November 12 - November 16

It's the week before Thanksgiving! Sadly (for me) the class periods are shortened as well. We'll work on the Rhetorical Historical paper, continue with The Grapes of Wrath, and begin the Argument unit.

MONDAY: Veteran's Day, no school.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Intro to argument. Rhetorical Historical term paper topic selection with bucket. Pass out Rhetorical Historical Step 2 sheet. Act out Grapes of Wrath scene from Chapter 20. Grapes of Wrath character exercise in groups.

Due: Please read Grapes, Chapter 20. Note how the following characters deal with the intense challenges they face in this chapter: Tom, Connie, Uncle John, Jim Casy. 

Homework: Please complete Step Two of the Rhetorical Historical term paper. 

Please read Chapter 21 and note which, if any, current events this chapter pertains to. 

FRIDAY (minimum day): Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocab, grammar, reading. Current event/discussion: policy brutality in the United States, and whether or not Black Lives Matter is effective at forwarding its goals.

Due: Please complete Step Two of the Rhetorical Historical term paper. 

Please read Chapter 21 and note which, if any, current events this chapter pertains to. 

Homework: Please read The Grapes of Wrath, Chapters 22 - 25. 

Have a terrific Thanksgiving holiday! 

I look forward to seeing you next week. 

November 5 - November 9

It's November, finally. This month, we'll write another in-class rhetorical analysis essay, finish The Grapes of Wrath, begin the Rhetorical Historical research paper, liven up the agenda with discussion and debate, and start the Argument Unit. We'll also enjoy the November holidays along the way!

MONDAY: Journal warm-up. Check questions in packet for "Dumpster Diving" article and discuss. Read student rhetorical analysis example from Expansion Pack, as well as revision. Notes: hyperbole, parallelism, and paradox. Read "Santa Ana Winds" by Joan Didion (pages 10 and 11 in AP Expansion Packet). Read and analyze a practice Rhetorical Analysis prompt, outline in groups. Turn in warm-up journals.  

Due: Please read and annotate Dumpster Diving from the AP Expansion Pack, page 15-21. Please answer the questions on page 22 right into your packet itself and be ready to discuss on Monday.

Please read Chapter 19 of The Grapes of Wrath, page 315-326.

Please make sure you've answered all of the warm-up questions in your journal. At the end of the period on Monday, they'll be due in the classroom bin.

Homework: Read and annotate Shooting an Elephant (pages 4-7 in the Expansion Pack) for Wednesday. Look for at least one paradox in the text. (We will talk about it in class on Friday.)

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Write the second in-class rhetorical analysis essay.

Due: Read and annotate Shooting an Elephant (pages 4-7 in the Expansion Pack) for Wednesday. Look for at least one paradox in the text. (We will talk about it in class on Friday.)

Homework: Study for the Current Events/Reading quiz on Friday. 

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering TheWeek.com current events e-mails from Sunday, November 4 - Wednesday, November 7 and readings ("Dumpster Diving" and Shooting an Elephant). Introduce the "Rhetorical Historical" Research Paper. Discuss Orwell's Shooting an Elephant. Go over Marriage Proposal compare/contrast style prompt from Monday. Current event topic.

Due: Study for Current Events/Reading quiz.

Homework: Please read The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 20, and think about the characters you might like to play during the action scene with Tom, Al, Floyd, Jim Casy, and the deputy and contractor. Also note how the following characters deal with the intense challenges they face in this chapter: Tom, Connie, Uncle John, and Jim Casy.  

October 29 - November 2

It's the end of October and we've worked hard so far this year. I was impressed by the mature and academic roundtable discussion last Friday in class, especially the fact that several participants were able to disagree in a respectful manner. This week, we will enjoy celebrating Halloween with American horror authors, talk about the strategies writers use to build suspense, and enjoy some treats.

Please note there will not be a current events quiz this week. We will pick back up next week with a current events quiz next Friday, November 9 covering the "10 Things..." e-mails from Sunday, November 4 - Wednesday, November 7. I am also targeting Wednesday, November 7 as the next in-class rhetorical analysis essay. 

Just to be clear - NO CURRENT EVENTS QUIZ THIS WEEK!

TUESDAY (HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION): Journal warm-up. Read an Edgar Allan Poe short story as a whole class. Building suspense. Video. If time: Halloween 2-3 minute short films.

Due: Please read Chapter 18 of The Grapes of Wrath. Note its relevance to current issues, including homelessness and migrant workers.

Homework: n/a. Happy Halloween! Enjoy the day and come back Thursday ready to go.  

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Syntax review. Ralph Ellison's On Bird, Bird-Watching and Jazz. Cumulative, periodic, and inverted sentences and their effects. Cumulative sentence activity in groups. Begin reading Dumpster Diving from AP Expansion Pack.  

Due: n/a

Homework: Please read and annotate Dumpster Diving from the AP Expansion Pack, page 15-21. Please answer the questions on page 22 right into your packet itself and be ready to discuss on Monday.

Please read Chapter 19 of The Grapes of Wrath, page 315-326.

Please make sure you've answered all of the warm-up questions in your journal. At the end of the period on Monday, they'll be due in the classroom bin.

October 22 - 26

Last week you wrote your second rhetorical analysis essay, and your first essay in-class. As I'm writing this I've almost graded them all, and I think the class is really on the right track. Almost everyone was able to identify and articulate the somewhat complex rhetorical situation in the prompt.

This week,  we'll go over the Kelley prompt, discuss and analyze The Grapes of Wrath, enjoy a four-corner debate about book bans and censorship, watch the play preview, and study and discuss different proposals to address homelessness in Los Angeles.


MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Go over Kelley prompt. View samples. Go over Chapter 14 of Grapes, book banning. Notes: oxymoron, syntax review. Polysyndeton, asyndeton. Create polysyndetons, asyndetons.

Due: Please read Grapes, finish Chapter 16 and 17.

Homework: Please read and annotate two opposing viewpoints about censoring books and be ready to discuss on Wednesday. 

1. Please read 3 responses to the Kelley prompt. 2. Score each on your own before looking at the College Board's scoring. 3. On a separate piece of paper, write 2-3 sentences for each why you scored the way you did. 

OPTIONAL: If rewriting the Kelley prompt, please type the revision and post to turnitin.com by November 1. Please turn the original back in when it's ready. (There will be a paper first version and a typed and uploaded electronic revision on Turnitin.com.)

WEDNESDAY:  Play preview. Journal warm-up. Notes: hyperbole. Four corner debate about censorship.

Due:  Please read and annotate two opposing viewpoints about censoring books and be ready to discuss on Wednesday. 

1. Please read 3 responses to the Kelley prompt. 2. Score each on your own before looking at the College Board's scoring. 3. On a separate piece of paper, write 2-3 sentences for each why you scored the way you did. 4. Please return the samples with the piece of paper (they're a class set).

Homework: Please read and annotate the articles about homelessness in Los Angeles in the Expansion Pack, page 27-34. Please interact with the text, making notes about your responses in the margins and bring the marked-up Expansion Pack to class on Friday.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocabulary, grammar. View opposing viewpoints about a proposed solution in San Pedro. Roundtable discussion about homelessness in Los Angeles, how to approach the issue, different solutions. Here is a fantastic series of maps to explore.

Due: Please read and annotate the articles about homelessness in Los Angeles in the Expansion Pack, page 27-34. Please interact with the text, making notes about your responses in the margins and bring the marked-up Expansion Pack to class on Friday.

Homework: Please read Chapter 18 of The Grapes of Wrath for next week. Note its relevancy to current events, specifically homelessness. 

October 15-19

This week, we'll write our second rhetorical analysis essay. It will be timed and completed in one session, handwritten, to prep you for the actual exam in May, but you will have a full hour and access to your entire English notebook with handouts and your own notes. If you're not happy with your final score, you will also have the opportunity to rewrite it and I'll average the scores.

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Go over Grapes reading. Review steps to writing a rhetorical analysis essay. Write an in-class rhetorical analysis essay prompt. You'll have one full hour to complete it, and will have access to your notes from this year.

Due: Please finish Chapter 13 and 14. While reading the powerful and intense Chapter 14, identify at least 2 rhetorical strategies Steinbeck uses to forward his overall argument.

Homework: Please read Grapes, Chapter 16, pages 222-241. Study for the Current Events Quiz for Thursday.


THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Current Events Quiz. Read and act out scene from Chapter 16, beginning with page 242. Irony: notes and video examples.  

Due: Please read Grapes Chapter 16, pages 222-241. Study for Current Events Quiz.

Homework: Please finish the rest of Chapter 16, and Chapter 17. What is the point of Chapter 17? Why do you think Steinbeck made the choice to include it?

October 8 - 12

We've completed the first full rhetorical analysis essay.  In my opinion, this is the toughest, least intuitive type of essay we will cover all year.  I scored them using the AP essay rubric (0-9 scale) and then translated that to percentages. Please see the comments added to the essay itself in Turnitin.com and also on the sidebar in Turnitin.com where I've gone into detail about what worked and what could be improved.

If you scored below a 90% (a 7), you are welcome to view the comments and submit a revision and I'll average the scores for the final essay grade.  Please submit a revision by October 15 to the OPTIONAL: Green revision link in Turnitin.com.

Also, this is the week of the PSAT.  The free practice test can qualify you for scholarships and will begin oat 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday. 

MONDAY: Journal warm-up. Go over Green essay results: feedback for the whole class, specific examples. Receive revision guide. Multiple choice practice self-correction, discussion about types of questions and time management strategies. Tone: Speech at Tilbury, reading, video of reenactment. Read Chapter 11-12 of Grapes with class activity.

Due: Please read the rest of Grapes, Chapter 10.

Homework: Please read Grapes, Chapter 13, page 167-187 for Friday. 

Please read comments in Turnitin.com on your Green essay - both inbedded in the essay itself and in the Comment Box on the right side of the screen. 

If you earned less than a 7 (90%) and are opting to revise the Green essay, please read the comments and submit it by October 15 at 11:00 to Turnitin.com.  

WEDNESDAY: (NO LATE START - PSAT at school at 7:50 a.m.) Journal warm-up. Vocab story rounds.

Due: n/a

Homework: (Same as Monday.)

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocab list, grammar, and Grapes reading. Notes: suggestions for essay conclusions. Conclusion rewrite activity in groups. Rhetorical questions.

Due: Please read Grapes, Chapter 13, page 167-187. 

Please read comments in Turnitin.com on your Green essay - both inbedded in the essay itself and in the Comment Box on the right side of the screen. 

Homework: Please read the rest of Grapes, Chapter 13 as well as Chapter 14. Look for at least 2 rhetorical devices used by Steinbeck in Chapter 14 and be ready to discuss. 

Review the steps involved in writing a Rhetorical Analysis essay.  On Tuesday, October 16, we'll write our first in-class essay. It will be open note, and one hour long. We will also review the steps before the actual writing. I think you guys will do really well!  

October 1 - 5

Thanks for a lively and interesting September.  Here we are, already in October! This month, we'll write rhetorical analysis essays, learn more rhetorical analysis terms, practice vocabulary, expand our current event knowledge, and continue with The Grapes of Wrath and other readings.

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Go through Alfred M. Green prompt annotations and outlines. View sample rough drafts, go over how to revise and polish drafts.  Begin reading and acting out Chapter 10 of Grapes.

Due: Rough draft of Green prompt due to Turnitin.com by Monday, October 1 at 11:00 p.m.

Homework: Revise and polish the Green prompt, and post it to Turnitin.com under the "Green Final Draft" assignment link by Wednesday night, October 3 at 11:00 p.m.

Study for Current Events quiz.

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Current Events Quiz. In-class multiple choice practice, time to read Grapes.

Due: Revise and polish the Green prompt, and post it to Turnitin.com under the "Green Final Draft" assignment link by Wednesday night, October 3 at 11:00 p.m.

Homework: Please read the rest of Chapter 10. Which Joad to you relate to the most? Are any members of your own household like one or more of the Joads?