Thursday, December 20, 2012

Homework for the Break - 2012

Assuming that we all survive the end of the Mayan calendar tomorrow you have some tasks to complete over break to be ready for your return to school.  Look below for some refreshers.

Freshman Focus

You all have no work to complete over the break. I hope that you all enjoy your time off and settle in with a good book or two.  If you're traveling, safe travels.  If you're staying home, enjoy the time off.  It'll be lovely.  See you in 2013.

AP English III

Over the break you have two major priorities.  First, you need to finish reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  We are going to have relatively quick turn around between our final discussion of the text and our examination of the book.  You should all expect your exam to happen the week of the 7th of January.  Pay close attention to Tom Sawyer at the end of the novel - he becomes an important force.

Furthermore, you need to put in a lot of work on your website projects over break.  There are a few goals that I am setting for you outside of any goals that your group has made.  First, all members of the group must have their annotations, text, and analysis uploaded for review by the end of the break.  I would suggest getting this completed by the end of next week.  Then, in your groups, you will want to review and edit the various analyses.  This editing and reviewing portion will then begin to prepare you for the synthesis.  I will be giving you some direct instruction on how to complete this portion of the assignment when we return, but remember that by using the mock-up page you will get some good overview information on this part of the assignment.

Remember everyone that this is a team project - if a member of your team is not pulling his/her weight with the group, I expect that you will render him/her any possible assistance before moving to dismissal.  If you need help, you must ask, as soon as you recognize that you need help.  This is not the type of project in which you can wait until the last minute and expect to get good work done.

English IV

Your major priority is to complete the first draft of your essays.  These first drafts can be hand written or typed, but they need to be complete.  Make sure that you have this essay on the first day back from break due to the fact that we will be editing and reviewing these assignments.

That's all!  Have a lovely break and a Happy New Year!  С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Homework for Tuesday/Wednesday - 18th/19th of December

We're almost to Winter Break!  Don't let yourselves slack until the bell rings on Friday afternoon at 2:30.  All of you have something to prepare for your last day of class in 2012.

Freshman Focus

Next class we will be having our skits of examples of positive and negative interview experiences.  I hope that you and your group mates have prepared today during class in order to present these skits tomorrow.  After each skit, the audience will critique the positives and negatives.  Beyond this, remember that you have essays due for me on Thursday/Friday of your college essay.  Remember to turn in your rough draft with your final draft to get full credit.

AP English III

Next class we will have time to meet in our website groups in order to set goals and procedures for working over Winter Break.  The important thing to remember is that these websites should begin to look more complete by the end of break.  As a rule, your analysis, annotations, citations, and introduction pages should be done leaving only the synthesis left to complete.  Make sure that you are communicating effectively in your group and meeting your goals while you keep everyone accountable.

Furthermore, make sure that you have read to the end of chapter thirty-three by your next class.  There are some really amazing things for us to discuss and we'll be changing the structure of our conversation a bit to change things up a bit.  Look forward to that.

English IV

By this point all classes should have a clear understanding of what they are doing in their essays.  Your goal is to finish your draft by the time you return from break.  This is an expectation for all of you.  Next class we will have our second grammar test and finish watching V for Vendetta.  Feel free to bring snacks!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Homework for the Weekend and Monday

And now it's time for the last week before Winter Break.  Pay attention below so that you're prepared for our final days of class. 

Freshman Focus

After today you should have notes on your first draft of your college essays.  If you did not have your essay today in class remember to see me on a B-day at lunch so that you can get your credit made-up.  For homework this weekend you will need to finish your answers on question four related to the film Akeelah and the Bee.  Remember to answer in a complete paragraph using clear details from the film to support your ideas.  I'll collect your notes and responses in class on Tuesday/Wednesday.

AP English III

Today we went over some important information related to your satire projects.  I'm putting that document here so that you can refer back to it as you're working.  The document also has the website address for the mock-up that you should be using to create your final site.

Over the weekend you should be putting in some work on your personal rhetorical analysis and some other work in your collaboration.  On Tuesday/Wednesday you'll have your final timed writing for 2012 and we will discuss a lot of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - please make sure you're to the end of chapter twenty-eight.  Also be aware that I will be checking your vocabulary bookmarks again.  Have at least fifteen new words on your third bookmark.

English IV

Over the weekend you should all be working on your essays.  Remember that rough drafts of the essays in their complete form will be peer edited the day we return from break.  If you need any help, please e-mail me or speak to me so that you can get yourself on a good page.  The assignment that you have due on Tuesday/Wednesday asks you to reflect on the author you read today in class.  Your question to answer in a one page response is:

What would _________ say about the living conditions in 1984?  Why?

Be sure that as you answer this question you draw on your knowledge from the speech as well as your knowledge of the novel.  You should focus on your author that you read and studied.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Posting a Day Late

All,

As the A-day students are aware I was out yesterday.  I hope that you time with the substitute was productive and that you got a lot of individual work completed.  For the most part, the feedback I received was generally positive.  Here are some notes and reminders for all of you moving into Friday/Monday.

Freshman Focus

On Friday/Monday we will be finishing Akeelah and the Bee as well as having a draft workshop on our college essay assignment.  Please make sure that you have your rough draft done and that you bring it with you to class in order to get credit.  You will only get half credit if you just participate in editing with no draft.  Final drafts of the essays will be collected on the final day of the quarter before Winter Break (Thursday/Friday).  Don't miss any deadlines.

AP English III

I hope that the opening of Gone with the Wind has made a bit clearer the antebellum Southern society which Twain so mercilessly satirizes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  We will not watch more of the film due to the fact that it is about five hours long, but I do invite all of you to finish it as it is a really great movie.

For Friday/Monday I would like for you to be to the end of chapter twenty eight in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well as having finished the analysis guide on Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue".  We will be discussing both texts thoroughly in class as well as reviewing the answers to the multiple choice questions.  You need to have already finished answering the questions before coming into class.

Lastly, we will have some time to discuss the project more.  I think that after I review the requirements with you a bit more thoroughly that you all will see what you need to be doing now.  Remember that I expect most of the work on these to be done over Winter Break as you'll have finished the book by that point, but you can go ahead and begin sooner, rather than later, which is always the best option.

English IV

Next class we will be working through a discussion of the major points that Liveley makes in her story "Next Term, We'll Mash You" as well as drawing connections to the larger work related to human rights that we've been doing.  Please make sure that you've thoroughly read the story, answered the questions, and that you've completed your vocabulary log.  We will also move forward with our study of Desmond Tutu and Aung San Suu Kyi by looking at excerpts of two of their speeches. 

Lastly, you should be working on your body paragraphs at this point.  Rough drafts of the essays will be checked after we return from break and this will be your task for the holiday.  I would suggest that you spend some time this weekend getting the essay put together so that you have nothing to do over the break for class.

I think that does it!  Enjoy your afternoon, see you all Friday.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Homework for All Classes 12/10 and 12/11

Tonight all classes have goals to accomplish.  Look below for specific notes to help you out.

Freshman Focus

Today in class we began the mock college application process.  By this point you should all have an application on which you are working.  Tonight, I want you to spend some time working through brainstorming your college essay.  If your application does not have an essay which really draws you in or interests you, I offer you this topic:

Describe a risk that you have taken and discuss its impact on your life.

You might want to begin with a few possible ideas to answer this question and then follow the one that you can discuss the most thoroughly.  Remember that you want to be specific and personal.  Rough drafts will be collected from you on Friday/Monday and we will be editing that day.

AP English III

Tonight you have a few goals to accomplish.  First, I would like for you to read Gloria Anzaldua's "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" - it's available in 50 Essays or at this link.  As you read this piece you're going to want to think about a few major ideasthe idea of language as an act of revolution, the connection between language and identity, and the use of vernacular.  Also, you're going to want to consider how the author manipulates her organization in order to emphasize her points.  You'll be doing a lot of individual work on this piece on Wednesday/Thursday.  So, be prepared for that.

Also on Wednesday/Thursday you will have some time in your groups to work on separating out your work on the Satire websites.  By Thursday you should each have decided on your text that you will analyze and you should begin to create those pages on your website.  Your individual pages must be up by the end of the day on Sunday - that way you can start to fill those pages with content.  

Lastly, stay on your reading schedules.  We will be spending a lot of time on Friday/Monday discussing TAoHF.  Be prepared with thorough annotations!  

English IV

Leaving the room today you should all have your introduction paragraphs done.  Consider yourselves on the way to finishing your essays.  Tonight I want you to collect the evidence that you are planning to use in this essay.  I would recommend that you make a list of page numbers or moments in the text and then organize those moments around the different parts of your thesis.  This will then make your lives a lot easier as you begin to write your body paragraphs.  

Please let me know if you need any help with anything.  Remember A-day students that I will not be in on Wednesday.  See me Thursday or Friday with any questions or concerns.    

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Homework for the Weekend - 12/6 and 12/7

Here are your announcements and reminders for the weekend.  Pay attention to the notes below, especially Juniors and Seniors as you will be getting some important notes for completing your assignments.

Freshman Focus

No homework for you all to complete this weekend.  We'll be talking about college searches and researching colleges next week - so you might want to think about the type of school you'd be interested in over the weekend.  I hope that you all will enjoy your weekend without homework and get some good reading and relaxing done.

AP English III

Over the weekend you've got a few things to take care of related to your study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  You need to make progress on your next reading goal which is to be to the end of chapter twenty-eight by the 10th/11th.  We will likely not be discussing these chapters until the following class as we're about a day behind on our discussions.  Next class we'll be looking at the Grangerford section and the characters of the Duke and the Dauphin.  You may find it helpful to review that section.

Related to your project, there are several things to take care of this weekend.  First, you need to finish your group contract.  I'll be collecting these on Monday/Tuesday and giving you a completion grade for having all of the areas of the contract done.  Also on Monday/Tuesday you'll be getting a grade for having your site set up and shared.  You need to share it with each member of your group and with me.  This will be the second half of your completion grade.

The mockup for the site is available at https://sites.google.com/site/huckfinnsatiremockup/ -- Please use this mock-up to see what you need to include on each page and what you will need to do on each part of the assignment.  This is like your instructions for the project, if you have any questions about this project, do not hesitate to ask.

English IV

Over the weekend I would like for you to complete the introduction of your essay.  You already have a third of your introduction done if you have your thesis statement done.  Your thesis statement will come last.  Before that you will create a hook, and then a link.  The hook should be a sentence or two related to your topic which will grab my attention as a reader.  You could use a quote, you could create an image, or you could ask a thought provoking (not yes/no) question.  In the link you then want to introduce the title and author of the text and explain how the topic is connected to the book.  This then leads to the thesis.

I will be checking these on Monday/Tuesday and we will edit them, please make sure that you're meeting your deadlines on your essay.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Homework for 12/4 and 12/5

All classes have a task to complete for tonight, follow me below the greeting for a quick reminder as to what these things are.

Freshman Focus

Tonight I would like for you to reflect on your classmates presentations of their Utopian schools.  In a complete paragraph for each question, I would like for you to answer the following:

1.  Which of your classmates' schools would you like to attend if you had the chance?  Why?

2.  Which of your classmates' schools would you not like to attend?  Why?

As you answer the questions be sure that you are drawing not only on your personal opinion but also the information presented to you by each group.  I look forward to reading your responses.

AP English III

Tonight you have two things to read for me in order to prepare for next class.  First, you need to stay on your schedule and meet your next major milestone which is to be to the end of chapter twenty-two.  This is a significant chunk of pages, but it does tend to move quite quickly.  Pay attention to the new characters of the Duke and the Dauphin as well as the situation Huck undergoes while he is with the Grangerfords.  We will be focusing a lot on some very specific sections on Thursday/Friday - come equipped with thorough annotations.

In addition, I would like for you to complete the reading of Oluadah Equiano's Narrative - this is an excerpt of a real slave narrative.  Remember that the point to reading this is to get a fuller understanding of the experience of being in slavery and the dehumanizing aspect therein.  Remember that Jim's experiences are severely different from Equiano's, yet Equiano's experiences would be a part of Jim's identity as a slave.  This, in a way, is his ancestry.  We will discuss this piece tangentially as it relates to Jim, read carefully and look for new vocabulary of which there is a lot.

English IV

Walking out of class today you should all have your thesis statements done for your essay as well as having an idea as to what portions of the novel you are going to explain in your essay.  Tonight, I would like for you to continue to devote time and energy into finding examples and organizing them around the bigger topics within your thesis.  We will be working on our essays every day in class over the next few classes.  Be prepared and productive to ensure a solid performance.

Lastly - you all got progress reports today as well as information on how to access your grades through Jupiter Grades.  Please share the login information with your parents so that they can also be kept in the loop.

Monday, December 3, 2012

AP English III - Twain Satire Video

Sorry for all of the technology issues today - here's a link to the video on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the opinion of Jon Stewart.

Also - B-day Students - Be sure to read the articles I gave you today after you watch the video for a different perspective on the issue of language and changing language within a text.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Homework for the Weekend/Monday - 11/30 and 12/3

Some important reminders for all of you to be aware of this weekend and Monday to prepare for Tuesday/Wednesday's classes.

First, all of you will be getting official progress reports on Tuesday/Wednesday.  I expect that you will take these home and get them signed so that I know that you have been in communication with your parents.  If you receive any additional paperwork to take home, I expect that you will also return that to me.

Freshman Focus

No homework for the weekend; we will have an assignment related to the Utopian School Projects on Tuesday/Wednesday night, so do be prepared for that.

AP English III

Over the weekend you need to be working on meeting your next reading goal which is to be to the end of chapter twenty-two by the class on Thursday/Friday.  This next section is vitally important in Huck's development.  Also, we will begin on our major project related to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and satire.  Make sure that your google accounts are active.

Next class you will have your first rhetorical analysis.  Prepare by reviewing your notes.  This will be a prompt you've never seen before, but the process is always the same.  Just be sure that you're ready.  Remember - car and driver - you've got to have both.  While you complete the timed writing I will be grading your journals and your vocabulary bookmarks. 

English IV

Now that we've finished reading 1984 I want you to tell me what you thought of it.  Please answer the following question in a one page response, using clear details from the text to explain your opinion. 

What did you think of 1984?  Why?
 
I will be collecting this assignment for a grade on Tuesday/Wednesday.  Also, if you have any tests that need to be turned in or any other make up work to turn in, get that done this weekend too as the window to submit those assignments will soon be closed.  And by soon, I mean Tuesday/Wednesday, after I give out progress reports.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Homework for 11/28 and 11/29

Apologies for not posting your assignments last night.  Here are your reminders to prepare for Friday/Monday.

Freshman Focus

Your presentations will be next class.  We will begin presentations right when class begins so if there is any preparation that needs to be done in advance it needs to happen over the weekend.  Remember that there will be two grades here, your shared group grade for the powerpoint and then your individual grade for the presentation.  Your individual grade will also include your question and answer session in which I test your knowledge of your content.  Make sure that you are fully prepared.

AP English III

There are a few things going on over the next few days, here we go.  First, you need to give me your gmail account using the form in the previous post if you haven't already done that.  I need this information soon because we will begin our website project and that project will require the use of a gmail account for ease of creation.  Second, we will have a timed writing on Tuesday/Wednesday.  The timed writing will be a rhetorical analysis.  We've spent several classes preparing for this new task; I look forward to seeing what you all produce for me.  Remember that timed writings do count as a test grade.

Third, you need to stay on your grind, and by grind I mean reading schedule.  Remember that your next checkin is to be to the end of chapter sixteen, there was a misprint (my mistake) on your bookmarks.  Fourth, I will be checking your vocabulary bookmarks for completion on Friday/Monday.  I expect to see words from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby on these bookmarks.  Fifth, and very lastly, make sure that you've reviewed the reading by Sojorner Truth for a brief discussion and review on Friday/Monday.  There are a few important ideas that I want to go over with you all related to how Truth uses rhetoric to persuade her audience.

English IV

Today in class we had a great conversation related to the next to last chapter as well as some of the big ideas in this text:  power, humanity, authority, and truth or reality.  These ideas are all some that you can incorporate into your papers if you wish.  Tonight, you need to begin your first portion of your paper - your thesis statement.  On Friday/Monday I will conference with each of you about your thesis statement and we will make sure that you're starting off on a good point - then we'll move to the next phase of the essay which is collecting evidence and organizing it.

Essays are challenging because of all of the pieces that must be done in order for the essay to be successful.  This will be a very major test grade for you this quarter, please make sure that you meet your goals and are working hard to accomplish this.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Homework for 11/26 and 11/27

Freshman Focus

Your presentations of your Utopian Schools will be happening on Friday/Monday.  Please make sure that you are moving toward perfection with your presentation.  Remember that you need to be an expert on one aspect of the school.  If you feel as though you need to work on the powerpoint, work on that tonight.  Remember that our final day in class to work in the media center is going to be on Wednesday/Thursday.

AP English III

Tonight for homework you've got a few things to accomplish.  First, stay on your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - your next checkin date is Friday/Monday.  Next class we're going to go into the details a bit more on the first twelve chapters and do some textual analysis.  Very fun, yes.  Next, please use this form here to give me your gmail accounts.  It's important that you have these accounts by Friday/Monday due to the fact that we will begin our website project then and you will need a gmail account to complete the assignment. 

Also, be aware that there will be a vocabulary check soon - you need to have your second round of twenty words done.  Finally, you need to work on the Rhetorical Analysis prompt a bit today.  Please complete a thesis for this passage and thoroughly annotate the passage looking for examples you could discuss to prove the thesis.  We will spend time prepping this tomorrow.

English IV

Your work tonight is up to you.  Most of you have something to make up to get credit for class.  Make sure that you have this ready to turn in on Wednesday/Thursday.  I'm not going to take any late work past this point unless you have an excused absence on Wednesday/Thursday.

At the very least you MUST have the dialectical notebook done for Wednesday/Thursday's class.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Homework for Thanksgiving Break

All classes have something to accomplish over break.  Please follow the guidelines below to ensure that you come back to school with all of your deadlines met.

Freshman Focus

Over the break I would suggest putting some work into your powerpoints on your Utopian School.  Remember that we will only be in the computer lab for two more classes before we do presentations.  I don't want any of the groups to be left in the lurch, so make sure that you're meeting your goals.  Also, remember that each member of the group needs to be an "expert" on one portion of the school design and implementation.  Each person will have to answer questions, be sure that you've shared your ideas and have good answers.

AP English III

With the student surveys today we did not get through nearly as much as I wanted to; apologies for that.  Over the break you need to keep moving forward in your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Remember that you should develop your focus on characters as well as topics and motifs.  If I were to check your annotations when we get back from break, I would like to make sure that a full character list is in your front cover. 

In addition to reading your bit in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you're also going to read Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" - located in 50 Essays or at this link.  Continue to pay attention to the ideas of language and identity.  We'll be discussing this in comparison to Tan before we begin to crack open Twain. 

English IV

Over break I would like for you to read chapters three and four of Book Three in 1984.  To help you with your reading I want you to complete the dialectical notebook assignment.  For every two pages you should record one quotation and then write down your thoughts or reflection on the quotation.  There are some ideas to consider or questions to ponder to help you with the writing of your reflection on the quotes.  I will collect your quotes and reflections for a grade.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'll see you when we get back together next week!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Homework for the Weekend - 11/15 and 11/16

Below are your reminders for the weekend.  Please continue to work hard, meet your deadlines, and ask for any assistance that you may need from me.

Freshman Focus

I've been really happy to see all of you working hard in your groups to accomplish the goals of your Utopian School project.  On Monday you will have another good chunk of time to continue working and planning your schools.  Please make sure that you are being an active member of your group and working well with others to accomplish your shared goal.  Furthermore, remember that you will need to incorporate Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs into the discussion of your school.  You will want to focus on that as we continue to move forward. 

AP English III

Today I gave you your homework from now until Winter Break - your reading schedule for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Be sure that you meet your deadlines.  Also, be aware that it is better to be ahead than behind - Read ahead especially over Thanksgiving Break!  Over the weekend you will need to meet your first reading goal as well as read the article "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan.  The article is in 50 Essays and at this link.  As you read the article think about the ideas of language and its connection to a person's identity, just like Twain began to develop in his "Explanatory" before the novel began.  Furthermore, you will want to continue to annotate your texts and glean vocabulary from all of the pieces you read.  You should begin to prepare yourselves for another Bookmark check soon!

English IV

If you did not finish your collage/interpretation assignment, you will want to make that a priority over the weekend.  Also, I would like for you to read Chapter II of Book Three.  This is a very long chapter, so I would like to provide you with some areas to focus on in your reading.  Look primarily for the ideas of power, truth, and memory.  Most of this chapter takes place as a dialogue between Winston and O'Brien, so it should read pretty quickly. 

I think that does it.  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

AP English III Extra Credit

Please respond in this thread to earn extra credit on today's exam on The Great Gatsby.  In a comment, respond to the following topic:

T.S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald share many similarities between them - namely they are both modernists and they both explore the emptiness of humanity as they see it.  Comment on what you find to be the most significant similarity or difference between The Great Gatsby and "The Hollow Men".  Why is this similarity or difference the most important to you?  When looking at both texts, what do you see that the author is attempting to communicate?

Posts must be done before class begins on Thursday/Friday to be eligible for credit.  Make sure that you include your name in your post to receive credit.

Homework for All Classes - 11/13 and 11/14

Dear Students!  It's time for another short week here at school before we have a super short week next week.  Keep working hard before the Thanksgiving break and you will be rewarded!  Here are your reminders for tonight:

Freshman Focus

Next class we will be spending a majority of our class time working on the in class group project.  I liked seeing the discussions today and noticing the different directions that all of the groups were taking.  Remember that the goal is to meet all of the needs in the Hierarchy while still providing a quality education.  I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

AP English III

You all should take some time to relax tonight as you've just completed a major assessment.  I hope that you all found that this test was one you were well prepared for due to your annotations, reading, and your discussion of the text.  Remember that for next class you will need to have a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (I'll have some that you can check out) and you will need to have your vocabulary slides completed.  I will be grading the slides immediately after class, so no late work will be accepted.  Links to upload your slides are in the previous posts.  Make sure that you complete the proer assignment - one for A-day and one for B-day.  Don't get it twisted.

English IV

Tonight I would like for you to finish reading Chapter One of Book Three.  We will move quickly through the final section of the novel as it reads very fast.  Soon we will be beginning our final essay on this book and putting our skills at writing and communication to the test.  I look forward to seeing what all of you prepare for me.  In addition, be reminded that you will have a quiz next class on Chapter One.  Consider yourselves warned.

Friday, November 9, 2012

AP English III - B Day Homework - 11/9

B Day AP English III Students:

Over the weekend you have many of the same things to accomplish as the A-day students.  I'm not going to rehash exactly what that is as you can just read the post below.

Your vocabulary slides are going to be due on the 16th of November, the link for you all to use is located here.  Please make sure that you follow the rules to the letter.  I would recommend that you try to get these done over the weekend and that way if you have problems using Google Docs we can work that out together before the final due date.  I just want to reiterate that we are now moving to the point of the year where excuses will not be tolerated for not doing the assignments as given.  You need to ask for help before, not on the due date.

And now, without further waiting, here are the photos from today:

 
 



Apologies for not getting good photos of all of the groups.  I hope that you all enjoyed the skits today and I appreciate the fact that you stuck around after class to watch the final presentation.  I look forward to your performance on your exam on Tuesday.  Study hard this weekend!  And be sure to review the end of the book - it's pretty significant.

Make sure that you do read over the A-day post so that you're aware of your study tips and your next novel requirement.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

AP English III - A Day Homework - 11/8

A-Day AP English III Students:

Over the weekend you have a few things to take care of, here they are in the order of importance.

1.  Study for your exam on The Great Gatsby.  You will have quotation identifications, short answer questions, and an annotation/rhetorical analysis assignment.  Be aware that I will also be checking your final annotations the day of the test.  Your covers should be complete as well as any notes within the text.  Strong annotations lead to strong test grades.  I hope that you all are prepared for this exam.

2.  Your vocabulary slides are going to be graded a week from today (the 15th).  I'm including the link here.  To your A-day slide show.  Please follow the instructions in the document and upload your information.  The final due date is the beginning of class on the 15th.  I would recommend trying to do this THIS WEEKEND - that way if you have problems using the interface we can sort those out next week before it's due.

3.  You will want to get a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for class by the 15th.  We will start studying our next novel that day.  I'm looking forward to studying this book with all of you.  It's a wonderful text and I think you're going to all enjoy it a lot.

And now, the photos from today:






Excellent job with the skit project today!  I hope that this review of the major scenes in the text was fun and helpful for all of you.  Enjoy the weekend!

Homework for the Weekend - 11/8 and 11/9

This post is only for Freshman Focus and English IV - AP students will have their homework in a separate post.  One for A-day and one for B-day. 

Both Freshman Focus and English IV students do not have any homework for the weekend.  English IV students, I hope that you feel confident on your performance with today's exam.  I will have these back to you next week.

Freshman Focus students, we will be starting a group project next class.  You may want to consider who you would like to work with on this project.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Homework for 11/5 and 11/7

We've got tomorrow off for Election Day!  I hope that you all encourage your parents and older relatives to vote.  I hope that those of you who may be too young to vote go out and volunteer to help get out the vote.  At the very least, make sure that you do the following.

Freshman Focus

There is no homework for tonight.  We will finish watching Two Million Minutes next class and you will have a writing assignment connected to this film.  Be ready for that.

AP English III

In the next post I will put up the beginnings for your vocabulary slides.  You may want to go ahead and get started on these, but remember that they won't be graded until the 15th and 16th.  For tonight you should be prioritizing your The Great Gatsby skits as well as studying for your exam on the novel.  Remember that each group will need to submit an extra copy of their skit to me in order to get full credit.  We will present our skits next class, be ready with all required materials at the beginning of the period.

English IV

Next class you have your exam on Book II of 1984.  We spent a good amount of time today going over what will be on the test and preparing for that.  Make sure that you are ready for this exam.  Study your vocabulary, study your notes, and prepare your book so that it's a good resource for you.

I think that's it.  Enjoy your day tomorrow!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Homework for the Weekend - 11/1 and 11/2

Freshman Focus

Now that we've finished our debate on education I would like for you all to review your experience and write a reflection. For the reflection, please answer the following questions:

1. Overall, how was this experience for you? What would you do differently next time? What do you think you did well?

2. Which team won the debate? Why did they win?

3. If we do another debate in class, what can I do to make the experience better for you?

Please answer the three questions in a brief paragraph for each. When you've finished, make sure that you turn in your work to me on Monday/Wednesday morning.

AP English III

I've gone ahead and given you the outline for your second vocabulary assignment - the vocabulary slides. I'm putting the link here so that you can review the required information needed on the slide. Be sure to use dictionary.com or the Oxford English Dictionary in my classroom to find the required information. This will be officially assigned to you on Monday/Wednesday.

The real assignment you have this weekend is the Woolf/Petrunkevitch tone compare/contrast assignment. To complete this assignment you must first complete the graphic organizer to find evidence from each piece. Then, you will create your one to two page assignment. With this assignment, don't focus on making a thorough essay - focus on creating your argument, proving the argument with evidence from the two pieces, and then conclude. Remember that the assignment is about comparing and contrasting the tone of the author - stay focused on the prompt. You will want to add complexity to your argument by coming to a decision as to why each author uses their particular tone.

These tone assignments and graphic organizers will be collected on Monday/Wednesday. No late assignments will be accepted. We're past that point.

English IV

For homework over the weekend you have two tasks to complete. First, you need to finish your quotation analysis from chapter ten if you did not finish it in class. If you did finish it, great! All you have to do is the test review. We will be having our test on Book II of 1984 on Thursday and Friday next week. To prepare, I would like for you all to do a bit of review and preparation for me. You will be writing sample test questions for Book II. I would like for you to write:
  • one short answer question
  • four multiple choice questions with answers
We will use these to begin our test review on Monday/Wednesday. You will be graded on this, so make sure that you have completed this assignment before you walk in.