Week of September 29th, 2014

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively.

Academic English 9:  Students will continue reading and responding to the novel, Night. The students will be required to add to their novel notes due on Thursday, October 2nd.  They will be required to identify conflict, climax, metaphor, symbolism, allusion, foreshadowing, character development, major and minor themes.  Vocabulary Unit 2 and Grammar Test is on Wednesday, October 1st.  The students will complete the Documentary for Thursday, October 2nd.  Creation requires critical thinking skills, application of knowledge, use of creativity, and attention to detail.  They will demonstrate the relevancy of Night for today's reader through the parallelism of meaning found in the novel and current conditions in the world today.

Practical English Literature 10: Students will focus on applying literary devices and elements for relevancy of Poes' "Masque of the Red Death".  They will be able to identify and apply allegory, the use of metaphor, and imagery.  Students will be responsible for demonstrating meaning for today's reader by applying it to modern times. 

Public Speaking:  Students have begun preliminary research for the Informative Speech.  They will locate and identify valid sources.  They will create purpose statements.  They will identify topic and audience.  They will create theses statements.  They will organize and synthesize information.  They will be required to create visual aids for their speech presentations.  MLA citation will be required for the hard copies of the speech.

10th Grade SAT Prep: Students will identify colleges to which they will apply.  They will be given criteria to research to help their search become more focused.  They will apply the strategies and skills they have learned to timed practice tests.  They will practice strategies with online websites.

Weeks of September 15th and 22nd

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively.
 Academic English 9: Students will continue reading and responding to the novel, Night. RA 2 is due on September 22nd and RA 3 is due on Friday, September 26th.  Vocabulary Unit 2 is due by Tuesday, September 23rd.  The students have begun work in their groups on the Documentary.  Creation requires critical thinking skills, application of knowledge, use of creativity, and attention to detail.  They will demonstrate the relevancy of Night for today's reader through the parallelism of meaning found in the novel and current conditions in the world today.

Practical 10 Literature: Students will create alternative endings for the short story, the "Monkey's Paw". They will be required to demonstrate knowledge of tone and theme when creating the ending.  Students will then read, respond, and analyze Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death".

Public Speaking: Students will be required to read and respond to the text.  Chapter 7 due on Monday, 9/22.  Chapter 4 due on Wednesday, 9/24.  Chapter 6 due on Monday, 9/29.  They will watch and critique Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech which will be due on Friday, 9/26.  Students will be required to create an introductory speech for a peer based on the speech that they have heard.  This will assess their listening skills.

SAT Prep: Students will continue to learn strategies and hone skills.  Responding to informational articles will be the focus this week.  Using facts, identifying implication and inference questions, and identifying organization of an article will be practiced.  They will also be using the internet sites for prep. The College Board site, Number 2 site, and StudyStack will be used. 

Week of September 8th, 2014

Academic English 9: Students will be assigned the novel Night.  There will be research and discussion on the culture and time period of the book.  The research will serve as a beginning point for their group projects.  They will be required to read and respond to informational articles, research valid sources on the internet, complete a documentary, and create a propaganda poster for current events.  Reading Assignment 1 will be due on Monday, September 15th.

Public Speaking and Research:  Students will complete and practice their Introductory Speeches.  Chapter 3 will be due on Wednesday, September 9th.  Chapter 5 will be due on Monday, September 15th. Speeches will commence on Monday, the 15th.

Practical English Literature 10:  Students will read and respond to the Short Story Unit.  The analysis and discussion on literary devices will be necessary for application to the literature.  The students will read and analyze "The Monkey's Paw".  They will be responsible for responding to the literature in a reading prompt which will be due on Friday, September 12th.

SAT Prep: The students have identified the differences between reading in context and fact based questions. Hint words and strategies have been introduced and reviewed for use on the SAT. The students will complete practice tests. They will be required to answer the "question of the day". They will also be given vocabulary that may be tested on the SAT.

Week of September 1, 2014

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

The goal of this English class is to produce critical thinkers. Students are not only reading for comprehension but for meaning and relevancy of the work as a whole. Literature is also an example of good writing. The writing improves when a student reads. Vocabulary also improves because the student is learning to read in context. We want successful students who can think critically and communicate effectively.

9th Academic English: Due to the Assemblies, the Pep Rally, and the Fire Drill, the Grammar and Vocabulary Unit 1 Test has been moved to Wednesday, September 2nd.  Students will be required to identify, define, and use the vocabulary in context.  They will also be required to identify subject(s) and verb(s) in the sentences.  We will begin the novel, Night by Elie Wiesel.  The students will be required to complete reading assignments, notes, and a study guide for the novel.  They will be given informational texts on the time period, watch The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for parallelism and literary devices, and complete a group project.  Reading Assignment 1 will be due on Friday, September 11th. 

Public Speaking and Research: The students will have read and discussed Chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook by September 4th.  They will be able to identify at least one weakness they have while presenting information in front of an audience.  The goal is effective communication, therefore, planning and preparation are imperative to good speech presentations.  Their first speech is due on Septembers 15th, 16th, and 17th.

SAT Prep 10th Grade:  The students have identified the differences between reading in context and fact based questions.  Hint words and strategies have been introduced and reviewed for use on the SAT.  The students will visit the College Board site to setup accounts for the SAT.  They will be required to answer the "question of the day".

10th Grade Practical Literature:  The students will be working on the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.  We will be focusing on theme, relevancy, and tone.  They will be given informational literature on the time period to help them understand and respond to the story.  The students should be using their critical thinking skills to make connections to the importance of the author's message for today's culture.  There will be a reading response question on Friday, September 5th.