Homework: December 23

Honors English 11 (B and F block)

• Work on your Gatsby essay if you'd like to get some work done. It'll be due at the end of the week when we return.
• You can study your vocabulary, too...and, remember that we'll have a 1-50 test before the midterm. So, review 'em all!
• Finally, if you didn't complete "The Great Thanksgiving Listen" over Thanksgiving break, you have this time to do that, too. We'll do a reflection in class during the week we return from break. 

Homework: December 22

English 12 (D block)

• If you haven't already done so, read and mark up the article called "The Mythic Journey in 'The Body.'" We'll study this when we return from break.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Work on your essay. Remember, if you have anything you'd like me to look at, have it printed out by the time you get to class tomorrow.

Honors English 11 (G block)

• Read and mark up "Hell-Heaven" and be ready to discuss the aspects of fiction when we return. 
• You should also spend some time studying your vocabulary and working on your essay--both will be due at the end of the week when we return.

English 11 (A block)

• Complete the "Great Thanksgiving Listen" assignment, if you haven't already done so. You just need to do the interview/discussion. We'll write a reflection in class when we return.
• Complete the Reader Response for "The Man I Killed/Ambush"--it's due on Tuesday, 1/5.

Homework: December 21

Honors English 11 (F block AND B block)

• Put in some time on your Gatsby essay. Write a body paragraph, refine your thesis, prepare an organizer...whatever will help you complete a strong essay.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Read "Death by Landscape" and mark it up...we'll talk about it tomorrow!
• Work on your essay.

English 11 (A block)

• Finish reading and marking up "The Man I Killed." 
• Then, complete the "iceberg" organizer, and answer the first question on the back of the handout.

Homework: December 18

English 11 (A block)

Study your vocabulary! You have a quiz on Monday.

Honors English 11 (B block)

Find and mark up a couple of passages for your Gatsby essay. (See assignment sheet for directions.)

English 12 (D block)

Study for your The Body test--identify motifs, make connections between events, and practice passage analysis. The test is Tuesday! Read the essay I gave you in class, too...it might help.

Homework: December 17

English 12 (D block)

• Spend some time tonight reviewing the "Hero's Journey"/Monomyth chart. Match events from The Body with events/moments on the chart--this will help you review, and will help you connect the story to this bigger idea of the monomyth.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete your "list of morality"--rank the characters in The Great Gatsby from most to least moral. Good luck with that!
• Also, do the "first step" on the characterization handout you received today--pick out a couple passages, type them up, and annotate them.
• AND, study for vocab quiz...it's Monday!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Spend AT LEAST a half hour working on your essay. Refine thesis idea, plan/map out analysis, start drafting--whatever works...but do it!

Homework: December 16

Honors English 11 (F block

• Complete the "opinionnaire" for The Great Gatsby.

H. English 12 (G block)

• Tomorrow, we try to form book clubs. Think about what you want to read. My slide from class today is below. These are recommendations that I pulled from a number of different lists...they're not necessarily endorsements. (The ones with * next to them are ones I've read, so feel free to ask me about them!)
  
• Tomorrow, we try to form essay topics. Bring your prep work in with you, and be ready to think.
• Tomorrow, you take a quiz. Make sure to study!

English 11 (A block)

• Complete the paragraph on the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" handout.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Finish reading The Great Gatsby!

Homework: December 15

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Start mapping out some ideas for your essay. You'll be developing your own paper topic, and then you'll write the paper. Hooray! Your paper must include 3 texts. One of the three must be The Body, and then you can choose 2 of these 3: Moonlight Kingdom, Stand by Me, and the Biddle article.

English 11 (A block)

• Finish reading "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," and mark it up. 
• Complete the Venn diagrams...we'll talk more about this in class tomorrow.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Finish reading chapter 8!

English 12 (D block)

• Be ready for your presentation Thursday, and your quiz.

Homework: December 14

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Complete your Chapter 7 power chart and write a paragraph in which you answer this question: How and why does power shift between characters in chapter 7?

English 12 (D block)

• Prepare for your student-led discussion. If you haven't already gone, you should be ready for tomorrow.
• Study your vocabulary for a quiz on Thursday.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Finish the book! Savor that epic final line. We'll talk on Wednesday.

Homework: December 11

English 12 (D block)

• Continue to work on your student-led discussion preparation--be ready to go starting on Monday.

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Finish reading and marking up chapter 8. Keep an eye on those dashes! We'll talk about them on Monday!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Prepare for book club using the organizers provided. You'll talk on Tuesday.

English 11 (A block)

• Read to the break on page 97 in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" and complete the first Venn diagram on your handout.

Homework: December 9 and 10

English 12 (D block)

• Make sure you've finished reading The Body. Also, presentations start tomorrow. You can check out the example passage/questions. You should have something with you tomorrow that looks like this, if you're one of the first people to go. (You'll mark it up under the projector, so bring in a clean copy!)

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Complete your paragraph for the "power shift" activity. Essentially, answer this question: How and why does power shift between characters in Chapter 7?
• You can start reading chapter 8--we'll talk more about it in class tomorrow, and you'll have time to read.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Write a one-pager for Moonrise Kingdom. The topic is up to you--relate to other texts if you'd like, examine the Hero's Journey, consider the style/aesthetic...

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Chart out your Power Shift chart for chapter 7 of Gatsby. Make sure you have at least 7 "shifts" for each character.

Homework: December 8

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Study vocab, and finish up your Gatsby power map.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Study vocab and finish up your book club book.

English 11 (A block)

• Study vocab and make sure you've chosen 6-8 important quotations for your "On the Rainy River" map--you should have all your planning/prep work done for Thursday.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Study vocab and make sure you finish reading chapter 7!

Homework: December 7

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Make sure you're ready for your vocab quiz on Thursday, and book club on Friday.

English 11 (A block)

• Finish reading and marking up "On the Rainy River"--we'll work with it tomorrow in class.
• Make sure you're studying for vocabulary--your quiz is on Thursday.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• We'll keep working with Chapter 6 tomorrow in class. 
• For THURSDAY: Finish chapter 7, and be ready for a vocabulary quiz.

English 12 (D block)

• Vocab quiz on Wednesday. 
• By Friday (I said Thursday in class today, but--silly me!--we don't have class on Thursday), make sure you've finished reading The Body.
• Make sure you're working to prepare for your student-led discussion.

Homework: December 4

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Check Wednesday's post for the schedule for next week. Make sure you keep up with the reading--did I mention chapter 7 is long?

English 12 (D block)

• Some of you owe me work. Yikes! Get it to me. You should know what it is, and who you are.
• For Monday, read through chapter 25 in The Body. 
• Make sure you're studying for your vocabulary quiz (it's Wednesday), and preparing for your presentation. (They'll start on Thursday.)

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Finish reading Chapter 7. You'll complete your power chart on Tuesday.
• You have a vocab quiz coming up next Thursday. You're already studying for that, I'm sure.

Homework: December 3

English 12 (D block)

• Tomorrow, make sure you have completed these two assignments:
• Read and mark up The Body chapters 20-24.
• Write a paragraph response about one of the Significant Events on your chart/handout (instructions are at the bottom).

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Continue reading and marking up chapter 7 of Gatsby. By tomorrow, you should be at least 2/3 of the way through the chapter. You don't have to finish it.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Write a one-pager for Stand by Me--be ready to discuss on Monday!

English 11 (A block)

• Read "On the Rainy River"--to the break on page 4. Make sure you're marking it up!
• Also, start studying your vocabulary.

Homework: December 2

Honors English 11 (F block)

• Start reading chapter 7--keep an eye on POWER SHIFTS as you read. Tomorrow in class we'll be doing some mind-mapping of chapters 1-6 of the story, so bring your glitter pens if you've got 'em!

Honors English 12 (G block)

• We'll finish Stand by Me tomorrow...you should be working on your Critical Essay response to the Biddle article. It's due tomorrow.

English 11 (A block)

• If you need to finish your journal response from today's class, do so. Remember, you wrote about an important decision you've made. (What was the decision? How did you make the decision? Do you feel you made the right decision? Why/why not?) Make sure you've answered all the questions.
• Start reading the story "On the Rainy River." You only have to read to the FIRST text break (on the back of the 1st page), so make sure you read carefully and identify your questions, your observations and your connections.
• We'll be collecting money for our Holiday Coalition sponsorship. Please bring whatever you'd like to donate (maybe $2-$5) to class tomorrow.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Next class, we'll be working with chapters 1-5 of the novel. Here's your upcoming schedule...make sure you organize yourself to make sure you are prepared on the following dates:
• Read chapter 6 for MONDAY.
• Read chapter 7 (it's long!) for THURSDAY. 
• Prepare to take a vocab quiz on THURSDAY.
• I'd suggest: read some of 6 tonight, and finish it tomorrow/over the weekend. And, study for your test. Next week, spend some time Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday tackling chapter 7, and study a little bit each night. And voila, you'll be ready for Thursday!

Homework: December 1

English 11 (A block)

• Study your vocab--you have a quiz tomorrow!
• And, there will be some questions about "The Things They Carried" on the quiz, so make sure you've read the story.

Honors English 11 (B block)

• Complete the "pursued/pursuing/busy/tired" handout. It says chapters 1-4, but you can include 5 since you've read it, too.
• Make sure you're ready for your vocabulary quiz tomorrow!

English 12 (D block)

• For Thursday, read through chapter 19 in The Body, and complete the "Reading Check: Significant Events..." handout.