Tuesday, January 31st

Pre-AP
Students took Part I of the Shakespeare unit test in class today.  It covered everything we have done in class thus far.

Homework: Students need to procure a copy of Voyage of the Dawn Treader and begin reading it in preparation for our study of epics and The Odyssey.  Students also need to study for the unit test essay, which they will take in class tomorrow.

AHSGE Reading Review
Today, we continued our work with USA TestPrep, an online service that gives practice for the graduation exam.  This is a valuable service as students can access it from any computer with the Internet, whether at the school or away from it.

Monday, January 30th

Pre-AP
In class today, students received some previous tests, and we went over all previous tests as a review for tomorrow's unit test.

Homework:  Students need to study!!!  The Unit Test will cover everything we've done in class so far, including grammar, Shakespeare notes, and all notes from Romeo and Juliet.

If you need some extra help on any of the grammatical concepts we've covered in class, click here.

AHSGE Reading Review
We worked on USA Testprep today (www.usatestprep.com) which is a service that students can use to practice for the grad exam at home or any computer with an Internet connection.

Friday, January 27th

Pre-AP
Students took the Act V Test on Romeo and Juliet in class today.  After the test, they were reminded of the correct MLA format and correct structure for their Sarah Byrnes essays that are due on Monday.

NOTE: The Unit Test that was scheduled for Monday, January 30th has been changed to Tuesday, January 31st to give students an extra day to study.

Homework: Students need to finish their Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes essays and have them ready to turn in on Monday, January 30th.  Students also need to study for the Shakespeare Unit Test, given on Tuesday, January 31st, which will cover parts of speech, sentence objects and complements, phrases, figurative language, Freytag's triangle, all Shakespeare notes, and all of the action of Romeo and Juliet.  THIS IS A MAJOR TEST and students should be studying for it all weekend.  PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT TO BEGIN REVIEWING FOR THIS EXAM!!!

AHSGE Reading Review
Students took a test on organizational patterns and following directions in class today.  But before that, we played a review game to help students get ready for the test.

Thursday, January 26th

Pre-AP
In today's class, we discussed all kinds of phrases.  Our discussion consisted of gerund phrases, infinitive phrases, participial phrases, prepositional phrases, and appositives phrases.  Each of these will be covered on the test that students will take tomorrow.  We also finished our discussion of Romeo and Juliet by discussing the alchemical imagery shown in the play's fifth act as it relates to the apothecary character that is seen there. 

Homework: Students need to study for their test tomorrow which will cover Words of the Day, the phrases mentioned earlier, figurative language, freytag's triangle, and Act V of Romeo and Juliet.  Students also need to finish their Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes essay (for the essay prompt, please see the post from Monday, January 23rd) which is due on Monday, January 30th.  ALSO, students need to go ahead and begin reviewing for the Unit Test on Romeo and Juliet which will cover all of the play, as well as all Words of the Day and grammar lessons that we have done in class thusfar this semester.

AHSGE Reading Review
Today we covered following directions and took a graduation exam practice test.

Homework: Students should study over their notes on organizational patters and following directions as we will have a test on these two concepts tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 25th

Pre-AP
In today's class, students took the Romeo and Juliet Act IV test which also covered Words of the Day and verbals.

Homework: Students need to finish Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and begin on the essay that was assigned on Monday.  (For the prompt, see Monday, January 23rd's post.)  Students need to remember all of the formal grammar rules we have been discussing in class as well as the specific MLA style rules that they were given in class.  The essay is due Monday, January 30th.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we completed some further practice with organizational patterns and moved on to discussing directions and how important it is to read and follow directions explicitly.

Tuesday, January 24th

Pre-AP
In today's class we worked our way through some more examples of verbals, ensuring the students' understanding of the concept.  We also looked at Act IV of Romeo and Juliet, and saw the Friar's plan for Juliet unfurled amd discussed the social ramifications of Shakespeare's portrayal of the Friar.

Homework: Students should re-read Act IV of Romeo and Juliet and study through all of their notes on verbals and the Words of the Day to be prepared for the test tomorrow.  Students also need to finish Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and begin writing the essay that was assigned yesterday.  (See Monday, January 23rd's entry for the essay prompt.)

The extra practice we went over in class can be found by clicking here.


AHSGE Reading Review
Students took a test on literary elements and Freytag's triangle today.  We also began talking about organizational patterns and went over several examples to ensure understanding of this concept.

Monday, January 23rd

I hope everyone remained safe during the storm outbreak last night.

Pre-AP
In today's class, we discussed verbals and how to identify them and use them in our writing.  Students were also given an essay assignment that can be found in the "Homework" section before.  Then, we began our study of Act IV of Romeo and Juliet.

Homework:  Students need to finish Act IV of Romeo and Juliet in preparation for a test tomorrow (Tuesday, January 24th).  Students also need to finish reading Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and may begin on their essays.  The essay prompt is: "Write a comparitive analysis describing the similarities and differences of Romeo and Moby, with particular emphasis on their relationship with their prospective heroine."  Essays will be due Monday, January 30th.  Remember, the essay must be typed, with size twelve font (Times New Roman or Calibri only), one-inch margins, double spaced, and must follow all rules of formal grammar that have been discussed in class.  Its format must also be in the correct MLA style.  Any papers not following this format will receive an automatic zero.

For extra help with verbals, click here.


AHSGE Reading Review
We finished our comparing and contrasting activity today and took a test on the literary elements that we learned about in class last week.

Friday, January 20th

Pre-AP
Students took a test on Act III of Romeo and Juliet today that also covered their Words of the Day and adverbs.  We also began a discussion on figurative language and Freytag's triangle.

Homework:  Students need to begin reading Act IV of Romeo and Juliet and should have it finished by Tuesday, January 24th.  Students also need to finish Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Friday, January 27th.  On that day, they will receive a take-home-essay prompt on the book that will be due on Monday, January 30th.  (Please note, this is a change in the original due date of the essay from Monday, January 23rd.)

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we finished our discussion of figurative language and began talking about the difference between comparison and contrast.

Homework: Students should review their figurative language and literary elements notes for a test that will take place on Monday, January 23rd.

Thursday, January 19th

Pre-AP
We finished discussing the different levels of literary interpretation in class today, and began our analysis on Act III of Romeo and Juliet.  We also discussed adverbs and did several exercises to make sure we understood this most mysterious of grammatical concepts.

Homework: Students need to finish reading Act III of Romeo and Juliet and be prepared for the test on this section of the play on Friday, January 20th.  This test will also cover Words of the Day and adverbs.

For extra help and practice with adverbs, click here.

To access the website that we discussed in class today, a collection of blogs and podcasts about everything grammar, click here.


AHSGE
Figurative language and literary elements were the continued discussion in today's class.  Students wrote through several examples of each of the types of figurative language we learned about, and also saw a real-life example of Freytag's triangle at work.

Homework: Students should study over each type of figurative language and be prepared to identify each type on a test that they will take on Monday, January 23rd.

Wednesday, January 18th

Pre-AP English
After completing a re-write of the infamous balcony scene today, and performing it for the class, we discussed the different levels of reading that proficient literary students are able to employ.  The three levels of reading are base reading, analytical reading, and thematic reading.  We then did several activities to reinforce this idea, one of which students will complete for homework.

Homework: Students need to read Act III of Romeo and Juliet and be prepared for a test on it on Friday, January 20th. They also need to read and complete Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and will have a comparative essay on the book that will be due Wednesday, January 25th.  Finally, students need to complete the "Levels of Reading" activity that they started in class.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we finished talking about predictions and generalizations and began talking about literary elements including plot and figurative language.  Students will have a test on these literary elements on Monday, January 23rd.

Tuesday, January 17th

I hope everyone had a restful Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  May our country ever continue its struggle for equality among all its citizens.

Pre-AP
Students took the second test on Romeo and Juliet today, covering Act II and all of the grammar that we have covered in class.  They also began a re-write of the infamous "balcony scene" that they will perform for their classmates.

Homework: Begin reading Act III of Romeo and Juliet.  The next test will be on Friday, January 20th.  Also, students need to procure a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and have it read by Monday, January 23rd.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, students displayed their knowledge of propaganda and fallacy by taking a test on the subject.  Afterwards, they learned about predictions and generalizations and their importance to reading comprehension.

Friday, January 13th

Pre-AP
In today's class, we discussed sentence objects and complements as well as prepositional phrases.  We also finished discussing Act II of Romeo and Juliet.

Homework: Students should finish reading Act II of Romeo and Juliet and prepare for the test they will have on Tuesday.  It will cover Words of the Day, all of the grammar we covered in class, as well as Act II of Romeo and Juliet.  Students should also order or buy Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and begin reading it.  It must be read by January 20th.

AHSGE Reading Review
In class today, we reviewed all the concepts we covered this week in preparation for a propaganda test on Tuesday.

To download a copy of the propaganda powerpoint, click here.

Thursday, January 12th

Pre-AP
Today's class was very action-oriented.  Verbs dominated our discussion for the first part of class, as we studied transitive and intransitive verbs.  Then, we continued with our analysis of Romeo and Juliet, as we discussed the infamous balcony scene, and what Shakespeare was actually trying to tell us about the two titular characters in this scene.

Homework:  Students need to finish reading Act II of Romeo and Juliet in preparation for the Act II test on Tuesday, January 17th.  This test will also include all of the grammar and Words of the Day that we have covered in class.  Additionally, students need to procure a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and to begin reading it.

AHSGE
Students in today's class were introduced to the difference between facts and opinions and were asked to use their new-found fallacy knowledge to determine why certain moral dilemmas were inherently flawed.

Wednesday, January 11th

Pre-AP
Today we took the first test on Romeo and Juliet.  The test also covered Secret Life of Bees, the grammar we have studied in class, and the Words of the Day.  After the test, we continued to delve into Romeo and Juliet, finishing our discussion of Act I and starting Act II.

Homework: Students should begin reading Act II of Romeo and Juliet.  Each student also needs to order or buy a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.

AHSGE Reading Review
Today, we continued our discussion of propaganda.  We watched several cartoons from the WWII-era Warner Bros collection, and saw that even then propaganda was used to try and influence our thinking about the war.  We also began discussing logical fallacies.

Tuesday, January 10th

 

Pre-AP

In today's class, we discussed adjectives and finished up our Shakespeare notes.  We also began discussing Act I of Romeo and Juliet.

Homework: Students should finish reading Act I of Romeo and Juliet.  They should also study for their exam tomorrow, which will cover Secret Life of Bees, Romeo and Juliet Act I, Nouns, Pronouns, and the Words of the Day.  Students also need to buy or order a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by January 18th.

AHSGE Reading Review

Today we took a test on main ideas, supporting details, and adequate summaries.  Afterwards, we began studying propaganda and its effects on our society and societies in the past.

For a copy of the propaganda powerpoint, click here.

Monday, January 9th

It's that day!  Roll Tide!

Pre-AP
Pronouns, antecedents, and the Bourgeoisie were the topics of today's class.  Specifically, we discussed Shakespeare's life and the elements that led up to his prominence as the Bard.  Again, a copy of the Shakespeare PowerPoint can be downloaded by clicking here.

Homework: Read Romeo and Juliet Act I and be prepared for a test on it on Wednesday, January 11th.  Also, make sure that you are endeavoring to obtain a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and that you are reviewing Secret Life of Bees and the class notes on Parts-of-Speech in preparation for Wednesday's test.

AHSGE Reading Review
Today we discussed supporting details and summarizing passages.  A copy of the notes for finding supporting details can be found by clicking here. A copy of the notes for adequately summarizing a passage can be found by clicking here.

Homework: Review all notes on finding main ideas, finding supporting details, and writing adequate summaries in preparation for a test on the concepts tomorrow.

Friday, December 6th

As we get started into the year, I want to make sure to stress the importance of pacing yourself academically, both in my class and in your other classes as well.  By and large, the best method of studying is not to wait until the night before something is due or before a test and to try and cram all of the information in at one time.  The best course of action to take is to study over your class notes and materials each night, slowly absorbing the information and storing in your long-term, rather than short term memory.  Please take my advice on this matter, as it will make your life MUCH, MUCH easier!

Pre-AP
Today's class was such a character!  After studying about the different types of nouns, students created imaginary character about whom they will be writing for the rest of the semester!  Then, we studied the structure of a five-paragraph essay, with special emphasis on the components and importance of the introduction paragraph.  A downloadable copy of the character worksheet can be found by clicking here.  A copy of the five-paragraph worksheet can be found by clicking here.  BOTH worksheets, if not finished in class, are due on Monday, January 9th.

To finish out the class, we began a discussion of Shakespeare and Shakespearean England.  A copy of the Shakespeare PowerPoint can be downloaded by clicking here .

Homework:  There are several homework assignments for the weekend.  They are:

- Finish the Hunger Games essay.  It is due on Monday, January 9th.  (It must be five-paragraphs long, typed, and double spaced with a title.  The essay is on the presence of prejudice in The Hunger Games.)

- Buy and bring in a composition notebook for a class journal.

- Bring in the signed information form that is an addendum to the class syllabus.

- Finish the "Character Worksheet" and "Five-Paragraph" worksheet (copies of which can be found above).

- Buy or order a copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. It is due on January 18th.

- Begin reading Romeo and Juliet, Act I.  There will be a test on Act I and Secret Life of Bees on Wednesday, January 11th.

If you have any questions, please email me and let me know.

AHSGE Reading Review
After beginning Catching Fire today, we started studying main ideas: what they are and how a student can identify them.

A copy of the main idea notes can be found by clicking here.
To practice with this new concept, we looked at examples of main ideas across several different mediums.

Thursday, January 5th

Welcome back to a new year at Hillcrest!!  I'm sure the break seemed short, but I'm excited to get things rolling!!

This blog is meant to be used by both students and parents to keep up with the classwork and homework in Pre-AP English and the AHSGE Reading Review class taught by Justin Ray.  If you have questions about anything in the course, please let me know by emailing me at jlray@tcss.net

Pre-AP
To start out the year, we did the normal introductory stuff.  You know, personal introductions, syllabus review, etc., etc.  The main thing you need to look at for today is the homework, found below:

Homework: There are several things that you need to do to start your year off right!  They are:

-- Re-read through the class syllabus and have your parent or legal guardian fill out the information sheet that accompanies the syllabus.  THESE ARE DUE ON MONDAY, JANUARY 9th and will be your first grade in the class!

-- Begin writing a five-paragraph, typed essay on the role that prejudice plays in The Hunger Games.  THIS IS ALSO DUE ON MONDAY, JANUARY 9TH!!

-- Order or buy Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.  A great and cheap place to buy it is www.half.com .  You will need a copy of this book by Wednesday, January 18th.

-- Begin reading Romeo and Juliet Act I.  We will have a quiz on it (and The Secret Life of Bees) on Wednesday, January 11th.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we introduced ourselves and covered the class syllabus.  We also began watching a documentary from 20/20 about education on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the challenges that teenagers there must overcome in order to receive an education.  The point of this activity is to prove that no matter a student's background, he or she can accomplish anything he or she sets his or her mind to.  We need to make sure to start this year off right by preparing our minds to pass the graduation exam in March.