Tuesday, February 19th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we reviewed sentence objects and complements before finishing up Acts II and III of Romeo and Juliet.

Homework:  Students need to study for the test that will given tomorrow.  The test will cover Words of the Day, sentence objects and complements, and Acts II and III of the play.

English 10
We started discussing research papers in class today, and we went to the library to start our research.

AHSGE Reading Review
We continued discussing the genre of poetry today.

Monday, February 18th

Pre-AP English 9
We spent the majority of our time in class today discussing sentence objects and complements.  Parents, your student should be able to explain to you what a predicate adjective or predicate nominative is, and they should be able to explain what directs objects and indirect objects are.

For extra practice with objects and complements, click here.  (You will have to enter your first and last name to complete the quiz.)

Homework: Students need to finish Acts II and III of Romeo and Juliet by Wednesday, February 20th, when their next test will be given.  They also need to finish Runemarks by Friday, February 22nd.

English 10
Students took their Crucible test in class today.

AHSGE Reading Review
In a continuation of our genres discussion, we began our discussion of poetry in class today.

Friday, February 15th

Pre-AP English 9
Students took their Romeo and Juliet Act I test today.

Homework:  Students need to finish Runemarks by Friday, February 22nd.  They will also need to finish Acts II and III of Romeo and Juliet by Wednesday, February 20th.  We will try to read as much of this in class as we can.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY!!  Email me the answer to the following question by midnight on Friday, February 15th and receive 5 points of extra credit on today's test! (email: jlray@tcss.net)

Who is brought back to life at the end of book 8 in Runemarks?

English 10
Today, we finished discussing and analyzing The Crucible in preparation for the test that will be given on Monday, February 18th.

AHSGE Reading Review
Students took their test on American Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism in class today.

Thursday, February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pre-AP English 9
In honor of Valentine's Day, we finished Act I of Romeo and Juliet today, in preparation for the lovely test that will be given tomorrow.

Homework:  Study!  For a test study guide, please see Tuesday's blog post.

English 10
In today's class, we read and chunked Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  The test on The Crucible will be given tomorrow.

Homework:  Study!  For a test study guide, please see yesterday's blog post.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we read through and chunked Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat."

Homework: Study!  The test on American Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism will be given tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 13th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we reviewed verbal phrases and then learned about prepositional and appositive phrases.  Then we began reading through Act I of Romeo and Juliet.

Homework:  The test that was going to be administered tomorrow will now be administered on Friday, February 15th.  See yesterday's post for a study guide as to what will be on the test.

English 10
After reviewing verbal phrases, we then discussed prepositional phrases and appositive phrases. Then, we practiced identifying several of these phrases in the context of some of the folklore that we have read in class.  Afterwards, we completed our background knowledge of The Crucible and began making our way through Act I of the play.

Homework: The test on The Crucible will be given on Friday, February 15th. The test will cover Words of the Day, grammatical phrases, and the entirety of the play The Crucible.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we began reading through several pieces from the Naturalism, Regionalism, and Realism sub-genres of American literature.  We will continue these stories tomorrow.  There will be a test on these pieces and these genres on Friday.

Tuesday, February 12th

Pre-AP English 9
Today, we continued discussing Shakespeare, Shakespearean England, and the origin of the English language.  Students need to make sure to PRINT the PowerPoint notes that we have been using so that they will be able to study through all of the information contained therein.  The link for the PowerPoint can be found on yesterday's blog post.

Homework:  Students need to read books 6-7 of Runemarks and the first act of Romeo and Juliet by Thursday, February 14th, when their first Romeo and Juliet test will be given.

The Act I test will cover Words of the Day, phrases (verbals, appositives, and prepositional), The Shakespeare notes (all of them), the first act of the play, and Runemarks books 6-7.
English 10
Today, the class studied semi-colons and worked some practice with the colons and semi-colons that we have been working with for the past two days.  Then, we began our study of The Crucible, learning background information about Arthur Miller.

AHSGE Reading Review
Students took part in the Global Scholars Testing during our class today.

Monday, February 11th

Pre-AP English 9
After working with run-on sentences, we finished our Shakespeare notes in class today; however, because of time constraints, students need to PRINT OUT THESE NOTES so that they will have access to all of the information contained in the presentation.

To download a copy of the Shakespeare notes, click here.

Homework:  Students need to finish reading books 6-7 of Runemarks by Wednesday, February 13th.  Students also need to read Act I of Romeo and Juliet by the 13th.  (We will be reading part of this in class tomorrow, but we will not be able to finish, so students need to make sure to finish it up.)


EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: Students who would like up to thirty points of extra credit may memorize the first twelve lines of The Canterbury Tales prologue in middle English and recite it to me (from memory) on Friday, February 15th. 
English 10
Today, we discussed intra-sentence punctuation, including semi-colons and colons.  Afterwards, we continued discussing the Salem Witch Trials and began reading The Crucible.

To download the punctuation PowerPoint, click here.

AHSGE Reading Review
After finishing Waiting for Superman, we read selections from Ambrose Bierce and Stephen Crane to finish up our discussion of American Naturalism, Regionalism, and Realism.

Friday, February 8th

Due to my attending a scholars bowl tournament, all classes watched the documentary Waiting for Superman today and answer comprehension and synthesis questions regarding the movie and its subject matter, the state of education in America.

Pre- AP 9 will have its next test on either Wednesday the 13th or Thursday the 14th.

English 10 will have its next test on Friday the 15th.

AHSGE Reading Review will have its next test on Tuesday the 12th.

Thursday, February 7th

Pre-AP English 9
Students took the second part of The Odyssey unit test today.  They also received their Odyssey Parts 2 and 3 tests back today.

Homework:  Students need to read books 6-7 in Runemarks by February 12th.  They also need to have their copies of Romeo and Juliet by tomorrow, when they will receive their first reading assignment out of the play.

English 10
Today, we discussed verbals in class before learning about the Salem Witch Trials.

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

AHSGE Reading Review
Today, we applied our new knowledge of American naturalism, regionalism, and realism by reading through works from Ambrose Bierce and Stephen Crane.

Wednesday, February 6th

Pre-AP English 9
Students took their Odyssey unit test today.

Homework:  Students need to read books 6-7 in Runemarks by February 12th.  Also, students need to have their copy of Romeo and Juliet by February 8th.

BONUS OPPORTUNITY!!!!  Anyone who sends me an email (jlray@tcss.net) by 8:00 pm tonight (February 6th) answering the following question will receive five bonus points on their Odyssey unit test...

Question- What is the name of the organization for which Nat Parsons works?  (Hint:  It's the opponent of Chaos.)

English 10
Students took their Propaganda, Bradstreet, and Edwards test today.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we began discussing American Regionalism, Naturalism, and Realism.

To download a copy of the PowerPoint, please click here.

Tuesday, February 5th

Pre-AP English 9
We finished up the rhetorical analysis terms in class today, before discussing comma usage.

For extra comma practice, please click here.

Homework:  Students should study for The Odyssey Unit test that will be given tomorrow.  The test will cover:  Words of the Day, Greek and Norse mythology, The Odyssey, the rhetorical analysis terms, and comma usage.

English 10
In today's class, we had a comma review to finish getting ready for the test that will be given tomorrow.  Then, we finished our discussion of propaganda.

Homework:  Students should study for the test that will be given tomorrow.  It will cover Words of the Day, comma usage, propaganda, fallacious thinking, Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards.

For extra comma practice, please click here.

To download a copy of the propaganda notes, please click here.

AHSGE Reading Review
Students took their American Romanticism test today.

Monday, February 4th

Pre-AP English 9
Today, we discussed several different rhetorical terms that are used as tools in literary analysis.

Homework:  Students need to read books 3-5 of Runemarks by Wednesday, February 6th.  They also need to get a copy of Romeo and Juliet by February 8th.

English 10
We continued discussing commas in today's class.  Afterwards, we read through "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."  Finally, we discussed propaganda.

AHSGE Reading Review
The American Gothic dominated our discussion today.  We read through Poe's "The Raven" and discussed how it is perfectly indicative of the American Gothic's unique characteristics.

Friday, February 1st

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class we discussed the fourth part of The Odyssey and the imagery and symbolism it contains.

Homework:  Students need to read books 3-5 in Runemarks by Wednesday, February 6th.  They also need to get their copies of Romeo and Juliet by February 8th.  Finally, students need to look over the lit terms in preparation for their presentations on Monday.

English 10
Today, we discussed comma usage.  Afterwards, we read through Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."  Finally, we began discussing propaganda and fallacious thinking.

AHSGE Reading Review
We continued our discussion of American Romanticism and Dark Romanticism in today's class, reading through selections by Washington Irving and Edgar Allen Poe.

Important Announcement

As we near the end of our study of The Odyssey, we must begin looking ahead toward our next major work, Romeo and Juliet.  Please purchase your student's copy of Romeo and Juliet by Friday, February 8th!  Let me know if you have any questions!  (jlray@tcss.net)

Thursday, January 31st

Pre-AP English 9
Students took the second test on The Odyssey in class today.

Homework:  Students need to read books 3-5 of Runemarks by Tuesday, February 5th.

English 10
We began a discussion of propaganda in class today, stressing its presence in almost every media outlet in our society.

ASHGE Reading Review
We continued discussing allegory in class today, reading through selections from Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Severe weather announcement

For anyone checking the blog tonight, the county board has delayed the opening of school tomorrow by three hours. This means we will not be able to have our pre-ap test as scheduled tomorrow. The test will now be on Thursday, January 31st.

Tuesday, January 29th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we completed an activity that helped us determine how diction can affect the tone and mood of a piece.  Then, we finished chunking the third part of The Odyssey.

Homework:  Students need to study for the test that will be given tomorrow, which will cover:

-- Words of the Day
-- Capitalization
-- Parts 2 and 3 of The Odyssey
-- Norse Cosmology
-- Books 1 and 2 of Runemarks

English 10
Students took the "Puritans' Beliefs Test" in class today.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we continued discussing the American Romantic and Dark Romantic movement.

Monday, January 28th

Pre-AP English 9
After discussing sentence combining, we began a comparative analysis between Homer's The Odyssey and the movie August Rush.

Homework:  Students need to finish reading the first two books of Runemarks.  Also, the test that was going to be given tomorrow will now be given on Wednesday, January 30th.  The test will cover Words of the Day, capitalzation, parts two and three of The Odyssey, and the Norse Cosmology.

English 10
Today's class centered around Puritans, Pilgrims, and the beliefs that set them apart from that Catholic counterparts.

To download a copy of the Purtian PowerPoint, click here.

Homework:  Students need to study for the Pilgrim and Puritan test that will be given in class tomorrow.

AHSGE Reading Review
After a Word of the Day quiz, we continued our discussion of genres, discussing American Romanticism and Dark Romanticism in class today.

Friday, January 25th

Pre-AP English 9
After discussing the rules of capitalization, we started reading through part 3 of The Odyssey.

For extra capitalization practice, click here.

Homework:  Students should read the first two books of Runemarks by Tuesday, January 29th.  They should also prepare for the next Odyssey test that will be given on Tuesday, January 29th.

English 10
We practiced with our capitalization today, before turning to a further discussion of the Puritans and Pilgrims.

AHSGE Reading Review
After taking a test on propaganda, we discussed capitalization rules in class today.

Thursday, January 24th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we finished reading Part 2 of The Odyssey, making sure to make special emphasis on Odysseus' waning hubris and his increased devotion to the gods.

Homework:  Students need to make sure to read books 1 and 2 of Runemarks by Tuesday, January 29th.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we discussed figurative language and Freytag's triangle.

Wednesday, January 23rd

Pre-AP English 9
Students took their first Odyssey test in today's class.

Homework:  Students need to read the first two books of Runemarks by next Tuesday, January 29th.

English 10
After spending some time on capitalization in today's class, we began talking about the Puritans and their way of life in the New World.

If your student needs extra practice with capitalization, please click here.  (Hint: the word whose capitalization is in question is the word BEFORE the box.)

AHSGE Reading Review
Students completed the Romeo and Juliet comparative analysis in today's class.

Tuesday, January 22nd

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we read over Part 1 of Homer's The Odyssey, paying special attention to examples of Odysseus' hubris.

Homework:  Students need to continue studying for tomorrow's test.  The test will cover Words of the Day, parts of speech, formal vs. informal writing, Part 1 of The Odyssey, and the Greek Pantheon notes.

Students also need to read the first two books of Joanne Harris' Runemarks by next Tuesday, January 29th.

English 10
Students took the unit test on the Oral Tradition and Native American folklore.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, students started writing a comparative analysis between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the movie Simon Birch.

Friday, January 18th

I hope you all have a safe and fun MLK Jr. Weekend!

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we began reading Homer's The Odyssey, and, as we did, we also began to discuss epic and heroic literary conventions.

Homework: Students need to make sure and have their copy of Runemarks by Tuesday, January 22nd.

English 10
Today, we continued our comparative analysis of Pocahontas.

AHSGE Reading Review
Propaganda was the continued topic of conversation today, as we learned about fallacious thinking and fact vs. opinion.

Thursday, January 17th

Happy Snow Day!

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we finished discussing Norse mythology and began our character analysis of the characters in The Odyssey.

Homework: Students need to make sure to obtain their copies of Runemarks by Tuesday, January 22nd.

English 10
We read the real account of Pocahontas' encounter with John Smith in class today, after we reviewed parts of speech in preparation for the test tomorrow.

Homework:  Students need to study for the oral traditions test that will be given tomorrow.

AHSGE Reading Review
After taking a test on the oral tradition, we continued our discussion of propaganda and its uses in popular culture.

Wednesday, January 16th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we continued our discussion of the Greek Pantheon and its use as the backdrop of The Odyssey.  We also began discussing the advent and common practices of Norse mythology as a backdrop to the students' reading of Runemarks.  It is VERY important that students download and print a copy of these notes to study, as our time in class covering them will be VERY limited!

To download a copy of the Norse mythological notes, please click here.

Homework:  Students need to have their copies of Joanne Harris' Runemarks by Tuesday, January 22nd!

English 10
We continued talking about Native American life and folklore in today's class, and we read several examples of origin and creation myths.

Homework:  Students need to study these stories and all notes taken in class in preparation for the Oral Tradition test.

 AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we finished our analysis of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and began a discussion about propaganda.

Monday, January 14th

Pre-AP English 9
Today, we discussed the different parts of speech and had a little practice with the concept.  Afterwards, we began to discuss the Greek Pantheon and its relation to Homer's The Odyssey. 

Homework:  Students need to study over their notes and make sure that they understand everything discussed in class today.  They also need to make sure and have their copies of Joanne Harris' Runemarks by Monday, January 21st.

For a copy of the Greek Pantheon notes, please click here.

For extra help with parts of speech, you can click here.

English 10
After finishing our comparative analysis of Cinderella, we began discussing the different parts of speech.

For extra help with parts of speech, click here.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we studied main ideas and how you can find main ideas in different types of texts.  Then, we read through three stories, "The New Teacher," "The Burlington Northern, Southbound," and "The Boarded Window" and analyzed them to find the main ideas of the stories.

Friday, January 11th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we discussed several ways that author's can create rhetorical effects, including diction and syntax.  Afterwards, we finished our "Fairy tales and Folklore" PowerPoint.

For a copy of the Folklore PowerPoint, please see yesterday's blog post.

Homework: Students need to finish their Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes essay.  It is due on Monday, January 14th. 

English 10
In today's class, we finished the "Fairy tales and Folklore" PowerPoint.  Afterwards, we read through several of the original versions of the most famous fairy tales, including "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Cinderella."

AHSGE Reading Review
Today, we performed a comparative analysis between Grimm's "Cinderella" and Disney's Cinderella.

Thursday, January 10th

Pre-AP English 9
After taking the test on The Hobbit, students continued to learn about fairy tales and folklore conventions.

Homework: Students need to write the essay on their other summer reading book, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.  The essay prompt is as follows:

"Write a five-paragraph essay in which you discuss the sources of the parental conflict in Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and explain how the conflict between parent and child adds to the meaning of the work.  Make sure to AVOID PLOT SUMMARY!!"

Also, students need to make sure to procure a copy of Runemarks by Joanne Harris by January 21st.

To download a copy of the "Folklore and Fairy tales" PowerPoint, please click here.

English 10
After taking the 13 Reasons Why test, students continued to learn about fairy tales and folklore conventions.

To download a copy of the "Folklore and Fairy tales" PowerPoint, please click here.

AHSGE Reading Review
Students continued to learn about fairy tales and folklore traditions and then read through the original version of some fairy tales such as "Cinderella" and "The Little Mermaid."

To download a copy of the "Folklore and Fairy tales" PowerPoint, please click here.

Wednesday, January 9th

Pre-AP English 9
In today's class, we began discussing the importance of the oral tradition.  Specifically, we discussed folktales and fairytales and how these coventions are important to the analysis of these types of work.

Homework:  Students need to finish their notecards for their summer reading, and they also need to study for The Hobbit test that will be given tomorrow.

Also, students need to make sure to procure their copy of Runemarks by Joanne Harris by January, 21st.

English 10
In today's class, we began discussing the importance of the oral tradition. Specifically, we discussed folktales and fairytales and how these coventions are important to the analysis of these types of work.


Homework: Students need to finish their notecards for their summer reading, and they also need to study for the 13 Reasons Why test that will be given tomorrow.

AHSGE Reading Review
In today's class, we began discussing the importance of the oral tradition. Specifically, we discussed folktales and fairytales and how these coventions are important to the analysis of these types of work.

Tuesday, January 8th

Welcome back to a new year and a new semester!  I look forward to the academic strides we will make together this semester.

Pre-AP English 9
We spent time in class today going over the syllabus in detail and outlining what our class will look like for the semester.

Homework:  Students need to finish their summer reading note cards and have them ready to turn in on Thursday, January 10th.  This is also the day that the students will be tested on The Hobbit.  Students also need to go ahead and order a copy of Joanne Harris' Runemarks.  They need to have it no later than Monday, January 21st.

Finally, students need to bring back their signed info form and plagiarism contract by Thursday, January 10th.

English 10
In today's class, we spent time going over the class syllabus and going over yesterday's writing assignment.

Homework: Students need to finish their summer reading note cards and have them ready to turn in on Thursday, January 10th. This is also the day that the students will be tested on 13 Reasons Why.

Finally, students need to bring back their signed info form and plagiarism contract by Thursday, January 10th.

AHSGE Reading Review
Today, we spent time covering the syllabus and discussing the easiest ways to pass the graduation exam.

Homework: Students need to bring back their signed info form by Thursday, January 10th.