Welcome to English!

Monday, August 29, 2011:  Students began a new week of word study through reading for context clues after completing their start-of-year STAR Reading assessments.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011:  Students continued their word study exercises--all work is due by the start of class Wednesday if it was not turned in before the end of class today.  Students also began reading the historical background essay for the first unit of American Literature.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011:  Students received graded vocabulary work and the teacher reviewed all correct answers and strategies for making sure responses are right before turning in work.  Students then received an interactive copy of the historic introduction essay for literature collection one; students are to read, respond to all questions, and complete all side-note tasks on the copied essay before returning to class tomorrow.  The article and work will be taken up at the beginning of class to be graded on Thursday.

Thursday, September 1, 2011:  Students entered class and turned in work from the previous day, then reviewed vocabulary terms for tomorrow's quiz.  Students then read the selections of Native American literature from their books, and began completion of critical thinking questions over those selections.  Students will have time after their vocabulary quizzes to finish the book work, and it will be due at the end of class tomorrow.

Friday, September 2, 2011:  Students entered class and had quiet study time before taking their weekly vocabulary quizzes.  Students then used remaining time to complete all assigned questions over the selections of Native American literature from the textbook.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011:  Students completed a new lesson of word study for the week, then read a Puritan poem and completed work associated with it.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011:  Students turned in the previous day's work, and then received their graded work over the historic background to the first collection of literature.  Correct answers and correct methods of answering tasks on the historical essay were reviewed.

Thursday, September 8, 2011:  Students read and completed work over two Puritan writings.  Students received graded vocabulary exercises and are to study the terms as homework.

Friday, September 9, 2011:  Students turned in the Puritan reading work and then studied quietly at the start of class.  Students then completed their weekly vocabulary quiz.  Students then reviewed the policies and procedures for using books from the classroom library, and had the opportunity to check out a book and read quietly.

Current Class Activities & Assignments for APE Lit. (Pds. 4, 6, & 7):

Monday, August 29, 2011:  Students turned in their weekend poetry work, reviewed multiple-choice answers in greater detail, and completed STAR Reading assessments.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011:  Students began their study of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, reading and taking notes over the Introduction and Chapter One.  Students are to complete two reflective responses over the reading and turn them in via penzu e-mail, or bring hard copies to turn in at the start of class.  The reflective response prompts are:  

     How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of    patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern.

      List the five aspects of the QUEST (1.. A quester 2. A place to go 3. A stated reason to go there 4. Challenges and trials 5. The real reason to go is never for the stated reason; the quester usually fails at the stated task; The real reason is educational -- always self-knowledge) and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed).

Wednesday, August 31, 2011:  Students entered class and some trouble-shooting work with Penzu had to be completed for all homework assignments to be successfully turned in.  Students then viewed a presentation of SPLOTTS for poetry analysis.  As homework, students are to read and complete SPLOTTS notes (no paragraph writing yet!) for "Richard Cory" (this poem can be found online or on page 1087 of the blue literature anthology).

Thursday, September 1, 2011:  Students turned in their "Richard Cory" notes and then previewed the University of Arkansas Honors College Prestigious Fellowship Application information--specifically, the suggested essay prompts.  Students then read Chapters Two & Three from How to Read Literature Like a Professor, and completed the following reflective responses (due before class begins tomorrow):

 Chapter Two: Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction.  

 Chapter Three: What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed.

Friday, September 2, 2011:  Students turned in their HTRLLAP responses (if completed on paper), then looked over the weekend reading and work assignment.  Students completed multiple-choice practice work, then reviewed their responses with the teacher.  As homework, students are to read pages 757-765 in their Perrine's anthologies (blue literature books), and answer all questions that follow all poems on those pages.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011:  Students entered class, turned in weekend poetry work, and worked on Chapters 4 & 5 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor.  Their responses to the two chapters are due at the start of class tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011:  Students went to the auditorium to listen to a presentation given by the Southside Counseling Department.

Thursday, September 8, 2011:  Students entered class and received a short reading assignment from the blue book (pages 3-22), as well as a handout to practice embedding text and constructing theme statements.  Students were then to re-read two poems and complete the handout for them.  The two poems are "The Convergence of the Twain" (page 778) and "A Study of Reading Habits" (page 740).

Friday, September 9, 2011:  Students entered class, turned in the previous day's work, and completed multiple-choice practice.  With remaining class time, the teacher and students reviewed this week's practice, as well as last week's practice.  There was no homework assignment given for the weekend.

Archived Class Activities and Assignments (All Classes):

Weeks 1 & 2 (August 17-26, 2011)