Week of December 17th

Monday, Dec. 17th (F)
· Due: Read Ch. 6 & 7 and complete dialectic journal entries (two important quotations and meaningful discussion per chapter, please).
· Class: Return and discuss common assessments; character profiles; literary criticism groups will meet.

Tuesday, Dec. 18th (S)
· Due: Read Ch. 8 & 9 and complete dialectic journal entries.
· Class: Discussion of the reading; vocabulary review.

Wednesday, Dec. 19th (U)
· Class does not meet.

Thursday, Dec. 20th (M)
· Due: Read Ch. 10 & 11 and complete dialectic journal entries; study for vocabulary quiz on Unit #5.
· Class: Vocabulary quiz; update character charts; literary criticism groups will meet.

Friday, Dec. 21st (T)
· Due: Continue reading The Scarlet Letter.
· Class: Poetry and parody: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”

Have a happy and safe holiday vacation! Please note that there IS some reading to complete over the break.

Wednesday, Jan. 2nd (W)
· Due: Read through Ch. 15 in The Scarlet Letter and complete dialectic journal entries; don’t forget to record evidence for your group presentation as you go.
· Class: More fun with Hawthorne!

Further Reading

Interested in learning more about the Transcendentalists? Check out these sites:

The Web of American Transcendentalism
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
American Transcendentalism at Washington State University

It's a complicated philosophy, well worth spending some time with independently.

Week of December 10th

Monday, Dec. 10th (U)
• No class today. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, Dec. 11th (M)
• Due: Transcendentalist Scrapbook projects are due. If you were out last week, you need to show me your annotations of Thoreau today for credit.
• Class: Share projects; rewriting Hawthorne activity; sign out The Scarlet Letter.

Wednesday, Dec. 12th (T)
• Due: Vocabulary exercises for Unit #5 and read Ch. 1 of The Scarlet Letter.
• Class: “Questioning the Author” with Ch. 1.

Thursday, Dec. 13th (W)
• Due: Read Ch. 2 & 3 and complete dialectic journal entry #1. See the back of your printed calendar for an example.
• Class: Discussion of the reading. Public humiliation as punishment.

Friday, Dec. 14th (H)
• Due: Read Ch. 4 & 5 and complete dialectic journal entry #2.
• Class: Discussion of the reading. Introduce literary criticism sleuthing.

Monday, Dec. 17th (F)
• Due: Read Ch. 6 & 7 and complete dialectic journal entry #3.
• Class: Discussion of the reading. Character profiles.

Week of December 3rd

Monday, Dec. 3rd (T)
· Due: Excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson and study questions.
· Class: Discussion of “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”; Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”

Tuesday, Dec. 4th (W)
· Due: Study for vocabulary quiz. Start reading the Thoreau packet.
· Class: Vocabulary quiz on Unit #4. Emerson, aphorisms, and trends in Transcendentalism.

Wednesday, Dec. 5th (H)
· Due: Excerpt from “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau and study questions.
· Class: Discussion of the reading. Introduce Transcendentalist scrapbook; practice with cartoons.

Thursday, Dec. 6th (F)
· Due: Excerpt from “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau and study questions.
· Class: Discussion of the reading; Emerson to Thoreau; more Transcendentalist trends.

Friday, Dec. 7th (S)
· Due: Draft of two artifacts (minimum) for your scrapbook.
· Class: Share and peer edit; “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Monday, Dec. 10th (U)
· Class drops today.

Tuesday, Dec. 11th (M)
· Due: Finished Transcendentalist scrapbook.
· Class: Introduction to The Scarlet Letter.

Learn to Meditate!

If you were interested in our conversation about meditation and want some more information about the Buddhist tradition, click here to check out a video that Paul found online. Try the link for "Basic Meditation."

Reminder: Vocabulary sentences on Unit #4 are homework for Friday.

Want More Practice?

The website below lists several decent SAT-style prompts. You can practice for this test ... it's largely an exercise in rapid time management, after all. Write whole timed essays or just take five minutes to make an outline.

Click here for sample questions (scroll past the sales pitch to the light blue squares ... each is a quote followed by an essay assignment).

Week of November 26th

Monday, Nov. 26th (H)
• Due: Come back rested from a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.
• Class: Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Tuesday, Nov. 27th (F)
• Due: See the reverse of this page for the “Your Choice” writing assignment. Unless it is a terrible hardship, please type your work.
• Class: Presentation: “The Rise of Romanticism.”

Wednesday, Nov. 28th (S)
• Due: Read “Thanatopsis” packet and answer study questions.
• Class: Common assessment and reflection. Discussion of “Thanatopsis.”

Thursday, Nov. 29th (U)
• No class today.

Friday, Nov. 30th (M)
• Due: Vocabulary sentences for Unit #4 (original and detailed; underline each word).
• Class: Introduction to Transcendentalism: “Unlocking Your Inner Transcendentalist.”

Monday, Dec. 3rd (T)
• Due: Readings and study questions on Emerson. Study for upcoming vocabulary quiz.
• Class: Discussion of Emerson; understanding Transcendentalist values.

Note: We will have a vocabulary quiz on Unit #4 on Tuesday, Dec. 4th.

Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoy the holiday! We'll postpone the homework on the calendar until Tuesday so you can eat some extra turkey knowing that you'll have the rest of the weekend to sleep it off. Also, because I forgot that I had meant to assign you that sermon to read (d'oh!). If you find yourself with extra time on your hands ... what a great opportunity to send in your literary magazine submissions to litmag.ahs@gmail.com. Click here for the full instructions!

Literary Magazine

Remember that you can earn extra credit by submitting your work to the literary magazine! Click here to visit the magazine's site for full details.

Week of November 13th

Anne Bradstreet Webquest: Click here to begin tonight's homework, or navigate to http://kitsis-webquest.blogspot.com/2007/11/anne-bradstreet-homework.html.

Tuesday, Nov. 13th (H)
• Due: Read excerpt from On Plymouth Plantation and write a one page dramatic scene.
• Class: Share sermons; introduction to Puritanism.

Wednesday, Nov. 14th (F)
• Due: Webquest on Anne Bradstreet (see blog for link).
• Class: Wrap up intro to Puritanism; poetry of Anne Bradstreet.

Thursday, Nov. 15th (S)
• Due: Work on metaphysical poem.
• Class: The “metaphysical conceit” in poetry: “Huswifery” and “The Flea.”

Friday, Nov. 16th (U)
• No class today.

Monday, Nov. 19th (M)
• Due: Metaphysical poem.
• Class: Share poetry. Lesson on the SAT essay.

NB: Our next common assessment (a timed essay in the style of the SATs) will be held after Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, Nov. 20th (T)
• Due: Vocabulary exercises for Unit #4.
• Class: Wrap up lesson on the SAT essay.

Wednesday, Nov. 21st (W)
• Noon dismissal. Have a great Thanksgiving vacation!

Monday, Nov. 26th (H)
• Due: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
• Class: Jonathan Edwards and the art of the sermon.

Week of November 5th

Monday, Nov. 5th (S-Day)
• Due: Introduction and topic sentence outline for Good Night, and Good Luck.
• Class: Share and improve outlines. Pre-viewing discussion of Scapin.

Tuesday, Nov. 6th (U-Day)
• Class drops today. You’ll see Scapin during Periods 2 & 3.

Wednesday, Nov. 7th (M-Day)
• Due: Come to class prepared for Socratic seminar.
• Class: Socratic seminar on Scapin. I’ll quickly share Crucible essays and grades, too.

Thursday, Nov. 8th (T-Day)
• Due: TBA.
• Class: Log Crucible essays; work with quotation integration. Vocabulary review.

Friday, Nov. 9th (W-Day)
• Due: Study for vocabulary review quiz covering Units #1-3.
• Class: Vocabulary review quiz covering Units #1-3. Introduction to Puritanism unit.

Monday, Nov. 12th
• No school today. Enjoy!

Tuesday, Nov. 13th (H-Day)
• Due: Introductory assignment for Puritanism unit (TBA).
• Class: TBA.

Edward R. Murrow Quotations

As promised in class, some quotations from the real Edward R. Murrow:

Our history will be what we make it.

Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.

We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven into an age of unreason if we dig deep into our history and remember we are not descended from fearful men.

When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recognize them.

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.

If none of us ever read a book that was “dangerous,” had a friend who was “different” or joined an organization that advocated “change,” we would all be just the kind of people Joe McCarthy wants. Whose fault is that? Not really [McCarthy’s]. He didn’t create this situation of fear. He merely exploited it, and rather successfully.

Most of us probably feel we couldn’t be free without newspapers, and that is the real reason we want the newspapers to be free.

We cannot make good news out of bad practice.
[Reply to Senate critics who wanted him to ignore racial strife in order to project a better image abroad.]

The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.

If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable.

Week of October 29th

Monday, Oct. 29th (T-Day)
· Due: Complete rough draft of Crucible paper (in hand when class starts).
· Class: Review of MLA format for citations. Peer revision.

Tuesday, Oct. 30th (W-Day)
· Due: Final draft of Crucible paper (in hand when class starts).
· Class: Revisiting the “opinionnaire.” Vocabulary review for quiz on Wednesday.

Wednesday, Oct. 31st (H-Day)
· Due: Study for vocabulary quiz on Unit #3.
· Class: Vocabulary quiz. Scene(s) from Good Night, and Good Luck.

Thursday, Nov. 1st
· No classes for students. Don’t you all get off lucky this week!

Friday, Nov. 2nd (F-Day)
· Due: Bring your notes on Good Night, and Good Luck.
· Class: Wrap up Good Night, and Good Luck.

Monday, Nov. 5th (S-Day)
· Due: Response to Good Night, and Good Luck (to be announced). Clean out your notebooks and get organized for the start of a new marking period!

Crucible Paper Topic

As you wrap up your study of Arthur Miller’s classic play, consider the following question:

“Is The Crucible relevant today?”

Assignment requirements:

· Write at least one page, but no more than two, typed, double-spaced, in a 12-point font with reasonable margins.
· Adhere to MLA citation guidelines, including a works cited page.
· Include an original and interesting title.
· Use specific evidence (including brief quotations) from the play, the article “Why I Wrote The Crucible,” and the information you learned from the webquest to support your point of view.

Your paper will be assessed on the following:

· Ideas: Effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue, articulated in a clear thesis statement. Demonstrates outstanding critical thinking.
· Topic Development: Uses clearly appropriate examples, reasons, and evidence, including brief quotations from the text and relevant contemporary sources.
· Organization: Well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas (transitions).
· Voice & Style: Exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary. Demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure.
· Conventions & Citations: Free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Uses MLA format to cite textual evidence correctly, including a works cited page as appropriate.

Contemporary Crucibles: Webquest

Click here to begin the webquest, or navigate to:

http://kitsis-webquest.blogspot.com/2006/11/contemporary-crucibles_01.html

Week of October 22nd

Monday, October 22nd (H-Day)
· Due: Make sure you’ve finished reading The Crucible. So, how was the PSAT?
· Class: Establishing a moral hierarchy in The Crucible. Writing theme statements.

Tuesday, October 23rd (F-Day)
· Due: Miller and Kazan reading and worksheet.
· Class: Is it ever okay to “name names”? Introducing tomorrow’s WebQuest.

Wednesday, October 24th (S-Day)
· Due: Detailed, original vocabulary sentences for Unit #3. Underline the words.
· Class: Webquest: Exploring contemporary “crucibles.”

Thursday, October 25th (U-Day)
· Class drops.

Friday, October 26th (M-Day)
· Due: Read and lightly annotate “Why I Wrote The Crucible.” Complete work on webquest at home if necessary.
· Class: Lesson on citations; share webquest findings; discuss article.

Monday, October 29th (T-Day)
· Due: Complete draft of paper on The Crucible (in your hands when you come to class, please!). Final paper due on Tuesday, October 30th.
· Class: Peer revision.

Week of October 15th

Monday, Oct. 15th (S)
· Due: Reaction paper for choices in Act III.
· Class: Discussion of Act III with tableaux and examination of “cause and effect.”

Tuesday, Oct. 16th (U)
· Class drops.

Wednesday, Oct. 17th (M)
· Due: Vocabulary exercises for Unit #3.
· Class: Workshop on PSAT.

Thursday, Oct. 18th (T)
· Due: Start reading Act IV.
· Class: Literacy narratives returned; sentence workshop. Picture day!

Friday, Oct. 19th (W)
· Due: Finish reading Act IV and take notes.
· Class: Reading quiz and discussion of Act IV.

Monday, Oct. 22nd (H)
· Miller and Kazan homework postponed for next week. Good luck on the PSAT!

Homework for October 12th

Review Act III of The Crucible and select one choice made by a character that you believe is either the most important or the most interesting in that act. Write a brief reaction paper in which you investigate that moment of decision. Describe the choice and the consequences for that character and for others. What were the motives driving that character’s decision? Were there alternatives? What might the consequences have been otherwise? Does Arthur Miller support this decision? Do you?

Your work should be typed and no more than one page in length. It may be double or single spaced. A reaction paper is just that: about your reactions. Although it is less formal than a literary analysis paper, conventions around grammar and spelling still apply.

Due in class on Monday, October 15th.

If you were absent from class, come back prepared to take the vocabulary quiz.

Week of October 1st

Monday, Oct. 1st (H)
· Due: Final draft of literacy narrative (in hard copy when class starts).
· Class: “Opinionnaire” for The Crucible; what we know about Salem and Miller.

Tuesday, Oct. 2nd (F)
· Due: Read and complete homework on “Overture” excerpt.
· Class: Discuss “Overture” excerpt; begin work on Act I in small groups.

Wednesday, Oct. 3rd (S)
· Due: Finish reading Act I; take notes.
· Class: “Who’s who” in Salem; discussion of Act I; film clip.

Thursday, Oct. 4th (U)
· Class drops.

Friday, Oct. 5th (M)
· Due: Finish reading Act II; take notes.
· Class: “The Real World: Salem.” Discussion of Act II.

Monday, Oct. 8th
· Due: Vocabulary sentences for Unit #2 and McCarthyism assignment (TBA).

Note: We will have regular reading quizzes during this unit, so be prepared!

Week of September 24th

Monday, Sept. 24th (S)
· Due: Study for vocabulary quiz.
· Class: Vocabulary quiz. Work on “literacy timelines.”

Tuesday, Sept. 25th (U)
· Class drops; see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, Sept. 26th (M)
· Due: Finished “literacy timeline.”
· Class: Share timelines. Look at model literacy narratives.

Thursday, Sept. 27th (T)
· Due: Complete draft of literacy narrative (three pages, typed, double spaced; in your hand when bell rings). Please type your draft as this facilitates effective peer revision.
· Class: Peer revision of literacy narratives.

Friday, Sept. 28th (W)
· Due: Vocabulary Unit #2 exercise (all of them).
· Class: Review vocabulary words; discussion of effective introductions, mechanics.

Monday, Oct. 1st (H)
· Due: Final draft of literacy narrative due (in hard copy when the bell rings).
· Class: Start The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Week of September 17th

Monday, Sept. 17th (M)
· Due: Frederick Douglass essay and written response.
· Class: Debrief on vocabulary, summer assessment. Introduction to Literacy Narrative unit with discussion of Frederick Douglass.

Tuesday, Sept. 18th (T)
· Due: Read Malcolm X; then write an objective summary of the reading in your own words (just the facts, not influenced by personal feelings or opinions).
· Class: Discussion of Malcolm X with film clip. Lesson on annotation.

Wednesday, Sept. 19th (W)
· Due: Read and annotate Amy Tan and Richard Rodriguez essays.
· Class: Discussion of multilingualism, bilingualism. Set up writing folders.

Thursday, Sept. 20th (H)
· Due: Read Mike Rose essay and written response; prepare for panel discussion.
· Class: Panel discussion.

Friday, Sept. 21st (F)
· Due: Read and annotate David Sedaris. Write detailed, interesting, correctly spelled sentences using each of the vocabulary words. Underline the word in the sentence.
· Class: Discussion of David Sedaris and audio recording; discussion of literacy narrative assignment (complete draft due September 26th).

Monday, Sept. 24th (S)
· Due: Study vocabulary. Complete your “literacy timeline” (explained in class).
· Class: Vocabulary quiz. Share timelines.

Week of September 10th

Monday, Sept. 10th (W)
· Due: Revised “name” pieces and your letter if I didn’t get it on Friday (shame!).
· Class: Sign out vocabulary books. Discussion of strategies for Mayflower essay and Socratic seminar on Hole In My Life. Herculean effort to learn names.

Tuesday, Sept. 11th (H)
· Due: Come to class prepared for the Mayflower essay. You’ll have the whole period to work. Notes and books are not allowed, though you may wish to use them to prepare.
· Class: Mayflower in class essay (common assessment).

Wednesday, Sept. 12th (F)
· Due: Come to class prepared for the Hole In My Life discussion. You are encouraged to bring books and notes.
· Class: Socratic seminar on Hole In My Life.

Thursday, Sept. 13th (S)
· Due: Complete Unit One in the vocabulary book (all exercises). Bring your vocab books to class today.
· Class: I’ll be out today. With the substitute, check your answers to the vocabulary exercises (if there’s no sub and you’re sent to Old Hall, compare answers in small groups). I’d like you to spend the remaining time interviewing each other about summer reading choice books – by the end of the period, have listed six books that you might be interested in reading on your own. (See handout.)

Friday, Sept. 14th (U)
· Class drops.

Monday, Sept. 17th (M)
· Due: I’ll ask to see the vocab exercises and your work with the sub. Preparation of Frederick Douglass (close reading, written response).
· Class: Final discussion of summer reading and introduction to literacy narratives. “Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass. Lesson on annotation.