April 9 - 13

It's official! We have less than two months of school left before the school year is over, and you'll be seniors.  I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing break and is ready for a productive and lively 8 weeks until finals (!)  I'll go over the basic agenda for this last stretch of school on Monday.  I've been reading through it and thinking about it, and I'm excited to facilitate the discussions, debates, and group activities of these last weeks.

This week, we'll get to read and act out the very dramatic seventh chapter of The Great Gatsby, preview Kiss Me Kate (the school play), and take quiz #20.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Overview of last 8 weeks. Argument: straw man fallacy, induction and deduction definitions and examples. Begin reading and acting out Gatsby, Chapter 7.

Due:
Please finish Gatsby Chapter 5, and read Gatsby Chapter 6.
 

If you're not caught up with independent reading, take the opportunity this week to relax and read a bit. We'll be working with the books, and writing about them after break. You should be up to about page 150 - 175 at this point.  If you're reading Omnivore's Dilemma, you'll want to read more for each reading assignment. 

The goal is to have the independent reading books read by May 13. 

Homework: Finish Chapter 7 of Gatsby. 

WEDNESDAY: Kiss Me Kate play preview. Journal warm-up. Income inequality reading and discussion - read excerpts from Nickel and Dimed. Is the American Dream still within reach for the working poor? What, if anything, should a society do to fight poverty?  

Due: n/a

Homework: same as Monday.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: (Note: students whose last names are between Ko - Z in second period will be leaving class to take the CAST. Those students will receive a "n/a" as a score for the quiz - it won't help or hurt your grade.) Journal warm-up. Quiz covering Vocabulary #20, grammar, Gatsby reading.  Read and act out Chapter 8.

Due: Read the rest of Gatsby, Chapter 7.

Homework: Finish The Great Gatsby - please read the rest of Chapter 8 and Chapter 9.  Be ready to discuss the ending and your impressions of the book next week. 

Journals will be due at the end of next period, fyi.