Homework: December 22

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Complete the Gatsby opinionnaire--you don't need to do the song part, if you can't think of one...

English 11 (D block)

• Finish reading "On the Rainy River" and mark it up.

Creative Writing (E block)

• Mark up the story you picked out today. Notice your observations, questions and connections.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You wrote an essay! Phew! Good thing that's done...for now. :)
• Over break, you have two tasks.
• 1. Read your Book club book. We'll return from break right into book club meetings. Hooray!
• 2. Watch a coming of age movie. Enjoy it. We'll probably talk about it at some point. You don't need to do anything formal.
• Some recommendations from your classmates:
• Goonies
• Star Wars (episode 4 especially---that's the one Joseph Campbell wrote about for the Hero's Journey)
• The Breakfast Club
• Sixteen Candles
• Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
• Legally Blonde
• Harry Potter

Homework: December 21

 Creative writing (E block)
Write 5 creative  "if we hadn't ______, we wouldn't have _____" statements. Think back to the story  we read in class today.

Honors English 12 (G block)
 Keep working on your essay! It's due at the end of the day tomorrow!

English 11 (a block)
Read "On the Rainy River" to the break on page 4.

Homework: December 20

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Continue working on your essay--I made notes on some of them in Classroom.

English 11 (A block)

• You have a vocab quiz tomorrow--study for it!

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Check yesterday's post for the full run-down of what's due on Thursday.

English 11 (D block)

• Read and mark up the story "On the Rainy River" to the break on page 4 (stop after "Elroy grunted and said, 'I'll bet.'"

Homework: December 19

Honors English 11 (C block)

• We'll have a guidance meeting tomorrow during class. 
• FOR THURSDAY:
• Find another moment/description from Gatsby that relates to the paragraph we talked about in class today. Make notes about it on your organizer, and you'll write about it in on the quiz on Thursday.
• Speaking of which, study for the quiz! It's Thursday!
• Finally, finish the novel. What happens now that we've lost many important folks?

English 11 (D block)

• Remember, you have a quiz tomorrow!
• Also, you should identify something about the Vietnam War that you're curious about, and you should do a little research to get some answers to your questions.

Creative Writing (E block)

• Complete a Saw/Did/Heard/Picture chart.
• If you have any late work, get it to me asap!

Homework: December 16

English 11 (D block)

• Study your vocabulary! You have a quiz on Tuesday!

Creative Writing (E block)

• Complete a saw/did/heard/picture "chart", like you've done in the past.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You wrote a proposal in class Friday, and you'll write your essay next Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. You can do some thinking, planning and organizing this weekend so you'll be ready to write!

English 11 (A block)

• Study your vocabulary--quiz on Wednesday this week.

Homework: December 14

English 11 (A block)

• Read and mark up "The Things They Carried" to the break on page 13.
• Make note cards for your new words.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Plot out at least 10 points for each character (Tom and Gatsby) on your chart.

English 11 (D block)

• Complete the article response that you got today in class.

Creative Writing (E block)

• Complete the tasks from class today. If you're going on the field trip, BE HERE BY 7:10 to board the bus.

Homework: December 13

H. English 11 (C block)

• Finish reading chapter 7, and identify moments where Gatsby and Tom gain and lose power (find and mark 10 for each).

English 11 (D block)

• Finish reading and marking up the story "The Things They Carried." 

Creative Writing (E block)

• Read and mark up Omkar's story, and write a workshop letter.

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Keep reading Another Brooklyn--you'll have time in class Thursday, and should be finished by Friday.

Homework: December 9

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Check the last post for the reading schedule for Another Brooklyn. Keep reading!

English 11 (A block)

• Write your final draft of your "The Things I Carry" personal essay. Remember to:
• Look back at the mentor text, and compare it to your own.
• Add more details to your essay, remembering to add personality.
• Type it if possible and edit to make sure you don't have spelling or grammar mistakes.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Read Gatsby to the bottom of page 144. Remember, we'll listen to this part in class, so I want you to get an initial sense.

English 11 (D block)

• Finish your Alexie essay! It should be resubmitted in Classroom by 7PM on Monday (hit "Turn In"). 

Homework: December 8

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Study your vocabulary words! Remember to use vocabulary.com and wordsinasentence.com to help you understand their meanings and usages.
• Read the first 10 pages of chapter 7. You'll have more time to read in class tomorrow, so you can give it a fairly quick initial read through, and go back and mark it up later if you want.

English 11 (D block)

• Study for your vocabulary test--it's tomorrow!
• Continue working on your essay revisions--final should be resubmitted by Monday at 7PM.

Creative Writing (E block)

• Read Sabrina's story, mark it up and write her a workshop letter!
• Complete your "Harper's Index" of your own life--instructions are in Google Classroom.

Homework: December 7

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You're off to a good start with Another Brooklyn. Continue to read and make notes, identifying connections, patterns, and nuances. By Friday, you should have read through chapter 7. 
• By 12/12, read through chapter 9.
• By 12/13, read through chapter 12.
• By 12/16, finish the novel.
• You have a vocabulary quiz on Friday, too--study up!

English 11 (A block)

• Finish up and resubmit your Alexie essay by 7 tonight.
• You have a quiz on Friday--make sure you're studying for it.
• You should have a draft of your "The Things I Carry" personal essay completed for Friday.

Homework: December 5

H. English 11 (C block)

• Finish up your Chapter 5 scavenger hunt handout.
• Start studying your new vocabulary--quiz is FRIDAY!

English 11 (D block)

• Work on your version of "The Things I Carry"--draft is due tomorrow (it can be handwritten).
• Start studying your new vocabulary--quiz is FRIDAY!

Creative Writing (E block)

• Work on your "Harper's Index" of yourself.

H. English 12 (G block)

• Your vocabulary quiz is Friday--study up!
• Read and mark up chapter 2 of Another Brooklyn. Remember to be on the lookout for motifs that are present in Another Brooklyn, Moonrise Kingdom and The Body. We'll talk more about connections and ideas next class.

Homework: December 2

Creative Writing (E block)

• If you need to get a workshop piece to me, please do so ASAP. Please send an email to let me know which one (if it's in Classroom), or email me a link.
• Start writing/planning your own, personal version of the "Harper's Index." Remember, you'll think of aspects of your life that are quantifiable by numbers, and you'll create a list that comprises a snapshot of you. Mine might include the following details:
• Percent chance that I want to buy new pens: 100%
• Approximate number of pens that I currently own: 146
• Average number of times per week that my dog escapes her pen at day care and eats cat food: 1
• Distance to my job and back: 110 miles
• Number of miles added to my trip to stop at Target on the way home: 2
• Approximate amount of money spent when I stop at Target, even when I'm stopping just for one thing: $50

Honors English 12 (G block)

• Write a one-pager for Moonrise Kingdom. Remember, it can (but doesn't need to) connect to The Body, and it can (but doesn't need to) refer to one or both of the reviews I gave you today in class.
• Figure out what you want to read next! We'll finalize book club choices next week.
• Finally, I forgot to show you the film parody that I promised at the beginning of the block. That happens a lot... Anyway, I'll show it to you on Monday, but if you just can't wait, check it out here:
• 
  

English 11 (A block)

• Continue to work on your essay revisions. Final essays are due WEDNESDAY by 7PM. Remember that revision is a significant portion of your grade, so make sure you revise!

Homework: December 1

Honors English 12 (G block)

• You should finish up your response to Arthur Biddle's literary criticism "The Mythic Journey in 'The Body.'"
• We'll discuss the film Moonrise Kingdom in class tomorrow. If you missed any of it, or want to rewatch sections, it's on Netflix!

English 11 (A block)

• Great job in today's seminar--you explored some really compelling connections in Big Fish. Do your seminar reflection tonight--remember to be thorough and specific.
• You should have revised your claims in your Alexie essay by tomorrow.

Honors English 11 (C block)

• Read and mark up chapter 5. Remember, it's awesomely awkward and so great. Pay attention to the shifting storyline and the shifting character relationships. Remember we talked about SUBTEXT in class--you know, when you say one thing, but you really mean something else. Keep an eye on that as we go...
• If you didn't finish the "pursued/pursuing/busy/tired" handout from class, finish it up and hand it in Monday.

English 11 (D block)

• Good job in today's discussion--you tackled complex ideas about truth, fiction, storytelling and legacy. Phew! Complete your reflection--do it THOROUGHLY and WELL.