Friday, November 30, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Re-read Hemingway story
2. Students who are doing "critical points" should come to class prepared.

HONORS ENGLISH
1. College Essay
-essay due in class today
-work the sentence variety strategies into at least FOUR of your sentences in the body of your paper
2. Sentence variety
-discuss and learn different ways (adjective, participle phrase, prepositional phrase, appositive) to strengthen your sentence beginnings
-worksheets and practice on them
3. Consider picking up a copy of Hamlet if you are out this weekend

Thursday, November 29, 2012

BLACK DAY

ALL CLASSES......

1. Please see my SNOWDAY POLICY at the very top of this web page. Thanks!
2. All classes viewed the presentation from the Art Inst. on "Creative Career Options"
3. Honors class is reminded that their final college essays are due on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms Conroy, make up tests...
2. Presentation from Jennifer Rogers-Art Institute

HONORS
1. Presentation from Jennifer Rogers at the Art Institute
2. Dont forget: College essay due on FRIDAY.....voice and lead are two FOCUS AREAS....we will focus on the third, sentence variety, when we have class again.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. Mr Lessard presents on his antiques in order to model good technical "direction" giving....
2. REMEMBER: your own papers (directions on how to do something you know well) need to be given to me as soon as possible!

HONORS
1. Same as orange day....I took your clothes essays...your free choice college essays are due on Monday....

COLLEGE PREP
1. Mr Goldsmith bangs his head on his desk
2. College essays
-lesson/notes on sentence variety and alternating sentence beginnings....
-complete worksheets/rewrite model essays to reflect better sentence variety
-in your own essay (which is due today!) please go through and change at least four of your sentences so they start with either an appositive, a participle phrase, an adjective, or a prepositional phrase
3. Consider buying a Count of Monte Cristo copy (abridged....translation by Lowell Bair)
4. If you are reading this blog, you are awesome, because it means you are showing care and concern for this class. You will succeed. Tell your friends and classmates to do the same!

Monday, November 26, 2012

ORANGE DAY

CP ENGLISH
1. Per Ms Conroy.....

HONORS ENGLISH
1. College Essay
-discuss importance of leads in college essays
-work with "clothes essays" to revise leads
-learn the DAQS (dialogue, anecdote, question, shock) method for improving your lead sentence
-read some Bulwer-Lytton contest "winners"
-"I am a dynamic figure" activity
-on FRIDAY your second (free choice) college essay is due....remember that this is graded on voice, lead, and, by the end of class, as you will have learned, sentence variety!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. Technical Writing
-rest of "direction giving" activities
-assignment is to write at least a full page where you give detailed, technical directions to do something you know how to do well. On Tuesday when we have class I will give you a LITTLE bit of time to finish this, but you should work on it on your own....

HONORS
1. same as orange day class....please have your "clothing" essays due at the beginning of class when you come in on Tuesday....

COLLEGE PREP
1. Vocabulary test
2. College Essay
-read all sample essays together
-PointQuestionConnect to them....pass in these notes for a grade
-Free Choice college essay is due in class on TUESDAY. Remember that this can be on any topic you want....use the actual prompt you will use for your college of choice! Remember to make it at least a page....one and a half pages is a great idea....I would definitely not go over TWO pages....
-Remember the Focus Correction Areas for this: Voice and Lead (D.A.Q.S.....what we went over in class).....
-in class on Tuesday, we will work on the third Focus Correction Area: Sentence Variety!

Monday, November 19, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms. Conroy

HONORS
1. Vocab test
2. College essay unit
-work in class on "clothes essay"
-this will be due, IN CLASS, on Monday when you get back from Thanksgiving break


Friday, November 16, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. Vocabulary Quiz
2. Technical Writing
-"Back 2 Back" activity, in order to test our direction giving ability

HONORS
1. Reminder of vocab test on Tuesday
2. College Essay
-same plan as orange day....except, we did not do the "collecting" activity, and I will read you "my" essay on Tuesday. Remember, you should work on your "clothes essay" although you should know that I will give you the remainder of class on Tuesday to work on it...it will be due right at the end of class

COLLEGE PREP
1. OWL test!!!
2. Vocabulary
-for a participation grade, be focused, put words in sentences, describe how each of the words is (or is not) characteristic of you, and share one with the class
-study, because the test is on Tuesday
3. College Essay
-begin reading samples....start with "dinner with Shakespeare"
-bring that essay to class with you on Tuesday!!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms Conroy, read Flannery O'Conner stories, etc....remember to prepare for your literary terms test....STUDY!! First real test grade of q2!! Her exact plan is:

"Finish reading "Everything That Rises Must Converge." For those who are taking critical point, come to class prepared to discuss and analyze a specific passage/motif/theme from the piece. Literary terms quiz on Monday."

HONORS ENGLISH
1. College Essay
-share 3/4 page of writing with a partner, and point, question, connect to it....
-"annoying" voice focused prompt....share and guess, based on 'voice'
-brainstorm a list of your top five more important pieces of 'clothing'
-Mr Goldsmith reads his essay on clothing, entitled 'Outfits'
-your first college essay is to respond to the following prompt:
    Describe what your 'clothing' (literal clothes, accessories, jewelery, phone, tattoos, etc etc etc....anything you keep on your 'person') says about your personality, identity, morals, or values. Integrate as much VOICE as you can
-This essay is DUE by five minutes before class ends on Monday...I will give you time, after the vocab test, to work on this....but I would hope you would start this...
2. Vocab test is on MONDAY so please study your words....

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. Vocab
-words in sentences for participation grade....underline and circle adjectives and verbs, respectively
2. Technical writing
-discuss "perceptions"
-read "guess what is going on" and discuss
-read "the house" and discuss...
3. STUDY FOR YOUR VOCAB TEST WHICH IS ON FRIDAY!!!!

HONORS
1. Same as orange day class....except you folks are writing based on the list of questions rather than the "collecting activity" (you should still do 3/4 of a page)


COLLEGE PREP
1. College Essay
-pass in revised clothing essays with revised DAQS lead....
-read Bulwer Lyton lead contest book....
-I'm a dynamic figure" ad-lib game
-read the actual essay
-English Journal 'creative nonfiction' article....for next time, please read this article and write at least a half page reaction on what you can learn about writing your college essay
2. New vocab words given today....this test will be next TUESDAY
3. You OWL test is this FRIDAY, so prepare for this!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms Conroy....focus on short stories...remember to review for your literary terms test!

HONORS ENGLISH
1. College Essay
-teach Point, Question, Connect technique for responding to literature and our own writing
-"collecting" activity--try to finish the entire thing in class...haha...it is tough!
-for next time, write (type or pen) at least 3/4 of a page expanding on any part of the "collecting activity" we did....be prepared to share it with someone, as we will point, question, and connect to it...
2. Vocab
-college essay vocab...words to avoid cliches
-this test will be on MONDAY

Thursday, November 8, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. Grammar
-exercises in "green book" to review our nouns, verbs, and adjectives
-we will have a quiz on parts of speech next week
2. Vocabulary
-we will work on reviewing words next Wednesday....but there is the test next FRIDAY

HONORS
1. Same plan as orange day....please use the time off (I wont see you until next Wednesday) to work on completing some college applications!!

COLLEGE PREP
1. TAKE NOTE: Whether you were absent from class today because of vocational OR other reasons, you are EXPECTED to be check this blog and complete the assignment....you are responsible for it on Wednesday. Tell your friends if you were in class today!
2. College Essay
-worked briefly on writing good leads in your paper
-introduced the DAQS method for writing leads (D stands for dialogue....A stands for anecdote...Q stands for question....S stands for shocking statement). An "anecdote" is a short, humorous, true story....dialogue is conversation....shocking statement means you begin with something to REALLLLLLLLY catch the readers attention...something very surprising, shocking, funny, random, crazy, etc!!
-for Wednesday's class, you are to simply rewrite the first sentence of your "clothes" essay four times....write one lead sentence with dialogue...write one lead sentence with an anecdote, and so on....
2. Continue studying and reviewing your OWLS because the test for this will be next FRIDAY

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms Conroy, continue with literary terms notes and Raymond Carver short story....

HONORS ENGLISH
1. O.W.L. test
2. College Essay
-'kite or clothesline' activity
-"list of questions" activity to brainstorm writing prompts for college essays
3. See you next Tuesday,, which is our next orange day....in the meantime, keep working on college applications!!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

BLACK DAY

ENGLISH 12
1. OWL list
-review words like affect/effect for practice!
2. Grammar
-we didnt get to this today....we will do our final activities on Thursday
3. Vocab
-we got new words, and this test will be next WEDNESDAY

HONORS
1. Same as orange day honors....college essay stuff, etc....

COLLEGE PREP
1. In honor of election day, we took advantage of a great opportunity to go over to the VFW to vote (or observe) and then attend a "reception" with Mr Thurston in his room.....we WILL continue with our college essay stuff on Thursday....your "clothing" essays are DEFINITELY due on this day!!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. Per Ms Conroy, take vocab test, hear documentaries, begin literary devices....

HONORS ENGLISH
1. OWL words
-do review sheet with practicing affect/effect, etc.....
-this quiz will be on WEDNESDAY, so study please!!!
2. College Essay
-begin unit with discussion of what colleges look for with essays.....
-handout of some topics and overview of the unit, etc....
-we will continue on Wednesday after the quiz....

Friday, November 2, 2012

BLACK/ORANGE CLASSES TODAY

English 12
1. grammargories game.....

Honors Classes:

We went over our OWL list....we will do some review next time....also, ALL papers were due today. If you are using a tech day, then your paper must be on my desk on MONDAY morning....even if I dont see you on Monday (Monday is an ORANGE day)

College Prep Classes:

ORANGE: With Ms Conroy, you worked on documentaries...your vocab test will be on Monday morning....

BLACK: grammargories game....please have your "Clothes" (see last blog for actual assignment) essay PRINTED OUT BEFORE CLASS for class on Tuesday....also, continue to study your OWL words (affect/effect...farther/further...etc!!!)

Have a great weekend everyone. QTR 2 starts next week! 25% done....can you believe it??????

Thursday, November 1, 2012

ORANGE DAY

COLLEGE PREP
1. With Ms Conroy, work on documentary editing, etc
2. The vocab quiz will be on MONDAY!!!!!

HONORS ENGLISH
1. For a very short time, the BLACK DAY class is ahead of you...please see their plan, as it was yours....
2. Collect papers....please make sure to give it to me tomorrow  if you were absent today
3. We will continue with our OWL list tomorrow when I see you again....