Caps in the air

I love looking at the ceiling knowing that your graduation day is within your grasp. With that said, I want to remind all of you that there are still many steps to fulfill before you reach that moment.

In class we have discussed what we believe and trust, watched a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream speech," read a USA Today article with additional insight about the speech, watched a clip about the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match and read an article about how the match was rigged.  This was to get our minds thinking about how we should always question where information is coming from and whether it is reliable and valid.

We have also started working on the introduction to the Anglo-Saxon Period.  We will be starting to read Beowulf in the coming days and it is important to understand the time period in which it was written.

I also hope to get most of you registered for the SAT/ACT tests.  This is just one of the important steps to take if you are planning on applying to college/universities.

Many of you submitted your first essay to me and I will be grading them in the coming days.  If you did not submit one you have earned your first 0 in my class and that is not a good way to start the year.
Let's stay focused on the goal of graduation and make sure you complete all assignments.

Enjoy Monday, September 2nd off for Labor Day and don't forget Thursday, September 5th is a Teacher Work Day.

Open House is September 10th at 7:00pm.

Essay Assignment

Write an essay of 250 – 500 words on one of the options listed below:

1.Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2.Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.
4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you and explain that influence.
5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

You must turn in a rough and final draft on August 27 (periods 1,3,5) and August 28 (periods 2,4,6)

Requirements: *Rough draft should show editing. *Final draft must be typed, 12 point font, double spaced *Include word count under your heading (name, date, period in the right hand corner)

Welcome class of 2014!

Welcome to English IV!
You either have me for regular, College Prep or Honors (honestly to me there is not much of a difference between any of these labels).
I will be teaching you all the same benchmarks with the goal of preparing you to graduate and move onto the next stage in your life, whether that is college or the working world.
We will start off right away getting ready to take the SAT or ACT tests as well as researching potential colleges and/or universities that you would be interested in applying to. 
Deadlines are fast approaching and it is extremely important to meet those deadlines.  Otherwise you may miss out on getting into the college of your choice or scholarship money.
I look forward to having a productive and memorable year with all of you.