English 11--Fall 2010 (3A)

13 April 2011--We finished chapter one of The Great Gatsby.  The students then looked at the subject/verb/direct object/object compliment sentence pattern before beginning chapter two. 

12 April 2011--We began today with a review of the vocabulary the students did yesterday.  We then began reading chapter one of The Great Gatsby.  The students have a study guide to help them follow the book.  We are reading and filling out the guide during class. 

11 April 2011--I hope everyone had a good spring break!  We went back to the library today because there were still some groups that were not finished with their 1920's projects, but they did finish today.  The class also did vocabulary for chapters 1 & 2 of The Great Gatsby, which we will begin reading tomorrow. 

1 April 2011--Happy Friday!  The students returned to the computer lab again today to finish up their research projects for the 1920s.  These were due today. 

31 March 2011--We began today with another review of sentence patterns--the subject/verb/indirect object/direct object pattern.  The students then returned to the computer lab and continued to work on their research projects. 

30 March 2011--We reviewed another form of sentence patterns today. This time we reviewed the subject/verb/direct object sentence pattern.  The students then went to the lab and continued working on their 1920s research projects. 

29 March 2011--We started with a review of the simplest form of sentence patterns--the subject/verb sentence pattern. The students then went to the computer lab and worked on their research projects for the 1920s. 

28 March 2011--Journals were due today, so the students were given time to write in them.  We also continued working on the 1920s research that we started last week. 

25 March 2011--Today the students finished watching "Homecoming," which they began on Wednesday while I was out, and continued yesterday while I took Beta students on a trip. 

22 March 2011--Today the students began a new unit.  We will be reading The Great Gatsby and today the students got into groups and began researching the 1920s, which is the time period the book is set in.   

21 March 2011--Welcome back to another week!  Today the students finished watching, "A Raisin in the Sun" and then wrote a short critique about the movie.  They then worked on journals because journals are due on Friday. 

16 March 2011--We continued to watch "A Raisin in the Sun" today, and we are almost finished! 

15 March 2011--Today was the ACT test, so all juniors were taking the test this morning.  I am very proud of our students, I think they did well!

14 March 2011--Tomorrow is the ACT, so today we looked at some practice questions in the English and Reading sections of the test.  We also discussed strategies for taking the test and other ways they can prepare, as well as looked up the ACT requirements for different colleges in the area. 

10 March 2011--We started today with another ACT prep over finding inferences in a passage.  The students then continued to watch, "A Raisin in the Sun." 

9 March 2011--Today we began with another review of quotations.  The students then worked more on finding the main idea in a passage.  We finished class by beginning to watch the play, "A Raisin in the Sun." 

8 March 2011--We began today with a review of using punctuation with quotation marks.  The students then worked on finding main idea in a passage. 

7 March 2011--Today we started with a journal entry for those students who did not have time to do it on Friday.  They also were given a chance to correct their mistakes on the test for half-credit, if they didn't pass.  We finished up class with the students working on an exercise to find main ideas in a passage. 

4 March 2011--We finally took the test for the Modern/Contemporary Unit.  The students then did a journal entry. 

3 March 2011--Today was a little different because there were many kids out with ACT, so we didn't do much.  The test has been pushed back to tomorrow. 

2 March 2011--We reviewed punctuation with end marks and with abbreviations.  The students also played a review game for the test, which is tomorrow. (Honestly, it really is!) 

1 March 2011--Today, Mrs. Rose was back in class and we finished up filling out the ACT information that we needed to get done for the test. 

28 February 2011--Hello Monday!  Today, Mrs. Rose, a guidance counselor here at the school, came in and the students began filling out some information for the ACT, which they will be taking on March 15th. 

25 February 2011--Happy Friday!  The students started class with a journal.  The students then worked on an On-Demand prompt about free money given to seniors upon graduating for their futures.  Their task was to write an editorial or a letter to persuade readers to approve or disapprove of this plan. 

24 February 2011--We started today with another review of semicolons--this time it was a quiz to see if the students understood the material.  They then finished the test review. 

23 February 2011--Class today was a lot like yesterday.  We started class with another review of semicolons because I was not satisfied with the work they did yesterday.  Today was a lot better!  The students then continued to work on their review for the test, which is being pushed back to Friday. 

22 February 2011--Today began with an review of using semicolons.  The students then began working on a test review for the Modern/Contemporary Periods which will be on Thursday. 

21 February 2011--Welcome to another week at BCHS!  Today the students took notes over Truman Capote and read his short non-fiction story, "A Ride Through Spain."  The students then continued to work on the On-Demand prompt from Friday. 

18 February 2011-- Today started with a journal entry.  The students then worked on an On-Demand prompt. 

17 February 2011--The students started today with a quiz over capitalization.  They then took a quiz over the poem we read yesterday, "Mirror."  After that they read another poem, "The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden. 

16 February 2011--We started today with a review of capitalization. The students then worked on vocabulary for the Contemporary period and we read a poem by Sylvia Plath called "Mirror" and discussed speaker. 

15 February 2011--Today the students reviewed using commas with introductory phrases.  We then finished the introduction for the Contemporary Period. 

14 February 2011--Happy Valentine's Day!  We started today with a journal entry, since we were not here last Friday.  We then began working on the introduction to the Contemporary Period, the next unit we will be working on for this class. 

4 February 2011--Happy Friday!  We made it a whole week!  Today we discussed blank verse and style before practicing some more with On Demand writing.  The students were given a topic and we outlined it as a class.  The students then got into groups of two if they liked and began writing a letter using the outline. 

3 February 2011--Counselors came in today to talk to the students about signing up for classes for next year.  The students were given a paper to fill out, have parents sign and bring back tomorrow. 

2 February 2011--Today we reviewed using commas with nonessential phrases.  We then read a poem by Robert Frost called, "Birches" and a poem by e.e. cummings called, "anyone lived in a pretty how town." 

1 February 2011--Yesterday, I was out at an ACT workshop so the students watched a video.  Today, we read another short story from the modern period, "A Rose for Emily." 

28 January 2011--We started today with another journal entry.  The students then took a quiz over "Soldier's Home."  We finished the class by the students working on an On-Demand prompt. 

25 January 2011--Today we reviewed using commas in a series and with conjunctions before reading the short story, "Soldier's Home" by Ernest Hemingway. 

24 January 2011--We began today with a journal entry since we missed Friday.  We then finished reading the short story, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall."  Then the students took notes over Ernest Hemingway. 

19 January 2011--Class began today with a review of some basic uses of the comma.  The students then reviewed the term stream of consciousness and we began reading the short story, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall." 

18 January 2011--Today the students finished the introduction to the Modern period.  They then worked on vocabulary for the period and we finished class by discussing the first literary term we are covering, stream of consciousness. 

14 January 2011--Welcome back to a new semester!  We began the Modern period of American Literature today.  The students began class with a journal entry and then we began reading the introduction to this time period. 

9 December 2010--Today we worked on some personal pre-writing.  The students drew maps of their favorite places and had to explain some of the memories from those places.  The students may use these later to write a personal piece.

8 December 2010--We spent today going over the test from yesterday and students were given the opportunity to correct their mistakes for half credit. 

7 December 2010--Today we took the Realism unit test. 

6 December 2010--We continued to work on the test reviews for the Realism unit test, which will be tomorrow. 

3 December 2010--Today the students started with a journal.  They then worked on and most finished the test reviews for the Realism unit test, which will be next week. 

2 December 2010--This week began with some more Realism. On Monday the students took quizzes over the stories that we have read so far like, "A Wagner Matinee," "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."  On Tuesday the students read, "The Story of an Hour" and discussed irony.  Yesterday they went to the computer lab and worked on their ILPs.  Today the students read the poem, "War is Kind" and discussed irony again.  The students finished class by beginning to work on test reviews. 

22 November 2010--We began this Monday with a journal entry.  The students then took notes over Willa Cather and began reading her short story, "A Wagner Matinee." 

17 November 2010--Yesterday, Sgt. Vincent with the National Guard came in to give and discuss the students' ASVAB scores.  He also had them do a career interest inventory and discussed the results with them.  Today, the students continued to watch, "Huck Finn." 

15 November 2010--Today the students finished the short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain that we began reading on Friday.  They also discussed comic devices used in literature and we began watching "Huck Finn," Twain's most famous work. 

9 November 2010--Today the students finished the introduction to Realism.  They then began the vocabulary for this unit. 

8 November 2010--Today we began a new unit over Realism.  After the students wrote in their journals, we started the introduction to this new unit. 

27 October 2010--Today the students who turned in their rough drafts yesterday met with me and talked about how they could improve their speeches.  Those who didn't turn in a rough draft yesterday, worked on them so more today. 

26 October 2010--Today the students were supposed to turn in the rough drafts of their speeches. 

20 October 2010--The students continued to do the research for the speeches.  The objective for today was to turn in another resource. 

19 October 2010--Today the students continued to do research over the subject of the speeches they are writing.  The objective for the day was to turn in one resource.  Most everyone was able to do that. 

18 October 2010--I am very sorry that I am just now updating this site.  Last week was very busy and the students have been working hard.  Since returning from Fall Break, the students have begun a new unit on speeches.  Last week the students outlined both an informative speech and a persuasive speech.  The students compared and contrasted the two different types and found subjects that would fit both forms.  Although the students outlined both types, they only had to pick one to take through the entire writing process and that's what we did today--the students picked whether they wanted to write a persuasive or an informative speech.  They also began doing research over their subject for their speech.  We will continue to work on this tomorrow and for the rest of the week. 

30 September 2010--Today the students took a quiz over the story we finished yesterday, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment."  They then continued to work on their test review for the Romantic Period.  The test will be tomorrow. 

29 September 2010--Today we finished reading, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment."  The students then started working on the test review for the Romantic Period. 

28 September 2010--Today the class started with two quizzes--"The Minister's Black Veil" and "Thanatopsis."  The students then continued reading the short story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." 

27 September 2010--This wonderful Monday began with a journal entry.  The students will write another one on Friday and they will be turning them in then.  The students then read a short poem by Edgar Allen Poe called "To Helen" and we discussed allusion and how the poem alludes to Helen of Troy.  The students then read a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne called, "The Minister's Black Veil" and we began another Hawthorne story called, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." 

24 September 2010--Today started with a journal entry.  The students then finished watching, "The Black Cat," which they began yesterday.  We finished class by taking notes over Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

21 September 2010--We started today with a review of past participle verbs.  The students then continued to read "The Fall of the House of Usher," but there were given their choice of reading it on their own and answering questions, or reading it aloud with me. 

20 September 2010--Today began with a bit more of "The Fall of the House of Usher."  The students then continued to watch, "Murders at the Rue Morgue." 

14 September 2010--Tuesday started with a review of subject verbs agreement.  The students then began reading another Poe short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher."  We ended class with the students working more on their symbols. 

13 September 2010--This Monday began with a quiz for the students of the short story that I read to them on Friday, "The Pit and the Pendulum.  We then discussed symbol and the students got into groups to work on an illustration of a symbol of their choice. 

9 September 2010--Today began with a review of regular and irregular verbs.  The students then finished their plot maps for "The Devil and Tom Walker." 

8 September 2010--We started today with a sample ACT question from the reading section of the test.  The students practiced skimming for key words to answer the question instead of reading the entire passage.  After that the students took a quiz over the story we read yester, "The Devil and Tom Walker."  After the quiz we discussed the elements of plot and to end class the students got into groups and mapped out "The Devil and Tom Walker" using the elements of plot. 

7 September 2010--Today the students continued and finished reading the short story, "The Devil and Tom Walker." 

3 September 2010--This lovely Friday began with a journal entry.  The students then reviewed the vocabulary words for the Romantic Period before taking notes over Washington Irving.  We then began reading his short story, "The Devil and Tom Walker." 

2 September 2010--We began today by finishing the introduction to the Romantic Period.  The students were then given the vocabulary for the Romantic Period, which they finished in class and turned in. 

1 September 2010--Today the students were given another chance to write their On-Demand speech from the prompt they were given last week. 

31 August 2010--Today the students began the introduction to the Romantic Period, the next unit we will be studying. 

30 August 2010--Happy Monday everyone!  Today the students were given back their Colonial and Revolutionary Unit test, which they took on Friday.  Those students who did not pass were given the opportunity to correct their mistakes for half credit until they brought their grade up to passing.  The students also wrote in their journal and some began working on the introduction to the Romantic Period, which is the next unit we will be covering. 

26 August 2010--Today we continued to work on the review for the Colonial and Revolutionary Test which is tomorrow.  The students were also given an On-Demand prompt to write a speech.  Those were due at the end of class today. 

25 August 2010--We began today with a sample English ACT question.  The students then continued to work on their test review over the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods.  We will be having this test on Friday. 

24 August 2010-- Today started with the students discussing personification and how it applies to the poem we read yesterday, "To His Excellency, General Washington."  The students then began working on a test review for our unit test over the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods.

23 August 2010--Monday began with the students finishing "The Declaration of Independence" and discussing parallelism.  The students then took notes over Phillis Wheatley and listened to her poem, "To His Excellency, General Washington." 

20 August 2010--We started today with a journal entry.  The students then worked on some grammar by reviewing subject/verb agreement.  We finished class by beginning to read The Declaration of Independence. 

19 August 2010--Today Mrs. Rose came in and discussed different things that will be coming up in the next couple of months like the ASVAB and the ACT.  We then took notes over Thomas Jefferson because we will be reading The Declaration of Independence tomorrow. 

18 August 2010-- We finished and reviewed the Revolutionary Period vocabulary today.  The students also took notes over Benjamin Franklin and looked at aphorisms from "Poor Richard's Almanack." 

17 August 2010--Today we finished the introduction to the Revolutionary Period.  The students then worked on vocabulary for the Revolutionary Period. 

16 August 2010--Since we finished the Colonial period on Friday, we began the Revolutionary Period today.  The students worked on an introduction to the period. 

13 August 2010--Today began with a quiz over the Anne Bradstreet poems and the Edward Taylor poems.  The students then wrote a journal entry and decorated their journals. 

12 August 2010--We started class today with a grammar review of verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, and interjections.  The students then read another poem by Anne Bradstreet called "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and discussed lyric poetry.  The students were then introduced to Edward Taylor, another Puritan poet, and read his poem "Huswifery" and discussed figurative language. 

10 August 2010--We began today with continuing the introduction to the Colonial Period, which we finished in class.  The students were then given the vocabulary for the Colonial Period and we reviewed those in class.  We finished with grammar, which we will continue tomorrow. 

9 August 2010--Today we began our first unit of study in this class, which is the Colonial Period of literature.  We began working on an introduction to that time period. 

5 August 2010-- Welcome back to another great year and great semester.  I am really looking forward to working with everyone throughout the year, which is going to be a little different than last year.  There are two classes of English 11, but they will be doing things differently from one another because they are on two different tracks.  4th block will be through December, and class 3A will be all year long.  I will try not to confuse anyone with the updates.  Today both classes reviewed the syllabus.  Parents, please take a moment to go over the syllabus with your child, especially the cell phone policy.  Thanks!