Tuesday

• Beowulf concluding assignments were due this past Sunday.

• College Admissions Essay:
• TO TURN IN YOUR DRAFT: You must email me in a separate email that a draft is ready in your folder. I will not be notified by Google Docs that you have added a document to the folder or that you are ready for me to look at it.
• I believe I am up to date with looking at 3rd drafts. If you turned in a new draft since our conference, check to see if you have comments in the doc and an email. If you don't, send me an email that your draft is ready so I know to look for it in your folder.
• All college admissions essays must be finalized (final draft graded) by Friday, Nov. 10 so the last day I will accept them is Wed. Nov. 8. 

• POW: Shakespearean Sonnet
• 2A: "Sonnet XXIX" by William Shakespeare
• 4A: "Sonnet LXXIII" by William Shakespeare
• For Thurs. 11/2/17: Analyze your assigned poem:
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.

• NEW UNIT: Fiction Analysis
• NOTE: I am keeping a running list of terms you are responsible for knowing and being able to apply. You can check that list here.
• Fiction terms notes: PLOT #1-6
• In-class reading: "We Show What We Have Learned" by Clare Beams
• Identify and mark on the story where the sections of plot shift.
• HW due Thurs. 11/2/17:
• Mark and annotate your copy of "We Show What We Have Learned" for character analysis of Ms. Swenson. This means you will identify key words / phrases / sections of the story and make a note about what we learn about Ms. Swenson through the description, what the author is trying to suggest to us.
• Work out your ideas on this interpretive question: What lesson was Ms. Swenson trying to teach the class? Do the children learn it? Is it a good lesson?

Friday

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week (POW): 
• AP essay practice: On the sample prompt, make notes that show you have analyzed the topic and annotate the poem for ideas that would help you respond to the topic. Then, write a thesis statement at the bottom of the prompt page that fully answers the prompt. Turn in this page with your homework annotations on the poem.
• Read the sample essays for the prompt. Pay attention to qualities in the sample essays that are strengths and weaknesses. See if you can determine which essay is the upper score, which is the middle and which essay would score the lowest.
• 2A: "A Story" by Li-Young Lee
• AP Prompt
• Sample Essays
• 4A: "The Century Quilt" by Marilyn Nelson Waniek
• AP Prompt
• Sample Essays
• **NOTE: You will need to log in to your school account to access the AP prompts and sample essays. I'm not allowed to put them on the web.

• Beowulf 
• Click here to listen to me talk about the project
• Concluding Assignment for Beowulf - Due Sun. 10/29/17 by midnight. SHARE your assignment with me on Google Drive.
• Resources:
• Research Paper
• Purdue OWL 
• Sample paper in MLA8 format
• MLA8 Citations for Beowulf, Halverson article, and Anglo-Saxon Video series
• "Understanding MLA Style- 8th Ed." (video)
• MLA Works Cited citations (video)
• Using In-Text Citations in a research paper (video)
• Infographic
• What is an infographic? / Examples
• Make an infographic using Canva
• Tutorial for Canva
• Make an infographic using Easel.ly
• Tutorial for Easel.ly
• Video
• iMovie beginner tutorial (NOTE: You do not have to use iMovie, but it is an easy software platform to learn. The video output on your file should be .mp4.)

• College Admissions Essay Conferences are finishing today. You have one week from the date of your conference to put a 3rd draft in your folder. You MUST email me when it is ready as I will not get a notification that you have added the document. All college admissions essays must be finalized (final draft graded) by Friday, Nov. 10.

Wednesday

 THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week: Analyze and annotate this week's poem for class on Fri. 10/27/17

• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• 2A: "A Story" by Li-Young Lee
• 4A: "The Century Quilt" by Marilyn Nelson Waniek

• Beowulf 
• Click here to listen to me talk about the project
• Concluding Assignment for Beowulf - Due Sun. 10/29/17 by midnight. SHARE your assignment with me on Google Drive.
• Resources:
• Research Paper
• Purdue OWL 
• Sample paper in MLA8 format
• MLA8 Citations for Beowulf, Halverson article, and Anglo-Saxon Video series
• "Understanding MLA Style- 8th Ed." (video)
• MLA Works Cited citations (video)
• Using In-Text Citations in a research paper (video)
• Infographic
• What is an infographic? / Examples
• Make an infographic using Canva
• Tutorial for Canva
• Make an infographic using Easel.ly
• Tutorial for Easel.ly
• Video
• iMovie beginner tutorial (NOTE: You do not have to use iMovie, but it is an easy software platform to learn. The video output on your file should be .mp4.)

• College Admissions Essay Conferences are finishing today. You have one week from the date of your conference to put a 3rd draft in your folder. You MUST email me when it is ready as I will not get a notification that you have added the document. All college admissions essays must be finalized (final draft graded) by Friday, Nov. 10.

Monday

 THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week: Analyze and annotate this week's poem for class on Fri. 10/27/17

• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• 2A: "A Story" by Li-Young Lee
• 4A: "The Century Quilt" by Marilyn Nelson Waniek

• Beowulf 
• Test on sections 3 & 4 + Halverson article and video series
• Concluding Assignment for Beowulf - Due Sun. 10/29/17 by midnight

• College Admissions Essay Conferences are ongoing. See schedule with the link at the top of this post.

• FAFSA
• Financial Aid Night will be Tues. 10/24/17 from 6-8 pm. The counselors and other agencies will be available to help you and your parents complete the application. 

Sunday Night Live

Click here to watch Sunday night's (10/22/17) live video study session.

STUDY SESSION THURS. 10/19/17

Click to watch the study session from Thurs. 10/19/17 covering sections 3&4 of Beowulf, the Halverson article, and the video series "Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons". I also throw in some vocab :)

Thursday

 THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week (POW): 
• Notes on writing poetry analysis essays. [Handout]
• Practice responding to AP prompts by outlining for this week's poem. 
• If you were absent, listen to the audio explanation of how to write a basic poetry analysis then work out an outline that responds to the prompt for your poem (links below). Turn in poem and outline.
• 2A: "Genius" by Mark Twain (essay topic + outline assignment)
• 4A: "No Title Required" by Wislawa Szymborska (essay topic + outline assignment)

• Beowulf: 
• The test for sections 3 & 4 of Beowulf will be on Mon., Oct. 23. Test will also include the Halverson article and the Anglo-Saxon video series. Here are some resources for studying:
• Watch live study session from Tues. 10/17/17
• Watch live study session from Thurs. 10/19/17
• Watch live study session from Sun. 10/22/17 
• Timeline of events in the entire epic poem
• Study Guide section 3
• Study Guide section 4
• I will have live study sessions on Tues. 10/17/17 @ 8pm and Sunday 10/22/17 at 7 pm. Check here and on Twitter for link one hour prior.
• "The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson
• Note guidesheet for Halverson article
• "Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons" video series
• YouTube playlist
• Google folder
• Note guidesheet
• Class collaborative vocab lists: 
• 2A list
• 4A list
• Concluding Assignment for Beowulf - Due Sun. 10/29/17 by midnight

• College Admissions Essay Conferences are ongoing. See schedule with the link at the top of this post.

• FAFSA
• Financial Aid Night will be Tues. 10/24/17 from 6-8 pm. The counselors and other agencies will be available to help you and your parents complete the application. 

LIVE STREAM STUDY SESSION

You can view the live stream study session for the last Beowulf test here.

Tuesday

 THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week (POW): 
• Analyze and annotate this week's poem for class on Thurs. 10/19/17
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• 2A: "Genius" by Mark Twain
• 4A: "No Title Required" by Wislawa Szymborska

• Beowulf: 
• The test for sections 3 & 4 of Beowulf will be on Mon., Oct. 23. Test will also include the Halverson article and the Anglo-Saxon video series. Here are some resources for studying:
• Timeline of events in the entire epic poem
• Study Guide section 3
• Study Guide section 4
• I will have a live study session on Tues. 10/17/17 @ 8pm. Check here and on Twitter for link one hour prior.
• "The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson
• Note guidesheet for Halverson article
• "Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons" video series
• YouTube playlist
• Google folder
• Note guidesheet
• Class collaborative vocab lists: 
• 2A list
• 4A list
• Concluding Assignment for Beowulf - Due Sun. 10/29/17 by midnight

• College Admissions Essay Conferences are ongoing. See schedule with the link at the top of this post.

• FAFSA
• We will go to the computer lab during class to meet with the counselors for financial aid applications on Wed. 10/18/17.
• Financial Aid Night will be Tues. 10/24/17 from 6-8 pm. The counselors and other agencies will be available to help you and your parents complete the application. 

Friday

 NEXT WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week (POW): 
• 2A: 
• "The End and the Beginning" by Wislawa Szymborska
• In-class assignment: Discussion questions. If you were absent, complete and turn in.
• 4A:  
• "Ethics" by Linda Pastan
• AP multiple choice questions & answer discussion

• Beowulf
• Q&A for "The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson)
• The test for sections 3 & 4 of Beowulf will be on Monday, Oct. 23. Test will also include the Halverson article and the Anglo-Saxon video series.
• Class collaborative vocab lists 
• 2A list
• 4A list

• FAFSA (Financial Aid)
• Tues. 10/17/17: We will go to the computer lab to meet counselors  to work on FAFSA application during class
• Tues. 10/24/17 6-8 pm: Financial Aid Night: Bring your parents in so they can fill out their portion of the form.

Wednesday

THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Poem of the Week (POW): You have until Fri. 10/13/17 to analyze the assigned poem. Focus on:
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• The other elements I listed for you in class on your specific poem
• 2A: "The End and the Beginning" by Wislawa Szymborska
• 4A:  "Ethics" by Linda Pastan

• Beowulf
• Annotated articles ("The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson) were collected.
• The test for sections 3 & 4 of Beowulf will be on Monday, Oct. 23.
• Class collaborative vocab lists 
• 2A list
• 4A list

Friday

THIS WEEK'S WRITING CONFERENCES

VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

** Senior Portraits will be taken during class on Wednesday 10/11/17 **

Poem of the Week (POW): Q&A

• Discussion / poetic idea revision. Make sure your poetic idea is not a summary.
• Annotated poems with revised poetic idea turned in for a grade
• 2A: "Reply to the Question: How Do You Become a Poet?" by Eve Merriam
• 4A: "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda

• Beowulf
• Section 4 study guide discussion
• Class collaborative vocab lists 
• 2A list
• 4A list
• HW due Wed 10/11/17: Read and take notes on the article, "The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson. Use this guidesheet to mark your article. I will be checking.

Wednesday

VIEW ESSAY CONFERENCE SIGN UP HERE

Taking ACT or SAT soon? VIEW TEST PREP DOC HERE

• Voter Registration Cards
• See if you are eligible here
• If eligible, get a card from me and fill it out.
• Turn in completed cards to the table at both lunches Wed. through Fri. this week.
• You will get your voter card in the mail in time for you to use it on Nov. 7.

• Poem of the Week (POW): Q&A
• You have until Fri. 10/6/17 to analyze the assigned poem. Focus on:
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• 2A: "Reply to the Question: How Do You Become a Poet?" by Eve Merriam
• 4A: "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda

• Beowulf: Section 4
• Study Guide 
• Group discussion & presentation of ideas for study guide
• Class collaborative vocab lists 
• 2A list
• 4A list
• HW due Wed 10/11/17: Read and take notes on the article, "The Struggle Between Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson. 

• College Admissions Essays
• Your "College Admissions Essays" folder should look like this (1st draft essay with paperrater report copied to the end + new, improved 2nd draft for me to review)
• Everyone should be working on the second draft of their essays. That draft should be ready for me the day before your conference appointment. (See sign up sheet at the top of this blog entry.) Use the feedback you received from paperrater to improve your draft. Here are some other resources to help you:
• Search to find application requirements (including essays) by university
• Scoring Guide for essay
• Sample essays
• Apply Texas Topics 
• Grammarly
• VIDEOS TO HELP WITH THE ESSAY
• College Essay Advisors
• 5 College Essays That Suck (SuperTutorTV)
• What Colleges are Looking For (SuperTutorTV)

Monday

• Poem of the Week (POW): You have until Fri. 10/6/17 to analyze the assigned poem. Focus on:
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme
• figurative language- identify and explain how poetic devices (metaphor, imagery, etc.) contribute to the poetic idea.
• 2A: "Reply to the Question: How Do You Become a Poet?" by Eve Merriam
• 4A: "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda

• Beowulf: HW due Wed. 10/4/17- Review and add annotations for section 4 (to the end of the book)

• College Admissions Essays:
• Your first draft was due in class today as we used it for development in writer's workshop. Use paperrater.com to analyze your first draft. Copy the paperrater report to the end of your first draft. Make improvements and create a 2nd draft for me to evaluate.
• Your "College Admissions Essays" folder should look like this (1st draft essay with paperrater report copied to the end + new, improved 2nd draft for me to review)