12th Grade

Hey juniors! Our schedule is a little bit off of where we thought it would be this week, so we’ll be modifying it a touch. Here’s what it looks like in lieu of what else has gone on this week:

Wednesday: Introduce Comic Summaries and begin by drawing 6 panels to summarize the beginning of Act 3. Afterwards we’ll read through page 102 as we prepare to finish Act 3 on Thursday.

Homework: Craft 4 more panels of your Comic Summary derived from our reading in class.

Thursday: We’ll be finishing Act 3 aloud in class, and afterwards you’ll have two things that you need to do for class on Friday. First, complete these Act 3 Study Questions. Second, add 5 more panels to your comic summary for a total of 15. I’ll be stamping it in class on Friday at the same time as I stamp/collect your work for Act 3 (and 2, as it happens… I blanked on collecting that last weekend).

Homework: Finish Act 3 Study Questions, add 5 panels to your Comic Summary.

Friday: We’ll end the week with our 2 quizzes, and I’ll be stamping/collecting/discussing your Act 3 Study Questions. And you’ll have zero weekend homework. Sweet.

Hey s’mores!

Sorry for the later-than-normal post. I found myself grading for much of the weekend and I didn’t have time to get this up. Here’s the skinny on week number 4.

Monday: We’ll be jumping into chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies with a short worksheet designed to get you to start thinking about some of the symbolism in the text.

Homework: Read chapters 6+7 for Tuesday.

Tuesday: We’ll begin the day with our first novel quiz of the year. It will deal primarily with the major events of the novel up through chapter 7. There will be a couple of questions on some basic symbolism as well. Afterwards we’ll be discussing the differences some of the characters and linking them to Golding’s purposes in crafting the novel.

Homework: Read chapter 8 for class on Wednesday.

Wednesday: I’ll be handing you some more vocabulary to start the day, then we’ll transition into a short activity about some of the symbolism surrounding some of the boys’ actions. It’s one half writing, then one half talking. We’ll turn it in at the end of the period.

Thursday: We’ll start the day with vocabulary quiz number two. This one will be a little more SAT-ish (check out some practice questions here). It will be on all things vocabulary from the beginning of the book. I’ll also be stamping your vocabulary stuff, but not collecting it (because I never will…). And, finally, we’ll be ending the week with a little bit of time to get some reading done.

Homework: Finish reading chapter 9 for class Monday.

Hey! Here’s the questions for Into The Wild chapters 2-4.

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Here’s a little something I made for you.

10 Things You Should Know from Mark Isakson on Vimeo.

Enjoy.

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Your final week of high school is fairly easy, and simply involves some thoughtful writing on your part. Here’s what it looks like:

Monday + Tuesday: If you haven’t already grabbed it, I’ll be handing you the final essay prompt on Raymond Carver and his work. We’ll be working on it in class on Monday and Tuesday. My expectation is that you’ll turn it in via email or in person no later than 6 PM. This will allow me ample time to finish grading it so that I can sign (or not…) your graduation forms.

Wednesday: Right…. Enjoy your last day of high school.

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Here’s the quick skinny on grades: they’re nearly done, I’m going crazy, and your last day to turn in work is June 14th. Cool? Here’s the week.

Monday: We’ll start off this week by taking a quick look at two more ultra short stories by Raymond Carver. “Mine” and “Little Things” are two versions of the same text which explore a tragic and profound moment in a couple’s relationship. I’m going to be asking you to do a short in-class analysis of the text, so if you were gone, make sure to ask.

Homework: Read “What we talk about when we talk about love”

Tuesday: After we discuss “What we talk about when we talk about love” I’m hoping to give you some time to start in on your homework, which is to read “Cathedral”.

Homework: Read “Cathedral”.

Wednesday: We’ll be working through an assignment to compare “Cathedral” and “What we talk about…” that will specifically focus on what you and a partner think that Carver has to say about the nature of relationships. It is a tricky thing to do, so I’ll be guiding you through it bit by bit.

Thursday: I’m dedicating the entire class period to the reading of our last Carver short story, “Will you please be quiet, please?” This story, in heart wrenching detail and alarming lack of specificity, examines what happens when our relationships are founded on less than truths. We’ll be discussing it, along with one more of Carver’s poems, on Friday.

Friday: In addition to the discussion mentioned above, I’ll be distributing the prompt for the final essay, which will be due next Wednesday.

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I decided to change things up a tad this week and end the week with Carver’s story/poem “Lemonade.” It is a really cool piece that explores Carver’s stance on death, faith, and the effects of dwelling on the past. Due to copyright constraints I can’t post it, but you get the poem in class if you weren’t there. You can find the guidelines for the written response here.

Have a nice prom.

With a mere two weeks left we will be focusing on the work of the literary giant Raymond Carver. He’s a favorite of mine, and we’ll be looking at his short stories, his poetry, and his style.

Here’s your week.

Tuesday: I’ll be introducing Carver and his style of minimalism. We have a fun little writing assignment which will involve a little trip, and I’ll be challenging you to start emulating his style. You can find the assignment here.

Wednesday: We’ll be talking about our experiences with attempting to write in a style resembling minimalism, then launch into the story “The Bath.” I’ll try to give you some time to read it, but we’ll see.

Thursday: After a discussion of Carver’s story “The Bath” we’ll jump into a later version of the story entitled “A Small, Good Thing.” I’ll be asking you to craft a response paper on the two pieces, focusing on Carver’s style, the character development, dreams, and your general impressions of the pieces.

Homework: Craft a one page, typed response to Carver’s two stories.

Friday: After we discuss our responses we’ll be reading two of Carver’s poems together in class, but I’m not entirely sure which the second will be. Stay tuned for a bit more on that front.

Weekend Homework: Read “Vitamins” by Raymond Carver. I’ll be handing out copies in class, so make sure that if you’re going to be absent that you get the story beforehand.

Holy cows… very little time left. I’ll post everything later tonight.

Just so you know, I’ll finish 12th grade grades very soon, but if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email.

This week looks more or less like this:

Monday: We’ll be working on the Hitchcock essay, as well as taking a short look at Alex Herbig’s Powerpoint. It is fantastic. You can find it in the here.

Tuesday + Wednesday: I’ll be giving you two days to work on the Hitchcock essay, and I’ll be providing the readings that I’m asking you to use in your work. You may find yourselves having to review some of the films, the essays, or some other things. My expectation is that you’ll have your outline done on Tuesday and a first draft virtually complete on Wednesday. We’re working on this in class primarily because I’m trying to give you some time to complete your Senior Project Presentations outside of school. You’ll actually be getting credit for completing your outline, and credit for your first draft. I’m making you go through the writing process, whether you want to or not.

And I shouldn’t have to remind you that Thursday is your Senior Project Presentation.

And last, but not least, you’ll need to turn in your Hitchcock essay via turnitin.com by 11:59:59 on Friday.

Bests.

Hey! Here are your instructions for your blog day.

Click the picture for a larger image.