4th Honors American Lit Assignments

As most of you should have heard, your teachers are providing an extra assignment for students to complete purely as an opportunity to replace a low grade on a previous assignment. This assignment will only replace a grade; it will not go into the grade book as a separate assignment.

Your assignment is a modified Benchmark-like test. It should not take you longer than 30 minutes. Please set a goal to do your best, and make sure that your work is your own.

Best of luck! This is due no later than 3p.m. on Friday, May 8th. This is a hard deadline because we have to finalize grades.

Hello, everyone!


Provided that you are currently passing my class, this will be the final thing I ask you to do for this academic year. This activity is ungraded; it is intended to be an opportunity for you to share what you liked and did not like about my class so that I can take your feedback to make my class better for future students.

It’s your turn to tell me what you think about my teaching, my classroom, and American Literature. Do not fear; I want you to be respectfully honest. Your honest answers help me improve. Twenty years into this career, I have learned much – and one of the most significant lessons I have learned is that I can and should always strive to be better.

I take your feedback seriously, so please think about your responses.

Open the attached Google Form. Complete the Student Survey. Your feedback is very valuable to me as I look to the summer and plan for next year. The survey is not a graded assignment.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last week the 2019-2020 school year for most of you, and it is bittersweet for me. I am happy for you that this strange year is ending and you have the chance to move on, but I am sad that I was robbed of the best months of the school year with some of my most favorite classes ever.

I am impressed with those of you who have pushed through and continued to give effort to your school work. Doing so speaks volumes about your commitment to education. It also strongly reflects your character. Many (even most!) of you reached out to me in some way during the shelter-in-place to say hello, to ask questions, to check on me (I wish I had a heart emoji here on my keyboard that I could include here in Google Classroom), to share a joke or a funny story, or to let me know of the challenges you are facing. My sincere thanks to each and every one of you for staying in touch with me.

You are a special group of kids, and I am a better teacher because you were each in my classroom.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tasks:
1. Open the attached Google Doc containing the poem "Walking Away" by Cell Day-Lewis. Read the poem and complete the chart encouraging you to analyze for theme. It is a sweet poem about one of the challenges of a parent/child relationship. In a way, it made me think of my students as they leave my class and continue to take steps into their own bright futures. :)
2. Please submit your poem analysis by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.

This is a repeat of the post I put up on Monday. If you did not complete your work for the week already, you can compile your work and post it to this assignment. If you did complete your 4 activities already, then you have nothing else to do for me this week! :). I have received some great pictures and videos featuring my students already this week; they have brought me great joy. I look forward to seeing the wonderful things you post for me!

Hi, everyone! I decided to hand you the steering wheel, metaphorically speaking, for this week's work, and this should be fun (or as fun as you are willing to make it). You have the opportunity to pick and choose which assignments interest you. You also have a GREAT opportunity to improve your class grade with these fun and meaningful activities!

Tasks:
1. Open the attached chart (Week 7 Choice Board) and read over the activities listed. :)
2. You will pick one (1) activity per category (1 Reading, 1 Writing, 1 Speaking and Listening, and 1 Contribution) to complete, for a total of four activities for the week. Most of the activities will take just a few minutes while a few might take 20 minutes or so.
3. Do your work on a Google Doc. Please make it clear which 4 activities you have selected for the week. You may embed your photos and links to your videos on the document.
4. The assignments in the Writing category will be scored as writing grades, so make sure that your work reflects the significance of the weight of the assignment.
5. The other three category scores will be combined into one score in the Tests/Major Assignments category.
6. Submit your work to Google Classroom. You may submit some or all of the work to this assignment by Tuesday. I will create an identical post on Wednesday. You may submit any remaining work to that assignment by Thursday.

Note: There are hyperlinks in the attached Week 7 Choice Board chart. In case those links do not work, you will find the respective documents and videos below. :)

Hi, everyone! I decided to hand you the steering wheel, metaphorically speaking, for this week's work, and this should be fun (or as fun as you are willing to make it). You have the opportunity to pick and choose which assignments interest you. You also have a GREAT opportunity to improve your class grade with these fun and meaningful activities!

Tasks:
1. Open the attached chart (Week 7 Choice Board) and read over the activities listed. :)
2. You will pick one (1) activity per category (1 Reading, 1 Writing, 1 Speaking and Listening, and 1 Contribution) to complete, for a total of four activities for the week. Most of the activities will take just a few minutes while a few might take 20 minutes or so.
3. Do your work on a Google Doc. Please make it clear which 4 activities you have selected for the week. You may embed your photos and links to your videos on the document.
4. The assignments in the Writing category will be scored as writing grades, so make sure that your work reflects the significance of the weight of the assignment.
5. The other three category scores will be combined into one score in the Tests/Major Assignments category.
6. Submit your work to Google Classroom. You may submit some or all of the work to this assignment by Tuesday. I will create an identical post on Wednesday. You may submit any remaining work to that assignment by Thursday.

Note: There are hyperlinks in the attached Week 7 Choice Board chart. In case those links do not work, you will find the respective documents and videos below. :)

Friday, 24 April 2020

Hello, everyone! Your Language Arts Benchmark is attached. Be smart; do your own work. This exam should not take longer than 30 minutes or so. There are two Gatsby passages and two poems you have already seen; nonetheless, set yourself up to do well on the questions by reading to recall prior knowledge.

Instructions:
1. Read each passage.
2. HIGHLIGHT your answers directly on the document.
3. Please highlight the entire answer rather than simply the letter.
4. Submit your completed exam to this assignment today.

Thought of the Day:
“Have the maturity to know sometimes silence is more powerful than having the last word.” -Thelma Davis

Random Fact of the Day:
About 75% of all volcanoes are underwater.

Tasks:
Yesterday, you read an article for comprehension. Today and tomorrow, you are going to analyze for language and purpose. This assignment is due by the endow the day on Thursday.

Reminder: Rhetoric is the effective use of language - usually to inform or to persuade.

1. Open the Google Doc that you created yesterday. Create a table like the one on the attached document, with a column for rhetorical devices, a column for examples from your article, and a column for explanation. (You may be able to just cut and paste mine into your own document; just delete what I have typed and fill in your own information.)
2. Identify the name of any four rhetorical devices used in your news article. List each in the first row of your chart, followed by the quoted example of each device from your article. To help you identify the devices in your article, I have attached a list of devices and definitions below for you.
3. Select any two devices from your chart to further analyze in the explantations column. Answer these two questions:
*Why did the author choose to use each device?
*How does each device contribute to a reader's understanding of the article?

Remember that all of our work this week is intended to review analysis skills and help you prepare for next week's Benchmark.

Today is April Fool's Day. However, I cannot compete with the strangeness that this year has doled out to us already, so no tricks from me, kids.

Today is also National One Cent Day. It's all about the pennies!

Task:
Yesterday, I posted the requirements for the Gatsby project for you to preview. I have posted them again, below, with some updates, so please refer to the attached finalized requirements as you complete your project. You have today, tomorrow, and Friday to work on your project, although most of you should be able to submit excellent quality work tomorrow if you work diligently.

In short, you are going to do the following:
1. Review each chapter. For each chapter, try to determine a series of overarching themes, actions, symbols, strong characters, and/or images that truly stand out to you. It is best if you have several ideas for each chapter so that it then becomes easier for you to complete the next step.
2. For each chapter, choose a song that you feel strongly connects to one of the elements you identified in number 1. Copy and paste the lyrics into your document. Make sure you mention the title and artist of each song. 3. Highlight the words and phrases in the lyrics that helped you make a connection between the book and the song.
4. Specifically explain the connection between your song and the text in 3 well-developed sentences.
5. Use MLA formatting on a Google Doc. Feel free to add related images to make the project unique and personal. Also, keep your choices to yourself.. This project should be entirely your own doing.

You will end up with a project identifying and explaining nine songs that you feel make a strong connection in some way to the themes, actions, symbols, characters, attitudes, history, and/or images of The Great Gatsby.

Your completed project is due here by Friday at 11:59 p.m.

Thought of the Day:
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” -Les Brown

Random Fact of the Day:
Every continent has a city called Rome, except Antarctica.

Tasks:
1. Finish reading and annotating chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby. (It is SO good!)
2. Respond to the review questions on the attached document.
3. Submit completed responses to this assignment.
4. Review my thoughts about chapter 6. I wish I could have talked to you face-to-face about these 2 chapters as you were reading...(sigh)
5. Let's have a Zoom meet up tomorrow so that I can see your face and so that you can ask me questions. I will send invitations in the morning, and you may choose to Zoom at 10:00 OR 1:00. Be kind to me: I have never done this before.

(Your response to today's question AND your engagement in virtual discussion with at least one other student are your only assignments today. You have until 11:59 tonight to complete both components, and I am taking this as a grade. Given the nature of the assignment, I expect you to convince me that you have engaged in thoughtful, comprehensive reading of the text so far.)

In order to give full credit, I am looking for the following:
1. A thoughtful, text-based response to the question. Because of the depth of the question you will likely not be able to answer in a sentence or two.
2. Evidence from the text (and parenthetical citation) to support your response. Use your book for mandatory evidence to support your response, and be sure to cite the page(s) where you get your evidence.
3. A thoughtful response to at least one other student. You may respectfully disagree with another student and then provide your reasoning, or you may agree with a student and then add additional layers of meaning to his or her response. You may not, however, simply agree with a student and then paraphrase what that student has already stated.

Submit your response by clicking the "Turn In" button in the upper right of your screen, then view other students' posts in order to respond.

Respond to the question before you begin reading chapter 6.

In order to give full credit, I am looking for the following:
1. A thoughtful, text-based response to the question. Because of the depth of the question you will likely not be able to answer in a sentence or two.
2. Evidence from the text (and parenthetical citation) to support your response. Use your book for mandatory evidence to support your response, and be sure to cite the page(s) where you get your evidence.
3. A thoughtful response to at least one other student. You may respectfully disagree with another student and then provide your reasoning, or you may agree with a student and then add additional layers of meaning to his or her response. You may not, however, simply agree with a student and then paraphrase what that student has already stated.

Submit your response by clicking the "Turn In" button in the upper right of your screen, then view other students' posts in order to respond.

Friday, 21 February 2020

Thought of the Day:
“How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking.”
-David Joseph Schwartz

Random Fact of the Day:
Giraffe hooves are the size of dinner plates.

Tasks:
1. Register for my class on USATestPrep
a. ID Number: buford75
b. Student Code: stu1119
c. (If you have an account already, skip this step and go on to the next.). If you have to register for a new
account, please use your Buford log-in (FirstInitialLastNameStudentNumber) as your user name, and use
your Buford e mail address, as well.
d. Click "Join A Class" and search for my name, then search for your class and class period (Honors
American Literature 2nd period, for example)
e. Your class password is wolves2.
f. PLEASE BE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED FOR THE CORRECT CLASS AND PERIOD!!!!!
2. That is all you will do with USATestPrep today. :)
3. Go to your Google writing folder and complete the attached writing workshop Checklist for each of the
constructed responses responses you have done in class (you should have two).
LEAVE THE COMPLETED FORMS IN YOUR WRITING FOLDER.
4. Based on your completed self-assessment, choose ONE constructed response to revise and submit to
Google Classroom (today's post is set up as an assignment).
5. As time permits, continue working on your web quest. It is due in class on Monday.

Your Webquest and your Revised Constructed Response are due to Google Classroom by 11:59 tonight.

Please follow the steps below to submit work due today:
1. Submit your completed Webquest to this assignment.
2. Submit your completed Constructed Response Revision to FRIDAY'S (2/21) assignment on Google Classroom.

Friday, 10 January 2020
Thought of the Day:
“The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.” -Dr. Richard Moss
Random Fact of the Day:
Some ants make themselves explode when attacked.

Learning Targets:
-To analyze poems for meaning, purpose, and historical relevancy
-To encourage students to take risks as they analyze independently before receiving guidance from me.

Tasks:
Bellringer: Submit your homework to Google Classroom. Be prepared to discuss your responses.
1. Journal: Who do you think values success to a greater extent, the person who is successful, or the person who has tried, but has never been successful?
2. Share responses
3. Read and discuss “Success is Counted Sweetest,” by Emily Dickinson.
4. Watch Dickinson introductory video.
5. Read Dickinson’s, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.”
6. Complete the discussion questions; review as a class.

Standards:
RL1-4, 6, 7, 9
W7, 9
SL1

Learning Targets:
*Analyze a student-selected poem according to TPCASTT guidelines
*Collaborate with a partner

Student Tasks:
TPCASTT your chosen poem using the TPCASTT template posted below.
You may either make a copy of the template and type your responses directly into the form, or you can simply create a new Google Doc for your TPCASTT.

This portion of your project must be submitted to this assignment no later than Sunday by 4p.m., and it will be graded as a 25 point writing assignment. Do not wait until Sunday to submit if you finish today, please.

*Make sure your analysis is in-depth and mature.
*Be certain that both partner's names are on the document.

As time permits, you may work on the other components of your project.

Standards:
ELAGSE11
RL 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
W 5, 9
SL 1
L 3, 4, 5

Before submitting your final draft, please review the attached narrative rubric to self-assess your work. Then, have another student review your work for feedback according to the rubric. Make any necewssary changes, then upload your final draft here.