Saturday, December 15, 2007

December 17-21, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God film screened
2. Return any textbooks to counter for return to textbook room

Tuesday
1. Period Four Only: Final Examination in Vantage Lab: Their Eyes Were Watching God multiple-choice and semester reflection essay
2. Return any textbooks in class

Wednesday
CLASS DOES NOT MEET TODAY

Thursday

1. Period One Only: Final Examination in Vantage Lab: Their Eyes Were Watching God multiple-choice and semester reflection essay

Friday
1. Last day of school
2. Off-Track homework reviewed and due March 7

Sunday, December 09, 2007

December 10-14, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday

1. Anthologies due for Douglass' "What The Black Man Wants"; anthologies to be returned to textbook room Tuesday
2. Their Eyes Were Watching God (TEWWG) Chapters Sixteen/Twenty (five talking points per chapter) due Thursday for class discussion
2. TEWWG film shown Friday and Monday; return parent letter permission slip
3. Selection Tests for Lincoln/Douglass in class
4. 100 Words High School Students Should Know final test today
5. Op-Ed letter, SOAPS, or Consultative Writing due on Thursday

Tuesday (Shortened Day)
1. Prose passage multiple-choice practice
2. Levels of Questioning newspaper article response
3. Anthologies returned to textbook room
4. Bedford Reader due in class today and Wednesday

Wednesday
1. Bedford Reader Khan answers due by end of class; Bedford Reader textbooks returned to textbook room
2. Controversy Essay assigned in class; due date to be announced
3. TEWWG talking points due tomorrow, Thursday for class discussion
4. Final Exam Bloom's Taxonomy semester reflection essay instructions announced; final in Vantage Lab (TEWWG multiple-choice and essay)

Thursday

1. TEWWG talking points due today for class discussion
2. TEWWG film show Friday-Monday in class; parent permission letters due no later than today
3. Portfolios organized for final exam

Friday

1. TEWWG film today in class
2. Weekend homework and off-track journals and AR tests instructions issued

Sunday, December 02, 2007

December 3-7, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday
1. Anthologies due in class Monday-Tuesday for Whitman-Dickinson selection tests and Lincoln/Douglass nonfiction
2. Bedford Reader due in class Wednesday-Thursday-Friday for Khan, et al. nonfiction pieces
3. TEWWG (Their Eyes Were Watching God) Chapters 6-15 (five talking points per chapters) due on Friday for class discussion

Tuesday (Shortened Day)

1. Grammar assignment in class
2. Prose passage multiple-choice practice
3. Lincoln-Douglass nonfiction selections assignment

Wednesday

1. Reminder: TEWWG talking points due Friday
2. Bedford Reader nonfiction selections in class
3. Grammar assignment

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader nonfiction selections in class
2. Grammar assignment

Friday
1. TEWWG class discussion (talking points due)
2. Final Examination tentative plans announced

Sunday, November 25, 2007

November 26-30, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday
1. Vocabulary Level F Unit Seven answers due in class today; test scheduled for Tuesday
2. 100 Words High School Students Should Know test in class today
3. Three-page handout on rhetorical analysis, elements of literary style, and multiple-choice test taking strategies
4. Anthologies due in class for Dickinson-Whitman poetry
5. PERIOD FOUR ONLY-Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters One-Five Talking Points (ten per chapter) due today

Tuesday (Shortened Day)
1. Vocabulary Unit Seven Exam in class today
2. Anthologies due in class for Dickinson-Whitman poetry
3. NEW IN-CLASS DAYS FOR BEDFORD READER--WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS (Vocabulary continues next semester)

Wednesday
1. Bedford Reader due in class today
2. Bedford Reader literary terms continued in class-test to be scheduled
3. Rogerian and Toulmin argument models handouts issued to students
4. Multiple-choice practice

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader due in class today
2. Rogerian and Toulmin argument models continued
3. Bedford Reader literary terms continued in class-test to be scheduled
4. 100 Words High School Students Should Know (next ten terms due on Monday)
5. Class discussion for Their Eyes Were Watching God all period tomorrow

Friday
1. Class discussion for Their Eyes Were Watching God all period
2. Weekend homework to be announced

Saturday, November 17, 2007

November 19-23, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday

1. Plasma-Sanguine 100 Words High School Students Should Know test in class today
2. Anthologies due in class for Transcendentalists Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman poetry
3. Op-Ed scheduled as homework; due Monday, November 26
4. Grammar assignment in class
5. Multiple-Choice practice
6. PERIOD ONE ONLY: Their Eyes Were Watching God read foreword and record ten talking points per chapter for Chapters One-Five; this assignment is due Monday, November 26 for PERIOD FOUR

Tuesday
1. Multiple-Choice practice
2. Grammar assignment in class
3. In-class timed writing essay tomorrow, Wednesday
4. Dickinson and Whitman poetry continued

Wednesday
1. Unit Seven Vocabulary Level F due on Monday, November 26
2. In-class timed writing essay

Thursday
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Friday
THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY

Monday, November 12, 2007

November 12-16, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Tuesday Shortened Day
1. "Detail" Winston Churchill assignment
2. Answers for Vocabulary Units One-Six due in class today; test to be scheduled
3. Anthologies due in class for "Civil Disobedience" essay by Thoreau
4. Vantage Writing Lab scheduled for tomorrow; prewriting for Gatsby essay due today
5. Op-Ed assignment
6. Oligarchy-Plagiarize Words High School Students Should Know test today

Wednesday

1. Vantage Writing Lab for Gatsby essay (timed essay); Gatsby novels to be turned in at end of class
2. Homework to be announced

Thursday
1. Op-Ed assignment
2. Units One-Six Cumulative test in class today
3. Their Eyes Were Watching God books distributed in class; assignment to be announced
4. Words 71-80 Words High School Students Should Know assigned in class today

Friday
1. Weekend homework to be announced
2. Multiple-Choice practice in class
3. In-class timed essay

Saturday, November 10, 2007

November 12-16, 2007

Blog will be updated Monday, November 12, which is a legal holiday and school is not in session.

Tuesday, November 13 is a shortened day.
Wednesday, November 14 is a scheduled computer lab day for AP students.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

November 5-9, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday

1. Anthology due in class for Emerson and Thoreau
2. Vocabulary Units One-Six Review answers due next Tuesday
3. Grammar assigned as homework
4. Great Gatsby essay prewriting assigned; essay in Vantage Lab to be set

Tuesday
1. Anthology due in class for Emerson and Thoreau
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Prose passage multiple-choice practice

Wednesday

1. AP Essay timed essay in class
2. Grammar assigned as homework

Thursday
1. Great Gatsby Part One shown in class
2. Vocabulary Units One-Six Review answers due Tuesday

Friday
1. Great Gatsby Part Two shown in class
2. Weekend homework to be announced

Sunday, October 28, 2007

October 29-November 2, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

REMINDER: If students feel essay rewrite scores should be higher, they must write a request, using the specific language of the generic (or tailored) rubric, to justify why the essay should be re-read and re-scored.

Monday
1. Meet in Hollywood High School Library for STAR Reading Level testing; anthologies and Great Gatsby novels are due in class today
2. Unit Six Vocabulary Level F answers are due today; test Tuesday
3. Thursday, November 1 is a Minimum Day for PHBAO Night in Cafeteria
4. Grammar continues all week in class
5. Los Angeles Times op-ed assignment in class today; due Thursday
6. Words High School Students Should Know test in class today

Tuesday
1. Anthologies due in class today for Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau selections
2. Unit Six Vocabulary Level F test today in class
3. In-class timed writing essay on Thursday (Periods One-Four)
4. Units One-Six Cumulative Level F Vocabulary answers are due in class Monday, November 5
5. The Great Gatsby Chapter Nine talking points (ten per chapter) are due on Friday in class for discussion
6. Bedford Reader due in class on Thursday and Friday; next set of ten terms assigned; test to be scheduled

Wednesday
1. Great Gatsby class discussion on Friday
2. Grammar assignments continue all week in class
3. Prose Passages Seven and Eight for multiple-choice practice
4. Timed writing essay in class tomorrow (Thursday)
5. Vocabulary Workshop books due in class; Units One-Six reviewed and answers due Monday

Thursday (Minimum Day)
1. Minimum Day (PHBAO Night); invite parents to cafeteria tonight to receive midterm progress report grade
2. Timed essay in class
3. SOAPS handout issued
4. Bedford Reader due in class; next set of terms reviewed
5. Op-Ed assignment due in class today

Friday
1. Bedford Reader due in class; next ten terms reviewed; test scheduled
2. Activity Two: Sentence Mimicking due Monday
3. Chapter Nine talking points due in class today; Great Gatsby discussion nearly all period

Sunday, October 21, 2007

October 22-26, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

REMINDER: If students feel essay rewrite scores should be higher, they must write a request, using the specific language of the generic (or tailored) rubric, to justify why the essay should be re-read and re-scored.

Monday
PERIOD ONE DOES NOT MEET UNTIL WEDNESDAY
PERIOD FOUR MEETS TODAY

1. Op-Ed is due today, Monday (Period Four Op-Ed was Jane Harman piece)
2. Unit Five Vocabulary Level F answers due today; test on Thursday
3. "American Crisis/Speech in the Virginia Convention" nonfiction selection test
4. Portfolio checklist issued for midterm portfolio organization
5. Unit Six Vocabulary due Monday, October 29
6. Prose passage multiple-choice practice in class
7. Grammar-Linking Verbs and Adjectives
8. Words High School Students Should Know test today in class
9. In-class essay scheduled for Thursday
10.The Great Gatsby talking points for Chapters 7/8 due on Friday
11.Thomas Jefferson and the "Declaration of Independence" anthology selection today
12.SOAPS handout issue in class

Tuesday
PERIODS ONE AND FOUR DO NOT MEET TODAY


Wednesday
PERIOD ONE MEETS TODAY
PERIOD FOUR DOES NOT MEET TODAY

1. Op-Ed is due today, Wednesday (Period One Op-Ed was LA Times editorial piece)
2. Unit Five Vocabulary Level F answers due today; test on Thursday
3. "American Crisis/Speech in the Virginia Convention" nonfiction selection test
4. Portfolio checklist issued for midterm portfolio organization
5. Unit Six Vocabulary due Monday, October 29
6. Prose passage multiple-choice practice in class
7. Grammar-Linking Verbs and Adjectives
8. Words High School Students Should Know test today in class
9. In-class essay scheduled for Thursday
10.The Great Gatsby talking points for Chapters 7/8 due on Friday
11.Thomas Jefferson and the "Declaration of Independence" anthology selection today
12.SOAPS handout issue in class

Thursday
PERIODS ONE AND FOUR SCHEDULES RETURN TO NORMAL TODAY AND TOMORROW

1. Unit Five Vocabulary test in class today
2. Great Gatsby Chapters 7/8 talking points due in class tomorrow, Thursday
3. In-class timed writing AP essay
4. Bedford Reader due in class today; literary terms assigned

Friday

1. Great Gatsby class discussion on Chapters 7/8 of the novel
2. Unit Six Vocabulary due in class on Monday
3. Check web log on Sunday evening for additional assignments/updates

Sunday, October 14, 2007

October 15-19, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

Monday

1. Woolf syntax assignment due today
2. Anthologies and Great Gatsby due in class today
3. Great Gatsby discussion
4. Paine and Henry class discussion, including persuasive rhetorical devices and persuasion academic vocabulary
5. Next set of ten Words High School Students Should Know assigned
6. Unit Four Vocabulary due today; test Tuesday

Tuesday

1. Anthologies due in class today; Paine and Henry class discussion continued
2. Benjamin Franklin "tone" timed essay in class tomorrow, Wednesday
3. Unit Four Vocabulary test in class today
4. Grammar assignment

Wednesday
1. Benjamin Franklin "tone" timed essay in class; use Cornell Notes for syntactical variety
2. Vocabulary book due in class today for assignment
3. Prose passages multiple-choice practice continue this week

Thursday
1. Prose passage multiple-choice practice
2. Bedford Reader due in class today; literary terms continued and argument assignment
3. SOAPS handout assigned
4. Great Gatsby Chapters 5-6 assigned; ten talking points per chapter due tomorrow

Friday
1. Great Gatsby Chapters 5-6 class discussion
3. Grammar homework
4. Test on Words High School Students Should Know
5. Bedford Reader Literary Terms Test

Sunday, October 07, 2007

October 8-12, 2007

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

REMINDER: If students feel essay rewrite scores should be higher, they must write a request, using the specific language of the generic (or tailored) rubric, to justify why the essay should be re-read and re-scored.

Monday
1. Anthologies due in class; Franklin Selection Test and "tone" essay scheduled either as in-class essay or homework; Introduction to Thomas Paine's "American Crisis" and Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention"
2. Words High School Students Should Know gauche-incontrovertible matching quiz; next ten words introduced
3. Units One-Three Cumulative Level "F" Vocabulary answers are due in class today; test on Tuesday
4. Grammar: Pronouns
5. The Great Gatsby Chapter Two-Four talking points (ten per chapter) are due on Friday in class for discussion
6. Wednesday Vantage Lab prompt issued; prewriting due on Tuesday; reading assignment from Bedford Reader due on Wednesday in Vantage Lab

Tuesday (Shortened Day)
1. Substitute will administer the Units One-Three Cumulative Level "F" Vocabulary Test (I am attending a one-day Periodic Assessment Training in Glendale)
2. Prose Passage Multiple Choice Practice #4 (Period Four); Passage #5 (Period One)
3. Anthologies due in class for reading assignment
4. Los Angeles Times Rodriguez Op/Ed assignment due today

Wednesday

1. Vantage Lab for argument essay
2. Unit Four Level "F" Vocabulary introduced and due on Monday; vocabulary books required in class
3. Period One: Cornell Notes on sentences and sentence assignment homework

Thursday

1. Woolf "syntax" assignment due on Friday in class
2. Op/Ed assigned from Los Angeles Times; due on Monday
3. SOAPS strategies handout provided in class
4. Franklin "tone" essay either in class or as homework
5. Bedford Reader due in class; next ten terms reviewed

Friday
1. Bedford Reader due in class; next ten terms assigned
2. Activity Two: Sentence Mimicking
3. AP Language prose passage multiple-choice and/or essay in class textbook assignment

Sunday, September 30, 2007

October 1-5, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS


Monday
1. Words High School Students Should Know will resume this week; test next week
2. Textbook Weekly Schedule: Anthology M-T; Vocabulary W; Bedford Th-F
3. Level “F” Vocabulary Unit Three answers due in class today
4. Grammar “Pronouns” lesson on Thursday; Weekly AP Prompt Essay Friday, instead of Thursday because of Minimum Day Schedule
5. Vantage Lab scheduled for Tuesday, October 2
6. Bedford Reader “The Death of the Moth” papers recollected for scoring
7. Cornell Notes for AP Test Two (to be scheduled): Twelve types of sentences, AP Exam Format; Writers’ Attitudes; Levels of Questioning; Woolf Tone, Syntax, and Diction; Conjunctive Adverbs and Transitional Phrases
8. Franklin Tone essay assigned, possibly as Friday in-class timed writing (#4)
9. Period Four—Great Gatsby homework assignment due today; read Chapter One and record ten talking points; Period One—Gatsby book and Chapter One homework assigned
10. Anthology due in class for reading assignment
11. Period One-- Bedford Reader in-class assignment; “The Death of the Moth” (695) due today

Tuesday

MEET IN VANTAGE LAB TODAY
1. AP Rhetorical Tool: Balanced, Interrupted, Periodic and Loose Sentences
2. 100 Words High School Students Should Know: Next ten words assigned
3. Cornell Notes (see #7 from Monday) continued in class today
4. Vocabulary Unit Three Level “F” Examination
5. AP Prose Passage Multiple Choice Practice in class
6. Bedford Reader Terms 1-10 Test in class today
7. Period One--Great Gatsby books assigned to students; homework assignment due today; read Chapter One and record ten talking points

Wednesday

1. Back to School Night tomorrow night; 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. in Room 120
2. Levels of Questioning and SOAPS Strategies; Cornell Notes continued
3. Level “F” Unit Four assigned in class; vocabulary books due in class
4. Benjamin Franklin Tone in-class essay on Friday
5. Grammar assigned as homework

Thursday (Minimum Day) BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT
1. Bedford Reader due in class today
2. Bedford Reader Next Ten Terms introduced in class today
3. Consultative Writing Assignment—Los Angeles Times editorial columnist; due Monday

Friday
1. Weekend homework to be announced
2. Benjamin Franklin Tone in-class essay
3. Bedford Reader Literary Next Ten Terms due on Tuesday
4. Check blog Sunday evening for updated assignments and announcements

Sunday, September 23, 2007

September 24-28, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS


Monday
1. Test on Words 21-30 (Words High School Students Should Know)
2. Textbook Weekly Schedule: Anthology M-T; Vocabulary W; Bedford Reader Th-F
3. Level “F” Vocabulary Unit Two answers due in class today
4. Grammar “Pronouns” due in class today
5. Vantage Lab scheduled for September 26
6. Bedford Reader “The Death of the Moth” answers due Thursday
7. Cornell Notes for AP Test Two (to be scheduled): Twelve types of sentences, AP Exam Format; Writers’ Attitudes; Levels of Questioning; Woolf Tone, Syntax, and Diction; Conjunctive Adverbs and Transitional Phrases
8. Plymouth-Offer-Sinners Multiple-Choice Exam in class
9. Woolf tailored rubric provided for student rewrites; rewrites due Friday

Tuesday (Shortened Day)
1. AP Rhetorical Tool: Balanced, Interrupted, Periodic and Loose Sentences
2. 100 Words High School Students Should Know: Words 31-40 assigned
3. Cornell Notes (see #7 from Monday) continued in class today
4. Vocabulary Unit Two Level “F” Examination
5. AP Prose Passage Multiple Choice Practice in class
6. Bedford Reader Terms 1-10 Test on Thursday (P. 1 only)
7. Great Gatsby books assigned to students; homework assignment due Friday

Wednesday

1. Tone-“Dear Ms. Manners” homework assignment
2. Levels of Questioning and SOAPS Strategies; Cornell Notes continued
3. Level “F” Unit Three assigned in class; vocabulary books due in class
4. Richard Rodriguez “Hunger of Memory” in class timed essay tomorrow
5. Grammar assigned as homework
6. MEET IN VANTAGE LAB TODAY

Thursday
1. Richard Rodriguez “Hunger of Memory” in class timed essay; fifty-point score
2. Bedford Reader Literary Terms Test (Terms 1-10) for P. 1 only
3. Bedford Reader in-class assignment; “The Death of the Moth” (695) due today
4. Bedford Reader Terms 11-20 introduced in class today
5. Consultative Writing Assignment—Los Angeles Times editorial columnist

Friday

1. Weekend homework to be announced
2. AP Prose Passage Multiple Choice Practice (timed)
3. Bedford Reader Literary Terms 11-20 Test on Monday in class

Sunday, September 16, 2007

September 17-21, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS


Monday
1. Test on Words 11-20 (Words High School Students Should Know)
2. Test on Cornell Notes (Bloom’s Taxonomy-Language Registers)
3. Textbook Weekly Schedule: Anthology M-T; Vocabulary W; Bedford Th-F
4. Level “F” Vocabulary Unit One answers due in class today
5. Grammar “Nouns” due in class today
6. Anthologies due in class today

Tuesday (Shortened Day)

1. Vantage Lab scheduled for September 26-AP Prompt and Essay
2. AP Rhetorical Tool: Balanced, Interrupted, Periodic and Loose Sentences
3. Plymouth-Offer-Sinners assignment due Friday, September 21
4. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Sermon
5. “Diary of Samuel Sewall” excerpt reading selection
6. Sinners-Diary Selection Test
7. Plymouth-Offer-Sinners Multiple-Choice Exam
8. Vocabulary Unit One Level “F” Examination
9. Anthologies due in class today
Some assignments carry over to Wednesday

Wednesday
1. Tone-“Dear Ms. Manners”
2. Levels of Questioning and SOAPS Strategies
3. Level “F” Unit Two assigned in class; vocabulary books in class
4. Virginia Woolf “Moments of Being” in class timed essay tomorrow
5. Grammar assigned as homework
UPDATE FOR PERIOD FOUR: Vocabulary Level "F" Unit One Test postponed to today

Thursday
1. Virginia Woolf “Moments of Being” in class timed essay; fifty-point score
2. Bedford Reader Literary Terms Test (Terms 1-10); test tomorrow
3. Bedford Reader in-class assignment; “The Death of the Moth” (695)

Friday
1. Weekend homework to be announced. Including grammar
2. AP Prose Passage Multiple Choice Practice (timed)
3. Great Gatsby assigned as homework; due Monday
4. Bedford Reader Literary Terms Test

Sunday, September 09, 2007

September 10-14, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

MONDAY
1. Meet in Vantage Lab, Room 701 today and Tuesday for Question One from the 2007 AP Exam (Synthesis Question); informational writing rubric overview and prewriting
2. Question Two essay from the 2007 AP Exam essay is due today; late essays will NOT receive a score but a credit instead
3. Abjure-Chicanery "Words High School Students Should Know" scored and returned
4. Bedford Reader textbooks due in class on Wednesday; literary terms continued
5. AP Exam Multiple-Choice practice precedes Question One prewriting/essay
6. Updated marks report available for students

Tuesday
1. Meet in Vantage Lab, Room 701 for Question One essay from the 2007 AP Exam (Synthesis Question)
2. Words 11-20 "Words High School Students Should Know" assigned in class; due Friday and tested Friday; definitions, parts of speech, diacritical markings, and syllables
3. Meet in Room 120 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; Bedford Reader textbook in class

Wednesday
1. Bedford Reader literary terms test on Friday; additional terms reviewed in class
2. Cornell Notes on Bloom's Taxonomy and Bloom's Affective Taxonomy, Levels of Questioning, Language Registers, and SOAPS strategies continue in class; exam to be scheduled
3. Grammar work to be assigned
4. Literature and Integrated Studies textbooks to be assigned

Thursday

1. Bedford Reader literary terms
2. Literature and Integrated Studies in-class assignment
3. Cornell Notes continued
4. LA Times Op/Ed assignment

Friday

1. Weekend homework to be assigned
2. Cornell Notes continued
3. Words 11-20 "Words High School Students Should Know" test in class today
2. Bedford Reader Literary Terms test in class today

Monday, September 03, 2007

September 4-7, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Tuesday
1. Collect 2007 AP Exam Question Number Three Essay; prompt and evidence of prewriting must be stapled behind essay; triads share thesis statements and introductory paragraphs
2. Passage Two from Sample AP Multiple-Choice Exam (timed); post-it notes for unfamiliar vocabulary
3. Distribute PSAT booklets to students
4. Course Work Survey assignments returned to students
5. 100 Words High School Students Should Know (Words One-Ten); syllables, definitions, parts of speech, and diacritical markings due Friday; test on words Friday in class
6. Literature and Integrated Studies anthologies assigned to students; due in class Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

Wednesday
1. Cornell Notes on Bloom's Taxonomy, Bloom's Affective Taxonomy, Levels of Questioning, Language Registers and SOAPS Strategy; test on Friday
2. Grammar-Diagramming Sentences and Parts of Speech
3. Track A Orientation
4. Homework assignment to be announced
5. Bedford Reader books assigned to students

Thursday
1. Question Two from the 2007 AP Exam (in class timed writing) using generic rubric
2. Homework assignment to be announced: Bedford Reader-one full handwritten page on how book is organized, how selections were chosen, and how the prompts, questions, and writing topics sections are designed to help students (pages one-six)

Friday

1. Test on Cornell Notes from Wednesday
2. Test on Abjure-Chicanery (100 Words High School Students Should Know)
3. Weekend homework to be announced

Sunday, September 02, 2007

September 2, 2007

Course Work Surveys are being scored and will be returned to students on Tuesday.

This week's assignments will be posted Monday evening on this blog.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Friday August 31, 2007

1. Check blog on Sunday evening for next week's assignments
2. AP 2007 Exam Free Response Essay in class
3. AP 2007 Exam Free Response Essay assigned as weekend homework and due Tuesday
4. AP Long Forms are due
5. Questions on online syllabi assigned and due on Tuesday
6. Labor Day Holiday on Monday
7. Parent Letter and Academic/Behavior Standards documents due today, Friday

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Thursday August 30, 2007

1. Coursework survey due in class today
2. Parent Letter/Academic and Behavior Standards due Friday
3. Collect AP Long Forms
4. Multiple-Choice Component of AP Exam administered as diagnostic in class Thursday
5. Great job today, Wednesday for the first day!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Opening Day August 29, 2007

1. Coursework Survey
2. Parent Letter/Academic and Behavior Standards
3. Course Authorization
4. Collect AP Long Forms

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Opening Days Academic and Behavior Standards

Students follow classroom, academic and behavioral standards so that instruction proceeds in an organized manner creating a learning environment conducive for all learners. These standards include, but are not limited to, obeying rules set by the school as well as by the classroom teacher. Student progress is demonstrated on periodic reports to parents with marks of excellent, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory in academics, cooperation, and work habits.


Classroom Standards
1. No student sound-emitting devices or cell phones of any type are to be displayed or used during any portion of classroom instruction including homeroom. Headwear policy is stated in the school’s memorandum.
2. School tardy policy requires students who are tardy to be marked so when arriving late to any class. A student is considered tardy when not seated before the bell rings at beginning of classes.
3. Profane language and ethnic slurs are not permitted in classes since both respect and tolerance is expected of students and teachers.
4. Defiance of authority and failure to follow rules will result in a warning to student and subsequently, calls to parents, referrals to counselors, track coordinator, and track administrator.
5. Students are encouraged to enthusiastically participate in class work, including discussions and assignments, and to bring required textbooks to class daily, unless otherwise noted by teacher. Textbooks are loaned to you and must be returned in the same condition as they were issued; if they are lost or damaged, you will be financially responsible.
6. Sleeping in class and inattentiveness is discouraged.


Academic and Behavior Standards
1. Bring notebook, pen, completed assignments,
textbook, and other necessary materials to class.
2. Hand in class work and homework on time.
3. Start assignment promptly; work diligently
without disturbing others.
4. Follow instructions and be courteous at all times.
Name-calling is not permitted.
5. Enjoy food or drinks during nutrition or lunch, not
in class.
6. Leave the class only after the teacher dismisses
students. The bell does not necessarily signify the
dismissal of students.

Assignment and Composition Format
1. Use notebook paper with holes on the left. Torn and/or ragged-edged papers from spiral notebooks are not accepted.
2. The three-line heading written in the upper right hand corner (above the lines) must include first and last name, class and/or period identification (e.g. Period 2, English 10), and the date. No abbreviations are to be used in the heading.
3. Choose an appropriate title for all assigned work. Center and correctly capitalize it on the top line.
4. Skip one line between the title and the body.
5. Most assignments may be typed or completed in neat, legible manuscript or cursive. Avoid work in pencil; use blue or black non-smear ink. Students must run spell and grammar check on typed documents before submission.
6. Use paragraph form. Indent, and observe left and right paper margins.

Grades, Points, and Marks
1. Use the following points/percentages for interpreting scores and marks earned on your assignments. Most will carry a weight of either 10, 25, or 50 points.
A+=100; A>=97.5; A->=92.5; B+>=88.5; B>=86; B->=82.5; C+>=78.5; C>=76; C->=72.5; D+>=68.5; D>=66; D->=62.5; FAIL>=0
2. Assignments and grades include, but are not limited to, homework, tests, quizzes, projects, journals, dispatches, compositions, summaries, listening and speaking activities, research reports, and portfolio entries. Late or missing assignments will adversely affect your overall grade.
3. Work Habits and Cooperation Marks. E-Excellent; S-Satisfactory; U-Unsatisfactory. For a complete explanation of these marks, ask for the Criteria For Marks handout.
4. Ask Three, Then Me. Handouts and class notes missed due to absences should be obtained from fellow classmates the day following the absence. You are responsible for making up any assignments that are due. (See other side for late work policy.)

Welcome to Fall Term, 2007-2008. I wish you success as you begin your endeavor to complete the coursework necessary to earn a high school diploma and satisfy post-secondary educational goals and requirements.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Fall 2007 Letter to Parents

August 15, 2007

Welcome to the Fall Semester 2007-2008. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in students’ educational goals and to assist them in making certain that all outside reading and homework assignments, note taking activities, test preparation requirements, and individual or group project work is independently completed on time and submitted by the due date. Periodic grade reports will be issued to students who should apprise parents of how they are progressing in their coursework. This periodic assessment can help to identify the emotional and intellectual maturity of the student and signal instructional intervention strategies that may be necessary to avert poor academic performance. Students should expect rigorous studies as they undertake the challenges of demanding Advanced Placement English Language, Honors Ten English and Grade Eleven American Literature and Contemporary Composition curriculums. If parents wish to contact me, I can be reached by e-mail at jcarmicl@lausd.net or on school voice mail, which I check frequently during the semester, at 323-461-3891 Extension 419. Homework and other necessary communication is posted on my web log at hollywoodhighschool.net and is updated frequently.

Late Work Policy

It is the policy of this class that students who are absent and provide an acceptable excuse may make up any assignment or test the day following their return to class; the assignment or test will be scored and returned to students. Students must mark “absent” on the assignment or test. If an assignment or test is not completed on the day following the return to class, the assignment or test will be scored as “credit” only and not receive a letter grade. A “credit” will replace the “0” the test or assignment would have received. That “credit” neither raises nor lowers the students’ overall grade average. Verified truancies and unexcused absences from class are exempted from earning make up work credit; students will receive no credit for any make up work submitted.

Off-track assignments such as AP Long Forms and Dialectical Journals must be submitted on time and will receive a “credit” only and not a letter grade if received past due dates, that is “by the end of the first week of instruction” for the semester.

Academic and Behavior Standards are explained on the reverse side of this letter. This document will be printed and sent home with students the first week of the new semester. Students should review these rules with you, print their names, and ask you to sign and return this document signifying your understanding and acceptance of these classroom directives. If you have questions or concerns, contact me at the voice mail number or e-mail address provided; I will contact you as soon as possible.

Please plan to attend two important school events in the next several weeks. Back-To-School Night and PHBAO Parent Conference Night are both excellent opportunities for you to learn more about what is being taught in the classroom and how your son or daughter is progressing in their coursework.

Respectfully yours,




James B. Carmicle
School For Advanced Studies
Hollywood High School
August 2007

Friday, August 10, 2007

Contact Information for Questions

You may contact me at jcarmicl@lausd.net for questions about this blog.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Advanced Placement English Language Syllabus

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION


Introduction to Course and Course Overview

AP English Language and Composition (School for Advanced Studies) offers students a year of intense training in reading and writing to prepare them for success on the AP Language and Composition Examination, to ready them for skills necessary for college-level studies and enable them to become contributing members of their communities as lifelong learners. This rigorous and demanding class focuses on the rhetorical analysis of fiction and non-fiction, and works of American literature. Students learn to identify an author’s purpose and strategies and examine the ways people think about and use language. Students read and analyze models of good writing and write compositions of various lengths and complexity, participating in peer response and rigorous revision. Students are introduced to analytical tools designed to develop levels of questioning at the factual, inferential, and analytical tiers of knowledge, which ultimately provide them with mastery of the highest forms of analysis and synthesis, necessary for participation in class discussions and note taking. They are able to write effective prose at first year college level. Students are expected to complete outside reading on time and, independently, produce class discussion notes using the Cornell method. In this course, the rhetorical interpretation of text primarily focuses on the Classical, Rogerian, and Toulmin models which demand that claims, taken with the writer’s purpose, the intended audience, and speaker’s persona, will lead to argument for persuasion using both a thesis and opposite thesis, necessary skills for successful academic writing. Students in AP English Language and Composition read difficult nonfiction text with speed, annotating and outlining as they recognize shifts of perspective and tone. They quote with authority and precision, discern the writer’s purpose and interpret responses elicited from audiences, and synthesize how authors manipulate readers to prove theses in various modes of written discourse.


Rigor skills taught during this year-long course include Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bloom’s Affective Taxonomy to provide students with a way to measure ongoing learning, the five Language Registers (Frozen, Formal, Consultative, Casual, and Intimate) and students are able to perfect the middle language register by choosing a nationally syndicated op/ed columnist, follow that writer’s column bi-monthly, and construct responses using strategies that address the ethos (ethics), pathos (emotions), and logos (logic) of nonfiction and current events’ columns; Levels of Questioning, which includes level one (factual), level two (interpretative), and level three (evaluative); the Cornell Note taking method, outlining and journaling; the Rhetorical Square approach to unpacking nonfiction pieces (Audience, Purpose, Persona, Argument); Sentence Mimicking and Pivoting Text; the grammar of irony and the grammar of paradox; the classical, Rogerian, and Toulmin argumentations models; rhetorical modes of discourse; student-teaching conferencing, including rubrics, revisions, and rewrites.*
**GLAAPSI, July 2005 Marcy Bowman AP Packet

Reading

Students are encouraged to read widely, and through exposure to various genres, voices, and ideas, students’ reading tastes are broadened as their levels of appreciation and enjoyment and critical faculties are heightened.

Close reading is a critical skill that is ideally developed over many years and this course builds on these skills by providing frequent instruction and opportunities for students to dissect passages and texts. Two overarching elements, the understanding of which serves students well, are diction and syntax. Students need to be word savvy. Recognizing the power of diction—individual words as well as word patterns—is a primary focus. Vocabulary lists are used; class discussions include studies of the nuances of words’ meaning and words’ connotative and denotative meanings are reviewed.

Syntax is taught so that writers manage to achieve syntactical variety in their own writing despite any difficulties in analyzing the element. Students consider the power of the individual simple, compound, complex, compound-complex sentences and their juxtaposition within structured writing; they look carefully at subordination, coordination, and the author’s tone as it relates to the use of the declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory sentences.

Repetition, parallelism, rhetorical questions, tone, and transitions are devices students are familiar with and figurative language, including metaphorical devices such as apostrophe, simile, metaphors, hyperbole, irony, paradox, and sarcasm become part of the strategies used to grasp overall meaning of text through close reading.

Writing

In this course, students develop clearly articulated departmental expectations, including exchanging essays in triads to ascertain voice, making suggestions, revisions, and suggestions to classmates, and participating in both student-teacher as well as student-student feedback. Departments also share student writing at professional developments with teachers of other disciplines to gain insight as to how students approach writing assignments in other common core subjects.

The writing process, including brainstorming, planning, prewriting, drafting, revising, and rewriting is another component students use to achieve excellence in their final draft of un-timed compositions.

According to the Advanced Placement Course Description in English “stylistic development” is nurtured by emphasizing the following:
• A wide ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
• A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
• A logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis
• A balance of generalization and specific illustrative details, and
• An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure.


Topics for writing are limitless, and the greater the variety, the greater the opportunity for the student to develop style and a sharp sense of audience. Composition may include some research components, particularly in the Junior Defense of Thesis where the process of collecting and organizing information is used to perfect a thesis that is proven both in written prose and oral discourse.

Timed writing is vital as well. This kind of assignment is valid for two reasons; it replicates the students’ writing experience on the AP Exam where they are, in a time frame of about forty minutes, asked to read a prompt, usually including a passage, and write an effective essay response. Second, this product-oriented writing is a reality. Students in colleges, as with many professionals, are regularly faced with such demands for which rapid assimilation of information and immediate responses are critical to the quality of their work.

The holistic scoring of essays is used throughout this course since this type of scoring allows essays to be read quickly and carefully by the instructor, who then judges it against scoring guides and rubrics developed in response to the nature of the composition question and the desired response to the prompt.

This course also provides ample opportunities for students to take sample multiple-choice question exams. These multiple-choice questions are demanding, with possible answers frequently separated by subtle distinctions and the more opportunities for practice, the further chance of perfecting the skills to choose the correct answer from a group of distractors.

Writing and Reading Text Credit: Teacher’s Guide Advanced Placement Program, AP English Language and Composition; College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service ©1998

Grammar

Students cover an immense amount of grammar, particularly in the areas of parts of speech, agreement, sentence structure, subordination and coordination, and conventions of grammar usage and mechanics. Grammar is often taught in isolation but that does not negate the requirement that students are held responsible on both timed and untimed writing assignments to utilize skills learned to perfect documents on the first draft so that many revisions are not needed for succeeding drafts.

Semester “A”

Week One:
Students begin fall semester with summer reading selections assessed by submission of two Advanced Placement Long Forms, each based on novels that were assigned as independent reading off-track. These are their first papers for this course and are used as an immediate way to measure students’ analysis of authors’ use of rhetorical strategies, offering critical reading practice, and in particular close reading of important and difficult text that students will encounter throughout the semester.

Students also choose an Op/Ed Columnist at the beginning of the semester and follow that writer on a regular basis, practicing the consultative/formal language register by responding to the writers’ arguments.

Levels of Questioning are introduced at the beginning of the school year and students are given practice this strategy by condensing and summarizing Cornell Notes taken both in class and out-of-class on selected readings. Level One Questions are questions that students can write that can be explicitly answered by facts contained in the text or information accessible in other resources. Level Two Questions are textually implicit, requiring analysis and interpretation of specific parts of the text. Level Three Questions are much more open-ended and go beyond the text and are intended to provoke a discussion of an abstract idea or issue. Credit for the levels of questions explanation are from an AP Workshop at California State University where the Great Books Foundation was discussed.

Week Two:
Timed Writing #1: An AP Exam Prompt using a short prose passage titled “Hunger of Memory,” from author Richard Rodriguez is used to introduce students to a sample writing task they might face on the actual Spring AP English Language Exam.

The Colonial Period up to 1790 is also covered at the start of this semester. Puritans and American Beginnings (Scott-Foresman Publishing; Literature and Integrated Studies) introduces students to the writings of William Bradford in “Of Plymouth Plantation,” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards’ masterful sermon that sets the stage for class discussion of literary terms such as tone, syntax, diction, including specific syntactical devices such as rhetorical questions and the mimicking of loose, periodic, balanced, and interrupted sentences.

Week Three:
Students spend time analyzing compositions they have written for the Rodriguez AP Prompt, specifically in preparation for a class discussion on tone. The Rhetorical Square, which addresses subject (and speaker), occasion, audience, and purpose is reviewed, since it will provide a solid foundation for future essay prompts that are generally written on a weekly basis.



Timed Writing #2: AP Exam Prompt, featuring a short passage titled “Moments of Being,” by Virginia Woolf

Novel #1: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is read independently with talking points recorded chapter by chapter as students record entries in a journal format; class discussions are held weekly with each student contributing orally to ascertain author’s purpose, characters’ motivations, and the overall theme of the work. This novel is an ongoing assignment throughout the semester.

Week Four:
Students are introduced to the New Republic, Spirit of Independence and America (Scott-Foresman; Literature and Integrated Studies) with literature selections that cover a time period of 1790-1820. Highlights of this unit are the study of Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,” Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis,” and “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry.

Week Five:
Timed Writing #3: Lincoln’s Second Inaugural AP Prompt; students are able to use a nine-point generic rubric to self-evaluate their essays and the essays of classmates; students may also engage in discussion with the teacher on a weekly basis and challenge the scores received on essays, using the wording of the rubric to provide evidence that the essay may perhaps have deserved a higher score.

Reading and Writing Strategies such as sentence mimicking and text pivoting are further practiced at this point, providing students with additional skills in checking for comprehension about material covered in class and assures their understanding of the complexities of crafting interesting and varied sentences, connecting the use of proper diction with syntax, and incorporating sentence variety by using subordinate clauses and subordinating conjunctions. Sentence mimicking in particular demonstrates insightful and well-constructed patterns of adapted writing that form the initial building blocks of the paragraph, and therefore, the thought-on-paper processes that will eventually lead to the effective paragraph composition for essays of argument that prove theses.

Week Six:
Vocabulary Workshop (Sadlier, Oxford) is used on a weekly basis; units specifically designed for challenging vocabulary are introduced as students become responsible for identifying the meanings, the connotations, the diacritical markings, and the pronunciation of twenty words weekly; tests are given on a regular basis to confirm understanding and mastery of new vocabulary; students are reminded that vocabulary is important when it is used in real-world contexts, both in written compositions and oral discourse, and are encouraged to remember that, “One does not own a word until it is used, not just memorized.” The American Heritage Dictionary’s 100 Words High School Students Should Know is also utilized and ten new words are introduced weekly, as students are also tested on each set of ten.

Text from “The Declaration of Independence” and the short anthology biography of Thomas Jefferson closes the Spirit of Independence unit of study.

Timed Writing #4: Frederick Douglass Essay from Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass is composed and submitted; syntax and figurative language are the essence of this assignment, as students are provided with supplementary materials such as a four-page narrative on Douglass’ autobiography and read and annotate an additional Douglass prose selection, “What The Black Man Wants.”

Week Seven:

American Romanticism and the Transcendentalists includes the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman from the anthology (Scott-Foresman; Literature and Integrated Studies) and is begun at this point in the semester and covers the literature period of 1820-1865.

Week Eight:
Emerson’s “Self Reliance,” Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience,” and an excerpt from Thoreau’s Walden are covered during this period.

Timed Writing #5: James Baldwin’s 1979 Essay on Language (a 1995 AP prompt)

Multiple-choice exam practice from the Cliff’s AP Preparation Guide is begun, and bi-weekly essays are written as in-class timed writing assignments, using selected prompts from that same book.

Introduction to the Argumentative Essay and Argument Comprehensive Review is introduced as students learn to identify the pathos, ethos, and logos strategies used by writers to achieve their varied purposes for writing.

Week Nine:

The Continental Nation (1865-1900) period is covered using selections such as Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Robert E. Lee’s “Farewell Order to the Army of Northern Virginia.”

Timed Writing #6: Crevecoeur’s “Letter to an American Farmer”


Weeks Ten-Fifteen:

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is introduced and journaled talking points are recorded chapter by chapter as students engage in weekly class discussions. This novel is an ongoing assignment throughout the semester.

Vocabulary Workshop and “100 Words High School Students Should Know” continues during this period. Readings for these five weeks also include “Roman Fever,” by Edith Wharton, “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, William Faukner’s “Barn Burning”, Anne Sexton’s poem “Her Kind”, the poems of Langston Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and Richard Wright’s “Big Back Good Man.” Each selection includes questions about meaning, language, theme, and purpose so students may perfect their understanding and analysis of short passages of fiction. Additional nonfiction selections from Bedford Reader, the heart of any AP English Language Course, are introduced in the second semester of studies.

Textbooks

Textbooks used in this course include The Bedford Reader, Cliffs AP Preparation Guide, Vocabulary Workshop Level “F”, and Glencoe Writer’s Choice. Various nonfiction pieces are used from composition rhetorics and readers, as are newspaper editorials, opinion-editorial pieces written by individual columnists, and storyboards, photographs, and newspaper editorial cartoons.

Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron, The
Bedford Reader
. Boston: Bedford Books of St.
Martin’s Press, 1997.

Cliffs AP English Language and Composition (2nd Edition) Swovelin ©2001

Vocabulary Workshop Level “F” Shostak (Sadlier-Oxford Publishing) 2005

Anthology: Writer’s Choice Grammar and Composition; Glencoe ©2005

Anthology: Literature and Integrated Studies; Scott-Foresman Publishing ©1997


Useful Web Sites
Online Writing Labs
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Composition formatting


MLA Style Citations
http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mla.html

Research Paper Works Cited formatting


Oxford English Dictionary
http://www.oed.com/

Vocabulary for the AP student


Strunk and White
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/strunk/

Rules of style for written prose


Teacher Web log
http://www.hollywoodhighschool.net

Weekly blog postings of assignments due


Apex Learning
http://www.apex.com

AP diagnostic tests; literary terms; study strategies


Go My Access/Vantage Learning
http://www.gomyaccess.com

Intellimetric prompts and rubric-scored writing


Exercise Central http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/exercisecentral

Online quizzes for each reading selection


College Board Online
http://www.collegeboard.org/ap

Grading System
Marks on individual assignments are based on the following scale:
A 92.5 % or better
B 82.5 % or better
C 72.5 % or better
D 62.5 % or better

Midterm and final examinations are administered; other quizzes are given throughout the course and include tests on meaning, language, and writing strategies from texts, tests on vocabulary, the connotative and denotative meanings of words, and tests on literary terms necessary for success on the multiple-choice and essays portions of the AP Language Exam.





This syllabus is being updated and more details will be added in the next several days; please check this blog for further information.

Monday, August 06, 2007

PREVIEW--Strategies for Advanced Placement English

Rhetorical Square

The rhetorical analysis required to successfully write free-response AP essays demands that students be able to read, argue and support with evidence prompts featuring texts at various levels of difficulty. One tool available to students is the rhetorical square, which enables students to ask four questions when reading analytically. Students need to define the writer's purpose and pose the question, "What action does the speaker want the audience to take?" Second, define the persona the writer is assuming and ask (ethos), "How does the speaker establish common values with the audience and how does the speaker create a common ground for speaker and audience?" Third, ask (pathos), "Who is the audience and which of their emotional characteristics does the writer keep in mind?" Finally, determine the writer's (logos), argument and, "How is the writer's message presented, what figurative language is involved, and what mode of discourse (compare-contrast, cause/effect, classification and division, etc.) does the speaker employ to convey the message?" The purpose for writing, the persona or assumed role of the writer, the audience for whom the writing is done, and the message or content of the writing form the heart of the rhetorical square. This strategy will be used frequently in class to prepare students to read, analyze, and write successfully to prepare for the AP exam.

Credit for the Rhetorical Square is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman.

(SOAPS: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject) is another name for this strategy and Rhetorical Square and SOAPS are terms that will become interchangeable as the year progresses.



The Cornell Note-Taking System
Walter Pauk (1989) developed what is known as the Cornell notetaking technique to help Cornell University students better organize their notes. Today, Pauk's notetaking technique is probably the most widely used system throughout the United States. The six steps in the Cornell notetaking system are 1) record, 2) reduce (or question), 3)recite, 4) reflect, 5) review, and 6) recapitulate. Recording notes require students during lectures to write down facts and ideas in phrases, using abbreviations when possible, and after lectures to read through notes and fill in blanks and make scribbles more legible. Reducing or Questioning notes occur after lectures and require students to write key words, phrases, or questions that serve as cues for notes taken in class. Cue phrases and questions should be in students' own words. Reciting notes require students to cover classroom notes and to read each key word or question and then recite the fact or idea brought to mind by key word or question. Reflecting and Reviewing notes require students to review their notes by periodically reciting them and to think about what they learned. Finally, recapituatling notes require students to summarize each main idea and use complete sentences. The format on paper for these six steps will be discussed in class.

Credit for the above is given to http://www.buy.edu/stlife/cdc/Learning_Strategies/study_skills/note-tak.htm 2/17/2003


Language Registers


One of the analytical tools we will use this semester is the language register, which will foster critical thinking and create inferential thinking. There are five language registers.

1. Frozen: language repeatedly used over generations whose purpose is to create community through ritual and whose speaker (audience) is participating in a ritual; the Pledge of Allegiance or Lord's Prayer are examples

2. Formal: the speaker is involved in one-way communication and is an expert as the audience listens, receives, and does not participate; the speaker's purpose is to inform or persuade and standard English is the grammar used; a speech, sermon, lecture, presentation are examples

3. Consultative: identical to formal except it involves two-way conversations and both parties are experts; networking, e-mail, or colleague conversations are examples

4. Casual: although there is two-way conversation, the speaker and audience are friends, grammar can be lax, and background information of discussion is known by both; this conversation creates social glue or entertainment; banter between friends is an example

5. Intimate: language between lovers, twins, or very "old friends" are examples

These language registers lead to writing for different purposes. For example,

Personal Writing includes self-expressive pieces, journals, diaries, letters and is defined by the casual language register because human emotion is involved

Creative Writing includes cartoons, movies, novels, poetry and may involve any language register because human imagination is involved

Academic Writing includes essays, articles, professional journals, dissertations and is defined by the formal register using formal grammar because human intellect is involved

Credit for language registers is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman as well as Martin Joos' The Five Clocks.


Opening days activities will include instruction on Levels of Questioning which explains how questions affect class discussion. The FIRST LEVEL of questioning generates from Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy's Knowledge/Comprehension component and asks students to recall something from the text, using either the writer's words or the student's words and have only one answer. These questions of fact result in evidence. The SECOND LEVEL of questioning is from BCT's Analysis component and asks students to draw inferences about the meaning of a text, using evidence in the text to support answers and can result in a number of answers, all of which can be valid. These questions result in inferences. The THIRD LEVEL of questioning is from BCT's Evaluation/Synthesis component and asks students to make a personal connection between the text and themselves, moves the discussion beyond the text, requires an answer from the student's personal values, and are intended to provoke discussion of an abstract idea or issue. These questions result in topic sentences and thesis statements.

We will work with the three levels of questioning throughout the semester and additionally learn how to measure students' commitment to learning with Bloom's Affective Taxonomy.

Information in this posting is credited to writingback.org with sincere thanks to Marcy Bowman.



Bloom's Affective Taxonomy (Measure Your Commitment to Learning)

As an Advanced Placement English classroom learner, students are able to measure their commitment to learning using a five-step scale, which is derived from the original Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. This scale is termed "affective" since its levels of learning are based on their contributions to the course and the classroom. Students measure themselves at the beginning of the semester because they certainly will be asked to state how much they have grown intellectually by semester's end. (1 is lowest-5 is highest)

1. RECEIVING: Willingness to receive classroom activities: awareness, controlled or selected attention--Follow, Reply, Listen, Identify

2. RESPONDING: Active participation on the part of the student which indicates that the student has a desire to be involved in the activity or assignment so seeks it out and gains satisfaction from working with it or engaging in it--Answer, Present, Discuss, Recite, Practice, Select, Tell, Comply

3. VALUING: The student sees worth or value in the activity or assignment related to writing. An important element of this behavior is that it is motivated, not only by the desire to comply or obey, but by the individual's commitment to mastering the skills involved in learning--Complete, Join, Differentiate, Propose, Initiate, Invite, Share

4. PRIORTIZING BY VALUES: Bringing together possibly disparate values, resolving conflicts between them, and beginning to build an internally consistent value system. One sees how attitudes regarding learning relate to values already held in other parts of one's life. This integration of values is less than harmonious--Compare, Organize, Defend, Systemize, Integrate, Modify

5. INTERNALIZING VALUES: The values involved in being a writer have controlled one's behavior for a sufficiently long period of time to have developed a positive identity as a learner. This attitude regarding learning is pervasive, consistent, and predictable--Advocate, Incorporate, Characterize, Influence, Devote, Practice, Encourage

Credit for Bloom's Affective Taxonomy is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman


The first day of classes for Track A students will be Wednesday, August 29, 2007. Student orientation for coursework will be discussed, including preparation for Advanced Placement Tools and Skills necessary for success on the AP English Language Exam.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

AP English Language and Composition Off-Track Assignment

Deliver the following by the end of the first week of instruction for Semester A 2007-2008:

AP Long Form Number One (fifteen-twenty page of text)
AP Long Form Number Two (fifteen-twenty pages of text)

Note: Spend time on analysis components such as tone, syntax, and diction; avoid, at all costs, extended prose explanation of the author's background information and the plot of the novel or play

Rules: No contractions; no “you”; typed, not handwritten; properly formatted; book titles may not be amended over the summer break; spell-grammar check must be used before printing assignments; no headers of components at end of pages--use pagination and print preview feature of word processing tools; twelve-point typeface

Book/play choices were made June 29 from titles provided on handout distributed in class.

AP English Language and Composition Syllabus and Letter to Parents will be posted on this site in mid-August.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

AP English Language and Composition

INFORMATION FOR THE NEW SEMESTER WILL BE POSTED IN MID-JULY.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

June 25-29, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday

1. Vocabulary Workshop books due in class today; book final mastery test answers provided to students in preparation for final exam on Wednesday; books signed in at counter for return to textbook room
2. Research Paper strategies handouts submitted for grade
3. Portfolios placed in file cabinet for off-track storage
4. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations continue in class (final day)

Tuesday
CLASS DOES NOT MEET TODAY

Wednesday

FINAL EXAMINATION; CHECK SIGN ON ROOM 122 DOOR FOR LOCATION

Thursday
CLASS DOES NOT MEET TODAY

Friday
NEW SEMESTER PREVIEW

Sunday, June 17, 2007

June 18-22, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday

1. Research Papers scored and returned to students this week
2. Precis for research paper due Wednesday
3. Storyboards due tomorrow, Tuesday
4. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations continue in class this week

Tuesday
1. Vocabulary Workshop books due in class today for assignment
2. Bedford Reader books due in class today for assignment
3. Semester Reflection Letter assignment printed for portfolios

Wednesday

1. Vocabulary Workshop books and Bedford Reader due in class today for assignment
2. Grammar assignment in class
3. Research Paper strategies handouts due at end of week
4. Precis for research paper due today

Thursday
1. Final Examinations assignments announced
2. Bedford Reader and Vocabulary Workshop books due in class today

Friday
1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations end today
2. Weekend homework assigned
3. Portfolios organized

Saturday, June 09, 2007

June 11-15, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday
1. LA Times front page Becerra-Pierson article letter-to-the-editor response due
2. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations; powerpoint presentations sent to MWD

FIELD TRIP CHECKLIST

Lunch ticket for June 14 submitted no later than Tuesday, June 12
Field trip slip signed and submitted no later than Tuesday, June 12
Business attire requested for trip
Bus pass used for round-trip Red Line subway trip; tokens provided for others
California Drivers License or ID or school photo ID required by MWD for admittance

Tuesday (Shortened Day)

1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations continue
2. Research Paper strategies or grammar handouts provided in class
3. RESEARCH PAPER DUE TODAY; Powerpoint presenters' research paper deadline is Friday

Wednesday
1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations continue
2. Research Paper strategies or grammar handouts provided in class

Thursday

FIELD TRIP TO METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS FOR JUNIOR DEFENSE OF THESIS

Friday
1. Debriefing of field trip; thank you cards signed and mailed
2. Grammar and Research Papers strategies handouts homework
3. Bedford Reader assignment due Monday, June 18
4. Storyboards for JDT Abstracts due Monday, June 18
5. Final Exam information to be announced

Sunday, June 03, 2007

June 4-June 8, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday
1. Mike Smith Las Vegas Sun cartoonist assignment due today
2. Vantage Writing Lab scheduled for Wednesday (semester reflection essay/letter)
3. Appositive grammar corrected in class
4. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations; MWD presenters' powerpoint CD due Friday for preview by teacher
5. Invisible Man books to be returned; sign-in sheet and book number mandatory
6. Grammar assignment completed in class
7. Field Trip slips are due today
8. Field Trip requirements: lunch ticket, school or California picture ID, and bus pass or token (provided)

Tuesday
1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations
2. Research Paper Strategies handouts in class
3. Storyboards due Monday, June 18th
4. Grammar assignment completed in class

Wednesday
1. Vantage Writing Lab scheduled for today
2. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations
3. Bedford Reader assignments postponed until MWD field trip is completed

Thursday

1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations
2. Research Paper Strategies handouts in class
3. Los Angeles Times consultative writing Op/Ed assignment; due Monday
4. Grammar assignment completed in class

Friday
1. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations
2. Grammar assignment completed in class
3. Weekend assignments to be announced

Monday, May 28, 2007

May 28-June 1, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday
MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY


Tuesday

1. Collect appositives grammar lesson assigned Friday in library
2. Circulate Junior Defense of Thesis presentation list; confirm dates
3. Circulate tokens/bus pass list
4. Outline of pages 49-72 of Bedford Reader (some pages will be exempt from outline)
5. Bedford Reader due in class; Gloria Naylor's "The Meanings of a Word" done as in-class assignment today; due at end of class
6. Bedford Reader literary terms (next set of ten); test on Friday
7. Skelton Op-Ed due today

Wednesday
1. Vocabulary Workshop books due in class; Unit Fifteen done as in-class assignment today; due at end of class; test on Thursday
2. Grammar assignment in-class work; due at end of class
3. Research Paper Strategies handouts in class
4. Outline pages for Bedford Reader due Friday, June 1

Thursday
1. Los Angeles Times Op/Ed response done as in-class assignment
2. Unit Fifteen Vocabulary test today
3. Grammar assignment in class; due at end of class
4. Research Paper Strategies handouts in class

Friday

1. Outline pages due today
2. Bedford Reader literary terms test today
3. Junior Defense of Thesis presentations begin today
4. Grammar assignment in class
5. Research Paper Strategies handouts in class
6. Vantage Writing Lab scheduled for Wednesday, June 6

Saturday, May 19, 2007

May 21-25, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND CLASS UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

This is California Standards Testing Week--schedules are available from homeroom teachers and certain classes will not meet on selected days.

Monday
1. Vocabulary Workshop Unit Fourteen answers are due today; test Thursday (Period Four does not meet on Tuesday, May 22, or Wednesday, May 23)
2. Bedford Reader Meghan Daum selection is due today for class discussion; "Palm Tuesday" LA Times article discussion accompanies Bedford Reader
3. Patt Morrison Op/Ed response due today: "California's Driest..." (if assignment arrives Tuesday, per original assignment, it will NOT be late)

Tuesday
CLASS DOES NOT MEET TODAY

Wednesday
CLASS DOES NOT MEET TODAY

Thursday

MEET IN LIBRARY FOR RESEARCH
1. Vocabulary Workshop Unit Fourteen test today
2. Junior Defense of Thesis
3. Literary Terms; next set of ten from Bedford Reader
4. Bedford Reader Research Paper pages to be announced in class

Friday
MEET IN LIBRARY FOR RESEARCH

1. Grammar homework to be assigned
2. Next Bedford Reader selection announced; due Monday
3. Junior Defense of Thesis
4. Bedford Reader Research Paper pages due today (outline)

Saturday, May 12, 2007

May 14-18, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

MONDAY

1. Vocabulary Workshop postponed due to AP Exams
2. Study Cornell Notes of Literary Terms presented in class
3. Water Case Cornell Notes for Case Ten due today
4. AP English Language Exam is Wednesday, May 16; be on time; get a good night's sleep; eat breakfast; stamina is important for this three-hour fifteen-minute examination
5. Outline of Pages 515-528 of Bedford Reader is due Tuesday; use sample provided in class for proper formatting
6. Morrison Op/Ed Response provided on Thursday of last week is due today; use handout for proper formatting
7. SAS REQUIRES SIGNED MIDTERM PROGRESS REPORTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO ENGLISH TEACHER FOR CREDIT
8. Synthesis Essay in class today; fifteen minutes of reading sources and forty minutes to compose response
9. Invisible Man Vantage Writing Lab essay deadline was extended until this evening to accommodate request for extension because of AP History Exam

TUESDAY

1. Vantage Writing Lab for APEX AP Language Exam strategies
2. No homework assigned because of test tomorrow, Wednesday

WEDNESDAY

1. AP English Language and Composition Examination administered; return to class when permitted
2. Junior Defense of Thesis Abstract presented tomorrow (Thursday)

THURSDAY
1. Junior Defense of Thesis Abstract
2. Grammar homework
3. Vocabulary Workshop Unit Fourteen due Monday
4. Bedford Reader Meghan Daum next selection due on Monday
5. CST Exams are scheduled soon

FRIDAY
1. Vocabulary Workshop Unit Fourteen due Monday
2. Bedford Reader Meghan Daum next selection due on Monday
3. Research Paper strategies in class

Saturday, May 05, 2007

May 7-11, 2007

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND UPDATES TRUMP PUBLISHED BLOGS

Monday
1. Vocabulary Workshop will not be due until next week
2. Literary Terms for AP Exam multiple-choice questions; add to Cornell Notes
3. Water Cases Cornell Notes are due today; see previous blog for Case Numbers
4. AP English Language Exam Wednesday, May 16; stamina is a very important key to success; we will discuss in class

Tuesday

1. Grammar assigned in class and as homework
2. Multiple-Choice literary terms continued and multiple-choice practice questions
3. Bedford Reader argument pages to be assigned; discussion on Friday

Wednesday
1. Vantage Writing Lab: Apex Diagnostic and Invisible Man essay today and tomorrow

Thursday
1. Vantage Writing Lab: Apex Strategies and Invisible Man essay due end of period

Friday
1. In-class discussion for Bedford Reader argument pages (515-531; textbook is mandatory)
2. Water Cases to be assigned

CHECK SUNDAY EVENING FOR UPDATED BLOG

Sunday, April 29, 2007

April 30-May 4, 2007

Monday
1. Unit Thirteen answers due in class; test Tuesday
2. Literary Terms for AP Exam multiple-choice questions
3. Water Cases Cornell Notes to be announced
4. Invisible Man quotations quiz due today

Tuesday
1. Unit Thirteen vocabulary test
2. Multiple-Choice literary terms continued and multiple-choice practice questions

Wednesday
1. Chapters 21-25 Invisible Man (five talking points per chapter); class discussion
2. Bedford Reader next selection discussion and questions due tomorrow (see syllabus)

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader next selection class discussion
2. Grammar homework

Friday

1. Grammar homework
2. All other assignments to be announced; AP Exam for Language is May 16

Sunday, April 22, 2007

April 23-27, 2007

Monday
1. Water Cases Six and Seven assigned; add to Cornell Notes
2. Hazlitt essay in class Friday; Bedford Terms test precedes essay (bring Bedford Reader textbook Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)
3. Grammar homework assigned
4. Bedford Reader next selection due Thursday; Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" answers discussed in class
5. Research Paper Thesis Statements shared aloud
6. Vocabulary Level "F" Unit Twelve due today; test Tuesday

Tuesday

1. Invisible Man Chapters Sixteen-Twenty due tomorrow (Wednesday); twenty-five talking points (five per chapter); class discussion Wednesday (all period)
2. Bedford Reader next selection due Thursday (see syllabus for title)
3. Grammar homework assigned
4. Water Cases Six and Seven Cornell Notes due on Thursday
5. Vocabulary Level "F"Unit Twelve test today

Wednesday

1. Invisible Man class discussion and comprehension quiz; Chapters Sixteen-Twenty
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Bedford Terms 41-50 (postponed from last week) test Friday before timed essay
4. Unit Thirteen Vocabulary due Monday; test next Tuesday


Thursday

1. Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" Bedford Reader in-class discussion (all period)
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Water Cases Six and Seven Cornell Notes due today

Friday
1. Hazlitt in-class essay
2. Bedford Reader terms 41-50 test precedes essay
3. Grammar homework assigned
4. Unit Thirteen Vocabulary due Monday

CHECK BLOG SUNDAY EVENING FOR UPDATES

Sunday, April 15, 2007

April 16-20, 2007

Monday
1. Water Cases Four and Five assigned; add to Cornell Notes
2. Book Fair-Library (meet at Library first twenty minutes of period)
3. Grammar homework assigned
4. Bedford Reader next selection due Thursday; "Orientation" answers discussed in class; Bedford Reader next terms reviewed today; test on Thursday

Tuesday

1. Invisible Man Chapters Eleven-Fifteen due tomorrow (Wednesday); twenty-five talking points (five per chapter)
2. Bedford Reader next selection due Thursday (see syllabus for title)
3. Multiple-Choice all period on Friday to prepare for AP Exam
4. APEX homework assignment to be announced in class

Wednesday
1. Invisible Man class discussion and comprehension quiz; Chapters Eleven-Fifteen
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Bedford Terms 41-50 (postponed from last week) test tomorrow (Thursday)

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader discussion all period
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Multiple-Choice one hour practice test tomorrow (Friday)
4. Unit Twelve Vocabulary Workshop due Monday
5. Water Conservation/U.S. Natural Disaster Cornell Notes (updated) due tomorrow, including thesis statement for research paper
5. Bedford Terms 41-50 test today (terms will be reviewed today, Thursday in class and test has been postponed until next Tuesday)

Friday
1. Water Conservation/U.S. Natural Disaster Cornell Notes due today
2. In-class Multiple-Choice practice test all period
3. Grammar homework assigned
4. APEX homework due today (still being reviewed with APEX personnel; homework assignment has been delayed for now)

CHECK BLOG SUNDAY EVENING FOR UPDATES

Saturday, April 07, 2007

April 9-13, 2007

Monday
1. Unit Eleven Vocabulary due today; test Tuesday
2. Book Fair-Library (meet at Library first twenty minutes of period)
3. Op/Ed piece assigned; due Thursday
4. Water Case III assigned; add to Cornell Notes on Water Conservation/U.S. Natural Disaster
School for Advanced Students Four-Week Progress Reports Signed by Parents and Returned

Tuesday
1. Unit Eleven Vocabulary Test today
2. Bedford Reader next selection assigned (see syllabus and/or blog); due Thursday
3. Invisible Man Chapters Six-Ten due Wednesday (five talking points per chapter); comprehension quiz before class discussion
4. APEX homework assignment

Wednesday

1. Invisible Man class discussion and comprehension quiz
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Bedford Terms 41-50 assigned in class; test Friday

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader next selection class discussion; answer usual questions at end of selection
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. In-class AP essay on Friday
4. Unit Twelve Vocabulary Workshop due Monday
5. Water Conservation/U.S. Natural Disaster Cornell Notes (updated) due tomorrow, including thesis statement for research paper
6. Op/Ed piece due today

Friday
1. Water Conservation/U.S. Natural Disaster Cornell Notes due today
2. In-class AP essay all period
3. Bedford Terms 41-50 test precedes AP essay
4. Grammar homework assigned
5. APEX homework due Monday

CHECK BLOG SUNDAY EVENING FOR UPDATES

Saturday, March 31, 2007

April 2-6, 2007

Monday
1. "Save the Last Word For Me" activity filmed for Staff PD Tuesday
2. Unit Ten Vocabulary Workshop due today; test Tuesday
3. One hour multiple-choice practice all period on Friday
4. LA Times "Letter to the Editor" response due today
5. Invisible Man discussion (Chapters One-Five) and essay assigned on Wednesday
6. Bedford Reader next selection Thursday with questions on meaning, language due

Tuesday
1. Shortened Day
2. Unit Ten Vocabulary Workshop test
3. Grammar assigned as homework
4. Apex assigned as homework

Wednesday
1. Invisible Man discussion and essay (text mandatory)
2. Grammar assigned as homework
3. Bedford Reader answers due Thursday

Thursday
1. Bedford Reader "Everyday Use" Alice Walker due today; textbooks mandatory
2. Multiple-choice practice all period on Friday
3. Grammar assigned as homework
4. Unit Eleven Vocabulary Workshop due Monday
5. REVISED Bedford Terms 41-50 assigned; test on Monday

Friday
1. Grammar assigned as homework
2. Bedford Reader next selection assigned with due date
3. Multiple-choice practice all period today
4. Invisible Man Chapters Six-Ten assigned with due date next week
NOTE: Check back Tuesday evening for updates to this TENTATIVE blog

Saturday, March 24, 2007

March 26-31, 2007

Monday
1. AP Long Forms scored and returned
2. Unit Nine Vocabulary Workshop answers due today; test on Tuesday
3. Op/Ed Response to Martinez Resignation due today
4. Linking Verb-Grammar due today; Grammar continues this week in class with in-class correcting of daily grammar homework
5. Invisible Man Structure-Prologue and Epilogue due today
6. Invisible Man-Chapters One-Five reading completed by Wednesday with minimum of five talking points per chapter; Reading Comprehension Test on Wednesday
Note: E-mail suggestions and/or corrections to jcarmicl@lausd.k12.ca.us

Tuesday
1. "Homeless" Anna Quindlen questions/answers from Bedford Reader due today
2. Multiple-Choice Practice from AP Examination Preparation Book today in class
3. Water Conservation/Natural Disaster Cornell Notes continue in class today
4. In-class Essay (AP Prompt) on Friday for most of Period Four
5. Bedford Reader Terms 31-40 discussed and test scheduled

Wednesday
1. Next selection from Bedford Reader due date set today (see syllabus)
2. "Homeless" Anna Quindlen discussion continues in class today; books are mandatory
3. Invisible Man discussion in class today; comprehension test administered; books are mandatory

Thursday
1. Unit Ten Vocabulary Workshop due on Monday, April 2; test on Tuesday, April 3
2. "Everyday Use" Alice Walker questions due on Tuesday, April 3 for class discussion; book is mandatory
3. Multiple-Choice practice in class with full Multiple-Choice practice exam scheduled for next week

Friday
1. In-Class AP Prompt (forty minute timed essay)
2. Bedford Terms 31-40 test in class today; write terms and definitions from memory
3. Check blog on Sunday for next week's assignments