Skip to main content

Welcome Back!

The new school year is upon us, and I'm certain it will be a great one! The first few days will consist of going over the syllabus (policies, assignments and schedule), and the summer reading assignments.

Just to refresh your memory, the books you will be writing about in the first week are as follows:
  • Juniors -- Great Expectations (Dickens)
  • Seniors -- 1984 (Orwell) or Bayou Farewell (Tidwell)
Expect to quote from the book in your essay. This means that Sparknotes and the like are not sufficient preparation. If you have not read the book in its entirety, then I highly recommend that you get busy!

Your first essay will be written IN CLASS, and you will be able to use your book and notes only. We will discuss topics and strategies in the first couple of days, and then write the essay on Monday, August 23rd.

DUE ON FRIDAY (Aug 20th):

Your second assignment was to read another book of your own choosing (or two if you're in Honors/AP) and to compose a short report on each using the form outlined in the summer reading assignment. If you do not have a copy, then download one now.

These reports are due on Friday, August 20th. Again, in the first couple of days, I will go over the requirements for this short, one-page report.

Looking forward to seeing you all in class!

Popular posts from this blog

Juniors ~ Restoration Period

For more on the Restoration Period, go to the homepage for the Norton Anthology of English Literature . Click on the picture below to go to Wikipedia's page on Hogarth's Marriage a-la-mode :
Read more

Homework

Seniors Your exam is on Thursday, and your final essay is on Friday. I'll talk more about the essay in class tomorrow. Also, the senior auction project lacks one more important detail - your memories! We will spend a bit of time tomorrow in class writing down some of your fondest memories of your senior year, and the rest of your time at RO.  Sophomores Read "Lines Composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey," and complete the questions at the end of the selection in your book. As always, please use complete sentences and cite frequently from the text.
Read more

Monday Work

Sophomores We are going to discuss Ch11-16 in class Monday and finish answering the study questions for Tuesday. Seniors The first thing we will do on Monday is discuss your updated plans for school and career. A one page "addendum" to your career paper is due on Tuesday . Include whether or not you plan to pursue the career discussed in your research paper and why or why not. Also include plans for career post-graduation and any career-related plans for this summer. This paper can be informal in tone but should follow the conventions of college-level writing. Share with me via email as "lastname-addendum." We will also discuss the letter you will all write to your future selves (five years from now). Every year, the senior class writes a set of letters, and every year I mail a set from five years ago.This letter should include anything you'd like to remember about your senior year, or your goals and values right now, or your tastes and opinions. I will m...
Read more