Tuesday, December 27, 2011

STUDYPATH* January 9-13, 2012

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

*POTENTIAL, ACHIEVEMENT, THOUGHT, HONOR

Monday
USA Today letter to the editor is due today
Winter break synthesis essay is due today
Invisible Man Chapters One-Fifteen talking points are due today for various class discussions in the upcoming weeks; novel is due in class Monday through Thursday
Unit Seven Vocabulary Workshop responses are due Wednesday
Water Politics Cases One-Ten are introduced in preparation for the spring research paper
DOWNLOAD THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARS PRESS RELEASE IN BOX AP AND THE PATCH.COM ARTICLE (>see right) TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR TEACHER WINNING A NATIONAL TEACHING HONOR
Tuesday
Outline of Bedford Reader Chapter Three is due Tuesday, February 7 (49); some sections do not lend themselves to being outlined and those page exceptions will be covered in class; this outlining assignment is in preparation for the spring research paper
Bedford Reader is required in class today for literary terms
Invisible Man class discussion continues

Wednesday
Unit Seven Vocabulary Workshop responses are due today; test is scheduled tomorrow
Invisible Man class discussion continues

Thursday
USA Today letter to the editor is assigned and due Tuesday
Vocabulary Workshop Unit Seven test is scheduled for today
Invisible Man class discussion continues

Friday
Vocabulary Workshop Unit Eight is due Tuesday
An in-class timed essay is scheduled for today
Check blog for weekend homework assignments

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Invisible Man Winter Break Assignment

Read the Introduction, Prologue (if you have not already read them), and Chapters One-Fifteen of Ellison's Invisible Man, writing three talking points for each chapter to prepare for various class discussions when we return January 9.

You may wish to include some (or all) of the literary terms noted below in your points, especially if you find instances in the text of Ellison's writing that illustrate the use of those terms.

As you read, begin to examine a motif that will be used for your final essay on the novel. Some possible motifs are (but not limited to):

Light vs. Dark
Visibility vs. Invisibility
Dream Sleep vs. Wakefulness
Identity vs. Non-Identity

You may observe another motif that can be traced throughout the novel; if so, please e-mail your instructor to discuss that motif before it is used in the final essay.

This is a novel of contradictions so the motif should highlight those contradictions and in anticipation of writing the assignment, mark page numbers and selected text on your paper to help in the construction of your analysis, synthesis and evaluation that will work collectively to contribute to your argument in the final essay for the novel.

(if you use these literary terms, please boldface them as you write the talking points)

abstract, analogy, analysis, anecdote, argument, audience, cliche, coherence, colloquial expression, conclusion, concrete, connotation, denotation, diction, dialect, slang, types of sentences: periodic, loose, interrupted, and balanced; repetition, euphemism, fallacy, figures of speech: simile, metaphor, personification, understatement, hyperbole, paradox; flashback, imagery, inference, irony, jargon, narration, parallelism, paraphrase, point of view


If there are questions or concerns, e-mail me at jcarmicl@lausd.net and I will reply.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Synthesis Essay Winter Break

Click this link for access to collegeboard.org web site; use the 2008 Form B Synthesis Question about high school English texts.

Deadline for essay is Monday evening, January 9, 2012 by 11:59 P.M. on turnitin.com web site.

Questions or concerns, e-mail jcarmicl@lausd.net and I will clarify.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

STUDYPATH* December 12-16, 2011

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

*POTENTIAL, ACHIEVEMENT, THOUGHT, HONOR

Monday
Bedford Reader is due in class today and tomorrow; responses for Wenke piece are due tomorrow (see page numbers from last week's blog)
Units Four-Six Vocabulary Workshop responses are due today (see page numbers from last week's blog); test is scheduled for Wednesday
Literary terms 61-70 are covered in class with test scheduled later this week
Begin returning The Great Gatsby books to class today
Read Introduction and Prologue of Invisible Man

Tuesday
Winter break homework assignment; Invisible Man Chapters One-Fifteen talking points (three per chapter) are due Monday, January 9 for class discussion first week back (see Friday listing for more details)
Literary terms 61-70 continue in class; test is scheduled for Friday

Wednesday
An in-class essay is scheduled for tomorrow
Writer's Choice assignment and textbook is required in class
Unit Four-Six Vocabulary Workshop test is scheduled today

Thursday
An in-class timed writing is scheduled for today
USA Today letter to the editor is assigned and due after winter break

Friday
Winter break homework is discussed in detail with due dates announced:
Synthesis Essay due January 9 at 11:59 P.M. on turnitin.com web site; link will be provided for students by end of week
Read Invisible Man Chapters One-Fifteen, marking three talking points per chapter for specific examples of the motif chosen for the end-of-book essay
Literary terms 61-70 test is scheduled for today

Thursday, December 01, 2011

STUDYPATH* December 5-9, 2011

In-class assignments and class updates trump published blogs.

*POTENTIAL, ACHIEVEMENT, THOUGHT, HONOR

Monday
Great Gatsby essay is due Monday, December 5 at 11:59 P.M. on turnitin.com web site; prompt was provided in class
Literary terms presented last week from Bedford Reader should be reviewed; test will be on Wednesday
The Great Gatsby film will screen today and tomorrow in class
USA Today letter to the editor is due today

Tuesday
The Great Gatsby film will screen in class today
Literary terms test is scheduled for tomorrow

Wednesday
Literary terms test is scheduled for today
Writer's Choice will be postponed until next Wednesday
Bedford Reader is due in class today for reading and writing assignment; "Too Much Pressure" by Colleen Wenke (P. 532); complete Meaning 1, Writing Strategies 1, 2 and Language 1 for Tuesday, December 13
Unit Four-Six Vocabulary Workshop review pages are due Monday in class; test is scheduled for Wednesday; page numbers are 72-83, but skip analogies section
Great Gatsby Chapters Six-Nine class discussion continues in class today

Thursday
Multiple choice practice for the upcoming AP English Language examination
USA Today letter to the editor is assigned and due Monday
Great Gatsby Chapters Six-Nine class discussion continues in class today

Friday
Unit Four-Six Vocabulary Workshop review pages are due Monday
Weekend homework will be announced