Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Students should be prepared for a grammar quiz tomorrow, Wednesday. Follow this link for a practice.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Today students read about the hero and the quest and also read the story "The White Snake". This story isn't online...if you missed, you'll have to check out a book. Studnets should also practice for the grammar quiz.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Today in class we continued our discussion of archetypes. Students should finish reading "How the World was Made" and "In the Beginning" (available on the school website). They should also complete the Venn diagram comparing the two. Students should also be preparing for the quiz on grammar lesson A.

BLOG IT! 4 Due Monday, June 1, 2009

Take a moment to reflect on the story of Cyrano. What makes it a good story? What is the message that you will take away from this story? How does it apply to our lives today?

Monday, May 4, 2009

Students should continue to make progress reading Much Ado About Nothing. Remember to complete the study guide as you go so that you can use that as a review.

BLOG IT! (3) Due May 1st

After studying satire for the past few weeks, hopefully you have a better understanding of satire, its purposes, and its role in our world. In a two to three paragraph reflection, summarize what satire it, outline its role in our world, and include specific examples.

Some things to consider: When is satire effective? When is satire ineffective? Who can understand satire? Why is satire important? Where do you see satire creating change? How is satire used most effectively? What causes satire to be effective/ineffective? Etc.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Students today began preparing for the review paper by processing a review they found.

Students should begin finalizing their Cambodia Portfolio in preparation for portfolio turn in on Thursday. Items to include: 1. Quick Write 2. Genocide worksheet 3. Theme Chart 4. Film summaries 5. Film reflection.

Students should also be prepared for a quiz on The Killing Fields (Tues.) and a vocabulary exam (Wed.)

Friday, March 13, 2009

Today we finished watching the film The Killing Fields. Students should prepare their Cambodia portfolio to turn in next week. The homework for the weekend is to print out a film review from the Internet or cut one out from the newspaper or a magazine. Bring the review to class on Monday. We will also have a vocabulary exam on Wednesday.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Students should prepare for grammar and vocabulary quizzes this week. We will have the mid term exam next Wednesday.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Students should finish reading chapter two of "First they Killed my Father".

Monday, March 2, 2009

Students should finish reading the first chapter of First they Killed my Father.

BLOG IT! (2) Due Wednesday, March 4, 2009

During English class this year, we have read many short stories, books, and plays so far. In this blog entry, write about the piece of literature you have enjoyed reading the most, and explain why you have enjoyed reading it. Next tell me a little bit about what you are interested in reading. If you were to love a book, what would it be about or what style/genre of literature would it be? You could start by writing about a particular book that you have enjoyed and would use as a model for other books you would enjoy.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Today students finished the genocide chart and we went over lesson 5 of the vocabulary unit.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Today in class we took the grammar quiz, turned in our irony portfolios, and went over lesson five in the writing problems packet.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Students took the short story test today. Students should be prepared to turn in the portfolio tomorrow and take the grammar quiz.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Students went over grammar and vocab lesson 4. Tonight students should study for the short story test tomorrow and preparing their portfolios for Wednesday. The current portfolio should include:
Short Story Study Guide
Irony Notes
Author/Short Story Notes
Irony Photo Worksheet
Irony Photo Paragraph
"And Of Clay..." Questions (not 4th hour)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Today students in 1st and 4th worked on an irony project. Over the weekend, all students should make certain they have read and understand the short stories...there will be a test on Tuesday. Stories to review:
"How Much Land..."
"The Bet"
"The Jewels"
"Federiggo's Falcon"

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Students should study for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow. In class today we read "The Jewels". Students should work on the studay guide and blog tonight.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Today each class did something different. All classes have a grammar quiz tomorrow...here is the practice.

1st hour: Finished reading "And of Clay..." and answered questions IDF 4 and IM 1 in the brown book. Then students worked on the HW of reading "The Bet" for tomorrow.

4th hour: Worked on reading about the differences between the male and female brain. Please see MD for the handouts.

7th hour: Finished reading "And of Clay..." and answered questions IDF 4 and IM 1 in the brown book. We then worked on an Irony activity. Please see MD for the assignment.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Today students took a quiz on vocabulary set 2. We went over grammar and vocabulary lesson 3. The homework for the weekend is to read the story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?". Students should remember to take notes and do the study guide as well.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Today in class we took our final Anthem quiz, went over the course syllabus, and read our first short story, Federigo's Falcon. Students should read the text including the author information and take notes too. There is also a study guide to go along with the short story unit. Students should prepare for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Students created a blog of their own in class today. All students should plan to make their first blog entry by February 18. We also turned in our Anthem portfolios and took the grammar quiz. We ran out of time for the Anthem quiz, but will take care of that tomorrow.

BLOG IT! (1) Due February 18, 2009

Choose one of the following topics to blog about on your newly created blog. Your entry should be thoughtful, detailed, and show that you have the ability to write a well-constructed response.

Option 1: Equality-72521 writes about being alone and how being alone is not allowed in his society. Reflect on being alone in our society and in your own life. Think about societal norms, and how being alone makes you feel. Is it necessary for your personality?

Option 2: In Anthem, we see a totalitarian, collectivist society and the struggle of one member of that society discovering himself. Write a blog entry that depicts your opinion about finding the correct balance between collectivism (we) and egocentricity (I).

Monday, February 9, 2009

Studnets should continue reading Anthem keeping in mind that the novel should be finished by Wednesday (portfolio too).

Friday, February 6, 2009

Students should read chapter 4, 5, and 6 over the weekend. Students should be prepared to finish the book and turn in the portfolio assignments on Wednesday.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Students should continue making progress in Anthem by reading chapter three tonight. A quiz could pop up in the next few days. They should also make progress on the study guide and philosophy chart.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Students took the quiz for grammar lesson 1. Homework tonight is to read chapter 2 in Anthem.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Today students turned in their Oedipus Rex portfolio. We also began reading chapter one of Anthem and went over some brief background notes on Ayn Rand. Students should also prepare for the grammar quiz tomorrow...here is a practice test. At this time I do not know how to post a pdf on this blog....grrrr so I cannot post the grammar lesson itself.

Monday, February 2, 2009

On Friday, students went over the first vocabulary lesson and worked on part II study guide for Oedipus Rex. Today, we finsihed reading OED. Students should complete the study guides, notes, and writer's response and be prepared to turn them in on Tuesday. There will also be a quiz on Tuesday.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Today we continued to read Oedipus Rex. Reminder that the paper is due on Monday.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Today students finished reading part one of Oedipus Rex. Tonight, students should finish the studyguide for part one. We also went through the first grammar lesson. I will post it as soon as I can retrieve it from my email (email is down).

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Today we continued reading Oedipus Rex. Students took a quiz on the background information and we took the classmate name test.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Amid the craziness that is Snow Week at BHS, we began reading Oedipus Rex. Students who missed class today should read the prologue (books available to check out during study hall). Students also began working on the study guide for part I. Quiz tomorrow on the background information.

Friday, January 23, 2009

To continue building knowledge about classical Greek theatre, today students read about Sophocles, a Greek playwright (see picture). They also worked on a free write about the concept of a reversal in fortune (ex: a person has always had great luck until...). Oedipus is the classic story of a tragic character who experiences a reversal in fortune: he thinks he escapes fate, saves Thebes from disaster, leads his people to prosperity, and thinks he is solving the crime of the century only to find out that he is the guilty one and his guilt goes beyond his wildest imagination. We see reversals like this all over in our world--in politics (scandal), finances (check your 401K lately?), relationships (betrayal)...but also in a good sense (think: random act of kindness or pay it forward).

Have a peaceful weekend!

MD

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Two photos from my recent trip to Greece and Turkey demonstrating the size of the Greek theater.

Today students learned about the origins of Greek theatre. We are getting ready to start reading Oedipus Rex on Monday and I think it is more fun if we can imagine what it might have been like "back then". At the end of the note taking, I asked students to write down two things that they learned and two questions that they still had. I was surprised by the inquisitive questions...such as "why were chorus members not payed?" and "how much would it cost to go to a play then?" and "how did they build the Greek theatres?" (And other less appropriate questions focusing on the dance/chant/fertility festivals held in honor of Dionysus) All good questions...hopefully students are fervently researching the questions and will report back to me tomorrow...

Wednesday, January 21, 2008

Today in class we began talking about what makes each of us an individual in preparation for reading the novel Anthem. We also began working on our first major writing assignment: the Individuality Paper. This writing assignment is due on Monday, February 2, 2009.

Two days ago I was circling around the block looking for a good place to park my car. There was obviously something going on in the neighborhood (I wasn't invited) and I couldn't find a spot. During this time, there was an interview with the outgoing chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and American poet, Dana Gioia. Gioia referenced a 2007 study by the NEA stating that, "Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure[in 2002]" and the "percentage of 18- to 44-year-olds who read a book fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002". Scary, I know. I was excited to listen to him talk about the preliminary information from their newest study that shows the amount of time spent reading in 2007 improved in every age category (I couldn't find his source for this). Furthermore, he stated that this is the only gain of that nature recorded during the 20th and 21st centuries. Exciting! Check out the list of some of my favorite books coming soon to this site.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Today in class students took a survey about technology in their lives. I will use the results of this survey to inform my instruction and planning and begin looking at what areas our students need more emphasis on to be sucessful in an ever-changing world. Additionally, students composed a letter to me about thier experience in English classes thus far in their high-school career and what they need as learners.

Yesterday was the 200th birthday of American Poet Edgar Allen Poe. I should have invited my freinds over for a feast of raven and other such fare that would have been on tables circa 1809.

I am looking forward to a sucessful semester!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Today I was off campus learning about blogs, wikis, and other forms of digital writing....

Welcome!

Welcome to my world lit course blog. Here you can find information about what happened in class today as well as links to assignments and other course resources.