Reflection on Biblical Final

Please reflect on the following questions about the open book, open internet, collaborative final:

1. What did you like about the final?
2. What did you dislike about the final?
3. What would you do differently, if you could take the final again?
4. What could the teacher have done to better prepare you for this final?

Due Monday, May 27, 2013

Your final is Monday. The vocabulary portion is individual. The Bible allusion part is open.

Please also bring ingredients for macaroni and cheese that day so we can cook on Wednesday:

1. Macaroni - Rebecca
2. Butter - Jean
3. Milk - Joseph
4. Onion - Brandon
5. Cheddar and Swiss Cheese - James
6. Breadcrumbs - Tony
7. Chicken nuggets/bacon - Winston
8. Vanilla Ice Cream - Jingmin
9. Bananas - Willy

Due Monday, May 20, 2013

Finish reading the Book of Revelations, King James Version.

Type all of the un-highlighted vocabulary words from your novel onto a set on vocabulary.com. Send me the link before class starts on Monday. Before 8am is better.

Due Monday, May 13, 2013

Finish reading the Book of Luke.

Due Thursday, May 9, 2013

Your lens essay is due. It should be at least two pages, five paragraphs long in MLA format. Please print it out and bring it to class. If you have not presented yet, you must present this essay.

You may start reading the Book of Luke (24 books). Finish reading it by Monday. Finish reading the Book of John (21 books) by Wednesday.

Due Monday, May 6, 2013

Read The Book of Matthew (28 Books). You may also start reading The Book of Mark (16 Books).

Start your Lens Essay. You will have time to work on it in class, so bring your computer to class.

Due Thursday, May 2, 2013

Your persuasive paper on whether or not your novel is canon is due. MLA format, printed. If you cannot turn in a paper copy on time, then email me an electronic version and give me a printed version later.

Due Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Read the 2nd book of Samuel.

Post three Socratic Seminar questions, based on the books of Samuel.

Work on your persuasive paper, on whether or not your novel should be considered canon.

Due Thursday, April 25, 2013

Your first essay on your novel is due. It should be printed and emailed before class. The paper should be in MLA format. Refer to veracross for the rubric.

Be prepared to present your paper.

Due Monday, April 22, 2013

Read Exodus up to Ch. 20 at least.

Post 3 Socratic Seminar Questions about Exodus.

Work on your essay, due Thursday.
Your evaluation of your novel as canon is due in two weeks. Your lens essay is due in three.

Due Thursday, April 18, 2013

Finish reading your novel. Bring your 50 vocabulary words, with page/chapter numbers, part of speech, and definition, to class. You should have a paper copy.

Post a rough thesis about your novel. (Essay due April 25)

By Monday: Read Chapter 1-20 of Exodus. Yes, there will be a quiz. Also, a Socratic Seminar.

Due Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Finish reading Genesis.

Post 3 Socratic Seminar Questions regarding Genesis.

Continue to read and keep track of vocabulary in your novel. The document must be printed by Thursday. It should be in MLA format and contain 1) the vocabulary word 2) the page/chapter number it came from 3) the part of speech 4) the definition.

Due Monday, April 15, 2013

Read Chapters 1-25 of Genesis in the King James Version of the Bible.

Continue reading your novel.
-Start keeping track of vocabulary in your novel that you are unfamiliar with. When you are done with the novel, you must turn in a list of 50 vocabulary words, including their definitions and page numbers (where you found them).

Choose an American novel to read

Choose an American novel to read throughout this quarter. It must be written by an American author or take place in or be mainly concerned with the U.S. and must be approved by me. You will be working on a project throughout the quarter that evaluates the novel. Once you have decided on a novel, please post the name and author as a comment below.

Due Monday, March 25, 2013

Your midterm will consist of two readings, with accompanying reading comprehension and short answer questions. In addition, you will be asked to evaluate one of the texts as Southern Gothic literature and write a text-to text comparison with something we have read as a class this year. Lastly, you will be tested on vocabulary from this quarter (everything from January and February).

For the practice test, the answer to #16 is A, not C.

• #20: Pretty much any piece of imagery referring to sight or smell
• #21: "Change of Heart" is a good title because she changes her opinion after she loses her job and a relationship. She also sees that at the heart of things, we all have "disappointment, hope, and love" in common.
• #22: Both selections use the first person point of view which shows the narrator's vulnerability in the midst of change.
• In "The Sky Blue Ball" the narrator is caught between not being a child and not being an adult. The reader experiences with the narrator the childlike excitement of the impromptu game of catch. 
• The narrator in "Change of Heart" recounts the traumatic period in her life when she lost all that was familiar: her job and her relationship. In that vulnerable moment, she sees her neighbors in a new light. Through the narrator's relating of her experience, the reader witnesses the sequence of events that cause her to both accept her neighbors and be accepted by them.

A final draft of your To Kill a Mockingbird essay is also due, printed, in MLA format.

Due Monday, March 18, 2013

Keep working on your House on Mango Street Booklet. By Monday, you should be done with all five sections, and be working on your about the author page and making a table of contents.

Also (because I offered it to my other classes): Extra credit if you make a poster (at least size A3) with the text of a poem, preferably by Langston Hughes (we will be going over his poems in the Holt Reader on Monday). It will be awarded points based on how aesthetically pleasing it is.

Due Thursday, March 14, 2013

Revise your thesis and/or topic sentences, ideally before class on Thursday. Simply reply to your original post. Your grade for the two assignments will remain incomplete until they are viable.

Due Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I am unable to comment on your theses for some reason. If your thesis is still marked "incomplete" on Veracross, then you still need to revise it. If you were close, I sent you an email. If you have questions about how to revise your thesis, please email me or come talk to me after school.

Post your revised thesis and three topic sentences to the analysis section before 9:40am. This is due even if you are going to BEIMUN. I suggest you post it early if you don't want it marked late. We will be using class time to work on the essay this Thursday of this week.

Your To Kill a Mockingbird essay is due next Thursday.

Due Monday, March 11, 2013

I looked over the theses for To Kill a Mockingbird, and most are not analytical. Try to think about why your statement is relevant.

Therefore, for Monday, revise your thesis statement. If your thesis has been approved, please come up with topic sentences.

Read "Thoughts on the African-American Novel" by Toni Morrison. It is not located in your textbook. Click on the link and search the PDF for "African-American." I am also uploading a scanned version on Veracross, but the internet PDF is better quality.

Due Thursday, March 7, 2013

Come up with a thesis for To Kill a Mockingbird. Post it as a comment in the analysis section.

You may start reading "Thoughts on the African-American Novel" by Toni Morrison. It is located in your textbook in Unit 5: The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism.

Due Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Come up with a thesis for the excerpt we read from "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain. Post it in the analysis section.

Come up with three Socratic Seminar Questions, one analysis, one evaluation, and one creation. Directions for each question are posted on the page you will comment on.

Due Monday, March 4, 2013

Post a thesis for "A Rose for Emily."

Read "How it Feels to be Colored Me," located in your textbook and online.

Post a sentence for each vocabulary word from "How it Feels to be Colored Me."

Due Thursday, February 28, 2013

Post a thesis for a paper topic related to The Great Gatsby as comment to this post.

You can also start reading "How it Feels to be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston for Monday's class. It is located in your textbook. You can also read it here.

Due Thursday, February 21, 2013

Your poem for the Poetry Contest is due by the end of Thursday. Please indicate which poem you would like to submit and revise it.

Finish reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Monday.

Read "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty by Monday. It can also be found in your textbook.

Post a sentence for each vocabulary word from "A Worn Path" by Monday.

There will be a literature circle for To Kill a Mockingbird due Wednesday. You may choose what to write your role sheet on, as long as no two people do the same role sheet.

Due Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Post three questions for the Socratic Seminar on To Kill a Mockingbird.

• The analysis question should discuss the portrayal or lack of portrayal of black characters.
• The evaluation question should address what is or is not racist/an accurate portrayal.
• For the creation question, post a question addressing possible solutions for portrayals of minorities (i.e. Should writers be required to incorporate diversity?)

Revise one of your poems. The final draft for the poetry contest is due by the end of class on Thursday. The final draft should be at least 20 lines, and should show progress from the rough draft. Remember to incorporate at least two poetic elements.

Due Monday, February 18, 2013

Be sure that your rough draft of your 2nd free verse is shared with me by 8am on Monday. Write at least 20 lines. The final, revised version of one of your free verse poems is due Thursday, February 21st. It should include at least two poetic elements, which include:

• parallelism
• descriptive imagery
• rhyme
• rhythm
• alliteration
• assonance
• consonance
• refrain
• figurative language

Read up to Chapter 25 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Due Thursday, February 7, 2013

A rough draft of your "I Hear America Singing" homage (a catalog of at list 7 things).

For after Chinese New Year Break:

Reread the Langston Hughes poems, "Harlem," "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "I, too," and "The Weary Blues" from the textbook (we will go over these on Thursday).

Finish a rough draft of a 2nd free-verse poem

Read To Kill a Mockingbird to Chapter 25.

Due Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Read the selection from Life on the Mississippi that is in your textbook. If you are missing your username, be sure to email me. There will be a short-answer quiz on Wednesday. Two of the questions should be easy to answer if you have read the selection. The third is an evaluation question that must be supported by evidence from the text.

Post an analysis question, an evaluation question, and a creation question for To Kill a Mockingbird, based on what you have read so far (Chapters 1-15).

Due Monday, February 4, 2013

Read To Kill a Mockingbird up to Ch. 15

Read the excerpt from Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" from the textbook. It is located in Unit 4: Regionalism and Naturalism.

Please continue to work on your pastiche/parody of  "I Hear America Singing." It's final draft is due by Thursday.

Due Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Read to Ch. 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird

Literature circle:

• Character
• Setting
• Tone
• Text to Text connection with "A Rose for Emily"

Also, study for your "A Rose for Emily" quiz. It will consist of multiple choice questions and 3 short answers.

Due Thursday, January 24, 2013

There is only one new PRS (vi), but there will still be a PRS quiz next Wednesday. It will incorporate old PRS, including im- and per.

Due Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Vocabulary for "A Rose for Emily."

Due Monday, January 21, 2013

Read "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner (in Unit 5: The Harlem Renaissance, Modernism, page 1066)

Start reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Read up to Chapter 10 by next Monday (January 28th).

Due Friday, January 18, 2012

Choose any topic you'd like from Death of a Salesman and write a standard literature circle for extra credit. An emailed, electronic copy is fine, but it must be turned in by 3:10pm.