Vocab for Act III

Please add these words to your English Journal. Define them and write a sentence for each.

• abundant
• befuddle
• effrontery
• immaculate
• qualm
• probity
• callous
• base
• slovenly
• unperturbed

Abigail's Fate?

Good morning,
In a moment we will read more of Act II, but first in your EJ write an entry about the question below.

• What do you think will happen to Abigail Williams at the end of the play? Explain why you think this will happen. (10 minutes)

If you didn't finish the vocabulary entry from yesterday find some time to work on that later today. The Library is open after school and you can come here and use a computer at Advisory (with a pass) or at lunch.

The Crucible Act II

Good morning,
We are back. On Friday you started reading Act II with Ms. Smith and the Sub. Today we will continue with Act II, but first I have a fun little English Class assignment for you.

Below are some vocabulary words from Act II. Copy and paste them into your EJ (That's your English Journal) then look them up on dictionary.com and add the definitions to the words in your EJ. Now here's the fun part. Use each word correctly in a sentence that reflects the meaning of the word. You have 12 minutes. GO!

1. pallor
2. ameliorate
3. indignant
4. daft
5. taint
6. quail
7. inept
8. prodigious (my personal favorite)

Quick Recap

Time for a much belated blog update. (To be fair I tried to update last Thursday and blogger was being buggy.)

We started The Crucible. We were off-line last Tues and Wed as we read Act I. Friday I was home with my very sick son and you read the beginning of Act II with Ms. Smith and the sub.

Friday Update

Well that was a fun week wasn't it. We had the PSAT on Wednesday and the disaster drill on Thursday, but hey, 3 out of 5 days of instruction should amount to something right?

Your essay on Archetypes should be done or you should be scrambling to get it done before I start grading them this weekend. Remember I start at the bottom of my docs list. Right now that's a lot of period three people because period four students worked on their documents today in class too. If you still need to finish yours do it soon.

I have entered a lot but not all assignments into zangle and you should be able to see an approximation of your grade on student connect. Grades are always subject to change and at the beginning of the year one assignment can change your grade a lot

Yep another essay...Get used to it.

Good morning,
Today the blog is the boss of you. Read these directions carefully.

1. Find a partner, anyone you want, but choose wisely, there is a grade coming. (You may work alone if you really want to and I may choose your partner for you if I really want to.)
   
2. Open Google Docs and create a new doc. Share it with your partner and Mrs. R. (one new doc for each partner ship)
3. Name it (period#, initials, initials Comparing Archetypes)
4. With your partner make a list of ways the Left Handed Twin (from "The World On The Turtle's Back") and Old Scratch (The devil in "The Devil and Tom Walker") are the SAME.
5. Then make a list of the ways they are DIFFERENT.

Tip: It might help to insert a table with two columns. Put similarities in one column and differences in the other column.

Friday Update

Good morning,
Good work on Archetypes this week. Next week we will do some analysis comparing the Devil character in "The Devil and Tom Walker" with the left handed twin in "The World on the Turtle's Back" If you haven't read both those texts you need to catch up. They are both in your textbook and on-line.

Today we need to do an assessment essay. I will give you a prompt and you will write a response. This is the type of writing that is similar to the writing on the SAT, and the EAP and the CAHSEE. Other American Lit classes are also writing this assessment this week or next week and the teachers will be sharing your essays with each other. Your score also counts as part of your grade in this class.

The Devil and Tom Walker

Good morning,
Today we have 1-2 presentations to finish in each period. After that we will use our new knowledge of archetypes while reading a classic piece of American Lit.

GRADE PRESENTATIONS HERE

When the presentations are finished we will start The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving. As we read think about how the devil in this story compares to the ideas about good and evil in The World on The Turtle's back. You need two tabs open. One for the story and one for your English Journal.

Open House 2009!

Welcome!

Our class is a little different. Every student uses a computer and most of our work and reading is on-line.
Things you need to know about are:

1. The Blog www.imdoingmyhomework.blogspot.com (You're already here.)
1. The Start Here section
2. Great Links
3. Polls
4. Wish List
5. Gradebook Explained
2. Google Docs You can get an account and have your student share their work with you too.
   
3. The last three weeks

Archetype Presentations

Good morning,
Today groups will present their slides on archetypes. After each presentation you will click the link below to evaluate what you just saw. Your comments will be shared with the group with out your name so please keep that in mind as you write notes to them.

GRADE PRESENTATIONS HERE

Don't Forget Open House Tonight!
(See poll at right)

Friday Update

Boy it's been a busy eventful week in and out of the classroom. I had to spend a lot of time in meetings this week, so I'm sorry the blog hasn't always been up to date.

Yesterday we had a mini-lesson on archetypes and you started working with your group to create a presentation with examples of character and situational archetypes. The real challenge here is more about working in your group on a presentation in Google Docs, but at the same time you will firmly root in your brain the knowledge of various common archetypes and you will know what I mean the next time I ask you to analyze the archetypes in a story. Plus you'll never watch a movie the same way again because now you'll be seeing all the archetypes and the ways film makers play with them.

Looking Ahead:
I saw some very cool looking collaborations happening on your presentations, so I can't wait to see them. Then we have some literature rich in archetypes just waiting for us to explore.