Homework: October 30

English 12 (D block)

• Prepare for the Socratic Seminar discussion on Monday, by marking up the two poems and by making connections between ideas in the poem and Room. 
• You should be finishing a final draft of your personal narrative, due by Wednesday.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Essay revision is due Monday.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Essay revisions are due by MIDNIGHT on Monday--upload to turnitin.com.
• Prepare for the Socratic Seminar on Wednesday--read, mark up both poems, and make specific connections between Room and the poems. You might make a mind map, chart, freewrite, etc. I will check your prep when you arrive to class.

English 11 (A block)

• You're working on a revision of your essay. Use the model paragraph and the checklist to help you revise. Your revision is due on Wednesday. 

Homework: October 29

Honors English 11 (F block)

• You're working on essay revisions. I'm around after school tomorrow if you have questions or need help. Your revision is due Monday.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Prepare for Book club--it's tomorrow, and it's the last one.
• Other things you're working on: a final draft of your COA DBQ.
• A final draft of your personal narrative/college essay.

English 11 (A block)

• You're working on a final draft of your essay, due Wednesday. Remember to use the model paragraph provided to help you revise your own paragraph. 

Honors English 11 (B block)

• You're working on essay revisions. I'm around after school tomorrow if you have questions or need help. Your revision is due Wednesday.

Homework: October 28

English 11 (A block)

• Study for your quiz! You have one tomorrow.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• In class, you looked at and discussed three different essays, examining what they did well. Your job now is to take what you learned (both about what you liked and what frustrated you about the model essays), and use that knowledge to help you revise your own essay.
• **As I mentioned in class, please maintain a copy of your first draft, so you'll be able to distinguish between first, second, etc.
• You have a vocab quiz tomorrow. Don't forget to study!

English 12 (D block)

• Book club is next class. Finish up Room and write your RR.
• Work on your personal narrative.

Homework: October 27

English 12 (D block)

• Complete a draft of your personal essay for tomorrow.
• Read Room--book club is Friday!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• In class, you looked at and discussed three different essays, examining what they did well. Your job now is to take what you learned (both about what you liked and what frustrated you about the model essays), and use that knowledge to help you revise your own essay.
• **As I mentioned in class, please maintain a copy of your first draft, so you'll be able to distinguish between first, second, etc.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• If you want to watch the end of that clip we started in class today (it is thematically relevant to the passage, connecting as it does to the idea of nostalgia), you can find it here.
• Read the excerpt from "Remembrance of Things Past," mark it up, and be ready to discuss it tomorrow.
• You should be working on a revision of your "DBQ" essay. Get it in by Monday.

Homework: October 26

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete your "Habits of Mind" reflection for your essay first draft. (You can do this in your journal.) 
• Address these two questions:
• What habit(s) of mind were specifically addressed for you in your 1st drafting process for your Alexie essay?
• What habit(s) of mind do you plan to keep close as you work through the revision process?
• Read the example essay I gave you in class today. Mark it on the Checklist, honestly considering where you think it falls in each category. Then, make notes on the essay, noting strengths and areas for growth/revision. Remember, these are some of the strongest essays, so you're looking at what they do well, while also recognizing that they're still drafts and have room for improvement.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Study for your quiz--it's tomorrow!
• Start revising your Coming of Age DBQ essay, USING WHAT YOU LEARNED from reading/analyzing your classmates' essays. Each of these essays had strengths and weaknesses--consider what you think of as strengths when you do your revisions, as well as considering the weaknesses to avoid.

English 11 (A block)

• Write practice sentences for your vocabulary words--you have a quiz on Thursday!
• Finish your First Draft Habits of Mind reflection (we started this in class).

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Read the example essay I gave you in class today. Mark it on the Checklist, honestly considering where you think it falls in each category. Then, make notes on the essay, noting strengths and areas for growth/revision. Remember, these are some of the strongest essays, so you're looking at what they do well, while also recognizing that they're still drafts and have room for improvement.

Homework: October 23

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Finish reading and marking up the essay you received in class today, and use the checklist to evaluate it.
• Write a 1-2 paragraph story about the rally and/or homecoming game. Within it, use all five of our current vocabulary words. Keep VOICE in mind...establish an interesting one.

English 11 (A block)

• You have a first draft of your essay due on Monday. It can be fully typed, partially typed/partially handwritten, or entirely handwritten. All that matters is that it's done! Use your organizers to help you with directions.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• You finished your essay. Hooray for you! You must be as happy as this dog:

• Over the weekend, read your IR book and study your vocabulary.

Homework: October 22

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Work on your essay! It's due tomorrow, at the end of the block. You'll need to make sure it's uploaded to Google Classroom (I'll go over this tomorrow) by the end of the block. Use the checklist provided to help you do a self-edit.

English 12 (D block)

• You have TWO assignments, both due on Tuesday.
• Read 3 of the personal narratives in the packet of essays I gave you. Mark up what you like about each one, paying special attention to the VOICE of the essay (the PERSONALITY/ATTITUDE…look for ways the author shares their personality)
• Write a 1-2 paragraph response about this question:

Honors English 11 (F block)

• You finished your essay! Breathe a sigh of relief...
• Spend some time this weekend reading your book and studying your vocabulary.

Homework: October 21

English 12 (D block)

• Finish your 3-paragraph response for Pleasantville. You already wrote the summary, so now you need to write the Respond paragraph and the Connect paragraph. You have a handout (Reading Reactions) with specifics.
• Remember, part of this task is to use your new vocabulary words in your response!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Continue to work on your essay. It's due at the END of the block tomorrow. You will have time to work on it in class.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You're doing a "style and voice" study. You picked your favorite College Essay from the packet I gave you--the one that has the best "voice" in your opinion. You're going to look at specific words, phrases, and other choices the writer makes to establish ATTITUDE, PERSONALITY and CHARACTER. Style and voice are closely intertwined, so you may consider some stylistic choices that lead to a strong narrative voice. Write an analysis of the ways the writer establishes voice--BE SPECIFIC. Then, choose one that you don't necessarily like the voice of, and talk about why. (The writing guide is online if you want to refer to it--you can find the link from the high school website.)

English 11 (A block)

• Make flashcards for your new vocab words.
• Continue to work on your essay by EITHER:
• Completing the whole graphic organizer, 
• Or, writing a second body paragraph.

Homework: October 20

Honors English 11 (B and F blocks)

• Continue to work on your essay. Take into account the feedback you received in class today--questions about your theme idea, and suggestions/connections from your classmates. Work on developing strong, analytical paragraphs, with strong analytical CLAIMS. 
• We'll have time in class tomorrow (F block)/Thursday (B block). F block, your essays are due at the end of class on Thursday. B block, your essays are due at the end of class Friday.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You have book club tomorrow, so complete your RR.
• Make sure you're studying vocab!

English 11 (A block)

• Complete one paragraph for your essay (OR, the first page of the writing graphic organizer). If you have questions, do your very best and we'll talk tomorrow. Don't skip it--do something!
• Remember, your CLAIM (topic statement) should relate to your THESIS (THEME idea). Your EVIDENCE should support your CLAIM, and your REASONING should explain how your EVIDENCE supports your CLAIM.

Homework: October 19

English 11 (A block)

• Complete the graphic organizer on the back of the "theme statement" page. (The four boxes.) Write down as many ideas as you can, even if you're not sure if they're correct.
• Study for your vocabulary quiz--it's tomorrow!

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Work on your Alexie essay. It'll be due on FRIDAY. We'll have some time in class over the next couple days to work, but you should also be working at home. I'm around after school on Wednesday if you need help or have questions!
• Study for your vocabulary quiz--it's tomorrow!

English 12 (D block)

• Write a summary of Pleasantville--one paragraph.
• Write your RR for Room--we have book club on Wednesday!

B block exit ticket 10/19

Homework: October 16

English 12 (D block)

• Work on your personal narrative. Use the activity we did in class today (sentences/opening line study) to help you out...model your opening sentence off of the model sentence that you like the best.
• Make sure you're reading Room--book club RRs are due on Wednesday!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Continue to work on your essay, making sure you have a clear THEME (not just a topic). Check out this video if you need some help. By Tuesday, you should have a theme, and at least a couple of body paragraphs drafted.
• Study your vocab! You have a quiz on Tuesday. 

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Finish your literary DBQ and use the checklist to self-edit.
• Make sure you "turn it in" on Google Classroom by Tuesday. Do this by clicking into the assignment on Google Classroom, choosing the document (you may need to "Add" the right assignment if it's in Google Docs--you'll do this using the "Add" option), and clicking the blue "Turn In" button. Stop by Monday afternoon if you have questions.
• Read Room--you have an RR due Wednesday.

Homework: October 15

Honors English 11 (B and F block)

• Continue to work on your Alexie essay. Remember the goal is to develop a theme idea, then look at the ways he develops the idea.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Work on your Intro texts "DBQ"--it's in your Google classroom account. We'll have some time to work again in class tomorrow.
• Study for your vocab quiz--it's tomorrow!

English 11 (A block)

• Complete the front side of the blue graphic organizer (you don't need to do the last question...)

Homework: October 9

Honors English 11 (B and F block)

• You're starting to work on your essay! We'll do more work next class. Over the weekend, you should do the following:
• Map out your initial ideas about a topic you'd like to explore.
• Develop a WORKING thesis statement. Remember, it might grow and change. 
• Do some writing and/or planning based on your working thesis statement. Remember that your goal is going to be to discuss the WHAT (theme), and the HOW (strategies that Alexie uses). You should spend about 30 minutes, at least, getting started. Bring all your work with you to class on Thursday so we can keep working.
• I've posted pictures of my initial work in class. Remember, it's just the beginning, and it's messy! (The good kind...the thinking kind...) I'll continue to develop and refine these ideas.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Write a response to the statement here:
  
• Start brainstorming/mapping out connections between and among our three major texts, Room, "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and Pleasantville.

English 11 (A block)

• Use the organizer provided in class to map out connections--look for specific details in our Sherman Alexie texts that fit each motif on the organizer. 
• You folks had a great analytical discussion today in class. Below are pictures of the notes.
  
  

Homework: October 8

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Write a one-pager for Pleasantville.
• If you want me to look at your personal narrative/college essay this weekend, give it to me tomorrow!

English 11 (A block)

• Write a 3-paragraph response to Smoke Signals, using the handout for Reading Responses. Remember, we started writing some bullet points in class today. Make sure you consider the important events and moments from the story, and tell them in order for your summary.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Complete the Seminar Reflection handout. You should write about any/all seminars--the one you participated in and the one you watched.
• Tomorrow we'll do some writing in class. You'll pick a motif you're interested in, and you'll examine it through a number of Alexie texts. Be thinking about what you'd like to write about--it could be one of the three topics we discussed today, or one you choose.

English 12 (D block)

• Study your vocabulary--you have a quiz next Friday! 
• Work on your narrative essay assignment.

Homework: October 7

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Tomorrow in class we'll have a Socratic Seminar. To prepare, map out your thoughts on these MOTIFS: comfort, confinement, heroism/heroes. Remember that you should be looking for specific details, and important big ideas that connect these topics.

English 12 (D block)

• Complete the Prewriting handout you were given in class.
• Make sure you're reading Room!
• Study your vocab!

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete the seminar reflection handout.
• On Friday, in class, you'll write! Prepare yourself by identifying a motif you'll explore. Be ready to trace it through at least 3 Alexie texts. You should bring all texts and prep work with you. You can write about one of the ones we discussed today, or another.

Homework: October 6

English 12 (D block)

• Start working on your personal essay assignment--do some "I remember..." freewrites, like you did in class today.
• Study vocabulary and read Room.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete a web/mind map to track the motifs of COMFORT and CONFINEMENT in Alexie's texts. Tomorrow, we'll do a seminar discussion where you'll be responsible for examining one of those ideas.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Bring a draft of a personal essay to class on Thursday for peer review.
• Read Room and study your vocabulary.

English 11 (A block)

• Make flashcards for your new vocabulary words and start studying!
• Read your independent reading book.

Homework: October 5

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Make a web or organizer in which you identify at least 5 motifs in Sherman Alexie's work, and make notes about how that motif is developed in at least 3 texts for each. This is preparation for some in-class writing you'll do on Wednesday.
• Study your vocab and read your IR book!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• We'll start next class with book club. If you haven't completed your RR, do so!
• Work on your college essay/personal narrative draft. We'll have some time to discuss and peer-review on Thursday. Your essay is due to me either on Friday the 9th or Thursday the 15th--check in with me if you need further clarification.
• Study your vocab and read your IR book!

English 11 (A block)

• Study your vocabulary!
• Complete the back page of your Smoke Signals handout.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Write your one pager! Use the handout for instructions. We'll discuss them in class next time, but we won't read them out loud.
• Study your vocab and read your IR book!

Homework: October 2

English 11 (A block)

• You're going to fill out part of the Smoke Signals organizer. Please complete: 
• the first page 
• the second page
• Remember, the chart works across. Somebody Wanted But So...
• (Ex. Ms. McMaster wanted to get ice cream but she had to work. So, she was very sad all day long, and left school as soon as the bell rang to head to New City.)
• at least one action and analysis per character on the third page.
• Study your vocabulary. We'll have our quiz on Tuesday next week.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• If you didn't finish watching Smoke Signals, do that! It's on Netflix.
• Complete the handout called "Reading Notes," modifying as necessary for film. (Meaning, I don't expect quotations, just specific events, etc.)
• Remember, you don't have to do a ton with the first section (reader response) and the second section (summarizing). Your focus should be on the third section, called "ANALYZING."
• You have a vocab quiz on Monday...use your old quiz to help you study for the new one!

English 12 (D block)

• Book club prep.
• Make sure you're studying that vocab!

Homework: October 1

English 12 (D block)

• Finish watching the "St. Lucy's" film...there's about 5 minutes left.
• Then, write a thorough and thoughtful comparative paragraph, in which you focus on one of these four topics--the nuns, clothes/shoes, Jeanette, or Mirabella--and compare/contrast its portrayal in the film and in the story text. Make sure you include specific details from both the story and the film.
• Start studying that new vocabulary!

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

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Write your one pager for Smoke Signals.
• Study vocabulary--you have a quiz on Monday!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Make sure you're drafting your personal narrative/college essay.
• You have book club next class, so prepare for it by writing your RR.