Monday, April 28th (W)
• Due: Read first half of literature circle selection; complete 10 sticky or dialectic notes.
• Class: Introduce study guide project. Literature circle discussions. Review poster/handout assignments and initial paired work.
Tuesday, April 29th (H)
• Due: Continue reading literature circle selection. Work on review poster and handout (make sure you’ve read your packet).
• Class: The “Ten Commandments” of AP essay writing. Review of synthesis prompt from practice exam. Scoring responses in small groups.
Wednesday, April 30th (F)
• Due: Multiple-choice exercise. Continue with literature circle selection, review poster and handout.
• Class: Multiple-choice strategies. Review of rhetorical analysis prompt from practice exam. Scoring responses in writing groups.
Thursday, May 1st (S)
• Due: Multiple-choice exercise. Continue with literature circle selection, review poster and handout.
• Class: Review of multiple-choice answers. Review of argument prompt from practice exam.
Friday, May 2nd (U)
• Due: Multiple-choice exercise or practice essay (TBA). Finished review poster and handout; be prepared to present your poster.
• Class: Wrap up from yesterday. Presentation of review posters.
Monday, May 5th (M)
• Class does not meet.
Tuesday, May 6th (T)
• Due: Finish reading literature circle selection; complete 10 additional sticky or dialectic notes. Additional review exercise (TBA).
• Class: Literature circle discussions; work on study guide questions.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Week of April 14th
Monday, April 14th (F)
• Due: Reread Ch. XVI-XX of The Scarlet Letter for today’s lesson.
• Class: Lesson on Ch. XVI-XX. Return Onion rhetorical analysis essays and grades.
Tuesday, April 15th (S)
• Due: Reread Ch. XXI-XIV of The Scarlet Letter for today’s lesson.
• Class: Lesson on Ch. XXI-XIV. Initial reactions to simulation test; wrap up from yesterday.
Wednesday, April 16th (U)
• Due: Rough draft of paper on The Scarlet Letter (topic of your choice; see reverse of your calendar).
• Class: Peer editing and final discussion.
Thursday, April 17th (M)
• Class does not meet today.
Friday, April 18th (T)
• Due: Final paper on The Scarlet Letter. Bring The Scarlet Letter to return and literature circle books to set deadlines.
• Class: Correct and discuss multiple-choice questions; brief literature circle group meetings; wrap up loose ends. Have a great vacation!
Reminder: Locate a copy of your nonfiction literature circle book early this week so we can talk if there are any problems! Read the first half of your book (as determined by your group) for the Monday we return from break with ten sticky notes or dialectic journal entries. Keep your eyes on rhetoric as well content, style as well as substance.
• Due: Reread Ch. XVI-XX of The Scarlet Letter for today’s lesson.
• Class: Lesson on Ch. XVI-XX. Return Onion rhetorical analysis essays and grades.
Tuesday, April 15th (S)
• Due: Reread Ch. XXI-XIV of The Scarlet Letter for today’s lesson.
• Class: Lesson on Ch. XXI-XIV. Initial reactions to simulation test; wrap up from yesterday.
Wednesday, April 16th (U)
• Due: Rough draft of paper on The Scarlet Letter (topic of your choice; see reverse of your calendar).
• Class: Peer editing and final discussion.
Thursday, April 17th (M)
• Class does not meet today.
Friday, April 18th (T)
• Due: Final paper on The Scarlet Letter. Bring The Scarlet Letter to return and literature circle books to set deadlines.
• Class: Correct and discuss multiple-choice questions; brief literature circle group meetings; wrap up loose ends. Have a great vacation!
Reminder: Locate a copy of your nonfiction literature circle book early this week so we can talk if there are any problems! Read the first half of your book (as determined by your group) for the Monday we return from break with ten sticky notes or dialectic journal entries. Keep your eyes on rhetoric as well content, style as well as substance.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Blogging for Dummies
To post your response, click on the “Comments” link following the specific prompt. Some recommendations, requirements, and reminders:
- Sign with your first name so I can give you credit. Never use your full name.
- Keep it brief: about 150 words does the trick. You don’t need to say everything at once, just make a solid point. More will overwhelm your classmates.
- Proofread your work. You may want to compose your response in Microsoft Word and then paste it in.
- Unless you are the first to post, acknowledge at least one comment made before your own. You might support (and extend), challenge, or qualify positions that have already been taken.
- Support your ideas with specific reasons or examples; be respectful; basically, treat blogging like a very public class discussion.
- Try not to wait until the last minute!
- Let me know if you have any technical problems. In a worst case scenario, print out or email me your work.
Blog Assignment #1: Public Humiliation
Read the news articles below, then post a response to the discussion prompt.
• Justice as a Morality Play That Ends With Shame (New York Times)
• Shame on You (Washington Post)
What is your position on the role of public humiliation as punishment in the criminal justice system today? Is it appropriate? Is it effective? Support your view with appropriate evidence.
The deadline for posting is 11:59p on Wednesday, April 9th.
• Justice as a Morality Play That Ends With Shame (New York Times)
• Shame on You (Washington Post)
What is your position on the role of public humiliation as punishment in the criminal justice system today? Is it appropriate? Is it effective? Support your view with appropriate evidence.
The deadline for posting is 11:59p on Wednesday, April 9th.
Blog Assignment #2: Exploring Transcendental Thought
Read and annotate the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.” Consider the various arguments Emerson makes, considering specifically what he says about the importance of non-conformity and independent beliefs.
To what extent do you agree with the ideas Emerson expresses in “Self-Reliance”? Consider the virtues and the costs of such emphasis on individualism. Do you believe that there’s too little, too much, or just the right amount of emphasis on individualism in our society today?
As we continue to discuss The Scarlet Letter, consider how Hawthorne might answer these same questions. What does Hester (“little accustomed, in her long seclusion from society, to measure her ideas of right and wrong by any standard external to herself”) suggest about Hawthorne’s beliefs?
The deadline for posting is 11:59p on Friday, April 11th.
To what extent do you agree with the ideas Emerson expresses in “Self-Reliance”? Consider the virtues and the costs of such emphasis on individualism. Do you believe that there’s too little, too much, or just the right amount of emphasis on individualism in our society today?
As we continue to discuss The Scarlet Letter, consider how Hawthorne might answer these same questions. What does Hester (“little accustomed, in her long seclusion from society, to measure her ideas of right and wrong by any standard external to herself”) suggest about Hawthorne’s beliefs?
The deadline for posting is 11:59p on Friday, April 11th.
Week of April 7th
Monday, April 7th (U)
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III. Sign up for literature circles.
Tuesday, April 8th (M)
• Class does not meet today.
Wednesday, April 9th (T)
• Due: Blog on public humiliation (by 11:59p). Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
Thursday, April 10th (W)
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. IX-XII.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. IX-XII.
Friday, April 11th (H)
• Due: Blog on Emerson excerpt (by 11:59p). Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. XIII-XV.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. XIII-XV.
Monday, April 14th (F)
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. XVI-XX.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. XVI-XX.
Note: If you are not planning to sit for one of our practice exams, be sure to get a copy of the test questions (due the Friday before vacation).
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III. Sign up for literature circles.
Tuesday, April 8th (M)
• Class does not meet today.
Wednesday, April 9th (T)
• Due: Blog on public humiliation (by 11:59p). Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. I-III.
Thursday, April 10th (W)
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. IX-XII.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. IX-XII.
Friday, April 11th (H)
• Due: Blog on Emerson excerpt (by 11:59p). Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. XIII-XV.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. XIII-XV.
Monday, April 14th (F)
• Due: Reread Scarlet Letter, Ch. XVI-XX.
• Class: Lesson on Scarlet Letter, Ch. XVI-XX.
Note: If you are not planning to sit for one of our practice exams, be sure to get a copy of the test questions (due the Friday before vacation).
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Literature Circle Selections
Click here to see summaries of each book (taken from Amazon.com) or click on the title to go directly to its entry on Amazon. Remember that I need your choice on Monday; email me if you'll be out of school.
Books Relating to Medicine:
• Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
• How Doctors Think
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Books Relating to American History & Contemporary Politics:
• In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
• The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
• Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
• A Walk in the Woods
Books Relating to the Workforce:
• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
• Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
• The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Books Relating to Struggling in America:
• There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America
• Random Family
• Lives on the Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America’s Educationally Underprepared
Books Relating to Negotiating Cultural Differences:
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
• Paris to the Moon
Books Relating to the Nature of Good and Evil:
• We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
• In Cold Blood
Books Relating to Language & Literature:
• Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
• The Power of Babel
Books Relating to Science & Technology:
• The Mismeasure of Man
• Silent Spring
• Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
• Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology
• The Female Brain
Books Relating to Medicine:
• Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
• How Doctors Think
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Books Relating to American History & Contemporary Politics:
• In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
• The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
• Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
• A Walk in the Woods
Books Relating to the Workforce:
• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
• Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
• The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Books Relating to Struggling in America:
• There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America
• Random Family
• Lives on the Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America’s Educationally Underprepared
Books Relating to Negotiating Cultural Differences:
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
• Paris to the Moon
Books Relating to the Nature of Good and Evil:
• We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
• In Cold Blood
Books Relating to Language & Literature:
• Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
• The Power of Babel
Books Relating to Science & Technology:
• The Mismeasure of Man
• Silent Spring
• Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
• Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology
• The Female Brain
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