river oaks [english]

Sophomores You'll need to finish reading The Crucible for Monday. We will discuss the second half and have an exam on Tuesday. We will watch the rest of the film on Wednesday while you plan to write the character development essays in class on Thursday.We will discuss the essay further in class, and I will give you an assignment sheet that outlines the requirements and grading guidelines: Monday - Discussion and Review Tuesday - Exam on The Crucible Wednesday - Essay Planning, Film Thursday - In-Class Essay

Seniors You write an in-class argument essay tomorrow about the relative value of college, answering the question posed by this week's edition of Newsweek : Is College a Lousy Investment ? Consider the following: how much difference does the determination of the student make? how much difference does your major make? what is your opinion of a university based on? what kind of education might you receive compared to the relative cost? what else is considered as valuable about college beyond classes? should all students who graduate high school go to college? how about community college as a way to cut costs? should some take a "gap year" to discover their life's passion and explore options? Also consider the suggestions for "arrangement" in your book. You can start your essay with a narrative anecdote about your interview subject, for example, or describe the atmosphere of an LSU football game to emphasize the value of that experience. Your essay

Seniors Over the weekend, the latest SAT scores led to the numerous articles about the state of education in America, including this one from the Washington Post : SAT reading scores hit a four-decade low. At the same time, Newsweek 's cover story for this week is Megan McArdle's essay on the college bubble: "Is College a Lousy Investment?" In addition to these two essays, please read the section on "Arrangement" (or organization) in your textbook  on pages 13-25. Sophomores Read Act Two of The Crucible and answer questions #1-6 on p206.

Okay, so you get one more day. Just a reminder that some of you have work due tomorrow: Seniors - Final draft of your research paper, including copies of all sources and drafts Sophomore Honors - 250-word summary of the Anne Hutchinson essay Sophomores should continue to read Act Two of The Crucible .

Seniors I know the word is probably out by now, but I just want to make your extension official. You have until Monday to finish your revisions.

Sorry I couldn't be there today, but one of my children was home sick. I'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, please continue with the following: Seniors Your revised, merged draft is due tomorrow, with design elements incorporated and with a complete list of referenced sources. The draft should be from six to eight pages in length, and you should have cited at least five sources. We will discuss your drafts tomorrow in class. Today, I left instructions for you to begin working through the English section of the ACT practice booklet. Please bring those tomorrow, and if your answers are on a separate sheet, I can give you credit for the assignment and check your answers. Sophomores You were to turn in questions today on Act One and to discuss the answers in class. We will have a quiz tomorrow , including the vocabulary and introductory notes. Honors students have an assignment for Monday (because of the Thursday game) based on the following article. Please summarize t

Seniors Annotated Bibliography due tomorrow.  Sophomores Read the rest of Act One of The Crucible and answer questions #1-5 on p190.

Sophomores Read Act One of The Crucible . We will discuss the play in class, and then answer questions Tuesday night.

Schedule for this week: due Tuesday - merged rough draft, with headings and revised works cited - eliminate all MLA headings and keep pages numbered in sequence due Wednesday - annotated bibliography - MLA citations of all sources (at least five), with annotations discussing the credibility and relevance of each due Thursday - merged revised draft with title page, including a 100-word abstract at the bottom - should include all parts of the paper (profession, problem, solutions, evaluation and conclusion) due Friday - FINAL DRAFT - integrating design elements discussed in class, and including copies of all sources referenced in the paper

Seniors Finish and TYPE your Solutions paper and bring it on Monday. Also bring all sources that you've used, so that we can check (or create) your citations. Next step is twofold: to create an annotated bibliography of all sources, and to merge all three drafts into one cohesive paper. We will discuss both in class. Sophomores I neglected to tell 5th hour about the honors assignment, so everyone is off the hook for the homework. I will pass out a copy of the assignment in class Monday, and we begin studying The Crucible .

Seniors will write the initial draft of the Solutions paper in class tomorrow. Everyone should bring all relevant sources and be prepared to write in class. This final stage of the research paper discusses the solutions to the problem defined in paper #2. Please observe the following requirements: Cite at least three credible sources according to MLA conventions Consider the criteria by which the solutions are judged - in other words, the basis for a decision when considering how to solve your problem Recommend the best solution to the problem, based on your evaluation

We've been talking about the Puritans in class, and I mentioned Rev. John Eliot the other day - translator of the first bible printed in America , in Algonquin. We have a page from one of the originals in our local Biedenharn Bible Museum and thought you might be interested in a piece done by the News Star to commemorate the re-opening of the museum:   Biedenharn Bible Museum . Quiz tomorrow on the two Puritan poets discussed in class, as well as the notes on poetics.

Seniors Read Chapter One and the essay excerpt on p36 in The Language of Composition and answer the questions on diction and syntax on p37. Use examples from the NYT excerpt in your responses. Sophomores Read p130-143 in your textbook, including Anne Bradstreet's poems, and answer the following: #1-4 on 139 #1-3 on 142

Your TYPED essay is due tomorrow. It should be at least three pages, including the works cited. Follow MLA guidelines for citation and format.

Seniors The essay on your problem is due on Monday, September 10th. We will look at each others' papers in groups and then turn in the final draft on Tuesday. You have a copy of the assignment, and you've written an initial draft in class; now you should be locating additional resources and revising. Remember that you need at least three credible sources, but they do not have to be different sources than you used in your first paper, necessarily. Your essay should be formatted according to MLA and should be over two pages (excluding the works cited page). Bring all sources, but you will not have to turn them in because you may use one or more for your Solutions paper.

Sophomores Your exam is on Monday, September 10th and will include the following: Historical Narratives (70-71) Log of Christopher Columbus  La Relacion Of Plymouth Plantation Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Make sure to read the "front" and "back" material for each selection and to review the 30 "Words to Know." Your book's publisher has provided a handy flashcard program on their website. The format of the test is multiple choice, matching, short answer and essay. The exam will be worth 100 points.

Seniors Today we wrote the initial draft of the Problem paper in class. Hopefully, that made it clear what exactly you need to know and will give you a more specific focus for your research. Bring all research that you find to class every day, and feel free to check the quality of those sources with me. Generally speaking, you want to find sources written by professionals in the field, those who are qualified through degrees and licensure to have informed opinions. Remember that part of the ongoing assignment is to establish the credibility of your sources through an annotated bibliography. You will ALL write the "This I Believe" essay in class on Friday. The assignment, as outlined on the site , follows:   Tell a story : Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else

Seniors You will write an initial draft of your "problem" tomorrow in class. That means that you need to decide on a topic tonight . Narrow it down to one specific problem that is common to the profession. In other words, if you did this job, what would you deal with every day? Try to find as much relevant research material tonight, as well, and bring that with you. In addition, you may want to preview the other essay we'll be working on soon: This I Believe . This essay is fairly short and informal and focuses on a central, guiding principle or belief. Sophomores Read "Of Plymouth Plantation" and answer questions #1, 3 and 4 on page 88.