Monday, August 10th

• We're finished - good job!

• Debate Results:

What I want you do think about, when you face your next persuasive writing/speaking assignment, is why did the side you voted for win?  Persuasive language?  Facts?  Facts that supported the thesis?  Make sure you incorporate those aspects into your persuasive writing/speaking assignments.

Thursday, August 6th

• Today we finished the movie of Great Expectations

• Tomorrow we will conduct all the debates - be prepared to persuade me.

• I will also give you a final guide for next week's test.

Tuesday, August 4th

• Today I assigned the "Ultimate" Debate (click here for more info).

• We finally found out why Ms. Havisham is the crazy old woman that she is in Great Expectations

• Reminders:  Your outside reading pages are due tomorrow (350 pages).  No late assignments.  AND your last vocabulary quiz is on Thursday before the debate.

Friday, July 31st

• Next week is our last full week of Summer School - you have almost made it!

• We will continue Great Expectations and look at a few other writing styles.

• Your Outside Reading is due on Wednesday, 8/5

• Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, July 30th

• Today you were given your last vocabulary list (make sure to define & provide part of speech for each word)

• We also heard quick summaries of chapters 11-19 of Great Expectations

• And you and your partner had a final meeting to prepare for the debate tomorrow.

• If I have spoken to you about late assignments, all late assignments must be turned in by Tuesday, 8/4; (no late work will be accepted after next Tuesday).

Wednesday, July 29th

• Melted yet?

• Just a few reminders:

  • The debate will be on Friday.

  • 350 pages are due next Wednesday (8/5).

Monday, July 27th

• Happy Monday!!! (11 more days remaining - keep up and end strong!)

• I apologize for the confusion with the subs last week; however, it sounds like you had interesting class sessions with them which I am grateful.

• Today we focused on topic research for the debate and gathered the loose ends in Great Expectations.

• Do not forget to continue to study your vocabulary - your next quiz is this week.

• Grades will be posted and up-to-date by Thursday (at the latest) - make sure you are keeping an eye on them so that you are not surprised when the last week of summer school arrives.

• Watch your attendance; there are a few of you that are in jeopardy of losing credit due to tardies or absences.

Tuesday, July 21st

• Today you received your grade for a mid-term check-up.  Most of you are keeping up and doing well, a few of you need to make better use of in-class work time and stay on top of due dates.

• After working on your revisions today, you have a great head start to tomorrow's due date of the Persuasive Essay final draft.

• Just a reminder:  Thursday will be our 2nd Vocabulary Quiz and our halfway check point for your Outside Reading (175 pages).

Monday, July 20th

• For tomorrow:

  • Remember to e-mail or have your rough draft on a pin drive/disc so that you can revise it after I give you feedback.

  • I will perform grade checks with each of you so you know what is expected of you the rest of the term.

Friday, July 17th

• Great job working on your essays today.  Those of you who stayed on task, I appreciate your hard work.

  • The rough draft of your essay is due on Monday so that it can be peer edited & I can read it Monday afternoon.

• Please check your grades so you can discuss any discrepancies before next Wednesday.

• You should be through 175 pages in your outside reading by next Thursday - don't let it sneak up on you.

• We have three and a half weeks left - you can do it!!!

Thursday, July 16th:

• Yesterday began our Persuasive Writing Unit. 

  • For assignment details, click here or check it out on the Assignments Page

• Next Tuesday marks the middle (or close to it) of this session.  Please check your grades and discuss any discrepancies or comments you have about assignments from the first half before next Wednesday (7/22).

Tuesday, July 14th:

• Grades are posted from today's vocabulary quiz.

• After a review of the different methods of persuasion, the advertisement presentations you gave were very well analyzed.  Remember to read all directions so you do not lose points.

• It was fun to hear your spur of the moment one- minute speeches today.  Tomorrow you will present your prepared one minute speech; be sure to prepare a solid introduction.

Monday, July 13th

• Today you had the opportunity to finish your Short Story final draft in the lab or classroom.  This assignment is due tomorrow.  If you need formatting information, click here.

• We began the unit on Persuasive Writing. 

  • Today you were able to write an imaginary letter to the editor regarding the subject of your choice.  The PowerPoint for this assignment is here.

  • I also explained the forms and fallacies of Persuasion.  Again, if you need the information from the PowerPoints, they are available here (fallacies and methods).

  • You also began the process of analyzing and creating an advertisement with the types of persuasion in mind.

• Your first Vocabulary Quiz is tomorrow.

Thursday, July 9th

• Today was all about short stories!!

  • I assigned the Short Story Assignment (click here for more info) and we worked on our rough drafts by completing the "Short and Sweet" handout, writing "circle stories", and actually beginning your story.

  • Make sure you use your in-class time wisely so that you don't have so much homework!

• Tomorrow is the first check of your Outside Reading - to be on schedule I suggest that you read at least 55-60 pgs a week until the halfway check point on Thursday, 7/23.

Wednesday, July 8th

• Your presentations were pretty good for the first time around.  It was interesting to learn a little more about the poems and poets.  Remember when you give a presentation to the class, you want to talk to the class - not the PowerPoint slide or projection screen.

• We worked on Vocabulary and read "The Letter A"

• Tomorrow we will begin a VERY short story writing assignment.

• KEEP READING - your first Outside Reading check is Friday.

Tuesday, July 7th

• Today you turned in your essay (hopefully); if not, talk to me, don't let this fester.

• We also prepped and performed our first Socratic Seminar - how well did you do?  If not as well as you had hoped, you will have another chance.

• I assigned the Poetry Research Project (all info is available here or on my Assignments page)

• Please make sure to contact me if you have questions or concerns!

Monday, July 6th:

• Today we finished DPS, finished the DPS viewing guide, and discussed the upcoming Socratic Seminar

• Homework tonight is to have at least ten (10) discussion questions and answers for the Socratic Seminar tomorrow

• Don't forget:

  •  your attendance is extremely important; tardies and absences are detrimental and could cause you to lose the opportunity to attend summer school.

  • your life essay is due tomorrow

Wednesday, July 2nd:

• Today we continued the Life Essay with body paragraph topics and the conclusion.

• I assigned the Outside Reading assignment

• We read a selection of short stories/memoirs in the Hero Anthology

• We also began the movie "Dead Poets Society" as an introduction into our next unit with a viewing guide.

Tuesday, July 1st:

• Today was the first day back and we started right away with covering the syllabus and writing your Life Essay.

• The Life Essay is due on Tuesday, July 7