April 11 - 15

Welcome back!  I hope everyone enjoyed the break.  (I am certainly in much better shape than I was the week before the break, no more coughing!) There are now less than 2 months left of school, and I am hoping to fill the remainder of time with some challenging reading and lively discussions before you head off into your senior year.

This week, I'll be making comments on research paper drafts, which you'll receive next week.  We'll be reading a classic and controversial author, Henry David Thoreau, and I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions about his views in excerpts from Walden.  We will also see a preview of the school play and begin reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

MONDAY/TUESDAY:  Journal warm-up.  Intro: Henry David Thoreau's Walden.  Brief video of actual location.  Note 5 vocab words from the reading.  Read excerpts from Walden outside (weather permitting) and annotate them as a class.  Extra credit quote activity.  Classroom discussion web.  Vocab story rounds.

Due:
Please upload full draft of research paper to Turnitin.com by 11:00 p.m. on Friday, April 1.

Research Paper Homework: 

• Read at least 2 other research papers and reply with comments (helpful, supportive, academically-worded comments for credit).  A good guideline is something you liked about the paper, and something they can improve for the next draft. 
• Complete an interview and take notes, make sure to ask about "unofficial" requirements for being successful on the job. 
• Read through the outside book you selected and look for information that you can use to add to the research paper.

Homework: Finish reading and annotating the Walden excerpt.  Be prepared for a quiz on the 5 vocabulary words and the reading on Thursday/Friday.  

Please obtain a copy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey before Saturday, if possible. (See me if you have any difficulty.  It is also available as an online book, though it's best to have a hard copy to annotate.)


WEDNESDAY: (5th and 6th only):  Warm-up.  Preview of the school play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Current events issue/reading.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY:  (1st and 2nd only - Preview of the school play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.) Journal warm-up.  Walden reading and vocabulary quiz.  Receive vocab list for next week.  Cuckoo Gallery Walk.  Intro: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Read Chapter 1 and 2 of Cuckoo's Nest in class/response.

Due: Walden reading and annotating completed.

Homework: Read the first 4 chapters of Cuckoo's Nest.  (There are no chapter numbers in many paperbacks and online.  Chapter 4 ends on approximately page 41: the final words of the chapter are, "And, like I explain, the Big Nurse gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smooth" (41). 

These chapters will be on a quiz next week and also a big part of our in-class discussions.  Pay close attention to how Kesey introduces Randle McMurphy.