Thursday, January 4, 2010

Today is Liberace Appreciation Day! I have no idea how you'd like to celebrate this day of wonder and joy, but I plan to wear glitter.

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar Unit Test (easy!) and Othello Act I, scene i. Warning: It's saucy.

APees: Review for Frankenstein check-reading test tomorrow, complete with related allusions to Milton, Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. If we have time, I'd like to start cranking through "Ode to the West Wind". It is all kinds of awesome, except for one weak line.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Today's Homecoming Dress-up Occasion is: WHATEVER!!! It's really called My Favorite. . . which has led me to believe that some children will dress up as their favorite serial killer or some such, while others will take the more sedate road and dress up as a favorite cartoon character or Harry Potter-esque thing. One girl offered to dress like me, and I hope she was kidding. What, a long dress and a cardigan? With a piece of glitter stuck to the side of your nose? Hmmmm.

(She's very sweet, though.)

So dress up tomorrow as your favorite Whatever, but stay in dress code and there will be much rejoicing.

Because. . .

Today is TEST DAY in 313! Bring a pencil and the necessary caffeine (for you, not for me--I plan to be super-prepared tomorrow.)

Gifted English II: Antigone test, which won't take all period (I hope) and will allow us time to launch into Icarus and Friends.

APeeps: Mactest. This will take some people all period; when you are finished, I invite you to read Eliot's "Preludes" and get ready for a bumpy ride.

Love to all!

Friday, September 11, 2009

NOTE: The first poetry reading will be after school today from 2:30-4:30 in room 313; there will be snacks. This is for AP students but, really, if you are completely fascinated by poetry come along. Mrs. Covert and I are co-hosting, and we are analyzing four poems of varying intensity this week. If this one goes well, we will host them every three-four weeks.

Gifted English II: Author of the Day is Samuel Taylor Coleridge, my favorite Romantic poet. And I have a pop-up book to share with you that features his poem "Kubla Khan" as illustrated by Nick Bantock--another Author of the Day in the next few weeks or so. Vocabulary quiz follows, with analysis of "Billy."

APees: Oedipus Rex Test. And there will be much rejoicing. Help with ORex focus papers if you are so inclined.

Have a great weekend!

APees: First Major Test

The AP students took their first major test today, and the results were underwhelming. I curved it three points, since after careful re-reading I decided that #52 could be interpreted in more than one way, depending on how you read the passage. I never want subjectivity to get in the way of academic success.

A three-point curve doesn't make much of a difference, though, to ameliorate low scores. Here are the averages:

Period Three: 74.8

Period Five: 75.8

Period Six: 75.9

Period Seven: 64.6

Now, from a strict bell-curve perspective, these are not bad averages. They represent a bell curve, after all, with a handful of truly low scores and a handful of truly high ones, and the bulk right in the middle. I spent some time this afternoon reviewing what appeared to be frequently-missed questions, and disaggregating data (doesn't that sound impressive? It really just involved a calculator and three cans of Diet Coke) and I have three theories:

1. Some of you are not comfortable test-takers.

2. Some of you read the novels quickly and/or a long time ago, and consequently had difficulty remembering salient details.

3. Some of you did not read actively (or at all) and these test scores are the bitter fruits of such procrastinatory deeds.

Then, as the mighty power of Diet Coke coursed through my veins, I wondered how we could solve all three problems. Here are my suggestions:

1. We will work on multiple-choice strategies this year, since the AP exam has 55 multiple choice questions like this test did. I want to ameliorate test anxiety, and show you various ways to address MC questions and enhance your recall.

2. We will also work on high-yield reading strategies to help you retain information longer and with more understanding.

3. I will symbolically smack you for being adolescents and repeatedly finding more interesting things to do with your time than read your assignments. Actually, I'm kidding about that part--You HAVE TO READ CAREFULLY, CLOSELY, and MEANINGFULLY. I cannot do this part for you!

That said, a handful of students made As on this adventure, and your next opportunity to impress is due Friday with the first focus paper. Be well. Really.

Love to all.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I actually bought a green handbag for the occasion. And green nail polish!

Gifted English II: Othello Unit Test. Bring a pen or pencil--it will definitely take all period.

APees: Review for Romanticism Unit Test, with a classy handout to help you. Don't forget that the Jane Eyre paper is due by midnight tonight on www.turnitin.com.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Mr Bailey will be your sub today, so be super-nice to him!!! He's a Gator!

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar Unit test, and content vocabulary for Othello. Use the dictionaries in the room to identify as many words as you can, although some are archaic and must be defined in context. IF YOU HAVE A COPY OF NO FEAR OTHELLO, BRING IT TOMORROW.

APees: "Ode to the West Wind" and TP-CASTT. Quick reminder (which will be posted on the board, btw): TP-CASTT is a College Board-recommended mnemonic device for analyzing tricky poems. Since "Ode" is in a complicated set of terza rima sonnets, this format will help you deconstruct what Shelley is attempting to convey about autumn, grieving, and the creative process (among other things.)

Title
Paraphrase
Connotation (figurative language, essentially)
Attitude/tone
Shifts
Title, again--symbolic interpretation, perhaps?
THEME

Also, also, also: www.turnitin.com is NOT an option. BOTH CLASSES will need to post their focus papers on this website by Friday, January 30 at midnight, or e-mail it to jennifer.hilley@ocps.net by the same time deadline to receive full credit for the paper. Each late day will cost you five points. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Good luck to all students participating in the All County Band Competition today.  Please check this space for updates in light of your absence.

Gifted English II:  Screening of specific scenes from Julius Caesar in class, preparatory to the JC Unit Test next week.  Also, you will get your JC scavenger hunts back for studying purposes.

AP Literature:  Conclusion of "Rime" and quiz.  We will be making a transition into John Keats next week, and continuing to work with Frankenstein.  Our next novel is Jane Eyre and we are laying the groundwork for this incredible book as we speak.  

Semester Exam Schedule: Monday, January 12, 2009

Thanks you in advance to my AP Literature students who agreed to take their semester test early, or in another period. The new grade deadline has complicated matters a bit, but together we shall annihilate any obstacle in our path!

Here is the exam schedule for today, with our planned activities written in for your information:

0 PD EXAM:

8:30 AM

(Note: I don't have a zero period, but anyone who needs to make up the JC memorization or needs to make up a quiz, come by. I'll be here.)

3RD PD EXAM:

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM AP Literature and Composition; early test-takers only

Anyone else in need of a place to study needs to go to the Media Center. This room is testing.

2^ND PD:

11:36 – 12:14 Julius Caesar memorizations, part II, and JC review for exam

AP Lit Classes; semi-normal (forty minutes each)

LESSON: "Frankenstein: Birthing the New Female Gothic" and collect Frankenstein reading journals.

4^TH PD:

NORMAL 4^TH PD AND LUNCH ROTATION

5^TH PD:

1:45 – 2:34

6^TH PD:

2:40 – 3:29

7^TH PD:

3:35 – 4:24

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

APees: Several of you have requested supplemental material to ameliorate gaps in your reading history. Without engaging in any disrespectful rhetoric towards ANY of my colleagues, we do have to acknowledge that some courses require different reading than others, and some of you have expressed concerns that frequent in-class allusions are flying over your heads. To help, I spent a large part of my weekend compiling two documents for you: a recommended reading list that every AP student should have read by the end of high school in an ideal world, and a summary packet of the titles I teach in my tenth grade English class. Both are optional, and completely voluntary. The goal here is to level the playing field as much as possible before you take that test in May. Please don't think I am teaching to the test--the test is a separate product from the course, and I cannot take moral responsibility for whether you pass that test or not. HOWEVER--let's be realistic. You signed up for this class for a variety of reasons, but I'd assume that one of them was to avoid having to take freshman comp next year. So here is another tool in your arsenal to help you achieve that goal if you feel that you're missing some titles--or if you didn't read them when they were originally assigned. (I did not fall off of a turnip truck and I'm aware that some of my illustrious scholars don't read everything they are supposed to. This is why we have "grade distributions" and "bell curves" and "lousy third quarters.") That's a very long-winded way of saying that the copies are in, and you are welcome to one if you'd like. Once I master the art of imbedding pdf files, you can get it here, too.

Sophys: Field trip to the Media Center! Be sure to bring your ID or five dollars with which to procure another one. Author of the Day is Jane Austen; we will review SOME of the vocab words for our second-to-last literary terms list; fun and frolicsome-ness with new textbooks.

APees again: ORex test; if we finish early, two awesome poems in the literary anthology thematically related to ORex. We will be doing some transitional work with poetry before we launch into the next awesome, awesome unit: Shakespeare!!! Although I don't know if I have the energy to redo my huge chart thing about Henry VIII and the whole Tudor mess. I will say this, though--if you are watching The Tudors on Showmax or HBS or Cineshow or whatever those premium channels are (I'm a teacher, and poor, and therefore don't subscribe) then you are getting a very, very skewed idea of history. Or that wretched movie with Natalie and Scarlett. Pretty dresses; ugly adherence to accuracy. Entertainment rocks, though, eh?

Word of the Day: apotheosis (noun): elevation of an individual to a state of divinity

Monday, September 15, 2008

Can you believe that it's halfway through September already?

So much to do today, kids. Tragically, a typical Monday for so many of us. I'll be in 313 early in the morning, preparing for the onslaught and entering grades. Progress reports will go home at the end of this week, so if you think you're missing anything, come see me. I will happily print a grade slip for any student who asks nicely. Before class would be ideal--please don't interrupt one of my award-winning, deeply focused lectures to ask for your grade. (Note sarcasm regarding both descriptors of said lectures--I think my train derails as much as Listort's. I'm working on it, people. ADHD doesn't just affect adolescents.)

Announcements: Writing Center is open tomorrow! And sophys get textbooks tomorrow! and the fire drill that might have been scheduled for first period might have been rescheduled for third period in light of the Florida State counselor coming to speak to seniors in the auditorium. (Seniors, you can still get a pass before school from Mrs. Cadman in College and Career--and I highly recommend going if you are even contemplating attending this school. Relationships with college reps are exempt from "familiarity breeds contempt." Let them know who you are, and see your passion for attending their school. Do not show up and declare that "if I don't get in at my dream school, going to School A might not be too horrible". That happened last year, and it wasn't pretty for that kid.)

Sophys: After sharing our HW (grammar errors found in the public sphere; should be entertaining) we will have Amy Tan as our Author of the Day. We will also take notes on genres and review what we learned about irony--and do some more grammar! It will be a great, informative day.

APees: Two academic focii: (Latin scholars--is that the appropriate plural, or should I just say "focual points" and remove any doubt?) A) Glaysher, part II, and B) review for the super-duper ORex test tomorrow.

Word of the Day: picayune: (adjective) something trivial (oddly, there are several newspapers called "The Picayune"--I do not think it means what they think it means.)