Because I know Zoe will be checking...

...here's this Friday's adorable animal video. This one's a good one, folks.

Homework: May 30

English 11 (F)

• You took a vocab quiz today--hooray for you! Don't forget those words now.
• For homework, finish reading and annotating the story "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong." Keep focused on this question: "How does war affect those who fight and experience it?" This story is a crazy one...enjoy. (Try not to get too creeped out...)
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Write a 2-paragraph response to the story "The Ghost Soldiers." In the first, answer this question: "Which of the words listed below is the story MOST about?" In the second, write about which topic is next-most important. Don't forget to include a counterargument! The notes from class are below, in case you want to refer back to them.
• Finish reading the book!
• Read your independent book, too!

Homework: May 29

Honors English 11 (A)

• Make sure you've read "The Ghost Soldiers"--we'll talk in class tomorrow!
• Read your independent book.

Honors English 11 (D)

• Take 10 minutes to complete the activity we started in class today. Write a 1-2 paragraph response in which you answer the question on the handout. Remember to include a counterargument ("Some people might say...", "Though some might argue..."), where you talk about why some people might think that the answer is something different from yours. Then, include a reason why you are, in fact, correct in your main idea. 
• You can use the picture of our conversation below, as well as your notes.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 28

First, some sad news: Poet Maya Angelou, a phenomenal woman, passed away today. Read more about her life and her important literary contributions here and here.

Here's just one of the many wise things she said: 

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, 

people will forget what you did, 

but people will never forget how you made them feel."

On to the homework:

Honors English 11 (D)

• Keep reading The Things They Carried. Tomorrow we discuss "The Ghost Soldiers."
• Read your independent reading book.

English 11 (F)

• Study your vocabulary! There's a quiz on Friday.
• Read your independent book.

Resource for The Things They Carried

This website is a great resource if you're looking to learn more about the content and references in The Things They Carried.

If you click on Bookmarks, you'll see that they've divided the book by page numbers, and they include some cultural and historical references that might help you understand the context of the book even better. Check it out!

Homework: May 27

English 11 (F)

• Finish reading and marking up the story "The Things They Carried." Remember to keep the focus question in mind (check the last post if you need a refresher!). 
• Complete the "The Things They Carried" handout that you received in class. For the vocabulary part on the back, try to complete it without looking at your notes, but if you need to look up words, go for it. Make note of which ones you don't know, and study those!
• I've moved your vocab quiz to Friday. You best be ready for it!
• Read your independent reading book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• For class tomorrow, be prepared for a reading check on The Things They Carried. Make sure you've read through the story "Field Trip."
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 23

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• Use your time over the weekend to get caught up on the reading in The Things They Carried. I'm giving you a little extra time. So, you should make sure that, by next class, you have read through whatever story is listed on your reading schedule for today (5/23). 
• If you've kept up so far, great! Read ahead, or take a little break.
• Remember, you have your "On the Rainy River" map, your "How to Tell a True War Story" response and your "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" diagram to complete. Do those!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 22

Honors English 11 (D)

• Read The Things They Carried (use your schedule). Find a passage in tonight's reading that resonates with you and that you'd like to study/discuss with a group.
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Study your vocab! In class today, we reviewed the words that we've been working with (it's the Gatsby set, starting with supercilious and ending with insidious). We'll do a practice test on Tuesday, and a real-deal test on Wednesday.
• Read "The Things They Carried" to the break on page 16. As you read, consider this question: What do the soldiers carry, and how do those things affect them? Remember, they carry both tangible and intangible things...just like you.
• Read your independent book, and enjoy your long weekend. Take some time to honor those who fought and died for our country.

Homework: May 21

Honors English 11 (D)

• Use your reading schedule--keep reading! And, work on those assignments.
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 20

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• You have your reading schedule! You also have assignments for the story "On the Rainy River" and "How to Tell a True War Story." Make sure you're reading, and working!
• Read your independent book, too.

English 11 (F)

• Write a personal essay, titled "The Things I Carry." (You have an example from class. If you need another copy, you can find it here.)
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 19

English 11 (F)

• Complete your 2-paragraph response to the James Miller article. Ideally, this response should be typed.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• You have your reading schedule for The Things They Carried, as well as two assignments (for "On the Rainy River" and "How to Tell a True War Story"). So, spend some time working tonight! You'll have time in class tomorrow to read and work, too.
• Read your independent book!

Seniors! Turn it in!

Hey Folks!

I hope you're enjoying a nice weekend. It was lovely seeing many of you at the prom on Friday. (Although, "Central Mass", Alex? Come on...)

Anyway...
MANY of you haven't submitted your theme essay on Turnitin.com yet. And you really need to do that, so I can get to the grading. I've taken care of the ones that have been submitted, but the rest of you...let's go!

Homework: May 16

OHMYGOODNESSIT'STHEPROM!!!!!!!!!

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• You have your reading schedule, and your "On the Rainy River" assignment. So, work on those!
• If you want to do the extra credit assignment, it's posted...so go for it!
• HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE TONIGHT. These things I command.
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Have a great summer, good luck next year, and keep in touch!
• KEEP READING!

Senior English class, a small but mighty crew

Looking good in front of that wall of book titles, folks! 

Congratulations on finishing up your senior English class, and on graduation. Go get 'em out there in the real world! (Oh, and I forgot to return your theme essays and presentation rubrics today. Ugh. Stop by Monday or Tuesday if you want them!)

Homework: May 15

Honors English 11 (D)

• Use your reading schedule to keep up with reading The Things They Carried. You may choose to work on the "On the Rainy River" map tonight, or you may use time in class tomorrow. If you don't work on the map tonight, make sure you read the book!
• Read your independent book, too!

English 11 (F)

• Read and annotate the James Miller essay "Fitzgerald's Gatsby: The World as Ash Heap." Keep in mind the following questions:
• What is the author's claim? What is he arguing?
• What evidence does he use to support his claim?
• Do you agree with his analysis?
• Read your independent book!

Seniors: Google accounts

Hello seniors!

As you probably figured, you will not have access to your school email and Google account forever (Drive, Sites, etc.). Sad times.

You will have access until December 30, 2014. Before that time, you should migrate your data to a different account. Use this link to do so: https://www.google.com/settings/takeout

This service will allow you to download and archive all of the information in your account. You can then import it to a separate account. This article might help, though you might find other information about how to do this by Googling around!

All classes: Extra credit opportunity

Recent studies have shown that teenagers don't read books like they used to. Specifically, a report by Common Sense Media finds that many students are only reading for pleasure (essentially, meaning reading books that they choose, and that they like) a couple of times a year.

Here's an extra credit opportunity for you:

Read this article from the New York Times Learning Network. Then, use the questions they provided to write a response. Post your response as a comment on the NY Times blog (follow directions, using only your first name). Once it's posted, copy it (including your name and the time it posted) and post it as a comment here on this blog.

In order to get credit, you need to address the questions they pose, and you need to make sure that your response is proofread. You must post your response by 8 PM on Sunday, May 18. Please be thoughtful and honest! (Don't be surprised if you don't see your post right away; I need to moderate them before they get posted.)

Homework: May 14

Honors English 12 (G)

• Presentations are over! Good job, everybody.
• Please make sure your Theme project essays are uploaded to Turnitin.com This is a MUST DO! The sooner the better. See me with any questions.
• On Monday the 19th, you'll need to bring with you your Stranger in the Photo essay. Additionally, you should make sure your portfolio is shared with me, and completed. You're on the home stretch!

Honors English 11 (A)

• We missed all of you folks who took the AP test today. (Did you see John Green wish you luck on Twitter?)
• You're going to keep reading The Things They Carried. If you want a copy of the assignment that goes along with the story "On the Rainy River," stop on by for it. Otherwise, you can get it on Friday. Keep this question in mind as you read:

• What decision does O'Brien make, and what physical and emotional journey does he go on to reach that decision? 

English 12 (B)

• Congratulations! You finished your last day of high school classes today. Yikes. Only finals to go!
• You wrapped up presentations today, and you're finishing up some final assignments--"The Stranger in the Photo is Me" and your portfolio. Both should be finished by the time you arrive to class for your finals block on Friday.  

 

Homework: May 13

English 12 (B)

• We'll finish presentations tomorrow, and we'll talk about those two projects you have due on Friday.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• You have your reading schedule for The Things They Carried. So, read!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 12

English 12 (B)

• We started presentations yesterday, and will continue tomorrow. Be prepared! 
• Work on your portfolio and your "Stranger in the Photo" essay. Both are due on Friday. 
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• You have your reading schedule for The Things They Carried. So, use it! (It's posted in and earlier post if you need to go back to it.)
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

Sadly, I won't see you folks again until Thursday! So, you have some important tasks to take care of:

• Task 1: In class today, we identified two of the major claims (arguments) made by Thomas Foster in the excerpt of his essay "A Whole Heap of Ashes." For each of the claims (we highlighted them in class), find 3 pieces of evidence that he uses to support the claim.
• Task 2: Watch the video embedded below. In it, John Green takes on the question, "Was Gatsby Great?" (You've considered that question, too!) Take some notes as you watch:
• First, notes about Green's answer to the question "Was Gatsby Great?" This is his claim.
• Second, reasons that Green gives to support his claim.
• Third, notes on any other claims Green makes.
• Task 3: Read your independent reading book!

Homework: May 9

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• You have your reading schedule for The Things They Carried. So, read!
• Read your independent book, too.

English 11 (F)

• Read the essay "A Whole Heap of Ashes." Remember to keep these two questions in mind as you read:
• What is the author of the article (Thomas Foster) CLAIMING about the book?
• Do you agree with the claims Foster makes? Why or why not?
• As you read, mark up the text. Then, on the back, write a 2-3 sentence response to each of the questions above.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Work on your portfolio and your "Stranger in the Photo" essay. We'll have a few minutes on Wednesday during class to check in. If you have any questions, come meet with me after school!
• Read your independent book!
• Additionally...here's the link for the Nova documentary on the story of Genie, if you're interested in following up from class today. Here's an article about her story, as well.

Alrighty, so...

...here are three things, generally unrelated except that all are online.

First, it's been hard to get this project off the ground, because we're all so busy with AP tests, SAT tests, MCAS tests, reading, writing, thinking, etc., but FINALLY--we're starting our reading blog, The Things We Read. All of you honors juniors will have a chance to post about something you've read, and you'll have the opportunity to read about your friends' reading, as well. I posted a review, which you can see here: http://allthethingsweread.blogspot.com/

Coming soon, posts from Katey P, Bryana C, and the rest of you!

Second, along the lines of projects I've been trying to start but haven't: Follow me on Twitter! @msmcmaster

Finally, teaching classic books to teenagers in 2014 leads me to do things like this:

http://shirtcloudwavebook.tumblr.com/

I am proud to admit that it took me 3 drafts before I was satisfied with this emoticon retelling. I'm still not sure it's perfect.

Homework: May 8

English 11 (F)

• Complete your response to your Great Gatsby film review. Remember, this response has two parts:
• Part 1, the summary, you should have completed last night.
• Part 2, the response, you'll complete tonight.
• Your final response will have two thoughtful paragraphs--use the handout provided in class to guide you.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Final presentations are well under way! So far, so interesting. Thanks to Kaylee and Audrey for leading us in a dance party...or, at least, for the attempt...
• I hope you're working on your Stranger in the Photo essay. You received a model in class, and here's another one.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Complete your personal essay, "The Things I Carry."
• Read The Things They Carried. Use your schedule to coordinate your reading...it's posted in an earlier blog post as well.
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Presentations start Monday. Papers are due Monday. Hooray for Monday!
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 7

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• You have your books, and your reading schedule. Get started! There are a couple of resources posted below this post--use them if they're helpful!
• Write your own version of "The Things I Carry" and bring it with you to class on Friday.
• We've started watching the film Big Fish in class. There are some important thematic connections between this film and the book The Things They Carried, even though the film is not about the Vietnam War. If you have missed class, you should watch the beginning. (In A block, we've watched the first 20 minutes or so, stopping at the end of the parade. In D block, we've watched about an hour, stopping after the fight in the flowers. :)
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Tomorrow, we'll have the computers, and you'll have time to work! Come to class tomorrow ready to work on your projects--make sure you have some work done, so you know what questions to ask!
• Remember, presentations start MONDAY--papers are due, and you need to be ready to go. At 7:30. Don't be late, or it will be detention for you!
• Read your independent book!

The Things They Carried--resources!

You can access a glossary of helpful terms here.

Here's your reading schedule:

Homework: May 6

Honors English 11 (D)

• Work on your response, "The Things I Carry." It's due by the end of the week.
• Start reading The Things They Carried. You have your reading schedule!
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Read and annotate your film review. Complete the first paragraph of the response assignment--the summary.
• If you didn't bring in an article, you may choose from one of these three. If you want to find your own review, you must check in with me before using it.:
• http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2013/05/13/130513crci_cinema_denby
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/movies/the-great-gatsby-interpreted-by-baz-luhrmann.html?_r=0
• http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-great-gatsby-2013
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Presentations continue tomorrow! Now that you've finished preparing, you should start work on your "Stranger in the Photo" essay. It's due the 19th. You'll also need to complete your portfolio for the 19th. 
• Read your independent book!

Homework: May 5

English 11 (F)

• Read your independent reading book! 
• If you didn't already do so, find and print a review. (See last week's homework post for more information.)

Honors English 12 (G)

• Papers are due tomorrow!
• Presentations start tomorrow. I will use the App of Opportunity to call on presenters. If you are not ready to go, you'll go to the end of the list and will present last (if there's still time). Your presentation will receive Late credit in that case. Additionally, if you are Absent Unexcused on the day that you are called to present, you will receive a 0 on the presentation.
• Here's a good resource for your presentation.
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (A)

• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Work on your essays and presentations.
• Read your independent reading book!

Homework: May 2

Good luck on SATs, folks! Eat a good breakfast, bring some pencils (and your good luck charm), write clearly, and think hard. Go get 'em!

Honors English 12 (G)

• Work on those projects! Papers are due on Tuesday, and we'll start presentations that day. You will have time to work in class on Monday.
• Read your independent reading book!

Honors English 11 (A and D)

• Your critical essay responses are due next class.
• This is a helpful resource for Works Cited lists.
• Read your independent book!

English 12 (B)

• Work on your projects!
• Read your independent reading book!

Homework: May 1 (Can you believe it's May 1?)

English 12 (B)

• Work on your project!
• Read your independent book!

Honors English 11 (D)

• Edit, clarify, and revise your first essay paragraph. Then, write up the second. Bring it with you to class on Friday, and we'll discuss. The final version (2-3 paragraphs), with works cited, is due on Tuesday.
• Here's a link to the scoring for the SAT--there are more example essays here, with explanations for why they received the scores they did.
• Read your independent book!

English 11 (F)

• Find a review of the Baz Luhrman movie The Great Gatsby. (That's the version we've been watching.) Print it out and bring it in with you to class on Monday.
• Read your independent book!