October 17-21

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing weekend.  It's "college week" at PVHS, and we're fortunate enough to have a high-quality College Center sponsoring a variety of events, including paying for all juniors to take the PSAT on Wednesday.

MONDAY: Journal warm-up. Act out scene from Chapter 18 in Grapes of Wrath, begin Chapter 20. Review narrative comments, samples.  Work on final drafts of narratives on laptops in class: first a step-by-step check of your current draft vs. the rubric, then time to type and get help. 

Due: Finish Chapter 18 of The Grapes of Wrath.

Homework:  Continue working on your narrative paper.  UPDATE: The final version is due on Monday, October 24 by 10:00 p.m. to turnitin.com.  (See sidebar for class codes and passwords.)

WEDNESDAY: 7:45 a.m. PSAT for all juniors.

Journal warm-up.  View narrative essay sample.  After sitting for the PSAT, we will practice vocabulary with a fun* activity called "Vocab Story Rounds."

*Fun = an English teacher's version of fun.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up.  Quiz.  Read, annotate and SOAPS Starvation Under the Orange Trees by John Steinbeck.  Notes: Irony. View two videos about irony.

Due: Continue working on the narrative essay. I've extended the deadline; please note the new due dates below.

Homework:  Read, annotate and SOAPS articles by Steinbeck and Peikoff about government-sponsored healthcare.  Be ready to share and debate 1. which is the more persuasive article, and 2. whether or not you think the U.S. government should provide healthcare to its citizens.

UPDATE: The final version of the narrative essay is due on Monday, October 24 by 10:00 p.m. to turnitin.com.  (See sidebar for class codes and passwords.)  The weekend reading/homework is still the same, but I've extended the deadline so that students will have time on the weekend to complete their best, final draft.