Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday, September 28th

Pre-AP English 9
2nd block- Students took the reading quiz on Runemarks in class today.  Afterwards, we finished up our notes on Shakespeare and Shakespearean England.  Students also had an opportunity for extra credit by reciting the first eleven lines of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English.

4th block-  The students went to the Homecoming Pep Rally today during their normally scheduled class time.

Homework: Students need to review their Words of the Day and notes from the Shakespeare presentation.

English 10
Students took the first Crucible quiz in today's class.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Thursday, September 27th

Pre-AP English 9
2nd block-  No class today because of the Patriot Games.  Students need to make sure to finish reading Runemarks by tomorrow.

4th block- After taking a reading quiz on Runemarks, we finished up our discussion of Shakespeare and his time period.  (A copy of the Shakespeare PowerPoint can be found on yesterday's blog.)

BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITY: On the Shakespeare PowerPoint, on the the "Middle English" slide, a copy of the first eleven lines of The Canterbury Tales can be found, along with a link to a YouTube video that gives the correct pronunciation for the passage.  If students would like to, they may memorize the first eleven lines of The Canterbury Tales IN THE ORIGINAL MIDDLE ENGLISH and recite them to me.  It must be done by Friday, September 28th. 

Homework: All students need to begin studying all the information given to them about Shakespeare in preparation for the first Romeo and Juliet test that will be given on Wednesday, October 3rd.

English 10
Today we reviewed verbals, appositives, and prepositional phrases.  Afterwards, we finished chunking Act I of The Crucible

Homework: Students need to study for the test that will be given tomorrow, which will cover Words of the Day, verbals, appositives, prepositions, and Act I of The Crucible.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Wednesday, September 26th

Pre-AP English 9
Over the past couple of days, we have studied all about Shakespeare and Shakespearean England.  We have also been learning about the development of the English language, starting at the beginning of the millennium and moving to modern times.

A copy of the Shakespeare PowerPoint can be downloaded by clicking here.

BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITY: On the Shakespeare PowerPoint, on the the "Middle English" slide, a copy of the first eleven lines of The Canterbury Tales can be found, along with a link to a YouTube video that gives the correct pronunciation for the passage.  If students would like to, they may memorize the first eleven lines of The Canterbury Tales IN THE ORIGINAL MIDDLE ENGLISH and recite them to me.  It must be done by Friday, September 28th. 

Homework:  Students need to have finished Runemarks by tomorrow.

English 10
Today, we learned about appositive and prepositional phrases. Then, we continued studying Act I of The Crucible.

For extra help with prepositional phrases, click here.
For extra help with appositive phrases, click here.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Monday, September 24

Pre-AP English 9
Punctuation was the word of the day today as we covered semicolons and colons.  Afterwards, we began our study of Shakespeare in preparation for Romeo and Juliet.

Homework:  Students need to finish reading Runemarks by Thursday, September 27th.

For extra practice with semicolons and colons, click here.
English 10
Punctuation was the word of the day today as we covered semicolons and colons. Afterwards, we began chunking Act I of The Crucible with an emphasis on the characters of the play.

For extra practice with semicolons and colons, click here.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Friday, September 21st

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we were very grammar heavy.  After reviewing comma and conjunction usage, the class learned about verbal phrases and did several practices with the new concept.  We then wrapped up our discussion of Greek culture and the Greek pantheon before we move on to Shakespeare on Monday.

Homework: Students should finish reading Runemarks.  They should have it read by Thursday, September 27th.

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

For extra verbal help, click here.

English 10
Today was also very grammar heavy for this class as well.  After practicing with conjunctions and learning about verbal phrases, we began chunking our way through Arthur Miller'sThe Crucible.

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

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Thursday, September 20th

Pre-AP English 9
After a refresher on the structure of academic essays, students took Part 2 of The Odyssey unit test today, in which they had to write two essays on elements of The Odyssey and Runemarks.  These essays were timed and formal.

Homework:  Students should finish reading Runemarks by Thursday, September 27th.

English 10
After discussing comma splices, we began our study of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Connecting the issues presented in the play to modern-day issues including racial profiling and unjust accusation, we discussed how Miller used The Crucible as an analogy for the "McCarthy Witch Hunts."  We will begin chunking The Crucible tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Wednesday, September 19th

Pre-AP English 9
Students took the first part of The Odyssey unit test in class today.  They will take the second part tomorrow.  In order to prepare for the second part of the exam, which will be two in-class essays, students should review what they have read in Runemarks, paying special attention to motifs and symbols that Harris uses in the text.

Homework:  Study for part two of the unit test and begin reading Books 6 and 7 in Runemarks.  The rest of the book needs to be read by Thursday, September 27th.

English 10
After reviewing the propaganda quiz from yesterday, we began the introduction to Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which we will be reading over the next several days.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tuesday, September 18th

Pre-AP English 9
In preparation for tomorrow's unit test, we reviewed through all of the material that we have covered in class thusfar.  We also went through each of the tests that we have already taken as another type of review.

Homework:  Students should study for tomorrow's unit test (part 1) which will cover the following:

-- Words of the Day
-- The Greek and Norse pantheons
-- Comma usage
-- The Grammar White pages
-- The plot, settings, and characters of The Odyssey
-- The plot, settings, and characters of Books 1-5 of Runemarks

Bonus!!!  Everyone who emails me the correct answer to this question by 7:50 A.M. tomorrow will receive three bonus points on the test!! The question is, "There is a discrepancy in the Disney movie Hercules and classical Greek mythology as to how many Muses there are.  How many Muses does the movie portray?" Please make sure the email is from a student and contains the student's name  in the email.

English 10
We finished part two of the Propaganda Test in today's class and reviewed more modern examples of propaganda in popular media.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Friday, September 14th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we covered the comma rules in depth and completed some practice with each rule.  Then, we reviewed Part 4 of The Odyssey.

Homework: Students need to study for The Odyssey Test #4 that will be given on Monday, September 17th.  This test will include the following:

-- The Odyssey Part 4
-- The Lit Terms from the "Grammar White Pages"
-- Words of the Day
-- Comma Rules (a copy of the comma rules can be downloaded by clicking here.)

Students should also read Books 4 and 5 of Runemarks by Wednesday, September 19th.

English 10
We also covered commas in depth in today's class and completed some practice with each comma rule as well.  We then studied Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards and how each of these historical figures reflect the ideologies of Puritan theology and way of life.

Homework: Students should study for the "Propaganda and Early Colonialism" test that will be given on Monday, September 17th.  This test will include the following:

-- Words of the Day
-- Comma Rules (a copy of the comma rules can be downloaded by clicking here.)
-- Propaganda
-- Fallacious thinking
-- Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Thursday, September 13th

Pre-AP English 9
Students took the third test on The Odyssey today.

Homework: Students need to begin reading Part 4 of The Odyssey and Books 4 and 5 in Runemarks.  These should be read by Monday, September 17th.

English 10
After finishing our discussion of logical fallacies, we discussed several moral dilemmas in class today and discussed with type of fallacies the dilemmas employed.  To finish out class, we learned the difference between fact and opinion and looked at several examples of each.

Homework:  Students should review their notes on fallacious thinking and propaganda techniques in preparation for the test that will be given on Monday.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday, September 12th

Pre-AP English 9
Run-on sentences started our class today.  Then, we finished covering all of the literary devices that we, as English scholars, use for rhetorical analysis.  Afterwards, we practiced identifying some of the sound devices that we studied by analyzing Lewis Carroll's poem, "The Jabberwocky."  Finally, we had a short review of The Odyssey Part 3.

Homework: Students should study the following topics for tomorrow's test:
     -- Part 3 of The Odyssey
     -- Books 2 and 3 of Runemarks
     -- The "sound devices" that are listed on the grammar white pages.
     -- Words of the Day

English 10
We finished our discussion of propaganda today by watching several examples of WW II propaganda and identifying the persuasive techniques used in these clips.  To finish the class, we began studying fallacious thinking, and how it is used fuel propaganda.

Parents, if you'd like to download a copy of the worksheet containing all of the different types of fallacy, click here.

Homework:  Students should begin memorizing the different types of fallacious thinking.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tuesday, September 11th

Please take a moment today to remember those who lost their lives in the attacks on this country eleven years ago.  We will be observing a moment of silence in class today, as well as writing a journal about any connections that the students had with the event.  Please take time to talk with your student about what he or she wrote in class, and what the day means for our country's history.

Pre-AP English 9
After our grammar and journal exercises, which continued our practice with sentence fragments, we finished jigsawing and discussing the different literary devices that authors use to create meaning in a text.  Then, we analyzed Lewis Carroll's "The Jabberwocky" for uses of sound devices.

Homework:  Students should read Part 3 of The Odyssey, as well as Books 2 and 3 of Runemarks.  Additionally, students should review all of the literary devices that were covered in class.  (Parents, if you would like to download a copy of the literary devices to review with your student, please see yesterday's post.)

English 10
We reviewed propaganda techniques in class today, ensuring that students can identify the types of propaganda when they are seen.  Afterwards, we watched part of Remember the Titans and discussed whether or not it can be viewed as a type of propaganda.

Homework: Students should review all the types of propaganda and be prepared to identify them in modern media.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Monday, September 10th

Pre-AP English 9
After continuing to practice with sentence fragments, we began to jigsaw many of the literary devices that we will use in class for rhetorical analysis.  Groups of students each took several of the device terms and became experts on them, so that they could teach them to the class.

Parents, if you would like a copy of the terms to check your student's understanding, you can click here to download the sheets.  (Used by permission from Robin Ball.)

Homework:  Students need to re-read and review Part 3 of The Odyssey.  They also need to finish reading Books 2 and 3 in Runemarks for the test that will be given on Thursday, September 13th.

English 10
We began a discussion of propaganda in today's class, learning and proving that propaganda saturates our society today.

For a copy of the propaganda PowerPoint, click here.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday, September 7th

Pre-AP English 9
After discussing sentence fragments in today's class, students finished taking Part II of the test they began yesterday.  Afterwards, we began a jigsaw activity to learn about the different literary devices that are used in rhetorical analysis.

Homework:  Students need to start reading Part 3 of The Odyssey and Books 2 and 3 in Runemarks.

English 10
Students took the second part of the Puritans' belief test in class today.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Thursday, September 6th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, students took the second test on The Odyssey.

Homework:  Students should start reading Part 3 of The Odyssey and Books 2 and 3 in Runemarks.

English 10
In today's class, students took the "Purtians' Beliefs" test.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Wednesday, September 5th

Pre-AP English 9
Students should study for The Odyssey Test #2 that will be given tomorrow.  For a study guide, please see yesterday's post.

Homework:  Students should study and can begin reading Books 2 and 3 in Runemarks.  These must be read by Wednesday, September 12th.

English 10
Students should study for the Puritans test that will be given tomorrow.  For a study guide, please see yesterday's post.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Tuesday, September 4th

Pre-AP English 9
We started out today's class with an exercise in tone and mood (and telling the difference between the two).  There were some incredible pieces written by students emphasizing the use of connotative diction to create tone and mood.  Then, we finished the class by finishing Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  Students will answer questions analyzing the fairytale and comparing it with what they have read so far in The Odyssey

Homework:  Students need to read Part 2 of The Odyssey and Book One of Runemarks.  They also need to finish answering the literary analysis questions about "The Little Mermaid."  They should also begin studying for their test, which will be on Thursday, September 6th and will cover the following:

-- Part 2 of The Odyssey
-- Book One in Runemarks

-- The basic tenants of Norse mythology and cosmology
-- Words of the Day
-- Capitalization

English 10
We began our study of the Puritans in today's class.  After watching a short video describing the foundation of the Puritan group, we studied the five basic tenants of Calvinism and how these beliefs drove the Puritans on in their quest for religious freedom.

If you would like to download a copy of the Calvinism PowerPoint used in class, click here.  (Note: PowerPoint provided with permission by Stephanie Tucker.)

Homework: Students should begin reading On Plymouth Plantation and begin studying for the test that will be given on Thursday.  The test will cover the following:

-- On Plymouth Plantation
-- Puritan history (from video)
-- William Bradford's life
-- The basic tenants of Calvinism (PPT above)
-- Capitalization

-- Words of the Day

Monday, September 3, 2012

Monday, September 3rd

Happy Labor Day!

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we continued practicing sentence combination.  Afterwards, students received two test that they had taken previously, and we took time to go over them.  Finally, students read through Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" and spent time analyzing the text and comparing it to what they have read so far in The Odyssey.

Homework: Students should finish reading or re-read Part 2 of The Odyssey in preparation for the test they will take on Thursday, September 6th.  Also, students need to have Book One of Runemarks read by Thursday, September 6th.

English 10
In today's class, after practicing more sentence combination, we held a writing workshop where we compared and contrasted the Grimm Brother's original version of "Cinderella" with snippets from Disney's version of the classic fairytale.