To All: I know we're keeping an eye on Hanna, and hoping for our friends in NOLA that Gustav goes away by some miracle. According to the most recent projections, Hanna won't even reach us until Friday night or Saturday morning, but we are officially back in the Cone of Uncertainty (which is a philosophically odd place to be, really) so be forewarned and fore-armed.
Sophys: Finish "The Storyteller" by Saki and go over common errors in writing together. Author of the Day today is Nick Bantock.
APees: Prep for Madame Bovary test tomorrow; finish reviewing multiple choice sections from last week; return focus paper #1. If you are one of the few students who did NOT get a literary anthology from the Media Center last week due to lack of ID, you MUST get one before or after school by Friday. Also, if you're interested in acquiring your own personal, special copy of Oedipus Rex--so you can write in it--I'd get that by Friday, too. It's also sometimes called Oedipus the King or Oedipus Tyrranous. They all mean the same play, really. The little red and black paperback version is only 3.95 plus tax! Bargain! Of course, for free you could read it in the aforementioned anthology. . .
AP Word of the Day: PLETHORA (noun): A significant quantity; a myriad
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Since you've all been so exceptionally good, take the day off and revel in your labors.
It's LABOR DAY!!!!!
It's LABOR DAY!!!!!
Friday, August 29, 2008
ORANGE AND WHITE DAY!!!
Our first scrimmage is today--and due to flooding at Winter Springs, I think it's here at Boone. Wear orange and white today and go early to lunch, and some of your teachers will be thrilled to see your school spirit. Boone Braves! Whooooooo!!!
Gifted English II: Author of the Day is Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Afterwards, we are taking an incredible vocabulary quiz on words 21-40, complete with an Art Opportunity on the back. Afterwards afterwards, we will be making a transition into Genre Studies and begin a newish unit. Please give me the long weekend to assess your papers--I just came out from under the AP focus papers and need a little time to get my bearings.
APees: Madame Bovary quizlet; might take most of the period. If we have time I would like to go over the second focus paper assignment with you and review common errors from the first paper. You will always have a week to resubmit a paper for further consideration, and as your papers are going back today, you have until next Friday to resubmit to me. Resubmits do not go on the website this time; staple the new copy on top of the first copy, and hand it in by the deadline. (Fifth period, you might not take this test until Tuesday due to the fire drill. We have to see how long that actually takes this time.)
AP Word of the Day: ABSTRUSE (adjective): difficult to understand; recondite
Our first scrimmage is today--and due to flooding at Winter Springs, I think it's here at Boone. Wear orange and white today and go early to lunch, and some of your teachers will be thrilled to see your school spirit. Boone Braves! Whooooooo!!!
Gifted English II: Author of the Day is Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Afterwards, we are taking an incredible vocabulary quiz on words 21-40, complete with an Art Opportunity on the back. Afterwards afterwards, we will be making a transition into Genre Studies and begin a newish unit. Please give me the long weekend to assess your papers--I just came out from under the AP focus papers and need a little time to get my bearings.
APees: Madame Bovary quizlet; might take most of the period. If we have time I would like to go over the second focus paper assignment with you and review common errors from the first paper. You will always have a week to resubmit a paper for further consideration, and as your papers are going back today, you have until next Friday to resubmit to me. Resubmits do not go on the website this time; staple the new copy on top of the first copy, and hand it in by the deadline. (Fifth period, you might not take this test until Tuesday due to the fire drill. We have to see how long that actually takes this time.)
AP Word of the Day: ABSTRUSE (adjective): difficult to understand; recondite
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I am sorry that this post is a little bit later than my normal pattern; I was watching Project Runway and got caught up in a lengthy post-show commentary about fashion, creativity, and the nature of this particular challenge. There are many, many things afoot at BHS tomorrow and here are the reminders!!!
LOCKERS will be distributed through your fourth period classes tomorrow. Each teacher has been given ten lockers for their class to somehow divide up, which seems like a cruelty joke until you realize that we have twice as many students as lockers, and the seniors have already ganked theirs. Sophomores: The back shelves WILL be cleared this week and you may leave your belongings in my classroom any time. I know the locker situation is unfortunate, but our new classroom building, complete with hundreds of new lockers, is still several years off. You may graduate from college before Boone gets new lockers; I really don't know. But in order to ameliorate your discomfort, come leave some stuff in my room!!!
UNDERCLASS PICTURES will be taken in the gym, so I will walk my sophys over there first and second period. Pictures are free if you just want to be in the yearbook, but you have the option to purchase them as well. If you forgot your money, have a weird face tomorrow, or are absent, the make-up day is next month.
TEXTBOOKS will be given out at some point. I'm still fuzzy on the details. Since my classes are still working on summer reading-related assignments, I haven't really noticed the lack of textbook, but I'm sure other teachers have and are trying to adjust. I'll let you know as soon as I know. If you have lost your student ID please go to the Media Center before or after school, or during lunch, to get a new one for the low, low price of five bucks. You'll need the ID to check out all of your textbooks with our new space-age distribution program.
The mandatory FIRE DRILL that we weren't having tomorrow during fifth period has now been rescheduled to not happen during the first five minutes of fifth period on Friday instead. Anticipating hot weather, I will be toting a battery-operated portable fan when this doesn't happen.
Now, on to curriculum. Whew.
Gifted English II: Our Author of the Day today is the awesome, awesome Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Then we have a field trip to the gym for pictures, followed by much rejoicing. If we get back on time we'll have a Title Parade for your first paper and make the transition to the first outside reading assignment.
APees: A handful of you in each class need to finish the multiple-choice practice session before se can start going over the passages; those of you who are already finished are welcome to peruse the Allusion Review packet or review your answers before we assess the damage and see how we did as a group. Also, I want to review with you before we take our awesome MB check-reading quiz tomorrow in class. It's a lulu but it's not too difficult.
LOCKERS will be distributed through your fourth period classes tomorrow. Each teacher has been given ten lockers for their class to somehow divide up, which seems like a cruelty joke until you realize that we have twice as many students as lockers, and the seniors have already ganked theirs. Sophomores: The back shelves WILL be cleared this week and you may leave your belongings in my classroom any time. I know the locker situation is unfortunate, but our new classroom building, complete with hundreds of new lockers, is still several years off. You may graduate from college before Boone gets new lockers; I really don't know. But in order to ameliorate your discomfort, come leave some stuff in my room!!!
UNDERCLASS PICTURES will be taken in the gym, so I will walk my sophys over there first and second period. Pictures are free if you just want to be in the yearbook, but you have the option to purchase them as well. If you forgot your money, have a weird face tomorrow, or are absent, the make-up day is next month.
TEXTBOOKS will be given out at some point. I'm still fuzzy on the details. Since my classes are still working on summer reading-related assignments, I haven't really noticed the lack of textbook, but I'm sure other teachers have and are trying to adjust. I'll let you know as soon as I know. If you have lost your student ID please go to the Media Center before or after school, or during lunch, to get a new one for the low, low price of five bucks. You'll need the ID to check out all of your textbooks with our new space-age distribution program.
The mandatory FIRE DRILL that we weren't having tomorrow during fifth period has now been rescheduled to not happen during the first five minutes of fifth period on Friday instead. Anticipating hot weather, I will be toting a battery-operated portable fan when this doesn't happen.
Now, on to curriculum. Whew.
Gifted English II: Our Author of the Day today is the awesome, awesome Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Then we have a field trip to the gym for pictures, followed by much rejoicing. If we get back on time we'll have a Title Parade for your first paper and make the transition to the first outside reading assignment.
APees: A handful of you in each class need to finish the multiple-choice practice session before se can start going over the passages; those of you who are already finished are welcome to peruse the Allusion Review packet or review your answers before we assess the damage and see how we did as a group. Also, I want to review with you before we take our awesome MB check-reading quiz tomorrow in class. It's a lulu but it's not too difficult.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Updates: The senior meetings with the Guidance Counselors have been rescheduled to next Tuesday and Thursday due to Tropical Whatever Fay. I have the alpha list in my room; check to see when you are to meet with your counselor. The make-up session, hosted by Mrs. Clary, will be Thursday during sixth period for any seniors who couldn't attend a previous session.
Nervous about the SAT or ACT? Did you know that we offer preparation classes here at Boone for free? See Mrs. Cadman for details. If you haven't signed up to take these tests, seniors, please do so.
(And sophomores--we haven't forgotten you. You are all signed up to take the PSAT, for free, on October 17 during periods 1-3. Details forthcoming.)
Gifted English II: Our Author of the Day today is Carl Hiaasen, a terrific Florida novelist and columnist. His work is hilarious and environmentally conscious, and I highly recommend him as a good "fun" outside reading choice. Afterwards, we will finish discussing the philosophical ramifications on Camus and Miller, and review some examples for this week's literary vocabulary (#21-40).
APees: Collect HW from yesterday's passage analysis, and then make the transition into multiple choiceness. One of today's passages will be from The Awakening, interestingly enough. You will earn ten points for taking the session, and you will also see your scoring percentage. Ideally, you need to be scoring at or above the fiftieth percentile in order to pass the AP exam section in May. The higher your multiple choice score, the more room you have for error on your essays. We will be doing a total of ten practice sessions this year, and today's class will also feature a few handy tips for this kind of test. It's different than FCAT/SAT.
Nervous about the SAT or ACT? Did you know that we offer preparation classes here at Boone for free? See Mrs. Cadman for details. If you haven't signed up to take these tests, seniors, please do so.
(And sophomores--we haven't forgotten you. You are all signed up to take the PSAT, for free, on October 17 during periods 1-3. Details forthcoming.)
Gifted English II: Our Author of the Day today is Carl Hiaasen, a terrific Florida novelist and columnist. His work is hilarious and environmentally conscious, and I highly recommend him as a good "fun" outside reading choice. Afterwards, we will finish discussing the philosophical ramifications on Camus and Miller, and review some examples for this week's literary vocabulary (#21-40).
APees: Collect HW from yesterday's passage analysis, and then make the transition into multiple choiceness. One of today's passages will be from The Awakening, interestingly enough. You will earn ten points for taking the session, and you will also see your scoring percentage. Ideally, you need to be scoring at or above the fiftieth percentile in order to pass the AP exam section in May. The higher your multiple choice score, the more room you have for error on your essays. We will be doing a total of ten practice sessions this year, and today's class will also feature a few handy tips for this kind of test. It's different than FCAT/SAT.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Gifted English II: How to Submit a Paper
This is just a reminder for the students in my Gifted English II course.
You will need to upload your paper to www.turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, and then you will need to bring me a hard copy the following day. If you have problems uploading, you may e-mail me your paper as wither a Word attachment or embedded in an e-mail at any of my e-mail addresses by the same time deadline, and I will upload it for you.
On Thursday, when you turn in your hard copy, please do this:
--Revised (final) copy on top, with OR without a cover page. Paper should have a title, though!
--Rough draft and prewriting underneath
--Peer Edit sheet on bottom
I will have a stapler on hand. Thanks, and if you have questions, let me know!
You will need to upload your paper to www.turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, and then you will need to bring me a hard copy the following day. If you have problems uploading, you may e-mail me your paper as wither a Word attachment or embedded in an e-mail at any of my e-mail addresses by the same time deadline, and I will upload it for you.
On Thursday, when you turn in your hard copy, please do this:
--Revised (final) copy on top, with OR without a cover page. Paper should have a title, though!
--Rough draft and prewriting underneath
--Peer Edit sheet on bottom
I will have a stapler on hand. Thanks, and if you have questions, let me know!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Today is the Primary Election Day! If you are 18 and are registered, please exercise your right to be heard and go to your polling place before school (they open at 7!) or after seventh period (they close at 7!) Also, if you are going to be 18 before the general election in November, go see Ms. Davison in the Magnet Suite for a registration form. We can register you to vote here at Boone, or you can register at any public library, most post offices, or right down the street from Boone at the Supervisor of Elections office on Kaley. VOTE. It is your privilege and your right.
Gifted II: Existentialism in a Nutshell; grammar review #1; assign outside reading for this quarter (The Count of Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The abridged version is just fine; I do have a few copies in my classroom for any interested parties. The unabridged features 300 more pages of French countryside descriptions and not much else. It's such a great book! I have a character list for each of you, too.) Tha Author of the Day today is Mark Leyner.
APees: Common Errors on Focus Paper #1 (like not turning one in. . .), close reading of passages from Bovary; preparation for first multiple-choice practice session. Bring a pencil tomorrow.
Gifted II: Existentialism in a Nutshell; grammar review #1; assign outside reading for this quarter (The Count of Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The abridged version is just fine; I do have a few copies in my classroom for any interested parties. The unabridged features 300 more pages of French countryside descriptions and not much else. It's such a great book! I have a character list for each of you, too.) Tha Author of the Day today is Mark Leyner.
APees: Common Errors on Focus Paper #1 (like not turning one in. . .), close reading of passages from Bovary; preparation for first multiple-choice practice session. Bring a pencil tomorrow.
Monday, August 25, 2008
With any luck, we will have an undisturbed week of education--if the weather holds! Oh, the joys of living in Florida.
Gifted English II: Vocabulary Quiz today (I'll give you a few minutes to review first) followed by the delayed peer edit for the paper on Loman and Meursault. I will be extending that assignment deadline, by the way--if will be due on www.turnitin.com by midnight on Wednesday, August 27, and you may bring your hard copy by 4:30 the next day. Hopefully, we will also get textbooks this week, but if we don't, never fear--we have plenty to do! Your homework tonight is to work on your revised draft and define your next set of vocabulary terms--numbers 21-40. Author of the Day today is Alice Walker.
APees: We will be going to College and Career to see Mrs. Cadman today for a brief visit; also, you have the Senior Assembly tomorrow during third period AND counselor meetings by alpha on Tuesday and Thursday in the auditorium. Please check my board to determine what period you need to attend; I will post it in this space as well once I determine if any changes will be made due to last week's cancellations.
Upcoming Issues:
Seniors! Please follow up on your recommendation requests to teachers and other adults in your lives; please also involve your parents in your application process. As you will discover in meetings this week, financial aid and scholarship applications will require financial data from your parents, some fo which may be private. Talk with them now about what they would like you to do, and how much help they are comfortable with seeking from an outside source. I will be happy to help you fill out your online apps and I will also be available to proofread your college essays. However, please do NOT ask me to proofread a paper for another instructor. It is highly unethical and places both of us in a bad position. The Writing Center may be open as early as next week; stay tuned for more details.
Community Service: In the past, I have hosted ushering opportunities at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival. This year, I will not be associated directly with this organization, but I am in the process of handing the reins to another faculty member so you can still earn service hours. The schedule change for high school was a large factor in this decision; I just can't do as much as I used to.
Travels Abroad: I generally chaperon two trips abroad each year with a local non-profit organization that is a licensed vendor for OCPS; last year, we went to London and Italy, and this year, we are going to Vienna/Prague for Thanksgiving Week (you must be eighteen or older to attend, and I only have two spaces left) and Germany for Spring Break. I will be hosting an informational meeting after Labor Day in my classroom, and anyone interested is welcome to attend. I will have informational handouts this week in my classroom. I know travel is expensive, particularly in a recession, but if this is something that your family is interested in anyway, going as part of an educational group is not a bad way to go. (I don't speak German, by the way. . .)
Gifted English II: Vocabulary Quiz today (I'll give you a few minutes to review first) followed by the delayed peer edit for the paper on Loman and Meursault. I will be extending that assignment deadline, by the way--if will be due on www.turnitin.com by midnight on Wednesday, August 27, and you may bring your hard copy by 4:30 the next day. Hopefully, we will also get textbooks this week, but if we don't, never fear--we have plenty to do! Your homework tonight is to work on your revised draft and define your next set of vocabulary terms--numbers 21-40. Author of the Day today is Alice Walker.
APees: We will be going to College and Career to see Mrs. Cadman today for a brief visit; also, you have the Senior Assembly tomorrow during third period AND counselor meetings by alpha on Tuesday and Thursday in the auditorium. Please check my board to determine what period you need to attend; I will post it in this space as well once I determine if any changes will be made due to last week's cancellations.
Upcoming Issues:
Seniors! Please follow up on your recommendation requests to teachers and other adults in your lives; please also involve your parents in your application process. As you will discover in meetings this week, financial aid and scholarship applications will require financial data from your parents, some fo which may be private. Talk with them now about what they would like you to do, and how much help they are comfortable with seeking from an outside source. I will be happy to help you fill out your online apps and I will also be available to proofread your college essays. However, please do NOT ask me to proofread a paper for another instructor. It is highly unethical and places both of us in a bad position. The Writing Center may be open as early as next week; stay tuned for more details.
Community Service: In the past, I have hosted ushering opportunities at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival. This year, I will not be associated directly with this organization, but I am in the process of handing the reins to another faculty member so you can still earn service hours. The schedule change for high school was a large factor in this decision; I just can't do as much as I used to.
Travels Abroad: I generally chaperon two trips abroad each year with a local non-profit organization that is a licensed vendor for OCPS; last year, we went to London and Italy, and this year, we are going to Vienna/Prague for Thanksgiving Week (you must be eighteen or older to attend, and I only have two spaces left) and Germany for Spring Break. I will be hosting an informational meeting after Labor Day in my classroom, and anyone interested is welcome to attend. I will have informational handouts this week in my classroom. I know travel is expensive, particularly in a recession, but if this is something that your family is interested in anyway, going as part of an educational group is not a bad way to go. (I don't speak German, by the way. . .)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Oh, Goodness
We are out of school tomorrow due to inclement weather and the Hurricane That Won't Become A Hurricane or Leave. We'll make up the date on Friday, October 24.
You can get further information at www.ocps.net.
I'm sorry that we won't be able to work together tomorrow; APees still need to submit their papers to me on www.turnitin.com or via e-mail by midnight tomorrow night. If you have a power outage--and right now no one in our area does--we can work something out next week.
I have to get back to domestic reinforcements; my office at home sprung a leak from all the rain!
Best wishes to everyone.
You can get further information at www.ocps.net.
I'm sorry that we won't be able to work together tomorrow; APees still need to submit their papers to me on www.turnitin.com or via e-mail by midnight tomorrow night. If you have a power outage--and right now no one in our area does--we can work something out next week.
I have to get back to domestic reinforcements; my office at home sprung a leak from all the rain!
Best wishes to everyone.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Good morning, sunshines! The amended schedule for today does involve the senior assembly, so listen carefully to the announcements to determine when and where to go.
Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Alice Walker. Peer review for the rough draft of The Stranger/Death of a Salesman paper; students new to the class need to read during this activity. First period has a little game to play, after which we will begin discussing existential theory as it relates to Camus. (Handout from your first-day folder.) Homework this weekend: Work on polishing your paper, which is due Tuesday on http://www.turnitin.com/, and study your first twenty literary terms for a super-easy quiz on Monday. (The quiz would normally be on Friday, but the storm precluded staying on schedule. My apologies for any "confusement.")
APees: Your first focus paper is due tonight at 11:59 p.m. on http://www.turnitin.com/. If you have any problems, e-mail me your paper by the deadline at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net and I will upload it for you. In class, we will be discussing Flaubert and Chopin some more--I'll bet you can't wait! We are also going to College and Career to see Mrs. Cadman this period.
Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Alice Walker. Peer review for the rough draft of The Stranger/Death of a Salesman paper; students new to the class need to read during this activity. First period has a little game to play, after which we will begin discussing existential theory as it relates to Camus. (Handout from your first-day folder.) Homework this weekend: Work on polishing your paper, which is due Tuesday on http://www.turnitin.com/, and study your first twenty literary terms for a super-easy quiz on Monday. (The quiz would normally be on Friday, but the storm precluded staying on schedule. My apologies for any "confusement.")
APees: Your first focus paper is due tonight at 11:59 p.m. on http://www.turnitin.com/. If you have any problems, e-mail me your paper by the deadline at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net and I will upload it for you. In class, we will be discussing Flaubert and Chopin some more--I'll bet you can't wait! We are also going to College and Career to see Mrs. Cadman this period.
Lecture Notes on Madame Bovary and Flaubert
This lecture is from Thursday, August 21, 2008, bad weather notwithstanding:
Outline on board:
-physiognomy (connecting physical traits to psychological or personality characteristics)
-themes and motifs in the novel
Question: Does American popular culture overemphasize romantic (not Romantic--there's a difference) ideals in relationships between lovers? Specifically, between men and women? Think about "The Hills," "Gossip Girl," any typical soap-operatic fantasy, the Twilight books. . .
Outline on board:
-physiognomy (connecting physical traits to psychological or personality characteristics)
-themes and motifs in the novel
- condemnation of the bourgeoisie
- failure to communicate/connect
- naturalism (heredity and social environment) and its implications with the characters
- powerlessness of women--Emma v. Leon with contrasting outcomes but similar desires
- debunking Romantic ideology/Emma's fantasies
- institution of marriage itself
- dared to write the novel to uproot his deep-seated Romanticism
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo
- sentimentalism
- Romantic hero--notably absent from Bovary
- "Imagination is rich; the world is cold and empty"--the persistent belief that rationalism had robbed men of illusions/dreams
- Romantic ideology often espouses that Nature is a healing entity, but Flaubert seems to see rural life as backward and suffocating--not the exalted, idealized life envisioned by the English Romantics
- Balzac, Stendahl, Zola, Guy de Maupassant ("The Necklace")
- often criticized for being too bleak, too despairing
- le mot juste--Flaubert's legendary perfectionism
- avoiding banality--but what do we idealize today? The popular culture quest for instant fame, the current foreclosure crisis--Bovary is as relevant today as ever before
- Memoirs of a Madman--Flaubert's memoirs, with telling evidence of the autobiographical nature of Madame Bovary
Question: Does American popular culture overemphasize romantic (not Romantic--there's a difference) ideals in relationships between lovers? Specifically, between men and women? Think about "The Hills," "Gossip Girl," any typical soap-operatic fantasy, the Twilight books. . .
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
REMINDER: Sophomore assembly during third period in the auditorium today. Report to your third period class first, then await dismissal.
Gifted English II: Collect HW questions for assessment. Check-reading quiz on The Stranger and Death of a Salesman. New students to the course will be reading silently during this time--you will have three weeks to catch up on this particular assignment. Afterwards, I will go over the other ten words on your first vocabulary list. Author of the Day today is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Rough draft of your paper on The Stranger is due Friday for peer review. The vocabulary quiz will be postponed until next week due to Semi-Hurricane Fay.
APees: After we take our short quizlet on The Awakening, we are going to start our discussion of Flaubert and Chopin's writing styles. Your focus paper is due tomorrow night by midnight on www.turnitin.com. See me if you have further existential crises related to this website--it isn't perfect, but I can troubleshoot problems for you.
Also--remember that I will be hosting office hours tomorrow morning for college application conversations. We are going to see Mrs. Cadman tomorrow in College and Career during class to further shed light on your application process.
Gifted English II: Collect HW questions for assessment. Check-reading quiz on The Stranger and Death of a Salesman. New students to the course will be reading silently during this time--you will have three weeks to catch up on this particular assignment. Afterwards, I will go over the other ten words on your first vocabulary list. Author of the Day today is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Rough draft of your paper on The Stranger is due Friday for peer review. The vocabulary quiz will be postponed until next week due to Semi-Hurricane Fay.
APees: After we take our short quizlet on The Awakening, we are going to start our discussion of Flaubert and Chopin's writing styles. Your focus paper is due tomorrow night by midnight on www.turnitin.com. See me if you have further existential crises related to this website--it isn't perfect, but I can troubleshoot problems for you.
Also--remember that I will be hosting office hours tomorrow morning for college application conversations. We are going to see Mrs. Cadman tomorrow in College and Career during class to further shed light on your application process.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Thank goodness that we still have short Wednesdays--hope exists for all of us to get out of the parking lots before rush hour commences. Be careful of deleterious weather conditions in the a.m.!
The Writing Center is still not open, and I have no details on how it will be run yet. I will post as soon as we can reach consensus on time, location, and personnel.
Gifted II: Distribute Academic Codes of Conduct and review dress code for 2008-2009. Author of the Day: Raymond Carver. In-class lesson: First 20 literary terms and their definitions. Homework for tonight: Thought questions on The Stranger by Camus. Neatly handwritten is fine, but word-processed responses will be appreciated. Just sayin'.
APees: Review suggestions for focus paper #1 and trouble-shoot www.turnitin.com. 17 of you have already signed up for accounts, so thank you for being so proactive! Academic vocabulary and review of definitions you need for the year; first quiz on The Awakening will be tomorrow in class.
College Applications: I will be available before school on Tuesdays and Fridays to help students with college apps or to process recommendation requests. If you can't arrive early (I'll be there at least an hour before classes start) and you have a free period during third, pop by 313 and I'll see if I can help you. You can also chat me up quickly between classes, but I will NOT be staying after school this year due to the adjusted bell schedule. I can also book specific times by request. Don't forget that we're going to see Mrs. Cadman in College and Career on Friday! Go ahead and ask three adults who love you (but are not related to you) to draft rec letters on your behalf!
The Writing Center is still not open, and I have no details on how it will be run yet. I will post as soon as we can reach consensus on time, location, and personnel.
Gifted II: Distribute Academic Codes of Conduct and review dress code for 2008-2009. Author of the Day: Raymond Carver. In-class lesson: First 20 literary terms and their definitions. Homework for tonight: Thought questions on The Stranger by Camus. Neatly handwritten is fine, but word-processed responses will be appreciated. Just sayin'.
APees: Review suggestions for focus paper #1 and trouble-shoot www.turnitin.com. 17 of you have already signed up for accounts, so thank you for being so proactive! Academic vocabulary and review of definitions you need for the year; first quiz on The Awakening will be tomorrow in class.
College Applications: I will be available before school on Tuesdays and Fridays to help students with college apps or to process recommendation requests. If you can't arrive early (I'll be there at least an hour before classes start) and you have a free period during third, pop by 313 and I'll see if I can help you. You can also chat me up quickly between classes, but I will NOT be staying after school this year due to the adjusted bell schedule. I can also book specific times by request. Don't forget that we're going to see Mrs. Cadman in College and Career on Friday! Go ahead and ask three adults who love you (but are not related to you) to draft rec letters on your behalf!
the little storm that couldn't
Alas, my peeps--no school today. And the weather, while not great, seemed to be mild enough to permit attendance.
We will be back in class tomorrow, but be careful out there with the wind and the rain! Tomorrow morning will be icky so drive carefully and watch your step on wet sidewalks. Farewell, Fay--we hardly knew ye.
Updates: The senior assembly has been moved to Friday, third period, and the non-fire drill that we aren't having will be sixth period on THURSDAY. If you are in my sixth period class, we will exit the 300 hall, walk along the bus ramp, and egress together into the practice field. Wear sneakers. If you have another class sixth period, your teacher will tell you where to go.
THE AP FOCUS PAPER IS STILL DUE FRIDAY BY MIDNIGHT ON TURNITIN.COM AND I NEED A HARD COPY BY MONDAY AT THE LATEST.
We will be back in class tomorrow, but be careful out there with the wind and the rain! Tomorrow morning will be icky so drive carefully and watch your step on wet sidewalks. Farewell, Fay--we hardly knew ye.
Updates: The senior assembly has been moved to Friday, third period, and the non-fire drill that we aren't having will be sixth period on THURSDAY. If you are in my sixth period class, we will exit the 300 hall, walk along the bus ramp, and egress together into the practice field. Wear sneakers. If you have another class sixth period, your teacher will tell you where to go.
THE AP FOCUS PAPER IS STILL DUE FRIDAY BY MIDNIGHT ON TURNITIN.COM AND I NEED A HARD COPY BY MONDAY AT THE LATEST.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
August 18, 2008
Happy First Day of School! I hope we can avoid the onslaught of Tropical Storm/Semi-Hurricane Fay, but I'm not above teaching at Barnes and Noble in the event that classes are postponed on Tuesday due to high winds. Not mandatory, of course. I just really like teaching. And today's my birthday and I'll teach if I want to.
A few announcements: SENIOR ASSEMBLY tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd period--Fay may interrupt that. SOPHY ASSEMBLY Thursday 3rd period. And we are absolutely, positively NOT having a fire drill on Friday during sixth period. Nope. We're not allowed to have advance notice of those events, but I'd wear casual shoes and bring an umbrella on Friday in case we absolutely don't go out to the field together, say, during sixth period. I will fail to inform you with more details on Thursday.
APees: Syllabus, quotation from Gustav Flaubert, notice of the first focus paper, academic vocabulary. Your homework this week will involve preparing for a handful of quizzes, writing (re-writing, right?) your first focus paper, and signing up for an account on www.turnitin.com. If you ever have a question, concern, or existential crisis, you can reach me at either jennifer.hilley@ocps.net OR at hilleyj@gmail.com. Just don't be surprised if Charlotte Bronte or some other famous author writes back. . .I like pseudonyms on Gmail.
Sophys: Syllabus, first paper assignment, 20 literary terms, guidelines for writing folder and author of the day. Your homework this week will involve preparing for a check-reading quiz that might be postponed due to Fay, working on your first rough draft for peer review, and studying 20 literary terms. Our first grammar review will be next week. Please read over your syllabus for Quarter One and check the board each day for the agenda; I update this blog nightly and it's another good resource for staying on top of your work. And I think that the new planners are really, really cute! USE THEM!!!! You will also be creating an account at turnitin--check the contact info above for the APees. My contact data is also on page one of your syllabus.
And please don't be overwhelmed this week, guys--there are many things going on, and some changes we all have to (bitterly) adjust to. When in doubt, remember my key phrase for getting through life's funny little challenges: OPTIMISM NOW! Or, if you don't trust me--the immortal words of Douglas Adams: DON'T PANIC.
A few announcements: SENIOR ASSEMBLY tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd period--Fay may interrupt that. SOPHY ASSEMBLY Thursday 3rd period. And we are absolutely, positively NOT having a fire drill on Friday during sixth period. Nope. We're not allowed to have advance notice of those events, but I'd wear casual shoes and bring an umbrella on Friday in case we absolutely don't go out to the field together, say, during sixth period. I will fail to inform you with more details on Thursday.
APees: Syllabus, quotation from Gustav Flaubert, notice of the first focus paper, academic vocabulary. Your homework this week will involve preparing for a handful of quizzes, writing (re-writing, right?) your first focus paper, and signing up for an account on www.turnitin.com. If you ever have a question, concern, or existential crisis, you can reach me at either jennifer.hilley@ocps.net OR at hilleyj@gmail.com. Just don't be surprised if Charlotte Bronte or some other famous author writes back. . .I like pseudonyms on Gmail.
Sophys: Syllabus, first paper assignment, 20 literary terms, guidelines for writing folder and author of the day. Your homework this week will involve preparing for a check-reading quiz that might be postponed due to Fay, working on your first rough draft for peer review, and studying 20 literary terms. Our first grammar review will be next week. Please read over your syllabus for Quarter One and check the board each day for the agenda; I update this blog nightly and it's another good resource for staying on top of your work. And I think that the new planners are really, really cute! USE THEM!!!! You will also be creating an account at turnitin--check the contact info above for the APees. My contact data is also on page one of your syllabus.
And please don't be overwhelmed this week, guys--there are many things going on, and some changes we all have to (bitterly) adjust to. When in doubt, remember my key phrase for getting through life's funny little challenges: OPTIMISM NOW! Or, if you don't trust me--the immortal words of Douglas Adams: DON'T PANIC.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
turnitin.com
Hello! If you are one of my rising students--and the rosters aren't complete yet, so you might not know for sure just yet, unless you are in Gifted English II--then you will be using an online tool called "turnitin" this year. In fact, your first grade for my class (only five points, but every little bit helps, right?) involves creating your own account for my class on this website. You will be submitting most of your papers through this site this year, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much it can simplify your life once you get the hang of it. It's like creating an online writing folder, and its ultimate purpose is to protect you from allegations of plagiarism, even inadvertent.
If you are ready to get started and explore the site, you will need to sign in at www.turnitin.com. There is a link for students on the home page, and then you need this information to create your own profile with your e-mail address. (Please be judicious when using an e-mail address; if you have one that is more professional than "pimpmyhat@yahoo.com," please default to the better identifier.)
If you are in Gifted English II, the course number is 2341341 and the password is Classof2011.
If you are in AP Lit with me as your instructor, the course number is 2341338 and the password is Classof2009. (I do not believe that Mrs. Covert's students will be utilizing this resource this year.)
Comment here or e-mail me at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net if you have any trouble with this. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to a great year!
If you are ready to get started and explore the site, you will need to sign in at www.turnitin.com. There is a link for students on the home page, and then you need this information to create your own profile with your e-mail address. (Please be judicious when using an e-mail address; if you have one that is more professional than "pimpmyhat@yahoo.com," please default to the better identifier.)
If you are in Gifted English II, the course number is 2341341 and the password is Classof2011.
If you are in AP Lit with me as your instructor, the course number is 2341338 and the password is Classof2009. (I do not believe that Mrs. Covert's students will be utilizing this resource this year.)
Comment here or e-mail me at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net if you have any trouble with this. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to a great year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)