2020 - 2021 students, welcome to English 3!

In case you've stumbled your way onto this class website, welcome! We'll be using Google Classroom this year for your convenience as all of your classes begin online in the fall. Google Classroom codes will be provided on Monday evening in an e-mail and posted for each class on Aeries, after most of the scheduling adjustments are complete. That will be the "home base" for the class, rather than this delightful website.

G'day!

 Since you're here, I may as well introduce myself and the class. I'm Ms. Mogilefsky (also known as Ms. M). I'm excited to work with you this year as we explore a variety of well-known books, short stories, nonfiction articles and essays that are an important part of the conversation about the nature of American life, past and present. I know junior year can be stressful with SATs, ACTs, extracurriculars, and much more. The Covid-19 situation also calls for us to be flexible in the face of uncertainty. We'll take on the challenges one step at a time, and all of the activities we'll work on will help you succeed. I've given it quite a bit of thought, and I know we'll make this year fun and productive. I'm excited to get to know you! 

Now...back to my home office...

FINALS WEEK! June 8 and 9

Thank you
It was truly and honor and a privilege to teach such an interesting group of students. I've learned so much during our time together this year , and I hope you feel that your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are better than they were a year ago.  

As you move forward into senior year and beyond, my advice -- for what it's worth -- is to continue to be fully engaged, keep up with current events, read while SOAPSing, participate in civic life, and travel and have as many adventures and experiences as you can. Also, visit me next year or drop me a line and keep me posted about what's going on in your life.

Here's what this entry will cover: 1. the agenda and final assignment info, 2. summer reading, and 3. a message from the College and Career Center.

MONDAY A-Day/TUESDAY B-Day: Last class session, live on Zoom. Go through the final checklist for college essay drafts: push for details, remove cliches, fix any diction/syntax issues. Introduce free choice summer reading, college and career center updates. Time for me to say "thank you" to all the students, and congratulate you on a wild, but wonderful year!

Due: Students will upload one of the following to Turnitin.com before noon on either Monday, June 8 (for Periods 1 and 2) or Tuesday, June 9, (for Period 6), the last class of the year:

1. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to one Common Application prompt. 
2. Good drafted (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responses to two of the four required UC prompts.

3. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to one Coalition prompt

4. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to a specific prompt not listed above for a university, art school, or vocational tech school. Please include the prompt and a URL at the top of the submission. 
5. One polished, well written job title research paper.

SUMMER READING
Click here for the summer reading information; this year, it's free choice*!

*There's always a catch, isn't there? There are guidelines: 150 pages, at grade level, dialectical journal.


FROM THE COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER
There are a few links of exceptional importance before we break for summer... the first is the YouTube Junior JumpStart presentations that the counselors put together to provide detailed guidance and a timeline of what the junior class could be/should be thinking about and working on this summer to prepare for the likelihood of college applications in the fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URlkSPcKUU8

Class of 2021 Counseling Presentation, Spring 2020 - YouTube Palos Verdes High School, Palos Verdes Estates, California. www.youtube.com

Besides the video presentation, there is the second link to the corresponding powerpoint that follows the video, but has exceptionally good hyperlinks to additional information and resources: https://4.files.edl.io/a76c/05/28/20/164024-f7d4959c-f5c0-407b-86c4-888d182d259b.pdf

I've also included a link to another opportunity for our students/parents to sit in on and participate in panel discussions next week with colleges ranging from West Point, to the Culinary Institute of America! Topics iclude: Engineering Your College Essay: A STEM Perspective on College Essays / Admission to The U.S. Military Academy at West Point 

https://www.marist.edu/hrcc

Hudson River College Cruise - Marist College Marist College is a highly selective comprehensive liberal arts institution noted for its leadership in the use of technology in and out of the classroom. www.marist.edu

Considering the fact that we will not have "business as usual" college visits next year, together with the fact that the vast majority of colleges have gone test optional, there's just a lot of pro-active and individual research our juniors have to begin doing... there's also a lot they need to know about how to approach their applications in the fall.

Which brings me to the last link which is to info/registration for a Common App Crash Course that the CCC will offer on June 16th.  It's a 4hr intensive on June 16th that I would have loved to have done differently, but under the circumstances I believe it will provide some much needed direction, insight and information.  This is the first time the CCC will ask for a donation because of impending budget restraints, but it is a donation and all juniors are welcome.  For juniors, whether at PV or a different high school, please just send  an email to me at lewisja@pvpusd.net with an email address so I can send the Zoom link:

https://pvboosterclub.com/product/class-of-2021-common-app-crash-course/

June 1 - 5

With all of the civil unrest in the country right now, I assuage my own grief and anger by thinking about my experiences with you in the classroom. You are the future, and you give me hope that we'll heal and become stronger and more just than we have in the past.   

The last full week of school

This week, we'll begin typing rough drafts of the college essay or alternate job title paper. We'll be reading successful samples, all different kinds, for inspiration.


Remember, Wednesday, June 3 is the last day to turn in late work for partial credit. 

As of Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m., Aeries is completely updated, including comments and scores in Turnitin.com for all of the final argument essays. If you don't like your score, you may take the feedback and rewrite it before the cutoff on the evening of June 3 and I'll average the scores. 
 
MONDAY B-Day/TUESDAY A-Day: Online, Zoom class. How to avoid writing the same college essay that everyone else writes: be specific. Read actual college essay samples and critique them together as a class. On a volunteer basis, discuss any specific challenges matching essay topics to prompts, or about prompt selection.

Due: Go through the admissions pages of the colleges and universities where you plan to apply, and see which essay prompts they require. Bearing in mind the strategies we discussed in class, choose the prompt(s) you'll write for the final assignment for English class, and begin the process of matching your stories with a specific prompt (or two, if you choose the UC prompts). 

Homework: Do a free write where you completely answer a prompt (or 2, if you're responding to the UC prompts for the final), and just get all of your thoughts down. Don't pay attention to word count, pacing, order, making sense, or any other restrictions, just let it flow. You are writing the crappy version, including any associations and tangents that come to mind in answering the prompt. Once it's all out on paper, we'll work on editing it during the next couple of classes. (If you prefer, you are piling up all of the clay onto the worktable; we will sculpt it into something polished, unique, and interesting once it's all there.)  DO NOT CENSOR OR JUDGE YOURSELF at this point.

Read this really long, but very important and interesting article. There is some adult language included, but the perspective and message are thought-provoking and worth a read about how we make choices about career paths and life decisions.

WEDNESDAY B-Day: Offline, work independently on the activity from Monday.


Due: n/a

Homework: (same as Monday)

THURSDAY A-Day/FRIDAY B-day: Online Zoom class (see sidebar for details). Discuss the article, discuss the very rough draft you have. Look at editing reference sheets. Go over the two most important issues in working with the very rough draft: pacing and specific details/imagery. Make sure the draft is about YOU, not someone else. Go over more sample essays as a class and evaluate them.

Due: Do a free write where you completely answer a prompt and just get all of your thoughts down. Don't pay attention to word count or any other restrictions, just let it flow. We will work on editing during the next couple of classes.

Read this really long, but very important and interesting article. There is some adult language included, but the perspective and message are thought-provoking and worth a read about how we make choices about career paths and life decisions.

Homework: Go through your draft again with the editing sheet. Graph out the pacing, and replace generalities with specific, vivid details on the page. It's coming along nicely, now! Have this still-very-rough draft ready for the last class on Monday, June 8 for 1st and 2nd period, Tuesday of next week, June 9 for our last class session together.

May 25 - 29

On Tuesday/Wednesday, we're beginning the last unit of the year: the college essay. The final assignment (which is the Final with a capital "F") is a good draft of the college essay. If you already have a draft going, consider using the time to write other prompts and get a jump on the summer and fall semester of senior year.

If you don't need a college essay, I have an alternate, short paper you can write about a job title of your choice: the official and unofficial requirements, salary and benefits, and trends in the industry.

NOTE: Last day to turn in make-up work for partial credit: Wednesday, June 3!

TUESDAY B-day/WEDNESDAY A-Day: Online, live Zoom class (see sidebar for class times and codes). Pull up a copy of the Brainstorming Sheet. Answer questions in small group rotations, typing in your own responses, in different arrangements.

Due: Upload the final draft of your argument essay to Turnitin.com by Monday night, May 25 at 11:59 p.m.

Homework: Finish typing the answers in your Brainstorming Sheet. Don't censor yourself of try to write what you think a college would want to hear, just let it flow.

THURSDAY B-Day/FRIDAY A-Day: Online, live Zoom class (see sidebar for class times and codes). Go over UC prompts, Common Application prompts, Coalition prompts, and the alternate assignment. Discuss strategies for selecting prompts, the subtext of your personal stories. Think about your answers on the Brainstorming Sheet and how they might match up with your own unique strengths and personality, as well as any "holes" in your overall application. Read and evaluate the first real college essay sample as a class, and discuss why it was successful. 
 
Due: Finish typing the answers in your Brainstorming Sheet. Don't censor yourself of try to write what you think a college would want to hear, just let it flow.

Homework: Go through the admissions pages of the colleges and universities where you plan to apply, and see which essay prompts they require. Bearing in mind the strategies we discussed in class, choose the prompt(s) you'll write for the final assignment for English class, and begin the process of matching your stories with a specific prompt (or two, if you choose the UC prompts).  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just to be clear, for the final assignment, students will upload one of the following to Turnitin.com before noon on either Monday, June 8 (for Periods 1 and 2) or Tuesday, June 9, (for Period 6), the last class of the year:

1. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to one Common Application prompt. 
2. Good drafted (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responses to two of the four required UC prompts.

3. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to one Coalition prompt

4. A good draft (unique details, close to word count restrictions, proofread) responding to a specific prompt not listed above for a university, art school, or vocational tech school. Please include the prompt and a URL at the top of the submission. 
5. One polished, well written job title research paper.

May 18 - 22 - SCHEDULE CHANGE (see below)

NOTE: There is a schedule change this week, and we'll be live on Monday/Tuesday, with an optional session on Thursday/Friday.

It's the last week before Memorial Day weekend! This week, we'll finish the play A Raisin in the Sun, revise the argument essay draft, and then turn in the final version. 

Also, just a reminder, the last day to turn in late work for partial credit this semester is Wednesday, June 3. I'll take any and all work from the entire semester up through the end of that day.

MONDAY A-Day/TUESDAY B-Day: Online, live class on Zoom. (Please see times and login information on the right-hand sidebar.) Discuss A Raisin in the Sun through the end of Act II. Read the parts for Act III, Scene I (the last scene) on a volunteer basis. If you can't make the session, please read the end of the play with the pdf version by clicking here.

Detailed feedback on argument essay rough drafts will be available in Turnitin.com in the form of comments embedded in your essay before your class time, if you turned it in on time. I'll comment on any later ones as they come in, as quickly as I can. If you want to get a jump on revisions and turn the final draft in early, you are welcome to arrange your schedule that way. (See the Thursday/Friday agenda.)

WEDNESDAY A-day only: Offline, work independently. Please complete the "May 20 - A Raisin in the Sun" Discussion Tab post (instead of Wired Wednesday). Be sure to show that you know the play  in your responses.

THURSDAY B-Day/FRIDAY A-Day: OPTIONAL live Zoom meeting if you want to hear an overview about how to revise the rough draft and/or if you have questions about your individual essay draft. Otherwise, offline, work independently.

Review the essay feedback in Turnitin.com for your individual rough draft. Using the argument essay rubric, check your draft with each category. For the Style category, check your wording with the "Revisions: From Rough to Refined Guide." Make sure the essay has been formatted in MLA style by looking at the OWL Purdue website (a wonderful reference for the overall look, in-text citations and Works Cited formatting).

Due for all classes: Revise and edit your rough draft argument essay.

Due for A-Day Only: Complete the typed, Turnitin.com online journal entry questions for the "May 20 - A Raisin in the Sun" post in the Turnitin.com Discussion area.

Homework: Please look over your essay one last time, then upload the final version of the argument essay to Turnitin.com by Monday night, May 25 at 11:59 p.m. E-mail me with any problems or questions.

I look forward to seeing you next week on Zoom on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Enjoy the three-day holiday!

May 11 - 15

We are well into A Raisin in the Sun! It has been such a pleasure to hear the spirited reading of this play. It's been interesting to experience this play at this particular time; I find the themes of fighting for one's dreams and self-discovery (as well as living in cramped quarters with family) particularly relevant right now.

Also, just a reminder, the last day to turn in late work for partial credit this semester is Wednesday, June 3. 

MONDAY B-Day/TUESDAY A-Day: Offline, work independently. Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scenes I and II on your own through this link to the pdf (just pages 78-110 in the pdf), or listen and read along to the play by clicking here: Act II, Scene I on YouTube, and Act II, Scene II on YouTube.

WEDNESDAY B-day only: Offline, work independently. Please complete the "May 13 - A Raisin in the Sun" Discussion Tab post (instead of Wired Wednesday). Be sure to show that you know the play up to this point in your responses.

THURSDAY A-Day/FRIDAY B-Day:  Online, live class on Zoom. (Please see times and login information on the right-hand sidebar.) Discuss A Raisin in the Sun through the end of Act II, Scene II. Read the parts for Act II, Scene III together on a volunteer basis.

Due for all classes: Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scenes I and II on your own through this link to the pdf (just pages 78-110 in the pdf), or listen and read along to the play by clicking here: Act II, Scene I on YouTube, and Act II, Scene II on YouTube.

Due for B-Day Only: Complete the typed, Turnitin.com online journal entry questions for the "May 13 - A Raisin in the Sun" post in the Turnitin.com Discussion area.

May 4 - 8

It's May! Per our last Zoom class, this month we'll be reading and working with the play A Raisin in the Sun, submitting and polishing an argument essay, writing discussion board posts, and beginning the final writing assignment for the year after Memorial Day. I am excited to read and grade rough drafts and will be writing feedback for those rough argument essays beginning on Monday. Soon, we'll work on polishing these drafts together as a class. 

Also, I have been lenient with due dates this far, but in order to prevent an unmanageable amount of work coming in at the end of the semester, please upload any late work by Sunday, May 10 if you're behind at all. I will take late points after that. Don't wait until the last minute! It'll be much harder to catch up. Please note that the final due date for all work (except for the final paper) is Wednesday night, June 3 at 11:59 p.m. PST. To be fair to all students, and to allow myself enough time for grading, I can't accept any regular work later than that.

Please be sure read the directions for Discussion Board posts -- they ask for a certain number of sentences (for example, two complete sentences per Wired Wednesday question).

Here's the agenda for this week: 

MONDAY A-Day/TUESDAY B-Day: Offline, work independently. Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, Scene I on your own through this link to the pdf (just pages 26-56 in the pdf, you don't have to read the foreword). You can also read/listen along with me by clicking here for the video of the pdf and the audio of me reading the scene. 

Due: Finish typing the argument essay rough draft and upload to Turnitin.com by Sunday night, May 3.

Homework: Imagine you had to choose who you would live with in a small, three-room apartment with very little light, like Walter, Beneatha, Ruth, Travis, and Mama Younger in A Raisin in the Sun. You must choose four people besides yourself: who would you choose to live with in close quarters? Please have an answer ready for Thursday/Friday. Also, think about which part you might want to read for Act I, Scene II for Thursday/Friday. I'll be calling for volunteers.


WEDNESDAY A-Day Only: Offline, work independently. Welcome to Wired Wednesday! No live Zoom class will be held today; instead, please choose one article of your choice from Wired.com to read and think about. Complete the typed, Turnitin.com online journal entry question for today under the Discussion tab. We'll reference these in Friday's online class. (If you run into a paywall on the Wired.com site, please use login: mogilefskya@pvpusd.net, password: English.)

Homework: Complete the typed, Turnitin.com online journal entry question described in Wednesday's class work and post by Friday. 


THURSDAY B-Day/FRIDAY A-Day: Online, live class on Zoom. (Please see times and login information on the right-hand sidebar.) Discuss A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, Scene I. Read the parts for Act I, Scene II.

Due for all classes: Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, Scene I on your own through this link to the pdf (just pages 26-56 in the pdf, you don't have to read the foreword). You can also read/listen along with me by clicking here for the video of the pdf and the audio of me reading the scene.

Due for A-Day Only: Complete the typed, Turnitin.com online journal entry question for your choice of "Wired Wednesday" article under the Discussion tab.