Week of 12/2 - 12/6

Hello. This week in English classes students are taking Galileo tests. This will take 2 class periods. On Friday/next Monday we will begin to wrap up the semester in earnest.

A couple notes:
If your student has assignments missing, or is looking to raise his/her grade NOW is the time. The last few weeks of the semester tend to zip by--better to make up assignments now than to get caught short and run out of time at the end.

For the final weeks:

We will be looking at poetry, specifically the poem, The Mending Wall, by Robert Frost. We will also tie this in with our other short stories and the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, with which we started the school year.

Thanksgiving Week

November 25, 2013

This week we continue to work on "Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Bret Harte. We finished the story and will look at a Plot Diagram of the story and more literary terms after Thanksgiving. 

After Thanksgiving, we return to just 3 weeks of school before the end of the semester!

This is noteworthy because semester grades go on student transcripts (forever)! 

I gave all students a copy of their current grade report for both first and second quarters. I also passed back recent assignments. If your student needs to make up any work, or needs extra help, I will be here for tutoring after school T-Th after Thanksgiving until the end of the semester. 

Please don't hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns. 

 

(480) 987-4500, ext. 1226.

**Please watch this space for an undated, more animated website after break (including access to assignments, such as a document manager, etc) after Thanksgiving break. If needed, this updating may occur over Winter Break as well**

Week of November 12-15

Last week ended with finishing "The Masque of the Red Death". The test is finished and we move on to Paragraph Writing; specifically a well-written Introductory paragraph for an essay. 

Also, more grammar review this week.

Next week, we will begin working on the short story, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat."

Week of October 28-November 1, 2013

Happy Halloween! We are into second quarter and rolling along. Very exciting new stories, poetry and some creative writing lie ahead. Not all this week, of course, but soon. 

This week we will be reading a classic from Edgar Allan Poe, "The Masque of the Red Death." This is guaranteed to send chills up your spine!

At the moment, all work is being done in class; this includes reading the story, learning about EA Poe, studying the Black Plaque in Europe. 

Apologies for the lack of updates the last two weeks. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about quarter grades, please don't hesitate to email or call me. 480-987-4500, x 1226, kshore@alaschools.org

Week of Sept. 30-Oct. 4

Due Dates:

Friday, Oct. 4: Final copy of Tuesdays with Morrie essay (please include rough draft also--for points)

                        Study Guide, 7th Tuesday through end of book

This week in class:

Peer review of rough draft

Review/completion of study guide 

Introduction of opinion opportunities

Watch the movie, Tuesdays with Morrie

Have a great Fall Break! :-)

Assignments

Week of September 23-27

• Select theme to write essay about; construct a web or other pre-writing method to be reviewed in class, DUE: Monday or Tuesday 9/23 or 9/24.
• Continue to complete the Study Guide (7th Tuesday to end of book)DUE: Thur/Fri 103, 10/4
• IF you have NOT finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie, finish the book
• Begin working on Rough Draft of Essay DUE: Fri or Mon 9/27, 9/30.

Next week: September 30-Oct. 4

• Review Draft
• Peer Editing
• Prepare final copy of Essay to be turned in 
• Review Tuesday with Morrie in preparation to watch film
• Watch Tuesdays with Morrie
• Turn in Essay and Study Guide

NOTE:

 All students need a copy of the book Tuesdays with Morrie. If you don't have one, see me to check one out. 

You are expected to read 10-15 pages per night. We will be finishing the reading of the book to focus on themes, writing, study guides, and the analysis and meaning of the text.

Final Essay

50 points

Due: October 4, 2013

Pick one of the themes from Tuesday with Morrie and analyze how that theme is developed

in the memoir. Some ideas for what to include would be:

• What the characters say or think about the topic
• How other events or recurring images in the memoir reinforce or contrast with

              these ideas

• Your personal opinion on the merit of the memoirs treatment of this theme.

Assignment: Write at least a 5 paragraph essay about one of the themes in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie.

Themes: Pick one of the following themes: “Love or perish”, Personal values vs society’s values, Attitude, Mentors, Relationships.

Format: One approach might be to tell how Mitch has changed over time in the area you select as a result of his time with Morrie.

Rubric:

	Four (4)	Three (3)	Two (2)	One (1)
Purpose	clear purpose, insights and observations	mostly purposeful, good observations	purpose hard to find;evidence collected, not described, analyzed	purpose not evident;no clear opinion on theme
Substance/Strategy	carefully written, uses textual evidence, reflections on deeper meaning	Not just anecdotal, has and conveys appreciation of meaning	Shares memories and anecdotes; does not connect with meaning behind them; development may be lacking	Unacceptably brief and undeveloped
Diction/Details	Superior word choice; much detail and description	Good (effective)word choice;specific evidence used	Words not chosen without attention;inadequate theme and opinion are present	Words carelessly chosen; generally shallow evidence and commentary
Intro/Conclusion	Engages the reader; sets direction; conclusion enhances opening	Brings reader into piece;sets some sense of direction; conclusion is appropriate	Not much direction; conclusion not well related	No detail, direction or focus; writing just stops
Including textual evidence	Effective quotes, summaries, paraphrases; blends smoothly into body, and commentary	Includes quotes, etc, reasonably well	Some evidence from memoir;might not cite or paraphrase	Insufficient or no textual evidence
Correctness	Errors in spelling, grammar, and usage rare/insignificant	Errors are few don't distract reader	More frequent errors and are somewhat distracting	Errors so severe interfere with clarity and meaning

Assignments

English 2B-5 paragraph essay due Monday on selected topic. If you prefer to further edit, it may be turned in Wed.

English 3b-5 paragraph essay due Monday on selected topic. If you prefer to further edit, it may be turned in Wed.

English 1A-5 paragraph essay due Tuesday on selected topic. If you prefer to further edit, it may be turned in Wed.

Coming this Week: 9-16 to 9-20

Read 7th through 12th Tuesdays in Tuesdays with Morrie (TWM).

Begin comprehensive study guide (Tuesdays 7 through end of book). This will prove to be most helpful in writing final essay.

Receive final essay assignment. Begin to take notes on instances, examples, quotes from the book that illustrate various themes.