February 28

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Outside entry

We wrapped up the logical fallacies portion of our argument and persuasion notes.

We read an excerpt from Carl Sagan's speech, "On Nuclear Disarmament," and discussed rhetorical devices and the structure of his argument.

With the remaining class time, students began working on the midterm reading reflection. We will have more class time to work tomorrow, and this assignment is due by 11:59pm Thursday.

Today's Board

February 27

IRT: 20 minutes
WNB: We calculated our reading rate for today's entry. We discussed and students wrote about different factors that influenced their reading rate.

Formula for calculating reading rate

We completed another PSAT writing multiple choice, checked our answers, and discussed frequently missed questions.

We continued working on the argument and persuasion notes. We have just a few more to finish up tomorrow.

Today's Board

February 26

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: The newspapers are full of reports about war, epidemics, terrorism, and environmental crises. Some problems are so serious that they may threaten civilization. What can be done to make the world safer?

We took care of a few housekeeping items: students were reminded to turn in the Educating Esme questions on Classroom, they handed in a scored article to add points to their lit terms test, and students who were absent Friday were told to come in after school today or tomorrow to make up the lit terms test.

I passed back "The Interlopers" short answers from last week and walked through a mark up process with students. They handed this in to have 1 answer scored.

We began taking notes over argument and persuasion. We will finish this work tomorrow.

Looking forward to meeting parents at open house tonight! Here's the brief presentation that I'll share.

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance

February 23

Students took the literary terms test today. Absent students should plan to stay after school Monday or Tuesday to make up the test.

Grades have been entered! Dig out a scored article of the week to hand in Monday for extra points.

Today's Board

Hebron's Spring Open House is Monday, 2/26, at 6:30pm. I look forward to meeting the parents of these great kids!

February 22

WNB: Outside entry

We began our day in the library.

Students completed a Google Forms quiz over commas and apostrophes (on Classroom).

With the remaining class time, students finished creating their questions for Educating Esme. We looked at a few as a group and discussed what to do when two answers appear to be "right."

Lit terms test tomorrow!

Today's Board

February 21

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "The more you get into someone else's stories, the less they become an 'other.'" - Glynn Washington (Inspired by this story from NPR.)

Students completed practice PSAT writing multiple choice questions. We discussed those that were frequently missed. We will complete another practice passage next week.

Students worked with a partner to write lit term questions about a passage. We'll finish this work tomorrow.

Today's Board

February 20

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Article of the Week - "No, there haven't been 18 school shootings in 2018" // Students read, annotated, and responded to the article in their notebooks.

I presented a quick lesson on gerunds and infinitives (also available on Classroom).

Students used the remaining class time to complete the 2 poem TWISTT work from Friday. We discussed the tone of each poem and what we would need to change if we wanted to alter the tone.

This week:
Test Friday over lit terms. Absent students should plan to stay after school Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday (2/26-28) to make up the test.

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance

February 16

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "To read a poem is to hear it with our eyes; to hear it is to see it with our ears." - Octavio Paz // How do you feel about poetry?

Students used the first 10 minutes of class to complete the work from yesterday ("The Interlopers" short answers).

Students received a test review for next week's lit terms test (scheduled for Friday, 2/23). This review is also available on Classroom.

We began our discussion of poetry with "Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild" and talked about the recent events in Florida and our own neighboring schools.

Students worked through a packet of poetry and chose 2 to analyze in more detail with their groups: "Mercy" by Rudy Francisco, "Courage" by Anne Sexton, "The Legend" by Garrett Hongo, "Knock Knock" by Daniel Beaty, and "Point B" by Sarah Kay. We will continue this work on Tuesday.

Today's Board

February 15

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: "Never underestimate the power of a kind word." We handed in this entry today.

Students read "The Interlopers" and practiced embedding quotes. A copy of the story is available on Classroom for students who need it.

Today's Board

February 14

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: In honor of Valentine's Day, we watched the short film Paperman. Students wrote reactions or general thoughts on love.

We had a mini-lesson on apostrophes with graphics provided by theoatmeal.com.

We revisited the Anderson Cooper piece and worked on properly embedding quotes into our writing. We'll have more practice with this tomorrow.

Today's Board

February 13

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Mentor sentence practice--make up in A block Wednesday, 2/14

We added one more rule to our comma notes from yesterday.

We continued working on the TWISTT chart for the excerpt from Speak.

We took notes over tone and purpose.

Today's Board

February 12

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Imagine it's 100 years in the future and an archaeologist has somehow discovered the entire contents of your digital life. What does your "digital footprint" reveal about you? If you think of your online presence as a historical artifact, what will future historians know and think about you? And how do you think the contents of your digital life match up with what you would want to be known about you? After thinking about a future person discovering your entire digital life, are there any changes you would want to make to what you do and share online?

Students learned five important comma rules and put them into practice as they edited their American Teenager assignment. We'll look at this again tomorrow.

We read the last piece of our trio of excerpts, the first few pages of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Students compared the work to the graphic novel version of the story. We'll continue this work tomorrow.

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance

February 9

I reminded students to hand in their annotated articles from yesterday.

We finished up student book talks! Today's titles: Ender's Game; Maze Runner; Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life; The Secret Hour; Turtles All the Way Down; Legend; Everlost; Of Mice and Men (1st & 4th periods); Children of Eden; Eleanor and Park; Go Ask Alice; Five People You Meet in Heaven; I Am Malala; Steelheart; The One Memory of Flora Banks; I Know What You Did Last Summer; The Fault in Our Stars; The Last Boy and Girl in the World; Dead End in Norvelt; The Great Gatsby; Silence; and Out of My Mind.

We checked the answers to the multiple choice section of the "Fall of the House of Usher" assignment, and students had time to finish the TWISTT chart and short response. Students who did not finish should complete the work at home and hand it in first thing Monday.

Today's Board

February 8

IRT: ~20 minutes
WNB: Article of the Week - "Why Don't Teens Read for Pleasure Like They Used To?" Students read and annotated the article then responded in their notebooks.

Students read an excerpt from "The Fall of the House of Usher" and answered PSAT-style multiple choice questions, completed a TWISTT chart, and wrote a brief analysis of the style of the passage.

We will resume book talks tomorrow! (Third and 4th periods had a substitute today while I attended a meeting. That should be the last time I'll miss my classes for a while!)

Today's Board

February 7

Students completed a grammar pre-assessment today. When they finished, they had time to work on the outside entry for their notebook today.

We heard about more books today: Omega Theory; The Little Alchemist; Scarlet and Ivy: The Lost Twin; Since You've Been Gone; The Mysterious Benedict Society; Matched; Crank; The House of the Scorpion; It by Alexa Chung, The Man in the Iron Mask; Shutter; The Lightning Thief; Boy 21; Holes; All American Boys; The Curiosities; Speak; and Lost December.

We continued our work with the Cooper passage from yesterday. Students completed the TWISTT chart and began analyzing how the theme is revealed through style.

Today's Board

February 6

WNB: Choose one to respond to in your notebook: "A stumble may prevent a fall" or "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

Students were reminded to turn in the American Teenager assignment on Classroom.

I passed back scored rubrics for the One Pager assignment. Students who have questions about this grade should see me during A block Wednesday. I also passed back scored rubrics to students who completed book talks yesterday.

Students continued sharing favorite books. Today's titles: It; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Out of My Mind; Cinder (twice today: 1st and 4th periods!); The Sun Is Also a Star; Origin; The Martian Chronicles; Everything, Everything; The Merciless; Night; UnWholly; Nerve; The Killing Zone; Throne of Glass; My Life Next Door; and Six of Crows. 

We took notes over the TWISTT literary analysis strategy, and students received a packet of literary terms. We read and began discussing an excerpt from Anderson Cooper's Dispatches from the Edge. We will continue this work tomorrow!

Today's Board

February 5

WNB: Select an abstract noun (fear, love, betrayal, joy, anger, or hope) and explain how it applies to your book talk book. Be sure to include the title and author of the book along with a quote that supports your choice.

Students began book talks today and shared titles that they enjoyed during summer reading. Today's titles: We All Looked Up; The Odyssey graphic novel; Fellowship of the Ring; None of the Above; Voice in the Wind; Hamlet; Story; The Game; Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock; Wonder; Forgetting; Delirium; Note to Self; The Face on the Milk Carton; Red Queen; Deep and Dark and Dangerous; This Is Where It Ends; and All the Bright Places.

We looked at the American Teenager assignment rubric together to be sure we covered everything. I walked through the steps to add the MLA-formatted heading to the document. Students should turn it in on Classroom before class begins tomorrow! (Instructions posted in the comments there if you need them.)

Today's Board

Week-at-a-Glance

February 2

I'm attending a wedding out of town this weekend, so students have a substitute today. Here's the agenda they followed (also posted on Classroom).

Today's Agenda

February 1

I am collaborating with other English II teachers today, so students have a substitute. Here's the agenda they received (also posted on Classroom).

The online version of the "Chinese Scientists" article has pictures and video!

Today's Agenda