January 7/8

English 1 -- Today in class, students read a short story called "The Interlopers" by Saki.  After reading, they completed a graphic organizer illustrating the changing relationship between the characters during the story.  Next students watched a video on Standard Edited American English and parts of speech, and they filled out a notesheet that they will use to help them complete a fun activity next class.

English 1 Homework

Finish the chart over "The Interlopers" if you did not already turn it in

English 2 -- Today students took a brief quiz over elements of Greek Drama that were learned last class.  They then finished reading a summary of the play Antigone and chose scenes to perform and teach in groups next week.  Students worked on reading and understanding their scenes, writing their lines on notecards, and making masks that will serve as costumes for their characters.  Students will have next class to work with their groups on their scenes, and performances/lessons will begin next Tuesday.

English 2 Homework

Finish transfering lines to notecards

January 5/6, 2009

Welcome back from break everybody!  I hope you are all as excited about this new semester as I am!  If you are not excited about once again having to get up at the crack of dawn every morning, you can always bear in mind that now the school year is half over, and summer is getting closer with every passing day.  Until then....here's what's going on in class:

English 1 -- Today in class, students wrote journal entries about their most prized possessions (many wrote about items they received over the holiday) in preparation for the short story we read, called "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry.  After reading this story about the love and generosity that should go into gift giving, students completed a "picture write" based on a painting that is featured in their textbook.  This creative writing activity is the first of many that students will be working on during this short fiction unit that will eventually lead to students writing short stories of their own.

English 1 Homework 

Finish your picture writing if you have not turned it in already

English 2 -- Today in class, students began a unit on Greek Drama.  After taking notes over important elements of Greek drama, students learned about the myth of Oedipus, which provided them with background knowledge for the play we will be reading.  While reading Antigone by Spohocles, students will make Greek masks for the characters, perform scenes in groups, and lead the class in a discussion of the the scenes.  Next class, students will finish reading a summary of Antigone and begin working in their groups on their scene performances.

English 2 Homework

Bring your text books to class

December 10/11

English 1 -- Today in class, students began giving the book talks for which they have been preparing for several weeks now. After today's scheduled book talks were finished, students in 2nd block made "book reports" -- on index cards, they drew images that represented important things from their books and wrote messages about their books that would entice others to read them. Students in B day classes (7th and 8th blocks) will finish up teaching the poems they were assigned last class.

English 1 Homework
Students who still have book talks to present, keep preparing
Begin typing or neatly writing the poems for your portfolios

English 2 -- Today students took their tests over Julius Caesar. Since the test took the vast majority of the class period for most students, any time that was left after completing the tests was devoted to preparing for book talks which will begin next class period.

English 2 Homework
Prepare for book talks -- they begin next class period!

December 7/8

English 1 -- Today students read from their library books in class for the last time this semester. Book talks will begin next class. Today in class, students also read the last 4 poems that they will read from their textbooks this semester. They were "I Never Saw a Moor" and "'Hope' Is the Thing with Feathers", both by Emily Dickinson; a prose poem called "The Puppy"; and "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. Students also recevied the last terms they will be responsible for including in their Poetry Terms Journal for their poetry portfolios, which will be turned in the class period before the final next week.

English 1 Homework
Read your books and prepare for book talks

English 2 -- Today students finished up study of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by seeing the end of the film and answering some critical thinking exit questions. Students also received the essay question they will see on their test. They were each given a notecard on which they were required to write the thesis of their essay and two quotes from the play that support their thesis. These notecards are to be used on the essay portion of the test on Wednesday.

English 2 Homework
Study for test next class
Finish Study Questions and Quote Notes
Read book and prepare for book talk

December 4/5

English 1 -- Today in class, students read their library books for 20 minutes. Those students who have already finished reading their books began working on elements of their book talks. Next, students read and discussed two poems -- "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Students were also given the requirements for their Poetry Portfolios, which they will be working on over the next two weeks and will turn in at the end of the semester.

English 1 Homework
Continue reading book for book talk

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their library books for 20 minutes. Those students wo have already finished reading their books began working on elements of their book talks. Next, students read Act Four Scene 1 of Julius Caesar, which showed the complete transformation of Mark Antony's character in the play. Then students watched Act Four and Act Five of the Julius Caesar film. Next class, students will review the play, and receive the topic for the essay they will write for the test.

English 2 Homework
Continue reading book for book talk

December 2/3

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for 20 minutes from their library books, and then journaled in their writer's notebooks about is going on in their reading. Students then prepared for reading Shakespeare's sonnets by reviewing a few terms learned earlier in the year while reading Romeo and Juliet. After reading and discussing sonnets number 18 and 130, students ended class by starting to write sonnets of their own. This is probably the most difficult poem the students are assigned, but hopefully they will gain a new respect for those poets, like Shakespeare, who made sonnet-writing an artform.

English 1 Homework
Finish your sonnets
Continue to read your library books and/or prepare for your book talk

English 2 -- During this class period, students read for 20 minutes from their library books and journaled in their writer's notebooks about what they have read so far. We then finished reading Act Three of Julius Caesar and watched the rest of Act Three in the film. After the movie, students worked on an activity in which they examined the changes in Antony's personality in the play.

English 2 Homework
1st block -- finish the Act Three Antony wkst.
4th block -- you will receive the worksheet for homework next class
Both blocks, continue to read your books and/or prepare for your book talk

November 26/ December 1

English 1 -- Today in class, students read the very famous poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. After reading and discussing this work, students also read "I Walked a Mile" by Robert Browning Hamilton. To end class, students created their own poems modeled after Hamilton's poem.

English 1 Homework
Finish your personifying emotions poem if you didn't do so in class
Read your library books -- we will begin book talks in 1 week!

English 2 -- Today in class, students began reading Act Three, Scene II of Julius Caesar. We saw the commoners' reaction to Brutus's explanation of Caesar's murder, and then we saw how they all changed their tune after Antony's famous speech. We then stopped in the middle of the scene to analyze the parallel structure, antithesis, and repetition in both Brutus and Antony's speeches. These important elements are what make so many great speeches throughout history memorable.

English 2 Homework
Read your library books -- we will begin book talks at the end of next week!