Friday, November 30, 2012

December 3-7, 2012

Greetings Students!

The year is passing so quickly, I scarce can believe how little time remains in this term! Ere we know it, midterms will be upon us. With that matter at hand, we will need to do as much as we can in preparation.
Below are the lessons for this week:

Pre-APEnglish 10

We have finished our study of Julius Caesar, but not our work. This Monday (and possibly part of Tuesday) you will share/present your "Shakespeare in Six" projects. Remember this counts in the test category. Be sure that you have written your two to three sentence rationale/explanation for each quotation/illustration. These rationals are part of your project and part of your grade. Tape your rationale sheet to the back of your S in S illustrations.

You will also be responsible for vocabulary lesson 8. As you recall, we postponed this lesson until Monday, Dec. 3, so that you could write your timed essays on Friday. Be sure to study!

A special note for Adrian and Victor who have just returned to class: Welcome back! We are so glad you guys are well and able to come to school. I have put several quizzes on Julius Caesar on the Pearson Successnet page for you. Check your to do list.

In order to prepare us for those midterm exams and for the new end of course exams, we will spend time this week looking at what you are expected to know. These reviews include reading and analyzing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama (plays). You will be expected to understand figurative language, theme, tone, and effective syntax and diction as well as have a firm grasp on grammar and mechanics. I have practice activities that we will do together in class that should help you master these skills.

I also hope to begin our study of American Literature starting with Native American myths. Please review the assigned reading on your Pearson Successnet. I have assigned the historic background information and Native American texts.

Don't forget your allusions quiz this Friday.

See you in class!

Mrs. SO

English 12

We have finished with Canterbury Tales, and we are on to Arthurian Legend. You text has only one Arthurian lesson containing two stories, the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the story of Arthur's death, Le Morte de Arthur, but I think everyone needs a bit more background than those texts alone offer, so Monday I will  give a lecture on the basics of Arthurian Legend. Be sure to pay attention and take notes.

I have assigned the aforementioned texts in your Pearson Successnet. Be sure to review the vocabulary. We will do at least one of the reading warmups in class, but it is a good idea for you to practice the other one on your own.

Don't forget that, as always, we have a vocabulary quiz on Friday, so study Lesson 9. Also, study for your allusions quiz on Friday.

See you in Class!

Mrs. SO

AP English Literature and Composition 12

So much reading and so little time. I hope you are all actively reading Atonement at home. I expect to have a class discussion on the remainder of the book by the end of next week. I have posted questions for a scored discussion on Edmodo.

In class, we will continue reading Othello. Expect a project on that text when we finish. I will post two essays that I wrote about the play on Edmodo, and we will discuss my arguments and whether you agree with them in part, in whole, or not at all. The two essays deal with a close reading of the Willow Song in Act IV and and important exchanging of vows in Act III.

You will have both your vocabulary quiz from lesson 58 and your allusions quiz on Friday.

See you in Class!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

November 26-30, 2102

Welcome back from you holiday!

I hope you all are well-rested and ready for some learning! Let me get straight to the plans for this week:

Pre-APEnglish 10

We will be wrapping up our study of Julius Caesar this week (or at least that's the plan). Expect some multiple choice quizzes from Pearson from Acts 3-5.
Also, you will create your "Shakespeare in Six" presentations. This project will count as a test grade, so do your best.
Shakespeare-in-Six Directions:
• Use the format provided to create a six-part storyboard for one act of the play.
• Underneath each block, provide a quotation which supports your illustration.
• Your finished product should illustrate the main action of the act as a whole.
• On a separate piece of paper, type a rationale fully explaining your choices. For each block,
explain your illustration and the moment’s significance to the act. You should have two or three sentences for each panel/quotation.
• Present your project to the class.
I will provide blank story boards for your projects.

In addition to our Shakespeare study, we will have an allusion a day. In this way, we should be ready for our second allusions quiz by next week.

And as usual, you will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday. Study words from lesson 8.

English 12

This week we will continue our study of the Canterbury Tales. Expect a test on the prologue, the Wife of Bathe's Tale and the Pardoner's Tale this week. You will also fill out your descriptions of the pilgrims, which will also count as a grade. Don't forget to study for your vocabulary quiz on Friday on lesson eight. You'll also have daily allusions. Your second allusions quiz will be next week.

APEnglish Literature and Composition 12

This week, in addition to your allusions and vocabulary, you will read and discuss Othello. I will be assigning the film version on your Pearson page so you can see it acted out. I doubt, however, that we will have time to watch it in class. You may watch it on your own. Expect some grammar reviews and ancillary reading/discussion questions on your Pearson Lit Lab as well. There are five or six who have not yet enrolled in the course. You MUST do so. The instructions and codes are still on Edmodo, though you may have to do some searching.

Vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Monday, November 19, 2012

November 19-20, 2012

Greetings Students!

And I think we are all THANKFUL for really short weeks!

Before I post the two-day plan, I'd like to congratulate our Poetry Out Loud representatives, Amber Dickey and Sabria White, for their awesome performances at the regional competition last Friday! And double congratulations to Sabria for WINNING FIRST PLACE in the anthology division!

And now, for the plan:

Pre-APEnglish 10 

http://huntsville.edmodo.com/home#/join/431c1cb2a799894a1bfec7617f5f6ad3


Monday, you will take your vocabulary quiz on lesson seven that we postponed from last week, after which we will read from Act IV of Julius Caesar.

Tuesday we will read from Acts IV and V of Julius Caesar. I hope we can finish reading the play this week, but if not, will certainly finish by the beginning of next week. Remember you will have two more major assignments on the text: a paper analyzing either a short passage from the text or the entire play (I have a few options) and a "Shakespeare in Six" illustration/presentation. I'll give you more details about these two tasks in class.

English 12

This week we will finish our reading of the Prologue from the Canterbury Tales. We will also read/review the Wife of Bathe's Tale and the Pardoner's Tale. Expect a test on the prologue, the time period, and the two tales in the coming week.

In addition to this, you will have vocabulary lesson seven quiz on Tuesday.

APEnglish Literature and Composition 12

http://huntsville.edmodo.com/home#/join/e32df1bfa8c287fb6065d57d7641d578 

You will be reading and discussing Othello Acts I and II in class for the two days this week. You will also take your quiz on lesson 59 vocabulary on Tuesday.

Don't forget that you will have two major assignments on Othello, so do pay close attention. You will analyze a passage from the text and you will complete a "Shakespeare in Six" illustration/presentation. Start considering your six most significant items or scenes now. I expect excellence, if not artistically, then thematically.

Don't forget that you should ALSO be reading Atonement. You will have two assignments on this text as well, similar to the two for Othello.



Friday, November 9, 2012

November 13-16, 2012

Greetings Students!

This will be a short week, since Monday is a holiday. We still have much to do, though.
Below are this week's expected activities:

Pre APEnglish 10

We are still studying Julius Caesar, and some of you have already stumbled upon a major question that often is associated with the play: If Caesar dies in Act III, why does the play go on, and why is it named for Caesar when it seems he is actually a lesser character? Good question. We'll discuss it in class.

This week we will discuss the structure of Shakespearean tragedies, predict outcomes, and practice some multiple choice questions based on the play from the Laying the Foundations web site.

We will also, of course, have our weekly LTF SAT vocabulary quiz, so study lesson seven!

 English 12

As part of our study of The Canterbury Tales, you have been assigned a group project. I will give you Tuesday in class to work on it. Remember I have posted links to help you understand Medieval beliefs about humours and physiognomy and a list of job descriptions of the pilgrims on Edmodo and in last week's blog. I'm really looking forward to your presentations on Wednesday and Thursday.

In addition to your presentations, we will continue reading the prologue. You will have a test in the coming weeks on the prologue and the two tales in your electronic text, "The Wife of Bathe's Tale" and "The Pardoner's Tale."

You will have a quiz on lesson seven vocabulary, so study!

APEnglish Literature and Composition

So much to do....so little time. This week you will have a guest speaker for career and college counseling visit on Tuesday. Wednesday-Thursday, you will read and discuss Othello. On Friday, I will be attending the Poetry Out Loud competition, so your quiz on lesson 59 vocabulary will be delayed until Monday. I will be leaving an essay assignment with the sub on Friday. It will be based on an excerpt from Othello and will be a character analysis.

Have a nice holiday on Monday! See you all in class!

Mrs. SO




Friday, November 2, 2012

November 5-9, 2012

Greetings Students!
I hope you have had a restful weekend. As you all know, I have a dental appointment Monday and will not be at school, but I've left the things we discussed in class with the substitute.

Plans for the week:

Pre-APEnglish 10

This week we will continue with our study of Julius Caesar. Monday you will take the check tests on your Pearson Successnet page. There are two tests listed in your "to do" items. Complete those tests and the discussion questions I will leave with the sub.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we will read Act III in class. We've already "killed" Caesar, which is the resolution of the initial conflict. But there are great scenes in this Act that we need to spend some time paraphrasing. We will compare and contrast the funeral speeches of Antony and Brutus and judge which is a more effective speaker and why? What techniques and qualities work best in speeches?

We will also make inferences about Shakespeare's depiction of the Plebeians. What is he saying about the place of monarchy? Why say what he says through this group of people instead of the aristocratic characters?

Thursday we will do reading warm-ups from your Pearson Successnet. I will print out the reading samples, and you will read and use context clues to answer the questions.

Friday you will have a quiz on lesson SIX of your SAT vocabulary. We will review the first three acts of Julius Caesar and start Act IV if time permits.

See you in class!

English 12

Monday you will complete the two sets of reading warm-ups from your Pearson Successnet site. I have printed out the sheets for you. You will also take your quiz on Vocabulary Lesson 5. Your Lesson SIX quiz will be on Friday.

Tuesday and Wednesday we will read the PROLOGUE from the Canterbury Tales. You will examine the different characters and make judgements about them based on the characterization Chaucer uses.
You will also discuss his use of SATIRE. What precisely is Chaucer critical of, and how do you know?

Thursday you will be given time to work on your Canterbury Tales project.  Your group will turn in the required booklet to me, prepare a visual aid to assist in your teaching of your tale, and present your "pilgrim" and his or her tale to the class. These projects will be due on Tuesday of next week, November 13.

To help you in understanding the Canterbury Tales, we will review the following information of occupations of the period and beliefs about "humor."

Physiognomy and Body Humours
Body Humours Table
Personality Traits Table
Medieval Jobs 

See you in class!

APEnglish Literature and Composition

This week will be BUSY. On Monday you will do practice MC from Othello. Do the first three passages (questions 1-23). You will find the questions on Edmodo. Upload your answers.
Tuesday you will work in groups to come to a consensus on your MC answers, and we will see which group did best. You will get a quiz grade based upon your groups rank.
Wednesday we will read from Act I of Othello, and Thursday, you will have a scored discussion on Atonement Pt. ONE. Remember the scored discussion counts as a test grade, so use the questions I posted on Edmodo to prepare and PARTICIPATE. You can only earn a B- for answering the questions and uploading your answer. Participation is a must if you want an A.
Friday you will have a quiz on your SAT vocabulary from the LTF web site: Lesson 60.  You will use the remainder of the time to answer MC questions for the fourth passage (questions 24-30).

Since I will be attending a training session for the first part of Thursday, third period will do Friday's lesson on Thursday, and Thursday's lesson (the scored discussion) on Friday when I can facilitate.

See you in class!