February 11-15

I hope everyone enjoyed the three-day weekend (the first one)!  Here's the agenda for the week:

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Finish year 2219 activity. Go through Huckleberry Finn as a book and discuss chapters. Read the first part of Chapter 16. Introduce extra credit opportunity with Huckleberry Finn reading. Discussion and activity: trigger warnings.

Due: Please read the following two articles about controversial topics at college and trigger warnings. Note the speakers in both cases, and come with your own opinions about whether or not trigger warnings should be given before teachers assign books and speakers come to colleges. We'll discuss and then use this as a basis for a group activity on Tuesday.

The Coddling of the American Mind

An Open Letter to Jerry Seinfeld from a Politically Correct College Student

Homework: Please complete the Huckleberry Finn raft assignment.

Study for the Current Events Quiz on Thursday, February 14, covering the TheWeek.com's emails from Sunday, Feb. 10 - Wednesday, Feb. 13.

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Current Events Quiz. Practice outlining AP argument prompt in class. English class-style Valentine's Day celebration. Intro: AP Gender Unit, receive AP Gender Unit packet of essays. "Ideal man"/"Ideal woman" activity. 

Due: Huckleberry Finn raft assignment.

Homework For Tuesday:

Please read and annotate "Being a Man" and "Many Ways to Be a Girl, but One Way to Be a Boy..." (pages 1-5 in the AP Gender Unit packet). Come with opinions about the reading for Tuesday's activity.

Please complete a new assignment on Albert i.o. - "Ain't I a Woman?" by Sojourner Truth.

February 4 - 8

It's already February! This month, we'll continue the argument unit, survey selected chapters from Huckleberry Finn and discuss related issues, and begin a unit containing essays about gender. I'm looking forward to many good debates around these topics, especially in this class!

Unfortunately, I have been pulled into a meeting on Tuesday morning and will miss class that day. I've scheduled several other items that need to be completed by the end of February on that day, and will be back with your latest round of graded essays on Thursday. 

TUESDAY: First 15 minutes of class: scheduling presentation from the counseling office with form for next year's classes. AP exam sign-up information presentation by Ms. Hafer with forms and deadlines. Healthy kids survey on Chromebooks. Journal warm-up. Remaining time in class to read Huckleberry Finn and work on raft assignment. 

Click here for the link to the Healthy Survey. 

Due: Please read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 1 - 7. 

Homework: Please read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 8 - 11 and Chapter 15.

Work on the raft assignment, which is due on Thursday, February 14. 

 
THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Vocabulary Quiz. Receive argument essays back, with samples. Go over Huckleberry Finn reading, characters, scenes, prose. Read the first part of Chapter 16, where Huck wrestles with his conscience about whether or not to turn Jim in as a runaway slave. Group activity: the year 2319.

Due: Please read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 8 - 11 and Chapter 15.

Homework for Tuesday, February 12: Please read the following two articles about controversial topics at college and trigger warnings. Note the speakers in both cases, and come with your own opinions about whether or not trigger warnings should be given before teachers assign books and speakers come to colleges. We'll discuss and then use this as a basis for a group activity on Tuesday.

The Coddling of the American Mind

An Open Letter to Jerry Seinfeld from a Politically Correct College Student

Homework for Thursday, February 14:
Huckleberry Finn raft assignment

Enjoy the three-day holiday for President Lincoln's birthday!
I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

January 28 - February 1

It's the last week in January already, and we're continuing with the argument unit. This week, we'll write our first in-class argument essay. Argument is the second of the three types of essays given during the AP Lang exam in May.

MONDAY: Journal warm-up: 13 Virtues from Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Overview of the rest of the semester. Argument notes - types of prompts, warrants. Sign up for Albert i.o. on Chromebooks. "Paper Tigers" discussion.

Due: Please read and annotate "Paper Tigers".

Homework: Please complete Albert i.o. first assignment: "Corn-pone Opinions" passage by Mark Twain with multiple choice questions.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Review argument basics. In-class argument essay.

Due: Albert i.o. first assignment: "Corn-pone Opinions" passage by Mark Twain with multiple choice questions.

Homework: Study for current events quiz.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Current events quiz. Intro: Huckleberry Finn, discussion about controversial language in books, academic classes. Pick up Huckleberry Finn from the library. Receive AP vocabulary list for next week.

Due: Study for current events quiz.

Homework: Please read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 1 - 7, (pages 1-36 in the library version). Get a feel for the characters as well as the energy of the prose. 

January 21 - 25: Spring Semester!

I've really enjoyed getting to know you over the last semester, and looking forward to the variety of shorter units we'll cover in Spring, leading up to the exam. I'm so impressed by both the writing and discussions we've been able to have, and excited for the next four months (!) until you're seniors.

Due to the MLK holiday and the planned staff professional development day on Friday, we will meet only once, on Wednesday.
 
WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Reading comprehension passages (all 11th graders will be working on these this week). Go over final exam responses. Receive "Paper Tigers" article for discussion next week.

Due: n/a

Homework: Please read "Paper Tigers" by Wesley Yang. Jot down your ideas in response to discussion questions 2-9 at the end of the article and be ready to discuss on Monday.

Be ready to write an argument prompt in class during next Wednesday's class.

Next week, we'll have the first Current Event quiz on Friday, covering the "10 Things" e-mails from Sunday, January 27 - Wednesday, January 30.

January 14 - 18

It's finals week! We'll continue reviewing the general information on the Study Guide, practice argument prompts/outlining, take the final, and then enjoy a three-day weekend.

MONDAY: (B-day) Journal warm-up (10th fallacy). Context and SOAPS for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, which is generally rated the #1 speech in the United States in the 20th Century. We'll look at it with a rhetorical analysis lens, reading the text and watching the speech. Review rhetorical analysis terms utilized by King in the speech. View a sample argument prompt and brainstorm, in groups, an outline response.

Due: Continue filling out Study Guide with your class notes.

Read and annotate MLK's I Have a Dream speech, noting the rhetorical strategies. Also: what is he arguing for, specifically? Please bring the paper copy of the text of the speech with notes and questions.

Homework: Study for the final; go over argument notes and the Study Guide. 

TUESDAY: (0 period final, special schedule, all periods meet) Journal warm-up. Review "baseball" in teams.

Due: Study for the final using the Study Guide and your argument notes. 

Homework: Study for the final using the Study Guide and your argument notes.

FRIDAY: 8:00 - 9:55 Fifth period final.

Enjoy the three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday!
I'm looking forward to Spring Semester with you.

January 7 - 11 Happy New Year!

Hello, and welcome back!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. I read Just Mercy, In the Country We Love, and started Calypso by David Sedaris. I saw Wreck it Ralph with my family and enjoyed watching the results of my apparently horrible choices on Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the choose-your-own-adventure movie written by Charlie Booker. I also enjoyed finally getting caught up on my subscription of Wired magazine - and the grading, of course.  The Rhetorical Historical papers were an absolute pleasure to read, and overall the introductions and conclusions were especially well-executed and impressive.

I know it's a tough sell to go from two weeks off to preparing for finals, but you'll make it! Here are some notes, and the agenda:

NOTES: 

• No quiz this week.
• Please bring your Grapes of Wrath library book with you to turn in. 
• Last day to turn in any late work for partial credit: Friday, January 11th at 11:59 p.m. 

FORMAT OF THE FINAL: 

I consider the research paper you just wrote to be more important than a final since it took a great deal of research, analysis, and drafting to earn a good score. The final will be worth approximately 10% of your grade. Part I will be a 50-question multiple choice quiz (50 points in the tests/quizzes category) and in Part II you'll write an outline response to an argument prompt (50 points in the writing category). 

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Receive Study Guide and go over the format of the final. Fallacies notes and practice exercises in groups. Satire notes, videos, sample AP prompt. Review argument basics and receive practice prompt to outline.

Due: n/a

Homework:
Write a brief, outline response in phrases to the Adversity argument prompt, and bring it with you for Thursday. 
Please bring your Grapes of Wrath book if you haven't already turned it in. 

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Last fallacies notes and group practice. Go over Adversity argument prompt answers. If time: induction and deduction in argument.

Due:
Please bring Study Guide with you to class. 
Write a brief outline response to the Adversity argument prompt.
Please bring your Grapes of Wrath book if you haven't already turned it in.

Homework:
Continue filling out Study Guide with your class notes.

Read and annotate MLK's I Have a Dream speech, noting the rhetorical strategies. Also: what is he arguing for, specifically? Please bring the paper copy of the text of the speech with notes and questions for Monday.

December 17 - 21

It's the last week before a well-deserved break! We'll add some more argument notes this week, enjoy a current event day, and finish the Rhetorical Historical Research Paper.

MONDAY: Journal warm-up. Go through the process of writing an introduction in detail. Whiparound - thesis statements. Discuss how to craft good body paragraphs. You'll want 4 - 5 total. Time on laptops to work on the paper, individual help.

Due: If you have a full rough draft, please bring it for credit. If you don't, or are confused, we will go through everything on Monday.

Homework: Work on revision of paper. The due date is Friday, December 21 before class.

Please bring The Grapes of Wrath with you to turn in on Wednesday.

Please make sure you can access your paper electronically for Wednesday. Please bring a laptop if you have one. 

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Peer review of Rhetorical Historical drafts in rounds. Go over final requirements of paper with checklist. How to insert pictures/visuals. If time, argument notes: fallacies.

Due: Be sure you can access your paper electronically.

Homework: Finish the Rhetorical Historical research paper and submit it to Turnitin.com before class on Friday, December 21.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Special current event day: the textalyzer bill.

Due: Finish the Rhetorical Historical research paper and submit it to Turnitin.com before class.

Homework: None.

Have a wonderful Winter Break!
Have fun and relax with family and friends.
I look forward to seeing you in 2019!