6 November - Welcome to Quarter 2

English 11

It was really great to see you all today and work with you. On hard days, I really enjoy spending some time with you and hearing your thoughts and ideas. Today we had a class focused on letters and our central idea of American problems and possible solutions. We started the class with a bit of a review - there was the review of MLA structure for citations and the review of the elements of a letter. From there we looked at a letter by a famous American, Helen Keller. From our reading, we located the elements of the letter and discussed Keller's use of imagery, irony, and tone. We also discussed the problem that Keller was exploring in her letter as well as a possible solution.

In the second half of class we had time for conversation. We collaborated, listened, and presented our ideas about the various texts we've been reading so far. I'm sorry that the conversation was short - we'll focus on this for longer next time.

Before I see you on Friday, make sure that your research topic is submitted. I've provided feedback in your document, so you might want to start addressing that feedback. We'll be developing our topics further next class through some revision. Also, we'll take a look at another piece of writing to help us understand constructing an argument.

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 A-Day - 5 March 2019

AP English III

Good work today with your unit examination on Transcendentalism and your synthesis timed writing. I'll be reading and commenting this week and will get that work back to you next week. I was also very happy with your Synthesis Sourcepack assignments. Most of you received near perfect scores. If you lost points, it was probably related to your citations - be sure that we've reviewed this before the outline is due.

The outline for your research paper will be collected on Monday. The outline should document your argument (DADS), key topics/reasons (at least 4-5), and the way in which you are using your sources (quotes/paraphrases) to support your argument. I'll be available all week in the morning for help on this. Remember all that we have learned related to argumentative writing.

Next class we'll begin our unit on The Grapes of Wrath. Please see the Unit Plan for details on this. Tonight you should do some preliminary research on John Steinbeck. Who is he? What did he write? What did he believe in? What were his politics like? Come in with some information so we can start reading!

English IV

Today in class we were really focused on getting some more reading done before we got into groups to discuss and work on our characters. I was happy to see that so many of you have a good understanding of your protagonist, antagonist, and some of the conflicts that are happening in your book so far. I think that everyone has a good understanding of the basic set-up of the novels so far.

Tonight - keep reading! Keep going! Get further into your books so that they get more interesting. Next class we'll be doing a workshop to prepare for Durham Tech and other college applications!

A-Day Homework for the Weekend - 11 January 2019

Sorry for posting this late everyone! From my training all day Friday, then to the swim meet, and finally home. Here are your reminders.

English IV

We'll be getting back to our poet/poetry projects on Tuesday. The goal will be to finish our research and to begin studying our poem. I'll take you through a model of poetry study that is really helpful at finding and discussing themes. Make sure that you've found your chosen poem and read it several times. Consider what you think the meaning of the poem is.

Also, if you didn't finish the film, we'll get back to that on Tuesday too.

AP English III

If you did not yet share or submit your vocabulary cards, please do so. The envelopes feel a bit light...

For the weekend you have two assignments to complete - reading and writing based. On the reading side, move in to Part Two of Beloved and complete Chapter 19. This is a longer chapter and will take you some time to read; there are several breaks in the chapter - use them to your advantage. As you read, look at how things are new and different for Sethe and her daughters. You may find it useful to compare to the opening of Part One. What's the same in terms of the structure of the chapters? What's different?

In terms of your writing, be sure that you have your outline for peer review on Tuesday. The outline should consist of the four elements in the slides from class on Wednesday (Google Classroom). I will collect your Works Cited page and mark errors in citation. Be sure that you have a hard copy of this or can share one to me and that it has at least five clear sources.

I think that's everything! As always, be in touch with any questions or concerns you may have.

Homework for B-Day students-January 6, 2016

AP English III
Today in class we worked on MLA formatting and citation. Most of the information you need is on the handout, but all of that and more can also be found at the pages linked in the previous blog post.

On Friday you must have with you:

• A printed final draft (as I said in one class, I am okay with double-sided printing)
• Your first and second drafts that were reviewed by your peers
• Any peer review sheets that you have
• A number of you were absent on the day we did peer reviews and may not have sheets. Show me evidence that you completed a peer review via email or some other method or include an explanatory note.


• Your big manila envelope in which to submit your materials
• Your portfolio--I plan to give back Huck Finn tests
• A copy of The Great Gatsby for our classwork that day.

English II
As before, your homework is to get in any missing work. We will continue with our reading game next class and probably finish reading the Cortazar story.

Please do not lose your vocabulary notes from today, and bring them back to class with you!

Writing Help for AP English III

This information is mostly useful for the AP English III students, but it could be helpful to English II also. As I have told many of you, I’m happy to look at revised outlines and rough drafts as you work on your argumentative essays. The best way to do this is to send me your work electronically (via email or Google Doc) or give me a hard copy to mark-up. Then, I can give back the draft with comments, or we can meet to discuss it. I can give you the best feedback if I have time to read your work carefully. It is also very helpful if you have specific questions or alert me to specific challenges you are facing, e.g. having trouble with the conclusion or transitions, you’re not sure you have adequate explanation of evidence, etc… This will help me help you.

My email address is jg239 [at] duke [dot] edu. I generally won’t answer any work- or school-related emails after 7 pm. Also, because I am a graduate student and have assignments of my own to complete, do not send me your work the night before it’s due and expect me to drop everything to get you same-day feedback. On rare occasions I may be able to do this, but don’t plan on it!



Helpful writing resources for you: 

UNC Writing Center: This website has loads of helpful handouts that can help you with many aspects of the writing process, from grammar issues, to specific parts of a writing assignment, to writing for specific academic fields. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/ 

Purdue OWL: Website run and updated by Purdue University. This is a great reference for styles, such as the MLA style we use in our course, and it also has resources similar to the UNC writing center above. I cannot recommend this site enough; I still refer to it every time I have to write a paper for graduate school. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Grammar Girl: Simple, clear explanations of common grammar and usage quandaries. Don't depress your teachers; if you don't know the right way to punctuate something or the right word to use, look it up! If you're still not sure, ask us! http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl

Homework for All Classes - 1/25 and 1/28

Early Release because of SNOW!?  That's the best thing ever!  Well, I would have liked full classes, but we can make up the time throughout the next few days.  Here are your notes for the weekend or Monday night to prepare you for Tuesday/Wednesday.

AP English IV

Over the weekend I'd like for you to read Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" from your Perrine book.  As you read the story, think especially about connections to O'Connor -- the stories mirror each other in a few ways which I hope we'll be able to tease out in our discussion and analysis.  As a note, we've only got two more stories to read after this one so you may find it useful to begin to review the other texts that we've studied so far to prepare you for a comprehensive exam on this short literature unit.

Don't forget about your poetry projects -- they'll be due a week from Monday.  Nobody has really come to see me yet, so I assume that everything is going swimmingly with these.

AP English III

Over the weekend I'll be reviewing your paper proposals and returning those to you on Tuesday/Wednesday - make sure that if you did not get this assignment submitted on time that you get this turned in ASAP, don't fall behind.  E-mail is an acceptable option for this assignment as speed is of the essence.

To prepare for our next class please read ALL of Act II of The Crucible.  Pay special attention to the development of John and Elizabeth Proctor as characters - we're really going to get to know them in Act II.  Also, we will spend a bit of time reviewing Act I since we were rushed today.  Lastly, please complete a works cited entry for your texts - we'll spend some time talking about MLA formatting on Tuesday/Wednesday.

English IV

You have no required homework, but if you are missing an assignment you need to get it turned in.  The only assignment at this point which you can be missing is the vocabulary assignment for Twelfth Night.  For this, find five words from our reading so far which are new to you.  Once you have those words, note the act, scene, and line number next to the word.  Then, define the word, give two synonyms and finally create a sentence which uses the word with context.  Don't just drop the word in, but show me in your sentence that you know what it means.

Homework for 11/15 and 11/16

AP English III:


After today's class you should be feeling much more comfortable with the idea of an analysis.  What you're supposed to do when you analyze, the type of thesis to write, and how we've basically been doing analyzing so far in annotating.  Now is when you start putting all of that to use.

For our next class, I expect that you will be to the end of chapter thirty-three in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  We're about to move into one of my least favorite portions of the novel, I've started coming to terms with the end, but I'm not there yet.  Maybe you all can help to get me there.  Also, you need to complete you vocabulary slides - in the last post is where you can access your class's document.  Make sure that if you word is coming from something that we've read that you provide the context for the word.  This is something that some of you that have started have left off or dealt with imperfectly.


In terms of writing/product for next class, I want you to complete the 1Q1P assignment using a portion of Huck Finn.  Remember one quote (no more than fifty words with chapter/paragraph reference) and one page (i.e. the rest of the page) to present the analysis of that quote.  These should be typed, double spaced, in a standard font.  For this assignment, forego MLA citation style, no header is necessary.


I'll be available Wednesday/Thursday after school if you need help with your analysis or to present a draft.  


English I:


Today we briefly reviewed the story by Ray Bradbury "The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind" and discussed the various symbols in the story.  It's important to also consider the historical allegory of the story and relate all of this back to the story's theme.  I think that now that you have read the story and we've discussed it, it may be a good idea to reread the story so that you fully comprehend.  You may actually find things you missed the first time (more symbols, different language, imagery, and so forth).  Regardless if you read the story again or not, you should find a few words from this story and get them onto your vocabulary bookmark - remember look for words that are challenging for you to define.  Maybe they're words you're seeing for the first time.


Your other homework for tonight would be to work on your research projects.  Remember that any information you find needs to be cited properly with MLA citations.  Get all of the information that you can on your source and organize it properly.  For tonight, you should make it a goal to complete one information slide related to your topic as well as one image slide related to your topic.  You may choose to put imagery and information on the same slide, but you should then do two slides.

We will present the first part of the projects next week.  Thursday and Friday are our last days in the library.  Work hard.