Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Gifted English II: Since so many students needed additional time for the Monte Cristo tests yesterday, today we will do the following four tasks:

1. Finish setting up for the Author of the Day presentations;

2. Finish the horror unit lecture/discussion from the notes;

3. Go over the Edgar Allan Poe vocabulary and discuss "Pit;" and

4. Go over ideas for the focus paper and the Gifted English Style Guide.

APees: The Act II Quiz will be tomorrow, and it is a lulu due to my fondness for asking you about quotes. Thus, today--review of Act II from stem to stern, so to speak! Go, Hamlet!

Authors of the Day: Master List

Dear Sophys:

You will have an Author of the Day quiz on Tuesday, September 29. You may use your notes; you may not use someone else's nor any other source.

Here are the authors we have studied thus far this year! (Mostly in order, too!)

1. Raymond Carver

2. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

3. Alice Walker

4. Mark Leyner

5. Saki

6. Toni Morrison

7. Stephen King

8. Angela Shelf Madearis

9. Carl Hiaasen

10. Vladimir Nabakov

11. JG Ballard

12. Samuel Taylor Coleridge

13. Louise Erdrich

14. Nathaniel Hawthorne

15. Jorge Luis Borges

16. JK Rowling

17. Robert Browning

18. John Keats

19. Michael Crichton

20. George Gordon, Lord Byron

We have approximately 15 more authors to do before I turn it over to you for Author Presentations during the second quarter. Excitement abounds in Gifted English II!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY. Prepare for heavier traffic than normal near polling places, and for a LOT of political coverage on the local and national news outlets. Be an informed and educated electorate and know what's going on!

Seniors: Herff Jones will be back on campus on Wednesday and Thursday so that you may order your caps and gowns if you have not already done so. You may also order these items on the website; I believe that there is a link on the BHS homepage.

Gifted English II: Two Author of the Day presentations in each class and completion of the critical thinking unit we started yesterday. Please begin reading Candide by Voltaire if you have not already done so; there is a helpful character list in the satire packet to help you if you find confusion. (Personally, I think the book is fairly clear. . .but take a look and ask me if you have any questions.)

APees: Hamlet, further defined, and the conclusion of Act III.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Please accept my belated birthday greetings to all October babies. And September and August ones, too, if we want to be technical about all of the birthdays I've forgotten of late. Here. have a cupcake, produced by an official manufacturer and wrapped/sealed carefully with Scotch tape. (You can't see the Scotch tape, since it's invisible, but it's there and is mightily protecting you from germs.)

Why, that's big enough for a whole class, isn't it? But no--you can't share! That would violate policy. Be safe, be sane, be careful of Rogue Cupcakes, people. Safety first!

Please don't forget that today is Around the World Day for Homecoming Week, a day in which you can celebrate by finding awesome clothing that reflects the social mores of other cultures.

Sophys: Icarus, grammar, Authors of the Day, and the return of various graded papers to file in your notebook. We will also feature a Title Parade of the Count of Monte Cristo essays and a friendly reminder to acquire the novel Candide. (Several of my seniors are donating their old copies, so if you need one, see me ASAP.) Also, regarding your English notebook: I realize that for some of you, the English notebook is actually a pile of decrepit and squished papers at the bottom of your backpack, while for some of you it is a proud collection of laminated, cross-referenced, and color-coded documents. Each of you learns differently. However, please allow me to state this: DO NOT THROW YOUR STUFF OUT NEXT WEEK MERELY BECAUSE IT IS A NEW QUARTER. What is coming up in December? Why, the end of the semester--and you need that information for the semester exam. If you'd like to "download" your data and file it at home for a while, then that's fine--but don't throw it away. I cannot generate new handouts for you to help you prepare for the upcoming exam.

APees: More explorations of Hamlet, and a segue to Act II. Oh, and please see the above rant about your English notes: throw out nothing. File it away, yes, but you WILL need this information, not only for the semester test (which is a lulu) but for the national exam in May (which is a super-lulu.) Don't stress out, though--consider this a rite of passage into adulthood. Welcome to the pressures of high expectation. It will not improve with age.

Much love to all; I can't wait to see your costumes tomorrow!