AGENDA 5/12

"This I Believe" Journal Prompts

OPTIC analysis of Thomas Cole paintings: The Voyage of Life series

HW: Bring all textbooks to return tomorrow! (The Great Gatsby, McGraw-Hill Reader, The Pact, etc.)

AGENDA 5/5

Humor Devices PPT and Cloze notes 

HW: Gatsby papers due by 9:59pm Sunday to Turnitin.com. Be sure to review the rubric before submitting (click the stairstep icon within Turnitin next to the assignment)

Review for AP test--have you had your essay conference yet?

Last timed write tomorrow--your choice of prompt!

AGENDA 4/29

Watch A&E Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, "An American Dreamer"
Book checks

HW: Complete typed draft of Gatsby paper due at beginning of class on Thursday.

AGENDA 3/14

Happy Pi Day! :-)

Semicolon Grammar Review
Rules for semicolon use
Quiz over semicolon use and rules next Tuesday
Try playing this adorable game I found on the web to help you review!

Group discussion and multiple-choice practice for Ch 2 of The Great Gatsby
Select three quotations worth discussing, spread evenly throughout the chapter:
What is confusing?
What is important?
What is symbolic or meaningful?
What is disconcerting?
How do the pieces fit together?

HW: Read ch 3 of The Great Gatsby and complete the funneling activity - most important paragraph, most important sentence, and most meaningful or symbolic word. Be prepared to dive in further together on Monday.

AGENDA 3/3

Next steps for Local Issues Projects - PowerPoint to explain Part III
Meet in groups to share ideas; whip-around to share solutions with class

HW: Typed draft of Part III including all relevant appendices/figures due Thursday in class

AGENDA 2/27

TW: Synthesis (Locavores)

Continue to gather sources for local issues research paper--email experts using my template, set up and conduct phone or in-person interviews as needed, search local newspapers, the city and school websites, and other online sources

HW: Be prepared to discuss Benjamin Barber's "America Skips School" on Monday: Identify the most significant paragraph, sentence, and symbolic word, and be prepared to discuss how Barber uses exaggeration/humor, repetition, and the diction of democracy within the text to craft his argument. Further, look for points of overlap between "America Skips School" and The Pact as we wrap our education unit.

AGENDA 2/26

Local Issues Guest Speakers, final round: SMMUSD School Board Members Laurie Lieberman and Ben Allen

HW: Prepare for tomorrow's synthesis essay. Here are some tools:
PowerPoint on writing body paragraphs
General notes on Synthesis
PowerPoint on how to approach the prompt
Focused Learning Targets (Learning Objectives Sheet) for Synthesis
Full sample essay on the Space prompt
Solutions List for Synthesis Essays