March 5 - 9, Supreme Court Week!

Thank you for your hard work last class on the rough drafts of the "women in the draft" essay. I am reading them and giving feedback, and we'll pick them back up next week.

This week, you'll research and present information about landmark Supreme Court cases, analyzing the language used to justify majority and minority opinions. You will work together in groups (with an individual assignment for each person).  In addition to satisfying standards for 11th grade informational reading, these Supreme Court cases are high quality examples that can be used to support positions in relevant argument and synthesis essays.

NOTE: Due to the WASC visit this week, there will be a Tuesday late start schedule, and Wednesday regular bell schedule.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Overview of Supreme Court Project. Divide into groups, choose cases. Work with your group on laptops to research and discuss your case, and your individual written assignment in class. 

Due: Research basic facts about the U.S. Supreme Court.

Homework: Finish typing up your individual portion of the written Supreme Court case project. Bring a hard copy of the final draft, either neatly written or typed, to class on Thursday/Friday. 

 

WEDNESDAY (no late start): Journal warm-up. Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints about whether or not college athletes should be paid. Discuss and debate, vote. As a whole class, 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.  Supreme Court Case group presentations. Turn in hard copy of individual written Supreme Court assignment. Take notes on other presentations. Take open-note quiz about the cases afterwards.

Due: Hard copy (paper copy) of the final draft of the Supreme Court Project, either neatly written or typed.

Homework: Study vocab #17 for next week's quiz.

Read 25 pages of your independent reading book, up to at least page 115.
 

February 26 - March 2

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up.  Draw cards to find out which side of the debate you'll be arguing for (defend or challenge). Structured gender debate: should women be required to sign up for Selective Service (the draft) the same way that men do at age eighteen?

Due: Structured Gender Debate Prep Worksheet

Homework: Think about the debate and discussion, and prepare to write an essay taking a position (defend, challenge, or qualify) on Thursday/Friday. How did you do? What were the best examples and evidence supporting each side? Did you hear any logical fallacies during the debate? Do you personally agree, disagree, or agree/disagree with qualifications?


WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints. 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. Go through the steps of writing an argument essay. Write an outline and type a draft of an argument essay using the same prompt. Upload to turnitin.com.

Due: draft of argument essay uploaded to Turnitin.com by the end of the period.

Homework: 25 pages of independent reading book, (up to at least page 85). 

February 20 - 23

This is a very short week for us in English, due to the President's Day holiday and Junior Guidance Sessions. There will be no quiz this week.

The class will look at the latest debates about gender and then will begin researching evidence and examples for a formal debate next week.  The topic is whether women should be required to sign up for Selective Services (the draft), like all eighteen year-old American males do.

MONDAY: President's Day holiday.  Enjoy!

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY: All classes will come to English class for attendance, turn in homework, then go to the library for Junior Guidance Sessions.

Due: Outline response to argument prompt about disobedience and rebellion.

Read 20 pages of your independent reading book, up to approximately page 45-50.

Homework: n/a

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Latest debates about gender. How to find evidence and examples from quality sources. Last part of class: laptops to research evidence and examples for debate about the draft.

Due: n/a

Homework: Please complete the Honors Gender Debate Worksheet and bring it with you next class. You will turn this in for credit and will use these during the formal debate next week. If you're having trouble finding credible sources, check out this reference sheet.

Read 10 pages of your independent reading book. 

February 12 - 16

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether or not you have romance in your life right now  - I didn't at your age, unless you count secret, painful, unrequited crushes - I hope you feel loved and supported. We will celebrate Valentine's Day with a little candy and something from an American poet, in addition to continuing the argument unit, and the reading and discussions about gender.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Valentine's Day poem. Discuss assigned reading as pairs, then with the whole group. "I Want a Wife" reading, analysis. Notes: fallacies in arguments (next 3). Small group challenge with the fallacies.

Due: Read and annotate "Professions for Women" (challenging) and "There is No Unmarked Woman," from the Gender Packet.

Read the next 10 pages of your independent reading book (up to page 25). 

Homework: Please read and annotate "A Challenge for Girls Today: Moving Beyond How Do I Look?" page 24-29 in the Gender Packet. Think about your own personal experiences and experiences with friends and family.

Study for the quiz on Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Look at some of the complex reasons that might help explain the gender pay gap. Explore some possible solutions put forth in the U.S. and other countries. Read article about negotiating pay, group activity with wording for negotiating a salary offer.

Due: n/a

Homework: (same as Monday) Please read and annotate "A Challenge for Girls Today: Moving Beyond How Do I Look?" page 24-29 in the Gender Packet. Think about your own personal experiences and experiences with friends and family.

Study for the quiz.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocab 16, grammar, fallacies, reading. Female body images in popular culture over time, depictions in current popular media - video and links, whole class discussion.

Due: Please read and annotate "A Challenge for Girls Today: Moving Beyond How Do I Look?" page 24-29 in the Gender Packet. 

Please leave journals in the bin at the end of the period for points. Be sure you've either answered all of the warm-up questions, or marked the date and "absent" for each day. 

Homework: Please read another 20 pages in your independent reading book. 

For next class, please write an outline (not the whole essay) to answer the following prompt. When brainstorming evidence and examples for your position, go for quality and variety if possible.  I handed out a piece of paper with this prompt in class, but writing it on a separate piece of paper is fine:

In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.”

 

Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. Use appropriate examples from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument. 

 

Enjoy the three-day weekend!

February 5 - 9

We'll continue with the Gender Unit and Argument this week. I really enjoyed hearing the discussions that came out of our first two activities and the article.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Collect questions from "Why Johnny Won't Read" and discuss.  Share examples/evidence to support the thesis provided last class, organize them into effective argument outlines. View other classes' responses to the ideal man/ideal woman exercise. View Marlboro Man picture: how can a picture make an argument? Notes: first 3 fallacies.Small group activity with fallacies.

Due: Read "Why Johnny Won't Read," page 6 of the Gender Unit packet.

Complete the questions on the half sheet, (not the questions in the actual packet). 

Read the first 15 pages of your independent reading book. 

Homework: For Thursday/Friday: Read and annotate "Putting Down the Gun" (pages 4-5 in the packet), and "Just Walk on By" (pages 8,9, and 10).  Read the questions at the end of each article; I am not collecting these, but come to class with your own opinions about them for our discussions.

WEDNESDAY: (4th and 6th periods only) Journal warm-up. Look at some of the complex reasons that might help explain the gender pay gap. Explore some possible solutions put forth in the U.S. and other countries.  Read article about negotiating pay, group activity with wording of negotiation.

Due: n/a

Homework: For Friday, please read "Putting Down the Gun" (pages 4-5 in the packet), and "Just Walk on By" (pages 8,9, and 10.  Read the questions at the end; I am not collecting these, but come to class with your own opinions about them for our discussions. 

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocab #15, grammar, assigned reading. Go through ACT-style prompt as a whole class: scoring criteria, allocation of time, reading and annotating a prompt, brainstorming and outlining.

Due: Read and annotate "Putting Down the Gun" (pages 4-5 in the packet), and "Just Walk on By" (pages 8,9, and 10).  Read the questions at the end of each article; I am not collecting these, but come to class with your own opinions about them for our discussions.

Homework: For next class, read and annotate "Professions for Women" and "There is No Unmarked Woman," from the Gender Packet.

Read the next 10 pages of your independent reading book (up to page 30). 

January 29 - February 2

At the end of this week, it will already be February!

I'm looking forward to getting back into the Argument Unit and beginning to write and practice in this style. I really believe that being able to craft a good argument based on evidence and examples relevant to an audience will help you beyond English class, no matter what you eventually choose to do. And, of course it will help those that are writing the ACT essay.

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Read Huckleberry Finn, Chapter the Last (page 292 until the end of the book). Review of Argument Unit basics - types of evidence and examples.

Due: Read Huckleberry Finn though the end of Chapter 29.

Bring a copy of the second semester independent reading book (La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. for the American Man category). If you have any problems obtaining a copy of the book, send me an e-mail or let me know. I have some spare copies of the books I can lend.

Read the first page of the second semester independent reading book.

Homework: Please complete the "Huck Finn for and Against" assignment for Thursday/Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Journal warm-up. Current event day - read and annotate two opposing viewpoints. 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 Vocab #14, grammar, and Huckleberry Finn reading through Chapter 29 and Chapter the Last. Intro to Gender unit: ideal man/woman exercise, read "Being a Man," Group activity: building an argument with evidence and examples. 

Due: "Huckleberry Finn For and Against "assignment.

Homework:  Read "Why Johnny Won't Read," page 6 of the Gender Unit packet.

Complete the questions on the half sheet, (not the questions in the actual packet).

Please read 15 pages from your independent reading book.

January 22-26

It's second semester! I'm working on grading Part II of all of the finals and am going as quickly as I can while still giving them all a good read.

Second semester brings the argument unit with students writing arguments and synthesis papers, a gender and a science and nature unit, The Great Gatsby, acting out A Raisin in the Sun, and the final narrative unit where students will write a good draft of their college essay or a research paper exploring a specific job title. It's hard to believe there's about four and a half months until you're all seniors!

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

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Go over the answers to Part I of the final. Reading from Huckleberry Finn. Go to the College and Career Center for a walk-through of Naviance and some general information about the ACT and SAT exams.

Due: Please attempt to log into Naviance. If you can't get in and/or don't have a working account, please e-mail me at mogilefskya@pvpusd.net with your name and preferred e-mail address. (I sent you an e-mail this weekend with this request.)

Homework: Please read Huckleberry Finn through the end of Chapter 26 (page 180 in the library version).

Please get a copy of the second independent reading book and bring to class next week.


WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Receive vocabulary list for next week's quiz, (no quiz this week). Pass out Part II of the final. Read and act out Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn group activity.

Due: Huckleberry Finn, through the end of Chapter 26.

Homework: Huckleberry Finn, through the end of Chapter 29 for next class.

Please bring a copy of the next independent reading book to the next class, and read the description on the cover and the first page. 

FRIDAY:  No school for students - teacher/staff training day.