12/17/15

• Viewing of Beowulf film. You can watch the ending scene here.

• Winter Break Reading Assignment: You will choose a novel from a list of four and read it. You will have a book discussion with me in January. I'm giving you the assignment now so that you can choose a book and check it out from the library or order it and have time to read it while school is out. 

           In the library (ask at the desk):
                   Grendel by John Gardner
                   The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
                   Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

           Purchase yourself or read on PDF:
                   The Awakening by Kate Chopin (here is a PDF version)

           Glossaries for military terms in The Things They Carried:

• Military Terms of the Modern Era
• Wiki list of U.S. Government and Military Terms
• Glossary of Terms for The Things They Carried

12/15/15

• Semester Exam

• Winter Break Reading Assignment: You will choose a novel from a list of four and read it. You will have a book discussion with me in January. I'm giving you the assignment now so that you can choose a book and check it out from the library or order it and have time to read it while school is out. 

           In the library (ask at the desk):
                   Grendel by John Gardner
                   The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
                   Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

           Purchase yourself or read on PDF:
                   The Awakening by Kate Chopin (here is a PDF version)

           Glossaries for military terms in The Things They Carried:

• Military Terms of the Modern Era
• Wiki list of U.S. Government and Military Terms
• Glossary of Terms for The Things They Carried

12/11/15

Short Fiction

Homework for "Araby" and "A&P" turned in.

Discussion of "Araby" and "A&P"  

Critique of 2A and 4A short fiction elements projects

1st Semester Study Guide

• Elements of Fiction notesheet
• Theme notesheet
• Character Analysis notesheet
• Symbol notesheet

• Winter Break Reading Assignment: You will choose a novel from a list of four and read it. You will have a book discussion with me in January. I'm giving you the assignment now so that you can choose a book and check it out from the library or order it and have time to read it while school is out. 

           In the library (ask at the desk):
                   Grendel by John Gardner
                   The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
                   Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

           Purchase yourself or read on PDF:
                   The Awakening by Kate Chopin (here is a PDF version)

Exam Study Guide

• Study Guide for 1st Semester Exam
• Elements of Fiction notesheet
• Theme notesheet
• Character Analysis notesheet
• Symbol notesheet

12/3/15

• POW discussion of "A Few Words on the Soul" by Wislawa Szymborska. Turn in your annotated copy of the poem. Make sure that you have the topic, poetic idea, description of the speaker's situation and have noted the effects of prominent poetic devices.

• Discussion and notes: "Araby" by James Joyce. HW due Fri. 12/11/15: Make notes on the imagery used to create the oppositions of light / dark, sight / blindness, reality / illusion. in the story.

• HW due Fri. 12/11/15 (class will not meet until then because of EOC testing):
• After reading “Araby” by James Joyce, read “A&P” by John Updike. Annotate as usual for elements of fiction and vocabulary.

• Complete the assignment comparing "Araby" and "A&P". (Video is here.)

Here are the schedules for the next two weeks:

12/1/15

• POW: "A Few Words on the Soul" by Wislawa Szymborska. Complete a full annotation analysis for Thurs. 12/3/15. Focus on speaker's situation & effects of prominent poetic devices.

• In-Class Assignment: Multiple choice practice for prose passages (see me if you want copies for your own practice)

• HW due Thurs. 12/3/15: Read "Araby" by James Joyce and annotate for elements of fiction.

11/24/15

• Short Fiction: Turn in symbol assignment homework for "The Nightingale and the Rose".

• Poem of the Week: Complete the "Thanksgiving Poem Assignment" on Google Classroom. The class code is u2nn6c

Have a great Thanksgiving Break!

11/20/15

• POW: AP Multiple choice practice

• Short Fiction: 
• Discussion of plot sections
• Notes & assignment on types of symbols in "The Nightingale and the Rose". Assignment is due Tues. 11/24/15: Locate symbols of various types in "The Nightingale and the Rose". Find at least 4. For each, explain:
• what is being symbolized and how
• the type of symbol
• the significance of the symbol to the story as a whole

• FYI: The College Board alerted me through email that the U.S. legislature is voting to change a policy that affects AP testing. If it is not renewed, there may be no more subsidies of the test fees and the tests will cost $92 each. The College Board is asking interested parties to contact their U.S. Representatives to voice their opinion about blocking this change. You can help! Go to either or both of these links and urge your congressperson to express interest in retaining the AP Exam Test Fee subsidies for low-income students. The bill is called Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
• Ruben Hinojosa
• Filemon Vela

11/18/15

• POW: "The Writer" by Richard Wilbur. For Fri. 11/20/15, complete a full analysis. 

• Short Fiction: We read "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde. HW for Fri. 11/20/15 is to complete a second reading, annotating for all elements of fiction.

11/16/15

• POW: "The Writer" by Richard Wilbur. For Wed. 11/18/15, determine the most prominent poetic elements (metaphor, imagery, repetition, etc.) and how they are working in the poem. For Fri. 11/20/15, complete a full analysis.

• Short Fiction:
• Characterization diagrams turned in.
• In class assignment: (finish for homework)  Make a list of oppositions that are present in “56-0” by T.C. Boyle. Choose one set of oppositions that seems most prominent in the story. Then write the first draft of an essay that analyzes the ways the two opposing elements are presented in the short story and how the opposition brings meaning to the work as a whole.

11/12/15

• POW: Multiple choice practice for "Mad Girl's Love Song" by Sylvia Plath

• Short Fiction Study:
• Character study assignment due Mon. 11/16/15
• Here are some sites where you can make infographics for free in case you are going in that direction:
• Infogram
• Vennage
• Clarification question / response assignment due Sun. 11/15/15 by 11:59 pm. Post one clarifying question about "56-0" on Google Classroom and answer the questions of two classmates. Enroll using the code u2nn6c

11/10/15

• POW: "Mad Girl's Love Song" by Sylvia Plath. For Thurs. determine the form of the poem. Complete a full analysis (vocab., figurative language & effect, shift, topic, poetic idea)

• Short Fiction Study- 
• Class notes on critical articles on "The Yellow Wallpaper" and notes on schools of literary criticism.
• HW due Thurs., read "56-0" by T.C. Boyle, focusing on character and setting. Mark your story for elements of fiction.

11/6/15

• Italian sonnet essay test

• Short fiction- 
• 3 clarification questions turned in
• HW due Tues. 11/10/15: Read two of the articles in this booklet of critical essays about "The Yellow Wallpaper".  Prepare to overview the main points of the two you chose with the class on Tuesday. Look up words you don't know to make sure the article makes sense to you.

11/4/15

• POW: On Friday, we will have an essay test on the Italian sonnet form.

• Final college admissions essays are due TODAY BY 11:59 PM

• "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Discussion / notes
• Themes turned in
• Viewing / discussion of these video interpretations of the story:
• Film Festival- animated
• Student Film- live action
• Claymation
• "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

11/2/15

• We will not have a poem today. Instead, there will be an essay test on Italian sonnet on Friday, 11/6/15.

• Check in with your counselor in lab 127 regarding your Apply Texas application. (Most students took the majority of class with this.)

• Write at least three clarifying questions for “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Clarifying questions are questions to which you might not know the answer but realize that the answer(s) would clarify meaning in the story.

• Examine your notes on the elements of fiction in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Which two elements are most prominent in this piece? You may use the broad categories (plot, character, figurative language…) or the specific elements (conflict, third person omniscient, simile…). On a piece of paper, write all of your insights for each of these two elements—one on the front and one on the back.

• Homework due Wed. 11/4/15:                                   
• A. Write two themes for “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Use the Theme handout to make sure what you write is an actual theme of the story.
• 
  
• B. Turn in final draft of college admission essay if you have not already received a grade (check the portal). I will not accept them after Wednesday. A zero on this assignment will reduce your six weeks grade at least ten points. You can check this list to see if you still need to turn in your final paper.

10/29/15

• POW: Italian sonnet:  "Sonnet 12" by Francesco Petrarch. Write a brief response (i.e. not a full essay) that explains how the speaker's perspective shifts in the poem. 

• College Admissions Essays: Writing conferences have concluded and final drafting stage is underway. Your final paper must be turned in by Wed. 11/4/15. 

• Short Fiction: For Mon. 11/2/15, read "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Here is a vocabulary list to help you prepare.

10/27/15

• POW: Italian sonnet:  "Sonnet 12" by Francesco Petrarch. Focus on shift and speaker's situation, but complete the usual full analysis.

• College Admissions Essays: Most writing conferences have been concluded (check schedule here) and final drafting stage is underway. Your final paper must be turned in by Wed. 11/4/15.

• Short Fiction: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• The elements of fiction presentations took place today. You are responsible for the terminology, so get notes on the definitions / examples you might have missed. 

10/23/15

• POW: "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth- In-class assignment: Write an explanation of the shift in the poem. This was turned in along with the annotated poem.

• College Admissions Essays: First drafts are currently under review. You should have a conference date (check schedule here) to discuss your paper with me.

• Short Fiction: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• Groups collaborated for elements of fiction presentations which will begin on Tuesday.

10/21/15

• POW: HW due Fri. 10/23/15- "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth-Analysis of Italian sonnet. Focus on shift, but complete the usual analysis.

• College Admissions Essays: First drafts are currently under review. You should have a conference date (check schedule here) to discuss your paper with me.

• Short Fiction: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• Groups collaborated for elements of fiction presentations.

10/19/15

• POW: HW due Fri. 10/23/15- "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth-Analysis of Italian sonnet. Focus on shift, but complete the usual analysis.

• College Admissions Essays: First drafts are currently under review. You should have a conference date (check schedule here) to discuss your paper with me.

• Short Fiction: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• Discussion
• Clarification questions assignment
• Groups for elements of fiction presentations
• HW due Wed 10/21/15: Begin making notes / researching your assigned section of the elements of fiction list. 

Twitter Tweets!

I have made a closed Twitter account for students in English 4 AP only. It is an experiment to see if we can all use it to post items related to class. Every student who wants to participate can have the password to post, but the account is closed to the public. The idea is to share the AP Lit experience and keep it as a kind of record of our time together-- funny things, images from class, things we run into that refer to our class material.
You can follow the account from your own Twitter.
Next year, when a new group of new seniors joins, you will be the originators of the project and will be able to view, post and comment.
If you want to participate, the account is @WEHS_AP_Eng_Lit 
For the password, get the book we just finished. Go to the page that is the same as my room number. Look at the last two words on that page. The password is:
room number word 1 word 2 (all together)
###wordword

I know you get it, but for the record:
Please do not include others who are not in AP English Lit.
Please do not engage in cruel activity.
Let's have fun with it.

10/15/15

• POW
• Discussion / review of English sonnet essay test
• Discussion / notes on "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Italian sonnet. We will work with the Italian sonnet for the next few weeks.

• College Admissions Essays: First drafts are currently under review. You should have a conference date (check schedule here) to discuss your paper with me.

• New Unit: Short Fiction
• Notes: List of  elements of fiction
• In-class reading: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• Homework due Mon. 10/19/15: 
• Complete a second reading of the story, noting the following:

• unfamiliar vocab
• elements of fiction you happen to notice (plot, setting, conflict, character, point of view, theme, mood, tone)
• literary devices and their effect(s)
• 
  
• Write at least 3 clarifying questions. These are questions to which you might not know the answer but realize that the answer could clarify meaning in the story.

10/13/15

• Beowulf Exam

• College Admissions Essays: First drafts are currently under review. You should have a conference date (check schedule here) to discuss your paper with me.

• HW due Thurs. 10/15/15: POW- "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Research Italian sonnet form and apply it to the poem. Also, annotate for vocab, shift, structure, devices, and topic / poetic idea.

10/8/15

View the Essay Conference Schedule HERE

• Beowulf
• In-class assignment: Genres in Beowulf (turned in today)
• TEST will be Tuesday 10/13/15
• Get the Study Guide here
• Here is the answer key for the character test
• Here is the pronunciation list for the characters and here is a video where I pronounce them for you. (The test will not ask you pronunciation, but this might help you review.)

• College Admissions Essay 
• First draft was turned in today. I should have received a hard copy of your essay (handwritten or typed) by class time whether you were present in class or not.
• Conference sign-up: Make sure you have scheduled a time to conference with me about your essay. There is a sign-up sheet in 143. Conferences will take place from Thurs. 10/8/15 - Wed. 10/28/15. You can view the schedule here.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

ALERT for Job Shadowers

10/6/15

• Beowulf
• TEST will be Tues. 10/13/15
• Get the Study Guide here.
• Here is the answer key for the character test
• Discussion / detailed notes for "The Struggle Between Order and Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson. Use this guide sheet to make sure your notes are complete.

• College Admissions Essay
• Q&A 
• Resources:
• ApplyTexas University Search (application requirements by school)
• 8 Tips for Crafting Your Best College Essay (BigFuture)
• Common Application Essay Topics (Apply Texas and Common App)
• CommonApp.org school search
• Sample Essay booklet (passed out in class)
• HW due Thurs. 10/8/15: Turn in a hard copy (no email or Google docs) first draft of college admissions essay by today. It can by typewritten (use this format) or handwritten. Papers turned in after the class period on 10/7 will be read and given feedback, but will receive a grade of 0.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

10/2/15

• 
  POW: Sonnet analysis test

• Beowulf
• HW turned in (Heroic Ideal)
• HW for Tues. 10/6/15: Read "The Struggle Between Order and Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson. Focus on vocabulary and find as many oppositional ideas in the article as possible. (Examples of opposite ideas = order / chaos, inside / outside)

• College Admissions Essay
• Q&A 
• Resources:
• ApplyTexas University Search (application requirements by school)
• 8 Tips for Crafting Your Best College Essay (BigFuture)
• Common Application Essay Topics (Apply Texas and Common App)
• CommonApp.org school search
• Sample Essay booklet (passed out in class)
• HW due Thurs. 10/8/15: Turn in a hard copy (no email or Google docs) first draft of college admissions essay by today. It can by typewritten or handwritten. Papers turned in after the class period on 10/7 will be read and given feedback, but will receive a grade of 0.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

9/30/15

• POW: 
• This week, you will be tested on your ability to analyze a Shakespearean (English) sonnet. On Thursday, you will receive a poem and have time in class to analyze it and write an essay that explains how the structure of the poem develops the poetic idea. To prepare, look over your notes on the sonnet form. We reviewed the elements of the sonnet and ideas about organizing an analytical essay, so if you were absent you might want to seek a classmate's notes.
• You can practice with these English sonnets.

• Beowulf: 
• Themes assignment turned in.
• HW due Fri. 10/2/15: Complete Heroic Ideal assignment

• College Planning:
• Essays:
• Topic card filled out and turned in (see me)
• Continued discussion of sample essays
• Q&A on college admissions essays.
• Resources:
• ApplyTexas University Search (application requirements by school)
• 8 Tips for Crafting Your Best College Essay (BigFuture)
• Common Application Essay Topics (Apply Texas and Common App)
• CommonApp.org school search
• Sample Essay booklet (passed out in class)
• HW due Thurs. 10/8/15: Turn in a hard copy (no email or Google docs) first draft of college admissions essay by today. It can by typewritten or handwritten. Papers turned in after the class period on 10/7 will be read and given feedback, but will receive a grade of 0.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

9/28/15

• POW: 
• This week, you will be tested on your ability to analyze a Shakespearean (English) sonnet. On Friday you will receive a poem and have time in class to analyze it and write an essay that explains how the structure of the poem develops the poetic idea. To prepare, look over your notes on the sonnet form. We reviewed the elements of the sonnet and ideas about organizing an analytical essay, so if you were absent you might want to seek a classmate's notes.
• You can practice with these English sonnets.

• Beowulf: 
• Discussion / clarification for notes on section 4.
• HW due Tues. 9/29/15: Complete themes assignment

• College Planning:
• Essays:
• Here are some resources as you begin:
• ApplyTexas University Search (application requirements by school)
• 8 Tips for Crafting Your Best College Essay (BigFuture)
• Common Application Essay Topics (Apply Texas and Common App)
• CommonApp.org school search
• Sample Essay booklet (passed out in class)
• HW due Wed. 9/30/15: Bring in the full essay topic for the toughest college admissions essay you will need to write.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/30/15: Herff Jones meeting in gym during FAS
• Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

9/24/15

• POW 
• Sonnet 97 by William Shakespeare
• Assignment: Write a paragraph on the following topic: Explain how the structure of ideas in Shakespeare's Sonnet 97 helps to develop the poetic idea. Turn in with the annotated poem.

• Beowulf: 
• Annotation notes for section 4. Complete for homework.

• College Planning: We will soon be working on research and essays that will help the college application process. You should be coming to some ideas about:

1. the area you would like to study (it's OK if this is general, but if you can be specific, do so)
2. schools you plan to apply to

                Here are some tools to help your investigation:

• College Scorecard search (compare majors and costs among universities)
• Major and Career Search (browse majors and careers in various areas)
• ACT Profile
• College Admissions Checklist (get PDF version here)
• Quiz for areas of interest 

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits
• Tues. 10/13: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

9/22/15

COLLEGE FAIR IS WEDNESDAY! GET BAR CODES HERE.

• POW
• Sonnet 97 by William Shakespeare
• Today, we looked at the structure of this sonnet (as presented with last week's poem). Specifically, the main idea presented in the first quatrain and how this idea is deepened in the following two quatrains. Continue analyzing for Thursday.

• Beowulf: 
• Discussion of annotation notes for Section 3 of Beowulf. 
• For Thurs. 9/24/15: Review section 4 of Beowulf, focusing on how Beowulf has changed throughout the epic. Continue adding to your notes.

• College Planning: We will soon be working on research and essays that will help the college application process. You should be coming to some ideas about:

1. the area you would like to study (it's OK if this is general, but if you can be specific, do so)
2. schools you plan to apply to

                Here are some tools to help your investigation:

• College Scorecard search (compare majors and costs among universities)
• Major and Career Search (browse majors and careers in various areas)
• ACT Profile
• College Admissions Checklist (get PDF version here)
• Quiz for areas of interest 

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair (get your bar code)
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/18/15

• POW: "Sonnet 73" by William Shakespeare 
• Notes on sonnet form, including progression of thought through the quatrains. Terms defined in the notebook: quatrain, couplet, rhyme scheme, elision, stressed syllable, unstressed syllable, iambic pentameter. Annotated poem was turned in for a grade.

• Beowulf
• Notes on the origin and journey of the Beowulf manuscript. If you were absent, you can take notes from this video I made for you.
• Annotation notes for Section 3 of Beowulf. Complete for homework.

• College Planning: We will soon be working on research and essays that will help the college application process. Over the next week or so, you should be coming to some ideas about:

1. the area you would like to study (it's OK if this is general, but if you can be specific, do so)
2. schools that you are interested in applying to

           Here are some tools to help your investigation:

• College Scorecard search (compare majors and costs among universities)
• Major and Career Search (browse majors and careers in various areas)
• ACT Profile 
• College Admissions Checklist
• Quiz for areas of interest 

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair (get your bar code)
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/16/15

• POW: "Sonnet 73" by William Shakespeare
• For Fri. 9/18/15: Complete the usual annotations (figurative language / effect, narrative / lyric, topic / poetic idea), but also research the form of the Shakespearean (English) sonnet. Also, you should be able to characterize the speaker of the poem and the intended audience.
• Here are the notes from today about making sure your poetic idea is not a summary.

• Beowulf
• Q&A on Section 2 Notes
• HW due Thurs. 9/17/15: Review Section 3 of Beowulf. Focus on how this part of the epic poem is setting up the final section. Look at how time elapses and the decisions Beowulf makes.

• College Planning: We will soon be working on research and essays that will help the college application process. Over the next week or so, you should be coming to some ideas about:

1. the area you would like to study (it's OK if this is general, but if you can be specific, do so)
2. schools that you are interested in applying to

           Here are some tools to help your investigation:

• College Scorecard search (compare majors and costs among universities)
• Major and Career Search (browse majors and careers in various areas)
• College Admissions Checklist
• Quiz for areas of interest 

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair (get your bar code)
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/14/15

• POW: "Sonnet 73" by William Shakespeare
• HW for Wed. 9/16/15- Research the format of the Shakespearean sonnet to learn the qualities of this poem format. Also, characterize the speaker of the poem and the intended audience.
• HW for Fri. 9/18/15- Complete full analysis of the poem, including topic and poetic idea.
• Beowulf: Section 2 analytical review for text annotation (Complete all sections for class on Wed.)

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair (get your bar code)
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/10/15

• POW: "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda. We wrote an analytical paragraph stating the poetic idea of the poem and explaining how elements of the poem support the poetic idea. This was turned in with the annotated poem.
• Beowulf
• TEST on characters
• Section 2 analytical review for text annotation (We will continue to work on this in class on Monday.)

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair (get your bar code)
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/8/15

• To attend the college fair on Sept. 23, you will need to create a bar code. Here are the instructions to do so.

• POEM OF THE WEEK: Due Thursday, 9/10/15
• "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda
• Make sure you look up and apply words and allusions to the context of the poem, analyze figurative language and its effect, work through the poem in chunks (not lines), and determine the topic (main subject of the poem) and poetic idea (what the poet is trying to express about the topic).

• BEOWULF:
• PowerPoint on the setting of Beowulf. If you were absent, please view the PPT.
• Anglo-Saxon video example 1
• Anglo-Saxon video example 2
• Handout notes for background on the Anglo-Saxon language. This material will be on the final Beowulf test when we finish reviewing all 4 sections of the epic poem. This is for your long-term memory.
• HW for Thurs. 9/10/15: 
• Review section 2 of Beowulf, making new observations and notes. Focus on the character of Grendel's mother and how we can compare / contrast Beowulf's battle with her and the one he has with Grendel.
• We will have a test on ALL of the characters of Beowulf in class this Friday, so work on long-term learning of their relationships and important actions.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution
• Mon. & Tues. 9/28 & 9/29: Senior portraits

9/4/15

• POW (Poem of the Week): Small group discussion of poem and refinement of poetic idea. Annotated poem pages were turned in.
• Beowulf
• Group discussion / presentation of notes for Section 1 #1-4 and A-G.If you were absent, make sure you get all of these notes in your Beowulf book.
• HW: Review Beowulf characters. Test next week!

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution

9/2/15

• Poem of the Week:  
• "Notes on the Art of Poetry" by Dylan Thomas
• Due Fri. 9/4/15: Read & analyze poem in this way:
•  Look up any words you don't know or are used in an unfamiliar way. Make note of the definition right on the page.
• Decide if the poem is lyric (about ideas / emotions) or narrative (like a story) and look for those elements.
• Note ideas about how literary devices (metaphor / simile / imagery, etc.) are used.
• Determine the topic (general subject) of the poem and label it at the bottom.
• Determine the poetic idea (what the poet is trying to say about the topic) and write it in one sentence at the bottom of the page.

• Discussion / Q&A: Harvard annotation expectations. This is how to learn material and keep it in your memory so that you have an accumulated education. Keep this resource and use it in your classes.

• Beowulf, section 1: Small group discussion and text annotation for these topics. Each group will present notes (A-G) on Friday.
 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution

8/31/15

• Discussion: Upcoming scholarships & procedures. You can visit the WEHS Career Center website for links to the scholarships they showcase. 

• Poem of the Week:  
• "Notes on the Art of Poetry" by Dylan Thomas
• Due Fri. 9/4/15: Read & analyze poem in this way:
•  Look up any words you don't know or are used in an unfamiliar way. Make note of the definition right on the page.
• Decide if the poem is lyric (about ideas / emotions) or narrative (like a story) and look for those elements.
• Note ideas about how literary devices (metaphor / simile / imagery, etc.) are used.
• Determine the topic (general subject) of the poem and label it at the bottom.
• Determine the poetic idea (what the poet is trying to say about the topic) and write it in one sentence at the bottom of the page.

• Film notes: We finished watching "Beowulf and the Roots of Anglo Saxon Poetry" 
• Get note guide handout here.
• Watch video here.

• Beowulf books returned
• Grading rubric for summer reading notes.
• Discussion of the purpose of annotation
• HW due Tues. 9/1/15: Read the handout on Harvard's "Interrogating Texts" style of annotation which we will be using. We will discuss on Tues.
• We will work with Beowulf in four sections, so mark them off in your text:
                       #1:  p. 3-71, lines 1 – 1061
                       #2:  p. 71 – 131, lines 1062 – 1904
                       #3:  p. 131 – 171, lines 1905 – 2541
                       #4:  p. 173 – 213, lines 2542 - 3182
•  HW due Tues. 9/1/15: Review section 1 of Beowulf. Focus on adding any annotations you might have missed the first time around and also on the characterization of Grendel, Hrothgar, and Beowulf. What are some details that help us understand these characters? What techniques did the author use to make these characters vivid?

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Wed. 9/23/15 @ 9:00 am: College Fair
• Thurs. 9/24/15: Senior GPA distribution

8/27/15

• Syllabus forms picked up
• Presentations: "Who I Am and Where I'm Going" + posters turned in
• Notes from video: "Beowulf and the Roots of Anglo Saxon Poetry". We will finish notes on Monday.

8/25/15

WELCOME TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

• 2015 Syllabus
• 2015 Info Sheet
• Who I Am and Where I'm Going" poster / presentation project

HW due Thurs. 8/27/15

- Read syllabus- Q&A next class

- Finish "Who I Am / Where I'm Going" poster. We will do presentations on Thurs.