Wednesday, August 28, 2013

• There was no writing prompt today. 
• We watched the Beowulf movie. 
• I handed out a graphic organizer with a rubric for the writing assignment we are doing after the movie. You will be analyzing, comparing, and contrasting the movie with the poem. 
• The handout is in the Wednesday handout slot. I have to get it scanned before I can put it on here. It should be up by the end of the day.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

• The Beowulf essay was due today!!! It has to be emailed to me no later than 11:59pm tonight.
• Today's writing prompt: 

  

•  We started watching the 2007 version of Beowulf.You will be analyzing, comparing, and contrasting the poem with the movie. There will be a writing assignment on Thursday after we have finished the movie. I will hand out the rubric tomorrow.

Monday, August 26, 2013.
**The Beowulf paper is due by the end of the day Tuesday, August 27th.**

Today's writing prompt. 

 We worked on our papers in the library.
Here is an example of how to cite the Beowulf poem from the two sources we used.

Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print.

Raffel, Burton, trans. Beowulf. New York: Signet Classic, 1999. Print.

Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24 May 2009.

Friday, August 23, 2013

• No writing prompt today! 
• We took the Beowulf Unit Test
• If you missed the test you must come in and make it up before school or at lunch. 
• After the test students worked on their Beowulf research paper.
• ***The paper is due by the end of the day Tuesday, August 26th.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

• Today we worked on the Beowulf research paper in the library. 
• We talked about Google docs and how to use them. 
• We also discussed how to find credible sources for our papers. 
• There was no writing prompt today.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
No writing prompt.
Today was a little a skewed due to pictures being taken all day long. We did start working on the Beowulf research paper in the computer lab. 
*The paper is going to be due Tuesday August 27th.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Writing prompt for today:

2. We discussed the Beowulf paper that we will be writing this week.
    Here is the link to the Owl Purdue website that explains everything you will ever need to know about using MLA.
Purdue MLA website 

3. We handed out the Beowulf review. You can find it here: Beowulf review

Monday, August 19, 2013

1. Writing prompt for today.

2. Finish working on Beowulf comic strip.
3. Beowulf comic is due tomorrow: August 20th.
4. Beowulf test will be Friday, August 23rd.

Friday!! August 16, 2013

1. Today's writing prompt. Have fun with this one!

 
2. Today we created a comic strip of the Beowulf story. The comic must demonstrate a knowledge of the story's sequence of events, include all of the main events, and it must also have some dialogue. Here is a link to the comic handout: Beowulf comic strip

1. Today's writing prompt, make sure you support your point of view. 

 2. We completed a knowledge check to make sure everyone understood the last of Part 1 in Beowulf. 
3. As a class we read and discussed Part 2 of Beowulf. Make sure you look at the differences in the two translations. 

1. Writing prompt for today. Have fun with this one.

2. In groups of 3-4 students we read the rest of Beowulf Part One. The groups stopped and discussed what they had read at every section. Make sure you are taking good notes using your graphic organizer. 
3. Be prepared for a short quiz at the beginning of class tomorrow. 

1. Writing prompt for today. Be creative! It can be serious or funny.

2. Read Beowulf part 1, pg. 22-26. Use the graphic organizer to take notes. Beowulf graphic organizer
3. Make sure you turn in your homework from yesterday: vocab and kenning handout.
4. We also voted for senior class officers today.

Monday August 12, 2013

1. Writing prompt for today.

2. Read the Beowulf introduction in your textbook on pg. 18-19. Be prepared to discuss the intro before we start reading on Tuesday.
3. Beowulf vocabulary: Write the definition in your own words and use the word in a sentence.
epic hero, epic, resolute, vehemently, infallible, furled, lavish, assail, and extolled
4. Complete the Kenning handout. Explain what the kennings mean and what literary devices they use. Create at least three of your own kennings.
** Vocab words and kenning handout are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

Friday August 9, 2013
1. Writing Prompt: You must pick a side and present an argument. Make sure you provide some support for your argument. You have to explain your reasons for being for or against.

2. We took the quiz over the Anglo-Saxon time period.
3. We looked at some samples of Old English along with their translations.

Thursday August 8, 2013
1. Writing prompt for today:
You need to be creative and make-up the story about how you ended up on the island. How you want to be remembered can be real or made up. It is totally up to you.

2. PowerPoint presentation and discussion on the Anglo-Saxon time period and it's literature. Here is the link to the PowerPoint: Anglo Saxon Time Period PowerPoint
 

Wed. August 7, 2013

1. The writing prompt for today is the following picture. Make sure you actually tell a story. Do not simply tell me what you see.

2. We did a gallery walk of the posters that were created about the Anglo-Saxon time period. We discussed each section and took notes.
3. The quiz will be at the end of class on Thursday.

Tuesday August 6, 2013

1. Today's writing prompt;

2.Finish reading your sections in the textbook on the Anglo-Saxon time period and prepare a poster for that explains the main facts and details. Try to be creative when making your posters. Remember that the rest of the class is depending on you to give them the information they need about the sections you read.

3. We will have a quiz over the Anglo-Saxon time period on Thursday.

1.The writing prompt for today:

2. We checked out textbooks after the writing prompt. Your book is in your cubby/slot with your name on it at the back of the room. Please check it to make sure there are no problems with it.

3. Hall passes were handed out today. You get 5 passes for each semester. Unused days can be turned in at the end of the semester for extra credit. See Mr. Summers if you were not here.

4. We began looking at the Anglo-Saxon time period in our textbooks today. Pages 6-17. We are working in pairs to pull out the important information from your assigned sections. Tomorrow morning you will create a poster that explains what your sections are about, including important facts, dates, people, themes, etc.

Today we reviewed the syllabus and the class expectations. We took a quiz over the syllabus and everything we talked about on Thursday. If you were not in class today then complete the quiz and turn it in.

Classroom Expectations and Syllabus Quiz

Mr. Summers

English IV

* Answer the following questions using complete sentences.

1.   In your own words, tell me how you are expected to act in class.

2.   Explain what plagiarism is.

3.   What procedure must you follow if you turn in a late assignment?

4.   How can you find out what you missed if you were absent or if you just simply forget?

5.   How can you be successful in this class?

  The second thing we did in class was a writing prompt that I am going to use to assess your writing abilities. Be creative in your letter and feel free to use your imagination. 

“Letter to Myself”

You are to write a letter to yourself that would be opened 10 years from now at your high school reunion. Please write the best you can and consider grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. while composing the letter. The letter should include some of the following information. Also, feel free to add whatever you may think is relevant.

·        You could talk about your friends.

·        Explain what high school is like. Maybe tell yourself what you will miss or things you cannot wait to be done with.

·        Talk about your car/truck.

·        Write down your future goals and plans and explain how you plan to accomplish them.

·        Write about your high school accomplishments.

·        Simply think about what you would want to tell or remind your 28 year old self about and write it down.

The Parent/Guardian letter needs to be signed and turned in by Monday August 5, 2013.

 

Today I introduced myself to the class and then we went over and discussed the class syllabus, procedures, and expectations.

 If you were not here you will need to fill out an index card about yourself (see the last slide of the powerpoint). The WR is how well you like/can write and the RD is how well you like/can read. 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.

First and Last Name                                           Class Period
#1 One thing about you that most people do not know.
#2 One thing about you that only your friends know.
#3 One thing about you that most people know.

WR   RD                              What are plans after school this year? Do you have a career lined up or do  you plan on going to college? If so where?

You will need to sign and have your parents sign the parent/guardian letter. It is attached here and on the website.
Mr. Summers' Class Syllabus
Parent/guardian letter