English 11 Noodleblog

Take your two pieces and insert them in the first and last columns of the modified T-chart below.  Then find details from each story to compare that share an element of the American Dream, whether it is overt or tacit.  In the Category column, indicated how they are related.  In the Similar/Different column, put a S or a D to indicate if they are similar or different.  Find at least 5 details, though the more the better.  You won’t use all of them in your paper, but if you have enough where you can start to see patterns, it will help you find a good direction for your paper and you will have quality details to use as evidence.

I will be checking this off and you will get points for this.

For tomorrow’s class, you should have your purpose for writing this comparison essay written down on a piece of paper.  Yes, your purpose may be to get a grade, but it should also be more than that.  Some examples from class were:

• to examine the American Dream both then and now and to critique how we interact with it now.
• to look at the differences in what parts of the American Dream are emphasized and advocate for embracing more/less of the American Dream.
• to understand the ways our concept of the American Dream as evolved/devolved and to convey that understanding to the reader.
• to answer the question: What are our underlying assumptions concerning the American Dream in the late 20th and early 21st century?
• etc.

Starting TODAY, the FHS open computer lab and tutoring services will be up and running.  The days and times are listed below but we will also be publishing a flyer that can hang in classrooms (mine is by the clock for you clock watchers).  In addition to an adult supervisor, the tutoring times will be staffed with students who are strong in the math and English areas.  Please use these programs to your advantage.

Monday – Open Lab

• Room 407 (Study Hall)
• 2:30-4:00

Tuesday – Tutoring

• Room 801 (Art room)
• 2:40-4:40

Wednesday – Tutoring and Open Lab

• Room 407 (Study Hall)
• 2:30-4:00

Thursday – Tutoring

• Room 801 (Art room)
• 2:40-4:40

Your homework for this weekend is to browse through the short pieces we’ve read thus far and pick two that you’d like to use to write your comparative essay (and here’s the rubric too if you lost yours).

• The Declaration of Independence
• Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention
• Young Goodman Brown
• What Robots We’ve Become (same article, different title)
• Why Don’t We Complain?

Please have these chosen by Monday.  We will begin work on our papers in class and you will quickly fall behind if you haven’t thought about this and picked your texts.

Remember that the old pieces will not necessarily be harder and the new articles will not necessarily be easier given the prompt.  So pick the two you feel you have the best chance to write a good comparative paper using.

Have a good weekend!

For tomorrow, write an argument in the break-up letter style we examined in the Declaration of Independence.  It can be between a boy and a girl, you and a school, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, whatever.  The topic is only limited to your imagination.  I’m interested in your ability to craft an argument based on the outline we developed from the Declaration of Independence — that’s the skill we’re working on.  If you misplaced your assignment sheet, here it is.

If you wish, you may read your letter to the class tomorrow.  The one the class votes to be the best (funniest, most entertaining, most amusing, most moving, whatever) will get 5 extra credit points on this assignment.

Hopefully we’ll have an amusing class tomorrow (after the VOCABULARY TEST) listening to your letters and voting on the “best” one.

Happy writing!

For those of you who would like to finish the reading we began in class today individually before we finish reading it as a group, here is the link: http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm

Remember that tomorrow we have our first vocabulary quiz (the first one is in an easy format, multiple choice, though that will change starting test number two.

Also remember that you cultural eye posters and presentations are due tomorrow.  Please attach your rubric to the back of your poster.

image credit

Here is Week 1 of the vocabulary in case you lost your sheet or were absent.

The questions on “Why Don’t We Complain?” that you’ll work on while the sub is here are due on Thursday when you get to class.   If you start off in a groups and finish say 1-5, then write all your names on that sheet and then staple your individual sheets with your individual names on them all together and turn the whole thing in.

Let me know how things go with the sub.  I’ve never used this sub before, but I’m always looking for good ones.

PS Don’t forget that your Cultural Eye Posters are due Friday!

If you did not finish the textbook analysis in class, it is due on Tuesday.

Next week we will reintroduce ourselves to DGP, start the SAT vocabulary, and get away from textbook analysis and into looking at some of America’s founding documents.  We’ll use those to explore non-fiction reading and analysis and all that will flow into a paper on the American Dream.

Have a great weekend!

Welcome to English 11!  Your homework for tonight is to complete a letter to me that relates the following:

• Who are you?  What are you into?  (This could include family, hobbies, dreams, etc.)
• What are your expectations for this class?  What do you want out of it?
• What are your goals for reading/writing/speaking for this year?  How can I help you achieve them?
• What do you know about how you learn that might help me help you?

Due September 3 at the beginning of the period.

Reminder: Please bring a textbook from another subject to class.