June 5 - 9, Finals Week!

 It was truly and honor and a privilege to facilitate such an interesting group of students.  I often joked about "the four-hour version of the class" and my (optimistic? ambitious? bloated?) lesson plans are a reflection of how much I enjoyed reading, writing, and being involved in discussions with you.  I've learned so much during our time this year and I hope you feel that your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are even better than they were a year ago.  

I've gotten to know many of you fairly well and hope that you visit me next year and keep me posted about what's going on in your life. 

Here's what we're doing this last week:

MONDAY, JUNE 5: (all classes minimum day) Read more sample college essays.  More work time on laptops for drafts and individual help.  Pass out editing checklist. 

Due: Be able to access your essay drafts electronically, and have an idea matched to a prompt with a document created and some sentences with details under the prompt.

Homework:  Type out a full rough draft by the beginning of the final. 


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 (4th period) /THURSDAY, JUNE 8 (5th and 6th):   Short, anonymous class evaluation so I understand what was the most helpful and also improve the section next time.  Volunteers from class will share paragraphs and receive helpful feedback.  Work time on laptops and direct, one-on-one feedback for drafts during the class period.  You'll have at least one full hour to work on drafts in class during the final.

A full draft is due to Turnitin.com by the end of the final.

Please note, due to how far along we are in the semester and the fact that this is your final for the class, NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Thanks for understanding.

Have a wonderful summer as seniors!

May 29-June 2

Welcome!  This week we'll turn in journals and kick off the final assignment: the college essay.  Here's the agenda for the short week:

MONDAY: HOLIDAY - Memorial Day, no school.

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Present Raisin projects briefly to the class.  Interactive brainstorming activity.   Finish brainstorming sheet if there are any questions unanswered.

Due: Raisin projects.

Homework:
1. Fill out the rest of the Brainstorming Activity Sheet and bring it with you on Thursday. 

2. Make sure your journal is ready to turn in.

3. On a separate piece of paper, please make a list of colleges you might apply to this summer or fall. Go to their websites (or our College and Career Center) and find out what kinds of essay prompts they require, making notes of them on your list. I will provide the latest UC and Common App prompts in class, but if there is a unique prompt for one of your school choices, please bring that to class on Thursday.

NOTE: If you aren't planning on going to a university, please see me about an alternate assignment.  If you have a different writing requirement (for example letters asking for a recommendation to apply to a military academy), please let me know and that can be substituted in for the college essay assignment. Otherwise, you'll work on a two-page research paper on a job title of your choice, with details provided on Thursday.

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up.  Hear from a senior that has been through the college app process. Go over UC and Common Application prompts.  Read sample essays that have been successful in the past.  Match an idea from your brainstorming sheet to a prompt, keeping in mind which traits you'd like to emphasize and anything in the rest of the application you may want to explain.  Begin matching a good story/event from your life to a prompt.  Create a new document, choose a prompt, and begin writing out some details that could be worked into a a unique essay that demonstrates something positive about you.  Come to class on Monday prepared to work those details typed into the document into a rough draft.

Due:  Journals in the classroom bin at the end of the period.  Brainstorming sheets completed.

Homework: Begin matching a good story/event from your life to a prompt.  Create a new document, choose a prompt, and begin writing out some details that could be worked into a a unique essay that demonstrates something positive about you.  Come to class on Monday prepared to work those details typed into the document into a rough draft.

May 22-26

We're truly in the home stretch now!  The class will complete and upload the final draft of the Sustainable Foods essay this week, and then receive a Raisin in the Sun group assignment (graded individually).  After that, there is a final journal check and a good draft of the college essay (or alternate assignment).  Be sure to have any late work in for partial credit by June 2.

Here's what's in store for the week:

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  A Raisin in the Sun discussion.  Introduce the Raisin in the Sun final assignment.  Decide and submit group roles for Raisin assignment by the end of the class period.  Check in about the Sustainable Foods Essay.  Read one model essay and one unfinished essay as a class and talk about their strengths and weaknesses. Time on laptops in class. 

Due: Please read A Raisin in the Sun, Act III, (finish the play). 

The final draft of the Sustainable Foods Essay is due Tuesday, May 23 at 11:00 p.m. to Turnitin.com. 

Homework:  Make sure your essay is submitted to Turnitin.com (see due section above).

Work on the Raisin group assignment - materials are due on Tuesday, May 30.  Be ready to share what you have with the class in an informal presentation with your group. 

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up.  Last current event topic: the heroin/opioid epidemic and proposed solutions - read articles in class, discuss/debate.  Class time to meet with Raisin groups, laptops.

Due: n/a

Homework: Complete the Raisin group assignment - materials are due on Tuesday, May 30.  Be ready to share what you have with the class in an informal presentation with your group.

Have a marvelous Memorial Day!

May 15-19

Hello!  It's CAASP week, so our class will effectively have one meeting (half of you on Tuesday and the other half on Thursday).  Please click here for the CAASP schedule and parent letter.  Please come to class first, then you'll head to the MPR.

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scene I. 

Due: Read Act 1, Scene 2 of A Raisin in the Sun.

Homework: For Friday, please read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scene II. 

Continue working on Sustainable Foods Essay final draft. Final drafts will be due on Tuesday, May 23.

6th period only: WEDNESDAY:  Journal warm-up.  Read and evaluate model sustainable foods essays.  Time on library computers to work on essays, individual help.


FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scene III.  Time on laptops and individual help on final drafts of essay. 

Due: For Friday, please read A Raisin in the Sun, Act II, Scene II. 

Homework: Please read A Raisin in the Sun, Act III, (finish the play). 

Continue working on the final draft of the Sustainable Foods Essay. Final drafts will be due on Tuesday, May 23 at 11:00 p.m. to Turnitin.com.

May 8-12

This week we'll begin reading and acting out A Raisin in the Sun, as well as working on drafts of the Sustainable Foods essay. 

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Check in about the sustainable foods essay rough draft that is due to Turnitin.com.  Intro to A Raisin in the Sun.  Begin reading and acting out the play.  (If you were absent, please read through Mama Younger's entrance during Act I, Scene I, page 498 in this linked version.)

Due: Continue working on draft of sustainable foods essay.

Homework: Finish full rough draft including information from 3 sources.  The full rough draft will be due to Turnitin.com by Tuesday night, May 9 by 11:00 p.m.

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up.  Last vocab quiz covering vocab, grammar, and reading of Raisin in the Sun.  Read and act out A Raisin in the Sun through the end of Act I Scene I.  Work time on laptops for sustainable foods essays with opportunity in class for individual help.

Due: Finish full rough draft including information from 3 sources.  The full rough draft will be due to Turnitin.com by Tuesday night, May 9 by 11:00 p.m.

Homework: Read Act 1, Scene 2 of A Raisin in the Sun.Be thinking about how you could re-interpret a brief exchange from the play in a new context (situation).

May 1-5

It's May and our last full month of school already!  This week we'll continue reading through the Sustainable Foods packet, and begin the synthesis essay draft.

MONDAY: Journal warm-up.  Rhetorical analysis prompt - environmentalists vs. "people first".  Read and discuss: is this still relevant? SOAPS and analyze arguments in articles 2 and 3 (articles D and E in Option 2).  View Source H from Option 2.  View photo essay (Source 1, or A for Option 2) as a class.

Due: Read, annotate and SOAPS Source 2 and 3 from the Sustainable Foods packet.  (If you've chosen the more complex prompt, Option 2, please read, annotate and perform a SOAPS analysis on Source D and Source E and read through the other articles except for Specter's article, Source G.)

Homework: Read and annotate Test Tube Burgers, (Source 4 in the Option 1 packet, Source G in the Option 2 packet).

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Rhetorical analysis practice with an environmentally-themed prompt (good SAT practice).  Read actual essay responses to the prompt.  Discuss Test Tube Burgers and look at Sustainable Foods prompt.  Go over possible theses and evidence/examples you could use.  Don't be afraid to be critical of the sources, to question their arguments and assumptions.

Due: Read and annotate Test Tube Burgers, (Source 4 in the Option 1 packet, Source G
in the Option 2 packet).

Homework: Create outline in response to the Sustainable Foods prompt including 3 sources.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up.  Quiz covering vocab, grammar, and reading. Go over outlines for space exploration prompt.  Read and score actual space exploration essays.  View class samples of rough sustainable foods outlines.  Work time to "beef up" (pun intended) outlines and begin typing up rough drafts.

Due: Outline in response to the Sustainable Foods prompt including 3 sources.

Homework: Finish full rough draft including information from 3 sources.  The full rough draft will be due to Turnitin.com by Tuesday night, May 9 by 11:00 p.m.

April 24-28

Welcome to Walden Week!  We'll enjoy excerpts from the highly influential and still-relevant book by Henry David Thoreau. We will also go over outlines in response to the space exploration prompt.  I'm excited to go through this new Nature/Environment mini-unit with you.

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Go over space exploration outlines and sources.  View outline samples from the class.  Discuss how to formulate a synthesis essay.  Read actual student essay responses to the prompt and evaluate them.  Intro to Henry David Thoreau and Walden.  Listen to Walden and enjoy an in-class extra credit opportunity. 

Due: Read the sources and create an outline response to the Space Exploration synthesis prompt.

Homework: Finish reading Walden excerpt.  Study vocabulary.

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up.  Take quiz covering Walden reading and vocabulary.  Discuss Walden.  Go over Sustainable Foods: The Future of Meat synthesis prompt.  (For more complexity, students may select Option 2, Sustainable Foods as National Policy essay prompt instead.)

Due: Finish reading Walden excerpt. 

Homework: Carefully read, annotate, and perform a SOAPS analysis for the rest of Source 2 and Source 3 from the Sustainable Foods essay prompt packet for Monday (Option 1).  (For those that chose the more complex prompt, Option 2, please read, annotate and SOAPS Sources D and E and read and annotate the other articles except Source G by Specter and Source A.) We'll discuss these articles and two more sources, and you'll be writing a full synthesis essay on the topic.