Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Get background / context on "Flappers" and hair-bobbing in the 1920s (see me)
2. Small groups: discuss and find textual evidence for 5 of the 9 questions on this sheet: "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Discussion Questions
3. Share out and discuss as a whole class
4. Reminders about the Author Selection Journal entries that are due on Thursday: These should be polished, revised, edited, and well written. Entries with easily correctable errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar will not earn high scores. In addition to clear, correct writing, the content should be of high quality.

Homework due Thursday, Oct. 1: Author Selection Journal entries (13 total are due)

Friday, September 25, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Get annotation instructions for "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (due Tuesday, Sept. 29)
2. Small groups discuss "Paul's Case" and collect textual evidence 
3. During group discussion, I checked on the progress of your Author Selection Journal
4. Groups share out / whole class discussion
5. Read literary criticism of "Paul's Case" and discuss

HOMEWORK for Tuesday, September 29: Read and annotate "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

REMINDER: all 13 Author Selection Journals are due on Thursday, October 1.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Get instructions for annotating "Paul's Case" (due Friday, September 25)
2. Reconvene small groups and finish discussion of "Bartleby"
3. Groups discuss "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

REMINDER: I will be checking on your progress on the Author Selection Journals on Friday. You should have 6-7 entries by Friday, Sept. 25

For Friday, read "Paul's Case" and annotate it (see link above)

Monday, September 21, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Small groups from last class reconvene and finish our small group and whole class discussion of "Young Goodman Brown"
2. Read short interpretation of "YGB" and discuss
3. Small groups discuss and record responses to questions about "Bartleby"

Homework due Wednesday, Sept. 23: Read and annotate "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (see last post for links.)

For Friday, September 25: Read and annotate "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather (in Great American Short Stories)

REMINDER: I will be checking on your progress on the Author Selection Journal on Friday, September 25. You should have (and bring to class) at least half of the journal entries completed (6-7 entries)

Thursday, September 17, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Free-Write: what do you think "Young Goodman Brown" is about? What is the message?
2. Share free-write with a neighbor
3. Get instructions for annotating "Bartleby" (due Monday, Sept. 21)
4. Get copy of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and the annotation instructions for this story (due Wednesday, Sept. 23)
5. Small groups respond to discussion questions on "Young Goodman Brown"
6. Listen to and read lyrics for "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones and draw connections between this song and "YGB"

HOMEWORK: due Monday, 9/21: Read "Bartleby" and annotate it

                          due Wednesday, 9/23: read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and annotate it.

                          due Friday, 9/25: Read "Paul's Case" and annotate it

                          due Tuesday, 9/29: Read "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and annotate it

Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Small Groups reconvene and finish up the SOAPS activity on "Those Irritating Verbs-as-Nouns." 
2. Pair-share the homework (assignments on pages 26 and 28 of The Language of Composition.)
3. Review concepts from chapter one (ethos, pathos, logos, and the rhetorical triangle)
4. Hand in homework
5. Short story / Author project assigned. Individually read the assignment sheet and then turn and talk to your classmate about what the assignment asks for. Debrief and clarify as a class.
6. Begin reading "Young Goodman Brown"

Homework due Thursday, Sept. 17: read and text-mark "Young Goodman Brown" (see the assignment above) and write a journal entry on this story.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2015
Today's agenda:

1. Phase 2 of the Author Project is handed out and discussed/clarified.  This is the list of authors and novels to choose from. You need to buy the book Great American Short Stories for $5 in the student store by Tuesday, Sept. 15
2. Read "Those Irritating Verbs-as-Nouns" and take notes/mark the essay for SOAPS elements
3. Small groups complete the SOAPS chart together / share with class

Homework for Tuesday, Sept. 15: Read pages 12-34 in The Language of Composition and complete assignments on pages 26 and 28.


On Wednesday, September 9, we shared out information on authors in the "Speed-Dating" activity.

Friday, Sept. 4, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Free-Write: Reflect on how school is going so far
2. Share out one thing from free-write
3. Small groups: share homework and choose 1-2 people to share their cartoon assignment with the class
4. Representatives share their cartoon assignments on the overhead with class / discuss
5. Review these concepts from the homework: Rhetoric, Rhetorical Triangle, Ethos/Pathos/Logos, and discuss these concepts in relation to the Laptop article from earlier in the week.

Reminder: Author project ("speed-dating") research is due on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Make sure to bring your research notes to class!

Wednesday, Sept.2, 2015
Today's Agenda:

1. Free-Write on Laptops article (see previous post for this assignment)
2. Share out Free-Write
3. Get textbooks
4. Directions for assignment out of the textbook The Language of Composition.  Read pages 1-12 in The Language of Composition and complete the assignments on pages 9 and 12. Make sure to bring to class a copy of your political cartoon for the assignment on page 12.
5. Small groups share the homework on the Laptops article and choose one person from each group to read their response to question #5 to the whole class

DUE FRIDAY, SEPT 4: Read pages 1-12 in The Language of Composition and complete the assignments on pages 9 and 12.