Happy 2018!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable break and despite all of your activities, had a chance to sleep in many of the mornings. Highlights for me were going to the Nutcracker, going to San Francisco, eating my first Korean BBQ burrito, watching the new season of Black Mirror, catching up on my Atlantic subscription, and of course reading all of your journals. :-)

Here's what's on the agenda for our short week:

MONDAY: New Year's Day!  No school, unfortunately.

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY: Overview of the next 5 months in 2018.  New Year's/Benjamin Franklin-themed journal warm-up.  Receive Vocabulary/Grammar #12. Receive Paper Tigers article and begin reading it in class. Answer discussion questions, discuss in small groups.  If time, play Vocab Story Rounds.

Due: n/a

Homework: Finish reading Paper Tigers and answering the discussion questions for next class.

Study for quiz.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocabulary, grammar, and Paper Tigers reading assignment. Receive Vocab #13, study guide for final. Share Paper Tigers discussion question responses spiderweb-style.  Review Huckleberry Finn and act out Chapter 18. 

Due: Finish reading Paper Tigers and answering the discussion questions.

Homework: Read Huck Finn, through the end of Chapter 20.  

December 11-15

It's the last week of school in 2017!  Please note that journals are due in the bin by the end of the class period on Thursday/Friday. 

Optional: A couple of students have put together a fund for helping the horses that have been displaced due to the recent fires in Southern California.  If you'd like to go to their gofundme page, please click here.

Here's what's on the agenda on our last week before Winter Break:

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Collect Huckleberry Finn rafts.  Notes: definition of claim. Claim vs. fact activity. Read and act out Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 15.

Due: Huckleberry Finn Raft Project

Homework: Please read Huckleberry Finn through the end of Chapter 17 for Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints and perform an SAT-style rhetorical analysis as a class.  Discuss and debate, vote.  Outline the majority opinion in a synthesis/ACT-style outline response based on the discussion.

Due: n/a

Homework:  (Same as Monday/Tuesday)

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz. Read and act out Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 18 in class.

Due: Read Huckleberry Finn through the end of Chapter 17.

Journals are due in the bin by the end of the class period on Thursday/Friday.

Homework: Please finish the first independent reading book in the category you chose at the beginning of the year.

Please answer discussion post #4 in Turnitin.com before Wednesday, January 3. 

Have a wonderful, well-deserved Winter Break.   I look forward to seeing everyone in 2018!

December 6-10

December is here! Two more weeks until the long break.  We will continue with Huckleberry Finn, and with our argument unit. 

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Notes: line graph of possible responses to an argument prompt. Universal outline for argument essays. Read and act out Huck Finn Chapter 9, 10 if time. View "Bike Thief: What Would You Do?" video and discuss.

Due: read Chapters 6-8 of Huckleberry Finn.

Homework: Please read Huckleberry Finn Chapters 10-12 for Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints and perform an SAT-style rhetorical analysis as a class.  Discuss and debate, vote.  Outline the majority opinion in a synthesis/ACT-style outline response based on the discussion.

Due: n/a

Homework:  (Same as Monday/Tuesday)

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocabulary #10, grammar, and reading.  Read Huckleberry Finn Chapter 13 and 14 in class and act it out. Intro Huck Finn Raft Project, view samples. 

Due: Read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 10-12.

Homework:  Huck Finn Raft Project for next class.

Read another 10 pages of your Independent Reading book.

November 27 - December 1

At the end of this week, it's December already! I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. This week, we'll launch the argument writing unit and begin The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Receive vocabulary list #9.  Notes: "Civil arguments", types of evidence and examples.  Discuss the "Content Warnings" articles, group activity.  Intro: the setting, language of Huckleberry Finn.  Pick up the book from the library.

Due:  Please read and annotate these three articles about content warnings for school books (1 against written by Gen X'ers, 2 for, written by millennials), for November 20/November 21 (the first class after Thanksgiving).  Come to class with annotations and opinions and be ready to discuss.

Homework: Please read Chapters 1-3 of Huckleberry Finn for Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: (2nd period only) Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints and perform an SAT-style rhetorical analysis as a class.  Discuss and debate, vote.  Outline the majority opinion in a synthesis/ACT-style outline response based on the discussion.

Due: n/a

Homework:  (Same as Monday/Tuesday) Please read Chapters 1-3 of Huckleberry Finn for Friday.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz. Read and act out Chapters 4 and 5 of Huckleberry Finn in class.

Due: Read Chapters 1- 3 of Huckleberry Finn.

Homework: Please read Chapters 6 - 8 of Huckleberry Finn.

Thanksgiving Week

It's a short week, and we'll enjoy a roundtable discussion, city council-style, about a proposal about how to combat homelessness that was debated in the San Pedro City Council. 

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. View statistics about the homeless population in the Los Angeles area.  Read/watch opposing viewpoints about a proposal in San Pedro and then discuss it, roundtable-style.

Due: Please read another 20 pages of your independent reading book and post a response to the Independent Reading Turnitin.com Discussion Board, Post #3.  You should be up to about 180 - 200 pages in the Independent Reading Book

Homework: Please read and annotate these three articles about content warnings for school books for November 20/November 21 (the first class after Thanksgiving.  Come to class with annotations and opinions and be ready to discuss.

Read and annotate 10 pages of your Independent Reading book.

WEDNESDAY: (4th and 6th periods only) Journal warm-up - think, pair, share: getting to know classmates with personal anecdotes. Six word story creative exercise in groups with themes.   

Due: n/a

Homework: (Same as Monday/Tuesday)  Please read and annotate these three articles about content warnings for school books (1 against written by Gen X'ers, 2 for, written by millennials), for November 20/November 21 (the first class after Thanksgiving).  Come to class with annotations and opinions and be ready to discuss.

Read and annotate 10 pages of your Independent Reading book.

November 13 - 17

I hope everyone had a spectacular three-day weekend!  We finish Frederick Douglass and write the second rhetorical analysis/SAT-style essay about Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; see the details below.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Discuss the ending of Frederick Douglass. Overview of the process of writing a rhetorical analysis essay.  Write a rhetorical analysis essay analyzing Douglass' argument against slavery.

Note: you'll have just over an hour to write out the essay and it will be due at the end of the class.  It's an in-class essay, but open note and open book.  Rough outlines and notes are fine; please do not write out an entire essay that you bring with you and simply copy, either in notes or written in the book.  You'll turn in any notes along with your essay, and show me the book (if used) as you turn it in.  I'm asking that the essay be written in class so that you get practice with supports first and you're confident when you're writing the SAT and/or ACT essays.    

Due: Please finish Chapter 11 of Frederick Douglass (finish the book).  Please be sure to bring your book , notes, and/or annotations to class with you! 

Please read 20 pages of your independent reading book.

Homework: Study for the quiz on Thursday/Friday.

Please bring your independent reading book with you to class on Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: (2nd period only) Journal warm-up, vocabulary activity.  Healthy survey.
Due: n/a

Homework: Study for the quiz.

Please bring your independent reading book to class on Friday.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up.  Quiz covering vocabulary, grammar, and Frederick Douglass.  Read and annotate articles about what to do about the homeless issue in Los Angeles in preparation for a roundtable discussion/debate for Monday/Tuesday.  Reading/work time with independent reading book.

Due: Please bring independent reading book to class with you.

Homework:  Please read another 20 pages of your independent reading book and post a response to the Independent Reading Turnitin.com Discussion Board, Post #3, before next class.  You should be up to about 180 - 200 pages in the Independent Reading Book.

November 6 - 9 - Short Week

Welcome! We're officially entering the holiday season this week as we celebrate Veteran's Day this Friday with a day off.  Please note: there isn't a vocab quiz this week, Vocab #8 is for next week.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Go over Frederick Douglass, Chapters 7-9 figurative language.  Figurative language challenge winners and samples.  Begin reading Chapter 10 in class.  (Feedback from first rhetorical analysis essay, samples - 2nd period.) 

Due: Please read and annotate Chapters 7-9 of Frederick Douglass.  Bring 2 examples of the most effective figurative language from these chapters.

Homework: Please finish reading and annotating Chapter 10 for next class.

WEDNESDAY: (2nd period only) Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints and perform an SAT-style rhetorical analysis as a class.  Discuss and debate, vote.  Outline the majority opinion in a synthesis/ACT-style outline response based on the discussion.

Due: Finish reading and annotating Chapter 10 of Frederick Douglass for next class.

Homework: For Monday, please finish Chapter 11 of Frederick Douglass (finish the book).  Please be sure to bring your book and annotations to class with you!  We will write an in-class rhetorical essay that day.

Please read 20 pages of your independent reading book. 

THURSDAY: (4th and 6th only) Journal warm-up. California Heath Survey.  Punctuation/style activity. (6th period only - go over essay results for first rhetorical analysis essay.)

Due: Finish reading and annotating Chapter 10 of Frederick Douglass for next class.

Homework: For Tuesday, please finish Chapter 11 of Frederick Douglass (finish the book).  Please be sure to bring your book and annotations to class with you!  We will write an in-class rhetorical essay that day.

Please read 20 pages of your independent reading book.

FRIDAY: Veteran's Day Holiday - no school

Enjoy the three-day weekend.  See you next week!