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, March 18, 2013
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
January 14-18, 2013
Greetings Students!
I hope you all had a restful weekend. We have so much to learn in the next few days, so with no further ado, I shall post this week's tentative plans.
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week we will continue our study of early American literature by completing our reading of the excerpts from Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation and Byrd's History of the Dividing Line. Remember the Byrd excerpts are NOT in your Pearson text, so I have posted them on Edmodo. I especially want to compare and contrast the writing styles of the two, but I also want to look at the essential questions: What makes American literature American? and How does literature reflect AND shape society? I think you will enjoy the satire in Byrd's writing. Remember, satire is writing that criticizes in order to effect CHANGE. Consider this definition while reading and pondering the question about literature's ability to shape society.
I have also assigned some early Puritan poetry from your Successnet text. We will look at how these poems reflect the Puritan society. I will be linking you to a few more examples on Edmodo: "Upon the Burning of Our House..." and "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold" are not in your text, but you should be familiar with them to have a well-rounded understanding of Puritan Poetry. I will also link to "The Author to Her Book."
Don't forget the STAR Reading test is this week.
I will not be here Friday because I have a Poetry Out Loud coaching session to attend, so I will forgo vocabulary for this week. Expect, however, on Friday to write a timed essay. I will leave the topic with the substitute. I may ask you to revise your initial rough drafts (written in class), type your essays, and upload them to Edomodo for the final grade. Your turning in a complete rough draft will count as a quiz grade.
English 12
This week we will continue our study of Renaissance and Reformation literature. Be sure to check your Pearson "to do" list for assignments. We will be reading and discussing excerpts from the King James version of the Bible and tracing the changes in drama by Comparing Literary Works: from Oedipus the King / from Faust. I hope to start reading Marlowe's Dr. Faustus this week as well.
I will not be here Friday because of a Poetry Out Loud workshop, so we will forgo vocabulary for this week. On Friday, you should expect Pearson online quizzes over the reading we have done this week, so pay close attention in class.
Don't forget we have Star Reading tests this week, so do your very best.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
This week we will read and discuss as much of Hamlet as possible. Since I will not be here Friday, your vocabulary quiz, for which the words are posted on Edmodo, will be Thursday. Friday you will have a timed essay either on an excerpt from Hamlet or a poetry passage.
Don't forget, we have STAR Reading this week. Please try your hardest.
I hope you all had a restful weekend. We have so much to learn in the next few days, so with no further ado, I shall post this week's tentative plans.
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week we will continue our study of early American literature by completing our reading of the excerpts from Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation and Byrd's History of the Dividing Line. Remember the Byrd excerpts are NOT in your Pearson text, so I have posted them on Edmodo. I especially want to compare and contrast the writing styles of the two, but I also want to look at the essential questions: What makes American literature American? and How does literature reflect AND shape society? I think you will enjoy the satire in Byrd's writing. Remember, satire is writing that criticizes in order to effect CHANGE. Consider this definition while reading and pondering the question about literature's ability to shape society.
I have also assigned some early Puritan poetry from your Successnet text. We will look at how these poems reflect the Puritan society. I will be linking you to a few more examples on Edmodo: "Upon the Burning of Our House..." and "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold" are not in your text, but you should be familiar with them to have a well-rounded understanding of Puritan Poetry. I will also link to "The Author to Her Book."
Don't forget the STAR Reading test is this week.
I will not be here Friday because I have a Poetry Out Loud coaching session to attend, so I will forgo vocabulary for this week. Expect, however, on Friday to write a timed essay. I will leave the topic with the substitute. I may ask you to revise your initial rough drafts (written in class), type your essays, and upload them to Edomodo for the final grade. Your turning in a complete rough draft will count as a quiz grade.
English 12
This week we will continue our study of Renaissance and Reformation literature. Be sure to check your Pearson "to do" list for assignments. We will be reading and discussing excerpts from the King James version of the Bible and tracing the changes in drama by Comparing Literary Works: from Oedipus the King / from Faust. I hope to start reading Marlowe's Dr. Faustus this week as well.
I will not be here Friday because of a Poetry Out Loud workshop, so we will forgo vocabulary for this week. On Friday, you should expect Pearson online quizzes over the reading we have done this week, so pay close attention in class.
Don't forget we have Star Reading tests this week, so do your very best.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
This week we will read and discuss as much of Hamlet as possible. Since I will not be here Friday, your vocabulary quiz, for which the words are posted on Edmodo, will be Thursday. Friday you will have a timed essay either on an excerpt from Hamlet or a poetry passage.
Don't forget, we have STAR Reading this week. Please try your hardest.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
January 7-11, 2013
Greetings Students,
Thank you for all your words of concern and encouragement over my husband's illness. They are much appreciated. Below you will find the lesson plans for this week.
Pre-APEnglish 10
We will be beginning a whole new phase in literature. Make sure you check your Pearson Successnet page for assignments. This week you will review the earliest of American literature: Native American Myths.
Then we will read excerpts from two "histories" from early colonists, William Bradford and William Byrd. We will look at these two texts comparatively and discuss the differences between Puritan and non Puritan writing. The former text is on Successnet, and the latter I have uploaded to Edmodo.
Check Edmodo for your vocabulary lesson 10 words.
English 12
This week you will continue your study of the British Renaissance and Reformation period. Be sure to check your successnet page for reading assignments, particularly if you miss class.
This unit will focus on excerpts from the King James Bible, Shakespearean drama, sonnets and Christopher Marlowe. We will also learn some about the historical background and how literature is shaped by society and the writer's relationship to literature.
In particular this week, we will review poetry from Marlowe, Raleigh, John Donne, and of course, Shakespearean sonnets. I will, as I stated, post your reading assignments on Successnet.
See Edmodo for your vocabulary lesson 10.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
Your vocabulary lesson 57 has been uploaded to Edmodo. Don't forget to upload your major works data sheet to Edmodo. It is due before school on the 11th.
This week we will first review the MC questions you did last Friday, then we will continue our study of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Come prepared to read and discuss.
You will have more MC questions and an essay to write on this text in addition to a Shakespeare in Six project. Start thinking about creative ways to complete your Sin6.
Side by side text
Thank you for all your words of concern and encouragement over my husband's illness. They are much appreciated. Below you will find the lesson plans for this week.
Pre-APEnglish 10
We will be beginning a whole new phase in literature. Make sure you check your Pearson Successnet page for assignments. This week you will review the earliest of American literature: Native American Myths.
Then we will read excerpts from two "histories" from early colonists, William Bradford and William Byrd. We will look at these two texts comparatively and discuss the differences between Puritan and non Puritan writing. The former text is on Successnet, and the latter I have uploaded to Edmodo.
Check Edmodo for your vocabulary lesson 10 words.
English 12
This week you will continue your study of the British Renaissance and Reformation period. Be sure to check your successnet page for reading assignments, particularly if you miss class.
This unit will focus on excerpts from the King James Bible, Shakespearean drama, sonnets and Christopher Marlowe. We will also learn some about the historical background and how literature is shaped by society and the writer's relationship to literature.
In particular this week, we will review poetry from Marlowe, Raleigh, John Donne, and of course, Shakespearean sonnets. I will, as I stated, post your reading assignments on Successnet.
See Edmodo for your vocabulary lesson 10.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
Your vocabulary lesson 57 has been uploaded to Edmodo. Don't forget to upload your major works data sheet to Edmodo. It is due before school on the 11th.
This week we will first review the MC questions you did last Friday, then we will continue our study of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Come prepared to read and discuss.
You will have more MC questions and an essay to write on this text in addition to a Shakespeare in Six project. Start thinking about creative ways to complete your Sin6.
Side by side text
Thursday, January 3, 2013
January 3-4, 2013
Greetings Students:
Welcome Back!
I hope you all had a great holiday. It's the new year, and we should all resolve to learn as much as possible and perform to our best abilities (and, yes, that includes you senioritis sufferers.)
Pre-APEnglish 10
We will be beginning a whole new phase in literature. Make sure you check your Pearson Successnet page for assignments. This week you will be introduced to the earliest of American literature: Native American Myths. No vocabulary this week.
English 12
This week you will be introduced to the British Rennaissance and Reformation period. Be sure to check your successnet page for reading assignments, particularly if you miss class.
This unit will focus on excerpts from the King James Bible, Shakespearean drama, sonnets and Christopher Marlowe. We will also learn some about the historical background and how literature is shaped by society and the writer's relationship to literature.
No vocabulary this week.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
No vocabulary this week. Don't forget to upload your major works data sheet to Edmodo. It is due before school on the 11th.
This week we will begin a study of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Come prepared to read and discuss.
You will have both MC questions and an essay to write on this text in addition to a Shakespeare in Six project. Start thinking about creative ways to complete your Sin6.
Side by side text
Welcome Back!
I hope you all had a great holiday. It's the new year, and we should all resolve to learn as much as possible and perform to our best abilities (and, yes, that includes you senioritis sufferers.)
Pre-APEnglish 10
We will be beginning a whole new phase in literature. Make sure you check your Pearson Successnet page for assignments. This week you will be introduced to the earliest of American literature: Native American Myths. No vocabulary this week.
English 12
This week you will be introduced to the British Rennaissance and Reformation period. Be sure to check your successnet page for reading assignments, particularly if you miss class.
This unit will focus on excerpts from the King James Bible, Shakespearean drama, sonnets and Christopher Marlowe. We will also learn some about the historical background and how literature is shaped by society and the writer's relationship to literature.
No vocabulary this week.
APEnglish Literature and Composition
No vocabulary this week. Don't forget to upload your major works data sheet to Edmodo. It is due before school on the 11th.
This week we will begin a study of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Come prepared to read and discuss.
You will have both MC questions and an essay to write on this text in addition to a Shakespeare in Six project. Start thinking about creative ways to complete your Sin6.
Side by side text
Friday, December 7, 2012
December 10-14, 2012
Greetings Students!
Can you believe that we only have ONE WEEK before exams!?
There's much to do in that short time, so I'll not tarry in posting plans:
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week we will finish any remaining presentations on Julius Caesar. We will also have a quiz on Vocabulary Lesson 9 on Friday.
Since your midterm will be a preview of the new end-of-year exam, we will also work together on several prep tests for that exam. I will be assigning a practice test in your successnet each day. After you take each test, we will review and discuss the answers as a group and as a review of skills you should master this year.
See you in class!
English 12
This week you will complete your study of Arthurian Legend. I will post a quiz on your successnet for this unit, so be sure to review the vocabulary and background before taking it. You will also have a quiz on Vocabulary Lesson 10 on Friday and because so many were absent on the 7th, you will have your allusions quiz on Tuesday.
Monday you will have a guest speaker discuss financial aid for college.
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
Monday you will have a guest speaker discuss financial aid for college.
As you know, your midterm next week will consist of sections of multiple choice and words from the list of literary terms located on the left-hand side of my blog. To this end, we will do MC practice in class. We will also complete Othello this week, and you will create a Shakespeare in Six graphic for the play as a final project. Instructions are as follows:
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.
On Friday we will have a scored discussion of Atonement. You must answer at least five of the eight questions I posted on Edmodo BEFORE class on Friday. You may use your answers or any other questions that arose while you were considering these for the discussion. Also, this discussion should address themes of the book and the importance of the last scene. How do the themes in this work relate to those in Life of Pi and Othello? No vocabulary this week.
Can you believe that we only have ONE WEEK before exams!?
There's much to do in that short time, so I'll not tarry in posting plans:
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week we will finish any remaining presentations on Julius Caesar. We will also have a quiz on Vocabulary Lesson 9 on Friday.
Since your midterm will be a preview of the new end-of-year exam, we will also work together on several prep tests for that exam. I will be assigning a practice test in your successnet each day. After you take each test, we will review and discuss the answers as a group and as a review of skills you should master this year.
See you in class!
English 12
This week you will complete your study of Arthurian Legend. I will post a quiz on your successnet for this unit, so be sure to review the vocabulary and background before taking it. You will also have a quiz on Vocabulary Lesson 10 on Friday and because so many were absent on the 7th, you will have your allusions quiz on Tuesday.
Monday you will have a guest speaker discuss financial aid for college.
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
Monday you will have a guest speaker discuss financial aid for college.
As you know, your midterm next week will consist of sections of multiple choice and words from the list of literary terms located on the left-hand side of my blog. To this end, we will do MC practice in class. We will also complete Othello this week, and you will create a Shakespeare in Six graphic for the play as a final project. Instructions are as follows:
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.
On Friday we will have a scored discussion of Atonement. You must answer at least five of the eight questions I posted on Edmodo BEFORE class on Friday. You may use your answers or any other questions that arose while you were considering these for the discussion. Also, this discussion should address themes of the book and the importance of the last scene. How do the themes in this work relate to those in Life of Pi and Othello? No vocabulary this week.
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!
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.
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.
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
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!
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!
Monday, October 29, 2012
October 29-November 2, 2012
Hello Students!
Hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are ready for the new week. We have lots to do, so with the formalities aside and greetings made, I will post the week's activities below:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Finally all that testing is behind us! I am wishing you all well in that arena. This week we will continue with our study of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. We also will share our narrative essays. The assignment is posted both on Edmodo and Write to Learn. Use the Write to Learn program to get feedback before uploading your final narrative to Edmodo. I will be grading them from Edomodo, so any not uploaded there will NOT be counted as turned in.
Don't forget that we have vocabulary on Friday. The words are the same as last week, since we missed that quiz while I was at the Poetry Out Loud workshop.
English 12
You will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday based on the words from last week's lesson. We will also begin our study of the Medieval period. You will see the transition from Old to Middle English with our study of The Canterbury Tales. I have assigned you reading and activities on your successnet related to the prologue, "The Pardoner's Tale," and the "Wife of Bath's Tale." Expect a presentation project in the next week on one of the Canterbury Tales NOT studied in class.
While we read the prologue, pay close attention to the characterization. What is Chaucer satirizing? How does he use characters to satirize?
Also, don't forget your EPIC BOASTS are due before Wednesday! We will share some of them in class.
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
You will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday based on the words from last week's lesson.
This week we will continue with our writing of PFS's. On Monday, we will look at another poem from Poetry 180, "The Blue Bowl." From that poem, you will write a PFS containing the five critical attributes of a PFS:
Tuesday we will begin our study of Shakespeare's Othello. As we read this play, consider thematic connections with the novel Atonement, which you should be reading at home. Do NOT forget that we will have a scored discussion on the novel part one on November 8. Your questions for the discussion should be uploaded to Edmodo PRIOR to class on that day. Scored discussions will count as test grades. Remember that the highest you can earn without participating in the discussion is an 80, and that will require a thorough response to the required questions uploaded prior to class. You may, of course, refer to your questions and answers during the discussion.
In order to take advantage of the mood created for story telling in my tenth grade classes, Wednesday, our class will be reading and discussing selected poems by Robert Browning. I will expect you to analyze the narrators in these dramatic monologues.
Thursday and Friday will be dedicated to reading Othello, analyzing its structure, and analyzing characters in the play. Expect at least one scored discussion after act three of the play. I will provide you with some guided questions next week.
See you in class!
Hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are ready for the new week. We have lots to do, so with the formalities aside and greetings made, I will post the week's activities below:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Finally all that testing is behind us! I am wishing you all well in that arena. This week we will continue with our study of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. We also will share our narrative essays. The assignment is posted both on Edmodo and Write to Learn. Use the Write to Learn program to get feedback before uploading your final narrative to Edmodo. I will be grading them from Edomodo, so any not uploaded there will NOT be counted as turned in.
Don't forget that we have vocabulary on Friday. The words are the same as last week, since we missed that quiz while I was at the Poetry Out Loud workshop.
English 12
You will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday based on the words from last week's lesson. We will also begin our study of the Medieval period. You will see the transition from Old to Middle English with our study of The Canterbury Tales. I have assigned you reading and activities on your successnet related to the prologue, "The Pardoner's Tale," and the "Wife of Bath's Tale." Expect a presentation project in the next week on one of the Canterbury Tales NOT studied in class.
While we read the prologue, pay close attention to the characterization. What is Chaucer satirizing? How does he use characters to satirize?
Also, don't forget your EPIC BOASTS are due before Wednesday! We will share some of them in class.
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
You will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday based on the words from last week's lesson.
This week we will continue with our writing of PFS's. On Monday, we will look at another poem from Poetry 180, "The Blue Bowl." From that poem, you will write a PFS containing the five critical attributes of a PFS:
(1) includes the title of the poem and the name of the poet
(2) is written in “literary present tense” (The poet/speaker conveys rather than conveyed.)
(3) specifies the narrative situation of the poem (who, what,
where, when, why)
(4) includes a thoughtful, but concise indication of theme
(5) identifies
the tone(s) of the poem (These may be differing, but complementary. Shifts in tone may be identified as well.)
Tuesday we will begin our study of Shakespeare's Othello. As we read this play, consider thematic connections with the novel Atonement, which you should be reading at home. Do NOT forget that we will have a scored discussion on the novel part one on November 8. Your questions for the discussion should be uploaded to Edmodo PRIOR to class on that day. Scored discussions will count as test grades. Remember that the highest you can earn without participating in the discussion is an 80, and that will require a thorough response to the required questions uploaded prior to class. You may, of course, refer to your questions and answers during the discussion.
In order to take advantage of the mood created for story telling in my tenth grade classes, Wednesday, our class will be reading and discussing selected poems by Robert Browning. I will expect you to analyze the narrators in these dramatic monologues.
Thursday and Friday will be dedicated to reading Othello, analyzing its structure, and analyzing characters in the play. Expect at least one scored discussion after act three of the play. I will provide you with some guided questions next week.
See you in class!
Monday, October 22, 2012
October 22-26, 2012
Greetings Students: APE's, Other Seniors, and APE's in Training!
I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready to plunge into new literary depths. I have spent two days at an awesome teacher training session, and I have some great ideas to make our classes even better! I'm excited to move forward with learning!
Below you will find this week's particular plans for your classes:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This Tuesday is the Plan Test. I know you've all been working hard preparing for it. Remember, this test is key in determining your placement in AP classes, so do your best. On Monday we will have one final grammar review. Then you homework from me is to get a good night's sleep and wake up in time to eat a good breakfast, preferably high in protein. Drink plenty of water to hydrate your brain.
Beginning on Tuesday of this week we will continue our study of Julius Caesar. The e-text provides a side-by-side translation from Early Modern to Modern English. Use the e-text at home to help in your understanding. We will read the original in class together. I hope to complete Act I and progress well into Act II.
Expect short tests or alternative checks after each act.
Our goal this week is to explain the actions of various characters and to infer the reasons behind those actions. While reading, you should identify and also compare and contrast dramatic foils.
We will also discuss characterization and use textual evidence to support our claims about characters.
And finally, we will examine the grammatical structure of certain passages.
See you in class!
English 12
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will read the remaining passages from Beowulf in your online text. We will also use the questions in your text to facilitate a class discussion. You will take the reading check text from your online text, and complete the grammar activities associated with the text. Also, we will read commentary from the authors of two translators of Beowulf and discuss their differing approaches.
Be sure to check Edmodo daily for updates. I will alert you to any reading or outside assignments.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition
We have much to do this week! As I mentioned earlier, I attended a great teacher conference and got some great ideas for this class. I hope to start using some of them right away. With that end in mind, and with my awareness that poetry is a challenge for many students, I want to begin by directing you to a really cool website called Poetry 180. As you can probably surmise from the title, it's a site with 180 poems--one for each school day. Now I'm not going to use all 180 in this class, but I do want to choose a few to get us started in our poetry studies. We will use some of these very accessible poems to take baby steps towards poetry analysis.
We will also incorporate regular poetry reading days into class. That's right. YOU will be selecting poems (with some guiding criteria) to introduce and read in class. I'm hoping to have three coffee house days this year.
So, your first poetry assignment for the remainder of the year is to visit Poetry 180 and find FIVE poems that you want to share in class. I will model for you how to write a FOCUS STATEMENT for each of your five poems. You will turn in all of your statements, but you will choose one of your poems for class discussion.
I may also, on occasion, (maybe once a week) use a short poem for a bell ringer. You will write responses to the poem and create focus statements to share. These focus statements, I hope, will prepare you to write those poetry analysis essays on the exam. Those of you who are in tech will need to write your poem exercises outside of class.
While we are discussing poetry in class, I need you to do some outside reading. I have some hard copies of Atonement, but not enough for everyone. I did, however, find a digital copy of the novel. If you need a hard copy, you may check one out, but you must pay for it if it is lost.
I would like you to begin reading part one. We will schedule a class discussion for the end of next week.
Don't forget your vocabulary quiz on Friday.
See you in class!
I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready to plunge into new literary depths. I have spent two days at an awesome teacher training session, and I have some great ideas to make our classes even better! I'm excited to move forward with learning!
Below you will find this week's particular plans for your classes:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This Tuesday is the Plan Test. I know you've all been working hard preparing for it. Remember, this test is key in determining your placement in AP classes, so do your best. On Monday we will have one final grammar review. Then you homework from me is to get a good night's sleep and wake up in time to eat a good breakfast, preferably high in protein. Drink plenty of water to hydrate your brain.
Beginning on Tuesday of this week we will continue our study of Julius Caesar. The e-text provides a side-by-side translation from Early Modern to Modern English. Use the e-text at home to help in your understanding. We will read the original in class together. I hope to complete Act I and progress well into Act II.
Expect short tests or alternative checks after each act.
Our goal this week is to explain the actions of various characters and to infer the reasons behind those actions. While reading, you should identify and also compare and contrast dramatic foils.
We will also discuss characterization and use textual evidence to support our claims about characters.
And finally, we will examine the grammatical structure of certain passages.
See you in class!
English 12
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will read the remaining passages from Beowulf in your online text. We will also use the questions in your text to facilitate a class discussion. You will take the reading check text from your online text, and complete the grammar activities associated with the text. Also, we will read commentary from the authors of two translators of Beowulf and discuss their differing approaches.
Be sure to check Edmodo daily for updates. I will alert you to any reading or outside assignments.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition
We have much to do this week! As I mentioned earlier, I attended a great teacher conference and got some great ideas for this class. I hope to start using some of them right away. With that end in mind, and with my awareness that poetry is a challenge for many students, I want to begin by directing you to a really cool website called Poetry 180. As you can probably surmise from the title, it's a site with 180 poems--one for each school day. Now I'm not going to use all 180 in this class, but I do want to choose a few to get us started in our poetry studies. We will use some of these very accessible poems to take baby steps towards poetry analysis.
We will also incorporate regular poetry reading days into class. That's right. YOU will be selecting poems (with some guiding criteria) to introduce and read in class. I'm hoping to have three coffee house days this year.
So, your first poetry assignment for the remainder of the year is to visit Poetry 180 and find FIVE poems that you want to share in class. I will model for you how to write a FOCUS STATEMENT for each of your five poems. You will turn in all of your statements, but you will choose one of your poems for class discussion.
I may also, on occasion, (maybe once a week) use a short poem for a bell ringer. You will write responses to the poem and create focus statements to share. These focus statements, I hope, will prepare you to write those poetry analysis essays on the exam. Those of you who are in tech will need to write your poem exercises outside of class.
While we are discussing poetry in class, I need you to do some outside reading. I have some hard copies of Atonement, but not enough for everyone. I did, however, find a digital copy of the novel. If you need a hard copy, you may check one out, but you must pay for it if it is lost.
I would like you to begin reading part one. We will schedule a class discussion for the end of next week.
Don't forget your vocabulary quiz on Friday.
See you in class!
Friday, October 12, 2012
October 15-19, 2012
Hello Students!
I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready for a busy week. Several of us AP teachers will be out Friday for a training session, so I will not be giving new vocabulary this week, as I will not be here to administer the weekly online quiz on Friday.
Those of you who are seniors, however, do have a vocabulary quiz on Monday to replace the one postponed from Friday, when so many of you were out on a field trip.
With the preliminaries out of the way and the perfunctory, nonetheless sincere, greetings given, I shall proceed to the week's agenda below:
Pre-APENGLISH 10
As I said earlier, you will not have a quiz on vocabulary this week. You will, however, take the STAR READING test and part 1 of the PLAN test, and many will take the PSAT. Since we are testing and preparing for said tests, I will continue with our grammar and reading reviews for most of the week. I am, for your convenience and edification, including several links in this week's blog for practice and review.
http://sat.collegeboard.org/SAT/public/pdf/getting-ready-for-the-sat-subj-tests.pdf
http://www.act.org/plan/pdf/sample.pdf
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/sat/ (This is a vocabulary study guide)
http://www.studyguidezone.com/psat_writing.htm
http://www.studyguidezone.com/psat_criticalreading.htm
http://www.studyguidezone.com/identifying-sentence-errors.htm
See you in class!
English 12
This week you will take your vocabulary quiz on Monday. You will also take your STAR READING test on Monday. Please do your very best. Showing an improvement is important.
We will continue with our study of Beowulf. Be sure that you have turned in all late assignments.
Should you miss class, you will need to read the Beowulf selection from your virtual text. You can access it at https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp
Also, in your to do you should read Contemporary Commentary: Seamus Heaney. After you read, answer the critical thinking questions. This is an assignment and must be completed on your computer. You can type your answers directly into the boxes.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
This will be a full week. On Monday your short story essays are due. I have posted a link for turning them in on Edmodo. Please do not turn them in later than midnight on the due date. There is a link to the topics on Edmodo, as well.
Monday we will finish our discussion of "I Stand Here Ironing." I want you to consider the use of metaphor in the text and how that metaphor contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. We will look closely at the beginning and end of the story and deconstruct a writing prompt, and write thematic and thesis statements based on those two sections of the story.
On Tuesday, you will take your STAR Reading Test. Please take this test seriously. You, your teachers, and your school are evaluated based upon these test results. Your goal is to maintain or improve your previous score. Anyone scoring below level should strive to increase his or her score.
Since the test does not take all period, we will also begin a unit on poetry. I will review with your the TPCASTT system of poetry analysis. I will assign poems for you to read by next week. I expect you to come to class having done ALL of the assigned reading. I will initially walk you through poetry, but will eventually assign poems to you to teach to the class.
Of course, many of your AP teachers have a training conference Friday, so I will not give a vocabulary quiz this Friday. I do, however, expect you to come prepared on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss in depth Life of Pi. I found this: Etext of Life of Pi. Please read it if you have not. I am linking to some ancillary texts that should help in your understanding of the novel. Please peruse them and be prepared to discuss them as well.
"Adventure Afloat" Book review by Roberta Rubenstein
"Faith, Fiction and Flotsam" Book review by Randy Boyagada
"Believing in Tigers:Anthropomorphism and Incredulity in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi" by Stewart Cole
You will have an in-class timed essay on this novel on FRIDAY. Be sure to bring blue or black pens. I will provide paper.
See you in class!
Mrs. SO
I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready for a busy week. Several of us AP teachers will be out Friday for a training session, so I will not be giving new vocabulary this week, as I will not be here to administer the weekly online quiz on Friday.
Those of you who are seniors, however, do have a vocabulary quiz on Monday to replace the one postponed from Friday, when so many of you were out on a field trip.
With the preliminaries out of the way and the perfunctory, nonetheless sincere, greetings given, I shall proceed to the week's agenda below:
Pre-APENGLISH 10
As I said earlier, you will not have a quiz on vocabulary this week. You will, however, take the STAR READING test and part 1 of the PLAN test, and many will take the PSAT. Since we are testing and preparing for said tests, I will continue with our grammar and reading reviews for most of the week. I am, for your convenience and edification, including several links in this week's blog for practice and review.
http://sat.collegeboard.org/SAT/public/pdf/getting-ready-for-the-sat-subj-tests.pdf
http://www.act.org/plan/pdf/sample.pdf
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/sat/ (This is a vocabulary study guide)
http://www.studyguidezone.com/psat_writing.htm
http://www.studyguidezone.com/psat_criticalreading.htm
http://www.studyguidezone.com/identifying-sentence-errors.htm
See you in class!
English 12
This week you will take your vocabulary quiz on Monday. You will also take your STAR READING test on Monday. Please do your very best. Showing an improvement is important.
We will continue with our study of Beowulf. Be sure that you have turned in all late assignments.
Should you miss class, you will need to read the Beowulf selection from your virtual text. You can access it at https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp
Also, in your to do you should read Contemporary Commentary: Seamus Heaney. After you read, answer the critical thinking questions. This is an assignment and must be completed on your computer. You can type your answers directly into the boxes.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition 12
This will be a full week. On Monday your short story essays are due. I have posted a link for turning them in on Edmodo. Please do not turn them in later than midnight on the due date. There is a link to the topics on Edmodo, as well.
Monday we will finish our discussion of "I Stand Here Ironing." I want you to consider the use of metaphor in the text and how that metaphor contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. We will look closely at the beginning and end of the story and deconstruct a writing prompt, and write thematic and thesis statements based on those two sections of the story.
On Tuesday, you will take your STAR Reading Test. Please take this test seriously. You, your teachers, and your school are evaluated based upon these test results. Your goal is to maintain or improve your previous score. Anyone scoring below level should strive to increase his or her score.
Since the test does not take all period, we will also begin a unit on poetry. I will review with your the TPCASTT system of poetry analysis. I will assign poems for you to read by next week. I expect you to come to class having done ALL of the assigned reading. I will initially walk you through poetry, but will eventually assign poems to you to teach to the class.
Of course, many of your AP teachers have a training conference Friday, so I will not give a vocabulary quiz this Friday. I do, however, expect you to come prepared on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss in depth Life of Pi. I found this: Etext of Life of Pi. Please read it if you have not. I am linking to some ancillary texts that should help in your understanding of the novel. Please peruse them and be prepared to discuss them as well.
"Adventure Afloat" Book review by Roberta Rubenstein
"Faith, Fiction and Flotsam" Book review by Randy Boyagada
"Believing in Tigers:Anthropomorphism and Incredulity in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi" by Stewart Cole
You will have an in-class timed essay on this novel on FRIDAY. Be sure to bring blue or black pens. I will provide paper.
See you in class!
Mrs. SO
Monday, October 8, 2012
October 8-12, 2012
Greetings Students!
I cannot believe how rapidly this year is passing! By the end of this week, we will be nearly halfway through October, and a quarter of the way through the school year! So much remains to be done, and so little time remains to do it.
I hope we can all work together to learn as much as possible in the coming weeks. To that end, we will complete the following tasks this week:
Pre-APEnglish 10
This is October, as I have previously stated, and October is the month when I always ask sophomores to hone their narrative skills . In other words, we are writing short stories, some of which we will share in class. In the coming weeks we will review the structure of a short story and discuss those elements that contribute to vivid and interesting writing. Be thinking about a story idea. You can use these tips to help with organization. Keep in mind that the Huntsville Literary Association will be accepting fiction submissions for their new anthology this year. The competition also has cash prizes for top winners in both fiction and poetry.
Since the PSAT, the STAR Reading, and the PLAN tests are all coming up soon, this week we will focus on some of the skills you will need for those tests. We will, however, also complete the scene we didn't quite finish in Julius Caesar. And we will resume our study of that play after the testing spree. I do think that Julius Caesar is good reading comprehension practice, since it requires so much paraphrasing.
Don't forget our weekly VOCABULARY quiz on Friday.
Our goals for this week include the following:
Paraphrase difficult passages
Make inferences
Draw conclusions
Identify the main idea of a text
Use contextual clues to determine meaning
Determine an author's purpose
Understand grammar usage and conventions
Pronoun case and agreement
Parallel stucture
Concise structure
English 12
This week we will begin our study of the epic poem, Beowulf. In preparation, we already reviewed the history of Britain up to the transcription of Beowulf, and you must now complete your test on that information. I will send home a Scantron on Monday for your answers, and you must return it before the end of the week. Please answer your questions in PENCIL and do NOT bend or fold your answer form.
You will also have a VOCABULARY quiz on Friday, so be sure to review your words before then.
We will complete the activities in your online textbook before reading the selections from Beowulf, so check your successnet account for things "to do." Unless I tell you otherwise, activities will be completed in class.
APEnglish 12 Literature and Composition
In addition to your VOCABULARY quiz on Friday, you will continue with your analysis of fiction. On Monday, we will collectively use our group analysis of the elements of fiction from the story "Clothes" to create cogent and thoughtful THEMATIC statements. (This is the BIG question: What does the text signify?) Then we will use those thematic statements to create strong THESIS statements (see link to templates on the sidebar of my blog.)
Tuesday we will have a BRIEF discussion of "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "I Stand Here Ironing." Please come to class PREPARED. DO NOT expect me to dismiss your lack of participation of obvious lack of preparation.
Wednesday we will review and deconstruct a prompt on "I Stand Here Ironing." You will read several essays and determine which of them is an upper half scoring essay. You will also analyze the content and structure of the essays to determine WHY certain essays score well while others do not.
Thursday you will write a timed essay on a prose passage, keeping in mind the qualities of a well-constructed essay.
Friday, after your quiz, we will review your take home essay assignment on the short story unit.
Please review Life of Pi and the ancellory texts I assigned earlier this year. On Monday of next week, you should come prepared to discuss this novel in depth.
See you in class!
I cannot believe how rapidly this year is passing! By the end of this week, we will be nearly halfway through October, and a quarter of the way through the school year! So much remains to be done, and so little time remains to do it.
I hope we can all work together to learn as much as possible in the coming weeks. To that end, we will complete the following tasks this week:
Pre-APEnglish 10
This is October, as I have previously stated, and October is the month when I always ask sophomores to hone their narrative skills . In other words, we are writing short stories, some of which we will share in class. In the coming weeks we will review the structure of a short story and discuss those elements that contribute to vivid and interesting writing. Be thinking about a story idea. You can use these tips to help with organization. Keep in mind that the Huntsville Literary Association will be accepting fiction submissions for their new anthology this year. The competition also has cash prizes for top winners in both fiction and poetry.
Since the PSAT, the STAR Reading, and the PLAN tests are all coming up soon, this week we will focus on some of the skills you will need for those tests. We will, however, also complete the scene we didn't quite finish in Julius Caesar. And we will resume our study of that play after the testing spree. I do think that Julius Caesar is good reading comprehension practice, since it requires so much paraphrasing.
Don't forget our weekly VOCABULARY quiz on Friday.
Our goals for this week include the following:
Paraphrase difficult passages
Make inferences
Draw conclusions
Identify the main idea of a text
Use contextual clues to determine meaning
Determine an author's purpose
Understand grammar usage and conventions
Pronoun case and agreement
Parallel stucture
Concise structure
English 12
This week we will begin our study of the epic poem, Beowulf. In preparation, we already reviewed the history of Britain up to the transcription of Beowulf, and you must now complete your test on that information. I will send home a Scantron on Monday for your answers, and you must return it before the end of the week. Please answer your questions in PENCIL and do NOT bend or fold your answer form.
You will also have a VOCABULARY quiz on Friday, so be sure to review your words before then.
We will complete the activities in your online textbook before reading the selections from Beowulf, so check your successnet account for things "to do." Unless I tell you otherwise, activities will be completed in class.
APEnglish 12 Literature and Composition
In addition to your VOCABULARY quiz on Friday, you will continue with your analysis of fiction. On Monday, we will collectively use our group analysis of the elements of fiction from the story "Clothes" to create cogent and thoughtful THEMATIC statements. (This is the BIG question: What does the text signify?) Then we will use those thematic statements to create strong THESIS statements (see link to templates on the sidebar of my blog.)
Tuesday we will have a BRIEF discussion of "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "I Stand Here Ironing." Please come to class PREPARED. DO NOT expect me to dismiss your lack of participation of obvious lack of preparation.
Wednesday we will review and deconstruct a prompt on "I Stand Here Ironing." You will read several essays and determine which of them is an upper half scoring essay. You will also analyze the content and structure of the essays to determine WHY certain essays score well while others do not.
Thursday you will write a timed essay on a prose passage, keeping in mind the qualities of a well-constructed essay.
Friday, after your quiz, we will review your take home essay assignment on the short story unit.
Please review Life of Pi and the ancellory texts I assigned earlier this year. On Monday of next week, you should come prepared to discuss this novel in depth.
See you in class!
Friday, September 28, 2012
October 1-5, 2012
Greetings Students: APE's, Other Seniors, and APE's in Training!
To be BLOCKED, or not to be BLOCKED? That is the question.
To not be blocked seems the answer. Let us hope it remains thus. Should the blog be blocked midweek, I will re-post any pertinent links on Edmodo.
As you all know, we have completed fifteen allusions, so all students will take the allusions quiz on Monday.
The individual class plans follow:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will continue our study of Julius Caesar. The e-text provides a side-by-side translation from Early Modern to Modern English. Use the e-text at home to help in your understanding. We will read the original in class together. I hope to complete Act I and progress well into Act II.
Expect short tests after each act.
Our goal this week is to explain the actions of various characters and to infer the reasons behind those actions. While reading, you should identify and also compare and contrast dramatic foils.
We will also discuss characterization and use textual evidence to support our claims about characters.
And finally, we will examine the grammatical structure of certain passages.
See you in class!
English 12
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will read the three selections assigned last week: The Seafarer, The Wanderer, and the Wife's Lament. Your goals, beyond paraphrasing these older texts, is to analyze the poems and look for the thematic ideas in them. You will also learn vocabulary in context, understand the elegy form of poetry, and recognize kennings and caesuras.
Be sure to check Edmodo daily for updates. I will alert you to any reading or outside assignments.
Don't forget that your Personal Essay is due Monday.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition
We have much to do this week!
First let me thank those of you who attended the Saturday prep session. I appreciate your commitment. You will be rewarded for your dilegence.
"Clothes" (Monday and Tuesday: We will use the handout below.)
Select passages that you think warrant discussion and be prepared to discuss them. We will also use this handout on analyzing fiction.
The Yellow Wallpaper (Wednesday)
I Stand Here Ironing (Wednesday)
Thursday we will evaluate essays for I Stand Here Ironing.
Friday you will have your vocabulary quiz and create a thematic and thesis statement for several of the texts we have read.
You will write an analytical essay on one or a combination of the stories from this unit. Topics and due dates will be posted on Edmodo. Check daily for updates and assignments.
See you in Class!
To be BLOCKED, or not to be BLOCKED? That is the question.
To not be blocked seems the answer. Let us hope it remains thus. Should the blog be blocked midweek, I will re-post any pertinent links on Edmodo.
As you all know, we have completed fifteen allusions, so all students will take the allusions quiz on Monday.
The individual class plans follow:
Pre-APEnglish 10
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will continue our study of Julius Caesar. The e-text provides a side-by-side translation from Early Modern to Modern English. Use the e-text at home to help in your understanding. We will read the original in class together. I hope to complete Act I and progress well into Act II.
Expect short tests after each act.
Our goal this week is to explain the actions of various characters and to infer the reasons behind those actions. While reading, you should identify and also compare and contrast dramatic foils.
We will also discuss characterization and use textual evidence to support our claims about characters.
And finally, we will examine the grammatical structure of certain passages.
See you in class!
English 12
Study your new vocabulary for your weekly quiz on Friday.
This week we will read the three selections assigned last week: The Seafarer, The Wanderer, and the Wife's Lament. Your goals, beyond paraphrasing these older texts, is to analyze the poems and look for the thematic ideas in them. You will also learn vocabulary in context, understand the elegy form of poetry, and recognize kennings and caesuras.
Be sure to check Edmodo daily for updates. I will alert you to any reading or outside assignments.
Don't forget that your Personal Essay is due Monday.
See you in class!
APEnglish Literature and Composition
We have much to do this week!
First let me thank those of you who attended the Saturday prep session. I appreciate your commitment. You will be rewarded for your dilegence.
"Clothes" (Monday and Tuesday: We will use the handout below.)
Select passages that you think warrant discussion and be prepared to discuss them. We will also use this handout on analyzing fiction.
The Yellow Wallpaper (Wednesday)
I Stand Here Ironing (Wednesday)
Thursday we will evaluate essays for I Stand Here Ironing.
Friday you will have your vocabulary quiz and create a thematic and thesis statement for several of the texts we have read.
You will write an analytical essay on one or a combination of the stories from this unit. Topics and due dates will be posted on Edmodo. Check daily for updates and assignments.
See you in Class!
Friday, September 21, 2012
September 24-28, 2012
Greetings Students: Ape's, other Seniors, and APE's in training!
I hope you are ready for a busy week. Now that the classroom competition for Poetry Out Loud has been completed, we will turn our focus to more traditional tasks.
See you in class!
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week will certainly be full! We are beginning a unit on the Shakespearean tragedy The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. I have a number of reasons for selecting this text, but my primary goals are for you, by the time we have finished, to understand and compare the rhetorical devices and strategies used by political factions, evaluate those strategies for their effectiveness. I also want your to be able to analyze the various characters and make judgement calls about them as well as hypothesize Shakespeare's purpose in creating said characters, including those who are foils. We will examine and recognize the structure of the Shakespearean tragedy and Moreover, by the time we complete this play, you should be able to relate the events of this quasi-history to the world in general, in other words, you should be able to create a thematic statement about the play and defend that statement.
Of course we won't be able to do all those things in one, or even two weeks. But I just wanted to set some clear guidelines for you to consider while reading.
In addition to our plunge into Shakespeare, we will also review the new SAT vocabulary for this week's Friday quiz, and we will have a Foundation Friday lesson on distinguishing fact, opinion, and bias in a nonfiction text.
English 12
This week we will finally write those college entrance/personal essay. Over the weekend you were to have selected a topic by locating the topic required by one of the colleges to which you would like to apply. I have created a Write to Learn topic for your essay so you can get some feedback before submitting your essay for grading. This is an important assignment, not just for my class, but also for your future, so please take it seriously. Have a third party proofread for you before your final submission. Use an essay checklist like this one for evaluating your essay. Your essays will be due on Friday, September 28. Do not expect to work on them in class.
Monday we will review the vocabulary lesson two for your quiz on Friday. Be sure to study your words.
Tuesday-Friday we will begin our study of British literature. I have assigned several passages in your online text. We will read some in class, but what we do not finish, you will need to read at home. I hope to complete the following this week:
APEnglish Literature and Composition
This week will conclude our short story boot camp. We will discuss as fully as possible the remaining texts from our list. Be prepared each day to discuss the assigned texts in a scholarly fashion. Bring questions or comments for the class. Do NOT come unprepared. We will not have the opportunity to read in class, so you must read and prepare ahead of time.
Once Upon a Time
Miss Brill (Monday after vocabulary quiz)
Desiree's Baby (Tuesday...be prepared to annotate.)
Hills Like White Elephants (Already discussed)
The Japanese Quince (Already discussed)
Where are You Going Where Have You Been (Wednesday)
The Yellow Wallpaper (Thursday)
I Stand Here Ironing (Thursday)
"Clothes" (Friday and Monday Oct 1. We will use the handout below.)
I have included links to those stories we've already address for your easy location of said texts. Select passages that you think warrant discussion and be prepared to discuss them. We will also use this handout on analyzing fiction.
Also, don't forget that you will also have your second vocabulary quiz this Friday. Your lesson for this week is here.
I hope you are ready for a busy week. Now that the classroom competition for Poetry Out Loud has been completed, we will turn our focus to more traditional tasks.
See you in class!
Pre-APEnglish 10
This week will certainly be full! We are beginning a unit on the Shakespearean tragedy The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. I have a number of reasons for selecting this text, but my primary goals are for you, by the time we have finished, to understand and compare the rhetorical devices and strategies used by political factions, evaluate those strategies for their effectiveness. I also want your to be able to analyze the various characters and make judgement calls about them as well as hypothesize Shakespeare's purpose in creating said characters, including those who are foils. We will examine and recognize the structure of the Shakespearean tragedy and Moreover, by the time we complete this play, you should be able to relate the events of this quasi-history to the world in general, in other words, you should be able to create a thematic statement about the play and defend that statement.
Of course we won't be able to do all those things in one, or even two weeks. But I just wanted to set some clear guidelines for you to consider while reading.
In addition to our plunge into Shakespeare, we will also review the new SAT vocabulary for this week's Friday quiz, and we will have a Foundation Friday lesson on distinguishing fact, opinion, and bias in a nonfiction text.
English 12
This week we will finally write those college entrance/personal essay. Over the weekend you were to have selected a topic by locating the topic required by one of the colleges to which you would like to apply. I have created a Write to Learn topic for your essay so you can get some feedback before submitting your essay for grading. This is an important assignment, not just for my class, but also for your future, so please take it seriously. Have a third party proofread for you before your final submission. Use an essay checklist like this one for evaluating your essay. Your essays will be due on Friday, September 28. Do not expect to work on them in class.
Monday we will review the vocabulary lesson two for your quiz on Friday. Be sure to study your words.
Tuesday-Friday we will begin our study of British literature. I have assigned several passages in your online text. We will read some in class, but what we do not finish, you will need to read at home. I hope to complete the following this week:
- Introduction: The Old English and Medieval Periods (A.D. 449-1485)
The Seafarer / The Wanderer / The Wife's Lament- Focus on Literary Forms: Epic
APEnglish Literature and Composition
This week will conclude our short story boot camp. We will discuss as fully as possible the remaining texts from our list. Be prepared each day to discuss the assigned texts in a scholarly fashion. Bring questions or comments for the class. Do NOT come unprepared. We will not have the opportunity to read in class, so you must read and prepare ahead of time.
Once Upon a Time
Miss Brill (Monday after vocabulary quiz)
Desiree's Baby (Tuesday...be prepared to annotate.)
Hills Like White Elephants (Already discussed)
The Japanese Quince (Already discussed)
Where are You Going Where Have You Been (Wednesday)
The Yellow Wallpaper (Thursday)
I Stand Here Ironing (Thursday)
"Clothes" (Friday and Monday Oct 1. We will use the handout below.)
I have included links to those stories we've already address for your easy location of said texts. Select passages that you think warrant discussion and be prepared to discuss them. We will also use this handout on analyzing fiction.
Also, don't forget that you will also have your second vocabulary quiz this Friday. Your lesson for this week is here.
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