Week of 30 April 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Students will continue to read, annotate, and analyze the  assigned short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will create summaries, research the author, and the time period in which the story was written*Due before7 May.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings*Due 11 May .  The annotated bibs will require MLA citation.  Students will write a literary analysis, with parenthetical citation, which will require an outline *Due 18 May, a rough draft *Due 21 May, and a final copy *Due25 May.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  Can one (apparently) have all the right information and make the wrong decisions?

Students will dive into the world of Hamlet.  As students read at their own pace (**ideally, an Act a week), they will analyze, respond, and later view the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare (if time allows).  During the week of 14 May, students will be required to collaborate, create, present and teach an Act analysis of the drama *Due 21 May.  They will be required to share ideas, work cooperatively, summarize plot, identify and apply literary elements and devices, analyze characters, and interpret meaning.  Students will be given Rubrics for the PowerPoint Presentation, the Oral Presentation, and for Collaboration. Hamlet summary with study guide questions will be due by Tuesday, 29 May.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will finish up the Panel Discussion Presentations.  The purpose of the Panel Discussion is for students to experience the need to synthesize new information or differing views/perspectives with existing knowledge.  Engagement, turn-taking, clarification, and acceptance demonstrate  speaking and listening skills which are necessary for public speaking.  Panel Discussions should be led with the necessity to answer several topic questions.  Panel Members will be graded on personal involvement when delivering opinions and reflections and when fielding questions. Communication of meaning, involving the audience, physical gestures, and vocal quality will also be graded.  Audience members are required to show evidence of critical thinking and personal involvement through the questioning process.  ***Reminder:  Chapters 16-18 due by 4 May. MLK critique due by 7 May.  Reasoning Exercise Worksheet due by 9 May. Fact, Value, or Policy Worksheet due 11 May.  Persuasive Speech Preparation Worksheet due by 21 May. 

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Students will take quizzes on Affixes and Roots.  Over the next marking period/semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Week of 23 April 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Students will continue to read, annotate, and analyze the  assigned short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will create summaries, research the author, and the time period in which the story was written*Due 7 May.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings*Due 11 May .  The annotated bibs will require MLA citation.  Students will write a literary analysis, with parenthetical citation, which will require an outline *Due 18 May, a rough draft *Due 21 May, and a final copy *Due25 May.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  Can one (apparently) have all the right information and make the wrong decisions?

Students will dive into the world of Hamlet.  As students read at their own pace (**ideally, an Act a week), they will analyze, respond, and later view the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare (if time allows).  During the week of 14 May, students will be required to collaborate, create, present and teach an Act analysis of the drama *Due 21 May.  They will be required to share ideas, work cooperatively, summarize plot, identify and apply literary elements and devices, analyze characters, and interpret meaning.  Students will be given Rubrics for the PowerPoint Presentation, the Oral Presentation, and for Collaboration.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will continue the Panel Discussion Presentations.  The purpose of the Panel Discussion is for students to experience the need to synthesize new information or differing views/perspectives with existing knowledge.  Engagement, turn-taking, clarification, and acceptance demonstrate  speaking and listening skills which are necessary for public speaking.  Panel Discussions should be led with the necessity to answer several topic questions.  Panel Members will be graded on personal involvement when delivering opinions and reflections and when fielding questions. Communication of meaning, involving the audience, physical gestures, and vocal quality will also be graded.  Audience members are required to show evidence of critical thinking and personal involvement through the questioning process.  ***Reminder:  Chapters 16-18 due by 4 May.

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Students will take quizzes on Affixes and Roots.  Over the next marking period/semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Week of 16 April 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Over the next marking period, students will read and respond to fiction.  Students will read a variety of short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will research the author and the works.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings.  The annotated bibs will require MLA citation.  Students will write a literary analysis, with parenthetical citation, which will require an outline, a rough draft, and a final copy.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  What does it mean to be world-ready?

Students will continue work on 21st Century student/work resumes.  Student resumes will aid students who will go directly into the work force, as well as with the completion of college applications. They will be preparing resumes for Mock Interviews on May 2nd.  Students will create a student resume summary/profile and one for each prospective business interview.  They will learn to create summaries/profiles that include a career path, education, job skills, and transferable skills.  Students will research the businesses in order to create appropriate summaries/profiles and resumes.  Researching businesses will help students complete job-specific resumes and prepare them for the upcoming interviews.  Self-reflection on one's strengths and weaknesses and goal setting are necessary skills for future success, wherever that may be.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will continue work on the Panel Discussion.  This collaborative presentation requires students to research, share, and present perspectives/ideas on both a local topic and on a national topic. They must become “experts” in their fields, sharing their expertise in front of the class.  Student should support information with examples, facts, and statistics, integrating research into the speech. They should comment on other students’ comments and make transitions to their comments.  Students will be required to create Visual Aids.  Discussion Panels will commence on Tuesday, April 17th.  Students will view, read, and respond to JFK's Inaugural Address.  Analysis and Critiques for the speech will be due on Friday, April 20th.

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Students will take quizzes on Affixes and Roots.  Over the next semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Week of 9 April 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Over the next marking period, students will read and respond to fiction.  Students will read a variety of short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will research the author and the works.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings.  The annotated bibs will require MLA citation.  Students will write a literary analysis, with parenthetical citation, which will require an outline, a rough draft, and a final copy.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  What does it mean to be world-ready?

Students will take a break from Hamlet and begin work on 21st Century student/work resumes.  Student resumes will aid students who will go directly into the work force, as well as with the completion of college applications. They will be preparing resumes for Mock Interviews on May 2nd.  Students will create a student resume summary/profile and one for each prospective business interview.  They will learn to create summaries/profiles that include a career path, education, job skills, and transferable skills.  Students will research the businesses in order to create appropriate summaries/profiles and resumes.  Researching businesses will help students complete job-specific resumes and prepare them for the upcoming interviews.  Self-reflection on one's strengths and weaknesses and goal setting are necessary skills for future success, wherever that may be. 

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will continue work on the Panel Discussion.  This collaborative presentation requires students to research, share, and present perspectives/ideas on both a local topic and on a national topic. They must become “experts” in their fields, sharing their expertise in front of the class.  Student should support information with examples, facts, and statistics, integrating research into the speech. They should comment on other students’ comments and make transitions to their comments.  Students will be required to create Visual Aids.  Discussion Panels will commence on Monday, April 16th.  Students will view, read, and respond to Commencement Speeches.  Analysis and Critiques for the speeches will be due on Friday, April 13th.

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Students will take quizzes on Affixes and Roots.  Over the next semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Week of 2 April 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Over the next marking period, students will read and respond to fiction.  Students will read a variety of short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will research the author and the works.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings.  The annotated bibs will require MLA citation.  Students will write a literary analysis, with parenthetical citation, which will require an outline, a rough draft, and a final copy.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  Can one (apparently) have all the right information and make the wrong decisions?

Students will dive into the world of Hamlet.  As students read at their own pace, they will analyze, respond, and later view the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare.  Students will be required to collaborate, create, present and teach an Act analysis of the drama.  They will be required to share ideas, work cooperatively, summarize plot, identify and apply literary elements and devices, analyze characters, and interpret meaning.  Students will be given Rubrics for the PowerPoint Presentation, the Oral Presentation, and for Collaboration.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will begin work on the Panel Discussion.  This collaborative presentation requires students to research, share, and present perspectives/ideas on both a local topic and on a national topic. They must become “experts” in their fields, sharing their expertise in front of the class.  Student should support information with examples, facts, and statistics, integrating research into the speech. They should comment on other students’ comments and make transitions to their comments.  Students will be required to create Visual Aids.

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Students will take quizzes on Affixes and Roots.  Over the next semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Weeks of 19 March 2018 and 26 March 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How can we use narratives to understand ourselves, others, and the world?

Over the next marking period, students will read and respond to fiction.  Students will read a variety of short stories.  They will be required to identify and apply short story elements and literary devices through note-taking, annotations, and a plotline for each story.  Students will research the author and the works.  They will complete annotated bibliographies for valid analyses that support their findings.  Students will write analytical literary essays which will require an outline, a rough draft, and a final copy.  This unit is the culmination of yearlong work.  Through the completion of this writing assignment, students will apply the critical thinking skills they have been asked to practice throughout the year.


English 11:  Can one (apparently) have all the right information and make the wrong decisions?

Students will dive into the world of Hamlet.  They will read, view, analyze, and respond to the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare.  Students will be required to collaborate, create, present and teach an Act analysis of the drama.  They will be required to share ideas, work cooperatively, summarize plot, identify and apply literary elements and devices, analyze characters, and interpret meaning.  Students will be given Rubrics for the PowerPoint Presentation, the Oral Presentation, and for Collaboration.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will begin work on the Panel Discussion.  This collaborative presentation requires students to research, share, and present perspectives/ideas on both a local topic and on a national topic. They must become “experts” in their fields, sharing their expertise in front of the class.  Student should support information with examples, facts, and statistics, integrating research into the speech. They should comment on other students’ comments and make transitions to their comments.  Students will be required to create Visual Aids.

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Over the next semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.

Week of 5 March 2018

"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. 

English 12:  How do our attitudes towards the past and future shape our actions?
                      Do we learn from our mistakes? Responsibility and Blame

Students will respond to the Tragedy of Macbeth by identifying and analyzing  philosophies on fate/chance, ambition/power, and gender roles. They will answer, discuss, and collaborate on questions that focus on literary elements and devices for each Act.  Students will be able to apply the relevance of Shakespeare's work as a classic to modern life. Students will begin The Macbeth Video Game Project.  They will be required to discuss, collaborate, and create The Macbeth Video Game Walkthrough and PowerPoint. Students will apply literary elements and devices to a 21st century application.  Projects are due on 8 March 2018.  Mid-Year Diagnostic Tests will be due on Monday, March 12th.  Macbeth Test will be given on Monday, March 12th.


English 11:  How do we respond when challenged by fear?
                     Why do we allow ourselves to become victims?

Students will view The Crucible and then be required to create a soundtrack for the play.  Students will write paragraphs analyzing the connections between song choices and the chosen scene.  They should be able to identify messages of abuse of power, censorship, revenge, forgiveness, sacrifice, and other themes found in the play.  Students should also be able to identify character motivation, the reason for the use of symbols, and/or how imagery is used through their analysis. The Soundtrack Project, including lyrics, images and a cover, will demonstrate knowledge and analysis of the play.  Students will be required to create strong expository paragraphs for each song choice.  They will be given rubrics for the overall project and for paragraph writing. Projects will be due no later than March 8th.  Mid-Year Diagnostic Tests will be due on Monday, March 12th.  The Crucible Test will be given on Monday, March 12th.

Public Speaking:  How do basic speaking and listening skills help us to communicate?

Students will analyze two sample Introductory Speeches. They will engage in substantial, thought- provoking discussion which will help gauge  topic choices, enhance critical thinking skills, and promote confidence. Textbook Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 4 will be due no later than February 23rd.  Topics for the Introductory Speech will be due on Monday, February 19th.  Outlines for the Introductory speech will be due by February 23rd.  Hard Copies and podium cards will be due at the beginning of Speech Day, 5 March 2018.  Speeches will continue until Monday March 12th. 

Keystone Literature Workshop:  How does my interaction with the text provoke thinking and
                                                      response?

Students will continue to learn word dissection and analysis.  They will be working on advanced root word development.  Over the next semester, they will work on a variety of ways to improve skills to improve reading, interpreting, and analyzing texts.  Students need to join the Opened classroom, create accounts for the College Board site, and download the Practice Question of the Day app.  These online sites and apps will help students work on reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary in context, types of writing, writing organization, and interpretation.