Thursday

12/17/15


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

  • Winter Break Reading AssignmentYou 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. 

Tuesday

12/15/15


  • Semester Exam
  • Winter Break Reading AssignmentYou 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. 

Friday

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

    • Winter Break Reading AssignmentYou 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)

    Thursday

    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.

    Here are the schedules for the next two weeks:

    Tuesday

    12/1/15

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

    11/24/15

    • Poem of the Week: Complete the "Thanksgiving Poem Assignment" on Google Classroom. The class code is u2nn6c
    Have a great Thanksgiving Break!

    Friday

    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.

    Wednesday

    11/18/15

    Monday

    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.

    Thursday

    11/12/15

    • 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:
      • 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

    Tuesday

    11/10/15

    Friday

    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.

    Wednesday

    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

    Monday

    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.

    Thursday

    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

    Tuesday

    10/27/15

    • 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.

    Friday

    10/23/15

    • POW: "The World is Too Much With Us" by William WordsworthIn-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.

    Wednesday

    10/21/15


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

    Monday

    10/19/15


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

    Friday

    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.

    Thursday

    10/15/15


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


    Tuesday

    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.

    Thursday

    10/8/15

    View the Essay Conference Schedule HERE
    • 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

    Tuesday

    ALERT for Job Shadowers

    10/6/15

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

    Friday

    10/2/15


    • POW
      : Sonnet analysis test
      IMPORTANT DATES:
      • Tues. 10/13/15: Information night for UT and TAMU @ WISD Boardroom, 6 pm

    Wednesday

    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.
    • College Planning:
      • Essays:
      • 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

    Monday

    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.
    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

    Thursday

    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.
    • 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:

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

    Tuesday

    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: 
    • 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:

    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

    Friday

    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.
    • 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:

    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

    Wednesday

    9/16/15

    • 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:

    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

    Monday

    9/14/15


    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

    Thursday

    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

    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

    Tuesday

    9/8/15

    • 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).

    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

    Friday

    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

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

    Wednesday

    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

    Monday

    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

    Thursday

    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.

    Tuesday

    8/25/15

    WELCOME TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR!
    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.