river oaks [english]

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!