Week of May 24, 2010

Students in English 10 will finish reading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men this week. They will then watch the 1992 film adaptation of Steinbeck's novel starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. Students will examine the themes of Friendship/Loyalty, Loneliness and Isolation, The American Dream, Discrimination, Power/Powerlessness, and Euthanasia (mercy killing). During the week prior to final exams, students will draft and compose an essay which focuses on one of the novel's major themes. In lieu of a standard Unit Test, this essay will be worth 100 points and will have a major impact on your student's 4th quarter grade. Furthermore, much of the information students are compiling in their Of Mice and Men study guide will make up a significant portion of their final exam.

Week of May 3, 2010

English 10 students begin the "Writing Process" this week. We will cover Brainstorming - Introductions - Thesis Statements - Sentence Fluency - and Paragraph Construction over the next 6-8 class periods. Most of the work will be done in class although there will be a couple of graded writing assignments which will require students to complete some work at home.