Homework: November 14

English 11

• Pick from Chapter 10 the MOST IMPORTANT quotation. Then, write a fully developed SPA paragraph, in which you explain why you chose the quotation you did. You can set it up like this:
• "The most important quotation in chapter 10 is ___________________________, because..."
• Then, explain!

Honors English 12

• Work on your project! In class today, you should have established your plan for homework...so, make sure you complete your part.

Creative Writing

• Start planning out your genre study project--we'll be talking about this in class this week!

Homework: November 13

English 11

• Read to the bottom of page 78 in Frederick Douglass's Narrative.
• Answer questions 8 & 9 from today's handout.

Honors English 12

• Project work!

Creative Writing

• You worked in class on a challenge: write a story (300-500 words). Then, retell that story in a different genre! (A play, maybe? A poem? A cartoon strip?) Bring both versions with you to class tomorrow.

Homework: November 9

English 11

• Read Frederick Douglass to the point we marked in class today.

Honors English 12

• Write a one-page response to the book Catcher in the Rye. Here's a photo of some of the topics/notes we discussed today...talk about something interesting!

Creative Writing

• Write your Reader Response for the This American Life episode. You can find the link in an earlier post on this blog, if you need it.

Homework: November 8

English 11

• Read Frederick Douglass's Narrative to the place we marked in class today. Make sure you annotate details.

Honors English 12

• Finish Catcher in the Rye. Tomorrow, we discuss!

Creative Writing

• Your weekly write is due tomorrow...

Homework: November 7

English 11

• Read Chapter 9 in Narrative, fill in Close Reading organizer.
• ANY AND ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE IN ON THURSDAY!

Honors English 12

• Read Chapters 20 and 21 in Catcher in the Rye.
• ANY AND ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE IN ON THURSDAY!

Creative Writing

• Pick 3 of the stories from the episode. Spend 5 minutes writing a freewrite, for each one, that is connected to the act or inspired by it. For tomorrow, you should have 3 separate 5-minute freewrites (think back to the examples I gave in class). Tomorrow, you'll pick one and write about it for your Weekly Write.
• Your Reader Response for the This American Life episode will be due on Tuesday. Here's a link to it, in case it would help!
• ANY AND ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE IN ON THURSDAY!

Homework: November 5

English 11

• Make sure Chapter 6/7 handout is completed.
• Read Chapter 8--take notes (check the bottom of the handout for focus).

Honors English 12

• Read Catcher in the Rye through chapter 19.

Creative Writing

• We'll listen to the rest of the "20 Acts in 60 Minutes" episode of This American Life on Wednesday. Your Reader Response will be due on Friday, and your Weekly Write will be due on Tuesday.
• Some of you are registered to vote...so, VOTE!

Homework: November 2

English 11

• Finish reading chapter 6 of Narrative
• Read chapter 7 of Narrative--make sure you annotate!

Honors English 12

• Finish revising your essays for "The Body." They're due on Monday.
• Make sure you upload your essays to Turn It In.

Creative Writing 

• Finish writing your response to the question about the film Smooth Talk. (Check yesterday's homework post if you don't remember it!)

The Lost Generation

We watched this little video today in Creative Writing class. It's a short poem, with a really unique and effective structure. Check it out!

Homework: November 1

English 11

• Finish revising your Alexie essay! The revisions are due tomorrow. Make sure you print out a copy, and bring in the version that I already commented on.

Honors English 12

• Two things are due tomorrow:
• Your reflection on Holden's theme song assignment for class.
• Completed reading through chapter 16 in Catcher in the Rye.
• Make sure you bring your independent reading book to class tomorrow!
• Your revisions for your "Body" essays are due on Monday.

Creative Writing

• Work on your short story--it's due tomorrow!
• Check out this site, and consider participating in National Novel Writer's Month.
• For Monday, you're writing a response to the following question: Does Smooth Talk do an effective job of translating the story of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" to film? You can essentially argue, "Yes, because...," "No, because...," "Yes, except...," or "No, but..." (or some other variation). Take a stand, focusing on comparing the two stories. 

Homework: October 31

English 11

• Finish Chapter 5 of Frederick Douglass's Narrative. Write a one-sentence summary for each paragraph.
• Work on your Sherman Alexie essay--you have received some suggestions for revision. Now, do some revising! The final draft, for assessment, is due on Friday.

Honors English 12

• Read through the end of Chapter 14 in Catcher in the Rye. Be ready to do some thinking and writing tomorrow!

Creative Writing

• Work on your short story...it's due on Friday.
• You'll also be writing a review of the film we've watched in class...it will be due on Monday. We'll talk more about this in class.

Homework: October 26

English 11

• Finish chapter 4, respond to the question for Frederick Douglass's Narrative
• Weekly Article assignment is due on Monday--finish your reflection and make sure your article is printed.

Honors English 12

• Read and take some notes on Catcher chapters 8-10.
• Weekly Article assignment is due on Monday--finish your reflection and make sure your article is printed.

Creative Writing

• Work on your short story--a draft for writing groups is due on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!

Homework: October 25

English 11

• Read Frederick Douglass's Narrative, chapter 3. Annotate as you read! Remember, in class today I told you to focus on the descriptions of the owners, and on the relationships between slaves and owners.
• You should be working on your Weekly Article assignment. It's due Monday--maybe tonight, you find another article and write the summary?

Honors English 12

• Read chapters 5-7 in Catcher in the Rye; write a reflection about the topic "appearance v. reality."
• You should be working on your Weekly Article assignment. It's due Monday--maybe tonight, you find another article and write the summary?
• Don't forget to watch the "Shy Guy" video (see the post from earlier this week), and complete the blog post by tomorrow.

Creative Writing

• You have a response due for the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" tomorrow.
• Bring your independent reading book to class!
• Work on revisions to your short story--a draft is due for Tuesday next week--we'll do writing groups!

Homework: October 24

English 11

• Read chapter 2 of Frederick Douglass's Narrative
• Fill out the Close Reading handout; Make sure to write a response on the back, choosing a prompt from Making Connections (on the bright green sheet).
• You have a vocab quiz tomorrow.
• You have a Weekly Article (about the girl in Pakistan) assignment due Monday of next week.

Honors English 12

• Read chapters 3 & 4 in Catcher in the Rye
• Write a response: Write about Stradlater and Ackley--include your thoughts and reactions, AND talk about why they are important in the story? Consider how Holden relates to them.
• Vocab quiz tomorrow!
• You have a Weekly Article ("The Selfish Meme") assignment due Monday of next week.

Creative Writing

• A draft of your short story is due tomorrow--it should be ready for feedback from a classmate.
• Your Reader Response is due Friday, on "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Tonight, read to the middle of p.10--stop after the line "I'm going to call the police."

Homework: October 23

English 11

• Read the rest of Chapter 1 in Douglass's Narrative.
• Complete the "Close Reading" organizer (make sure you don't forget the back!)
• You'll complete the Weekly Reading assignment handout for Monday, but you should start working on it now! My suggestion is that you read the article and write the summary tonight.
• Remember! Vocab quiz Thursday!

Honors English 12

• Read Chapters 1 and 2 in Catcher in the Rye.
• Write a thoughtful and detailed response (a full page, with quotations) to this question: How does J.D. Salinger establish the narrative voice in the first two chapters of the novel? Discuss writer's craft.
• Complete the blog post by Friday (see the post just before this one for the video link).
• Remember--vocab quiz Thursday!

Creative Writing

• Read "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" to the top of page 6--we marked the spot in class. Make notes and annotations in the margins as you read.
• Work on a draft of your short story that can be shared with a classmate on Thursday.
• Your Reader Response will be due on Friday this week.

Honors English: Some pretty informative videos

Catcher in the Rye was written at the end of the 1940s--our main character, Holden, is living in a world with clear expectations around social roles.

In class, we watched this video, Control Your Emotions, from a 1950 educational film.


By Friday, please watch this other video, Shy Guy. This one's from 1947. In a comment on this post, please respond to the video, commenting on values it portrays, and connections between the content of the film and the story of Catcher in the Rye so far...

Creative Writing: Structuring those Stories

In class, we've discussed the traditional story structure: Exposition (including setting and conflict), Rising Action (plot points leading to the climax), Climax (the moment in the story where the conflict is directly addressed), Falling Action, and Resolution.

An additional way to look at story structure is explained here. It doesn't contradict any of the above information...it just looks at things in a different way!

Homework: October 22

English 11

• Your Sherman Alexie author study essay is due tomorrow! Hooray! I'm excited to read them...
• You have a vocab quiz on Thursday--the last 5 in the prefix section of your orange vocab sheet. Study hard! Don't forget to review the previous prefixes, as well--you might just see them again!

Honors English 12

• Your essays are due! Looking forward to reading all of your analysis of "The Body."
• You have a vocab quiz on Thursday!

Creative Writing

• A complete draft of your short story is due tomorrow. 

Homework: October 19

For a writing activity today in CW class,
we used cards from the game Apples to Apples
as prompts. This is a photo of the cards one
student randomly received.
Timeless seems just about right...

English 11

• We worked on drafts today, and your final draft of your essay is due on Tuesday. WORK ON IT over the weekend! I'll take early drafts if they're done...

Honors English 12

• Funny, your homework assignment is the same as my English 11 class's! Work on that "Body" essay. Your final is due on Tuesday.

Creative Writing

• Your short story draft is due on Tuesday! Work on it!

Homework: October 18

English 11

• You have an essay draft due tomorrow! Remember, it should be a FULL draft--introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You'll have time and guidance tomorrow in class to start the revision process. Make sure that you print a copy out BEFORE arriving to class, and make sure that your essay is saved to your Google Drive account.

Honors English 12

• Read and make comments on your writing group members' essays. Remember, you're focusing on thesis/argument, proof, ideas, clarity...also, suggestions and questions. Tomorrow, you'll have a conversation with your group members that will be very helpful, I hope!

Creative Writing

• The opening of your short story is due tomorrow--at least in draft form. You should complete the exposition and rising action...do more if you can!

Homework: October 17

English 11

• Work on your essay! You need to bring a completed draft with you to class on Friday.

Honors English 12

• Work on your essay--bring 3 copies of your draft to class with you on Thursday (in whatever state it's in!) for writing group work.

Creative Writing

• Reader Response Notebook, for "The Department of Nothing" is due tomorrow.
• Weekly Write (the beginning of a short story) is due on Friday.