Homework: March 31

Honors English 11 (A)

• Start working on the revision of your Figurative Language essay. To do so, check out the comments I made, and see if you can take a few minutes to deal with those revisions. Additionally, look for a passage or two that you might use to revise your response. What will your thesis say now? The final draft of that essay is due Friday.
• Also, start reading the article titled "A Whole Heap of Ashes." We'll discuss this article at the end of this week, or the beginning of next. Keep an eye on the main CLAIM (what is the article saying about the book), and your thoughts about this claim--is it supported well? 
• This week, we'll start watching The Great Gatsby film! Make sure you bring your book with you each day, because I'll be checking annotations and work. You should bring in: 
• The book itself, with notes.
• "The pursued/pursing/busy/tired" handout (ch. 4)
• The chapter 5 "scavenger hunt" handout
• Chapter 7 close reading organizer (with the four boxes and the prompt on the back--we did this in class)
• Your opinionnaire (unless I already have yours...a couple of you have passed them in. If you didn't yet, that's fine!)
• The Beginnings and Endings homework analysis assignment
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Read and mark up Frankenstein, chapters 23 and 24. You can stop at the part on page 259, where it says "Walton, in continuation."
• Keep an eye on a couple of things--first, because we're getting to the end, we expect a lot of things to happen, right? So, think about what's going on. Are there loose ends to tie up? How will Victor deal with the events of this chapter?
• There are some pretty awesome "horror movie" elements. Keep in mind that Shelley wrote this in 1818...some of the things that freaked her out are the same things that freak us out today!
• Victor tries to go to the cops. How do you think that's going to go for him?
• The creation is not messing around. He's mad, and he's taunting Victor to undertake "a journey where your sufferings will satisfy my everlasting hatred." Yikes.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Start working on the revision of your Figurative Language essay. To do so, check out the comments I made, and see if you can take a few minutes to deal with those revisions. Additionally, look for a passage or two that you might use to revise your response. What will your thesis say now? The final draft of that essay is due Friday.
• This week, we'll start watching The Great Gatsby film! Make sure you bring your book with you each day, because I'll be checking annotations and work. You should bring in: 
• The book itself, with notes.
• "The pursued/pursing/busy/tired" handout (ch. 4)
• The chapter 5 "scavenger hunt" handout
• Chapter 7 close reading organizer (with the four boxes and the prompt on the back--we did this in class)
• Your opinionnaire (unless I already have yours...a couple of you have passed them in. If you didn't yet, that's fine!)
• The Beginnings and Endings homework analysis assignment
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 28

Honors English 11 (D)

• Read the two articles provided in class, the one about Daisy and Myrtle (from HGTV/the DIY network, hence the extensive knowledge of plants!), as well as the one called "A Whole Heap of Ashes." For each, pay attention to how the author develops his/her claims about the text/subject. For the "Whole Heap" essay--determine why the author believes it's one of the Twenty-Five Books that Shaped America (that's the title of the book the essay is drawn from).
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Finish up your paragraph description, modeled on the passage from Gatsby, of the cafeteria and the glorious experience of lunch in high school.
• Finish reading chapter 4. Pay attention to the ways that Gatsby is developed as a character--what are the rumors, and the facts?
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Read the article "The Overprotected Kid." Identify the main claim, and the subclaims that make up the argument. Pay attention to the strategies the author uses to develop the claim.
• Also, make connections to: Frankenstein, and coming-of-age/growing up.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 27

English 11 (F)

• Read the first half of chapter 4. (I think I said to the bottom of page 74.) Keep an eye on those characters we studied, and the ways that they're described as the book continues on.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Finish reading Frankenstein! It's all going to wrap up...pay attention to how it does so.
• Keep in mind the short critical reading we did regarding the idea of doppelgangers in the novel. Annotate your text for some evidence that either supports or refutes the claim made by the article. Also, where does Walton fit in to this picture?
• Additionally, read the very short articles about "Romanticism" and "Gothic" in the packet.
• FINALLY, read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Complete two assignments: 
• The "beginning and ending" handout. Annotate each passage, making notes about what you notice about the beginning, now that you've finished the book, as well as about the connections between the description of the opening and the ending of the story. Complete the chart on the last page with your insight!
• Read and make some notes on the handout "Daisy and Myrtle: What's Behind the Plant Names?" It's from the HGTV/DIY Network, and it's actually pretty insightful!
• On Monday, we'll continue our discussion about the horrible people in the novel. Crazy how Fitzgerald could write such a beautiful novel about such horrible people, eh?
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Read chapters 21 and 22 in Frankenstein. There's gonna be ANOTHER trial here...Victor's, this time! Mr. Kirwin's a pretty important character here. And then, not long after...a ceremony!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 26

Honors English 12 (G)

• As you know, your task is to finish up Victor Frankenstein's frame of the narrative (essentially, through to the part on page 259 where it says "Walton, in continuation." 
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Complete the Gatsby "opinionnaire" handout--follow the directions on the sheet. Find a good song to connect to the story!
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Complete Chapters 19 and 20. There's a lot happening in the book now--Victor has decided to make a new creature, to be the original creation's lady friend! We talked about some of the pros and cons today in class...keep an eye on the reading to see what happens next.
• Read your independent book, too!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Complete the "Beginning and Ending" handout. To do so, consider: 
• What language does Fitzgerald use to open the story? Now that you've read the whole story, go back through and ANNOTATE that handout...what do you notice?
• Then, make some comparisons: What do the opening passage and the closing passage have in common. Again, ANNOTATE it!
• Finally, complete the chart. Pick 4 different, significant "pieces of language" and tell me what YOU have noticed about them (NOT what some online site has noticed...please...spare me!).
• Read your independent book! 

Gatsby--the end...

SPOILER ALERT for folks who haven't finished the book yet...

In D block today, we took a look at some superstar sentences (coming from The New Yorker's "Backblogged"--click here to see the ones we studied today). Then, we used those to write our own, about our initial reactions to the end of the novel The Great Gatsby. Pretty smart stuff...

Homework: March 25

English 12 (B)

• Today in class, we wrote about the request (demand?) the creation makes of Victor. Then, you read chapter 17 to find out what happens next in the story, as Victor and his creation converse, and Victor makes a decision. For homework, you'll finish through chapter 18. In this chapter, Victor and his dear ol' dad will have a conversation, about something PRETTY BIG. Then, he'll go traveling, because, well, doesn't he always?
• Read your independent book, too!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Complete the Gatsby opinionnaire assignment. Don't forget to find a good song!
• If you can't come with anything...Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" song is a pretty good one...
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Read chapter 3! We meet a pretty important man in this chapter...we've seen him already, and we've heard him spoken about, but now's the time! Keep a close eye on how he's introduced...think back to our discussion in class today about character introductions.
• Make some flashcards for those vocab words!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 24

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• Finish Gatsby! Now that we've lost our main guy, what could possibly happen? And consider this: Was it all worth it?
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Finish Gatsby chapter 2. Keep an eye on that developing storyline--did Tom really bring Nick to meet his mistress? What's going to go down in NYC?
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• We're on the homestretch. The creation (creature? monster?) is out and about, and he's not lovin' life. How will this story resolve itself? Keep an eye out, in chapter 22, for some foreshadowing of an event that we were wondering about...
• By Thursday, you'll need to have read to page 259--in the middle, it says, "Walton, in continuation." You can stop there.
• Read your independent reading book!

Homework: March 21

Honors English 11 (A)

• Finish reading Gatsby chapter 8 carefully. Make some notes on your copy of the story.
• Then, create a map, using the SIGNPOSTS handout. Focus on chapter 8, looking at repetitions, a-ha moments, memory moments, etc. You can make connections to other events/chapters, too.
• Read your independent book! Many of you have recently started new ones...enjoy them!

English 12 (B)

• If you need to get caught up on Frankenstein, now's your chance. We're going to start making the final push next week.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 20

Honors English 11 (A)

• By tomorrow, read to the end of page 168. (You might just want to finish the chapter, so go for it if that's the case.) Chapter 7 is chock-full of drama, and then chapter 8 is where we start to see the repercussions of that drama!
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Keep reading Frankenstein--get yourself caught up and through chapter 16. I gave you a handout of comprehension questions to use to check your understanding--so, use it to check it!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• By Monday, finish reading Chapter 8 in Gatsby. Chapter 7 is chock-full of drama, and then chapter 8 is where we start to see the repercussions of that drama!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 19

English 11 (F)

• We're working our way through Gatsby! Remember, this is all good reading practice, and it's on a really good story. So, stick with it, and keep trying, and work hard.
• Read chapter 2, to page 34. Make sure you annotate and mark up your questions and observations. Use the pink handout to guide you. Write summaries/important ideas in the margins, and write specific questions. Go back to chapter 1 and revisit that, too.
• You can rewatch/finish the John Green video...I know he goes fast, but there's some helpful info!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Today in class, we focused on the "Is Frankenstein's creation human?" question. You have written a draft response to that question, and now you'll do a revision. Remember to add in a thoughtful counterargument and rebuttal.
• Read and annotate chapter 21. Remember, I will be checking annotations! Here are a couple of questions to consider once you're done, to check your comprehension:
• There's been a murder! Summarize what's known, and what Victor experiences (physically and emotionally) as a result. 
• Describe the role Mr. Kirwin plays in Victor's experience.
• Explain what Victor means when he talks to his father about the “destiny of the most horrible kind” that Victor thinks “hangs over” him (222).
• Explain how Victor is acquitted of the murder, and discuss his emotional response to his acquittal. 
• You can revisit the Prezi, below, for more information about counterarguments and rebuttals. Also, the picture of the discussion regarding what it means to be human is below. Remember, this was a brainstorm/group conversation. Not everyone will agree with all of these ideas
  

Homework: March 18

English 11 (F)

• Finish up chapter 1, if you haven't already done so. Go back and make some notes--identify character details and specific questions. We'll talk tomorrow!
• Complete the character chart for Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan. Use the information you know so far.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Complete Frankenstein, chapter 20. 
• Complete the chapters 18-20 handout.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Finish reading and annotating chapter 7 by Thursday. Keep an eye on those power dynamics, and pay attention to both the text and the subtext.
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Complete the close reading response, if you didn't do so in class.
• Read and annotate chapter 15. (And, all chapters before that one...some of you need to get caught up!)
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 17

First, enjoy this song:



Then, start your homework already! Seriously! Stop watching YouTube videos!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Victor's off to Scotland to make a creature lady friend! Read on to find out what happens...
• For tomorrow, you should read chapter 19 and start 20 (up to the middle of 208). 
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Read Gatsby! For tomorrow, read to page 135. Chapter 7 is crazy long and drama-filled. We'll be working on it this week.
• Read your independent book, too!

English 12 (B)

• For tomorrow, read chapter 14 in Frankenstein. This chapter's full of background information on the DeLacey family and their seemingly-random guest, Safie. You'll find out what the deal is for those folks. Make some notes in the margins, and/or add them to your charts.
• Keep the question of the creation's humanity, or lack thereof, in mind. Any other good evidence? Mark it!
• Read your independent book! 

Honors English 11 (D)

• Sadly, I will not see you again until Thursday. 
• By Thursday, read chapter 7 in Gatsby. It's a super-long drama-fest, so don't leave it all for Wednesday night. I'd suggest reading to about page 132ish tonight, 143ish tomorrow night, and then finishing by Thursday.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 14

English 12 (B)

• Today in class, we watched a TED Talk called "It's Time to Question Bioengineering." Please write a 1-paragraph reflection on the talk and the questions that it raises. You can revisit the talk if you need to; it's embedded below.
• Read chapter 13...Victor's creation is telling his story. 
• Read your independent book, and have a great weekend!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Finish chapter 6. You have a reading quiz (passage identification and analysis) on Monday.
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Finish reading Gatsby, chapter 1. Make sure you mark it up and make notes. Your focus is to determine the narrator's background and personality. Pay attention to the choices Fitzgerald made as a writer that establish that background and personality.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 13

Honors English 11 (D)

• Today in class, we discussed the emotional and behavioral roller coaster that is Gatsby chapter 5. We'll continue our discussion of chapter 5's events tomorrow.
• Tonight, keep reading Gatsby. Tonight, you should read to the middle of chapter 6.
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Make flashcards for your vocab words--supercilious, complacent, incredulous, intimate (the verb!), and feign. Start studying them!
• Read to the end of page 8 in Gatsby, and mark it up. Make notes about your questions, observations and connections.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Victor's creation has made a request! Read chapters 17 and 18 to find out why the creation wants what he wants, and how Victor reacts. Make sure you mark up that text!!!
• Look up your vocab word and complete that handout. Two useful sites are vocabulary.com and etymonline.com
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Watch the rest of this Cribs episode (just Carmelo's part...you don't have to watch Danny Granger). Gatsby's shirts and cars tour was the original Cribs, right? Make a few notes about where you see similarities/connections.
• Finish reading Chapter 6. You have a reading quiz on Monday!
• Read your independent book!

  

  Thanks to Tori for this lovely drawing: 
  

  “Look at that…I’d like to get one of those clouds and put you in it and push you around” (103).

Homework: March 12

English 11 (F)

• Revise and edit your letter! It's due tomorrow.
• When you've finished it, on Google Docs, go to FILE, then DOWNLOAD AS. Choose PDF Document (.pdf), then save that on your computer. Send an email to the copy center (copy.center@hudson.k12.ma.us), attach the document, and politely request that they print it out for you. (Don't just attach it--write a nice message, and make sure to say thank you!) Then, you can just go pick it up! Remember, you will not print out your letter at the beginning of class tomorrow--it will be counted as late if you do so.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• We spent some quality time discussing: the creation's knowledge about society and himself; the ways in which he learns these things; and, the strategies Mary Shelley uses as a writer to share this information. (You can check the notes, below.) One of the major realizations we had is that the creation is really struggling with the question: WHO AM I, and WHERE DO I BELONG?
• Tonight, read chapter 15. 
• Also, I threw out a philosophical question for you, and we'll discuss it tomorrow: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? Some initial responses had to do with emotional/personality qualities (like, to have flaws), as well as biological ones (like, to have opposable thumbs). We'll keep talking about that...
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Tomorrow, we'll continue to discuss the awesome awkwardness of Chapter 5. You did some good thinking and mapping today of the emotional and behavioral roller coaster that was Jay Gatsby...
• Read the first half of chapter 6 in Gatsby.
• Additionally, you should finish up your vocab word sheet. Those are due tomorrow, and we'll start studying them!
• Then, read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Some of you missed class today. Hope that the Spanish field trip was good! You missed the Letters through chapter 10 quiz, which you'll need to make up. Please see me to set a date to make up the quiz--you need to do so within a week.
• Read chapters 11 and 12 of Frankenstein--the frame story structure continues. Robert Walton is telling the story that Victor Frankenstein told him, and within that, Victor's creation will now tell his story. Phew!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 11

Honors English 11 (A)

• Finish chapter 5 of Gatsby! Make sure you keep an eye on those motifs we identified. Mark up your observations, questions and connections in the text. Fill out the "Scavenger Hunt" handout with page numbers...we'll use it in class tomorrow!
• For Thursday, complete the definition, etymology, and picture sections of your vocab assignment. Two useful sites: Online Etymology Dictionary, and Vocabulary.com
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Read Frankenstein, chapters 9 and 10. Mark it up! I'll be checking...
• You have a reading quiz tomorrow. We went over the requirements and content in class today. As long as you've read the book, you should be good...just make sure you've read carefully!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Finish chapter 5 of Gatsby! Make sure you keep an eye on those motifs we identified. Mark up your observations, questions and connections in the text. Fill out the "Scavenger Hunt" handout with page numbers...we'll use it in class tomorrow!
• For Thursday, complete the definition, etymology, and picture sections of your vocab assignment. Two useful sites: Online Etymology Dictionary, and Vocabulary.com
• Read your independent book!

This Laughing Squid cartoon is great:

Homework: March 10

Honors English 11 (D)

• Complete your figurative language essay. It's due tomorrow!
• Start reading chapter 5. You'll need to finish it, and complete the "Chapter 5 scavenger hunt" assignment for Thursday.
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Complete the "Letter to Emma Donoghue" assignment. Make sure you follow the directions on the handout.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• In class today, we compared a video of a puppy learning to go down the stairs with the first two chapters of Frankenstein's creation's narrative. Yup. True. Check out the video, and our notes, below.
• Tonight, read and annotate Chapters 13 and 14. The story that's being told is an important one...consider the ways in which it establishes perspective.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 7

English 11 (F)

• Finish those projects! For real! We talked about your Room projects in class today, and went over ideas and suggestions for making them great. Now, you need to complete your project. Some of you came to class prepared today, so take the extra time to make yours even better! The rest of you...get it together and finish up.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Read chapters 11 and 12. There is a new story starting within our frame: now, we hear from Victor's creation. What will he say?
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• By Wednesday of next week, read chapter 5 and complete the "scavenger hunt." Enjoy the awkwardness.
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• By Tuesday, read chapter 8. As you read, keep in mind our discussion. We started thinking about whether Victor Frankenstein counts as a "parent" and if he has the responsibilities we noted below.
• By Wednesday, read chapters 9 and 10. There will be a quiz on the first half of the book in class on Wednesday.
• Here are the notes from our discussion today. And, here's the link to the short video we watched about the current case where an 18-year-old is suing her parents. If you find out anything else about this case that you think would be useful to know, include it in a comment below (don't worry if the comment doesn't post right away...I have to approve it...)

Homework: March 6

Honors English 12 (G)

• Read chapters 9 and 10.
• There will be a reading quiz on the book, Letter 1 through chapter 10. In order to be prepared, you should make sure you've carefully read and annotated the story. There will be passages to identify, as you did in class today. Here is an example written by one of your classmates, slightly modified from its original form.
• Quotation A: Victor is the one who is speaking, when he goes to the spot where William was killed and sees the creation again. He is talking about the creation, and the events that happened until he reached his home in Geneva. This passage is important because for a long time Victor could not avoid thinking about the creature, to the point where it drove him insane. He then completely blocked out all of the events and refused to think about his responsibility and the things that he has caused, all because of that one night. This shows his fear and regret that have been the motifs of the story which he tells. It shows that he is so horrified that he wasn't even able to think about the creature for two whole years. I find it very strange that he said "departure" because Frankenstein did not give the creature any other choice.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Complete your Figurative Language in Gatsby written response. It's due tomorrow!
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (B)

• Read chapter 7 of Frankenstein! Big things are afoot! What has happened to William? Why did Mary Shelley just introduce us to Justine? Keep an eye out for archetypal horror movie stuff--lightning crashes! Shadows and darkness abound!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Complete your Figurative Language in Gatsby written response. It's due Tuesday!
• Finish chapter 4 of Gatsby. 
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 5

English 11 (F)

• Work on your project! Remember, you should make your written piece look like what it is. Journal? Handwrite it, as Ma would! Magazine article? Maybe it's in columns, maybe there's a picture to go with it? It is due Friday!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Finish up chapter 7, and read chapter 8. Keep those developing motifs in mind as you read. You can find them here:

• Don't forget to look up that Prometheus guy...
• Read your independent book!

Homework: March 4

English 12 (B)

• Complete the notes/handout from class today regarding chapters 4 and 5. Be prepared to discuss in class on Thursday!
• Read chapter 6 carefully--make notes in the margins!
• Read your independent book.

Honors English 11 (D)

• See yesterday's post.

English 11 (F)

• See yesterday's post.

Homework: March 3

Honors English 11 (D)

• Read Chapter 4, until the point we marked in class (at the bottom of 74, I believe?). Mark it up, note your questions, observations and connections.
• Start working on/planning your Figurative Language analysis--I'll want to see some draft paragraphs on Thursday!
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Start working on/planning out your part of the Room RAFT project!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Read and closely annotate chapter 6 of Frankenstein. It's getting crazy! 
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Finish reading chapter 4! 
• Work on your Figurative Language analysis--at least paragraph 1 and 2 by Thursday!
• Read your independent book!