river oaks [english]

Sophomores You have three things going on between now and Monday: Quiz on Walden on Friday One-page reflective assignment due on Monday Two poems, one ABABCDCDEFEF inspired by Emerson and/or Thoreau, and one free verse poem beginning with the words "I sit and look out" - due Monday Juniors Answer questions on the following pages: p285 #1-4 p287 #2-6 p291 #1-3 p293 #2-5 Reminder: your Macbeth projects and one-page rationales are due on Monday. Seniors Finish the AP exam and bring to class.  Your vocabulary quiz is on Monday: pompous - excessively elevated or ornate slipshod - careless discretion - showing good judgement colloquial - relating to conversation avail - to be of use or advantage opaque - hard to understand or explain pedantic - making a show of knowledge gabble - to talk fast or foolishly perspicuous - plain to the understanding circumlocutions - evasion in speech extemporaneous - composed, uttered or performed on the spur of the m

Sophomores We are currently reading selections from Walden , by Henry David Thoreau. You will have a quiz on Friday, including the vocabulary. Your assignment for this weekend, as noted in class, is to conduct an experience similar to Thoreau's - that is, to spend an hour as separate from "civilization" as possible, using the senses and writing down what you experience.  Try to avoid talking about the things you aren't doing, like texting or facebooking, and instead try to understand what Thoreau means by the phrase, "Heaven is below our feet as well as above our heads."  Type up your thoughts in a 250-word response and turn in Monday.

Your exam is tomorrow, Wednesday Oct 26 . The exam will consist of multiple choice and matching questions, as well as a short answer section and an essay. As promised, here are the Macbeth PowerPoint Jeopardy reviews we used in class: Macbeth Jeopardy #1 Macbeth Jeopardy #2

The AP Course Description from College Board is found HERE , at their site. Inside, you will find a copy of both the English Language and Composition and English Literature and Composition exams.  The exam we are working through for class begins on p14. College Board also gives you access to previous years' "free-response" questions - essay prompts , in other words. We will begin working our way through some of those examples as the year progresses. Your assignment for Tuesday is to read the first essay (on "style") and to answer the ten questions that follow.  Please make a note of any word or phrase that is especially difficult.  We will compile vocabulary lists from your notes.  Bring the handout to class tomorrow, and we will work through the second essay together. Finish the handout for Wednesday and hand it in for points.

Everyone Your haikus-for-credit are due Monday. See the Scholastic site for details on entering yours into the contest. This is not required, but I will give you homework credit if you follow the assignment. Seniors No Homework Juniors First, your proposal letters are due on Monday. Use full block style please.  Also, make sure you have read Macbeth in its entirety.  Review on Monday, and Exam on Wednesday.  Sophomores Honors, write a 250-word summary on your "civil disobedience" article. Follow MLA style and stick to summary only , please.

Your Macbeth projects are due one week from Monday, on October 31 (ooooh, spooky). There are several options, and you can work in groups or alone: Group Video - up to 10 minutes in length, up to four people per group, focus on one scene Visual Art - you could do a painting, a collage, a photo montage, etc. Critical Essay - write an essay on a theme or character development Website - create an index for allusions, historical context, criticism, resources, images, etc. Everyone, even those in groups, must submit a proposal letter to me on Monday, stating exactly what you plan to do (and with whom). Please use full block format, and sign. Again, this is due on Monday, October 24 .

Good luck on the ACT tomorrow, those of you who are taking it. To help you prepare, and for future reference, here are some materials for you to work with at home: ACT Prep - from the official site - including sample tests Test Prep Review - has "self-assessment modules" in several subjects ACT Sparknotes ACT Test Questions

Juniors Answer questions #2 and 3 after Act III - paragraph each - and read Act IV. Sophomores Find and print an article on a recent act of civil disobedience, and bring to class tomorrow. You will have a quiz on Friday on "Self-Reliance" and "Civil Disobedience," including the vocabulary.

I'd like for all of my students to participate in Scholastic's Haiku Contest, which is sponsored by Dell. The prizes include free laptops and smartphones.  The guidelines for the contest are simple: Write a haiku that answers the question, "What adventures does your future hold?" Submit the haiku to Scholastic's website Turn in a hard copy for a grade and possible publication in Musings The deadline for credit in my class is Monday, October 24 , and the deadline for the contest is November 18 . Students grade 7-12 are eligible for the contest.

Seniors You are writing an essay tomorrow on high schools in America, based on the following prompt (adapted from #3 on 164): To what extent do American high schools prepare students to achieve Dewey's vision of "a curriculum which acknowledges the social responsibilities of education," one that presents "situations where problems are relevant to the problems of living together"? You must answer the question in the form of a thesis and support your thesis with evidence from at least three of the articles in your book (can also use the article handed out in class ). Juniors Answer questions #2-7 on page 362, and read Act III Sophomores Read Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"  Answer Comprehension Check and #2-4 on 378 Print out an article on a recent (or not-so-recent) act of civil disobedience - could be related to the current "Occupy Wall Street" movement, the "Tea Party" movement, the " Arab Spring " uprisi

Sophomores Read "The Devil and Tom Walker" (349-59) by Washington Irving.  Be ready for a reading quiz. Juniors Read Act One of Macbeth . Be ready for a reading quiz. Seniors Read the first three essays in "Focus on the American High School" Answer questions #1-5 on 153, #1-5 on 155, and #1-6 on 158

PSAT tests are tomorrow, so seniors have the day off.  Enjoy. Sophomores, study for your exam.  The exam will include the following: Speech to the Virginia Convention Declaration of Indepedence Persuasive Rhetoric Letter to the Reverend Samson Occum Letter to John Adams What is an American? Junior Honors, your vocabulary quiz is tomorrow.  We will begin discussing Macbeth on Thursday.

Honors Students Your honors essay will be written in class when we return on Tuesday. Juniors Complete section 5 of the PSAT practice exam and turn it in tomorrow for homework credit. Sophomores For extra points , write (and type) a report answering the question "What is an American?" The essay is due on Tuesday .   You will have an exam on Wednesday on the Revolutionary Period.

Seniors (and anyone else who's interested), here is the video of the debate we've been watching in class: We will continue to talk politics as the year progresses, and as the parties pick their candidates, we will watch more debates and continue to discuss the pros and cons of these issues.

Seniors You are writing an ACT-style argument essay in class tomorrow. Come prepared to integrate some of the analytical tools you've learned into a 500-word essay. Juniors PSAT prep: finish section 3 of the test. The following terms came up most often in your vocabulary lists, so study the definitions for a quiz on Tuesday : esoteric (adj) - of special, rare, or unusual interest caustic (adj) - marked by incisive sarcasm perfunctory (adj) - characterized by routine or superficiality halcyon (adj) - calm, peaceful affability (n) - being pleasant and at ease in talking to others onerous (adj) - involving, imposing, or constituting a burden munificent (adj) - very liberal in giving or bestowing remonstrate (v) - to plead and urge reasons in opposition subversive (adj) - a cause of overthrow or ddestruction feckless (adj) - weak, ineffective; worthless, irresponsible Sophomores Answer the following citing specific examples from the text: #1-4 on 284 #2-4 on 287

Seniors Vocabulary quiz tomorrow on rhetorical terms (pages 58-59). Juniors Pull 10 vocabulary words from pages 5 & 14 in your PSAT booklet and define.  Please use Webster's Dictionary only.  Also, work #9-24 and put answers on paper to turn in. Sophomores No homework tonight. However, you may want to watch this video: