in section one and compare how he is now in section two.  What causes these changes?

Don't forget we will have a quiz on Monday to start class on section two.  If you take good notes you'll do well on the quiz!

AP English III:

Over the weekend you'll be reading one of the most difficult things of the entire year, Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Over Soul".  I'm telling you now that it's difficult to encourage you to work hard on this.  As you read - here are some tips:

1. Use paragraph three as his argument.  In this piece he is defining an abstract concept.  Use the later paragraphs as examples of the concept.
2. Consider the purpose of each paragraph.  What is it telling you?  How does it help to clarify the argument he is presenting about "The Over Soul"?
3. Use the five traits of Transcendentalism to help you make sense of this - How do you see him working these ideas into his article?
4. Use Jim Casy to help you make sense of all of this.  Remember that Steinbeck is putting a lot of this philosophy into practice with Ma, Casy and Tom.  Use Grapes of Wrath to help you make sense of this piece.
5. Develop questions - if you want you can post them as a comment here and I'll try to respond through the weekend.

Russian Students Post

https://open.spotify.com/user/djmiller01/playlist/54mDUxWvfmhL4dZBHtCVY8

Here's the link to my Spotify Russian Music playlist.  There's a bit of everything, so have some fun.  A great activity is following along with the lyrics as you listen, it'll help you train your ears.  You'll need to copy and paste the link.

Homework for A-Day Students: 16 September 2015

English II

Tonight you need to read section two of Gogol's "The Overcoat".  As you read, make sure to complete the following tasks:

1. Collect five new vocabulary words.  Collect more if you want, but five is the minimum.
2. Take notes on the symbol of Akaky's coat.  Why do you think it is important?  What does it symbolize?
3. Take notes on how Akaky changes as a person - go back to what we've discussed in section one and compare how he is now in section two.  What causes these changes?

Don't forget we will have a quiz on Friday to start class on section two.  If you take good notes you'll do well on the quiz!

Russian I, II, and III

We have exams coming up on Friday.  Russian II/III - You'll be having your case exam.  Make sure that you're studied and prepared with nouns, adjectives, and pronouns of all types.  Use your notes and your grammar review packets to help you to prepare.  We've been drilling this information daily so you should be ready to go.

For Russian I we will have our alphabet and phonics test.  Make sure that you know all of the letters and their sounds.  The handwriting helpers will be gone, so know your stuff!

Homework for All Classes - 14 and 15 September

All Students - Here are your reminders for the next class.

Russian II/III

Next class we will spend a lot of time reviewing for our exam on cases which is coming soon.  You should be spending time nightly drilling and memorizing case endings and constructions which will lead you to a better understanding of Russian.  To begin, make sure that your exercise packet is as complete as you can make it.  We'll start by fielding questions there before we move on.

Russian I

Continue to study your phonetics and handwriting for the coming exam on the alphabet.  We'll have our last day of practice on Wednesday.

English II

Using your copies of Gogol, go through the text and stay focused on finding new vocabulary words.  Write the words and the definitions at the bottom of the page if you don't have your bookmarks.  We'll spend some time reviewing before we move on.

AP English III

Continue your rereading and reexamination of Steinbeck.  For tonight, read and annotate chapters five through eight focusing on:

• motif of person to animal and the American Dream
• the use of irony in the text (grab bag)
• the characterization of Ma and Jim Casy
• pay special attention to Jim Casy's philosophy and how Ma responds to certain elements of it.

If you're interested in more about the Dust Bowl, check out the PBS Documentary which we looked at a bit in class.  Here's the link to it.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 11 September 2015

AP English III

First off, here are the links to the supplemental texts that we looked at today in class.

New York Times Book Review of Kozol

Washington Post Article about Wake County

Economist Article on Charter Schools

NPR Transcript on Pre-K

Remember to use these if you would like as you are revising your essay outlines this weekend.  Work hard on these and remember to include and show all of the ideas that we have been learning in regards to analyzing a text and constructing an argument.  Remember that your outlines are due on Tuesday.

In addition, make sure to read/annotate chapters one, two and four of The Grapes of Wrath - we will begin our study of that text on Tuesday.

English II

You have no homework this weekend - make sure that you study and review your notes - we'll have our Russian literature test sooner than you think!

Homework for the Weekend - A Day Students - 9/10/2015

Russian II/III

After our writing conferences today I can say that all of you are ready to finish your writing assignments and turn in on Monday your final drafts.  Make sure that you account for all of your changes and read through it several times to make sure that it is correct and grammatical.  In addition, try to add some adjectives for your nouns - this will help you to better learn all of the endings.

I will not be with you on Monday, so you will turn in your work to Ms. Ginocchio.

Russian I

This weekend I want you to continue working on your handwriting and pronunciation as you begin studying Russian cities.  Make sure that you write each city five times - and each time you write the name of the city, say all of the sounds and the word as a whole.  In the last column, tell me where the city is.  Use Yandex maps to find your cities.  If you need a Russian keyboard you can use this one at this link.

On Monday you'll start your research on these cities.

For my Russian students, here's Полина Гагарина - a wonderful Russian singer.

English II

Over the weekend you have no homework to complete - please stay focused on studying your notes from the two pieces we've read so that you are constantly preparing for your unit test on Russian literature.

Homework for B-Day Students: 9/9/2015

AP English III

Tonight your only homework is to work on your outlines and to revise!  Put to practice all that we have learned over the last few days of class, and show me how you are growing as a writer.  Remember to start with your argument revision since that is the heart of the essay - then move forward into developing your topics, details, and explanation.  Please come to conference as you are working - remember that five minutes face-to-face can really help you a lot as you go through this process.  The revised outlines are due to class on 9/15/15.  You will need to submit your original and the revised copy.

Next class make sure that you have Kozol - we'll be finishing him up and getting ready to move to Oklahoma.

English II

Your homework is the same as the A-Day students.  I want you to write your personal reflection on the prompt using a clear detail from the story to support your opinion.  You're going to write three of these reflections - so remember to keep them together on the same piece of paper.  Your prompt is:

Do you agree with Sasha's final thought that he is "indeed a criminal"?  Why or why not?  Use one clear piece of evidence from the text to support your idea.

In addition, if you are still missing the travel paragraph, or the vocabulary work you will need to get that turned in for credit by Friday.

Back from the long/birthday weekend...Homework for 9/8/15 - A-Day

Remember:  Each and every day makes us older and hopefully wiser, too.

Russian II/III

Thursday we will begin with our writing conferences which we cut today in order to work on phonetics.  Make sure that for Thursday you are fully prepared with a paragraph that has all nouns, pronouns (of all types), and adjectives translated into Russian into the appropriate case.  Your paragraph should reflect all six cases.  If you use a translator/dictionary for a word, indicate that so that I can give you another, easier word or reference my dictionary.

For verbs, put your verb analysis chart at the bottom of your work.  Verb in English with tense and subject (for II and III) followed by aspect and directionality (III only).  As we conference we'll go over the individual verbs you need.

Bring your textbooks - we'll use them in class during conferences.

Russian I

Looking at your handwriting packets I see that a few of us will be having a working lunch to correct some mistakes and misunderstandings.  The grades are already posted in PowerSchool - if you have B lunch, you could come to lunch on Wednesday instead of waiting until Thursday to earn your credit back.

For tonight's homework, study your alphabet and your new vocabulary.  I encourage you all to make flashcards which will help your handwriting and memory.  Study the main words, not really the whole phrases.  Also, continue to practice with your phonetics packet - we'll have more phonics work on Thursday.

English II

I've updated PowerSchool to reflect missing assignments including the vocabulary work.  If you want to, please turn in your work tomorrow to me or Ms. Ginocchio and we'll fix the grade as soon as we can.  Remember that missing work must be turned in by Friday to be eligible for full credit.

For tonight you will be writing your first of three personal reflections to a text - remember that you will keep this until the end of our unit on Russian literature when it will be collected for a full quiz grade.  For tonight, you will reflect on Chekhov's "A Problem" - your prompt is:

Do you agree with Sasha's final thought at the end of the story that he is "indeed a criminal" or not?  Why do you agree or disagree?  Use one clear example from the story to support your opinion.

Remember to follow your rules for good paragraph writing and build complexity by talking about a story.

Homework for B-Day Students: Weekend Edition - 9/4/2015

AP English III

This weekend for homework you have a few things to read and consider as we start moving to the end of Kozol and into The Grapes of Wrath.  I would like for you to read "On Compassion" by B.L. Ascher which is in 50 Essays or at this link.  Read and annotate the piece closely:  pay attention to her argument and the way in which she proves the argument to us as an audience.  How does she appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos?

In addition, read over chapter twelve in Kozol as well as his Epilogue.  For the Epilogue, look at it only as a conclusion - go to your notes on a conclusion and notice how he does what he needs to do over the course of several pages.

You'll be getting your outlines back next class - be ready to start revising!

English II

Your homework for this weekend is the same as the A-day students below.  Using your vocabulary bookmark select five words from our study so far and use them to write a short story (about 100 words) about someone borrowing money from another person.  Try to include some conflict in the story because that always happens when people borrow money.  When you turn in your story you will also turn in your vocabulary bookmark to get full credit!

Homework for A Day Students: 9/3/2015 - Weekend Edition

I won't see all of you until I'm thirty-one!  Thankfully that happens on Saturday, so we won't have to wait too long.  Here are your reminders for the weekend:

Russian II/III

Continue to work on the grammar exercises to help you review genitive, accusative, and prepositional case.  A lot of you were making some breakthroughs today in terms of case construction and knowledge, keep practicing and learning.  In addition, go back to your paragraphs - apply the dative case and continue to edit and develop.  I will be collecting finalized versions for cases soon!

Russian I

I want you to make sure that your handwriting packets are complete this weekend so that you can completely study the alphabet.  After today's class we've done all the letters, and now we're starting to get at phonetics too.  Continue to write, read, and practice.  We'll be doing all of that next weekend.

For my Russian language students - here's a fun song that you can listen to this weekend just for the heck of it.

English II

We've started studying Chekhov and will continue that work next week.  For the weekend, I want you to write using your vocabulary.  Construct a short story using FIVE vocabulary words from your bookmarks.  The story should be about someone borrowing money from another person.  Don't write more than a paragraph or two - I want the stories short.  Include some conflict - that always happens when people borrow money.

When you turn in the story you will also turn in your vocabulary bookmarks - so make sure that all the words on them are defined.

Homework for B-Day Students: 2 September 2015

AP English III

Tonight for your homework you have two key things to accomplish.  First, continue to revise and edit your outlines and especially pay attention to the refutation.  Most of you left this out of your original outlines and as we discussed today, it is necessary.  Find a place to include this and start to develop it.

In addition, complete your rereading and annotation of chapters eight and ten from Kozol.  Continue to notice the way in which he is building and developing his argument as the text proceeds.

English II

If you didn't finish your tone analysis work, make sure to turn that in at the beginning of next class!

Homework for A-Day: 9/1/2015

Russian II/III

The exercises tonight for homework are intended to be used so that you will memorize your case endings for the accusative and genitive cases.  Practice and then practice some more.  Here are the exercises you should study and complete:

For Accusative case - pages 82-85.

Russian II and III:  Exercise 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37.
Russian III:  Exercise 25 and 26.

For Genitive case - pages 122-123.

Russian II and III:  Exercise 15, 16, 17, 29, 21, 24.

I'll have your written work to you returned soon.

Russian I

Please complete the additional handwriting work tonight to finish your study of the letters.  Only focus on the handwriting exercises.  Do not worry about translating words that you don't know.  I'll collect all of your handwriting work on Thursday.

English II

If you did not complete your tone analysis and imagery from the Pushkin poem, make sure to finish that tonight and turn it in on Thursday.  Also, if you were a late addition to the class you need to complete your paragraphs and turn them in on Thursday too.

Homework for B-Day Students - 31 August 2015

Happy Monday Everyone!  We're back in the swing of things, and I'm especially excited about this week because it ends with my birthday!  Here are your reminders for tonight to move you into Wednesday.

AP English III

Tonight you should all be working on two tasks which will move us forward into Wednesday.  First, I want all of you to start to do the heavy lifting and work to revise your outlines - especially the thesis/argument statements since we focused on that today.  Take a moment to look at what you have written:  Most of you have given me only the defensible point that you are trying to make.  Remember that this is only one part of the necessary argument structure.  Follow the way we created Kozol's argument today and use that as a model to help you rework yours.  Once this is done, the rest of the process will begin to fall into place.

In addition, reread and annotate chapters four and six of Kozol.  Remember to apply what we are doing in class to your reexamination of the text.  This is crucial as you begin to open your approach to reading texts such as these.

English II

There is no homework that you have to complete to turn in tonight unless, of course, you forgot to turn in the final draft of your paragraphs.  Since some students have been added to the class late I'm giving everyone an additional day with no penalty to turn in these assignments.  Make sure to submit both your first and second draft of the work to get full credit.  See me or Ms. Ginocchio if you have any questions or need help.

Homework for the Weekend - 8/28/2015

Russian II/III

This weekend you have to complete some writing to turn in to me.  Take your paragraphs and begin to write in Russian.  At any point when you are using nominative, accusative, or genitive case I want you to write that in Russian.  All other case instances or verbs should be written in English.  At the bottom of you work, do a verb analysis.  Russian II - You only need to tell me the tense of the verb.  Russian III - Tell me the tense, aspect, and if it is a verb of motion, the directionality of the verb.  In addition, practice your singing!  Here's a video to go along with our song about passionate, dark, gypsy eyes!  Enjoy Fillip Kirkorov - he's a bit like a Russian Liberace.

Russian I

This weekend you should master the first three groups of Russian letters as well as the handwriting that goes with these.  Make sure that your packet is complete, for all the letters we have reviewed.  I will check these on Tuesday!

English II

You have no official homework this weekend; however, some of you need to complete your travel paragraphs and everyone needs to study their Russian literature notes.  Make sure that you are practicing and reviewing every night so that you remember everything really well.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day Students - 8/27/2015

I won't be seeing you all again until Monday, so here is what you need to accomplish leading up to then.

AP English III

Over the weekend I want you all to go back to Kozol and re-investigate him given what we discussed today about rhetoric and argumentation.  Reread and annotate the introduction and chapter two of Shame of the Nation.  I would suggest using a different color of ink to the one you looked at originally - that way both you and I will see how you have updated your approach to the text.  Approach this the way we did Alexie today - How is Kozol manipulating the relationship between the topic/audience/himself?  How do the rhetorical appeals impact his work and your understanding of it?

English II

This weekend you need to complete your final draft of your travel paragraph.  You'll turn it in to me on Monday for your first grades of the course.  Make sure that you also turn in your rough draft with the peer editing notes so that I can give you credit for that part of the assignment.

Homework for A-Day Students: 8/26/2015

Russian II/III

Tonight, continue to work on your written paragraphs.  By the end of it, all of your paragraphs will contain all six cases - as you are writing, continue to develop your work so that all six cases are in the paragraph.  In addition, use this time to find translations of needed words.  Remember that if your paragraph involves motion/travel, you may want to talk to me about what verb to use.  Tonight you should be able to complete all the work in nominative and accusative case.

Russian I

Today we went over the second set of letters and I gave you a packet for practice which contains these letters and several others.  Please only do the letters and exercises which we have covered today.  You will finish the packet on Friday once we've finished all of the letters in the packet.  Remember to write the letters/words/sounds multiple times and to say the letter/sound/word each time you write it!

English II

For Friday I need the final draft of your travel paragraph.  Remember that when you turn in your final draft I will also need the draft you worked through today in class from peer editing.  If you would like for me or Ms. Ginocchio to look over your work, please see us outside of class before Friday.

Homework and Announcements for 8/25/2015 - B Day Students

And now I've met all of you and I can say that this year is going to be really wonderful.  I'm really excited to see how you all are approaching the course and your new year at Jordan.  Here's what you need to take care of for tonight:

AP English III

The parent information and contact sheet is located two posts down.  Make sure that if you fill out the sheet online then you bring back the paper version with the first line filled out and the word "ONLINE" at the top.  Then I'll know where to find the information.

In addition, I want you to finish reading the Alexie piece we started in class.  Make sure to read and annotate - follow the same ideas we began discussing today in class.  At the end, please answer question number two.  Make sure to write a thorough response to this question as we will spend time working through the idea in our seminar on Thursday.  The question is:

In paragraph 7, Alexie repeats a certain verb fourteen times. What is this verb, and what effect does this repetition have? What might Alexie be trying to say about the process of his coming to literacy, in terms of both the effort required and the height of the obstacles encountered (or, given the metaphor introduced in paragraph 4, the thickness of the doors that must be broken through)?

The whole Alexie piece and the question can be found at this link.

You should be able to turn in your response if I were to ask for it.  Make sure to also bring in your copy of Shame of the Nation next class.

English II

The homework for the A-day class is the same as your homework tonight.  Please complete the parent information sheet either on paper or using the online form below.  Remember to turn in the paper form, even if you complete the form online.  After this, complete the rough draft of your travel paragraph.  Remember that your paragraph needs all four parts to be complete.  Have your paragraphs with you next class so that we can complete our peer editing!

Homework and Announcements for 8/24/2015

Happy First Day of Class!  It was really great to meet a bunch of new students as well as reacquainting myself with my старики in Russian II/III.  Here are your reminders for tonight's homework - all classes have something to prepare for our next meeting on Wednesday.

Russian II/III:

Tonight you don't have to do much work in Russian - most of your work will be in English.  For tonight write your paragraph in English and then mark the words in a highlighter which will need to be in the NOMINATIVE case when you translate into Russian.  Tonight just focus on nominative case.  If there is vocabulary you need for your paragraph you can also look up words.

II:  Tell me about one thing that you do today. (Only writing in present tense)

III:  Tell me about one thing that you did this summer.  (Mixture of past and present tense)

Russian I:

Tonight you will need to start learning the first six letters of the Russian alphabet - remember these are not the first six in order, just the easy six.  Using your own paper, write the words from the homework sheet at least five times.  Practice making your letters.  Say the words aloud as you write them.  Write this on your own paper so that you can practice making your words nice and neat.  We'll begin by reviewing this next class.

English II:

Tonight your homework is to complete two things!  One - Fill out the parent information sheet either on paper or online (link below).  Two - Complete the first draft of your travel paragraph.  Make sure that you have all four parts to ensure a complete response!  We will work through these a bit more on Wednesday, when we do some peer editing.

Online Parent/Student Contact Form - 2014/2015

Dear Parents and Students - Please find below a link to the online parent/student information sheet.  If you would rather submit your information electronically, complete the form at the link below.  If not, please return the paper form to me.

Parent Information Sheet

AP English III Summer Assignment Help Sessions

Upcoming students of AP English III.  I am teaching summer school this session and am making myself available to help you with your summer assignments.  I am on campus from 8:00 am to 12:30 Monday through Thursday until August the 5th.  Please come in and ask for whatever help you may need completing your assignments.

To my former AP English III students, know that I can help you with your college essay drafting and revising process if you've already started on those.