Tuesday, April 14, 2015

• We read Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" in class. Pay attention to the characters and how they react to the lottery and each other.
• You have a writing assignment for the story. The paper needs to be at least 2 pages in length. Please consider this a formal writing assignment.

Friday, April 10, 2015

• Students that were signed up for their book talks presented today. Projects were due when the book talk was completed.
• Any time that we had left in class was spent reading. 

Thursday, April 9, 2015

• Today we read for 20 minutes in your independent books.
• We had a class discussion about "The Bet" and capital punishment.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Today you were giving some time to finish the questions for "The Bet" on page 973 of your textbook. When that is finished you can read your independent books.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.
• Finish reading Anton Chekhov's "The Bet" on pages 965-972 if you did not finish yesterday.
• Answer questions #1-9 on page 973. Make sure you use complete sentences in your answers. 

Monday, April 6, 2015

• 20 minutes of independent reading. 
• Most of the book talks last week were really good. The ones that were not up to par were just not prepared. Make sure you are ready to do your presentation if you are signed up for this Friday or if you missed last week. 

• Read Anton Chekov's "The Bet" on pages 965-972.
• Answer questions #1-9 on page 973. Use complete sentences. Be prepared to discuss in class.

Friday, April 3, 2015

• "The Most Dangerous Game" quiz
• Book talks and presentations for students signed up for today.
• Finished up the class period with independent reading. 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

 

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.
• We worked in small groups to complete the reading guide for "The Most Dangerous Game."

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

• Independent reading for 20 minutes.
• We worked in small groups to complete the reading guide for "The Most Dangerous Game."

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

• We read for 20 minutes in our independent reading.
• Then we finished reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and worked on answering the reading guide questions.

Monday, March 30, 2015

• We did independent reading for 20 minutes. The first book talks will be this Friday the 3rd. Check the sign-up sheet in class by the Beowulf poster for when you are doing your presentation. Remember that the project is due the same day as your book talk. 
• We continued to read and answer the reading guide questions for "The Most Dangerous Game". We read up to the end of page 17. You should be able to answer questions 1 thru 20 at this point. 
• The reading guide will be due Thursday April 2nd. 
• We will also have a short quiz over the story on Thursday. 

Friday, March 27, 2015

• 20 minutes of independent reading.
• We started reading "The Most Dangerous Game" in class today. 
• You should be completing the reading guide for "The Most Dangerous Game" as we read it.  
• As you are reading be writing down some of the things that help form the picture of what the characters look like and how they act. Also think about the word choice that the author uses to help you visualize the setting. 

Thursday, March 26, 2015

I was at the S.W.I.M. competition today. Here is what you did in class.

• 25 minutes of independent reading.
• Complete the vocabulary handout for "The Most Dangerous Game."

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Today was a data day. We read our independent books for the time we were in class.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

• We finalized book check-outs today.
• I checked for questions on the independent reading we are going to do. If you have any questions look at Monday's post.
• We read for 20 minutes in your independent reading book.
• I did a presentation over narratives, plot structure, and setting. It can be viewed here. 

Monday, March 23, 2015

• We are going to start an independent reading period in each class where you will be reading a book of your choice.
• You are expected to read two books before the end of the semester.
• You will do a book talk for each book where you will present your book to the class. Each of these book talks are worth 100 points. You will be graded on your knowledge of the book and how well you present it to the class (public speaking in other words).
• You will also be completing a book project for each book. The project must be different for each book. Each project will be worth 100 points. 
• That means you will have a total of 400 points tied to your book talks and book projects. Do Not Blow These Off!  
• You will also be receiving 25 points a week (5 each day) for your independent reading. The same as we did for the writing prompts. 
• After we discussed the book projects and talks I introduced a short narrative story we will be reading this week. We will be reading Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game".
• We will be focusing this nine weeks on narrative writing. You will understand plot, the importance of setting, character analysis, and theme. This will culminate with you writing a narrative story. 
• Today you will be completing the vocabulary handout for " The Most Dangerous Game".

Monday - Wednesday, March 9-11, 2015

• We are working on our satirical videos. Since we missed school last Wednesday and Thursday due to snow days we will work on then until Wednesday.
• Try to have the filming done by Tuesday so you can edit your movie on Wednesday. 
• The movie MUST be uploaded to YouTube by Thursday and shared with Mr. Summers. 
• We will watch and grade the videos on Thursday the 12th. 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

• Once your written plan is approved you may begin working on your satire video.
• Please be responsible young adults as you go to various parts of the school to film your project. 

Monday, March 2, 2015

• I spoke briefly today about the research papers I have graded. More specifically I talked about plagiarism.
• Checked for any questions about the satirical video assignment.
• Students worked in their groups to come up with their idea for the video and write a plan of action with a script.
• Once the plan of action is approved students may begin filming.

Friday, February 27, 2015

• Today we had a quiz over "A Modest Proposal". If you were not here you will need to come in on your own time to take the quiz.
• I went over the satirical video assignment and rubric.
• We will be working on the videos next week. 

Thursday, February 26, 2015

•  Complete the writing prompt.
• I checked for understanding of Jonathan Swift's "A Modern Proposal".
• You had the class period to finish the Guided Reading handout and the Satirical Devices handout.
• We will have a quiz tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

•  Create a story about the picture above for your writing prompt today.
• We finished reading Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" today.  
• Make sure you are completing the Guided Reading handout as you are reading. 
• While we are reading or after we have completed reading you need to make sure you complete the Commonly Used Satiric Devices handout. 
• Both handouts will be Thursday the 26th.
• We will have a quiz over the story on Thursday the 26th too.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

•  For the writing prompt simply tell the story. Are they going in or out of the building and why?
• Today we will be looking at satire in literature as we read Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal". 
• As we are reading you will be completing pages 2 and 3 of the Guided Reading for the story.  
• You will also be looking for examples of Commonly Used Satiric Devices in the story and completing the Commonly Used Satiric Devices handout.

Monday, February 23, 2015

•  For today's writing prompt tell me about one place that a book has taken you. Describe it and explain what was so good about it. (We are doing the writing prompts in our notebooks.)
• Today we started a unit over satire.
• Here is the definition of satire:

sat·ire

ˈsaˌtī(ə)r/

noun

noun: satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

synonyms:

mockery, ridicule, derision, scorn, caricature; More irony, sarcasm "he has become the subject of satire"

a play, novel, film, or other work that uses satire.

plural noun: satires

"a stinging satire on American politics"

synonyms:

parody, burlesque, caricature, lampoon, skit; More informalspoof, takeoff, sendup "a satire on Canadian politics"

a genre of literature characterized by the use of satire.

• We watched some satirical video clips to demonstrate what satire looks like in film. 
• Watch The Onion News Network introduction to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, which is a real life look at what it is like to serve in the Army. 
• This is a satirical piece by The Onion News Network that is mocking the morning news shows.
• The Daily Show is a good example of satirical news broadcast.
• Another good example of satire is the Colbert Report.
• As you are watching the videos be thinking of ideas for a satirical piece of your own. You will be making satirical videos in small groups next week.
• Tomorrow we will be looking at satire in literature.

Tuesday thru Thursday, February 17-19, 2015

• We finished up our final drafts of the research papers. 
• Make sure you have a correct and complete works cited page. 
• Double check format, grammar, punctuation, etc.
• Make sure everything makes sense and is clear.
• You have to include in-text citations.
• The paper is due by 9pm Sunday night the 22nd.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Snow day today.

We will discuss how it affects the due date on Wednesday in class. Remember I will be gone for a powerlifting meet Tuesday.

Friday, February 13, 2015

• Today was spent working on your research paper. 
• The deadline is getting near. 
• Make sure you are working and getting help if you need it.
• Don't forget your works cited page.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

• Today we are doing a peer edit of your research paper. 
• You will complete the Peer Editing Checklist and turn it in.
• For #2 on the checklist you MUST highlight and make a comment on your partners thesis.
• You MUST make comments and corrections using the suggestion tool on the Google Docs editing tool bar.
• This is the only editing you get besides your own. Please take it very seriously and do a good job for your classmates. 

Tuesday & Wednesday, February 10 & 11, 2015

• We worked on the rough draft of your research paper both days. 
• Your rough draft is due Wednesday, February 11th.
• I will be grading the following:
• Length (Have you been working?)
• Format (Should be formatted using MLA.)
• Citations (Do you have citations and are they done correctly?)
• Originality (The majority of the paper should be your own thoughts and ideas supported by SOME quotes and paraphrasing of the research.)

•  Thursday you will be doing a peer edit of your paper. 

 

Monday, February 9, 2015

• After looking at the introductions this week I decided I needed to go over what your introduction should look like one more time. 
• Your introduction should introduce:
• What you are going to talk about. 
• Why are you going to write about it?
• Why is your topic important?
•  Include a clear concise thesis.

•  The thesis statement needs to explain clearly and concisely what you are writing about in your paper. The rest of your paper should be focused on proving and supporting the thesis statement.
• Look at the Purdue OWL website's example MLA research paper if you need help. 
• I also noticed that the people that were moving on in the paper and some of you that had facts and quotes in your introduction were not citing properly. We have had several lessons on this. If you need help go to the Purdue OWL website first.

Thursday and Friday, February 5-6, 2015

• We worked on your rough drafts in the computer lab.
• Remember your rough draft is due next Wednesday, February 11th. 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

 

• Today we worked on your introduction and thesis statement. 
• Make sure you share your document with me. 
• After I approve your intro and thesis you may begin working on the rest of your paper. 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

• Today we worked on your introduction and thesis statement. 
• Make sure you share your document with me.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Today we discussed the importance of a well written introduction with a clear concise thesis statement. 
Remember that the introduction sets up the entire paper. It explains what you are writing about, why you are writing it, and why it is important. 
The thesis statement should clearly say what you will be writing about. Everything in the paper should be trying to support or prove your thesis in some manner.
We looked at some examples. Specifically make sure you look at the MLA example paper on the Purdue OWL website. It will be extremely useful for you while you work on your paper.
The last thing we did was start writing your introduction. You should create a new document titled (your name-research paper).
This will be the same document I look at for your rough draft and eventually your final paper. 

Friday, January 30, 2015

• Today we looked at how to paraphrase and quote sources in our paper. Remember paraphrasing means you take all of the information from your source and put it into your own words. It is not the same thing as summarizing. 
• We completed the paraphrasing practice exercise. It is due Monday the 2nd.
• We then talked about thesis statements and your introduction paragraph. Remember that your thesis statement is what your entire paper is about. Your research should all be focused on proving your thesis.
• Remember to use the sample MLA paper from the Purdue OWL website as a guide while writing your paper. It explains everything you need to know about writing a research paper and using MLA.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

• Today we worked on our outlines.
• Make sure you are putting thought and effort into your outline. It should be your map when you start writing your paper.
• You must have shared your outline with me by Friday night. It is due at the end of the day. 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

• The first thing you need to do today is type up your research reflection paper that you hand wrote in class yesterday. The paper MUST be formatted using MLA. You will lose points if it is not formatted correctly.
• Make sure you double check your spelling, grammar, etc. on the reflection paper.
• When you are done with the reflection paper you need to continue working on your outline.
• The outline is due this Friday the 30th.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

• You are writing a one page paper that will be submitted via Google Docs by Wednesday January 28th.
• You are handwriting a rough draft today.
• On Wednesday you will type it up on Google Docs and continue to work on your outline.
• Your outline is due Friday January 30th.
•  Here is the research reflection handout.

Research Reflection Paper

English IV

·       Write a one page reflection paper explaining your research.

·       How did your research go?

o   Good things

o   Issues/Problems you had doing your research.

§  Trouble finding information?

§  Found too much information.

·       How did the research affect your thoughts on your topic/thesis?

o   Did it confirm your thoughts?

o   Did it change your thoughts?

·       How are you going to use the research?

o   What are you going to write about?

o   How are you going to use the research?

·       How could you improve your research?

o   What will you do different next time?

o   What worked really well?

Monday, January 26, 2015

• We filled out an index card for yearbook with your name and favorite quote. This quote will go with your panel picture in the yearbook.
• I went over the expectations for the research reflective paper.
• You are writing a one page paper that will be submitted via Google Docs by Wednesday January 28th.
• You are handwriting a rough draft today and tomorrow.
• On Wednesday you will type it up on Google Docs and continue to work on your outline.
• Your outline is due Friday January 30th.
•  Here is the research reflection handout.

Research Reflection Paper

English IV

·       Write a one page reflection paper explaining your research.

·       How did your research go?

o   Good things

o   Issues/Problems you had doing your research.

§  Trouble finding information?

§  Found too much information.

·       How did the research affect your thoughts on your topic/thesis?

o   Did it confirm your thoughts?

o   Did it change your thoughts?

·       How are you going to use the research?

o   What are you going to write about?

o   How are you going to use the research?

·       How could you improve your research?

o   What will you do different next time?

o   What worked really well?

Friday, January 23, 2015

• Today we finished up our research.
• You should be filling in any holes you found while working on your outline. 
• Your final research notes are due Friday, Jan. 23rd.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

• Today we finished up our research.
• You should be filling in any holes you found while working on your outline. 
• Your final research notes are due Friday, Jan. 23rd.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

• Today you have class time to work on your outline in the computer lab. 
• You need to make sure you have shared your Google Doc outline with me today. 
• You need to have your outline mostly done so you know what you need to look for in your final two days of research tomorrow and Friday. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

• Today I talked about your research notes and ways to improve them.
• The most important thing is to remember that you should be thinking about every quote, statistic, or source you write down and putting your own thoughts with that note. 
• How are you going to use the note?
• How does it change your thoughts about the topic?
• How will this note be used to prove or support your thesis.
• Essentially you should be thinking about how you are going to write your paper. 

• Format your source into the proper MLA works cited format. That way you do not have to go back and look them up again.

• Then we discussed how to use an outline. We went over the outlining handout. The most important part with the outline is understanding that this is the "what" you are going to include in your paper. Once you start writing your paper you only have to focus on the "how" part of writing. You will know what you are going to write so the last thing, and often the hardest, is to figure out how you are going to write it. 
• You MUST complete an outline of your paper. It needs to be started by the end of this week. The final outline will be due Thursday, January 29th. 
• Your outline will be done in a Google Doc. You need to create a new document and title it Your Name-Research Outline. It should look like this: Tony Summers-Research Outline. The document needs to be shared with me as soon as you create it. 

 

Friday, January 16, 2015

• We worked on the iPads in class today finishing up your initial research. 
• I discussed and showed some examples of what I expect in your notes. 
• Make sure you are thinking about how your notes and research are going to help you write your research paper. 
• Your research should be guiding you and helping you to learn more or make a clear decision about your topic. 
• The research should support what you are going to write about. 
• You must share your Google Doc with me today for a grade on your research and notes.
• We will begin writing our outlines on Tuesday next week.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

• Researching your topic in the library. 
• Make sure you put anything that you cut and paste into your notes in quotation marks so you know it is a direct quote. 
• You MUST make comments on your notes as to how you are going to use them, their purpose, or what they mean in relation to your paper.
• Make sure you share your notes with me on Google Docs!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

 

• Researching your topic in the library. 
• Make sure you put anything that you cut and paste into your notes in quotation marks so you know it is a direct quote. 
• You MUST make comments on your notes as to how you are going to use them, their purpose, or what they mean in relation to your paper.
• Make sure you share your notes with me on Google Docs!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

• Researching your topic in the library. 
• Make sure you put anything that you cut and paste into your notes in quotation marks so you know it is a direct quote. 
• You MUST make comments on your notes as to how you are going to use them, their purpose, or what they mean in relation to your paper.
• Make sure you share your notes with me on Google Docs!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Today we started researching in the library. Remember to use a variety of sources but they MUST be legitimate. NO ask.com or essays101.com or anything else like that. 

Keep good, detailed, organized notes.

Your document should be titled YOUR NAME-RESEARCH PAPER on Google Docs. 

Share your notes with me.

Friday, January 9, 2015

• Today we discussed how to take notes while doing our research. 
• Keep your notes concise. Do not cut and paste large chunks into your notes.
• Only save the important facts or details.
• Organize your notes by source. 
• Go ahead and make your works cited for each entry so when you are ready to create your works cited page you can simply cut and paste the entry.
• Paste a link into your notes for your online sources so if you need to go back to them you can simply click on the link in your notes. 

• Your notes will be kept in a Google Doc. You will title your notes: name-research notes. (Tony Summers-Research Notes)
• Here is an example of some of my notes from a paper I wrote: Leopold Von Ranke Notes. 
• Today you will write down your topic of choice on an index card and explain why this topic interests you. This was turned in for a grade.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

• Today we discussed how to conduct research online and at the library. We talked about using other sources besides online information such as books, movies, documentaries, etc.
• We talked about how to narrow down your research topic so that you can create a working thesis statement to use in your research paper.
• We looked at how to use Google Scholar to find sources and how to use the cite function to create a works cited entry.
• We also talked about EBSCO Host again and how to do an advanced search. We looked at the cite function for this site too.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

• Today we looked at the Purdue Owl website and refreshed our memories on how to do citations and a work cited page. 
• Using the MLA Practice Handout you need to answer the four questions and then put the eight sources into a works cited page. Use a separate piece of notebook paper to do the works cited and staple it to the handout.  
• This is due at the end of class or when you return to class tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

• Welcome back to class.
• We went over some rules that need to be readdressed. 
• No cell phone use unless it has been allowed for class use.
• No food or drink allowed in class. 

• We talked about having a plan for after graduation.
• Have you applied to the colleges you are interested in?
• Have you submitted scholarship applications?
• Have you asked for letters of recommendation if you need them?
• Not going to college. Have you found a trade school, talked to a military recruiter, or started looking for the best job for you after high school?
• Graduation is May 22nd, don't go into the next phase of your life without a plan.

• I introduced the senior research paper to the class and went over the expectations and deadlines.  
• We looked at the research paper rubric so that you know exactly how it will be graded. 
• Your first deadline is to have a topic picked with an idea for your research by Friday January 9th.