SENIORS: We started work on the COVER LETTER  for your Senior Portfolio (see the school website for specifics).  The letter is due tomorrow, Friday, Feb.1.  You can give me a hard copy or share it through email.

SOPHOMORES: We finished all three graphic organizers. I collected #1 and #3; you still have #2 because the HW is to write the summary that is asked of you at the bottom of #2.  Have that done for tomorrow.  Also, tomorrow, you will need to tell me which option you are choosing for the Argument Process Piece.

SENIORS: Your resume' was due today, either hard copy or shared to me via email.  You'll know by Monday whether or not you need to rework anything.  For tomorrow, our focus will be on the cover letter, which will be due this Friday; again, either by hard copy or email.

SOPHOMORES: We finished watching President Clinton's speech and finished Graphic Organizer #1.  We got through parts of Graphic Organizer #2; finishing it is HW, to be ready for tomorrow.

SOPHOMORES: THE HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT (TUES. JAN.29) : Finish reading Clinton's speech; transfer your annotations to the graphic organizer; fill in the front of the graphic organizer.

SENIORS: We continued the work on resumes' and cover letters.  The resume' is due at the end of the period (that's PERIOD, not day) tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan.30.  You can give me a hard copy or send it to me via email (make sure you send it as Resume'; please do not send me an untitled message).

 SOPHOMORES: There was a lot on our plate today.  You received 3 handouts: Clinton's speech, a graphic organizer for Clinton's speech, and the instructions for the Argument Process Piece.  We listened and watched Clinton give his speech (we got about half-way through) and did some annotations that will help in filling out the graphic organizer.  For the Process Piece, you will need to decide which option to take: 1) Debate with 3 other students; 2) Speech; 3) Essay (note: for the essay, the maximum grade you can get is a B).  You need to have this decision made by Friday, Feb.1.  Once you have decided on an option, you will NOT be allowed to switch to a different option.  The final due date for this assignment is Feb.20.  See me for the handouts.  Clinton's speech can be observed on YouTube and is titled:" Remarks to the Convocation of the Church of God in Christ, Nov. 1993."

SENIORS: A new semester brings new responsibilities; to that end, I went over the classroom rules and consequences so that we can have a more productive learning environment.  This was followed by the introduction of our new unit, the Senior Portfolio and Exhibition.  We will start with working on the RESUME' and the COVER LETTER.  Some of you may already have completed these items for another class; if so, your HW is to bring copies of the resume' and copy letter, or email them to me (make sure you identify them to me).

SOPHOMORES: In order to create a better learning environment for the new semester, I went over the class rules and consequences.  This was followed by the completion of our work on Dr. King's speech: we created new word groupings based on RELIGION, CIVIL RIGHTS, and NON-VIOLENCE.  These groupings show us Dr. King's diction (word choice); and through those choices, we can determine what kind of man Dr. King was, what his argument was, and who he was trying to reach.  This work was done in your notebook; so if you were absent, you will need to look at a classmate's work and get that in your notebook as well.  There was no HW.

SENIORS: Because of the problem with the Jan.10 blog, you had today's period to do the required highlighting on your novel.  Your class period was your deadline, unless you have an EXCUSED absence.  Make sure you know what page from your novel you will share on FINALS day.

SOPHOMORES: We continued preparing for the midterm, using website quizzes.  Make sure you go over the terms that you wrote down in your notebooks.

SENIORS: Don't know what happened to the Jan.10 blog.  Here's what needs to be highlighted: Inciting incident and climax in yellow (just the first sentences) and the rising action in light purple (again, just the first sentences).

SENIORS:  You have until high noon tomorrow (Sat.) to finalize everything.  If you don't remember what you're going to be graded on, look at the blog for Jan.10.  Good luck!

SOPHOMORES: We went over what you could expect to see on the final, updated Goodreads, and completed the exit slips from yesterday.

SENIORS: Like sand in an hourglass, the time to work on your novel methodically drops away, never to be recaptured...........

SOPHOMORES: We did an exercise in which we grouped a variety of words and tried to make connections between those words.  We then applied these groupings to Dr. King and President Obama, thinking about their word choices and the messages those choices present to the reader.  Your HW is to bring your Independent Reading Book to class tomorrow.

SENIORS: Tick tock.....tick tock.....tick tock....your novel is coming due.....

SOPHOMORES: We finished annotating Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech for allusions and repetition, trying to discern why he is using these methods.  There was an exit slip, but the response was a little longer than usual; I asked: What have you learned about the methods authors use to build and support their argument from studying Dr. King's methods?

SENIORS: Time waits for no one and no novel, so use your time wisely as it ticks away.......

SOPHOMORES: We finished annotating Dr. King's speech for metaphors and moved on to allusions.  The HW for tonight is to use the internet to help you find the allusions in Dr. King's speech.  Here's how: Look over the speech; there might be a phrase that catches your eye or gives you that gut feeling of "could this be it?"  When that happens, type the phrase into google and see what comes up.  You might be surprised.

SENIORS: Your goal this week is to eat, drink, sleep, and live with your novel.  You have no more time after this week!  The grade you save may be your own!

SOPHOMORES: We annotated Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech for metaphors and created a chart, which I collected at the end of the period.  In your notebook, I asked that you define and give an example for the following: metaphor, simile, and allusion.

SENIORS: You have one, 1, uno, etahi, week to finish the final draft of your novel.  There will be no extension of time on this, so work accordingly.  Good luck!

SOPHOMORES: We started off with an entry slip on which you were to write down Dr. King's argument.  As a class, we annotated and discussed audience, action, and structure.  The HW is to complete the annotation on structure for Monday.

SENIORS: Here is how I will grade the final version of your novel: I will start off giving you an "A," then reduce it by one grade for each missing elements.  Here are the elements I will be looking for: Maintain original word count with words that make sense; dialogue is correctly formatted; paragraphs are formatted correctly; the first sentences of your inciting incident and climax are highlighted in yellow; the first sentences of your rising actions are highlighted in light purple; spelling; grammar; variety in sentence structure, sentence length, and paragraph length; title and chapters/clear breaks.  The final grade will carry extra weight since this was a long-term assignment.  Good luck!

SOPHOMORES: We clarified some of the Argument Unit terms are copied them in your notebooks: CLAIM (thesis, argument, main idea) Ex. The death penalty is never acceptable.  REASON (supports the claim) Ex. The death penalty targets the poor.  EVIDENCE: (supports the reason) Ex.Statistics show this is true. (appeal: logos).  We went over the transcript of the Jeremy Irons speech, making those changes.
Also, we added to our master list of what we know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and then worked in groups finding the following from his I Have a Dream speech: What is Dr. King's argument? Where did you find it?  Who is his audience and what does he want them to do?  Where did you find it?  The HW assignment was to finish finding these answers if you didn't finish in class.

SENIORS: Today we had a guest speaker; continue revising your novel.  The due date is Friday, Jan.18.

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, list everything you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We made a master class list of this information, and the homework was to find something new about Dr. King or something about the time period in which he lived.  I passed out copies of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech and watched him present it on YouTube.  We also went over the annotation of the Jeremy Irons speech, which I collected.

SENIORS: Keep working your novel!  The due date for the final, finished product is Jan. 18.

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, respond to the following with a complete, thought-through paragraph: Is the death penalty an acceptable punishment for a crime?  Why or why not?  Then, on You Tube, we watched the Jeremy Irons speech against the death penalty and annotated a transcript of that speech.  We looked for thesis, claims, counterclaims, and appeals, putting all that information on a chart in your notebook.  The homework was to write a short essay on whether or not you agreed with Jeremy Irons and to give your reasons.

SENIORS: I went over the things I will be looking for when grading your novel.  See me for details.  Your novel must be done, complete, finito, by Friday, Jan. 18.  Keep writing!

 SOPHOMORES: We went over the academic language for our new unit (Argument) and created definition charts so you will have the words handy.