Recap of the Week...Preview of next week

This week:
1. Discussed and took notes on genres of Romanticism and Gothic literature...the fusion of the two is found in Frankenstein. Completed a Romanticism WS in class. NOTES can be found on POWERPOINT attached to Frankenstein page of class website if you were absent

2. Discussed Romanticism, Imagery, and role of memories in Wordsworth's Poem Tintern Abbey (lit book page 628)

3. Grammar Quiz from 3-16 returned

4. Discussed Upfront Magazine



NEXT WEEK:
Monday and Tuesday ESLR ESSAY in HOMEROOM
Block Days...Monday follows Wednesday schedule and Tuesday follows Thursday

Assignments Due...due on DATE...not in BLOCK since assigned before I knew the block schedule:

Monday 4-2-12: Resume Draft + Cover Letter draft for final 2 homerooms (Carson and Allen)

Tuesday 4-3-12 Active Read and Complete Frankenstein WS

Wednesday (follows a Friday schedule) Frankenstein Quiz

LOOKING AHEAD:
Monday April 16th...FINAL DRAFT of resume and cover letter ... MUST be turned in WITH ROUGH DRAFTS ATTACHED

Tuesday April 17th: Finish Frankenstein and complete WS

Friday April 20th Frankenstein Quiz

Cross Country Connections

for those of you participating in the Cross Country Connections Blog...a new post is "LIVE" and will be "up" until Good Friday. A new post will run over Easter Break.

Remember your responses only count if you reply within 7-10 days of the original post. You must participate in 90% of the posts to qualify for the bonus at the end of the semester.

I am back...we are all getting "RESET"

Today's General Announcements:
1. PLAN Registration...due by Wednesday...Test is Saturday at Saints
2. Registration for INTERSESSION was LAST WEEK. See Mrs. Oliwa or Mrs. Walsh THIS WEEK to take care of registration.

English Class Announcements:
Grammar Quiz Grades Posted online after school today. Quizzes will be returned Friday.
Frankenstein Study Guide/Active reading due tomorrow...remember EACH Tuesday is a Frankenstein due date
Writing Exam will be graded over the Easter Break

NEW Tuesdays With Rene' starts tomorrow...Gulliver's Travels.

In class we discussed Romanticism and read Tintern Abbey (page 628 Lit Book) by William Wordsworth

We started Group Work ... TPCASTTing Poem. Paying special attention to Nature and Connotations.

Updates...

Friday 3-16-12 the QUIZ will cover Grammar ...NOT Poetry as we did not get to it...that will come after the Writing Exam.

There is a new post on Cross Country Connections. The Last Two Posts are "live" for responses until I return from Poland. A new post will be up when I get back. Remember, to be eligible for the bonus, you must respond to 90% of the posts this semester. Our posts will continue till Mid May.

Due Block Day...March 14th and 15th

Complete Grammar Book Page 258 evens as well as the paragraph.

Block Day...we'll discuss commas and semi-colons, Upfront Magazine and Poetry from the Literature Book.

Writing Exam Week of March 19th

Your WRITING EXAM is worth 10% of your semester grade. It MUST be completed in class. If you need to leave early for an athletic event or miss a day due to illness, please make sure to write down the time you miss on your cover sheet and have the substitute record the lost time. When I return, we will make up the time.

WRITING EXAM MAKE UP TIMES:
FRIDAY MARCH 30TH AFTER SCHOOL TILL 2 PM
MONDAY APRIL 2ND ... BEFORE SCHOOL (7 AM) AFTER SCHOOL TILL 3 PM
WEDNESDAY APRIL 4TH ... BEFORE SCHOOL (7 AM)

The WRITING EXAM is your opportunity to read a current events article. You will be asked to respond to a prompt based on your active reading of the article. You will need to provide TEXTUAL EVIDENCE from the article in your response.

SUGGESTIONS:
1. Underline verbs in prompt. Make sure you complete all steps.
2. Prewrite/brainstorm...plan your response.
3. After you write your rough draft...take a bit of a break and read Frankenstein. Your edits will be better if you take a break and look at it with "fresh" eyes.

You have all week to complete the assignment. Do not waste your time...do not rush. A good timeline is:
Day One...read the prompt, look over the rubric to know what is expected of you to achieve a top grade, then active read the article ... prewrite/brainstorm if time
Day Two...prewrite...rough draft
Block Day...finish draft/revise/start final draft
Friday...final draft

How do you turn it in?
Staple in this order:
TOP...
Rubric
Prompt
final draft
rough draft
prewrite
article

Frankenstein Assignments

Our next LITERATURE unit is Frankenstein. Next week you will take the writing exam IN CLASS. Make sure to have Frankenstein with you so that you can read when you finish writing, or need to take a break from writing.

Reading assignments...and worksheets are all due on Tuesdays...The document can be found on the FRANKENSTEIN page of the class website.

TUESDAY MARCH 27th...have active read and completed the worksheet for the Preface, letters, and chapters 1-5.

Tuesday April 3rd...have active read and completed the WS for Chapters 6-9

Tuesday April 17th (after Easter Break)...have active read and completed the WS for the rest of the novel.

Literature Quizzes:
Wednesday April 4th (last day of school before Easter Break)
Friday April 20th...after we return from break

Check out the YouTube Animation of the story ... linked on the FRANKENSTEIN page of the class website for clarification AFTER you read the entire book! We'll share the other videos linked on the page in class.

What edition should you buy if you forgot to get a book yet...the edition I suggested on the Book Order Form earlier in the year is the Signet Classic pictured on this blog post. An online version of the book is linked on the FRANKENSTEIN page of the class website.

Question: When will the FRANKENSTEIN TEST be?
Answer: We will have a test on Frankenstein, poetry, and the Romantic Era at the end of April. A specific date will be announced after Easter Break.

Week of Monday March 12th

Monday we'll discuss the Upfront Magazine that you took to read after Macbeth tests last week. We will also review Punctuation in our (Grammar Book) and commonly confused words (compliment/complement, capitol/capital, backward,backwards, and between you and me).

The rest of the week we'll look at poetry in our Literature Book as well as review Grammar.

Friday 3-16-12 there will be a Poetry and Grammar Quiz.

Week of 3-19-12 the Writing Exam will be held in class...it is 100% done in class, as it was last year. Please bring your Frankenstein book to read when you are done working each day. The first Frankenstein assignment is due the week of 3-26-12.

Tuesdays With Rene' - This week we will finish BRAVE NEW WORLD. We will start Gulliver's Travels on Tuesday 3-27-12, after a 1 week break.

NEW POST

Cross Country Connections...keep the conversations going!

BLOCK DAY

Commonly Confused Words: Lie/Lay, Sit/Set and Affect/Effect

Macbeth Essay and Sonnet based on Macbeth Themes

Friday Multiple Choice section of the test

BOTH BLOCK DAY and Friday the NEW UPFRONT MAGAZINE will be left out for you to pick up and read. Read the magazine and prepare for discussion/debate on MONDAY.

Monday 3-12: bring Literature and Grammar books
Friday 3-16: Grammar and Poetry Quiz

Tuesday 3-6-12

Today in class we discussed IRONY WS as well as the rest of the MOTIFS and connections with THEMES.

ANNOUNCEMENT:
ESSAY and SONNET tomorrow
Multiple Choice on Friday

Bring GRAMMAR and LIT books BOTH DAYS...for work after you finish your test.

A few students asked what book is next...FRANKENSTEIN. I'll announce details AFTER you finish MACBETH tests this week! The BLOG post will be made during block days (while testing).

Make Up Macbeth Quiz (Friday 3-2-12 Quiz)

Come by before school at 7:15 or at lunch tomorrow

Monday 3-5-12

In class we discussed DATE CHANGES:

Walsh and Wilson Homerooms Resume and Cover Letter Drafts due no later than 3-15-12 ... brought to me with the rubric.


Macbeth Test will be block day...Multiple choice with a pencil, essay and sonnet to be written in pen.

Tie Day tomorrow...Lenten Prayer Service

Upcoming Grammar Units

We are starting with Punctuation and Capitalization REVIEW in our Grammar Book...

We'll also investigate Common Errors in English Usage. The first three items we will look at are the subtle differences between Sit and Set, Lie and Lay, and Effect and Affect.

A Grammar Quiz will be Friday 3-16-12.

Friday 3-2-12

TODAY: Macbeth Quiz Acts 1-3 and Poetry

After Quiz: Complete Crossword Puzzle WS and Irony WS (given on block day)
IF you did not finish your MOTIF section, it is due Monday!

Monday/Tuesday:
Discuss Irony/MOTIFS and THEMES
Grammar Concepts - punctuation, commonly confused words, and capitalization

Block Day: Macbeth test (Multiple Choice, Essay, and Sonnet writing...bring a pen, pencil, and lined paper)

Friday: Upfront Magazine...read and prepare for a debate!