KPE3: August 2012

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wishing you and your families all the best at this time...

I hope that all of you are doing well and that you and your families have not had great losses. We do not have school until Tuesday, September 4th. Please check in here and let me know you are ok. Miss you lots.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Tell me about the rabbits, George...

I sincerely hope that each of you enjoyed Of Mice and Men. It was a pleasure to discuss this novel with you. You are all so bright and complex thinkers that I am looking forward to further discussions with you about American literature. I am proud to call you my students. Here is a picture of our Of Mice and Men quote wall. Some of you picked such thought-provoking passages. I have enjoyed reading what intrigued you.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Something that happened...

When Steinbeck first finished the manuscript of this novel, he entitled it Something That Happened. Then he remembered the Burns' poem he had always loved: "To a Mouse," and he changed the title to Of Mice and Men. Which title do you think is best? Why? What part of the novel conveys this title choice best? (This post closes at midnight, Saturday, August 25, 2012.)

Monday, August 20, 2012

Land of Misfit Toys: "They left the weak ones here..."

Chapter Four provides a look at the "misfits" of the ranch. Even among "their kind," these four-Crooks, Lennie, Curley's wife, and Candy--show both the human need for acceptance and the desire for dominance. Explain how so. Through which of these characters did Steinbeck best convey these conflicts in the human condition? Explain specifically. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight August 22, 2012.)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

In the bunkhouse...

In Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men, three important events occur as the men sit in the bunkhouse: Candy's dog is shot, Candy, George, Lennie and Candy decide to buy their dream ranch, and Curley attacks Lennie. Select one of these events and write about how Steinbeck created mood/tone of the scene. Explain how this scene made you feel. (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight, Friday, August 17, 2012.)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

"I got you and you got me..."

George Milton and Lennie Small, the main characters of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, are total opposites, yet they share a strong bond. What message do you think Steinbeck is conveying through these polar opposites and their friendship and dream? From chapter one, what part/line/passage really helped you to see this message? (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight, Monday, August 13, 2012. Remember do not post your name, give only your initials and the block of our class.)

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November 4, 2014

Warm-up 17: "J.L. Stowe wrote, 'We all know that money can not buy love or happiness, but we all attracted to its gleam." Why do people desire money so much? What does it provide? What are some things people are willing to do for money and what does it say about the power of money? Give some examples to support your claim."
Took notes on Washington Irving and the American folktale.
Read and discussed "The Devil and Tom Walker."
Took quiz on selection.
Worked on research question.
HOMEWORK: Finish thesis question.

April 30, 2014

Thank you for being so well-behaved during my absence.

Warm-up 16: A man on death row with just two days prior to his execution was asked, "What do you think your final thoughts will be?" He replied, "I have been remembering that day I messed up my life for years now, so I am going to think about the day my daddy taught me to fish. I want to go out with a smile." What is a moment in your life that is so special you want to always remember it? Explain why.
Read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."
Took reading quiz on story.
HOMEWORK: Work on final draft of research paper, whichis due Monday, May 5, 2014.

April 7, 2014

Warm-up 13: Select a character from Of Mice and Men and explain his/her characterization. Discuss his/her physical description as well as how he/she acts and talks. (Use only 3rd person--focus on the character not how you think or feel).
Went over how to set up title page. Got a sample with typing instructions.
Completed characterization chart through Crooks.
Read and discussed Chapter 3.
Began working on study questions for chapters 1-3.
Got graded first 3 body paragraphs back.
New extra credit was made available.
HOMEWORK: Finish study questions and be ready for quiz on chapters 1-3 tomorrow. Continue working on research appers.

February 26, 2014

February 10, 2014

Warm-up 6: In America, we are blessed with many rights and freedoms. Which of these is so important to you that if it were taken away, you would consider leaving the US to possibly never return? Explain why this liberty is so important to you.
Read, discussed and completed a worksheet on the introduction to the Early American Literary Period.
Discussed parallel structure.
Completed a grammar sheet on parallel structure. Tomorrow's bell ringer will be on the grammar concept.
Filed graded papers in class folders.

January 22, 2014

November 1, 2012

Bell ringer 26--see binder in back of class.
Practiced using MLA style for research.
Reviewed for unti test tomorrow. The test will cover the Romanticism Unit. This inclues historical background, information on writers, and works. Specific works included are "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving; "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant; "A Psalm of Life," "The Cross of Snow, "and "The Children's Hour" by William Wadsworth Longfellow; "A Rescue" from The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper, "The Raven, " "Annabel Lee," "The Cask of Amontillado," "Hop Frog," and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe.
HOMEWORK: STUDY! STUDY! STUDY!

HOMECOMING

What is "homecoming"? When the tradition first began it was celebrating the return of a sports team from their travel to a far-away game. It was about celebrating a school's spirit and fellowship. It was about the school community coming together, holding picnics, bonfires, dances, pep rallies, parades, and decorating the town in the school's colors. It was about togetherness. A great deal has changed since then. Today, it seems it is about "rolling houses" and "defeating the other class." Now, there is nothing wrong with good healthy competition, but when it turns into unhealthy and mean-spirited competition, we have a problem. "Unhealthy competition is when your reaction to others’ success is negative, rather than inspiring and motivating to you. Unhealthy competition is when you hope others have limitations because you are afraid your limitations will cause you to lose unless they are somehow held back. Unhealthy competition is when you associate shame with losing rather than see your own nobility for trying." Don't make HOMECOMING 2012 an unhealthy one. Make it the best it can be."

September 24, 2012

September 14, 2012

Warm-up 6: Listened to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and selected one event or person and wrote about how this person/event changed history and why Joel would have included this in his song.
Took voc. test 2.
Completed grammar slide on subject/verb and pronoun/antecedent agreement.
Watched introductory presentation to The Crucible and McCarthyism.
Got anticipation guide on The Crucible.
HOMEWORK: Complete part II of anticipation guide. Make sure to double space. Begin study for unit test on Tuesday, September 18, 2012.

September 11, 2012

Bell ringer--Agreement Practice--see binder in the back of class.
First Block: Took notes on Early American literature. Read and discussed Puritan poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. Completed comparison chart on Columbus, Smith and Bradford. Notes on subject/verb agreement and pronoun/antecedent agreement.
Second Block: Took notes on Early American literature. Read and discussed Puritan poetry of Anne Bradstreet. Read and discussed Native American myths. Completed comparison chart on Columbus, Smith, and Bradford. Notes on subject/verb agreement and pronoun/antecedent agreement.
Third Block: Finished questions on History of Plymouth Plantation. Notes on subject/verb and pronoun/antecedent agreement. Completed comparison chart on Columbus, Smith, and Bradford.

September 10, 2012

Bell activity: Filed graded papers.
Forty minutes to work on and peer edit narratives.
Read and answered questions on The History of Plymouth Plantation.
HOMEWORK: Prepare final draft of narrative essay. Remember tomorrow you have to turn in the final draft, the rough draft and the peer editing sheet.
Remember your essay has to have the manuscript heading as shown on the sample given to you. Make sure you double space and use black ink only, even if you write the essay. No writing on the back.

September 7, 2012

HONORS English III:
Bell Ringer: AP reading passage practice
Read and began answering questions about The History of Pymouth Plantation by William Bradford.
Time to ask KP about essay concerns.
HOMEWORK: Finish rough draft of narrative composition.
ENGLISH III:
Forty minutes to work on essay.
Finished "A Spectacle of Great Beauty."
Read, discussed and took notes on John Smith's A Description of New England excerpt.
Continues vocabulary development.
HOMEWORK: Finish rough draft of narrative compotition.

September 6, 2012

HONORS ENGLISH III:
Bell activity: Twenty minutes to work on essay and get assistance from teacher.
A few notes on the Early American/Colonial Period.
Finished " A Spectacle of Great Beauty."
Discussed the views of America created by Columbus in the letter.
Read and discussed an excerpt from John Smith's "A Description of New England."
HOMEWORK: Work on essay for at least 40 minutes.
ENGLISH III:
Forty minutes to work on essay and get assistance from teacher.
Took a few notes on the Early American/Colonial Period.
Began reading and discussing "A Spectacle of Great Beauty."
HOMEWORK: Write for at least 40 minutes on essays tonight.

August 21, 2012

August 10, 2012

HONORS ENGLISH III:
Bell ringer--Read sheet about the life of John Steinbeck and answered questions on it.
Discussed how to improve paragraph responses using CDW format.
Looked at an example of a strong paragraph response.
Corrected one of the first two warm-ups.
HOMEWORK: Finish box project. Remember it is a test grade.
ENGLISH III:
Bell ringer--Read sheet about the life of John Steinbeck and answered questions on it.
Discussed how to improve paragraph responses.
Corrected the first two warm-ups.
Finished reading Chapter one in OF MICE AND MEN.
HOMEWORK: Finish box project. Remember it is a test grade.

August 7, 2012

First day of school.
Went over classroom policies, procedures, and plans.
Talked about Out of the Box Project.
Completed Warm-up One: What are three aspects that make you who you are? Explain why and/or how so? (Remember to write a well-structured paragraph of at least 8 sentences. Do not write on the back; use blue or black ink; double-spaced; properly head your paper; do not use second person.)
Homework: Begin planning Box Project (due Monday, Aug. 13th), get your supplies for class, and have your parents sign your policy sheet.

Supplies for EngishIII 2012-2013

Here is a list of the supplies you will need in this course.
-a three-ring binder about 1 inch wide
-5 dividers (in this order: warm-ups, grammar, literature, vocabulary, composition)
-loose-leaf paper
-blue or black ink pens only (no work in pencil will be graded)
-highlighters (2)
-post-its (about .5 or 1 inch wide)
Get a homework pass for bringing these items:
If you are a guy, bring a wrapped roll of paper towels. Write your name on the wrapper.
If you are a girl, bring a box of Kleenex. Write your name on the bottom of the box.

EXAM STUDY GUIDE

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bell ringer 5--see make-up binder in back of class room.
Discussed commonly confused words, comma usage, and punctuating titles. Took notes.
Continue reading OF MICE AND MEN. Read "To a Mouse," the poem from which Steinbeck got the title of the story. Answered questions on poem.
HOMEWORK: Answer study questions 1-24 on OF MICE AND MEN. Tomorrow, we will finish reading Chapter 3 and answer questions 25-30. We will have a test on Chapters 1-3 tomorrow as well. We have a vocabulary test on Friday.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Bell ringer--see binder in the back of class.
Reviewed vocabulary words.
Finished reading and discussing OF MICE AND MEN.
Warm-up 19: Justify or condemn George's actions at the end of hte novel. Use specific examples to support your side. Use only 3rd person.
HOMEWORK: Work on warm-up corrections and prepare for test on chapters 4-6 of novel. Remember we have an in-class essay on the novel on Wednesday. Make sure to mark important lines and events to help you locate themes, characters, motifs, imagery, etc.

Research Paper Supplies Needed

We will begin to learn/review MLA research procedures. For this you will need the following items:
1-8.5 x 11 top wirebound legal pad (any color paper) These are available in limited numbers at Walmart, Kmart, and RiteAid. There are several at Office Depot.
100 3x5 index cards. These need to be white, not colored. They need to have lines on one side. They can not be spiral bound. They must be loose cards.
1 roll of scotch tape--I do not have enough for everyone in class, so you need your own roll. Get the kind in the dispensor for ease.
4 different color highlighters
You need these supplies on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Warm-up 3: Explorers came to America looking for gold and land while the Puritans came to escape religious persecution. Their freedom of religion was taken from them. Which of our many rights would so enrage you that you might leave America if it were taken away? Why?
In first block: read and answered questions about History of Plymouth Plantation. Page 29 of Elements books.
In second block: finished peer editing, read and discussed and excerpt from John Smith's Description of New England.
HOMEWORK: 1st and 2nd block- write final draft of autobiographical sketch. 2nd block--read and answer questions on History of Plymouth Plantation. Page 29 of Elements books.
Have a great weekend. Get better, Shannon; we miss you!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Bell ringer 1--see make-up binder

Notes on fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.

Notes on punctuating introductory clauses and phrases, adverbial nouns, and participial/describing phrases.

Got 4 papers for composition section of binder: transition list how to properly head papers sheet, autobiographical essay assignment, and model/example paper.

Began talking about first essay. Rough draft due by Aug. 17. Final draft due on Aug. 22.

Hung personal collages and biopoems in hallway.
Get better, Chad; we miss you!

HOMEWORK: Work on autobiographical essay.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

August 5, 2011

Our first day together!

Warm-up 1: What would the perfect fortune cookie future be for you? Why?

We went over class policies and procedures and talked about the personal collage due on Tuesday, August 9th. Remember the collage is to be 15x 25 inches. It may be cut into a shape/design. It is to be filled with items and words that help describe/define you. There should not be mostly pictures of you and your family. In fact only 1 picture may include you. You can have 2 other pictures of family and friends. Instead of personal photographs, use pictures (from magazines/graphics) that relate to you, like your favorite movie, your favorite singer, your favorite clothing brand, your favorite sports team, etc. You may also include actual items on your collage as long as they are not too heavy.

Don't forget to get your parent notification signed.

First Block--study for handbook test on Wednesday, August 10th.

Supplies for Honors English III

3 ring-binder (1-1.5 inches)
Loose leaf paper
5 dividers (warm-ups;grammar;literature; vocabulary;composition )
blue or black ink pens (NO PENCIL)
2-3 different color highlighters
3x5 white index cards with lines
small post its-- "stickies" to mark passages in books
2 three-prong folders (Pockets optional)
Get a homework pass for the following donations to our class:
Boys: a roll of paper towels (write your name on the plastic wrapping)
Girls: a box of Kleenex (write your name on the BOTTOM of the box)

Monday, February 28, 2011

I am really looking forward to reading your Crucible diaries. Some of you were so clever in the method of hiding them. I antticipate the insides to be even more creative.
We filed graded papers today.
Briefly presented our diaries.
We talked about starting our research projects on a social controversy/issue after Spring break.
We talked about narrative essays, which are due on Monday, March 14, 2011.
We did our first practice article annotation.
HOMEWORK: Article annotation on Hollywood Ten.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Monday, January 31,2011

Warm-up: Listen to the CD and read the printed lyrics of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." Select one person, event, or thing from the lyrics and write about its place in history. What connection/aspects are connected to this person, event, or thing? Are they negative or positive? Explain.
Watched introduction PowerPoint to The Crucible.
Got 5 handouts. See Mrs. Palombo.
Began reading the play.
HOMEWORK: Complete Deep Thought response on anticipation guide given in class today. Read through the top of page 8 of the play.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bell ringer: Fahrenheit 451 AP Practice Packet questions 11-15.
Samantha, Jessie, and Sarah: 5 out 5 on AP Practice! You go, girls!
Turned in literary cards set one.
Went over strong paragraph development points and use of transitions.
Went over format of concluding paragraphs.
Continued writing essay.
HOMEWORK: Finish rough draft of essay. Remember to CDW and TREES the body paragraphs. Remember to restate the thesis in the conclusion and echo the basic idea of the introductory paragraph.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Warm-up 2:
Select one item from your Bag-O-Me and write a well-developed paragraph of at least 8 sentences on the topic that this item represents. For example, if you pull your item that represents your goal in life, write about the goal not the object. Make sure to use at least 2 transitional words from the list given to you today in the paragraph. Circle the transitional words.

Discussed the epigram in 451F and the themes of the novel.
Discussed and took notes on characterization in the novel.

Homework: Sticky note 6 quotes/lines from the novel that impacted you. Write these quotes on loose leaf paper and write down the novel section it is in and the page it is on. Then select the one quote that had the most impact on you. Explain how you felt when you read this line.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Warm-up 1: Introduce yourself by telling one or two key aspects about yourself in a well-developed paragraph of at least 8 sentences.

Went over class policies and procedures.

Homework: Create your Bag-o-me. In your brown paper bag, include one item that represents each of the following: one of your strengths, one of your weakness/something your need to improve, your family and family lifestyle/habits, your goals/wishes or dreams, and your inspiration (can be a person or thing). Put your picture on the bottom of the bag but do not write on or decorate the bag. Keep it "equal and uniform". (451F).

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