Friday, September 10, 2010

Congratulations on completing the second week! And there are now only 274 calendar days until graduation (for those of you who might be counting).

Period 1: We saw some interesting presentations today and I think the presenters did a good job of making connections to both our text, other presentations, and the world we live in. I've added Tyler & Mike's presentation to the Ning, and please post your digital portions as well.
I encourage you to continue to think about the importance and relevance of history in today's world and also challenge you to consider how it relates to you.

Period 2: Congratulations on completing your first major test in Senior English. As you begin Doctor Faustus keep in mind the notes and learning you did on Greek tragedy as they will assist you in understanding the format of the play, as well as determining if Faustus is a tragic hero. Check out this link which provides some helpful background information as you begin your reading exploration. Don't forget your personal narrative draft for Monday!

Period 4/5: Our discussion on school days, the WHS Mission Statement and I am the Messenger will continue next week. See what connections you can make and also think about your role in achieving the goals stated in our school Mission Statement. Don't forget to keep working on your War Memorial Project (phase 1).

Have a great weekend, keep reading & writing.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Okay, I think this year I will do a revised blog - weekly posting rather than daily - especially as we go live with the Ning!

This week: REMEMBER IT IS HOMECOMING & FALL FROLIC ON WEDNESDAY!

Period 1:

Finish Faustus
Hero's Journey
Tragic Hero
Begin Hamlet



Period 2:

1984 Presentations
Continue studying and exploring 1984



Period 6:

Finish All Quiet on the Western Front
Begin Sunrise over Fallujah
Work on war memorial projects



Thought for the week...

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery." H.G. Wells

Monday, April 27, 2009

Welcome back!

Period 1:
Introduction to Hamlet
Major themes: Fate, Revenge, Ambition, Guilt, Anger

Period 2:
Introduction to Hamlet
Shakespeare High
Review tragic hero, dramatic set-up

Period 3:
Our Town work

Period 5:
Drawing of the groups
Writing Prompt: Describe happiness
"Good" Feedback
Share/Respond
Work on Portfolio

Thought for the day...
"What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books."
— Thomas Carlyle

Friday, April 17, 2009

The last day before spring break...

Period 1:
Vocabulary quiz
Persepolis test

Period 2:
Vocabulary quiz
Finish Doctor Faustus
What are the themes?
Beginning analytical essay

Period 3:
Our Town: Finish the script

Period 5:
Publish or Perish
Portfolio work
Teacher conferences

Thought for the day...
The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him.
— Rachel Carson

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Period 1:
Present current events
Persepolis reading quiz
Sharing of images
Review Persepolis worksheet

Period 2:
Present current events
Reviewing Doctor Faustus
Reading Act 4

Period 3:
Turn in Anticipation Papers for Part 1 of Independent Film Project
Our Town work

Period 5:
Writing Prompt: Crash
Share/Respond
Teacher Conferences

Thought for the day...
Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius.
— An Wang

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

It's tax day...

Period 1:
Review vocabulary
Persepolis quiz & review
Review Iran history, Islam information & veiling

Period 2:
Review vocabulary
Review Doctor Faustus Act 2...
What's up with your character?
Reading Act 3

Period 3:
Our Town work - script review & revision
Costumes, props, locations, etc.

Period 5:
Writing prompt: "Once upon a time..."
Share/Respond
Teacher conferences
Work on personal writing

Thought for the day...
"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." — Albert Camus

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Period 1:
Reviewing Persepolis - Understanding how to read subtext in a graphic novel
Reviewing Iran worksheet responses
Planning Independent Reading Book

Period 2:
Discuss/review Doctor Faustus Act 1, Begin Act 2
Select character to study...
What themes have been introduced so far?

Period 3:
Our Town work
Independent Film Part 1 check in
Explain Part 3, hand out samples

Period 5:
Writing prompt: "It was the worst vacation ever..."
Share/Respond
Sign up for teacher conferences
Work on personal writing

Thought for the day...
Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.
— Frank Herbert

Friday, April 10, 2009

There are 65 calendar days left for seniors... Wow!

Period 1:
Vocabulary quiz
Present current events
Persepolis reading quiz
Work on Iran research

Period 2:
Vocabulary quiz
Present current events
Discuss/review Doctor Faustus
Begin reading Act 1

Period 3:
Our Town auditions continue!!

Period 5:
Publish or Perish
Peer Workshop
Schedule writing conference with me!

Thought for the day...
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert H. Schuller

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Today I am learning new ways to bring technology into the classroom, which means that you have a fabulous substitute: Mrs. Williams!

Here's the plan for the day...

Period 1:
Review vocabulary
Hamlet's famous lines activity
Independent reading

Period 2:
Review vocabulary
1984 Quiz on ch. 6-7
Orwell activities

Period 6: (shortened due to advisory)
Review vocabulary
Doctor Faustus' obituary
Independent reading

Thought for the day...
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten." - B.F. Skinner

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Period 1:
Persepolis Test
Independent Reading Project

Period 2:
Reading Quiz Ch. 1-5
Finish debriefing Apple commercial
Discussion on censorship, history, etc.
Work on Community Project

A brief intro regarding 1984...


Introducing Winston Smith, INGSOC, Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia. Discovery Channel School. 2001.
Discovery Education. 2 December 2008


And for Catch-22 readers... a short video clip about Yossarian


The Madness of Countries: The Impact and Message of "Catch-22". Discovery Channel School. 1997.
Discovery Education. 2 December 2008


Period 6:
Discuss/Review Faustus Act 4
After 24 years...was it worth it?
Read Act 5
Independent Reading Project

Thought for the day...

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men. - Goethe

Monday, December 1, 2008

Can you believe it's already December???? Where did the time go?

Period 1:
Review Persepolis
Intro to Hamlet
Intro to independent reading project

Period 2:
Discuss/review 1984
Looking at Apple's 1984 commercial

and responding to it...click here
Final phase of community/Frost project

Period 6:
Discuss & explore Doctor Faustus
Start thinking about independent reading project

Thought for the day...
Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.
- Tallulah Bankhead

Thanksgiving Break 2008

Oops, I neglected to post what we did on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, we did a variety of activities...

Period 1:
Discussed graphics in Persepolis
Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge

Period 2:
Setting the stage for 1984...
Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge

Period 6:
Discussed Doctor Faustus
Free Rice Vocabulary Challenge
Another kindness presentation...
Popularity and Kindness:



I hope you all had a fantastic, productive break. We have a busy week planned....

Thought for the day...
"The sun is new each day."
Heraclitus

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

All classes will have Stacy Dumont of Hesser College as a guest speaker. Ms. Dumont will be presenting information about college, why college should be considered by EVERY student, the importance of establishing and maintaining good credit, and cultural and geographic awareness.

Period 1:
Brief discussion of Persepolis graphics
College presentation

Period 2:
Brief discussion of Chapter 24 in The Kite Runner
A brief video about the Taliban:

When the Taliban Ruled Afghanistan. Discovery Channel School. 2004.
Discovery Education. 2 December 2008


Community Art project check-in
College presentation

Period 6:
Brief discussion of Doctor Faustus/Share the Seven Deadly Sins
College presentation

Thought for the day....
Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them.
Richard Bach

Monday, November 24, 2008

Period 1:
Finish Persepolis Worksheet
Discuss graphics & review story
Understanding the culture

Period 2:
Finish Frost Place poet presentations
Discuss Kite Runner
Work on place art

Period 6:
Final Kindness Presentation
Kindness in the World...


Bullying...



Relationships without boundaries...



Video games and violence



Violence in the World



Discuss/read Doctor Faustus
Depicting the Seven Deadly Sins
Lesson with Ms. LaBella

Thought for the day...
Ernest Hemingway - "Never mistake motion for action."

Friday, November 21, 2008

Period 1:
Vocabulary 13 quiz
Discussed Iranian history and Islam

Period 2:
Vocabulary 13 quiz
Quick discussion on The Kite Runner
Presented Frost Place poets

Period 6:
Vocabulary quiz
Share Faustus' contract
Continue reading Dr. Faustus

Thought for the day...
Stretching out to catch stars, he forgets the flowers at his feet.
— Jeremy Bentham

Thursday, November 20, 2008

There is a Financial Aid meeting tonight in the Library!!! It is recommended that ALL seniors attend.

Period 1:
Presented current events
Discussed memoir vs. autobiography
Discussed Persepolis and graphics
Worked on Persepolis background worksheet
Wondering what Persepolis is? Check out the below video...


Period 2:
Presented current events
Discussed The Kite Runner and importance of blood relationships
Worked on poet project
What is Kite Running?


Period 6:
Present current events
The last kindness presentation
Working with Faustus

Thought for the day...
By words the mind is winged.
— Aristophanes

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Period 1:
How to read a graphic novel & take notes on graphics
Reviewed vocabulary
Worked on Persepolis worksheet

Period 2:
Reviewed vocabulary
Discussed passages from The Kite Runner
Researched Frost Place poets

Period 6:
Finish Kindness Presentations
Work on Doctor Faustus

Thought for the day...
Whoever you are, there is some younger person who thinks you are perfect. There is some work that will never be done if you don't do it. There is someone who would miss you if you were gone. There is a place that you alone can fill.
— Jacob M. Braude

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Period 1:
A Step from Heaven test

Period 2:
The Kite Runner quiz & review
Discuss Frost Place poet assignment
Defining a community

Period 6:
Kindness Presentations
Discussing/Acting Doctor Faustus

Thought for the day...
Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.
— Henry Ward Beecher

Monday, November 17, 2008

As some of you already know, Mrs. Williams is your substitute today. I did not plan to be out today, so please be patient and on task for her.

Period 1:
Read: "Epilogue: Hands" and hands activity
Review for test tomorrow

Period 2:
Work on Frost Poet research

Period 6:
Read Doctor Faustus scenes 1 & 2
Graphic vocabulary words

Thought for the day...
If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.
— Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe