Week of November 28 2011

English 10 students will take the To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Test this week. Final preparation for the test: Each student will be provided with a Unit Test review handout and participate in two rounds of TKAM "Jeopardy" that contains much of the information on the Unit Test.

To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Test (100 points)

Block 6 - Tuesday November 29
Blocks 1, 3, + 5 - Wednesday November 30

Honors English 10
Character Profile Essay (50 points)
DUE: Monday November 28

Honors English 10 students will watch the made-for-TV movie A Raisin in the Sun on Monday and Tuesday. Students will then be faced with the challenge of taking on the role of playwright and developing their own personal conclusion which brings closure to at least one aspect of the play that was left unresolved.

Week of November 14, 2011

English 10 -

We will continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird this week and finish the story next week. We will discuss the title of the book in terms of symbolism as well as the metaphorical "mockingbirds" in the story.

Honors English 10

We will continue "performing" Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun in class with students reading parts in the play. We will discuss how Mama's plant is symbolic and begin to examine some of the major themes such as strength of family, dreams, and money vs. morals. We read Act 1 Scene 1 in class on Friday Nov. 11.

Monday November 14 -
A Raisin in the Sun - Act 1 Scene 1 Quiz (30 points)
Mama's Plant Moodle Response Due (10 points)

Week of November 7, 2011

English 10 students will compose and revise an essay that focuses on the theme of perspective as it relates to the Tom Robinson trial in Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Students will have three day including two full class periods to complete the five paragraph essay. The most challenging aspect of the composition is writing in the "first person" in order to convey a specific character's personal perspective of the trial. In other words, instead of writing about certain characters, students must write from the character's perspective. This assignment is designed to assess each student's knowledge of specific characters as well as their ability to express the given character's point of view in regards to the trial at the center of the novel. Pre-writing activities included analyzing Johnny Cash's song "A Boy Named Sue," making personal and literary character connections to a poem titled "Children Learn What They Live," and making informed decisions about where specific To Kill a Mockingbird characters would "rank" in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. All of these lessons were aimed at solidifying each student's understanding of various characters' experiences and how those experiences shaped their perspective.

Perspective Essay Due Dates:
Blocks 3 + 6 - Thursday November 10 (at the end of class)

Blocks 1 + 5 - Friday November 11 (at the end of class)

Honors English 10 -

We will begin reading Lorraine Hansberry's Broadway play, A Raisin in the Sun on Friday. Students will write a short response focusing on symbolism after we read Act 1 Scene 1 in class and then will take a quiz on Act 1 Scene 1 next Tuesday November 15th.

Week of October 31, 2011

We will finish our unit on Adjectives this week in English 10. Quiz dates are below. Later in the week, we will investigate the theme of "perspective" in To Kill a Mockingbird and begin a multi-faceted assignment that culminates with students writing about the Tom Robinson trial from four different characters' perspectives.

Adjectives Quiz - 50 points
Block 5 - Tuesday, Nov. 1
Blocks 3 + 6 - Wednesday Nov. 2
Block 1 - Thursday Nov. 3

Honors English 10

To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Test (100 points)
Monday - October 31

Week of October 24 2011

English 10 students will read Chapters 19-23 (pages 190-227) in To Kill a Mockingbird before we take a break next week to complete a multi-faceted writing assignment that focuses on the theme of "perspective." Students will also examine the importance of adjectives and how to effectively incorporate adjectives in their writing.

We will also begin a "Word of the Day" exercise. I have compiled a list of the 100 most frequently used words in previous ACT Tests. From that list, I will choose and display one word per day and each student will be required to type the word, definition, part of speech, and synonyms then use the word properly in a sentence.

To Kill a Mockingbird Quiz - Chapter 19 (15 points)
Blocks 1, 3, + 5 Monday October 24
Block 6 Tuesday October 25

Honors English 10 -
To Kill a Mockingbird Final Essay (50 points)
Tuesday - Essay Assigned - Rough Draft (not graded) to be completed/printed/submitted in class...

Wednesday 10/26 - Final Draft Due at End of Class

Friday - TKAM Unit Test Review - Unit Test will be next Monday 10/31

Week of October 10, 2011

English 10 students will continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird this week. They will also begin to examine adjectives and participate in a small group "competition" that focuses on adjectives and synonyms. No formal assessments this week, yet one assignment due that will be graded as a quiz(see below).

Chapter 16 Vocabulary (20 points) -
Students must identify five (5) unfamiliar words in Chapter 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird, look up the definition, and use the word correctly in a sentence. This assignment will count as a Quiz and will be graded as an "Assessment" in Infinite Campus.

Honors English 10
Pronouns Usage Quiz (38 points)
Tuesday - Oct. 11

Study Guide #2 Due Wednesday

To Kill a Mockingbird - Read Chapters 22-25 (pgs 212-241) over the long weekend

Week of September 26, 2011

English 10 students will continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird, be assessed on Common Errors in the English Language, and begin a unit on Pronouns this week. Due dates for assignments and quizzes are listed below.

DUE DATES:
Common Errors Quiz - (44 points)
Blocks 1, 3, + 5 - Tuesday September 27
Block 6 - Wednesday September 28

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 8 + 9 Quiz (20 points)
Block 3 - Wednesday September 28
Blocks 1, 5, + 6 - Thursday September 29

To Kill a Mockingbird Study Questions #1 (35 points)
Blocks 1, 3, + 5 - Friday September 30
Block 6 - Monday October 3

Honors English 10 DUE DATES:

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 8 + 9 Quiz (20 points)
Monday September 26

To Kill a Mockingbird Study Questions #1 (35 points)
Wednesday September 28

Clauses/Sentence Types Quiz (50 points)
Thursday September 29

Week of September 12, 2011

English 10 students will continue to read To Kill a Mockingbird this week. They will also begin to review parts of speech and the different types of nouns. Below are quizzes, assignments, and due dates.



Quiz Dates:
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 1 Quiz (20 points)
Block 3 - Monday 9/12
Blocks 1, 5, 6 - Tuesday 9/13

Vocab Quiz #1 (20 points)
Block 3 - Thursday 9/15
Blocks 1, 5, 6 - Friday 9/16

Assignment Due Date:
Nouns Scavenger Hunt (10 points)
Block 3 - Thursday 9/15
Blocks 1, 5, 6 - Friday 9/16
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Honors English 10 -
Vocab Quiz #1 (20 points)
Tuesday 9/13

Utopia/Dystopia Response (10 points)
Tuesday 9/13

Scottsboro Quote Analysis (10 points)
Thursday 9/15

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 1 Quiz (20 points)
Friday 9/16

Welcome Back!!! Sept. 6, 2011

Sophomores and Parents - I will always try to have a weekly preview for English 10 and Honors English 10 as well as Assignment Due Dates on my Blog. I usually update my Blog on Sunday so you can look to see what we will cover in the upcoming week. Hopefully, we can collaborate to Live, Laugh, and Learn together.

English 10 Due Dates:

Syllabus w/ Signatures
Blocks 1,5,6 - Thursday 9/8
Block 3 - Wednesday 9/7

"Respect" Writing Assignment (10 points)
Blocks 1,5,6 - Thursday 9/8
Block 3 - Wednesday 9/7

Scottsboro Quote Analysis (10 points)
Blocks 1,5,6 - Friday 9/9
Block 3 - Monday 9/12

Honors English 10 Due Dates:

"Respect" Writing Assignment (10 points)- Thursday 9/8

Week of May 23, 2011

This week, English 10 students will finish reading Of Mice and Men along with completing the corresponding Study Guide (40 points).

Assignment Due Dates:

ACT Style Essay -Final Draft- (50 points)
Blocks 3, 5, + 7 - Monday May 23
Blocks 2 + 6 - Tuesday May 23

Of Mice and Men Study Guide #2 (40 points)
Blocks 3, 5, + 7 - Thursday May 26
Blocks 2 + 6 - Friday May 27

Week of May 16, 2011

English 10 students will begin reading John Steinbeck's timeless classic, Of Mice and Men this week. This is the final piece of literature of the school year and, generally, a favorite among sophomores. There will be a 50-point Quiz on Chapters 1-3 and a 100-point essay about one of the major themes after the students finish reading the novella. Students will also learn how to write an effective thesis using parallel form. They will then apply this technique while revising their rough draft of an ACT-style essay and re-submit the final draft (50 points) by early next week.

Week of May 2, 2011

English 10 students will complete a rough draft of an ACT-type writing assignment to begin the week. They will then learn about and practice writing different sentence types before taking a quiz on Clauses and Sentence Types early next week.

ACT Rough Draft Due Dates:
Blocks 3, 5, + 7 - Monday May 2 (end of class)
Blocks 2 + 6 - Tuesday May 3 (end of class)

Week of April 25, 2011

Conjunctions Week!

50 point Quiz on Conjunctions
Blocks 3, 5, + 7 - Wednesday April 27th
Blocks 2 + 6 - Thursday April 28th

Week of March 21, 2011

English 10 students will finish reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible this week. Students will take a 40-point quiz on Act 3, read Act 4 as an in-class drama, and complete the Study Questions for Act 4 before reviewing for the 75-point Unit Test next week. Each student's score on the Act 3 Quiz and Act 4 Study Questions will be applied to his or her 3rd quarter grade. However, the Unit Test results will be the first major grade of the 4th quarter marking period which begins next week. Due Dates for Quiz, Study Questions, and Unit Test are listed below.

Act 3 Quiz (40 points)
Blocks 2, 3, 6, + 7 - Monday March 21, 2011
Block 5 - Tuesday March 22, 2011

Act 4 Study Questions (42 points)
Blocks 2, 3, 6, + 7 - Thursday March 24, 2011
Block 5 - Friday March 25, 2011

The Crucible Unit Test (75 points)
Blocks 2, 3, 6, + 7 - Tuesday March 29, 2011
Block 5 - Wednesday March 30, 2011

Week of March 7, 2011

English 10 students will begin reading Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible this week. The Crucible, which recounts the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, is an allegory to McCarthyism of the 1950s when Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy's communist suspicions fueled the Second Red Scare in the United States. Students will be required to complete Study Questions for each of the four Acts in the play. This week, students will read Act 1, complete the corresponding Study Questions and take a 20-point Quiz on Act 1.

Act 1 Study Questions (45 points)
DUE DATES:
Blocks 2, 5, + 6 - Thursday March 10
Blocks 3 + 7 - Friday March 11

Act 1 Quiz (20 points)
Blocks 2, 5, + 6 - Thursday March 10
Blocks 3 + 7 - Friday March 11

Week of February 21, 2011

English 10 students will finish their 10th Grade EDP (Educational Development Plan) Unit this week. The project is worth 100 points - 40 points for their 10-year plan presented through PhotoStory and 60 points for a three-paragraph Journal describing the importance of the EDP and the challeneges it presented.

Due Dates for EDP:
Blocks 2, 5, + 6 - Wednesday Feb. 23 (end of class)
Blocks 3 + 7 - Thursday Feb. 24 (end of class)

Week of February 7, 2011

English 10 students began (last week) working on developing and writing his or her personal "conclusion" to Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun." Students will have three full class periods and one weekend to complete this 100-point writing assignment which will have a serious impact on his or her grade for the 3rd quarter marking period. Due dates for the assignment are listed below.

Act 3 Scene 2 DUE DATES:

Blocks 3, 5, + 7 - Tuesday @ end of class.

Blocks 2 + 6 - Wednesday @ end of class

Week of January 24, 2011

This week, English 10 students will watch the movie, A Raisin in the Sun, based on the screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry which they finished reading during the Winter break. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the characters' attitudes, behaviors, and motivations which will help them write their own personal conclusion to the play next week. Before students undertake this major writing assignment, they will be required to "pitch" their idea for the "Act 3 Scene 2" assignment.

Raisin "Pitch" Due Dates (10 points)

Blocks 3 + 7 - Friday, January 28

Blocks 2,5, + 6 - Monday January 31