Tuesday, September 1, 2009

WORK FOR ALL STUDENTS

Dear Students,
I hope that you stay healthy and/or get well during this week we have off from school! Remember -- lots of rest, lots of chicken noodle soup, and no sharing of water bottles!
Take care,
Ms. Rowe

Assignments for all students in English classes:

--If you missed Thursday and/or Monday, please get your make up work from your classmates.

--ALL three pages of journal are due on Tuesday, 9/8, when you return to school. On this journal only, please ***star*** the parts where you want comments. I will be trying to grade quickly in order to return them to you within a few days.

--Continue working on IR for first quarter.

--Continue watching your e-mail: Later on this week, I will be sending you your new code and password for Skillwriter, as well as instructions for an essay assignment you should complete.

--Please remember to complete all of the additional work below for the class(es) you are in.

Work for 9th Grade Students

In addition to the work "For All Students,"

--Go over "Compound Subjects and Verbs." You may use either pg. 43-44 of your Language Network book, OR this website: http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000026.htm . Be sure you learn them well, because the GWB section on the same information will be graded when you complete it next week.

Continuing with our Poetry Unit...

--Please read the poetry definitions on this page: http://www.gardendigest.com/poetry/quoap1.htm and on this one: http://www.quotegarden.com/poetry.html
Write out the two you most agree with, and explain why.

--Read the poem, "A Theme for English B" (Lit. book pg. 467-468 OR on the website here: http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html). Write in response to each of the following questions: What are your impressions of the author? What kind of diction does the writer choose for this poem, and why? Looking at the four poems we have read this week, which one was the most effective for you, and why? What about effectiveness for other audiences?

--Select a theme or issue that you have seen in your life. Write a poem of at least 8-10 lines, address this theme. You may choose level of diction, and rhyme scheme or free verse.

Work for 11th Grade English Class

In addition to the work "For All Students,":

--Complete GWBs pg. 91-93.

We are beginning our unit on The Crucible, a play set in the Puritan era and based on the historic Salem Witch Trials, so you'll need to complete background work for the unit.

--Read Puritan background, either in your Literature books from pg. 134-148, OR online on this website: http://academicamerican.com/colonial/topics/puritannewengland.html
Please write a summary of your reading.

--Complete the Computer Lab Activity on Salem Witch Trials (to be e-mailed).

--Define Literary elements (10): theme, irony, paradox, allegory, setting, protagonist, voice, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy. http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xLitTerms.html

--Identify vocabulary definitions and parts of speech from The Crucible (15), also on the SAT: Abyss, Begrudge, Calamity, Corroborating, Deference, Ecstatic, Innate, Pallor, Parochial, Partisan, Propriety, Prodigious, Prudent, Vindictive, Wily

--Read article I gave you on Thursday (Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "From Images or Shadows of Divine Things"). He wrote during the time period. You should write a summary of 3-4 paragraphs, identify the main points, and explain your reaction (whether you agree or disagree with the main points and why).

--Read the Anne Bradstreet poetry here: http://academicamerican.com/colonial/docs/AnnBPoems.htm

AND the Margaret Atwood poem, "Half-Hanged Mary," here:
www.janaedwards.com/FILECABINET/HALFhangedmaryhoriz.doc

Anne Bradstreet was another writer from the Puritan era. Margaret Atwood wrote more recently, but she wrote ABOUT a real woman in the Puritan era who was convicted of witchcraft, hung, and survived.

Choose ONE poem and write a response of several paragraphs. Explain how the poem adds to your knowledge of the time period, and how you personally reacted to the information and/or emotion expressed in the poem. Be specific!

Work for College Writing Class

In addition to the work labeled "For All Students,":

--Finish annotating "The Old Bird, a Love Story."

--Respond to each of the following questions in a paragraph each:
1) What is the author’s basic belief about the individual, society, or life, as shown in the story?
2) What connection does the title have with the conflict or theme of the story?
3) Describe both the type and specifics of the conflict used in the story. Was the author effective with his or her use of this conflict?

--Create and revise strong thesis sentences for each of the questions/responses above, as if you were going to use the questions to formulate essays. (In-class essays are pretty normal for college evaluations, so it’s important to be able to get the main point in a clear thesis quickly.)

--Quick write (about a paragraph): Why is understanding an author’s point of view, feeling, or attitude important?

--Check your e-mail for information on your Persuasive Research Project. You need to read everything, and fill out (either by printing, or writing out on paper) and complete:
1) Topic selection with rationale and a working thesis
2) "Research Paper Sources -- Trying it Out"

--These websites should help with topic ideas:
1) goodessaytopics.com (categories: controversial, persuasive, Christian, argumentative)
2) nwmissouri.edu/library/courses/english2/termindex.htm

BE SURE to choose a topic you're interested in, because you will be spending a lot of time working with it over the next month. We will have two days in the Computer Lab and two days in the Library next week. Be sure you're ready to research!

--Complete Bellwork assignments and be ready to turn in Bellwork notebook (9 entries) on Tuesday. Here are the rest of this week's:

9/1: 1) Youre copy of alph waldo emersons essay self reliance is different than mine I wonder why 2) neither of the events were exciting so we left early then we went to pats house to play tennis

9/2: my Uncle and Aunt will unknown to him be surprised next week at a merica ary party at the park country club 2) please bring this book merica revisited to the deans room victor since he needs it

9/3: 1) Our class will be involved I think in doing a project sometime on the civil war however it is to late to begin this semester
2) for you to finish on time your going to have to work hard and meet the scheduled deadline father bonsan stated

Work for 12th Grade English Class

In addition to the work "For All Students,":

--As a class, decide on a time (one) for Extra Credit. Remember, in order to earn a possible ONE letter grade back on your Summer Reading test, you will need to finish watching First Knight, a two hour movie, AT OCSI WITH ME in attendance, AND write a paper. Times available next week (beginning with Tuesday, 9/8) are: Tuesday a.m. 6-8, Tuesday p.m. 4-6, Wednesday a.m. 6-8, Wednesday p.m. 4-6, Thursday a.m. 6-8, Thursday p.m. 4-6, Friday a.m. 6-8, Friday p.m. 3-5, Saturday a.m., sometime before noon. Decide on something and let me know BEFORE Tuesday, 9/8, otherwise extra credit will not be offered.

We are starting the Beowulf unit. You are responsible for one week of the two in the unit. The test is on Thursday-Friday, 9/10-9/11, so be sure you complete all assignments well.

--Define literary elements (7): epic, alliteration, caesura, kenning, epithet, Biblical allusion, repetition: http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xLitTerms.html

--Read through the two articles on the Epic/Epic Hero:
1) http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/epic.html
2) http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/epic2.html
*Take notes* on the epic style and the epic hero. Also, write in response: Are epic heroes similar to or different from heroes in 2009? Why?

--Begin reading Beowulf:

1) This is a document that shows what Beowulf looked like in Anglo-Saxon English (before translation): http://www8.georgetown.edu/departments/medieval/labyrinth/library/oe/texts/a4.1.html

2) This is the translated document: http://www.enotes.com/beowulf-text/prelude
--Please read the Prelude through Chapter VI.

3) If you need help with the reading, this is a simplified version that may be used in addition to -- but NOT in place of -- the previous site: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/english/beowulf/contents.htm
(The sections you should read are from "The Start" to "Marching to Heorot.")

--Assignments with the reading:
1) Fill out epic journey chart (to be e-mailed to you). You may print it out or draw it on to paper.
2) Identify examples of Biblical allusion.
3) Think about the meadhall, with its purpose of mainly relaxation and safety. What would make these attacks on the meadhall *especially* horrible for people living in the Anglo Saxon time period?
4) Using 10 of your 16 vocabulary words, write two paragraphs describing Grendel.
5) Write in response (about a page): Why are people interested in the defeat of monsters? What do monsters like Grendel represent in our lives?

--Review Subject-Verb Agreement: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm
Then, take the quiz here: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/agreement_add1.htm . E-mail me your score -- the number you got CORRECT out of 14.