Pre-AP English II: Metamorphosis Socratic Seminar Questions

For this Friday's Socratic Seminar, you need to compile dialectical journal entries that will engage the classroom in discussion.

You (and your group) need to come up with a total of ten dialectical journal entries. Five of the entries should include a quote from Metamorphosis, a brief analysis of the literary device(s) Kafka used, and your interpretation of why Kafka used the literary device in the way he did. The other five entries should not have the interpretation information.

If you did not participate with a group, you need a total of two entries with and two without the interpretation.

Due tomorrow, Thursday, December 1.

Pre-AP English II: Christmas Carol Audio Files

If you would like a copy of A Christmas Carol on audio files, please bring a USB drive to class tomorrow.

For those of you freaking out about having to read the entire book over two weekends. please be aware that the entire audio recording (all five chapters) runs only 2.5 hours. That means just over an hour per weekend.

You can do this!

Please do do this.

All English Classes: Graded Bellringer

The following bellringer will be taken for a grade. Please be sure to write to the appropriate length as well as observe proper conventions of grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

What did you do (classroom-appropriate) over the Thanksgiving break that will have a significant impact on your future?

5-7 sentences (again, classroom-appropriate)

The "significant impact" may be positive or negative. If you cannot think of anything, you may "make it up," but please keep it within the realm of possibility and classroom appropriateness.

Pre-AP English II: Socio-Economic Analysis Presentation

In case you lose your notes or just want to relive the experience....

Pre-AP English II: Free Christmas Carol

If you have the Kindle app on your computer or smart device, you may download a copy of A Christmas Carol from the Amazon store for free. (You must download the book from your computer or web browser on your smart device; the book will by synced to the app the next time you run it.)

My preferred e-reader for iOS devices is Stanza. It has a few features the Kindle app lacks, including the ability to directly download e-books from Project Gutenberg. After you download the app, click "get books" and then choose Project Gutenberg. Christmas Carol and 33,000+ books will be yours for the (free) downloading.

Pre-AP Classes: Assignment Reminders

English I (Pre-AP): Please remember that you should be through Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Monday. You also have the ongoing "Facebook Page" project assignment to be thinking about/working on.

Pre-AP English II: You should be done reading Metamorphosis by Monday. There will be a book check for A Christmas Carol on Wednesday, Nov. 30 (check back tomorrow for information on how to get a free e-book copy). You may turn in a draft of your IWA at any time (remember, the deadline for a successful first draft is Friday, Dec. 9 -- only two weeks away!)

Above all, have a safe final couple days of your break. See you Monday.

Reminder: Tomorrow Is Coupon Day at Half Price Books

Tomorrow, Half Price Books will be offering 40% off one item (or $15 off purchases of $50 or more). Use this opportunity to pick up a novel or play for second semester, or a DVD, CD, video game, etc.

Should anyone one want to be up at 7am and get the free $5 gift card, I'll be waiting in line at the Half Price Books in Richardson (75/Central and Campbell). Let that be an incentive or a warning, as you choose to take it.

Here's a list of all the stores in the Metroplex.

Enjoy!

One Week Warning: Save 40% at Half Price Books

As mentioned in class today, next Friday (aka Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, or just plain November 25th) Half Price Books will be offering 40% off one item (or $15 off purchases of $50 or more). Use this opportunity to pick up a novel or play for second semester, or a DVD, CD, video game, etc.

Here's a list of stores in the Metroplex.

Enjoy!

Pre-AP English II: Norm McDonald Tells the Moth Joke

Want to see it again? Be my guest.

Pre-AP English Classes: Test Preview

Tomorrow, Pre-AP English I and II classes will be taking an AP-style multiple choice test on the texts you are reading. You will need to know the sets of of literary devices we've been working on this semester.

Pre-AP English I
Bring your books tomorrow. You will be tested on Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird and will need to know the following literary devices:

• Alliteration


• Allusion


• Diction


• Hyperbole


• Metaphor


• Onomatopoeia


• Oxymoron


• Paradox


• Personification


• Simile

Pre-AP II
I will provide you with an excerpt of the novel. You will be tested on the following literary devices:

• Alliteration


• Allusion


• Anaphora


• Apostrophe


• Diction


• Foreshadowing


• Flashback


• Hyperbole


• Imagery


• Metaphor


• Metonymy


• Onomatopoeia


• Oxymoron


• Paradox


• Personification


• Simile

you will also need to know the three types of irony

• Verbal


• Dramatic


• Situational

English I (Pre-AP): Mockingbird Vocabulary/Meaningful Sentences #1

Use the vocabulary words above to write meaningful sentences. For slides that have multiple words, you need only write one sentence.

Remember:

• a meaningful sentence is made up of two independent sentences combined with a semicolon (;)


• the first sentence includes a vocabulary word


• the second sentence contains the definition of that vocabulary word


• the first word of the second sentence is not capitalized


• you should underline the vocabulary word and its definition

For instance, if the vocabulary word was:

Mockingbird (n.): any of several gray, black, and white songbirds of the genus Mimus, especially M. polyglottos, of the U.S. and Mexico, noted for their ability to mimic the songs of other birds; the State Bird of Texas.

a meaningful sentence would be:

This morning I heard a mockingbird sing outside my kitchen window; its song was so pretty, I can see why Texas made it its State Bird.

Due Date: Friday, Nov. 18

English I (Pre-AP): TKaM Facebook Project

To complete this project you must create a fake Facebook page for one of the characters of To Kill a Mockingbird. You may use any character except Boo Radley (or any other character for which you cannot come up with five "friends").

Please lay out your page (I will provide 11"x17" paper; you may also use your own paper that size or larger), to include the following:

• A large picture of your character. It can be a hand-drawn picture of a person or a symbol/icon representing that character.


• Background information about that character:
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Where they go/went to school
  • Hobbies/Interest
  • Occupation (if an adult)
  • Etc.
  
  
• At least five Facebook "friends." Each friend needs a picture/symbol/icon representing him/her.


• At least three status updates. Updates can either be based on events in the book or a photo they're sharing of something that exists/happens in the book (for instance a picture of a tree similar to the one in the Radley yard that things are hidden in). Please try to speak in the same voice as the character. It is doubtful that Atticus would post "'sup holmes?"


• You should have likes/comments for your posts. At least one post must have a comment thread with five or more entries. The comments should be accompanied by the picture/symbol/icon for that character.


• If you are making a paper Facebook page, you may add yourself to as a "friend" of your character, but you may not add anyone else outside of the book. If you and a group are going in and creating profiles actually on Facebook, you may not add non-story characters.


• You may add ads, tickers, "you may also know"s, etc., for additional credit.

Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2011.

Pre-AP English II: IWA #3

Use either Metamorphosis or A Christmas Carol to help you write a well-organized essay on the following prompt:

Authors not only create memorable characters and plots to tell their stories, but they also carefully guide their readers’ reactions to those characters and their actions. In a well-developed essay analyze and explore how Kafka or Dickens uses diction and imagery to build narrative tone and consequently evokes specific responses from the reader.

Tips to success:

Focus on only one of the novellas. Focusing on both Metamorphosis and A Christmas Carol will immediately result in a REDO grade (no points). If you want to use A Christmas Carol, you must complete reading it in time to proceed through the IWA process.

Do not simply recount the plot or attributes of the characters. You must specify what tone(s) the narrators use and what reaction(s)—mood(s)—they produce in a hypothetical, typical reader. Extensive lack of focus on diction and imagery will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REWRITE (70 points).

The earlier you turn in a draft that you expect to earn an 85 (only revision is needed) the more likely you are to eventually receive an 85 (your idea of what is revision-only and my idea of what is revision-only may differ) or 100 (because you’ve made the necessary revision, or you refined your essay on your own before you turned it in).

This will be the last time a70-point grade will be given on an IWA. Last year many students who had never bothered to rewrite an essay during the first semester had a very difficult time during the second semester when an 85 was required to avoid P.A. and/or IWA n.1.

This is also the last time IWAs may be turned in handwritten. Please see the note on the bonus in the next paragraph.

Paper should be about two-pages long, handwritten, or one-page long, typed, double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Garamond. Five bonus points will be awarded to properly typed essays.

Daily P.A. for non-/unsuccessful-submitters begins Friday, December 9, 2011

Drop-Dead Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2011.

IWA 3.1 will be assigned on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Pre-AP English II: Metamorphosis Vocabulary Set 1 / Meaningful Sentences

Use the vocabulary words above to write meaningful sentences. For slides that have two words, you need only write one sentence.

Remember:

• a meaningful sentence is made up of two independent sentences combined with a semicolon (;)


• the first sentence includes a vocabulary word


• the second sentence contains the definition of that vocabulary word


• the first word of the second sentence is not capitalized


• you should underline the vocabulary word and its definition

For instance, if the vocabulary word was:

Metamorphosis (n.): a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation.

a meaningful sentence would be:

The caterpillar went through a metamorphosis; when it came out of its chrysalis it had transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

Due Date: Friday, Nov. 18

Pre-AP English II: Franz Kafka Presentation

If you missed any part of today's presentation, or just want to relive the moment, please play through it at your own pace. (First period: There are some new slides for the information I wrote on the board. Enjoy!)

Pre-AP Classes: Weekend Reading Assignment

Please come to class on Monday having read the following:

Pre-AP English II:
Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, Section I

English I (Pre-AP):
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Chapter 1.

Don't forget to use the Half Price Books coupon(s) I mentioned in class.

Pre-AP Classes (and everybody else): Half Price Books Coupons

Half Price Books has a series of coupons available this weekend. Save 30% tonight; 20% Friday and Saturday; and 50% on what's left, come Sunday.

Pre-AP classes: You may not be able to find the book for the next six-weeks in the store, but bring your book list and get something for later in the year. Everybody else: reading is your friend; look it up.

Print your coupons here. (Coupons valid in-store only.)

Here's a list of stores in the Metroplex.

English II (on-level): Jeopardy Study Guide for Haiti Article Test

Your six-weeks' test tomorrow will cover the Haiti article we've been working on. Please use these resources to help you prepare.

• The article, itself. If you've lost your copy, it's also available online.


• Your vocabulary notes; also available online.


• The Jeopardy Game we played in class, available exclusively online.

English I (Pre-AP): Six-Weeks' Exam Essay Prompt

Write a brief essay explaining how the author uses FORESHADOWING to reveal the journey to self discovery in the stories of “The Most Dangerous Game” and The Alchemist.

Use your notes and books in order to provide textual evidence to support your analysis.

“The Most Dangerous Game” may be located in your textbook page 60, your English binders, and online here.

English II (on-level): Vocabulary for Haiti Article

Use the the ten words above to write meaningful sentences.

Remember:

• a meaningful sentence is made up of two independent sentences combined with a semicolon (;)


• the first sentence includes a vocabulary word


• the second sentence contains the definition of that vocabulary word


• the first word of the second sentence is not capitalized


• you should underline the vocabulary word and its definition

For instance, if the vocabulary word was:

Haitian (n.): a resident of or person whose nation of origin is Haiti.

a meaningful sentence would be:

Willie Samson, my next-door neighbor, is a Haitian; I never knew anyone from Haiti until he moved in.

Due Date: Friday, Nov. 11

Pre-AP English II: Timed Writing Preview for 11/11

If you are going to be absent on Friday for the Veterans' Day Parade, please plan on staying tomorrow afternoon (11/10) to take your 6-weeks' timed writing exam. Here's the prompt:

Irony is one of the major literary components of Lord of the Flies. For instance, in the early parts of the novel it is ironic that Piggy is the person the boys should listen to, but Golding has characterized him in such a way that he is the last person the boys will listen to. In a well-developed essay explore and analyze the ironies of the final chapter of the novel and discuss their effect on the novel as a whole.

You will be allowed to use your copy of the text and your dialectical journal to help you write your essay.

Pre-AP English II: Metamorphosis for Free: More Options

If you have not yet acquired a copy of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, here are a couple other ways of obtaining a digital copy free.

1) Scan the QR-Code at left or visit m.gutenberg.org on your mobile device. Enter metamorphosis into the search bar and select the Franz Kafka version. Follow instructions to download and install book for your e-reader app/device.

2) If you have the iBooks app on your Apple device, click the "store" button and search for metamorphosis. The green-covered book is free.

There will be a book check on Friday, November 11. Be prepared.

Pre-AP English II: Sample Dialectical Journal

If you've lost your copy of the sample Dialectical Journal entries we reviewed in class, download another copy.

Pre-AP English II: Lord of the Flies Chapters 5-12 Socratic Seminar Questions

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Remember to support your answers -- even the World Connection questions -- with evidence from the book.



WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
If a freshman came to you looking for help, what would you do? --RM.P. (6th)

If you were convinced that there was a beast, boogeyman, or other intruder in your bedroom/house, what would you do? --M.M. (7th)


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
Why does Jack camouflage his face --J.S. (6th)

Why do the boys kill Simon? --A.S. (7th)


OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
Would the kids have had a better chance of being rescued if they hadn't split into two groups? --L.C. (1st)

Why does Jack hate Piggy and Ralph? --J.S. (1st)

Who is a better leader, Ralph or Jack? --L.F. (1st)


UNIVERSAL THEME / CORE QUESTIONS
What actions should a person take to survive if they find themselves in a situation where they do not belong? --V.M. (6th)

Golding contends that children are NOT the embodiment of innocence that some novels have claimed them to be. Do you agree or disagree, and why? --M.R. (6th)


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Which point of view did Golding choose for the novel, and why was that the right choice? --M.M. (7th)

Where has Golding employed irony in the second half of the story, and what does it accomplish? --Mr. Mikesell

Pre-AP English II: IWA 2.1

If you did not turn in an essay for IWA 2.0, here's your new prompt:

One of the ways of looking at Lord of the Flies involves seeing it as an allegory about the conflict of Good and Evil, particularly as it relates to the Creation and Cain & Abel stories in Genesis. In a well-developed essay, analyze the allegorical connections between Lord of the Flies and The Bible, and discuss their overall effect on the novel.

Tips to success:

• Do not simply recount the plot or attributes of the character.


• You must cite specific evidence from both Lord of the Flies and The Bible.


• If you cannot find links to The Bible online, speak soon to Mr. Mikesell.


• If you do not believe the Biblical account of creation, do not waste time in your paper criticizing it. You do not have to believe The Bible in order to look at it as literature, as we are doing here.


• Extensive lack of focus on allegory will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REWRITE (70 points).

The earlier you turn in a draft that you expect to earn a 70, the sooner you will stop needing to go to Patriot Academy to work on this assignment.

Paper should be about two-pages long, handwritten, or one-page long, typed, double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Garamond.

Daily P.A. for non-submitters begins November 7, 2011

Drop-Dead Deadline: Tuesday, November 22, 2011.

English I (Pre-AP): Thesis/Essay Prompt

Write a thesis paragraph for the following essay prompt.

"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being, thought the boy." Paulo Coelho references "destiny/personal legend" many times in The Alchemist. What role does it play in the novel? Many times Santiago comes close to giving up on his destiny; why doesn't he? What keeps him moving forward toward his destiny? In a well-developed essay examine and analyze the role of "destiny/personal legend" in the novel, and its importance to specific characters.

Remember, the first sentence is what you'll prove (your thesis or "big idea"). Your second sentence briefly states what evidence you'll use to prove your thesis/"big idea." There is no third sentence.

English I (Pre-AP): Poem/Alchemist Paragraph

When you have finished analyzing (TPCASTTing) your poem, write a 5-7 sentence paragraph addressing the following prompt.

How does your song lyric relate to a major theme of The Alchemist (either the Principle of Favorability, The World’s Greatest Lie, or one or more of the Obstacles to achieving your Personal Legend)? Quote both the song and the novel.