Homework and Announcements

First, your homework:

You will need to read the poem "Back Again Home" by Haki Madhubuti. There are questions at the top of the handout. Standard students only need to answer the first four; Honors students need to answer all seven. The answers should be done in complete sentences and then put in the box.

Announcements

You will have a poetry quiz on 4/2 and 4/3. You will need to review your notes for the past few classes. Be aware that several questions from the last quiz will reappear.

You will have your poetry project due when you get back from Spring Break - 4/20 or 4/21. On this day we will also have a workshop for rough drafts of your poetry papers. You will get this assignment next week.

There will be a final poetry exam on 4/24 and 4/27. Your final drafts of your papers will be due on the day you take your test.

Weekend/Monday Night's Homework

Students - The homework is different for the different sections of the class.

Honors Students - You will need to read the handout with the poem "Ode to Duty" by William Wordsworth. Throughout the poem I made several notes to you that you may want to pay attention to. Also, there are several questions throughout the handout. Answer the questions thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Standard Students - You will need to compose your own ode to whatever you'd like. Your ode needs to be at least fifteen lines long. This could be a poem you later use for your poetry projects.

If you need help, come to study hall on Monday.

No Homework

I hope you all enjoyed having a night off this past night. I just want you all to be aware that we are starting fourth quarter and I am keeping my expectations high. If you need any help, at any time - remember to ask.

Homework for 23/24 March

Tonight's homework is to find a poem and bring in a copy of that poem to class. You will need to include the title of the poem and the author. The poem must be written by someone other than you.

After you find a copy of the poem, you need to write two paragraphs. In the first paragraph you need to summarize what is going on in the poem, and in the second paragraph you need to tell why you think the author wrote the poem. The paragraphs and the poem are due to the box!

Peer Editing

Today in class you were given another student's paper. These rough drafts of the definition essay are your homework for tonight. Your job is to go through each line of the paper, and mark it up. Give the writer suggestions as to how to improve their essay. Don't just focus on grammar mistakes - give comments on the overall strengths and weaknesses in the essay.

I recommend that you use the rubric on the assignment sheet to grade the essay and look for places to improve. You should give the essay back to the writer on Wednesday (A day) and Thursday (B day).

Do not lose your partner's paper. Protect it in the same way you would your own child. If you lose your partner's paper you will get a zero for your rough draft. If you don't get your paper back by Wednesday/Thursday - look at the roster posted on the wall outside my room to see who has your paper. Feel free to harrass them all you want.

Homework for the weekend

I really hate giving you homework over the weekend after a test - unfortunately, that's how the cards fell this month. Your homework is to finish your rough draft of your definition essay. Turn this into the box on Monday/Tuesday. You will be getting either a pass or fail grade for this assignment. If you turn in something - you pass. If you turn in nothing - you fail.

Also, we will have DPS Benchmark Exams on Monday and Tuesday. I, unfortunately, do not have a study guide for you. If you spend time reviewing your notes from the beginning of the year to now, you should be well prepared. This test will focus on reading comprehension and grammar. Be sure you study your warm-ups and literary terms!

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

OPEN THREAD

If while you are studying you come across any questions and you can't figure out the answer. Ask here. I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Homework for 6 and 9 March

Your homework tonight asks that you continue to work on your definition essays. For this assignment, you should use the outline format that I provided for you in class today to outline your essay. Use your prewriting assignment to help you get started. Please bring your outline with you to class on Tuesday/Wednesday as I will use this time to check over your outlines and give guidance about how to move forward with your drafts.

Unfortunately, I cannot post the proper format here on the blog because it messes up the spacing. Come see me for the format if you need help.

New Due Dates!

Because of the snow day earlier this week things are a little off. Here are the new due dates for upcoming tests and projects.

Shakespeare/Drama Projects - Friday the 6th (A day) and Monday the 9th (B day)

Shakespeare Test - Thursday the 12th (A day) and Friday the 13th (B day)

Rough Draft of Definition Essays and Benchmark Exam - Monday the 16th (A day) and Tuesday the 17th (B day)

Final Draft of Definition Essays - Tuesday the 24th (A day) and Wednesday the 25th (B day)

---------------
Tonight's homework is to finish your projects. I will collect these at the beginning of class on Friday/Monday.

Happy Snow Day!!!

It looks like Alaska outside today!

Enjoy your day off - use this day to get a lot of work done on your projects!

Homework/Reminders

First, the reminders. You have a quiz on Acts II and III on Tuesday the 3rd for A day and Wednesday the 4th for B day. You should be sure that you study this weekend for this quiz. Use your notes to review. Also, your projects are due on Thursday (A) and Friday (B). You should plan on spending time this weekend working on this project that you have had for a little more than a month. If you have questions about your projects this weekend, please leave a comment.

Finally, your homework:

Standard: Act III, Scene 5 shows the first real encounter between just Juliet and her parents – Does this remind you of a realistic interaction between a teenage girl and her parents? Why or why not? Perhaps you want to draw on personal experience or an example from TV or film to clarify your statement.


Honors: Answer the following question using evidence from what we’ve studied so far in Romeo and Juliet – you should be sure you have a clear thesis statement and clear examples from the text that clarify your thesis. Explain how the depiction of childhood or adolescence in Romeo and Juliet contributes to the meaning of the whole play. In order to clearly answer this question you need to tell me what the meaning of the play is.

Study for your quiz.

If you have questions about your homework, please leave a comment. This homework is due to the box on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Homework for 25/26 February

Your homework tonight goes in your journal. Respond to the following prompt:

What is your impression of Lord Capulet by the end of III.4? How has this changed? Why?

Homework 23/24 February

By the end of III.2 Juliet's attitude and use of language have confirmed our ideas about her character. How would you describe her? Use quotes and support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Homework 19/20 February

Your homework is to complete your prewriting worksheet. This is not only going to count as a homework grade but also as part of your paper.

Honors students - You also need to answer the following question: Who is to blame for the events of III.1? Why? When you answer the question be sure to use clear examples. You're making a case here against someone, you need to prove it!!!

Answering Ivan...

B-day students:

I will collect your homework (Board Games or Witness Statements) in class on Friday.

Homework!

See everyone again on Thursday! Hope that you enjoy the field trip!

Your homework is to work on your projects. A lot of people have been asking me about the translation project and I keep stressing that I want to see you work with slang. Remember that just having the characters speak in Modern English Vernacular isn't enough. They need to have a particular slang to use that keeps the meaning of the scene.

See me if you need help - don't forget about the help sessions on Thursdays!!!

Homework - 13/16 February

Your homework for tonight is to choose one side of the worksheet that you got in class and complete the assignment. Make sure that you follow the directions and keep your interpretations based on the text. You can use the online text that I posted a few weeks ago to help you accomplish the assignment.

Turn the assignment in to the box on Tuesday/Wednesday, remember to either type your work or write in pen!

Homework - 11/12 February

Your homework tonight is to study for your Wordskills Lesson 2 Exam. Be sure to use your review sheet to help you study for this exam as this sheet will be very similar to your exam. In addition, you may want to spend some time looking at the paper assignment that I gave you today. We will begin working on this next week and a bit of extra time spent this week may really pay off in the long run.

Finally, I would like to again stress the higher expectations that I am holding you all to this semester. The work is going to be more difficult, and there will be more of it - I know that all of you are capable of meeting these expectations.

Homework - 5/6 February

Your homework for the weekend is to complete the study questions for Act II. Remember to follow the instructions on the sheet. Honors students need to complete all ten questions, whereas Standard students need to only select five questions to complete.

HELP SESSIONS

While we're studying Romeo and Juliet, I'm going to make myself available for extra help. Feel free to come to me after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays for extra help. We can review notes, reading, discuss things in more depth, or clear up any questions that you have. Also, a lot of people have been coming to me for help on their projects - this would be a chance for you to get more help on your projects.

First help session is Wednesday 2/3. Assuming that we have school.