Week at a glance March 31 - April 4, 2014

"Gatsby, what Gatsby?"

This week we will start a collaborative research project over background for F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  We will begin on Monday with a brief overview of the 1920s.  Students will have the opportunity to volunteer for the topic of their research project.  We will then move to the computer lab for the rest of the week to conduct research, collaborate with our partners, and create a presentation.

• Mon: GG Research Project - overview of the 1920s.  Generate and volunteer for topics.
• Tues: GG Research Project - meet in the computer lab to discover topics and conduct research.
• Wed: GG Research Project - meet in the computer lab to conduct research.
• Thurs: GG Research Project - meet in the computer lab to wrap up research and begin putting together the presentation.
• Fri: GG Research Project - meet in the computer lab to wrap up the presentation.

Week at a glance March 24 - 28, 2014

Welcome back from Spring Break.  This week we will wrap up our Short Story Unit.  Our final story will be Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," which we can find in our textbook.  We'll start with a Close Read over the first few pages.  We'll then make additional annotations to prepare for a Socratic Seminar on Wednesday.  On Thursday we will review for the unit exam, which we'll do on Friday.  The creative writing assignment for "The Waltz" is also due this Friday to turnitin.com.

• Mon: Short Story Unit: do a Close Read of the first pages of "The Life You Save May Be Your Own."  Finish the story on your own.
• Tues: Short Story Unit - make annotations on "The Life You Save..." to prepare for a Socratic Seminar on Wednesday.  Pass back previous study guides.
• Wed: Short Story Unit - "The Life You Save..." Socratic Seminar.  Hand in your annotations at the end of the hour.
• Thurs: Short Story Unit - review for the Unit Exam
• Fri: Short Story Unit Exam. "The Waltz" creative writing assignment due to turnitin.com by midnight.

Week at a glance March 10 - 14, 2014

This week we will continue our Short Story Unit with two more stories.  Susan Glaspell's 1917 story "A Jury of Her Peers" is a bit of a murder mystery.  Dorothy Parker's 1944 story "The Waltz" is a creative monologue done by a woman at a party.  The stories were not chosen randomly.  As we read, students should be looking for connections among the stories through characterization and theme.  In addition to a standard set of study guide questions, students will have other creative assignments to help them interact with and engage the stories.

• Mon: Short Story Unit: Begin reading and discussing "A Jury of Her Peers."  Start the double-entry notes.
• Tues: Short Story Unit: "A Jury of Her Peers."  Finish, discuss, and hand in the double-entry notes.
• Wed: Short Story Unit: "A Jury of Her Peers" - study guide due by the end of the hour.
• Thurs: Short Story Unit: Read and discuss "The Waltz."  Complete the guided reading questions for Friday.
• Fri: Short Story Unit: "The Waltz" - begin the creative writing response, due Tuesday, 3/25.

No school next week

Spring Break 

Week at a glance March 4 - 7, 2014

This week we are finally done with Arthur Miller's  Death of a Salesman.  We will begin the week in the Library Computer Lab D to type and upload a final draft of the essay to turnitin.com.  Essays not turned in to turnitin.com will not count has having been turned in until they are uploaded by the student.

From there we will move on to the start of our Short Story Unit.  The Short Story Unit is unique in that it features female protagonists written by female writers--something that unfortunately rarely happens in our curriculum.  We will start the unit with one of my personal favorite stories: Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."

• Mon: Meet in the Library Computer Lab D to type and upload a final draft of The Death of a Salesman Essay.
• Tues: Short Story Unit - begin reading and analyzing Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."
• Wed: Short Story Unit - finish reading "The Yellow Wallpaper." Read "Home Away from Home."
• Thurs: Short Story Unit - "The Yellow Wallpaper" study guide due by the end of the hour.
• Fri: No school - End of the 3rd quarter