Paper due January 5, 2011

Persuasive Essay
Honors English 10
Due: Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Value: 150 points

Of these four Transcendental authors (Dickinson, Emerson, Thoreau, or Whitman), which one acts as the best spokesman for America?

Answers to questions of interest can be found below:

1. How long should my paper be? Three to five typed pages
2. What font and size should I use? Times New Roman 12
3. Will I find it necessary to double space my paper? Yes, that is a requirement.
4. Do I need a works cited page? Yes, you do.
5. What happens if my paper is late? You tell me. The answer depends if you were really ill or if you were lazy.
6. What if I will not be in school Wednesday? Submit your paper on Tuesday.
7. Will I have any class time to work on this paper? Yes, this Friday and next Monday you may work on the paper. Be prepared with specific questions.
8. Will I be able to email my paper? No, but you may open your email and print the paper in the morning before school starts or during lunch.
9. Should I use proper MLA formatting when adding quotes? Yes, you need at least three quotes. Use MLA format.
10. Should I have a cover page or a binding? Absolutely not. I use them for fish food.

Excellent papers:

• use action verbs in the present tense;
• have sentences that vary in length;
• use a variety of transitional words and phrases;
• avoid vague words like things and got;
• avoid words like the reader and one and I ;
• focus on the writers and their ideas;
• accurately interpret the text;
• stay on topic;
• use vivid imagery;
• do not contain clichés;
• contain figures of speech; and
• are not written the night before they are due.

Upcoming quiz

The foci of next week's quiz are as follows:

present tense verbs;
agitate and aggravate;
farther and further;
till and until;
than and then; and
amount and number.

You will also demonstrate an understanding of parallel structure.

Transcendentalism

The project listed below is due this Friday, December 17.

Objective: To research authors and analyze their connections to Transcendentalism
Lab Days: Monday and Tuesday
Due Date: Friday, December 17

Assignment: Using the approved websites (and only the approved ones) research the following:
• Transcendentalism – define and create a timeline for the period; note its major contributors.
• Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman – take notes and answer questions.
• Create a works cited page.
• Neatly bundle your work and submit everything by the deadline

Timeline
http://www.transcendentalists.com
http://www.transcendentalists.com/special_dates.htm
Define Transcendentalism. When did the movement begin? End? Where was the center of this movement in America? Who are some of the major writers and when did they live?

Emily Dickinson
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/index.html
Click on her name in red. Read Dickinson's biography and take notes. You may use bullets.
Go back to her main page and read the second and third paragraphs about Dickinson. How was she different from Thoreau and Emerson?
Finally, look on the bottom of her main page. Open the link to The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Select Part Two: Nature. Read the following poems: “A bird came down the walk,” “A spider sewed at night,” and “Besides the autumn poets sing.” Does she seem to accept or reject the teachings of Transcendentalism?

Walt Whitman
http://www.poets.org
First, read his biography and take notes. Once again, you may use bullets.
Read “I Hear America Singing.” Listen to “America.” Print both. How do these poems reflect the movement?
Finally, read “A child said, What is the grass?” and answer these questions:
• What does Whitman mean by “Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the/ same, I receive them the same”?
• Why to the question “What is the grass?” is the response “How could I answer the child?. . . I do not know what it is any more than he”?
• Why to the questions “What do you think has become of the young and old men?/ What do you think has become of the women and children?” is the response “They are alive and well somewhere;/ The smallest sprouts show there is really no death”?

A Gentle Reminder

Your alternate ending to The Awakening by Kate Chopin is due tomorrow. After looking at life through a feminist's eyes, we are moving on to the Transcendentalists. Make sure that you finish reading The Night That Thoreau Spent in Jail by next Monday. Jot down lines that provoke thought.

Other required readings include Martin Luther King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and excerpts from Thoreau's “Civil Disobedience.”

The Awakening

Please report to computer lab 318 this Tuesday and Wednesday. Make sure that you bring a copy of The Awakening by Kate Chopin as well as a rough draft of your alternate ending to the novel.

The Awakening

Please read to page 109 (yes, that's the end of the novel) by this Friday. Next week, you will begin to write an alternate ending to the novel, which will be due the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Some of you may want to complete the assignment before the break so that you can relax.

Kate Chopin

This week's readings will focus on the works in Kate Chopin. We will begin with "The Story of an Hour" and The Awakening. As you read each selection, note the importance of setting as it pertains to character development.

Please give our student teacher, Ms. Rich, your utmost attention and respect this week. I have perused her lesson plans, and she has put forth quite a deal of effort. Ms. Rich's work is scholarly and creative, and she sheds light on feminist issues of the 1890s and the early 1900s.

To learn more about Kate Chopin, please visit this website: http://www.katechopin.org/ .

The Awakening reading assignments: Read to page 24 by Monday and read pages 25 through 62 by Wednesday. Select 2 quotes that show Edna's dilemma or her awakening and write them in your notebook. Use proper MLA format.

Independent Reading Responses

Please remember that your independent reading responses are due this Friday, November 12. This project is worth 100 points.

Other notes of interest this week include a trip to see the works of Edgar Allan Poe on Tuesday and a grammar quiz on Thursday. Bring a lunch on the trip and be sure to dress warmly, because we will eat outdoors. The quiz will cover pronouns and their antecedents as well as subject-verb agreement. Study, study, study.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Your objective test is this Tuesday and the essay portion will be this Wednesday. Please be familiar with TKAM, the Scottsboro Trial, "Strange Fruit," and "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught."

If you are on a class trip later in the week, be sure to read Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker."

Week of October 4, 2010

The objectives for the first part of this week are as follows:

 analyze moral dilemmas as revealed by a character’s motivation, words, and behavior;
 identify and analyze recurring themes across literary works;
 analyze how an author’s words create tone and mood, and how those words advance the novel’s themes; and
 identify and evaluate figurative language used in the text.

The homework includes reading through chapter 8 this Monday, reading through chapter 9 and starting the vocabulary packet this Tuesday, and finishing Part I of the novel this Wednesday.

Listed below are some of the links that we will use to study topics that are related the text:

Websites: http://academic.udayton.edu/Race/02rights/jcrow02.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_narratives.html
http://www.exodusnews.com/HISTORY/History007.htm
http://www.blackwallstreet.freeservers.com/omaha%20riot.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/2986/index.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6106285
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/who.htm

Week of Sept. 27, 2010

Homework:

Monday - Read "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
Tuesday - Read "That Evening Sun."
Wednesday - Read chapters one and two in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Thursday - Read chapters three and four in TKAM.
Friday - Read chapters five and six in TKAM.

Week of September 13, 2010

Monday - Read "The Bells" and take notes in the margins. Pay attention to literary devices.

Tuesday - Read "The Masque of the Red Death" and take notes.

Wednesday - Use Nicenet to post your favorite lines from one of Poe's pieces and explain why those lines appeal to you. Comment on another student's response.

Thursday and Friday - Work on your Gothic project. You should also read "The Cask of Amontillado" and "Alone" over the weekend.

Reading Schedule

Wednesday - "The Black Cat"
Thursday - "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Friday - "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee"

General Grading Scale and Late Work Policy

The list below covers the grading scale for almost all of the work that you will complete this year. Points will be assigned as follows:

HOMEWORK/CLASSWORK: 5 - 25 points
QUIZZES/INFORMAL WRITING: 25 - 75 points
TESTS/PROJECTS/FORMAL WRITING: 75 - 200 points
RESEARCH PAPER/RESEARCH PROJECT: 250 - 400 points

As far as late work is concerned, there will be a 10% deduction for major papers and projects that are 1 day late and a 20% deduction for major papers and projects that are 2 days late. General homework that is late will not receive any credit. Students with real, documented excuses can see me to work out individual, private arrangements to submit late work.

Homework

Each student is to bring five typed questions or comments to Tuesday's Socratic seminar. Have a passage that you would like to discuss as well as questions that connect literature to life.

You also need to remember to have a parent or a guardian sign the class expectations letter.

Welcome back!

Welcome back to High Point. I hope that you had a wonderful summer and that you are exited to begin the new academic year.

Time management is probably one of the most important skills that each high school student should acquire. Please take a realistic look at your classes and at your activities. Is there time in your schedule to thoroughly complete all of your academic tasks? Are you staying awake too late at night to effectively participate in all of your classes? Honors English 10 is tough. You need to prepare to take a college-level class next year and that takes dedication. Budget your time so that you can meet the demands of AP Literature next year.

I look forward to working with each of you. Please know that I am in room 228 before school and room 409 after school if you need any assistance.

Mrs. Porter

Nicenet

The key is 02950Z2H3.

For the Class of 2013

Welcome to my blog. I trust that you are enjoying your summer vacation.

In case you misplaced your summer work, look below:

English 10 Honors - Summer Assignments
With the exception of Nicenet responses, all work is due September 7, 2010. Nicenet work must be completed by August 15.

Part I: Reading assignment Please read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. As you read the novel, study plot, setting, character, and conflict. Keep notes in your English notebook.

Next, access Novels for Students through Gale Virtual Reference Library via the Media Center link on the High Point webpage and read the entry on Of Mice and Men. The password is hpregional. Be ready to discuss the article when you return to school.

Part II: Literary Devices (10 points – typed)Please identify at least one example of each of the following literary devices found in Of Mice and Men:
• symbol
• simile
• metaphor
• allusion
• motif
• alliteration
• foreshadowing
• imagery

Cite the example using correct MLA format.

Part III: The Great America Dream (25 points – one typed page)The Great American Dream has long represented the beliefs of millions. Its promise is that as long as a person works hard, he can get ahead in this country. A person’s background should not matter; it is a person’s work ethic that makes all the difference. Consider Lennie and George’s dream. Was it real? Why or why not?

Part IV: Nicenet (10 points) Follow the directions on the attached sheet to access Nicenet to create an account and log in to the site. After you create an account, be sure to read my entry and respond appropriately.

The key is 02950Z2H3.

Part V: Socratic Seminar (10 points)Let’s tie this all together on Tuesday, September 7.


The basic requirements for class are:
• type all work using Times New Roman 12;
• include a proper heading using MLA format;
• document all sources;
• submit work at the start of class;
• all work must be original;
• be fair to your classmates and to me;
• attend class as often as humanly possible; and
• no whining.

If you are wondering what I want from my students, please keep this in mind: I value students who actually read the selections and who are independent thinkers.
If you have any questions, I can be reached at pporter@hpregional.org

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Please see the new link for a copy of the last chapter.

So close and yet so far...

This is it! We have only three weeks until June 18, your last day of school. The exam for students in Period 8 will be administered Thursday, June 17, and the exam for students in Period 9 will be administered Wednesday, June 16.

There will be two essays. One will focus on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the second will focus on the meaning of American literature. In addition, know your prepositions.

Good luck!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Wednesday: Read chapters one through five.

Thursday: Read chapters six through ten.

Friday: Read chapters 11 through 17.

New link

If you struggle with pronoun-antecedent agreement, please refer to the link on the right. Some practice with this concept will improve your writing.

May 12 - Did you miss today's class?

If the answer is yes, then you missed the homework assignment. Please write three body paragraphs tonight. And yes, you need to write three additional paragraphs Thursday night. If you want, you could write all of the paragraphs today and give yourself a break tomorrow night. Or you could really use your time wisely and revise your paper Thursday night.

Writing takes time and writing takes practice.

Did you miss today's class?

Homework = email your opening paragraph by 8AM tomorrow.

You also have to get three papers from me.

One Last Time...

You have two short stories by one author. You need to apply two literary theories to those stories. One theory is your dominant theory and the second theory is not.

The length of this paper will be close to seven or eight pages. Page one is your introduction, pages two through five discuss the dominant theory, page six discusses the second theory, and the final page is your conclusion. Attach a corrected annotated bibliography.

If it helps, pretend that you are teaching these two short stories to a class. Which theory would you discuss with your audience? Make the decisions based on the evidence presented in the stories and in your secondary sources. After you complete that part of the assignment, consider a second theory to present to the class. Once again, you need to justify your decision by providing evidence from the stories and the secondary sources. Finally, your conclusion addresses this question: Why is the first theory the more appropriate way to analyze the stories?

Dreaded Prepositions

Mrs. Porter's List of Prepositions

Use “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to memorize them.


about, above, across, after, against, along, among,
around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside(s),
between, beyond, by, concerning, down, during, except,
for, from, in, into, near, of, off,
on, over, since, through, to, toward, under,
until, up, upon, with, within, without

There are other prepositions such as throughout, underneath, and onto, but I cannot fit them into the tune.

Prepositions are words which begin prepositional phrases.

A prepositional phrase is a group of words containing a preposition as well as a noun or a pronoun. The noun or the pronoun serves as the object of the preposition.

Example: Mrs. Porter went to the grocery store after work.


Try to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition.
Incorrect: Eric does not fit in.
Question: Eric does not fit into what?
Correct: Eric is not accepted by his peers. (Consider your choice of words.)

Incorrect: Where is the pie at?
Correct: Where is the pie?


Visit http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/preposition_quiz2.htm and use the passage from the “Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” to identify prepositional phrases.

An Important Due Date

After taking into consideration the Whale Watch Trip, the student council trip, the upcoming concert, and athletic obligations, I have set Tuesday, May 18 as the deadline for your research papers. Please note that this is a 200-point assignment, so make all the arrangements that are necessary to complete the paper and the annotated bibliography in a timely manner. There will be an automatic 10 percent deduction for a paper that is received May 19. After May 19, papers will not be accepted without a conference with one of your parents/guardians.

Annotated Bibliography

How is an annotated bibliography different from a works cited page? The change is small, but important. Primary sources are documented in the same manner as before, but secondary sources need to be analyzed and evaluated. This is simply done by using the box at the bottom of the page. Explain the type of information that is found in the secondary source and evaluate that information.

10H Research Project - Week One

Day One: Online reference material presentation in the library
Select short stories

Day Two: Annotated bibliography presentation in the library
Demonstrate proof of short story selections (5 points)
Notes on one short story (10 points)

Day Three: Gather secondary sources using online/ book references (min. = one per short story)
Period 8 is working in the library.
Period 9 is working in room 316.

Day Four: Notes on second short story due (10 points)
Continue to gather secondary sources
Period 8 is working in the library.
Period 9 is working in room 316.

Day Five: Notes on one secondary source due at the end of class (20 points)
Period 8 is working in the library.
Period 9 is working in room 316.

Weekend: Create an annotated bibliography (due Tuesday – 40 points)
Select literary theories (due Monday – 10 points – use an index card)

Once you have read a secondary source, you should create an annotation for that source. So theoretically, instead of working on your AB this upcoming Monday night, it could be completed before you leave school this Friday.

Ah, we're almost juniors....

But not yet! Please keep very close track of your assignments and your activities over the next few weeks. Judging from the school's calendar, May is very busy. Add your personal calendar to that, and oh my.

Research papers begin April 30. Your task is to look at two short stories by an author and to use literary theory to discuss those stories. For example, do you believe that it is more relevant to look at "The Lottery" in reference to history or is it more interesting to examine the text in light of feminist theory? Either argument can be justified, you just need to validate your opinion. Likewise, consider The Great Gatsby. You could apply Marxist theory or historical criticism. Pick one and back up your choice with solid evidence.

We will spend the week of May 3 either in the library or in a computer lab. Please be sure to check your planner/agenda so that you report to the right room.

Good luck on your AP exams. Let me hear about a lot of fives next fall!

Homework for the Week of April 19, 2010

The Great Gatsby

Monday: Read chapter 4
Tuesday: Read chapter 5 and study for tomorrow's quiz
Wednesday: Read chapter 6 and complete a Nicenet post
Thursday: Read chapter 7 and "Big Ideas from Big Business" by Purinton
Friday: Finish the novel over the weekend

The Great Gatsby

Welcome back! Did everyone enjoy the wonderful weather? We'll just have to pretend that we did not study Thoreau and Emerson and head outdoors if the weather stays this nice!

All kidding aside, if this school year were a mile race, you would be entering the final lap in ten yards. Work hard during the fourth marking period. Effort can make the difference between B and B+ or an A and A-. All a college admissions counselor sees is your final grade. Finish the race with an A!

As we read The Great Gatsby, figure out why this piece of literature is often referred to as the first great American novel. Why is it different from Hawthorne or Poe? What makes this piece American? You should easily be able to list five or six reasons, not just one or two.

And a friendly reminder... PAPERS ARE DUE THIS TUESDAY! You should be editing a rough draft at this point.

I'll see everyone this Monday!

Mrs. Porter

Thesis Statements

Since some of you are still a little leery of thesis statements, I attached a new link to this blog. I think that the examples and explanations are good, and they may help you to evaluate your work.

Harlem Renaissance Project

We are almost to spring break! Are you as excited as I am?

We have a few projects and papers in progress, and at this point, it's important to look at our deadlines. To begin, Nicenet posts are due this Thursday and this Saturday by midnight. Next, your Harlem Renaissance project is due next Tuesday, March 30, and your comparison/contrast paper is due Tuesday, April 13. Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar, because they are important.

As always, if you need any assistance or have any special concerns, please see me.

Compare and Contrast

Over the course of the next week you should read your second novel. Keep a running list of similar key ideas, themes, characters, situations, symbols, and so on. Keep asking yourself the following question: How are these two novels similar to one another? It might be beneficial to create a side-by-side comparison chart.

You also need to consider the books from the reverse perspective. Note contrasts, and ask yourself why those contrasts are important.

I have a conference to attend this Friday, so plan for a reading day. Make sure that your have your novel in school.

That's it for now. Look for an update next Wednesday.

Kate Chopin

Take a moment to read through the links. A new one was added this weekend.

Death to the Cliche

Are you a budding genius who is the apple of your mother's eye? Do you crave the best of all possible worlds and hope to find yourself on the top of the world? Do you work yourself to the bone and burn the midnight oil completing your assignments? On top of it all, do you mind your p's and q's? Do you bend over backward to do everything just right and then wonder why your teacher says that she wants to tear out her hair when she reads your papers? It's because you need to throw in the towel and eliminate cliches from your writing!

This week's homework:
Friday: Create a list of fifteen cliches and bring a shoebox to class.

Monday: Bury ten cliches both physically (in a shoebox) and metaphorically (in an elegy). Elegies are due this Wednesday via email by 8AM.

Wednesday: Find errors in sentences and use Owl at Purdue to review verb tense.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/22

Thursday: Find errors in sentences (handout)

February 12 through 17

The inclass writing prompt will be Friday, February 12. You may use your book and your notes.

Over the long weekend please read The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. It's quick read. Notes are a must. Pay attention to character, imagery, and theme. Expect a quiz when you return. Use Gale as a resource if you need it. The password is in your planner.

Two new terms:

Foil is a person who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of the main character's personality. Who serves as Santiago's foil?

Juxtaposition is synonymous with contrast. Consider Francis Macomber and Wilson.

Ideas to Ponder

When you read and take notes, ponder these ideas:

How does dialogue develop character?
Look at what is NOT said, but implied.
How do characters develop the themes found in the text?
What is the tone of the passage and are there shifts in tone? Why?
What images are present in the passage? How do those images contribute to your understanding of the text?
What struggles do the characters face, and how do those struggles develop the themes found in the text?
And, reflect on the title. For example, when was the short, happy life of Francis Macomber? Does it merely mean that he died at a young age or is there another meaning?

Please finish "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Monday and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Tuesday. There will be a notebook check this Monday.

Expect a writing prompt this Thursday.

Assignments for the Week of February 1

A new week equals a new topic. This time it's the writings of Ernest Hemingway. Your reading assignments are as follows:

Monday: Complete vocabulary packet

Tuesday: Pay attention to repetition and polysyndeton when you read "In Another Country." In addition, comment on the function of the machines.

Wednesday: Look at dialogue and symbols in "Hills Like White Elephants." Remember to sketch out the setting in your notebooks.

Thursday through the weekend: Consider the roles of men and women in "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." Be prepared to draw parallels to the author's life.

You will have to produce handwritten notes on each reading assignment. (5 points each)

Just Toss It Contest

This greatly anticipated event has finally arrived! What word just embarrasses you so much that it needs to be eliminated from the dictionary? Or do you despise a word that is just so overused that it has lost its effectiveness? Select your words and prepare to duel. Starting this Thursday, students will face each other and battle head to head to persuade others to eliminate their words from the dictionary.

You also need to work on the following prompt based on the beginning of Act II of The Crucible. Re-read the opening scene of Act II. Then, in a well-organized essay, discuss how the playwright uses the language of John and Elizabeth’s conversation to convey important insights into their marriage. This assignment is due Monday, and it is worth 25 points. You are limited to 2 pages.

When is my exam?

The answer:
Period 8 = Thursday, January 21
Period 9 = Friday, January 22

The Crucible

Your reading assignments for this week are as follows:

Monday: Read to page 48.
Tuesday: Read to page 72.
Wednesday: Finish Act II and study for tomorrow's quiz.
Thursday: Read Act III
Friday: Read "Are You Now Or Were You Ever?" by Arthur Miller.

Over the weekend: Finish reading the play.