January 10, 2012 Today we will continue to explore our essential question, "What is poetry?" Homework: Journal/poetry. Answering our essential question, "what is poetry?"
January 9, 2012 Happy New Year! Today we will be answering our essential question, "what is poetry?" Homework: Please write down some of your thoughts about poetry. Let's finish the semester off strong!
December 11, 2011 Today: We will finish reading Macbeth in class. Next we will be coming up with multiple choice questions for the Key Facts of Macbeth. Homework: Please continue to write a one-page journal about you have learned inside or outside of the classroom.
December 6, 2011 Good Morrow! Today: we will be finishing up our timed writing test #2 and then I will be handing out class work.
December 5, 2011 Good Morrow Seniors! Today: We will be taking our Quarter 1 Timed Writing #2 test. Please make sure your essay is well organized and carefully written. Homework: Please continue with your daily/nightly one-page journal entry about what you have learned inside and/or outside the classroom.
December 2, 2011 Good Morning Seniors, Today: We will continue reading Macbeth in class. As we read, please be mindful of the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, the relationship between cruelty and masculinity, and the difference between kingship and tyranny. Homework: Please continue to write your daily one-page journal about what you have learned inside and or outside of class.
December 1, 2011 Good Morning Seniors! Today: We will continue reading Macbeth in class. As we read, please be mindful of the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, the relationship between cruelty and Masculinity, and the difference between Kingship and tyranny. Homework: Please continue to write your daily one-page journal about what you have learned inside and or outside of class.
November 30, 2011 Good Morning! Today: We will continue reading Macbeth in class. As we read, please be mindful of the corrupting power of unchecked ambition, the relationship between cruelty and masculinity, and the difference between kingship and tyranny. Homework: Please write your daily journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
November 29, 2011 Good Morning! Today: Let's begin reading Macbeth in class. Homework: Please prepare your Macbeth packet to tune in soon. You will need: Characters, themes, motifs, symbolism, plot overview, context, quiz, Key Facts and the BBC notes on Macbeth Animated.
November 28, 2011 Welcome back Olympians! I hope you had a relaxing time with family and friends. Let's get back into the English 12 flow of things with the organizing of pre-loaded notes from Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Extra Credit Journal 25pts: What do you plan on doing for Christmas break? A minimum of half a page. This is due at the beginning of class...Please title this, "Christmas Break 25." Homework: Please continue to write your daily journal about what you have learned inside or outside of the classroom...One page PLEASE!
November 18, 2011 Today: We will be working in groups of three. Please summarize the Macbeth Characters, Key Facts, Themes, Motifs, Symbolism, and Plot. Obj: Students will summarize each category in groups of three. Please finish at least one to two categories today! Homework/ Extra Credit for the holiday: For extra-credit over the holiday, please write daily journals...Please remember to focus on what you have learned (one full page is worth anywhere from 15 to 35pts--more words equals more points). Havea fun and safe holiday!
November 17, 2011 Today: We will be working in groups of three. Please go through the Macbeth Key Facts, Themes, Motifs, Symbolism, and Plot; then, I would like you to summarize each of the categories into your own words.
Homework: Please write a daily one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
November 15, 2011 Today: Please turn in your Sir Gawain and the Green Knight assignments; and then, we will begin pre-loading Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you learned inside and/or outside the classroom.
November 14, 2011 Today: We will finish our journal/short essay answering the question: Who is stronger, Beowulf or The Green Knight? Next: We will prepare for Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Homework: Please continue to write a daily journal about what you have learned inside and/or outside of the classroom? Please refer to TED, Cool Stuff #1, #2, and/or #3 for possible topics to write about.
November 10, 2011 Today: We will finish reading in class, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next, we will work in small groups and help each other to answer the following Q: Who is stronger, Beowulf or The Green Knight?(Journal and/or Short Essay One and one-half pages to two pages. Turn in Monday: Notes on BBC special, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -Notes on Themes, Motifs, and Symbolism -Notes on Characters -Notes on Key Facts -Journal/Short Essay...Answering: Who is stronger, Beowulf or The Green Knight?
Homework: Please write a daily journal about what you learned inside and/or outside of class.
November 9, 2011 Today: We will read Sir Gawain and the Green knight in class.
Homework: Please write a daily one-page journal about what you learned inside and/or outside of class.
November 8, 2011 Today: We will finish the pre-loading of information about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Homework: Please write a daily journal about something you have learned inside and/or outside of class.
November 7, 2011 Today: We will continue to pre-load and discuss the facts surrounding, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside and/or outside of class.
November 4, 2011 Today: We will continue to pre-load all of the facts surrounding, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Homework: Tonight's daily journal will be about Kathryn Schultz from TED talks. Please watch her presentation and journal what you have learned? Is her argument convincing? How would you improve her presentation? Do you agree with her assumptions?
November 3, 2011 Today: We will continue to learn the principal characters, themes, motifs, and symbolism of, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next we will read the story in class and discuss how the themes, motifs, and symbolism play out in this poem.
Homework: Continue to write a daily one page journal about what you learned inside and/or outside of class...Remember to always look for the positive spin on life's lessons/experiences.
Seniors: The UC deadline is 11/30/11 The Cal State deadline is 11/30/11 Private colleges and out of state college deadlines will vary.
November 2, 2011 Today: We will meet in the computer Lab in the main building. We will be making updates to your English 12 Website. You can copy and paste your personal statement, Beowulf materials, Who Moved My Cheese? information, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and other work as needed. Please make sure that each reading/assigned unit has its own Web-tag. Homework: Please continue to write a daily/nightly journal of at least a page per day! You could visit my cool page and find something to write about or you can search for your own cool-stuff to write about.
November 1, 2011 Today: We will learn the principal characters, themes, motifs, and symbolism of, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Tomorrow : We will meet in the Computer Lab to work on our class Websites.
Homework: Remember to write a daily journal of at least a page each day/night-- Monday through Friday.
October 31, 2011 Today: We will finish the, Who Moved My Cheese? questions. Please work in groups of three or four. The answered questions and your cheese notes are due at the end of the period.
Tomorrow: During 5th period a speaker from the University of Southern California will be here to answer any admission questions you may have. Please sign up today with Mr. Perez in the Career Center...Today!
Homework: Please continue to write a one-page journal per day about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
October 28, 2011 Today: You will be watching the documentary: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Please take detailed notes for EXTRA-points.
Homework: Please write a daily journal of one-page.
Thank you!
October 27, 2011 Special note* A speaker from UCSB will be here today in the Career Center during 4th period to answer any questions about admission requirements.
Today: Today: We will continue to read, discuss, and take notes on Spencer Johnson's book, Who Moved My Cheese? Next, we will work in groups to answer some questions about what we learned from, Who Moved My Cheese?
Homework: Who Moved My Cheese? Questions:
1. In Spencer Johnson's book, Who Moved My Cheese? the cheese is a metaphor for what. What does it represent? 2. What does the maze represent? 3. Identify both the cheese and the maze in your own life. Then consider what might happen if someone moved your cheese. Imagine the ways you might have to cope with the changes. 4. What does change represent? 5. What changes have you already experienced in your life? How did you react to the changes? Were you threatened, angry, frightened, disoriented, or excited by the challenge (come on...be honest!)? After reading Who Moved My Cheese? do you feel you have dealt as well as you could have with those changes? 6. Has Spencer Johnson's book helped you to see how change/a difficult situation can be beneficial in daily life (personal and professional)? 7. Do you think Johnson should have offered concrete answers to specific question when dealing with change? Would you have preferred a "how-to" approach, say, a step-by step guide? Or do you appreciate the way in which readers are free to interpret and apply the parable for themselves? Which approach is more helpful to you? 8. In the parable, Johnson says the four characters represent the four parts of ourselves, from the simple to the complex. What does he mean by this: which character represents which part of ourselves? Is there one character you relate to more often than not? 9. Why is it difficult for most of us (all of us?) to accept change? 10. Please journal ¾ to 1 page about what you have learned from reading, Who Moved my Cheese?
October 26, 2011 Today: We will finish our 10 Week Benchmark Exam; then, we will continue with Spencer Johnson's book, Who Moved My Cheese? Please take detailed notes; as-- your notes will be your participation grade.
Special Note* A speaker from UCSB will be here tomorrow to answer any admission questions you may have.
October 25, 2011 Today: We will be taking our 10 Week Benchmark test in class. Your Benchmark percentage will equal the amount of points that are added to your grade! Please do your best!
UCSD will be here (Career Center)today during 4th period to answer any questions about admission requirements.
Tomorrow: We will continue reading, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson.
October 24, 2011 Today: We will continue reading, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson in class. During our reading we will be comparing and contrasting the character Beowulf with the characters Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry from Who Moved My Cheese?
If you would like to make up classes after school in E2020!! You must sign up TODAY! Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm on our campus, not UC approved.
Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class. Remember: The 10 week Progress Reports are due very soon!
October 21, 2011 Today: We are going to watch a TED talk from JR. Please take notes and journal what you have learned from his talk.
October 20, 2011 Today: We will continue reading in class, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. During our reading we will be comparing and contrasting the character Beowulf with the characters Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry from Who Moved My Cheese?
Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
Remember: Progress Reports are due very soon! Please turn in all assignments as soon as possible!
October 17, 2011 Today: Please complete your Beowulf Multiple Choice Test, the context to three (3) Beowulf quotes, and prepare your Beowulf packet to tune in tomorrow!
Please include in your Beowulf-packet: 1. Beowulf notes on: characters, themes, motifs, symbolism and the context of the poem. 2. Video notes from Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons 3. Worst Jobs During the Middle Ages (notes) 4. Multiple-Choice Test (35 Questions)5. 25 Question Quiz (Sparknotes).
Homework: Write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class. Remember: 10 Week Progress Reports are due soon!
October 14, 2011 Today: We will finish our Beowulf Multiple Choice Test with 35 questions and answers. 23 questions from the Beowulf facts 10 questions from the Beowulf characters 2 questions from memorable quotes
Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
Remember: Grades for the 10 Week Progress Report are due soon!
October 13, 2011 Today: We will finish our Beowulf quiz. Then, we will each produce/create a Beowulf Multiple-choice test with 35 questions and answers. 23 questions from the Beowulf facts 10 questions from the Beowulf characters 2 questions from memorable quotes Homework: Write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class. Remember: The 10 Week Progress Report is due very soon!
October 12, 2011 Today: We will finish reading Beowulf in class. Next, we will take a short quize on Beowulf. Homework: Please write a one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class. Remember: The 10 week progress report coming soon!
October 11, 2011 Today: We will continue to read and discuss what an author must include in a work of literature to create an archetype character like Beowulf. Homework: Please write a daily journal about what you have learned in or outside of class. Remember: Please turn in your UC/Writing prompts!
October 10, 2011 Today: We will continue to read and discuss Beowulf in class.
Homework: Please write a daily one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
Remember: The 10 Week Progress Report is due soon!
October 9, 2011 Today: We will continue reading and discussing Beowulf in class.
Homework: Please write a daily one-page journal about what you have learned inside or outside of class.
Remember: The 10 Week Progress Report is due very soon!
October 6, 2011 Today we will continue to explore Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon era. We will finish with The Worst Jobs during the Middle Ages.
Assignment: Please journal a minimum of one-page (1) per night! Remember to focus on what you have learned in our class and/or what you have learned in life.
Please remember your Personal Statement UC/Prompts are due this Friday October 7th. If you should have any questions come see me.
October 5, 2011 Today we will continue to explore the Anglo-Saxon work: Beowulf. Specifically, we will learn about the worst jobs during the middle ages.
Assignment: Please take detailed notes about the worst jobs in the Middle Ages.
Please remember to turn in your UC/Prompts by this Friday/ October 7, 2011.
October 3, 2011 Today, we will begin the Anglo-Saxon literary work: Beowulf. We will begin Beowulf by concentrating on its context, characters, themes, motifs and symbolism.
Assignment: Please take detailed notes for points.
$$Please remember to turn in both of your answers to the UC/Prompts by this Friday/ 10/07/11. Please ask me if you have any questions!
September 30, 2011 Today we will listen, discuss, and journal how Neil Pasricha's/The 3 A's of Awesome TED talk answers both of our UC/Prompts. Neil Pasricha's blog, "1000 Awesome Things" savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills at a restaurant to clean bed sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, Pasricha reveals the three secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that is truly awesome.
Assignment: Please take notes and journal how Neil Pasricha's, "The 3 A's of Awesome" presentation answers our UC/Prompts.(One-Page Plus)
Web-Assignment: Please add a Website to your Weebly Account. Much like Neil Pasricha's Website, I would like you to add a Website about the ten awesome songs and at least one awesome poem that will cheer someone up. Remember to include a Text Title to introduce your music and poetry...Have fun!
September 29, 2011 Today we will work on our Quarter 1: Timed Writing #1
The media not only transmits information and culture, they also decide what information is important. In that way, they help to shape culture and values. Adapted from Alison Bernstein
Assignment: Do newspapers, magazines, television, radio, movies, the Internet, and other media determine what is important to most people? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience or observations.
September 28, 2011 Today we will listen, take notes, and discuss how JK Rowling's Harvard speech answers both of our UC/Prompts. (one full-page of notes and journal please!) (Due by September 30, 2011) At her Harvard commencement speech, "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems "worth more than any qualification I ever earned."
“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” ― Seneca
September 27, 2011 Today we will listen, discuss, take notes and journal about how Caroline Casey's "Move Beyond the Limits" can read just like a Personal Statement. (one full page of notes and journal please!) (Due TODAY)
Activist Caroline Casey tells the story of her extraordinary life, starting with a revelation (no spoilers). In a talk that challenges perceptions, Casey asks us all to move beyond the limits we may think we have.
September 26, 2011 Before you begin your UC/Prompt, please watch this classic scene from the movie, Finding Forrester.
**Remember to journal tonight...Remembering to focus on what you have learned today. This journal could very well sound like the beginning to your Personal Statement! (One full page of Journaling Please!) (Due 9/30/11)
September 23, 2011 Today we will listen/discuss Steve Jobs' Stanford 2005 Commencement speech. We will discuss how Steve Jobs' speech answers the UC Personal Statement prompt questions. Homework: Begin to answer both the UC/Prompts. If you should have trouble beginning your personal statement, please watch the UCAS-How to Write the Personal Statement video on the Pacing Plan Tab inside the College Application Essay Tab. Due Date: The Answers to the UC/Prompts will be due by September 30, 2011
9/19/11 Please copy down each of the 36 interview questions, the prepared response/focus, and then prepare your own response for each of the interview questions. Due 9/27/11
9/20/11 Jeff Bezos/Amazon.com speaks at a Princeton Graduation.
Listen and journal what we can learn from Jeff Bezos's commencement speech? Write a 1/2 to 1 page journal.
Pay close attention to the beginning to his commencement speech; it would be a wonderful beginning to a personal statement.
Please take notes and journal what one can learn about life from Oprah's Commencement Speech...Please write a 1/2 to 1 page journal Please turn in by Friday, 9/23.