Friday, February 19, 2010

Word of the Day: chinchilla

Holiday of the Day: Iwo Jima Day and International Mother Language Day.

Gifted English II: The Lupercal Festival is upon us. Each group will present an element of Roman life to the class, from Entertainment to Clothing to Food. Good luck all groups!

APees: Keats, Keats, more Keats. I love this guy.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Today is my half-birthday; not that I celebrate it or anything, but I am keenly aware that in a year and a half I will be forty years old. FORTY. I know people say that forty is the new twenty or whatever, and I know I don't look my age (between the generalized immaturity and the sole benefit of being fat--non-wrinkling, I am perpetually 27 or so) but dang. 40. Makes one think. I need to write that novel like NOW.

::self-pitying rant over::

Let's check out the curriculum!!!

Word of the Day: amalgam

Today's Holiday: Battery Day, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (sounds sexist but is actually encouraging) and Chocolate Mint Day.

Gifted English II: Final Lupercal meeting; Othello again. Awesome!

APees: Shelley focus paper assignment (oh, don't act surprised) and Keats again--this time, "Nightingale." Romanticism creative project is due by March 2, 2010.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

APees: If you need to make up the Frankenstein test, I really need to give it to you after school today during the English Department meeting. I will be in 315 for about 14 minutes (if the meeting goes as scheduled--fingers crossed!) and I will have you in the adjacent office/313 testing. Bring a pen or pencil and your brain. The make-up test is challenging.

Gifted English II: Today we need to solidify groups for the Lupercal project, which I think we should move to next Friday to give you time to plan. I'll let you generate a planning session and clarify the expectations for the project. Good times! If we have time after that, I'd like to go over the Julius Caesar focus paper assignment, too, which is due February 12, 2010 AND needs to go on www.turnitin.com. Tomorrow is the last chance to generate an account on this service, so see me if you have problems. Now that the first part of the FCAT is over we can start moving forward more purposefully to AP Language preparation.

APees: "Ode to the West Wind" by Shelley and TP-CASTT analysis. Our next poet is Keats, so you WILL need your lit books pretty much each day from now until further notice. Reminder: Frankenjournals are due Friday, and NEED TO BE TYPED. I am still vacillating on whether or not they need to be uploaded to www.turnitin.com considering the personal nature of the assignment, but this is the assignment last year that yielded the most plagiarism. I am at a moral crossroads and think I will err on the side of caution. Love to all, though; love to all.

Remember: THREE DAY WEEKEND COMING UP!!!!!!!!!

Monday, February 9, 2009: Lupercal Edition

This was the only image of Lupercalia that was safe for a website of this readership. Some of the stuff out there on the old Internets is. . .scary. . .

Sophys: Today is our Lupercal festivity! Each group will present their research to the class, complete with food, togas, and other regalia. All will be well. I hope. Tomorrow is FCAT Writes!

APees: Review "The Cormorant" by Rosanna Warren, discuss Jane Eyre, and introduce "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats. Next reading assignment for JE: Chapters 5-12, due Friday.

NOTE: There is no school on Monday, the 16th, due to Presidents Day.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Happy Birthday to Stacey H. in fifth period!

Gifted English II: Introduction to Othello, and review of yesterday's content vocabulary. Also, we need to briefly reconvene our Lupercal groups and check on ideas and progress for our awesome Lupercal Festival. Caley, Savannah, and Thompson: could we get some pictures for posterity?

APees: Follow up with "West Wind" and look at trends that echo Romanticism; distribution of Romanticism creative project; prep for final Frankenquiz; distribution of Jane Eyre copies for any students who need them. For the rest of you: If you have already acquired a copy of this amazing novel, please bring it with you to class tomorrow.