Upcoming Events

This week you will take the quiz on the SAT Q-T Words so make sure you study.

We will continue with Alice in Wonderland.  Make sure you have obtained your duotang folder and have your notes and chapter summaries in it.  There could be a random check this week.

I would like us to conduct our own tea party on February 12th.  We will need the following items:

1. Cups

2. Plates

3. Tea (regular or flavored) It needs to be the kind that comes in individual bags.

4. Sugar (for the tea)

5. Cookies

6. Crackers and jam

Let's celebrate everyone's "unbirthday" that day. :)

The hallway decorations have gone up, but we need to finish them to really make Wonderland come alive.  If you want to help let me know.

By Wednesday you need to pick two poems from the following website -- http://theotherpages.org/poems/blake02.html

One poem must be from the Innocence section and one must be from the Experience section.

Beginning Alice in Wonderland

Please refer to the following link until you obtain your own copy of the book:
www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-table.html

Make sure you are keeping up with your sentence summary and deeper meaning of each chapter. Remember that Alice in Wonderland is an allegory so you should always be reading and trying to find the symbolic meaning.

I want to be done with all the hallway decorations by Thursday so that we can decorate the hallway by Friday at the latest. If you have creative ideas please share them with me so we can make the hall as Wonderland-like as possible.

Grades for this week:
1. Wonderland Character
2. Novel check
3. Introduction quiz on notes
4. SAT Question of the Day

We will be completing our Q-T sentences this week, which means next week will be the quiz so make sure you are reviewing your definitions.

Begin Reading Alice in Wonderland

As we read each chapter you need to write a one sentence summary for the events that take place. Below your sentence summary you will write down the lesson or deeper meaning of what is happening. For example:

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole
Summary - In the chapter Alice is...
Lesson/Deeper meaning - In the chapter we can learn...

You will do this for every chapter as we read and keep it in your Alice duotang folder.

**Reminders:
1. The third nine weeks starts on Monday so everyone starts with a blank slate. If you haven't done well the first half of the year now is your chance to change things around.
2. SAT Question of the Day will start again next week.
3. Review your Carroll's Wonderland notes for the quiz.
4. Make sure to bring in your copy of the novel.
5. Don't forget your Wonderland character homework.

Creating Characters for Wonderland

You will be turning yourself into a Wonderland character. Here are the components you must complete:
1. Give your character a name (be creative, rearrange the letters in your name, invent a name, etc.)
2. Create a creature -- you can draw your creature or print something out or cut and paste different parts together to create your creature. Your creature can be real or make believe (i.e. a cat, dog or a cat/dog)
3. Give a short description of your creature -- How does your creature reflect you as a person? For example, you are shy and reserved or loud and outgoing.

Remember to do this assignment on regular paper or printer paper because after I check it you will place it in your duotang folder for Alice in Wonderland.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Reminder: Friday from 9:00-10:00 we will be decorating the hallway to create our own Wonderland.

Midterms are over and the 2nd nine weeks is coming to an end

Remember there is no school on Monday, January 18th in observance of Martin Luther King.

Next week, on Channel 41 at 6pm Evelyn Castro will be competing in a local American Idol type show. Please support her by voting for her.

We will begin our introduction to Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll this coming week.
We will also start our next set of SAT Words Q-T. Here are those words so that you may define them and bring your definitions to class:

Quandary
Querulous
Query
Quiescence
Quintessential
Recant
Reciprocate
Regale
Rendezvous
Rudimentary
Sacrilege
Sagacious
Satiate
Sedentary
Solace
Taciturn
Tirade
Travesty
Trepidation
Turpitude

If you need to make-up either the essay or multiple choice section of the midterm Thursday, January 21st is the last day to do so.

**Make sure you have your copy of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll by Monday, January 25th. I will be checking and giving points for it. You can check the book out from a library, download it onto your phone, purchase a new or used copy, etc.

**You also need to obtain a duotang folder with pockets to create an Alice in Wonderland portfolio with all of the notes and activities we do. I will be checking it for a grade as we progress through the novel.

Looking ahead to the 3rd and 4th nine weeks, if you sign-up and take the SAT or ACT I will give you extra credit in the class once you have shown proof of registration. Remember the sooner you take it the better so that if you need to improve your score for your college applications you have time to do so.

Week of January 4-8 and upcoming Midterm schedule

Now that the first week back from the break is over most of you are back into the swing of things.
1. We watched "A Doll's House" based on the Henrik Ibsen play. We discussed some similarities and differences it had with The Awakening.
You turned in six examples of how the characters related to each other along with a letter to one of the characters. (worth 10 points)

Important Midterm schedule:
Wednesday, January 13th 2 &4 period exams
Thursday, January 14th 1 & 5 period exams
Friday, January 15th 3 & 6 period exams

We will be reviewing the class before so as an example, Monday I will review with my 4th period class for their exam on Wednesday.
The exam will consist of 50 questions dealing with Literary Terms, Native/Colonial American Unit, The Awakening novel, SAT Vocabulary, and Grammar Review.

I will also be closing my gradebook this coming week so any last minute make-up work needs to be turned in. No excuses.

A Doll's House Assignment

For the letter to one of the character's from "A Doll's House" please make sure you have the following:
1. Address one of the characters (i.e. Dear Nora or Dear Torvald)
2. Write them one page of what you think of their situation. Do you agree or disagree with what is happening to them? Make connections to The Awakening novel if possible. Be specific and use examples from the movie.
3. Conclude your letter (i.e. Sincerely or Fondly yours)

The letter does not have to be typed and if you want to do it on the back of your chart where you wrote down your six examples that is fine.

Also, don't forget your New Year's Resolutions or quotes!

New Year 2010 songs