THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  "It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there." 
— William Carlos Williams

21 March 2011 

English 12 CP Word of the day:  aviary

There will be a word quiz on Friday, 3-25-11.  Be familiar with the following 15 words>

inchoate/insolvent/winsome/meager/cachet/arbiter/infinitesimal/supplementary/vivacious/ambivalent/

visceral/disparity/hue and cry/rebus/behoove

*A great deal of material has been covered since the last time I posted information.  For one, all of you had to write a summative reflective essay for your portfolio presentations scheduled for the week before April vacation.  The due date for your rough drafts was 3-14-11.  (I am still correcting them, so the due date for the final drafts may change...I'm not sure yet.)  These essays are considered a "common task" and must be uploaded to your portfolios.

*I also assigned a project for your outside reading, a re-creation of "Shortcuts" which appears in the Sunday newspaper each week.  The due date for that project is Wednesday, 3-23-11.

*We began a new unit on Metaphysical poetry.  You had to read the introduction in your anthologies and take notes -- that was a homework assignment.  Afterwards, there was quiz on the information (true/false).  You are responsible for several definitions:  metaphysical poetry/allusion/apostrophe/metaphysical conceit/hyperbole/paradox.  We read all the John Donne selections in your books -- you must be familiar with the three poems and the "Meditation 17".  There will be a test on the readings on Monday, 3-28-11.

English 10 CP  Periods 1 and 4

We continue our reading of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This week, you should be completing chapters 10 and 11.  Be sure to remain current with your reading journals!  You should have at least 10 entries by now.  The due date for the newspaper project will be extended because we need to read a bit more of the book.

Homework includes responding to chapter questions.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, 3-22-11, we will continue with the interviews.

...and that's all she wrote!  Have a good night!

Thought for the day:  "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."  Steve Martin


3 March 2011


English 12 CP  WORD OF THE DAY:  meager


Period 3  Today, we reviewed the reflective essay common task.  Due date for your rough draft is Monday, 3-14-2011.  We have a sign-up sheet for refreshments for our research paper celebration on Tuesday, 3-3.  Tomorrow, there will be an assembly with Mr. Kelly to discuss the portfolio presentation process.  HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!


Period 6  Today, the class sat in on a presentation by guest speaker Dr Al Silverstein, a Holocaust survivor.  There is no class tomorrow, so have a great week-end and I will see you on Monday!


English 10 CP


Period 4  We attended an assembly for "Pennies for Pasta".


Period 1  I explained the process for completing your outside reading assignment, including how to go about composing a thesis statement when writing about a theme in literature.  Tomorrow, we will begin a lesson in persuasive writing, in preparation for your next common task.


Have a good night!

Thought for the day:  "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." 
— Robert Louis Stevenson

1 March 2011

English 12 CP  Word of the day:  insolvent

Period 3 NO CLASS TODAY  Remember to study for word quiz tomorrow.

Period 6  Today, there was a word quiz.  I also collected your Hamlet journals.  The "Claudius" character group made their presentation today, and we engaged in a Socratic seminar with each student asking three questions to the class.  

 

English 10 CP

Period 1  Today, there was a cumulative vocabulary quiz.  Tomorrow, we will continue with our poetry writing.

Period 4  Today, there was a cumulative vocabulary quiz.  You shared your poetry (which was quite moving!) and we began a lesson in writing about theme.

See you tomorrow!

Thought for the day: You can be smart and happy or stupid and miserable...it's your choice. (George Hinckley, author of Stand for Something)

28 February 2011
English 12CP
Period 6. Word of the day: inchoate
Today, we played "catch-up". Tomorrow there will be a word quiz (words from redact to bombastic). Also, I will collect your Hamlet journals. Tomorrow, we will have a Socratic seminar to tie up the loose ends of the play. Prepare three questions: one question of fact, one question of interpretation, and one question that extends beyond the text. Finally, the Claudius character group will present tomorrow.

Period 3. Word of the day: inchoate
Today, I returned your Hamlet journals. We had our Socratic seminar. There will be a word quiz on Wednesday, 3/2/2011. Finally, decide on a third quarter outside reading book.


English 10CP
Period 1. There will be a cumulative vocabulary quiz tomorrow. Do not forget your permission slips for Thursday's presentation.

Period 4. There will be. Cumulative vocabulary quiz tomorrow. Do not forget your permission slips for Thursday's presentation. Also, your poem of address is use tomorrow

Have a great night!

23 February 2011

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  "We could never have guessed we were already blessed where we are." --James Taylor


Grade 12 CP
Period 3  On Friday, 2-18-11 (B-day), I returned your research papers (rough drafts).  Please be aware that if you earned a grade of 180/200 or better, you may opt out of handing in a final draft.  If you decide to do this, your final grade will be 540/600 (or whatever your grade was x3).  


I also collected your Hamlet journals.  These last entries constitute a test grade worth 25 points. 


Please be aware that there will be a word of the day quiz on Wednesday, 3-2-11 (E-day).  You must know the following words:  redact, zealot, venerate, abate, beguile, coalesce, repudiate, discourse, accolade, acquiesce, bequeath, bombastic.


Also, you must choose a 3rd quarter outside reading book from the list I gave you at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.  There will be a project due on Wednesday, 3-23-2011.  I will extra copies of the list available for anyone who has "misplaced" theirs.


Finally, on Monday, 2-28-11 (C-day), we will have our Socratic Seminar on Hamlet.  As requested last week, please have your 3 questions for the group (1 question of fact, 1 of interpretation, and 1 question that extends beyond the play).  You must have these questions written down and ready to hand in as they will count as test grade worth 30 points.  If you are not present and miss the discussion, you must write a detailed response to each of your questions to be handed in when you return to class.


Period 6  On Friday, 2-18-11 (B-day), I returned your research papers (rough drafts).  Please be aware that if you earned a grade of 180/200 or better, you may opt out of handing in a final draft.  If you decide to do this, your final grade will be 540/600 (or whatever your grade was x3).


I also informed you that you must choose an outside reading book for the 3rd quarter.  Four additional book titles that you might consider are:  Never Let Me Go by K. Ishiguro, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein, and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.  There will be a project due on Wednesday, 3-23-2011.    

Please be aware that there will be a word of the day quiz on Tuesday, 3-1-11 (D-day).  You must know the following words:  redact, zealot, venerate, abate, beguile, coalesce, repudiate, discourse, accolade, acquiesce, bequeath, bombastic.


On Tuesday, I will also be collecting your Hamlet journals.  Your final entries constitute a test grade worth 25 points.


Also, on Tuesday, we will have a Socratic Seminar as a way to de-brief Hamlet.  You must come to class with 3 questions written on a piece of loose leaf paper that you will hand in to me.  These questions will count as a test grade worth 30 points.  You must compose 1 question of fact, 1 of interpretation, and 1 question that extends beyond the play.  If you are not present and miss the discussion, you must write a detailed response to each of your questions to be handed in when you return to class.  


Grade 10 CP
Period 1  No class on Friday, 2-18-2011 (B-day).  Please keep in mind, however, that there will be a cumulative vocabulary quiz on Tuesday, 3-1-2011.  You must be familiar with all 60 words that you have learned over the last 3 units.  


Also, we will be finishing our reading of Night and discussing final thoughts.  There will be a final writing assignment that I will explain to you on Monday, 2-28-2011. 

I will also assign the outside reading project (a theme-tracking booklet) on Monday.  This project will be due on Friday, 3-18-2011. 


**One final note:  Please remember your permission slips for the in-school field trip to listen to Mr. Silverstein speak to our class about his experiences during World War II in Nazi Germany.  He will be speaking to us on Thursday afternoon at 12:30 so you will be missing Periods 6 & 7.


Period 4 On Friday, 2-18-2011, we engaged in a lively discussion of our final thoughts on Elie Wiesel's memoir Night.  There will be a final writing assignment that I will explain to you on Monday, 2-28-2011.

 I will also assign the outside reading project (a theme-tracking booklet) on Monday.  This project will be due on Friday, 3-18-2011. 

There will be a cumulative vocabulary quiz on Tuesday, 3-1-2011.  You must be familiar with all 60 words that you have learned over the last 3 units.

**One final note:  Please remember your permission slips for the in-school field trip to listen to Mr. Silverstein speak to our class about his experiences during World War II in Nazi Germany.  He will be speaking to us on Thursday afternoon at 12:30 so you will be missing Periods 6 & 7.

Whew!!  Lots of work to do...for now, enjoy your time off and RE-ENERGIZE!! 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: I can sum up all that I have learned about life in three words: it goes on. (Robert Frost)

25 January 2011

English 12CP Word of the Day: redacted

Periods 3 & 6 Today, we discussed Hamlet's second soliloquy (What argue and peasant slave am I!). On tap for tomorrow, reading the famous "To be or not to be" as a debate. For homework, read ActIII scene 1. Study for word of the day quiz.

English 10CP

Period 1 New vocabulary today/for homework due tomorrow, 1-26-2011: write a paragraph using no fewer than 8 vocabulary words.

Period 4 No class today.

Have a good night!

24 January 2011

Grade 12 CP. Word of the Day: egregious

Period 3 No class today. There will be a word of the day quiz on Thursday, 1-27-2011/must be familiar with words from fractious to egregious. On tap tomorrow, watch two film versions of Act II scene 2.

Period 6 There will be a word of the day quiz on Wednesday, 1-26-2011/must be familiar with words from fractious to egregious. for homework, read Act II scene 2. Remember your reading logs -- you should have 21 entries at this point.

Grade 10 CP

Periods 1 & 4 We continue to read Night and to respond to writing prompts.

HAVE A GREAT NIGHT! BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR WARM HOMES!