Monday, March 18, 2013

March 18-22, 2013

Greetings Students!

I hope you had a restful weekend. We are now in the last week before SPRING BREAK! The year is winding down, but that does not mean the work is over. On the contrary. We have SO much left to do. So without further ado, find this week's plans below:

PreAPEnglish 10
This week will see a continuation of our study of colonial writing, including The Crisis by Thomas Paine and the Declaration of Independence. See your Pearson page for assignments. We will also read a short story, "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and discuss it in the context of the speeches, pamphlets, and documents of the Revolution. Expect to write a short essay involving some of these documents, which will serve as your test on them. You will also have quizzes on Pearson, so check your "to do" list. Tuesday you will have a guest speaker who will address your future college plans. And Friday, you will have a vocabulary quiz. See Edmodo for your study guide.

English 12
This week you will begin your study of John Milton. We will read two of his sonnets and excerpts from his epic, Paradise Lost. Be sure to check your Pearson page for things "to do." Expect a Pearson test on Milton. And don't forget to complete the two tests already assigned for the carpe diem poets and for John Donne. These are due by FRIDAY. I will enter the grades then, and if you have not completed your work, it will not be accepted late, since you have had more than a week to complete it.
You will have a guest speaker on Wednesday to discuss college/career planning.
Friday you will have a quiz on the vocabulary that has been posted on Edmodo.

APEnglish 12
This week we will complete the prep packet on writing essays on comparative poems, the one with the two sonnets, "London, 1802" and "Douglass." On Tuesday, expect to write and essay on comparative poetry, hopefully using the skills reviewed in the aforementioned packet. I have given you a hard copy of the packet, but you can also find it either on Edmodo or at http://ed.edim.co/8480858/douglass_literature_poetry_analysis.pdf?Expires=1363619774&Signature=NdHmbQcy9BHAh-KCpfbTw6TwJm7UDXtE8z8qdqzg1mqWJCv7iQtnTVtdz2NTOud3F-7tLkYSw0N7RuSlUjSSP7TcjtqRAhMtj0dIEZUTJgYAfkqxBGKN1D5sinliXVqbEqWN-9JoxWfmtFPK4gGubLSKrQlsoyMGLRnoknrZK0o_&Key-Pair-Id=APKAI3N2VAFIZ34RBHFA.
Any remaining time will be spent analyzing poetry.
Check Edmodo for new vocabulary words for this Friday's quiz.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO





Monday, February 25, 2013

February 24-March 2, 2013

Greeting Students!

I hope you had a restful weekend. I am hoping, also, that this week proves profitable to you all. To achieve that end, we will, with hope, complete the following activities:

Pre-APEnglish 10

Monday and Tuesday we will review the practice test for the end of course that you completed last Tuesday.

Wednesday and Thursday we will resume our study of Puritan poetry. We will apply the TPCASTT poetry analysis method to the poems "Upon the Burning of our House...," "Huswifery," and "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold." I particularly want you to pay attention to the shifts and figurative language in these poems.

Friday you will take another EOC test. This one is NOT practice. You will earn a grade on it, so do your best.

English 12

Monday and Tuesday we will review the practice test for the end of the course that you took on Tuesday of last week.

Wednesday and Thursday we will resume our study of 17th century British literature with a study of the Poetry of John Donne. We will visit www.luminarium.org to view his works, including, "Death Be Not Proud," "Go and Catch a Falling Star," "A Valediction on Weeping," "The Canonization," "Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God" and "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning."


Friday you will take another EOC test. This one is NOT practice. You will earn a grade on it, so do your best.

APEnglish 12

Monday we will complete our review of the play "Wit." Remember, you may use this play for question three.

Tuesday-Thursday we will discuss the poetry of John Donne. Bookmark www.luminarium.org. We will visit it extensively. Expect to use the TPCASTT method for analyzing poetry to fully evaluate several of Donne's works, all of which are on the site.

Friday, you will complete MC questions for review next Monday. Complete as many as possible in class.

Do NOT forget Saturday's AP session from 8:30-2:00.

See you all in class!

Mrs. SO

Monday, February 11, 2013

February 11-15, 2013

Greetings Students!

I hope you had a great weekend! We have lots to do this week, so get ready for a busy few days.
Remember, we delayed out vocabulary quizzes until Monday last week, so I will post all your new vocabulary (for THIS Friday) on Friday afternoon so as not to confuse it with your current vocabulary. Check Edmodo Monday afternoon or Tuesday for your new words.


Now for this week's plans:

Pre-APEnglish 10

 The FINAL drafts of your The Crucible essays are due on Monday, February 11. I have also put an upload space on Edmodo. I would like BOTH a hard copy (with your peer evaluation attached) and an electronic copy. The E copy is for my permanent records, should there be any question about a turned-in paper. It does NOT replace the hard copy.

On Monday, you have vocabulary lesson 12. Lesson 13 words will be uploaded on Tuesday for Friday's quiz.


We will be reading Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God on Monday, and you will focus on both imagery and types of appeals. I would like you to select what you think is the most compelling image, illustrate it with a quotation as a caption, and write a paragraph on the back explaining what kind of appeal it is and why the image is a compelling or effective appeal .

The remainder of the week will be spent reading and discussion other Puritan texts, particularly poetry. We have more or less focused on how the literature of this period reflects the less admirable aspects of these people and this point in American history. The poetry from this period, however, will reflect other aspects of Puritans.
Remember, the CC Essential Question for this unit is "How does literature reflect and shape society?" We will be discussing this question in full after reading the poetry.

Lesson 12 vocabulary Monday. Lesson 13 Friday.
English 12 

This week we will review for a test on the play Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. This play is the namesake for all subsequent Faustian tales. Expect essay questions on this test that will count for forty percent of your test grade.

On Wednesday, we will begin our study of the 17th and 18th Centuries in British literature. Check your Pearson page for assigned reading.


I have uploaded your lesson 12 vocabulary for Monday, and will upload lesson 13 for Friday. We will review your new words this week.


APEnglish Literature and Composition

This week we finish our reading and discussion of Hamlet. I will expect you to bring in the MC questions that I gave you on Hamlet, and we will review them together. You should also expect TWO essays on the play this week. I have graded the essays for the class that was not cancelled because of weather and will return them. I would like you to have a "re-do" opportunity, since the scores were less than desirable and the schedule that week was hectic and confusing. I will give ALL students from both classes an excerpt from the play to write about for homework. Give yourselves no more than 40 minutes to write your essay, then type it up and upload it in the space I will create on Edmodo for that purpose. A second essay on the play will be written in class. This essay will deal with some thematic issue from the entire play. 

I have posted lesson 55 on Edmodo; your quiz will be on Monday. Lesson 54 will be posted Monday for a quiz on Friday.

Monday, February 4, 2013

February 4-8, 2013

Greetings Students!

I hope you had a great weekend! I will be out Tuesday morning but back Tuesday afternoon, so my plans for my morning classes will be a bit more independent in nature.

Remember, we delayed out vocabulary quizzes until Monday last week, so I will post all your new vocabulary (for THIS Friday) on Friday afternoon so as not to confuse it with your current vocabulary. Check Edmodo Monday afternoon or Tuesday for your new words.



Now for this week's plans:

Pre-APEnglish 10

 The rough drafts of your The Crucible essays are due on Monday, February 4. In class, we will do a "peer review." Take your peer's suggestions home and write a final draft, due Friday, Feb. 8.

I've also posted and excerpt from The Wonders of the Invisible World, which is a court document from the Salem Witch Trials.We started reading this and will finish on Monday or Tuesday.

The remainder of the week will be spent reading and discussion other Puritan texts, poetry and sermons. On Tuesday, we will read excerpts from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I would like you to consider the most effective imagery in the sermon and make an illustration of it, with a quotation on the illustration.


Lesson 11 vocabulary Monday. Lesson 12 Friday.
English 12 

This week we will continue reading the play Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. This play is the namesake for all subsequent Faustian tales. Expect to write and essay on some thematic statement from the play. This essay will count as a test grade, so it would greatly behoove you to pay attention to the text.


I have uploaded your lesson 11 vocabulary for Monday, and will upload lesson 12 for Friday. We will review your new words this week.


APEnglish Literature and Composition

This week we will read and discuss as much of Hamlet as possible. On Tuesday you will have a practice MC passage or two. I have posted lesson 56 vocabulary on Edmodo; your quiz will be on Monday. Lesson 55 will be posted Monday for a quiz on Friday.

Monday, January 28, 2013

January 28-February 1

Greetings Students!

I was so glad to be back with you Friday after my several days of training! Congratulations, Sophomores, on your fantastic job on the PLAN test! I am immensely proud of you.

As for the STAR test, we'll all need to take it seriously. I will associate the next STAR reading test with a grade no matter which class you are in.

Now for this week's plans:

Pre-APEnglish 10

This week we will continue our study of Puritan Literature and review the play The Crucible. I have posted several important links on Edmodo. One is a psychological theory, KOHLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT, which we will use as a lens through which to examine the play. Another is a list of topics for an essay on the play, many of which contain the aforementioned theory as a point of discussion. The rough drafts of these essays will be due on Monday, February 4. I've also posted and excerpt from The Wonders of the Invisible World, which is a court document from the Salem Witch Trials.

I have also uploaded your vocabulary for this week to Edmodo. Be sure to study lesson 11 for next Monday, by request, since several will be out on Friday.

English 12 

This week we will review the play Macbeth and see which elements classify it as a Shakespearean Tragedy. We will also begin reading the play Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. This play is the namesake for all subsequent Faustian tales.

I have uploaded your lesson 11 vocabulary for Friday. We will review your words this week.

UPDATE: I need you all to be more cooperative in class. I am sorely disappointed in the lack of participation and lack of attention, particularly during fifth period. I will assign seats and call parents if necessary.

APEnglish Literature and Composition

This week we will read and discuss as much of Hamlet as possible. On Tuesday you will have a guest speaker from a college, so give her your undivided attention. I have posted lesson 56 vocabulary on Edmodo; your quiz will be on Friday.