Monday, November 29, 2010

APEnglish 12: November 29-December 3

Greetings APEs!

I hope you had a fun and filling holiday and that you are rested and ready for a new week.
We meet only twice this week, so we must not be wasteful with our time (nor should we ever, for that matter).
  • Tuesday we will turn in the revised essays from last week. I know some of you are fretting over low scores, but understand that these early in-class essays are meant for learning, not punishment, and the grades for those not revised are daily grades. Also, remember that knowing the correct terminology is important, but not so important as knowing the reasoning behind your arguments. If you know a term and can explain its use, that is good, but the term is less important than the commentary on it. In other words, use layman's terms if needed to get your points across.
  • We will also be continuing our study of Hamlet. It is my hope that we can finish it before Friday.
  • Friday's plans are contingent on what we complete Monday. I prefer you to write timed essays in class; however, if we must finish Hamlet on Friday, then the culminating essay (Q-3 style) will be a homework assignment.
  • Also be prepared for a vocabulary quiz on Friday. The quiz will cover the Q and R words only.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO

English 12: November 29-December 3

Greetings Seniors!

I trust you had a fun and filling holiday. I also trust that you are rested and ready for a busy week.

  • On Monday we will finish our presentations on The Canterbury Tales. I understand why some of you were absent last Friday, and I am very sorry for the loss of your friend. It is difficult to lose a loved one so near the holidays. My thoughts are with you and Tyrell's family. Because of the funeral, I will be giving those who missed presentations on Friday the opportunity to make them up.
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  • After we complete presentations, which should not take the entire block, we will resume our studies of Medieval British literature with an overview of history of the time period. We will then begin our study of King Arthur and the legends surrounding this King. These are some of the most interesting and exciting tales in British literature, and I am sure you will enjoy them. 
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  •  We will also begin discussing research papers, which will be due early next semester. I will review with you MLA format, how to cite internally and on a works cited sheet, how to make bibliography cards and note cards, and where to find legitimate sources. 

As I said earlier, all this makes for a busy week. I look forward to seeing you!

Mrs. SO

English 10 (all classes, including PreAPE): November 29-December 3

Greetings Sophomores!

I trust you had a fun and filling Thanksgiving break. After a long weekend, getting back in the swing of things is important, so let's get right to work and make the most of the time we have left this semester.

Because this is a language arts class, we must work on all aspects of English. These areas include reading not only literature but the history behind it, grammar and rhetoric, which includes the techniques one uses to communicate, and writing or composition.

The best way to accomplish all these ends is to think critically and write about what we read and view. For this reason, we will be writing another essay this week. When thinking about the captivity narratives we are studying, I want you to consider not just plot, or the chain of events, but theme. What can we learn from the characters whose stories we read?
  • For the writing assignment this week, I want you to focus on the idea of heroism. What does it mean to be heroic. How are the qualities of heroism displayed. For more information about your assignment see this link. Classes that meet on A day will have this assignment due Thursday, December 2; B day classes will turn in their essays on Friday, December 3.
  • In addition to this assignment, we will also be reading/completing our reading of two captivity narratives from your book. Expect a test on the biographies of both Oluadah Equiano and Mary Rowlandson. 
  • In grammar we will look at sentence structure to make sure you recognize such egregious errors as run-on sentences and fragments.

Obviously, we have a busy week ahead. See you in class!

Mrs. SO

Monday, November 22, 2010

All Classes: November 22-23

Since each of us will only be meeting once this week, I am making one blog. I hope you all have a wonderful extended weekend and a great Thanksgiving!
  • On Monday I meet with my A-day tenth grade. We will turning in our tests on Bradford and Byrd. We will also begin a study of captivity narratives, focusing first on the Narrative of Life of Olaudo Equiano, a slave captured from the Ivory Coast and transported over the Middle Passage. Be sure to bring your literature books. (This assignment also applies to my regular tenth B-day.

  • All regular twelfth grade meets on Monday. You are to give your group presentations on The Canterbury Tales and turn in your group booklets. I can hardly wait to see what you've done!  Bring your books after the holiday because we will be starting our study of Arthurian Legend.

  • Tuesday begins with APEnglish 12. You will be scoring your partner's papers by the QOEGV method we reviewed in class. Then you will revise the paper you choose to have me grade for an essay grade. The other will count as a daily grade. If time permits, we will continue reading Hamlet, so bring your books.

  • Pre APEnglish 10 will continue with our captivity narrative study. We will discuss heroism as is exhibited in the characters we are reviewing. Expect a paper on this theme soon.
Have a great holiday! See you in class!

Mrs. SO

Announcements

If any of the seniors ordered rings from Jostens, then you should be prepared to pay for them on Dec. 2 when they will delivered.

Also, seniors who missed out on turning in your forms that list your gown size, you may mail the forms directly to Jostens at address on the bottom of the form.


Campus Recognition Inc.  
2142 Pelham Parkway
Pelham, AL 35124-1131

Monday, November 15, 2010

APEnglish Literature 12: November 15-19

Good Morning Students!

As you know, we are studying Hamlet, and to help you better understand the play, we will be watching parts of the Kenneth Branagh version of the play, which is the only version that does not cut scenes. Be sure to bring your texts with you to class. As a part of our study, we will accomplish the following tasks this week:


  • Tuesday: We will read and discuss the remainder of Act IV. We will also watch some clips from this act. We will also have a quiz on the SAT "P" words.
  • Wednesday: We will get into groups for questions 16-30 of the Hamlet MC questions. You'll get a group grade. We will begin Act V, which is short, but action-packed!
  • Friday: I'll have a sub, so we won't be reading from the play and will finish it on Tuesday. I will have two in-class timed essays for you based on excerpts from Hamlet. You need not have read the entire play to write them because the essays are based only on the excerpts.
  • Friday is our Poetry Out Loud regional competition. Wish our competitors well!
Have a great week!

Mrs. SO

Pre APEnglish 10: November 15-19

Good Morning Students!

As you know, we are studying analysis, in other words, how to look at literature. to help you with this practice we are analyzing a film. Of course, your culminating project in this study will be a paper. I'll be discussing with you the expectations for your paper, and you will outline your papers in class this week. Below is a breakdown of what we will do this week:


  • We will discuss the various literary techniques in your film analysis paper; expect to do that first. 
  • We will also review and be quizzed on lesson ten in vocabulary. 
  • We will begin our comparative study of two captivity narratives. One will be the story of Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan captured by Indians during King Philip's War. The other will be a the slave narrative of Olauda Equiano. 
  • Don't forget your literary analysis papers will be due the 17th
  • Friday is our Poetry Out Loud regional competition, so there will be a substitute. Wish our competitors well!
Have a great week!

Mrs. SO

English 10: November 15-19

Good Morning Students!

As you know, we are studying analysis, in other words, how to look at literature. to help you with this practice we are analyzing a film. Of course, your culminating project in this study will be a paper. My B day class has already been given some help with organization of this paper, but the rest of you will outline your papers in class this week. Below is a breakdown of what both classes will do this week:

  • If you haven't already discussed the various literary techniques in your film analysis paper, expect to do that first. 
  • Then we will continue with our reading and discussion of William Byrd's History of the Dividing Line. This is a very fun piece of literature if you understand the humor and satire in it. I'll expect you to be able to juxtapose this work with Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation and write a logical comparison of the two that highlights the differences between Puritan and non Puritan writing. 
  • Expect a short test on Bradford and Byrd.
  • We will also review and be quizzed on lesson ten in vocabulary. 
  • Should we complete all these tasks, we will begin our comparative study of two captivity narratives. One will be the story of Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan captured by Indians during King Philip's War. The other will be a the slave narrative of Olauda Equiano. 
  • Don't forget your literary analysis papers will be due either the 17th or 18th depending on whether you are an A or B schedule class. 
  • Friday is our Poetry Out Loud regional competition, so there will be a substitute. Wish our competitors well!
Have a great week!

Mrs. SO

English 12: November 15-19

Good Morning Students!

As you know, we are immersing ourselves in Middle English. As a part of this study, we will be continuing our study of Geoffry Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. We will then delve into Arthurian Legend, my personal favorite and the part of literature that made me a lover of language and the ways it is woven. I can hardly wait! But first things must come first, and so this week's plans are as follows:
  • Monday: Your "Pilgrim's Tale" is due. Your assignment was to write a description of yourself (much like those descriptions of the Canterbury pilgrims) and a tale for your fellow travelers/classmates. I, the keeper of grades, will judge the finest tale and award the prize. I am really looking forward to your creative writing presentations! This should be fun! This is a B week, so I will only see you twice, so....
  • Thursday: We will read and discuss more of the prologue. In order to understand the characters, you'll need to know a little about Medieval beliefs about physiology. To this end, I will review with you the four humors and how they were believed to affect people. I will also review with you this physiognomy chart.
  • We'll also take some time to assemble into your groups. You will plan your presentations and divide your work load. Don't forget that group presentations are due next Monday, November 22.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pre-APEngish 10: November 8-12

Greetings APEs to be.

I hope you enjoyed your extra hour of sleep. To make up for it, I'll be giving you extra work
  • Tuesday we will begin discussing literary analysis and how to read between and beyond the lines. We will practice analysis with a film analysis assignment due next week.
  • We will also review SATIRE and discuss how it is used in Byrd's History of the Dividing Line.
  • Friday I will help you organize your analysis papers and finish our compative study of Byrd and Bradford's accounts of their respective colonies. Also, expect the weekly vocabulary quiz.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO

Eng 10: November 8-12

Good morning students,

I hope you all enjoyed your extra hour of sleep. I know I did.
This week we will be meeting twice, since Thursday is Veterans' Day. So we have to squeeze in much in a little time.
Therefore, be prepared to work hard and keep focused.

  • On Monday we will discuss literary analysis and how authors use certain devices to create a theme.
  • We will also continue our discussion of William Byrd's History of the Dividing Line and why that "history" is really a journal. 
  • We will also discuss SATIRE and why Byrd's text is an example of it.
  • And don't for get that this week there will be two quizzes for vocabulary, so study lessons 8 and 9.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO

Monday, November 8, 2010

Eng 12: November 8-12

Good morning students,

I hope you all enjoyed your extra hour of sleep. I know I did.
This week we will be meeting twice, since Thursday is Veterans' Day. So we have to squeeze in much in a little time.
Therefore, be prepared to work hard and keep focused.
  • On Monday you'll turn in your take home tests.
  • We will also begin our studies of Middle English and delve into the Canterbury Tales. While this work is written in a form of English more decipherable than that we encountered in Beowulf, it still may seem foreign to you, so we'll figure out how to read it together. If you find the task insurmountable, you might want to consult a side by side translation of the text from Middle to Modern English.
  • Wednesday will continue out reading and discussion of Chaucer, and I'll be giving you a group assignment. It's not an easy project, but it can be fun if you are creative.
  • You'll also have an individual writing project on the General Prologue.
  • And don't for get that Wednesday is quiz day for vocabulary, so study lessons 8 and 9.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO