Homework: September 30

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You have a vocabulary quiz tomorrow! Study for it!
• Make sure you've read the college essay models I gave you. And, be working on your own essay!

English 11 (A block)

• Make sure you finish any of the vocabulary organizers that you didn't complete in class. And study those words!

Honors English 11 (B block)

• We've watched the first hour of Smoke Signals--we'll finish next class. For homework, write a 3-2-1 response.
• 3 observations--be detailed, and go beyond the obvious! Look for things that are unique, compelling, and interesting.
• 2 connections--explain two connections between this film and other texts. Again, go beyond the obvious!
• 1 question--this can be clarifying or discussion in nature.

Homework: September 29

Honors English 11 (B block and F block)

• Finish reading Black Elk Speaks. Mark up for main idea and supporting details, as well as for Questions, Observations, and Connections.
• Study your vocabulary!

English 12 (D block)

• You have a quiz next class (Day 7!). Make sure you study, keeping in mind that you'll be asked to use the words in sentences, to compare them to other words, and to connect them to texts we've studied. Remember, too, that old friends (i.e. last week's words) might reappear!
• Part of your studying, and your homework assignment, is to choose the vocabulary organizer that worked the best for you in class today, recreate it in your journal (twice!), and complete it for the remaining two words that we didn't cover in class today (infrastructure and reciprocal). 

Homework: September 28

English 12 (D block)

** A reminder: Many of you were unprepared for class today, and you need to work on being ready to go! We went over a reading schedule for our next book club, to help make sure you're prepared. Make sure you set yourself a schedule and stick to it.**

• Tonight, you should finish the front side of the Close Reading Organizer, filling it out about a quotation from Room. Then, complete the back side, with a quotation and response regarding "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves."
• Read Room to prepare for the next book club.
• Study your vocabulary!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• You should be reading the excerpts from Black Elk Speaks. 
• Study for your next vocabulary quiz.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Read over the college essays I gave you, marking a couple of things you like about each.
• Study your vocabulary.
• Read Room to prepare for the next book club. 

English 11 (A block)

• Make a list of as many connections as you can find between/among:
• Smoke Signals (the first 10 minutes or so)
• True Diary
• "Reservation Mathematics"
• "Superman and Me"
• Study your vocabulary!

Homework: September 25

Honors English 11 (F and B blocks)

• Work on reading "Black Elk"--mark it up to identify main ideas and important details, as well as Observations, Questions and Connections. (Due Wed. for B block, Thurs. for F block.)
• Start studying your new vocabulary. And don't forget the ones you were quizzed on today--they'll be with you all year!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Book club is Monday--make sure you complete your RR before you arrive to class. 
• Take some time to read over the college essay packet I gave you today--make notes of what what you like and what works. These essays come from the websites of a couple of different schools, Johns Hopkins and Connecticut College. They're real essays that the admissions office has chosen as models. Notice what each says, and how it says it! (We won't have time to talk about these on Monday, so no rush...
• Make sure you're studying your vocab! 
• (Just FYI: We'll do book club and then another Student-led discussion on Monday, and we'll start Pleasantville on Wednesday! Hooray!)

English 11 (A block)

• Go over your new vocabulary words. Fill out the yellow sheet, and make flashcards. (Add your new flashcards to the pile you started last time...remember to keep studying old words as well as new!)
• Read your IR book!

Homework: September 24

English 11 (A block)

• Complete the handout for "Reservation Mathematics." Remember, some of the "topics" we talked about for Step 2 included PAIN and ANGER. You can talk about one of those if you want. For Step 3, you're choosing ONE topic, and asking what the poem tells us about that topic. So, you might start by saying "The poem shows that anger is a very physical emotion. It shows this by..." (and then you add in some details). Then you could say, "Pain is also..." to keep going.
• You have a vocabulary quiz tomorrow. We know you just can't wait! Make sure you study study study.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• You have a vocab quiz tomorrow. We'll also start watching Smoke Signals tomorrow, I hope!
• I gave you a reading called "excerpts from Black Elk Speaks." So, read it and mark it up! You don't need to have it completed until next Wednesday. We'll talk more about the context here, but remember that overall, we're looking at how different pieces of literature help us understand the Native American experience. This text is Black Elk's story, told to John Neihardt starting around 1930, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. You can find more information here. 

English 12 (D block)

• Prepare for book club: Write your READER RESPONSE. Remember, you MUST have your RR with you when you arrive in class, in order to participate in book club. (See the handout with directions for more information.)
• If you need to finish reading "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and complete your 3-paragraph response, make sure you do it!

Homework: September 23

English 12 (D block)

• Remember your quiz is tomorrow! Study that vocab!
• Make sure you're reading Room! You'll have your next book club on Monday, and you'll need to write your RR before you come into class this time around.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Study your vocabulary and read your IR book.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Sorry about the technical glitches today--I know you're all anxious to see the film! Here's your assignment: Watch the film version of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” Take notes as you do, and write a 1-2 paragraph response: What does it say, how does it say it, and how does it relate to the printed text?

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves from house of dÜrt on Vimeo.

Homework: September 22

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete your 3-paragraph response to "In the Shadow of Wounded Knee" using the guidelines from the handout.
• Make sure you're studying your vocabulary!
• Here's the link to CBS Sunday Morning's recent piece on water issues on the Navajo Nation. Check it out!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• We have a bunch of things coming up! Make sure your one pager is all done, and make sure you're ready to possibly read it out loud as part of our student-led discussion tomorrow.
• Make sure you're ready for your vocabulary quiz. It's happening tomorrow!

English 11 (A block)

• Study your vocabulary, and read your IR book.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Study your vocabulary, and read your IR book. 
• Here's the link to CBS Sunday Morning's recent piece on water issues on the Navajo Nation. Check it out if you're interested!

Homework: September 21

Honors English 12 (G block)

(Note: We'll have a guidance meeting during class tomorrow, so work on all of the stuff below for Wednesday...)

• Write your one pager for "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves."
• You have a vocab quiz on Wednesday. It will also cover course content, stories, etc.
• Write a final draft of your "On Turning Eighteen" poem.
• Continue to read Room--"Unlying"--and make sure your RR is ready to go for the next meeting.

English 11 (A block)

• Complete your 3-paragraph response for the Children of the Plains documentary. You can find it linked here if you need to rewatch parts. Below are the intro we wrote in class and the notes regarding names and observations from the board.
• Make sure you're studying your vocabulary--quiz is Friday!
  

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Finish reading "In the Shadow of Wounded Knee" and write a 3-paragraph response using the guidelines on the handout.
• Make sure you're studying your vocabulary.

English 12 (D block)

• Finish reading "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and write a 3-paragraph response using the guidelines on the handout.
• Make sure you're studying vocabulary--quiz is on Thursday this week because we have a guidance meeting Wednesday.
• Continue to read Room--"Unlying."

Homework: September 18

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Read and mark up the first half of the article "In the Shadow of Wounded Knee." Mark your Questions, Observations and Connections. As you read, identify the article's main idea(s) and significant supporting details. The text is also available online here, and you'll find links to photos and audio from the reservation.
• Study vocabulary and read your independent reading book!

English 12 (D block)

• Start reading "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves"--you should read Stage 1 and Stage 2 (to the bottom of page 235). Mark up your observations, questions and connections, as directed on the front of the story.
• Create a draft of your "On Turning Eighteen" poem.
• Study vocabulary!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• If you need to add to/redo that was due today, do that!
• Read and mark up the first half of the article "In the Shadow of Wounded Knee." Mark your Questions, Observations and Connections. As you read, identify the article's main idea(s) and significant supporting details. The text is also available online here, and you'll find links to photos and audio from the reservation.
• Study vocabulary and read your independent reading book!

Homework: September 17

English 12 (D block)

• Make notes/draft for “On Turning Eighteen” poem.
• Start reading the second section of Room ("Unlying").
• Study vocab.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Choose ONE element of your group work map from today. (a theme/motif or element of style)
• Find 3 quotations (one quotation from three different texts, for a total of three) that address the element you've chosen. (So, if you choose basketball, find three different passages where basketball is significant.)
• Analyze each quotation, addressing its connection to the element you've chosen. (Ex. HOW does it address basketball [or humor, or family]? What language does it use?)
• Make sure you're studying your vocab and reading your IR book!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Draft of "On Turning Eighteen" poem for Monday.
• Read and mark up "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and be ready to discuss on Monday.
• Study vocabulary.
• Start reading the second section of Room ("Unlying").

English 11 (A block)

• Write a response to the first part of the documentary we watched today. You should write AT LEAST 2-3 sentences FOR EACH of the prompts, below:
• "I noticed..."
• "I wonder..."
• "I think..."
• Make sure you're studying your vocabulary!

Homework: September 16

Honors English 11 (F and B blocks)

• Hey folks! We started into some really good conversations today about Sherman Alexie's work. We'll continue those discussions tomorrow.
• For homework: Complete the reading assignment called "Sherman Alexie's Many Tribes." 
• Additionally, start studying those vocabulary words!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Due tomorrow: Complete section one of Room and write your RR. (See blue paper for instructions.)
• Tomorrow in class, we'll talk about your "On Turning Eighteen" poems.
• For Monday, read and mark up "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves." 

English 11 (A block)

• Finish reading "Superman and Me" and answer the questions on the back.
• Start studying your vocabulary.

Homework: September 15

English 11 (A block)

• Fill in the yellow vocabulary sheet with your notes about each word, and an attempt at writing a sentence. Remember to use vocabulary.com to do this work! You can get the list here.
• Make flashcards (either on paper, or on an app like Quizlet) for these five words.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Complete the packet called "Sherman Alexie's Many Tribes."

English 12 (D block)

• Read Room--finish section 1 for Thursday, and be ready to discuss with your group.
• Start a draft of your own version of "On Turning Ten"--yours will be "On Turning Eighteen." Draft is due on Friday.

Homework: September 14

English 12 (D block)

• Read Room--first section due Thursday.
• Study your vocabulary! First test next Thursday.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Check Friday's post!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Read the rest of the packet of readings I gave out in class (starts with "The Journey")--note observations, questions and connections. Be ready to talk on Wednesday.
• For Thursday, you're going to be a poet. Using Billy Collins's poem "On Turning Ten" as a model, you're going to write a  poem called "On Turning Eighteen." Start thinking it through, be ready to ask questions on Wednesday, and be ready with a draft on Thursday.
• For Thursday, you should complete section 1 of Room and write a RR. (See blue sheet for instructions.)

Homework: September 11

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete the "Sherman Alexie's Many Tribes" reading assignment--due Wednesday.
• Be ready to write about summer reading on Monday!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Read Room. Book clubs will meet on Thursday next week, and will cover the first section of the book.
• Revisit your vignette. Ask yourself the following questions:
• What does this vignette show about the topic I've chosen, and what does it show about me? (Consider our discussion about "The Earl of Tennessee," where we discussed how the author tells a lot about Earl, and we also learn about the narrator.)
• Revise your vignette, considering--what do you want it to show about your topic and about you? And, pick a couple of sentences from Cisneros that you love, and use them as models for some sentences of your own in your revision.

English 11 (A block)

• Spend at least 10 minutes reading your independent reading book.
• Spend at least 5 minutes writing a response to your IR book. You can use prompts like "I think..." "I notice..." "I wonder..."

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Check yesterday's post!

Homework: September 10

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Today you wrote about your summer reading book. Tomorrow, we'll talk about vignettes!

English 11 (A block)

• Be ready to write about your summer reading. And, make sure you get a composition book if you don't already have one!

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Be ready to write about summer reading tomorrow!
• For Tuesday: Give those Sherman Alexie poems a "first read"--annotate/mark up your QUESTIONS, OBSERVATIONS and CONNECTIONS.
• For Tuesday: Write a "final draft" of your story, considering the elements we discussed in class. I'll collect both your first draft and your final on Tuesday.

English 12 (D block)

• Read and mark up the packet of readings I gave you. Mark your QUESTIONS, OBSERVATIONS, and CONNECTIONS.
• Some of the readings are more challenging than others. Do your best to read and understand each one, and we'll talk in class on Monday.

Homework: September 9

Honors English 11 (B block)

• We talked the other day about qualities of a good story/storyteller. Your observations fell into three categories:
• EMOTION
• DETAILS
• AUDIENCE CONSIDERATION 
• For homework, pick one of the "events" off of your Summer Vacation A-Z brainstorming sheet, and write it up. Tell that story! A page or two will do, probably. You should spend about 20 minutes on this.
• Make sure you're ready to write about True Diary on Friday.

English 12 (D block)

• Make sure you're ready to write about your summer reading book tomorrow. That involves reviewing characters, making sure you remember the plot line, etc.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• We talked today about qualities of a good story/storyteller. Your observations fell into three categories:
• EMOTION
• DETAILS
• AUDIENCE CONSIDERATION 
• For homework, pick one element of good storytelling that you think your story draft is lacking. Revise, keeping that element in mind. On Friday, you'll bring your original draft, your notes from Wednesday, and your final draft to class, and you'll pass them all in.
• Also for homework, give the Sherman Alexie poems a first read. ANNOTATE (by writing notes in the margins) your observations, questions and connections. (Specifically, if lines in the poem remind you of True Diary, make note of how.)
• Make sure you're ready to write about True Diary on Monday.

Homework: September 8

English 12 (D block)

• Get your syllabus signed, and your intro letter completed. Get a composition book. (Ms. McMahon checked at the dollar store and said there are tons!)
• You have a choice for HW tonight. (Whichever you don't do tonight, you'll do tomorrow to start class.) Either:
• Write a first draft of a vignette (short little "snapshot" story, about 4-6 paragraphs), based on one of your neighborhood stories; OR
• Read AND MARK UP the three stories I gave you in class (they're examples of vignettes). Look at WHAT the author is saying, and HOW she is saying it.  

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Get your syllabus signed, and your intro letter completed. Get a composition book.
• Pick one of the stories from your "What I Did Over Summer Vacation" handout, and write it up!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Get your syllabus signed, and your intro letter completed. Get a composition book.
• Be prepared to write about your summer reading books in class on Thursday.
• Read the three vignettes I gave you, marking them up to notice WHAT the author is saying, and HOW she is saying it.
• Write your own vignette about an aspect of your neighborhood--a person, a place, an event...choose one!

English 11 (A block)

• Get your syllabus signed, and your intro letter completed. Get a composition book.
• Write up a story about one of the events on your "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" handout. It should be about a page long. Remember what we discussed about qualities of "good stories"!

Independent reading--juniors and seniors, respond to this one!

So, you're back in the swing of things at school! That means that you're looking for an independent reading book, or you've just started a new one. Hopefully you're enjoying it!

Your assignment: In a comment on this post, please write a response that's at least 4 sentences. In this response, share:

• The title and author of the book you're currently reading for independent reading (or, one you've read recently if you're involved in book club right now!)
• How/why you chose the book you did.
• A really quick overview of the book so far. 
• Your opinion so far--what do you think about it? Does it remind you of any other books you've read?

I'll start here:

At the end of last year, I started reading a book called The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreau. I saw this book displayed in a bookstore--it was a bit of a "judging the book by its cover" situation, but in a good way. I checked reviews online and they looked good, so I went for it. It's about a girl named MT who's starting her senior year in high school. Her family immigrated to the US from Argentina when MT was a baby, So far, the narrative voice is really compelling, as is the dynamic that's established between MT and her friends. MT is a really interesting character with a very important story. It's a great read!

Homework: September 3

All classes: Don't forget to acquire your school supplies! You should arrive to school next week with a composition book, writing utensils, a binder/folder, and some paper!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Print out your Letter to Next Year's Teacher/intro letter assignment and bring in on Tuesday.
• Start looking over the syllabus--be ready to ask questions on Tuesday.
• Hold on to that Summer Vacation A-Z handout--add to it if you think of things.
• You will write about your summer reading book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian in class on Friday, September 11.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• It was great to see you all today for about 10 minutes--sorry we didn't get to color in class! You'll have to do that over the weekend. The instructions are below. Have fun coloring, and remember that this will be an important foundation for us to talk about your experience of "coming-of-age." Make sure you create a map of some sort--don't just draw your house! Label things, like "the tree I fell out of when I was 9" and  "my babysitter's house." If you grew up in two neighborhoods, draw both. Or pick one. If you have questions or concerns, shoot me an email.
  
• Print out your Letter to Next Year's Teacher/intro letter.
• Look over the syllabus.
• Be prepared to write about your summer reading books on Thursday, September 10.

English 11 (A block)

• Finish your intro letter.
• Have folks at home look over your syllabus, and sign off on that last page.
• Think about books you'd like to read for independent reading.
• Be prepared to write about your summer reading book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, on Friday, September 11.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Finish your intro letter.
• Have folks at home look over your syllabus, and sign off on that last page.
• Do some "research" about potential independent reading books. (Instructions on blue IR handout.)
• Be prepared to write about your summer reading book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, on Friday, September 11.

Homework: September 2

English 11 (A block)

• Work on your letter to next year's teacher/introduction letter. Remember, you have a handout with directions.
• Start looking over the course syllabus.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Work on your letter to next year's teacher/introduction letter. Remember, you have a handout with directions.
• Start looking over the course syllabus.

English 12 (D block)

• Work on your letter to next year's teacher/introduction letter. Remember, you have a handout with directions.
• Start looking over the course syllabus.

Welcome back!

Hope you're all ready for a great school year!