river oaks [english]

Sophomores, you have one more chance to get some points this week: Homework for Tuesday (#1-4 on 453 and #1-3 on 454) and Wednesday (Comp Check and #2-5) OPTIONAL - Recite any sonnet by a well-known poet (including those in your text), or write your own sonnet -- note that it must follow the form in order to get credit. Either option can earn you up to 10 extra points. Due by Friday . Here's a copy of the extra poem, "Song: Go and catch a falling star" by John Donne

 I have tried to outline everything we have studied this semester, but it's always possible I've left something off of the list. If you see that something is missing, please bring it up in class. The exam itself will be objective, with an answer key, including multiple choice and matching. I expect to have 100 questions. Midterm Review

Seniors, you will write your final essay of the semester on Wednesday, December 11th during your regularly scheduled class time. AP essays are due on Friday. The exam will consist of two parts: a vocabulary exam, which you may take on Tuesday or Thursday (40%) and the essay (60%), which MUST be written in class. The essay will be an analysis of one of Nelson Mandela's most famous speeches, delivered at the beginning of his trial for conspiracy in 1964. Because the speech is quite long, I have included only a portion. The text is available below:   Nelson Mandela's Rivonia Trial Speech (1964) You will be required to write the essay IN CLASS. I am allowing you to preview the text so that you will have ample time to annotate and prepare. DO NOT bring a prepared essay to class.

Sophomores In class on Monday, students read "Passionate Shepherd" and "The Nymph's Reply" and answered questions from the handout (#1-3 on 291, Comp Check and #2-5). On Tuesday, we discussed those two poems and introduced the sonnet's history and form. We will continue to discuss sonnets this week, with works from Wyatt, Spenser and Shakespeare. Quiz on Friday. Seniors This Friday's essay will be a rhetorical analysis of MLK's "Letter From Birmingham Jail." The text is in your book (260-274) and is available online: PDF of entire letter here Excerpts available here and here . (last one is from The Atlantic on the letter's 50th anniversary) 

The profile essay is due on Friday, with a typed rough draft due on Thursday. The essay should be around 750 words in length, formatted according to MLA guidelines. For a copy of the printed assignment, click here.  Your essay should focus on specific aspects of your subject's character, description, personality, advice or accomplishments. You are NOT to write a biography, or list of life events. Your goal is to point out what is unique about your subject, through descriptive language and dialogue, so that the reader can "see" him/her clearly. Although the contest winners on ULM's site use a slightly different prompt, the 2011 winners are good models for organization and content: ULM Freshman Writing Competition .

The Macbeth Exam will be on Thursday, November 21st. Quiz on Act III Monday, and we will cover the rest of the play on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is no vocabulary portion of this exam, and it will require quite a bit of writing (just a heads up).

Sophomores Read Act III of Macbeth . Optional homework is Comp Check and #2-5, due on Monday. There is also a quiz on Act III on Monday. For the 2009 BBC version (151 minutes) starring Patrick Stewart, click here.   For the Shakespeare Uncovered episode featuring Ethan Hawke, click here. Seniors We will continue to work on revisions until Friday, when we will have a peer review session. The final draft of the revision, with original attached, is due on Monday.

Seniors You should be working on your interview with a parent or guardian this week. Thankfully, the deadline for ULM is November 30th. We will write the "Profile" Essay next week and revise before submitting. This week, we are talking about revision. I've handed back your three most recent in-class essays and you will pick one to revise for Friday. Bring that essay to class tomorrow, and we will type in class. The optional homework assignment for Wednesday is an exercise on parallelism (Ex.2 on p343). Sophomores Quiz on Act II of Macbeth tomorrow. Optional homework from handout: Comp Check and #2-6.

Sophomores Honors assignment due tomorrow. Everyone needs to finish Act One. Quiz on Monday. Seniors Essay in class tomorrow . Bring your books!

Your reading assignment for tonight is Act One: Scenes 1-3.  Your HONORS assignment for this week is to read the "Anti-Stratfordian" section of your Macbeth introduction (xi-xv) and to type a one-page summary for Friday . Please follow MLA guidelines.

Today is Bonfire Day, or Guy Fawkes Day, in England. Celebrated every November 5th since 1605, this celebration commemorates the plot and subsequent execution of conspirators lead by Robert Catesby against James I and his protestant government. Guido (Guy) Fawkes was in charge of the gunpowder kegs placed under the House of Lords. He was discovered, tortured and hanged for treason. The story and nursery rhyme was used as a central motif in V For Vendetta , and the Guy Fawkes mask has been associated most recently with the hacker group Anonymous. Below is a short history of how the tradition began: Remember, remember!   The fifth of November,   The Gunpowder treason and plot;   I know of no reason   Why the Gunpowder treason   Should ever be forgot!

This week we are working with two different essays: "The Real New York Giants"  by Rick Reilly "For Fasting and Football: A Dedicated Game Plan"  by Samuel J. Freedman At the end of the week, you will choose one of these two superb examples of sports writing to be the subject of an analysis paper. You will write the essay in class on Friday.

Sophomores have a quiz/test on Renaissance Drama and Shakespeare tomorrow. Everyone should have your copy of Macbeth by now. Please bring it to class!

Here are a couple of things to help orient you to the Globe Theatre in London, still a vibrant part of Shakespeare's legacy: Macbeth @ Shakespeare's Globe  Shakespeare's Globe Mini-Doc

Sophomores Your PowerPoint lecture from the last two days is available on the Edline site under "Class Info." Your test on Renaissance Drama will be Tuesday. You should have your book on Monday. Seniors Your in-class essay this week is in response to the president's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 by the end of 2015. The question posed to you is whether or not Louisiana should adopt this increase, and why. You MUST refer to "Serving in Florida," and you MUST include citations from at least TWO other sources. You may use anything I have provided, the president's proposal, or your own (credible) article. Please print the following and bring to class: The President's Plan

Sophomores Complete the study guide and turn in Thursday. Read the Renaissance Drama handout. Seniors Print out and bring a credible article on the minimum wage debate. Due Thursday.

Sophomores Expect an open-note quiz tomorrow on the Intro to the Renaissance. We will also talk about Renaissance Theater and Shakespeare. Seniors Please read "Serving in Florida" in your textbook. This essay is a chapter from the non-fiction book Nickel and Dimed , by Barbara Ehrenreich. Answer #1-5 on p186 for class on Wednesday. 

Your money for Frankenstein is due Monday. $10 covers the ticket and the bus. Also, please buy your copy of Macbeth next week. Bring it to class on Monday, Nov. 4th. I will be using the following edition in class:

Celebrated performer Benjamin Bagby is bringing his one-man production of Beowulf to Monroe. He will be playing/singing/reciting the famous poem on Tuesday evening at 7:30 at Biedenharn Recital Hall on ULM campus. The event is FREE of charge. Benjamin Bagby's Beowulf

Sophomores Your exam on "The Wife of Bath's Tale," "The Parndoner's Tale," and "Frederigo's Falcon" is on Wednesday, October 23rd. The vocabulary from the these three stories will also be on the exam. Seniors Your final rhetorical terms quiz will be on Friday, October 25th.

Sophomores We will discuss "Wife of Bath's Tale" on Monday and review/write on Tuesday. The exam on "Wife of Bath's Tale," "Pardoner's Tale," and "Frederigo's Falcon" is on Wednesday. Vocabulary is included. Seniors We are analyzing advertising next week, so please bring a magazine from home. Anything that's school appropriate is fine. You will work in groups to produce a comparison/contrast essay by the end of the week.

Sophomores Read "Wife of Bath's Tale" -- optional homework is Comp Check and #1-3. Expect a quiz tomorrow on "Pardoner's Tale." Seniors The final draft of your revision is due at the beginning of class tomorrow. The draft should be around 500 words, typed and formatted according to MLA. You must include your original draft with your final copy, or you will incur a 20-point penalty . Also, don't forget to prepare for the vocabulary quiz on rhetorical terms E-O.

Sophomores Your homework for tonight is to read " The Pardoner's Tale ." The questions on p152 are optional: comprehension check and #2-6. We will resume on Thursday following the PSAT. For preparation help, go to the PSAT website from College Board, which gives you some sample questions . Seniors This week's assignments revolve around REVISION. You will select one of your three in-class essays and revise for Friday. Argument: Underage Drinking Analysis: JFK Inaugural Address (bottom p57) Synthesis: American High Schools (#2 or #3 on p164-165) First, read all three essays to see which one is most successful in addressing the prompt. Second, make sure the essay you've selected has organized evidence and examples in support of a clear thesis. Much of your revision will comprise of adding, removing, replacing and re-arranging evidence. Proofreading is a separate, but vital, step before turning in your paper. Exercise #3 on p171-172 in your textbook is d...

Sophomores Your recitation assignment is tomorrow. You will have the option to write out or to recite the first 18 lines of "The General Prologue." Note that this is required for honors students, while it is an extra point opportunity for non-honors students. Honors essays are due on Friday. Seniors We are reading selections from the "Conversation" in Chapter Four of your textbook (150-64). Please read these selections in preparation for this Friday's synthesis essay. Optional homework for Thursday is to answer questions on pages 157-8 and 160. AP essays are due on Friday.

Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey, where Chaucer is buried, along with many other greats of British Literature. Click on the photo for a link.

This week, we are talking about synthesis essays -- arguments supported by sources -- and working towards writing one at the end of the week. To that end, your assignment is to read the "Conversation" section in Chapter Three of your textbook. I also previewed the AP Course Description in class today. AP students will start the second quarter with an assignment from this handout.

To hopefully clear up some confusion, here is a list of this week's assignments/plans: Monday - Hand out honors essay prompts, lecture on "Prologue" Tuesday - Lecture on "Prologue," review for exam Wednesday - Exam on "The General Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales Thursday - Recitations of first 18 lines of "Prologue" in Middle English (required for honors, optional for non-honors) Friday - Honors essays due, begin "Wife of Bath's Tale" As always, if you have any questions, please ask.

Seniors Please work on the questions on p55-56; the answers will help you gather information for your analysis essays on Friday. The questions are due at the end of class tomorrow. Don't forget to study for the vocabulary quiz on rhetorical terms (A-D). Sophomores Continue reading the "General Prologue." Expect a quiz on Friday.

As noted in class, the pilgrims are roughly divided into the three acknowledged categories of feudal society - the three "estates" - with the church at the top, followed by nobility, and finally peasantry. By Chaucer's time period, with the breakdown of the feudal order, this third classification was broadening to include the new merchant (or "middle") class. Fittingly, many of the pilgrims do not fit neatly into any of the three categories, and the two women reveal their inability to conform to their expected roles, as well. Furthermore, Chaucer saw corruption within the church, especially, so he used the Tales as a way to satirize some of the more "religious" pilgrims. As Chaucer himself benefited from the patronage of the nobility or upper class, it follows that his portraits of the knight and gentry are more positive in tone. In short, the Prologue introduces us to medieval society at a time when it was rapidly changing - due to religion, po...

Sophomores We will start discussing "General Prologue" tomorrow in class, so please read tonight. Your recitation of the first 18 lines in Middle English will be next week, so start memorizing now: The Prologue read with a pronunciation guide The Prologue Rap Seniors Your homework for tomorrow is to read JFK's inaugural address. We will answer questions in class tomorrow and write an analysis essay on Friday. Your first quiz on rhetorical terms (A-D) will be next Wednesday, October 9th.

Seniors Answer the bulleted questions on p37 in response to the short excerpt from the New York Times on p36. Use complete sentences, quoting words and phrases from the passage in your answers. Sophomores Study your notes, and come prepared to take more notes tomorrow. We will have at least one quiz this week on Chaucer's "General Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales .

Your first argument essay concerns the underage drinking that occurs at some high school functions. Your task is to craft a persuasive essay in favor of one particular solution. Employ the rhetorical appeals from your book, as well as the classical model for organization (13-14): Introduction Narration (establish the problem) Confirmation (provide reasoning) Refutation (recognize opposition) Conclusion Although you will have several suggestions for solving the problem, focus on your strongest argument. You will have an opportunity to revise this paper at a later date, but I would like a copy of what you type in class. Save and print at the end of class.

In honor of homecoming week, and our study of the Medieval Period, we are watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Although I certainly believe this is relevant and a valuable addition to your knowledge of British literature and culture, I understand some do not. To them I say "Ni." Here's the script: Monty Python and the Holy Grail  We will resume readings and lectures next week with our study of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales . Our last exam of the quarter will follow.

For those of you who want to nerd out a bit on your own, you could do worse than this documentary from the BBC. It is hosted by the most recent translator of the poem, Simon Armitage.

Seniors While you are working on your revisions, I've given you some ACT assignments in preparation for the test this weekend. Please turn in the answers for the English section tomorrow. Transfer the answers from the booklet to a piece of paper, and grade yourself. Put your raw score and scale at the top. The ACT mentioned in class can be found at the Test Prep section of the ACT site. Sophomores We are talking about Arthurian literature this week, including "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Read the Gawain poem for class tomorrow, and we will do some homework in class. We'll talk about Death of Arthur on Thursday, and your exam is on MONDAY .

On Thursday, bring your merged, completed draft of the entire paper, including the following sections: TITLE PAGE – with abstract at bottom INTRO (from your first paper) CAREER PROBLEM SOLUTION CONCLUSION (from your last paper) WORKS CITED To merge documents, copy and paste into one file and then number in sequence. You should include a word count after the conclusion of your paper. You are required to submit an electronic copy of your paper on Friday, in addition to your printed copy, so please include your own name in the file name. 

Your title page, including a descriptive abstract , is due tomorrow. An abstract is summary of the entire paper, including the three main parts. It can be 3-4 sentences for this assignment, and I'd like it single-spaced at the bottom of your title page. The title page should include the following: A title which communicates the main subject of the paper  Your name My name The course (i.e. English IV-DE) The date Abstract at bottom There are thousands of examples online, but HERE is the one referenced in class.

Now that your "solutions" draft has been started, we can move on to the overall revision. The final draft is due on FRIDAY 9/20. Here is your schedule for the next week: MONDAY - *ACT, Interview Letter & Annotated Bibliography (50 pts each) TUESDAY - *ACT, Title Page with Abstract  (10 pts) WEDNESDAY - *ACT THURSDAY - Combined Draft Workshop (20 pts) FRIDAY - *ACT *ACT Prep next week will involve in-class assignments and optional homework assignments. Your combined draft will consist of the following parts: Title page with 150-word single-spaced abstract at bottom All three completed essays - career, problem & solutions - merged with headings for each section, numbered in sequence (1500-2000 words total) Works cited page - the last page of your report, numbered in sequence, with annotations removed Hang on to all sources, as you will need to include them in your folder 

A couple of things to share: First, here's AN ARTICLE explaining why the unicorn is the national symbol for Scotland.  Second, it's time for the honors students to earn their four quality points .  This assignment is the first of several article summaries , which requires honors students to accurately and precisely report the main points of an article that I provide. I have linked a handout on writing summaries on your Edline page under "Assignments." The paper should include the following: MLA format a citation for the source in place of a title - forms found HERE (#39 for this first one) a 250-word summary of the main points of the article (please keep it to one page) NOT your opinion, only summary Your article for this week is on the recovery of the bones of Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty: "Bones Under Parking Lot Belonged to Richard III" from the New York Times . The summary is due on TUESDAY, September 17th .

Sophomores We started talking about the medieval period today in class, and I thought some links might help you better understand some of the notes. First, although history books mark the beginning of the Middle Ages with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, in medieval literature we typically think of the period between two wars -- the Norman Conquest (because of the changes in culture and language) and the War of the Roses (because of the shift in politics and religion) -- or 1066 to 1485. The Bayeux Tapestry mentioned in class is a 250-foot long embroidered history of the Norman Conquest. The tapestry makes some of the legends concrete, including the appearance of Halley's Comet and the arrow-to-the-eye death of King Harold. It should be noted that the tapestry tells the story from the point of view of the conquerors, not the conquered: The Official Site The Tapestry

The third stage of your research paper is the solutions paper, in which you evaluate the most common solutions to the problem described in your last paper. The solutions paper should not only include the methods/solutions themselves but the criteria used to compare them (i.e. cost, effectiveness, time, etc.). This paper will be written in class on Friday. In the meantime, you are continuing to revise your first two drafts, as well as compiling a list of works cited. The forms for citation can be found at Diana Hacker's site: Research and Documentation Online Your annotated bibliography and interview letter are both due on Monday, September 16th. Those assignments are described below: Annotated Bibliography - an MLA citation for each source used in your paper (at least five required), along with a short (50-100 word) summary of each source's reliability and relevance. SAMPLE . I nterview Letter - a full block one-page letter detailing the information obtained in the ...

The next stage in the research project, as we have been discussing in class, is the PROBLEM paper. This problem is something that you will encounter (and seek to solve) in your profession. For example, if you are a nurse, you see a variety of illnesses on the job - i.e. the flu - so you would research the flu. Find out as much as you can about the problem first, so that you can better understand how a professional approaches the solution(s). Again, one of the primary purposes of this paper is to immerse you in your potential future career. Your interview subject could be an excellent resource for real world information about both your education and experience in the field. Another equally important purpose for this research project is to walk you through writing a paper of this length. With that in mind, remember that this essay is concerned with the problem ONLY, and we will address the solutions in next week's paper.

Sophomores Answer questions #1-4 on the handout "The Seafarer." Use complete sentences and cite the text! Seniors Bring your sources to class because you will need them for your in-class essay. Those of you who want to use the computers need to bring your USB flash drives to save your work for revision.

Your Beowulf exam is on Wednesday. We will review on Tuesday, so come with questions!

Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney died yesterday. I've mentioned him in class as the author of the new verse translation of Beowulf . Here he is reciting his most famous poem "Digging" in montage: Story from the BBC.

The career paper - written in class Friday - should be around 500 words. Please include the following (in no particular order): Your intended career, including a description from a source (i.e. College Board) The reasoning behind this decision - your interest, experience, talents, etc. The education required, including various costs The job outlook, salary and location (if specific) Your plan so far Use MLA citation when referencing your sources, and you MUST use sources. This is a rough draft, so we will add a works cited list later. For now, use signal phrases to introduce your sources. I will take up your work at the end of class. No homework over the weekend!

Sophomores Your assignment for tonight is to read pp45-51 in your handout and to answer #1-5 on p51. You must answer in complete sentences, citing from the text when appropriate. We will finish discussing Beowulf this week and review on Monday. Your exam is scheduled for Tuesday, September 3rd. Seniors Your homework is to do a "virtual tour" of the university of your choice. Please print something out to bring to class regarding your degree plan or an article or description from your (future) department. We will also work on outlining your essays, so that we can write them in the allotted time Friday.

Seniors: The first thing you'll do this year is a research project based on your career goals. We will discuss your college and non-college options, conduct research on careers and degree programs, and write a series of papers related to the career you've selected. While this in no way locks you into a career path, it does give you a lot more information to go on, and it will set you on your way towards applying for the college of your choice. PART ONE: For  Tuesday , print out at least two career and/or degree descriptions from the sites discussed Write a 250-word report on your career goals for Wednesday . Take a " virtual tour " of the university or institution you'd like to attend and print out information from the college or degree plan. Turn in Thursday . Write a 500-word essay on your career goals and college plans in class on Friday . Conduct an interview with a professional ASAP The sites we will discuss: CollegeBoard ACT Career ...

Your homework for this weekend is to read the intro material to the Anglo-Saxon period and Beowulf . I will give you your copies of the poem in sections beginning Monday. In the meantime, here are some resources to help introduce, and to provide context for, this epic poem: Electronic Beowulf Old English reading of Beowulf from the University of Virginia Graphic novel of Beowulf by Gareth Hines Sutton Hoo Staffordshire Hoard

Seniors First, your drafts are looking good! If you have any questions about your revisions between now and Friday, please let me know. I am available every day after lunch or via email. Your drafts should be formatted according to MLA, so please look at the example on Purdue's OWL to make sure you know what that entails: Formatting for MLA . Bring any formatting questions up in class tomorrow, or let me know via email. On Thursday, we will start planning this week's essay -- your own "This I Believe" paper. The guidelines are linked below, as well as the original invitation to participate. Remember, too, that the paper on Friday is a rough draft and will be graded as such: Writing Guidelines Producer's Invitation

Now that you have all completed (or nearly completed) your essays in class, it's time to revise and type. The first step is to think about what "revision" really means . To revise is to "r econsider and alter (something) in the light of further evidence." You are literally "looking" at your paper again, perhaps with new insights. Of course, revision is also about mechanical issues, as well -- spelling, grammar and punctuation.  Finally, I want to make sure you have cited everything correctly. For help on that, I refer you to the lectures on Thursday and Friday, available below as a PDF: Developing an Essay

Your in-class essays will be written on Monday , and we will continue to talk about critical analysis tomorrow. Your homework between now and Monday is to decide on a topic and start locating evidence in the text. You will need to mark your book or take careful notes, so that you can easily find your examples when drafting in class. One good way to mark your books is to use post-it notes (can even be color-coded by point). You can also use "flags" or dog-ears or highlights. Or, you can create side-by-notes, listing page numbers and quotes, along with comments and connections. Seniors Choose five of the essays from This I Believe , and focus on some point of connection. One or two of the essays can be from the project's website . Topics may include connection through theme, point of view, tone or structure. Sophomores Please focus on one of the following topics from  Hound of the Baskervilles : Watson's role as the narrator.  The technique of deductive reas...

Get started early on your summer reading! The general requirements are below, with a link to the full assignment: Freshmen - To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) Sophomores - Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle) Juniors - Frankenstein (Shelley) Seniors - This I Believe  (Eds. Allison & Gediman) Summer Reading Requirements Regarding the additional "free choice" readings, there are links within the pdf to recent award winners and recommended lists, but perhaps the best approach is to visit a bookstore in person or online and browse the shelves. Remember that you should be reading at or above grade level, and that you should choose books you haven't yet read!

In case you've lost your handout, here's the review material for your English II final exam: Below is fairly exhaustive list of the literature we have covered this semester. Although I have tried to list everything, it’s possible that I’ve left something off the list. You are responsible for everything that has been assigned, whether we tested on the material or not. Read through the shorter selections, study your notes, and remember that the final constitutes 20% of your semester average . Mark Twain Life and Times From The Autobiography of Mark Twain (658) From Life on the Mississippi (669) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Study Guide) Women’s Voices, Women’s Lives Introduction to Unit (742-44) Willa Cather “A Wagner Matinee” (688) Emily Dickinson Author Study, including all poems (746-759) Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper” (765) Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” (783) The American ...

In case you don't know who John Green is, here's a video of his about the book we're reading. It is fairly typical of his video blog, but not so much of his own books -- including his latest, the heartbreaking but beautiful The Fault in Our Stars . In other words, if you're looking for something to read this summer, you could do worse. Plus, the video below happens to be a pretty interesting take on the Fahrenheit 451 . Enjoy. For his brother's response, CLICK HERE .

Yes, I know. We are not studying Hamlet ! But this was too good to pass up:

Just in case anyone checks this, the dress code for Monday is a River Oaks t-shirt or uniform.

The schedule for the next week is pretty simple: we finish the book! We are headed to see the film at around 8:30 on Monday, and your next assignment is to finish questions for Part One and to begin reading Part Two. We should be finished with our discussion by Thursday, so that we can review for the final on Friday. The exam for 451 will be absorbed into the final exam, which will also cover material from throughout the spring semester.

Updated Schedule: The talent show has thrown off our schedule a bit, so your MAUS exam is Wednesday.  Thursday is the awards ceremony, followed by the banquet. We will resume on Friday with an introduction to your next book: Fahrenheit 451 . Please purchase the book by Monday, May 6th.  

We are in the middle of  MAUS , and here are the next few days: Thursday - Read through Ch 4, turn in homework for Ch 3 & 4, take a QUIZ Friday - Read Ch 5 & 6 over the weekend Monday - Discuss the end of the book and review Tuesday - EXAM LINK to the documentary we viewed in class.

Seniors, the end is near, and there are a few assignments left to schedule. Here is a list of everything due in the next two weeks: Career Update - a one-page addendum to your research paper, updating your plans for college and beyond. Be sure to include what you originally planned and if that's changed. Whether plans have changed or not, please explain why and what steps you've taken towards reaching your goal -- i.e. where you've decided to attend and what major you've declared. This is due WEDNESDAY 4/24. Letter to Future Self - this is an OPTIONAL assignment, but I encourage you to take it seriously. As discussed in class, this letter will be sent to you in about five years. Think about what you'd like to tell yourself five years from now. For example, maybe it would be interesting to reflect on your plans at the time, what values you held dear, what you wanted to remember. In addition, you might think about your current likes/dislikes related to pop cultur...

As you know, I will be traveling to the state tournament in Jackson with the quiz bowl team tomorrow, so you will have a sub. Here's what will be happening: Sophomores will be taking a quiz on Frost and Hemingway. Afterwards, please read the handout from Scott McCloud's  Understanding Comics . Bring your copy of MAUS on Monday. Seniors will be writing the last in-class essay of the year! Bring your prompt and optional pre-written introduction and/or outline. No completed drafts allowed. See you Monday.

We will be reading poems by Frost and stories by Hemingway this week. You should have MAUS (Speigelman) on order; of not, there are copies available at Books-A-Million.

Please remember to turn in your typed draft of the analysis for submission!

Seniors You will write an in-class synthesis essay tomorrow. On Friday, we have a guest speaker who will talk about post-graduation plans and resumes. Sophomores Tonight read "How It Feels To Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston. We will have a quiz Friday on the Harlem Renaissance.

Sophomores You will have your EXAM on The Great Gatsby,  and all questions and definitions due are (optional credit). Seniors Your REVISION is due, with original attached, including a works cited page if sources are used.

I will be in and out with quiz bowl all day, so here is what you will be doing in class: Sophomores Turn in questions for ch 3-5 Take the QUIZ on ch 3-5 Read and work on questions for ch 6 Seniors Bring your annotated article! Write the rhetorical analysis essay in class

Sophomores You should be reading through chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby for Monday. The questions for ch 3-5 are due on Wednesday. Seniors Your essay revisions are due on Monday. Please include a works cited page and all previous drafts. The original page for the President's proposal is linked below: Fact Sheet: The President's Proposal to Reward Work by Raising the Minimum Wage

Sophomores The following are due tomorrow : Study questions for Ch 1-2 of GG Extra point assignment - one page, typed, with citation Seniors Optional grammar and mechanics worksheets are due, and we will have part two of the grammar exam. Your revision of the synthesis paper is due on Monday . Include all drafts with your final copy.

Sophomores By Friday, read through Ch 3 of  The Great Gatsby,  answer the questions, and define the vocabulary terms We will go over questions in class, and all definitions should come from Merriam-Webster . Expect a reading quiz... Seniors You will write a synthesis essay on Wednesday using the following sources: The president's proposal to raise minimum wage to $9.00 The article you summarized on Friday Ehrenreich's essay "Serving in Florida" (179-86) Your essay should cite all three sources and "synthesize" the information, making connections between the articles as well as supporting your thesis.

Sophomores If anyone would like to earn extra points by the end of the nine weeks, complete the following assignment by Friday, March 15th: Article Summary : Locate an article from a credible source on a topic related to the study of The Great Gatsby . Type a one-page summary of the article, formatted according to MLA (and including a citation for the article ). Sample topics include Fitzgerald, jazz in the 20's, prohibition, flappers, and the19th amendment.

Sophomores Answer #1-4 on p826 and define the following terms: husky, brawling, luring, wanton, coarse, cunning, and pitted. Read ahead, as we will be talking about the following poems tomorrow (and possibly Friday): "Lucinda Matlock" by Edgar Lee Masters "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" by Edwin Arlington Robinson "We Wear the Mask" and "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar Seniors Print and bring an EDITORIAL on the issue of the proposed minimum wage increase. This is the basis for your essay on Friday, which will be a summary. Next week, we are reading an excerpt from Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed .

Don't forget to buy a copy of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby before Monday. We will start reading and studying the novel next week.

Honors students have a response paper due on Friday, March 8th. The topic is Defining the American Dream . Use the following article from the Library of Congress as the basis for the response: What is the American Dream? Everyone needs to read "The American Dream: Reality or Illusion?" beginning on 820 in your textbook. You may also want to look at the article on Jacob Riis and his book How The Other Life Lives: Jacob Riis: Shedding Light on NYC's "Other Half" Expect a QUIZ on Friday , and the Honors students will write their independent reading essays in class on Monday .

This week we are talking about the minimum wage in America. The central questions revolves around President Obama's move to raise the federal level to $9.00 per hour. Is this justified, given the amount of employed people living in poverty? Or would a raise in the minimum wage actually lead to higher rates of employment, as business owners are forced to lay off workers in order to keep profits up? Linked is the study mentioned in class, a Living Wage Calculator from MIT. Your assignment for Wednesday is to bring a recent editorial to class concerning the proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour.

Sophomores Read pages 746-60 in your textbook - introduction to Emily Dickinson and a short anthology Answer the Comprehension Check and #2-6 for Wednesday We will have an EXAM on Thursday on the three stories and Dickinson poems Seniors Read "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" in your textbook (665)  Answer questions #1-7 on p671 You also have an article due on Wednesday AP students have a practice test due on Thursday Also, here's the video on the "uncanny valley" I showed in class: Try the following links for recent articles on the subject of robotics: TheWeek Gizmag PopSci

Sophomores For optional homework credit, write a response to Chopin's "Story of an Hour." Seniors We will start a new (but related) topic this week, with an in-class essay scheduled for Thursday. For a preview, follow the links below: MIT: Personal Robotics Group Carnagie Mellon: The Robotics Institute Willow Garage: PR2 Double Robotics ROBOY As the last essay before break, we will talk about the positives and negatives of "living better with robots," the stated mission of many of our nation's top engineers. Topics will include the rise of the personal robot, drone aircraft, nano-technology, industrial manufacturing, medicine, the future of toys, and the uncanny valley.

Sophomores Answer question #4 on 779. Write at least one-half page, citing specifics from the text. Seniors Although the questions in the handout may lead you to a thesis, you are certainly not limited to those topics. I strongly recommend that you avoid all reviews of the film (professional and amateur) until you have written your own analysis. Afterwards, it might be interesting to see what other people think.  For tomorrow, develop a thesis. You will need to make specific references to the film, so organize your notes. Above all, remember that this is an analysis , not a summary .

Sophomores Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" (765) for Thursday. Seniors We will finish The Truman Show in class and discuss possible topics. Please bring the handout .

Sophomores Answer questions on "A Wagner Matinee" (p697): Comprehension Check #1 Describe Aunt Georgiana. #2-4 Seniors We will continue to view The Truman Show this week. Please print and bring a copy of the following to class Wednesday: Truman Show Discussion Questions

Sophomores Your assignment is to read "A Wagner Matinee" (689) by Willa Cather. We will discuss in class tomorrow. This will begin a unit on women's literature. Guys, stop groaning. Seniors We are watching The Truman Show this week and writing an in-class film analysis at the end of the week. You have a set of questions to answer during the viewing, and I will give you another afterwards to help determine a topic. Take notes and pay attention . You will be required to cite specifics from the film in your essay. If necessary, I will also quiz you.

Please follow MLA format for your typed final drafts. See the following sites (discussed in class) for guidelines and examples: Purdue OWL - MLA Formatting and Style Guide Research and Documentation Online Revisions are due Monday. Please include all drafts with the most recent on top.

Sophomores Study for your exam on Tuesday, and start gathering material for your essay on Huck Finn, to be written in class on Wednesday.  Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Huck's development - his maturity in attitude towards Jim, Tom, girls, slavery, the cons, religion, authority/society Jim's admirable traits - as a father figure to Huck, and as a father to his own children A comparison between Huck and Tom, Jim and Pap, "mothers" and "fathers," river and shore Portrayal of the river - in realistic/naturalistic terms, as a symbol, as "home" Function as an anti-slavery novel, or one to be banned for reinforcing stereotypes Function as a temperance novel Huck's "drowning" and "rebirth" - symbolic function of his staged death Role of religion and/or superstition The episodic nature of the narrative - a road to self-discovery, the hero's journey The use of humor and satire, in pa...

Nothing to turn in on Monday, but that doesn't mean you should take the weekend off.... Sophomores You should be studying for the Huck Finn exam on Tuesday and picking a topic for the in-class essay on Wednesday. Seniors You should be gathering information for your in-class essay Monday. Your essay should include the Baudrillard summary I gave you plus at least one more article of your choosing.

Sophomores You should be one section per night this week, with the goal of finishing by Friday. Your exam on the novel will be next Tuesday, February 5th . We will start working on the papers on Wednesday. Seniors This week's topic is the positive and negatives regarding simulation -- as it relates to social networking, military training, the food and drug industry, concepts of beauty, and modern life in general. We are using Jean Baudrillard 's theory as a starting point, and you are to focus in any way you'd like. On Friday, your paper will be in response to the following question: Have we crossed over into Baudrillard's final stage of "simulacra," where "our models for the real have taken over the place of the real in postmodern society," or where the artificial has become preferable to the real? Or do we still value "authenticity" and "real" experience over the artificial?  What are the implications for huma...

ALL honors students: don't forget that you are to be reading a book off of the list for this nine weeks. If you have a specific request, then please let me know now. Sophomores Your outside reading assignment this week is Mark Twain's essay from 1901, " The United States of Lyncherdom ." Please read it and then respond to specifics in a 250-word typed report due Friday, February 1st. Consider the following as possible points of focus: What is your overall impression of Twain's essay? What is your first reaction after reading it? How do you read his tone? Is it serious, comical, scornful, satirical, melancholic, etc? What connections can you draw between the essay and Huck Finn , especially the "lynching bee" chapter? Why do you think Twain delayed publication of the essay? How do you think the essay might have been received when it was published? Do you find anything in the essay offensive? Senior AP I will give you another take-home m...

Seniors Type and revise your in-class draft and bring to class on Monday. Your original response paper, your in-class draft, and your typed draft should all be staples together. Also, remember to include a works cited page with your typed draft. This should include all sources cited in the paper (at least three) and should follow MLA format. If you need a refresher, those guidelines can be found at the following sites: Purdue OWL: Electronic Sources Research and Documentation Online The final draft of this essay is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, January 29th . Sophomores Read through at least Chapter 24 (XXIV) of Huck Finn this weekend. We should finish the book by the end of next week.

Seniors You will write the media violence paper in class. Please bring your own source plus the handout I gave you, and you must use at least two sources in your paper. Sophomores Quiz tomorrow on chapters 11-20.

Watch What Next: Violence in the Media on PBS. See more from After Newtown.

Seniors Today in class you composed a response to the question "To what degree does violence in the media affect its viewers, and what should be done to minimize its negative impact, if any?" Your response is the starting point for our discussion. To better help us understand the issue, please look to news items in recent weeks -- including commentary and statistics -- and bring what you find to class. Sophomores Read through chapter 20 and be prepared to discuss in class tomorrow.

Here's maybe a better look, in chart form, with slightly different names:

Seniors We will do an exercise tomorrow involving the logical fallacies you defined earlier in the week. We will also have a quiz on Tuesday. Also, you can start thinking about, and researching, other potential solutions to the problem of gun violence. Our next discussion and paper will be on arguments surrounding violence in media -- for example, whether or not playing violent video games has a psychological impact on teenagers. Sophomores If you have not done so already, you need to turn in answers to questions on chapters 1-9. We will discuss through chapter 13 tomorrow in class. Expect a quiz on at least the first five chapters.

Sophomores Read through Ch 9 and answer all questions on the handout (also available in the "File Locker" on Edline). Remember to use complete sentences and to cite specifics from the novel. Referring to page numbers will help you later when you are writing your essay.

Seniors Copy the definitions of the fifteen logical fallacies listed on the  UNC Writing Center  page for Monday. You do not have to supply the examples they give. Sophomores Read the first FIVE chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .

Please read the following on logical fallacies (or logic problems) in persuasive rhetoric. The handout identifies and defines several types and provides strategies for avoiding fallacies in your writing: UNC Writing Center: Logical Fallacies 

In light of recent mass shootings , some have argued that we need stricter laws regarding the sale and ownership of guns and ammunition, while others believe that the current laws are sufficient or too restrictive, some arguing for less regulation.   The debate centers around the second amendment and its interpretation: THE SECOND AMENDMENT A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.   What is your opinion? Consider our discussion of the language of the amendment itself, along with issues such as the assault weapons ban, open carry laws, licensing, and background checks. What amount of "gun control" is necessary, if any, to ensure public safety? You were supposed to bring a relevant article to class on Thursday. In addition, you might also want to look at the following links discussed in class: NRA President Wayne LaPierre's response to the Newtown traged...

Seniors Please bring at least one current article on the issue of gun control or the debate surrounding legislation. Sophomores Read the selection from "Autobiography" that we began in class. No written homework, but be prepared for a quiz on Friday, including the vocabulary.

Please purchase Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain) by Friday.