18 October - Happy Friday

English 11

Solid day today, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your reading and study of Zora Neale Hurston's "How It Feels to Be Colored Me." I really like this piece a lot. I like the way that it deals with identity and personal stories. I also appreciate the way that Hurston is able to write her story in a way that she connects to others. I was impressed with how well you were figuring out her tones, focusing on her language, and looking at her messages around identity and pride. The connections that we were able to build back to Nina Simone were really wonderful.

Remember that your Unit 1 Project is due. I appreciate that a lot of people came to Lion Time to work today. I'll be grading projects on Monday and giving you feedback. On Tuesday we'll take our final vocabulary quiz for this quarter. Be sure to study List 2 over the weekend. I gave you exercises to help you study and review. If you go Current Lessons, you can see the space to access the online resources.

As always, reach out with any questions or concerns. I'm always here to help! I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

11 October - Happy Friday

English 11

It felt nice to get a bit back to normal today with class after the strange day that we had on Wednesday. Thanks, as always, for a great session today. We did a bit of a transition today as we went from Unit 1 to Unit 2 - this included some feedback, time for our projects, and then time to work on some new content and ideas.

I loved seeing the dedication that you all brought to our project workshop after the feedback. I hope that you found everything useful in terms of our review. Remember to pay this forward into your projects. When your project is complete you've commented on three excerpts to find all of our unit literary/narrative devices. Turn in your work via Schoology. I am happy to meet with you next week during a Lion Time if you need more help. Remember, we won't have any more time in class to work on this project.

From our project work we began our transition into Unit 2 - The Harlem Renaissance. We talked a bit about the history and context for this moment in history. Over the next few weeks we'll explore by reading, writing, and listening. We'll study a mix of poetry, music, and non-fiction in this unit. We listened and analyzed "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday today as a first step. At the end of class, we finished our words for List Two. We'll review a bit next class and take our Vocabulary Quiz on 22 October. This will be one of the last grades of the quarter.

11 January - Looking at Langston Hughes

AP Language

We had a really lovely day today in AP Language with another fantastic Harlem Renaissance voice - Langston Hughes. Today we got to hear his voice both as a poet and as a social critic; it's interesting to notice how he's saying the same thing (his argument) in various styles. Today's class was a reading, writing, and thinking day -- our essential skills in AP Language! We'll continue to reflect on this essay next class. Be sure that you've completed your discussion board post and submitted your annotations document. Note that the annotations document won't be graded, just the discussion board.

Next class we'll be focused on some writing skills and argumentative writing. There's no reading for next class. Use the time to get into Invisible Man. You'll want to be ahead in the reading so that we can really focus on comprehending and interpreting skills in class.

9 January - Zora Neale Hurston

AP Language

We spent a great class with Ms. Zora Neale Hurston today in AP Lang. She is definitely one of my top ten writers, probably top five if we're just looking at American literature and writers. We didn't quite finish our work at the end looking at Hurston's piece through the frame of an argument, so I'd recommend finishing by reflecting on those questions tonight. How does she use evidence and commentary throughout her essay to support her thesis? In what ways does she create clear organization between sections and ideas using her main argument? How does she develop and employ an engaging voice throughout the essay? All of these are key questions in FRQ 1 and 3 - the argument questions - so it's important to see how authors do this so that we can too.

Next class we're looking at Langston Hughes. His text is pretty difficult, so we'll work through it in class - no reading necessary for next class. Use this time to get into Invisible Man - use the audiobook, YouTube playlist, and other resources. Don't forget to check in with your motif tracker as you read - it's a great tool too. We'll be working through Chapter 1 next week!

5 January - End of the Week

AP Language

We had a really fantastic day to start our work on Invisible Man - it was a packed class, so we didn't finish everything. Be sure to finish reading The Prologue tonight. Use the recording in the slides to access the audio book. As you read, keep following the ideas that we were focused on in class. 

The other major activity in class, other than reading aloud and studying the book together, was our investigation of The Harlem Renaissance. We looked at music, art, and poetry in order to understand the historical and social context of the Harlem Renaissance. Consider how these texts are all a response to the moment and the racism of the society of the time. We're going to keep looking at music, art, and other authors as we keep moving forward. How are all of these texts having the same conversation and each author offering their own opinions? 

Keep reading! Remember that we have Hurston for Monday's class - enjoy the reading. It's a great article. You have Chapter 1 due on January 18. Follow your reading schedule!

Ending the Week - Thursday the 18th of March

AP Language

Today in class we had an assessment and working day. The main goal was to complete our assessment on the Prologue to Chapter Seven in Invisible Man. I look forward to reading your responses and interpretations of elements of the novel so far. Expect the scores to be entered on Monday.

Beyond that, there was time for a poetry exploration and discussion as well as time for conferencing, reading, or vocabulary. Remember that next week your vocabulary cards will be collected and that you will meet the end of the grading period. Any papers to be reviewed need to be resubmitted by the end of the day on the 26th.

Please reach out during Office Hours on Monday with any questions or needs. I'm here to help!

English 10

Today's class was a bit of everything. We engaged with each other in a discussion board on unwritten rules before taking time to read through a bit more of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. We looked at characters, especially the differences between two guards, and thought up some great topics and symbols before some discussions on the book. 

Next week we'll take a break from Solzhenitsyn to write our third SOL essay of the year. The prompt and planner is posted for you to use as you'd like. We'll write the essay in class on Tuesday/Wednesday. The essay will be the last big points of the quarter. Remember that if you're missing something from earlier this quarter, now is the time to turn it in. 

Enjoy the weekend and the beginning of spring. You may want to start reading a bit on your own to keep moving through the novel. Next week I'll start assigning reading on your own.

End of Week 20 - 5 February

AP Language

Today was a day for us to engage in some critical thinking and reading as we explored DuBois's ideas. The concept of "the veil" and "double consciousness" are going to remain with us for some time, so it's important to continue to reflect on these ideas as we keep encountering them in different spheres.

Over the weekend you should aim to complete remaining research paper tasks. Next week we'll shift gears into writing and drafting, so a thorough outline is key to completing the next step easily. See the recording for information on completing and revising where you are.

Sign up for Office Hours on Monday if needed.

English 10

Today was our final working day in Week 20. This week our task has been focused on researching our one choice museum in earnest to create our presentation about the museum. Be sure that you have completed Step 1 and Step 2 in this project by the end of the week.

Further, as part of our research skills, we've been focusing on learning MLA citation style. Remember that there is a lesson on NoRedInk to lead you through this concept. I have a drag and drop activity to test your skills on this, be sure to turn it in by Monday.

AP Research

It's a bit of a broken record in AP Research since so much of the work is on you right now to hunt down and find your data. We've actually come to the close of this unit on Method. As you keep putting your method into practice, be sure to document the ways in which you implement your method. These contacts and steps are important and should become part of your work. 

Next week we'll meet on Wednesday for Elevator Pitch 2.0. Remember to embrace the beginning of your POD by putting information together on multiple slides. Pitch 2.0 really begins to prepare our POD, so let's feed two birds with this work.

Beginning Week 20

AP Language

Today we began our study of the Harlem Renaissance and eventually our reading of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Keep in mind that as we are beginning this unit, we are also finishing our research papers. Your next step is due on February 8th - the Synthesis SourcePack assignment. See the template document to complete that work.

Tonight you will need to read Chapter 1 from The Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois. There's a reading guide to help you prepare for our class on Thursday/Friday where we'll do some close reading and focus on key ideas in the text which will show throughout the unit. It's a good idea to start collecting vocabulary now, as you will have a set of cards due eventually.

I hope that you enjoyed today's class. I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts and questions on DuBois's text.

English 10

Today in class was our working day to kick off Week 20. This week our task is to complete Part 2 of our Museum Unit, which is the research on our choice museum. We'll be putting together a tourist information reference on the museum for someone who would visit. We'll be using resources and information from the Internet to complete this work, so citing our information and using proper format will be one of our goals this week.

Access the lesson on NoRedInk to review citations and get more practice. You'll be getting a grade on citations in the second assignment this week, so your knowledge will be assessed in the project. Be sure that work from last week is complete before moving on.

Homework for B-Day Classes: Tuesday the 6th of February

English IV

Good work today analyzing Gothic elements and working through an episode of The Simpsons for a view of Gothic literature in a bit of a fun way. Next class we will start wrapping up this introduction unit before we go on to reading and studying Frankenstein. Also next class will be our last chance to go through our projects before we present them. Projects should be complete next class.

AP English III

There are a few things that you should be working on as we move through to next class - here are your specific reminders below.

• Research Papers - You have access to the Synthesis Sourcepack documents via Google Classroom. Alter the templates so that you are going through your question, your sources and documents, and your context for your issue. Use SIRS or other resources to collect and organize your documents. This is a useful assignment and should be an easy A for all of you.
• Reading - I feel as though our conversation on Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" could have been richer had more of you thoroughly read it. We will continue to look at the piece next class as well as the poems. Be sure that you have thoroughly read and analyzed it using our discussion today as a jumping off point to the text and understanding Baldwin's larger points.
• Upcoming - Next week we will begin reading Invisible Man as well having our first Synthesis timed writing. Please have a copy of the text and be ready for your timed writing.

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 2 February

What a week! Lots of good learning and thinking going on in Room 301! Four months left of school and only eight weeks until we get to Spring Break! Let's do this thing!

AP English III

Thank you everyone for your hard work during our quiz today in class. I'll work to get your work back to you by the end of the week. A few important reminders before I talk about homework:

1. When sharing items to me my email address is daniel (underscore) miller (at) dpsnc (dot) net. Please check your sharing settings. Many of you told me that you had submitted work, but I didn't see it because it likely went to another person. Check yourself and make sure it's in. I'll update grades as soon as possible.
2. You may resubmit your week-long reflection from the Transcendentalism project. If you choose to do that, it would be due by the 9th of February. Please make sure to submit the original with the new so that I can process the resubmission.

And now for the homework for the weekend.

1. Take a look and read over some of the poems in the packet that I gave you today in class. I especially want you to take a look at Countee Cullen's "Incident". What do these poems help you to understand more about the Harlem Renaissance?
2. Please read and thoroughly annotate James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" - You'll only need to read and annotate Part One. The text is available in 50 Essays and at this link. As you read and annotate, look for connections between Baldwin and DuBois - How is Baldwin struggling with the veil? How does he respond? How is this like what DuBois offers as ways to respond to the situation of being an African American?

We'll be discussing Baldwin on Tuesday as a means of also wrapping up our discussion on DuBois. Expect for us to begin reading Invisible Man next week - get yourselves a copy of this wonderful book!

English IV

Like your colleagues in 2A, there really isn't any work for you all to complete before our next class. Today you all got a good start on your projects and your research topics. Feel free to continue to work on these over the weekend if you would like. Make sure to review your notes from today's class before next week just in case we have another coin toss quiz!

Homework for the Weekend - B Day - 27 January 2017

AP English III

This weekend there are three key things that you should work on. First, you have your reflection on being a Transcendentalist this week; I hope that through this experiment you learned something about yourself as well as the larger society of which you are a member. Reflect and think about this experience and express what you learned about yourself or society through this process. There are many routes that you can go with this reflection, but you should focus on showing what you learned and how you learned it.

Second, there's the beginning of the preparation for our research papers. Start by brainstorming three topics - these can be as general or as specific as you want. Remember that eventually these will be argumentative research papers, so it's important now to think about what interests you about this topic and what you want to learn more about the topic. Part of the process of developing this paper involves research, which we will begin next week.

Lastly, there's an article to read for Tuesday's class. The article is by James Baldwin and it's called "Notes of a Native Son" - it's a long piece, so only read Part One for Tuesday. Annotate heavily and consider how Baldwin uses personal examples to make a larger point about race and racism in society.

English II

Though we were cut short by the fire drill we were still able to watch our episode of The Twilight Zone, "Mirror Image". This will be the last thing that is on your quiz. For Tuesday's quiz we will have questions on "The Night Face Up" and on "Borges and I" as well as a paragraph response about the concept of doppelgangers. Make sure to study your notes and review the stories. Prepare for your quiz!

Homework for B Day Students - 25 January 2016

AP English III

With today being a PLC Day we didn't have the chance to delve into DuBois the way that I wanted to. That's okay though because he lines up really well with Hurston (the reading for tonight). Take time to read Zora Neale Hurston's "How It Feels To Be Colored Me" - it's in 50 Essays or at this link.

As you read, try to find elements of Transcendentalism. Do you see how she is working through the idea of double consciousness? Try to relate her to DuBois and the others.

Also, I will collect your final reflection on Transcendentalism next week. Continue the experiment to Friday and take the weekend to reflect and write about the process of simplifying.

English II

No required homework for tonight. Enjoy the end of the semester!

Homework for Monday - 23 January 2016

AP English III

This week you all will be completing one of my favorite projects of the year - the Transcendentalist for a week project. Remember that there are two portions - you should keep daily reflections about your process and these daily reflections will be the source for your week-long reflection which is going to be collected on Friday.  Read the assignment sheet carefully and think about yourself this week. Track your growth, and your mistakes, and think about why all of this matters.

Secondly, make sure that you read W.E.B DuBois' first two chapters from The Souls of Black Folk. As you read and annotate, stay focused on "the veil" and the idea of "double consciousness". This lines up well with the same ideas Thoreau showed us with the two eyes.  Hopefully on Wednesday we'll start to see how all of this comes together.

English II

You don't have any homework to complete tonight; however, if you saw missing assignments on your progress report you will need to finish and turn those in Wednesday since Wednesday is the last day of the quarter. Be sure that you've taken your test on Persepolis and turned in your comic book project.

Homework for B-Day Students - 12 January 2017

AP English III

Your next class will be on Tuesday the 17th, following Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Day. For our next class, make sure that you are prepared with the final draft of your rhetorical analysis of your monologue as well as your memorized monologue. You also need a copy of the monologue (annotated) to pair with your analysis.

In terms of our new unit on African American thought in the Harlem Renaissance, please read the article called "Ain't I A Woman" by Sojourner Truth available in 50 Essays or at this link. As you read, think about language and identity. How does language create power? You may find it helpful to look at Frances Harper's poem since she and Sojourner Truth share a lot of commonalities.

Additionally, read over the poems I gave you today so that we can work with those.

English II

You took a test today on Persepolis so there is no real homework to finish. Next class we will be working on our graphic novel projects and moving on to our next unit!

Homework for B-Day Students: 29 January 2016

Happy weekend, y'all.  Here's what you need to take care of this weekend:

English II

For the weekend, please make sure that you have finished your writing on "Tuesday Siesta" - you should complete the writing sheet and paragraph on your question.  I'll collect this work from you on Tuesday.  

During Tuesday's class we'll be moving forward to look at our next author and texts - Pablo Neruda's poetry.  Look forward to that!

AP English III

There are a few things that you all need to take care of this weekend.  Excellent job on the skits today - the writing and presentations were wonderful!  I'll have your grades uploaded this weekend and feedback to the groups will be on the gradebook under comments.

First, make sure that you have your copy of Invisible Man for class on Tuesday and that you have fully read and annotated Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son", Part One.  We'll be referencing him as we discuss the Prologue to Invisible Man.

Second, you'll need to spend time working on your research topics.  Do some pre-research and consider your topic and the point you want to make.  If you don't already have a Durham County Library borrower card and PIN, get that this weekend; you'll need it on Tuesday to start your research.

Homework for B-Day Students - 27 January 2015

And we're back to it everyone!  It's been good to see you again.  Here are your reminders for tonight:

English II

If you didn't finish the writing of your new question for Marquez make sure to finish that tonight so that we can have our writing workshop next class.

AP English III

Let's go over next class in order of importance:

1. Your skit presentations will be happening next class.  Make sure that your background and script have been shared to me (mrmillerjhs @ gmail [dot] com) in advance of Friday's class.
2. Make sure that you have practiced and prepared.  Have your props and costumes ready.
3. Read Part One of Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son".  The link is here.  It's also available in 50 Essays.  Continue to note what Baldwin is doing in relation to the ideas of The Harlem Renaissance that we discussed today in class.  Consider the similarities and differences between Baldwin's approach and Hurston's approach in their texts.  Annotate by taking notes if you can't print the text out.
4. You'll need your copy of Invisible Man for Tuesday, February 2nd.

AP English III - Special Note

Remember that we will start our next unit in the beginning of the third nine weeks and it will focus on Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  Please go ahead and secure a copy of this book now so that you have it when we begin.  I would recommend getting a copy published by Vintage International so that we have the same page numbers.  Here's the link to Amazon's page on this edition.

Order Invisible Man

My edition is the old one with the red and white cover, the new has the green cover, but the page numbers should be the same.

Homework for B Day Students : 3/18/15

AP  III - I started grading tests this evening, and they look really good so far. Told y'all it wasn't hard. For Friday, make sure you have read ch 11-12 in Invisible Man, and be prepared to turn in your papers on Langston Hughes. Also be reminded that your final drafts of research papers are due March 26. If you have not yet had a conference with me or Mr. Miller, please find a time to do so tomorrow or Friday - the sign up sheet is on the door.

English II - Read to p. 111 for our next class. There will be a reading quiz! Please bring your close reading passages to class as well. Since we did not finish these in class today, we will begin with them the following class period. Continue to think about Kambili and Jaja's personalities, and pay attention to the way they change.

Apologies to A-Day Students and Homework for All

A-Day Students:  Apologies for not getting your homework up until now.  Here's what it is:

Russian I and II

Both of you have the same assignment - write one page double spaced in your journal about anything that you would like.  For this assignment you can feel free to use any of your grammar goals that you've learned and really you should as you want to be practicing with these ideas.  Try to include one of the sayings of the week in your writing so that you can work in some conversational phrases as well.

You don't need to write any more than one page.  Focus on accuracy!

English II

There's no homework for all of you leading into our next class.  Make sure you're spending a bit of time studying and reviewing since we'll have a test next week.

AP English III

For next class you have your reading of Zora Neale Hurston's "How It Feels to Be Colored Me".  This piece is available in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read, make links to the introductory information about the Harlem Renaissance.  Make sure, especially, that you focus on the vocabulary in this piece, the importance of jazz/blues music in the piece, and especially the idea of identity.

Read carefully and consider.  Annotate heavily.

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!