Homework: February 27

English 11 (G and A block)

• Complete your "Nature of Storytelling" essay--it's due Monday. Make sure you bring your handwritten draft with you to class as well on Monday.
• Read your IR book!

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Read chapter 2 in Strength in What Remains, to the break on page 27. Take notes using the Cornell notes method.
• Read your IR book, too!

Homework: February 26

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Complete a double-entry notebook for Strength in What Remains, chapter 1. Find quotations that help us understand Deo's experience and perspective. Write those on the left-hand side, then analyze the quotation on the right hand side.
• Study your vocabulary!

English 12 (E block)

• Finish your book club book and write your Reader Response.
• Study your vocabulary.

Creative Writing (F block)

• Do some writing! And some reading! Read your independent book, and identify about 10 different places (words, etc.) where the narrative voice is established in the text.

Homework: February 25

English 12 (E block)

• Finish up your essay! It's due tomorrow. 
• Study your vocabulary for your quiz Monday.
• Finish your book club book, and write up your Reader Response, for Monday's final meeting!

Creative Writing II (F block)

• Read and mark up the excerpts I gave you today in class, from Dare Me. The first chapter establishes the narrative voice; the second introduces a pivotal character. There's a lot of white space on the pages for your notes. Remember, keep in mind these questions:
• What does it say?
• What does it mean?
• Why does it matter?
• Put 5-7 objects in your Birchbox box, and make sure you bring it in tomorrow. It will be the basis of a story!

English 11 (G and A block)

• Work on your essays. This is a challenging one, and it might take a lot of thought. Remember, that's a GOOD thing. Don't wait until Sunday night...
• Study your vocabulary for your quiz on Friday.

Homework: February 24

Creative Writing II (F block)

• Sorry for the craziness today, ladies. We'll get back on track tomorrow. 
• Make sure you've finished your "Breadman" response--we'll talk about it tomorrow. 
• Start filling those Birchbox boxes! Find little objects (clippings from magazines, rocks, sticks, buttons...) that, when put together, might lead to a story! Bring it in on Thursday, when you'll trade it with someone else and write a story.
• Tonight's writing prompt: In your journal, write "I remember..." and write for 10 minutes. If you finish before 10 minutes is up, skip a line, write, "I remember..." again, and go again!

English 11 (G and A block)

• Work on your paper. It's due on Monday. I'm around after school tomorrow if you want to come by and get some help!
• Study your vocabulary. Your quiz is Friday.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Start studying that vocab. Quiz Friday.
• Start reading Strength in What Remains. Keep some notes, especially about your observations and QUESTIONS. Remember, you're starting a new book, so you're going to have questions. Make note of them, then try to figure them out as you keep reading!

Homework: February 23

English 11 (A block)

• Work on that paper! Check out the slideshow I posted on January 30th--it has the slides we went over today.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Write up your response to the Serial/Gatsby narration question. Here are the notes I took while you talked (they're rough...just use them to help you remember! Remember, too, that you may disagree with some of your classmates, or even with something you said during this conversation. Think critically!):
  

English 12 (E block)

• Work on one, or more, of these 3 thiings:
• Essay, due Thursday 2/26
• Book club discussion (finish your book, write your RR), due Monday 3/2
• Vocabulary quiz, Monday 3/2

Homework: February 12

English 12

Listen to episode 2 of Serial. You can find it by googling "Serial episode 2"--it'll be the first thing that comes up!

Read your independent book!

Creative Writing II 

Finish reading "Breadman" and complete the assignment posted below this one on the blog!

English 11 (G block)

Complete your 3-paragraph response to Srial episode 1. And, read your book for 15 minutes!

English 11 (A block)

Work on your essay, read your book, and have a great vacation!

For Creative Writing class!

Pick one or two of these spaces that are compelling to you; share which one(s) and why?

http://flavorwire.com/151458/desks-of-the-rich-and-famous-workspaces-of-highly-creative-people

Homework: February 11

English 11 (G block)

• Write a 3-paragraph response to Episode 1 of Serial. You can listen here, if you need to revisit! It's due on Friday.
• Read your independent book. Remember, you calculated your reading goal, and should read for 10-15 minutes.

English 11 (A block)

• Study for your vocabulary quiz--it's tomorrow because we don't have class on Friday!
• Read your independent book. Remember, you calculated your reading goal, and should read for 10-15 minutes.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Study for your vocabulary quiz!
• Listen to Serial episode 3. It's here. Add to your mind map, and we'll talk about it all on Friday.
• Keep an eye on the Brian Williams story. If you can, bring in an article for Friday about the developments in the *situation*? *scandal*?

Homework: February 10

English 12 (E block)

• Next class, you have book club. Be ready!
• You should have your Serial connotation/denotation handout completed.

Creative Writing II (F block)

• Read the first half of "Breadman"--keeping an eye on the question: What is the story/narrator saying, and how is he saying it?
• Start compiling material for your inspiration board. Quotations, pictures, etc.

English 11 (G block)

• We listened to more of Serial today, up to 37 minutes. If you missed class, or want to re-listen, you can find the link here. 
• Write your SPA paragraph. Use your connotation/denotation handout to help you with evidence. Here's the prompt: What is the cumulative impact of the narrator's diction? (In other words, can you detect a bias in her description, or a way that she wants the listener to react?)
• Study your vocabulary!

English 11 (A block)

• We listened to more of Serial today, up to 37 minutes. If you missed class, or want to re-listen, you can find the link here. 
• Study your vocabulary!

Homework: February 6

Creative Writing II (F block)

• Read and mark up "Hudson 5, Marlborough 1: Early birds as Hawks start fast in boys hockey win" and the excerpts from Wintergirls. As you do so, consider this question: "What is the text saying, and how is it saying it?" Pay close attention to narrative voice.
• Start considering your Writer's inspiration board. Here's the link I showed you in class today; you may decide to make yours something different!

English 11 (G and A block)

• Today, we listened to the next 10 minutes of Serial. You can find the link here. Listen to the 19 minute mark if you missed class today.
• Complete the Denotation/Connotation handout.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• We started listening to Serial, episode 2 in class today. We got to exactly 20 minutes in; there are about 17 minutes left. Finish listening to the episode--you can find it here.
• Take a look over the "Asia letters" that I gave you copies of.
• Add to your mind map/web.

Homework: February 5

English 11 (A block)

• Study your vocabulary and read your independent reading book!

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Map out what you've heard in Serial episode 1. Make sure you include information about: 
• Plot
• Structure
• Narration/narrator
• Characters
• Your own opinions and questions
• If you need to re-listen, it's here. 

English 12 (E block)

• We listened to more of Serial today--up to the 34 minute mark. You should listen to it (click here) if you missed it.
• Complete the Connotation/Denotation handout, including the paragraph.
• Complete your book club RR. You have book club on Monday!

Homework: February 4

English 12 (E block)

• It's been rough lately with all the snow; here's the next schedule:
• Tomorrow, you have a vocabulary quiz. Study.
• Many (most) of you didn't have your essay draft completed today. Boo. So, you need to do that, in addition to studying.
• The next book club meeting will be Monday. Remember, you should be about 3/4 of the way through your book, and you'll need to have a RR with you on Monday.

CWII (F block)

• Find an example of good writing to share with the class. It could be a short story, poem, chapter of a novel, magazine/newspaper article, song...whatever! Write down some reasons you think the writing is strong, and, if possible, make 5 copies.
• Remember our reading, "Be Specific"? I challenged you to learn the specific names of some stuff. People, trees, cars...whatever. Be prepared to share.

English 11 (G block)

• I expected you all to have a first draft of your essay with you today. If you didn't, work on it!
• Read your independent book!
• If you weren't in class today, go to this site and listen to the first 9 minutes. Take some notes about what you're hearing. I'll get you caught up on Friday.