Assignments for August 22 - 26, 2011

Monday -
Students will complete the student information page, be informed of the supplies needed for the class, get cards to design for the birthday board, and discuss the expectations for Pre-AP students. Birthday Cards due Tuesday, August 23rd.

Tuesday -
Students will ask any questions regarding Pre-AP course contracts and expectations and begin writing their diagnostic essays. Signed course contracts due by Friday. Assign diagnostic presentation, due Friday.

Wednesday -
Students will complete their diagnostic essays. If time allows, begin reviewing class rules.

Thursday -
Complete class rules review. Assign Dead Word Project (due September 5th) and Scavenger Hunt (due September 9th).

Friday -
Begin diagnostic presentations. All course contracts due by today.

Welcome to a New Year!!!!!

Greetings from your Pre-AP/TAG teacher! I would like to welcome each of you to Ellison High School and our English I Pre-AP/TAG class for the 2011-2012 school year. We will hit the road running and maintain a steady pace throughout the year. So, get your running shoes on (metaphorically speaking); we are ready to start the race!

You will need some supplies . . .

Successful organization of class materials and notes can boost your academic success. Organization simplifies life for students by helping them keep materials in one, easy-to-find location and allowing them to quickly access needed papers. Thus, this skill will be emphazided through our use of class binders this year. The list of class materials needed can be found below:

• 1 3-ring binder, at least one inch


• White, loose-leaf notebook paper


• #2 pencils (maybe extra erasers)


• 6 tab dividers for your class binder (can be self-made)


• One or more highlighters


• One spiral notebook


• 3 X 3 sticky notes

**Other supplies--such as markers, a ruler, colored pencils, glue, poster boards, etc.--will be necessary for specific projects throughout the year. However, these will not be needed daily in class.

Please note: students will not receive a grade for having these specific items in class. However, I will expect every student to maintain a class binder for English I Pre-AP/TAG class notes and materials. If you are trying to procure these materials but are experiencing difficulty in doing so, please let me know discreetly.

Assignments for May 2 - 6, 2011

No tutoring Monday, May 2nd, before or after school.

No tutoring Thursday after school due to 504 meeting.

Pre-AP English I -

• Independent reading assignments due on Friday, May 6th: Scholarly article with written summary/response and poetry connection and explanation


• Complete reading of Romeo & Juliet, Act III


• Complete study questions for Act III


• If we finish Act III by Thursday, the Acts II and III test will be administered Friday, May 6th. If we finish on Friday, the test will be administered on Monday, May 8th.


• Continue working on the independent reading project.

Dual Credit 1302:

• All students will bring research paper drafts to class on Monday, May 2nd, for peer response and editing sessions.


• "A Doll's House" should be read prior to coming to class on Tuesday, May 3rd.


• Review for drama test Wednesday.


• Drama unit test Thursday.


• The Scarlet Letter completed reading project is due by Friday, May 6th.

Assignments for April 25 - 29, 2011

Students will be taking the TAKS test this week. Freshmen will test Thursday and Friday; juniors will test Wednesday - Friday. The school schedule will change only for Thursday and Friday. Please refer to the EHS main site for more information regarding schedule changes.

My hall duty this week will be on Tuesday morning. I will not be available before school either Monday or Tuesday morning for tutoring.

Pre-AP English I -

• Read and discuss Act II of Romeo & Juliet



• Independent reading style analysis assignment due Monday, April 25th



• View Acts I and II of the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli version of Romeo & Juliet


• Independent reading one-pager due Friday, April 29th

Dual Credit 1302 -

• Students should have scheduled research paper conferences already.



• We will continue working with research papers and annotated bibliographies this week.



• TAKS testing Wednesday - Friday. Do your best!!!

Assignments for April 18 - 22, 2011

No tutoring on Monday, April 18th due to an after-school meeting.

Pre-AP English I -

• Complete Act I readings and study questions


• Test covering Act I


• Begin reading Act II


• Homage to Shakespeare this Friday--Projects due on that date (see assignment page distributed in class)


• Independent style analysis project moved to Monday, April 25th (see examples distributed in class)

Dual Credit 1302 -

• View part I of Oedipus


• The Scarlet Letter critical scholarly article discussion


• All research sources due IN CLASS on Wednesday, April 20th


• Research paper conferences must be scheduled for April 19th - May 2nd (remember, 9th-grade tutoring takes place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons)


• Revise annotated bibliography


• Revise poetry explications

Focu Poems for Dual Credit Poetry Test

"Eagle Poem" (638) "A Work of Artifice" (785) "The Bells" (870)" "The Geese" (957) "A Noiseless Patient Spider" (972) "I Hear America Singing" (1191)

For the Week of April 4 - 8, 2011

I'm sorry the blog is not updated this week. As many of you already know, it was blocked by our district technology office for some reason. I've just discovered that it is now back up and running. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused any of you, but this technical difficulty was beyond my control.

Pre-AP English I-

• 
  
  Students completed the STAAR test on Monday and Tuesday


• 
  
  Review of Shakespeare's background information (Renaissance England, Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet, Elizabethan theater)


• 
  
  First summative exam administered on Friday, April 8th


• 
  
  Reminder: Shakespeare's birthday project, April 22nd


• 
  
  Independent reading stylistic analysis due April 22nd

Dual Credit 1302

• 
  
  Students worked on and presented poetry explication lessons in class


• 
  
  Annotated bibliographies due Friday, April 8th


• 
  
  Reminder: The Scarlet Letter article discussions are on April 18th


• 
  
  Research Paper Draft Conferences: April 18th - May 2nd


• 
  
  Final Research Paper: May 13th


• 
  
  The Scarlet Letter project: May 7th