English I (Pre-AP): Character Builders

In class, we started working on a couple characters you might use and re-use in your EOC Exam stories. If you need to re-do your (or want to create more), complete the following information:

• Your character's name:


• Three things that make your character happy


• Three things that make your character sad


• The thing that most annoys your character


• The thing that your character most wants out of life (biggest goal):


• Two obstacles blocking your character from reaching that goal


• The name of the person your character fought with in third grade:

Repeat with the name of the person your character fought with, but replace the final detail with the reason the two fought.

All English II Classes: TAKS "Essay"

Your prompt is:

Write an essay a story describing the importance of taking responsibility for yourself and what you learned as a result of the experience.

You should come to class Wednesday, February 29, with the first four steps of the 8-Step Writing Process completed.

Pre-AP English II: IWA #4.1

Write a well-organized essay on the following prompt:

Darkness and light have long been used to symbolize ignorance and knowledge, sin and redemption, evil and good. In a well-organized essay, analyze Rand’s use of darkness and light in Anthem, and discuss the way these symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the novella.

Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REVISE (85 points). Look at imagery representing light and darkness, and how the author’s use of those images contributes to the reader’s understanding of Rand’s underlying message (theme).

Remember that only REVISE and ACCEPTED essays will be taken for a grade, so submit your IWA early, rather than at the last minute to ensure that your essay will count!

*** More than 10 careless spelling mistakes ***
*** will result in a REDO grade ***

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Daily P.A. begins:
     Monday, February 27.

Drop-Dead Deadline:
     Friday, March 9.

Pre-AP English II: IWA #4 24-Hour Reprieve

Because of the SNAFU this afternoon with Patriot Academy, you have a 24-hour window to email me your IWA #4. Unless you have already made arrangements with me by now (Friday, February 24th, 5:01 PM), I must receive your IWA by 5:00 PM on Saturday, February 25th, in order for it to be eligible for credit.

Don't see this message? Bummer. Forget to attach your essay to the email? Ouch. Take a nap at 4:00 PM and don't wake up until 5:00:01? Most unfortunate.

Solutions to common problems:

• No computer? Public library.


• Banned from the public library? Make a friend.


• No one wants to be your friend? Bribe them.


• No one took your bribe? Be prepared for IWA 4.1.

Other than that, enjoy your weekend.

All Classes: Save 40% on One Item at Half Price Books.

Just saw this this morning or I would have let you know sooner. Half Price Books has a "40%-off One Item" coupon on their website. Just join their mailing list (if you've already joined the mailing list, you should have received the same e-mail alert I did).

That means you pay only 30% (or less) on the cover price.

Pre-AP Freshmen: Get your copy of No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet or Ender's Game.
Pre-AP Sophomores: Get your Julius Caesar, Othello, or Fahrenheit 451.
On-level Sophomores and Yearbook Students: Get yourselves something nice, whatever it may be.

Have an excellent weekend. Make wise choices. (No, those two things are not mutually exclusive.)

All Classes: Open-Ended Question Rubric

Please copy the following rubric and add it to your English binder notes.

Open-Ended Question Rubric
Score Point	Correct Response	Embedded Text Support	Awesome Analysis Supported By Text
0	No	No	N/A
1	Yes	No	N/A
1	No	Yes	N/A
2	Yes	Yes	N/A
2	Yes	Yes	Average
3	Yes	Yes	Awesome!
1	Yes	Yes	Unsupported

All it takes to get a Score Point "2" on the open-ended questions is a correct answer and a quote supporting that answer embedded in your own words. Assume your reader has not read the story and cannot make the same connections between answer and text that you can.

Do not repeat your answer in the quote, or vice-versa (e.g. Scrooge's partner Marley was as dead as a doornail. We know this because in the opening chapter the narrator says "Old Marley was as dead as a doornail."). This will only score you a 1. (Shame, shame, I know your name.)

While you can spend considerable time and effort crafting what you hope will earn a 3, it is possible that your reader won't be as impressed with your commentary as you are (knocking you down to a 2, which you could have had with far less time and effort spent), or s/he will find some detail that you thought was supported by text that they don't see that way (knocking you down to a 1 and burying you in shame).

If you're not fatigued after working for a 3 or a 4 on the essay, go back and re-visit your OEQ response(s). (Then again, if you aren't fatigued after the essay, you probably won't be scoring a 3 or a 4 on it. Just sayin'.)

All English Classes: Thwack It!

Need to review today's notes on revising/editing? Please do.

How to Remember Where / Were / We're

When revising/editing your writing, check each instance of Where, Were, or We’re and ask yourself if you're showing location, past tense, or contraction. Each word carries a hint about how it should be used.

Where:

Here shows location.
Where shows location.

Were:

Ere is a poetic preposition meaning before.
Were is the past tense of to be, showing what happened before the present moment.

We’re:

A contraction of we and are.
Think of the apostrophe as a little a.
We’re = We^are = We are.

Presentation on Story Intros

How to remember: There / Their / They’re

When revising/editing your writing, check each instance of There, Their, or They’re and ask yourself if you're showing location, possession, or contraction. Each word carries a hint about how it should be used.

There:

Here shows location.
There shows location.

Their:

An heir possesses an inheritance.
Their shows possession.

They’re:

A contraction of they and are.
Think of the apostrophe as a little a.
They’re = They^are = They are.

English I (Pre-AP): STAAR/EOC Literary Writing Analysis

Remember that you need to explain why the story that was rated a "2" was not rated a "3," and why the story rated a "4" was rated a "4."

Remember to use your rubric.

Pre-AP English II: Anthem Scavenger Hunt

Please find examples of the following literary devices and techniques in Anthem. Be sure to accurately transcribe the text and include a page number.

• Alliteration


• Allusion


• Anaphora


• Hyperbole


• Imagery of:
  • sight
  • smell
  • sound
  • taste
  • touch


• Irony:
  • dramatic irony
  • situational irony


• Metaphor


• Metonymy


• Onomatopoeia


• Personification


• Simile