SUMMER READING

If you've bounced to this page, you may or may not have already seen the summer reading lists on the BHS website. If you have, great! You can skip this! If not, though:

RISING GIFTED ENGLISH II (NON-MAGNET) STUDENTS:

Please read The Stranger by Albert Camus and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. There will be a test on Tuesday, August 24 that separates the readers from the SparkNoters, so be prepared.

RISING APEES:

The summer reading packet is on the BHS website in its entirety, but the reading assignment is as follows:

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

and one of the following:

The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

You will need to submit a completed focus paper on Friday, August 27 by 3 p.m. that fuses a theme from the three works you study this summer. We discussed some of these possibilities in the spring meetings.

If any of you have any questions, you can reach me at hilleyj@gmail.com OR at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net.

You have a little over a month, so get crackin'! Love to all.

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Congratulations, students! This is your last week of school for the 2009-2010 school year! The past 36 weeks have been exhilarating, frustrating, enlightening, and hopefully challenging for each of you. Tomorrow morning begins the bulk of exam testing (you already took seventh period on Friday) and here is the schedule for the rest of the week.

REMINDERS:

1. Please do not bring a backpack or overly large bag with you to school this week, per district policy.

2. I will be here Monday morning and all day Wednesday. I will be out Tuesday but you can reach me via e-mail intermittently throughout the day.

3. I will give you cocoa tomorrow! Cups provided!

4. I did gank some pencils from the SAT this weekend, but bring one if you can.

2010 FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

WEDNESDAY BELL SCHEDULE, 7^TH PERIOD EXAM

MONDAY, JUNE 7

7:20-9:20 FIRST PERIOD EXAM

10 MINUTE BREAK

9:30-11:30 SECOND PERIOD EXAM

FOURTH PERIOD

11:36-12:06 A LUNCH/B CLASS

12:12-12:42 B LUNCH/A CLASS

FIFTH PERIOD REVIEW

12:48-1:28 (40 MINUTES)

SIXTH PERIOD REVIEW

1:34-2:14 (40 MINUTES)

TUESDAY, JUNE 8

7:20-9:20 FIFTH PERIOD EXAM

10 MINUTE BREAK

9:30-11:30 SIXTH PERIOD EXAM

THIRD PERIOD (A LUNCH—BUILDINGS 500, 600, 700, 800, UPPER 1000, 1300, PORTABLES; B LUNCH—BUILDINGS 100, 200, 300, 1100, LOWER 1000, 900)

11:36-12:06 A LUNCH/B CLASS

12:12-12:42 B LUNCH/A CLASS

THIRD PERIOD REVIEW

12:48-1:28 (40 MINUTES)

FOURTH PERIOD REVIEW

1:34-2:14 (40 MINUTES)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9

7:20-9:20 THIRD PERIOD EXAM

9:30-11:30 FOURTH PERIOD EXAM

FIRST PERIOD LUNCH (A LUNCH—BUILDINGS 500, 600, 700, 800, UPPER 1000, 1300, PROTABLES; B LUNCH – 100, 200, 300, 1100, LOWER 1000, 900)

11:36-12:06 A LUNCH/B CLASS

12:12-12:42 B LUNCH/A CLASS

FIRST PERIOD

12:48-1:14 (26 MINUTES)

Dear Seniors,

Grades 95% done; currently updating ProgressBook. Should be accurate by tomorrow, one-ish.

If you still need to submit a HofD paper on www.turnitin.com or e-mail it to me (you know who you are) let me know ASAP. Grades are due to Dr. J. by noon on Thursday.

Dear Sophys:

I know I've been neglectful, but you have to admit that class lately has been insightful. I'm giving you 100% on the instructional side to hopefully compensate for the slackerdom on the assessment side. And then the seniors go! And it's ALL YOU for a few days!

And I haven't slept. . .

Love to all.

Monday, May 23, 2010

And the slacking continues with the updating-of-the-blog thing! Goodness.

Today begins SENIOR FINALS. Today's schedule will be "normal" for everyone; students in periods 5,6, and 7 will take their final. If you are one of my APees, and you took the AP Exam on May 6 in good faith, you have one final written task to do today to earn the "A" on your final exam grade. Only two people messed this up last year, so don't be one of them this year!

Periods One and Two (Gifted English II): Author of the Day; Word of the Day; Holiday of the Day; Moral Homework--find your favorite opening line of a book; discussing the Letter to Self assignment; poetry and analysis (starting with "Courage" by Sexton from last week and culminating with a more complicated piece from the anthology.)

Period Three: Distribute the letters you wrote to yourselves in tenth grade, if you were in my class; yearbook signings galore; pass back a whale's belly-full of graded work to trash or treasure. Just don't throw it away/recycle it in front of me.

Period Four: Writing Center; need some help if you're available. We're back in 315 this week.

Periods Five, Six, Seven: Final assessment for AP Lit and Comp; you need one or two pieces of paper and a pen. No worries. If you finish early feel free to pick up any graded work in the respective pile o'love.

I have a SAC meeting tonight back up at school, so I might stay straight through to finish grades. If you need a letter for a scholarship or comm service, see me ASAP. Love to all.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Yes, I have been hideously lax posting here. I am sorry. AP Hell Weeks have taken their toll.

But there is Hope! We are moving toward the end of the quarter and all is well.

Mostly.

Gifted English II: Things Fall Apart Check-Reading Test is Wednesday; you may use your book, but you may NOT use someone else's. Plan ahead.

APees: We are shifting into our Every Other Day Modality. Your Heart of Darkness focus paper is still due ASAP (I'd like a Friday deadline, but I could take it next Monday) AND the character chart. Some of y'all need those grades. Final is next week.

Tomorrow's lessons:

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Dorothy Parker; Word of the Day: hagiography; Holiday of the Day: National Hypertension Day. After we finish assessing "The Highwayman" and finish the six questions (the only one of which that is really significant is THEME) we are reading an AMAZING poem called "Courage" by Anne Sexton that will change your life. It does make me cry, though. Tomorrow, bring your book and character list.

APees: Visual cultural activity today, as long as you promise to read tomorrow. I like pirates.

Epic and Honest Mobile Home Commercial

This is the commercial I told a few of you about in class. Check it out for its unflinching honesty and surprisingly awesome soundtrack.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Your teachers may look slightly happier today, as it is payday, and we are getting our 2009-2010 raise now. Yes, it's May. We work efficiently around here!

Word of the Day: imbricate

Holiday of the Day: Limerick Day, Nutty Fudge Day, Nurses Day, Night Workers Day

Author of the Day: The exhilaratingly funny, and unfortunately deceased, Douglas Adams

Gifted English II: We are listening to two ballads today, with the help of iPod and a friendly copy code. Loreena McKennitt's version of Sir Alfred Noyes's "The Highwayman" is very, very good, and old-school diehards may appreciate Gordon Lightfoot's tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald, an iron ore carrier that went down in Lake Superior in 1975. Do any of you remember the mnemonic device for remembering the Great Lakes? Scroll below to find out!

APees: Finishing Chapter One and beginning Chapter Two of The Orchid Thief. What makes John Laroche tick? How is he the most potentially entertaining anti-hero we have yet met? And can we trust Susan Orlean as a narrator? Why or why not?

Answer to the Sophys: HOMES. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.