river oaks [english]

Seniors, you have a rough draft due tomorrow. Don't give me the old "my printer's broken" excuse... get to school early and print it there so we'll have something to look at. Also, please bring all sources used in the paper -- we'll discuss how to cite them. As for the paper itself, just make sure you are explaining the rationale behind your decisions (i.e. why are you majoring in that? why are you going there? what education is required for that? what's the job like? etc...). Organize into paragraphs and CITE all sources.

Make sure you've done the following for Monday! You were told on Friday, so this is just a reminder: English IV Type a set of fifteen questions for your interview. You should have someone specific in mind, and by now should have plans to conduct your interview this week. You should also have plenty of information for the Career Paper (including a printout from the Occupational Outlook Handbook ). Your first draft is due on Tuesday . English III Answer questions on page 38 of your textbook/handout (#2-8, a-e). Use complete sentences and correct grammar, but your answers do not have be a paragraph long each. Be succinct and specific.

The site we looked at in class today is an excellent overall source for this first paper. It defines various career paths, broken down into subcategories, and provides info about job growth and salary. If you're going to use it, I suggest printing the PDF available. Please write the website address on the printout. Occupational Outlook Handbook

Your next assignment is to write a letter to me proposing your topic for the Career Paper. Please use FULL BLOCK format - found in your textbook - and ONE INCH margins. Include the following: A short paragraph stating your purpose for the letter and your topic. Tell me what career you've chosen, what major that requires and where you plan to go to school. A short paragraph stating your future plans and rationale (why you want to do this particular job) Again, this is to be in letter format! We went over this in class and it's in your book. Don't forget to sign the letter. THIS WEEKEND you should be writing your first paper and adding in the research you've done so far. You will get the assignment in class and I'll re-post it here. Also, set up your interview!

Your assignment for tomorrow is to print out a description of your major from the university of your choice. Feel free to print out more than one. You can search for degree programs through the CollegeBoard site - like we did in class. You can also try looking through the rankings in the latest issue of US News & World Report , including a feature which lets you search by region.

As discussed in class today, your first assignment is to write a 250-word self-assessment. What do you think you'd like to do later in life? What are your talents? Where would you like to live? What's most important to you? What kind of work environment are you most comfortable in? All of these questions and many more come up when you start considering what career you'd like to pursue. This reflective essay is informal, but please type and format according to MLA. Second, go to College Board's site and explore their section on Careers and Degree Programs . Print out the page that seems closest to your ideal job/career. Finally, if you need some help getting started, you might want to try one of the many "career aptitude" tests that are out there. Be aware that some of these sites require registration and/or a fee.

Welcome back everyone.... I'm looking forward to a great year. I'm teaching Junior and Senior English this year, and we just installed a new Promethean ActivBoard in my classroom. We'll hit the ground running, so get ready to start in earnest on Thursday. I'll post the supply list on this site after I hand out syllabi, and we'll also be taking up a book fee in the first week or so. The book reports are officially due on Thursday , and we'll prepare for the essays on Dracula and Bayou Farewell on Thursday and Friday. Your in-class essay is on Monday . See you in class!