Assignments due for the week of October 4th, 2021
PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep
No homework this week!!! We had a timed (60 minute) Reading Test today to practice in class. I know the students did well on the practice sections we went over, so I think they will do a nice job on the actual test as well. Next week, we will start preparing for the Writing and Language test. We will review all the finer points of grammar and especially the rules most often missed. It should be a great time for all of them to brush up on some basic grammar rules they may have forgotten.
Explorations in British Literature
We reviewed the story of Beowulf, the Welsh poems they read for today, and anything else relating to the Anglo-Saxon Age. We then took our first quiz and moved on to the days of chivalry and the legends of King Arthur. Some of the students have an oral report on this period for next week. This is not a written assignment to be handed in, but rather an oral presentation to the rest of the class. They will just remain seated and tell us about the subject they looked up. They will research one topic but learn about many more from others. Let me know if you have any questions about your topic or how to find it. The rest of the students will give us an oral report leading up to the Elizabethan Age.
In your literature notebook, read pages 20-22 (“A Parody of Knighthood”) and be able to describe how T.H. White parodies (makes fun of) the behavior of a knight. Read the excerpt from Sir Thomas Mallory’s La Morte d’Arthur (The Death of Arthur). This was written in the 1400s about how King Arthur died. Compare that with the account in The Once and Future King, which was written about 500 years later. (pages 28 and 29) Answer the questions comparing the two accounts on page 29. As always, let me know if you have any trouble at all.
U.S. Government
Great discussion and points of view from the students in class today!! We will have our first quiz next week over Lessons One and Two and on the sheet I gave them on the three branches of our government. (There are details they need to know on the Legislative Branch.) We talked about the founding fathers and the Constitutional Convention today, and hopefully everyone now knows about the big role Gouveneur Morris played in all these events! He definitely had more words than most of the attendees at the convention!
We will continue with more information next week on the Constitution (all seven articles) and on the 27 amendments, including the Bill of Rights. For next week, complete pages 14-16 in Lesson Three. We will cover this and prepare for a quiz on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Let me know if you have any questions at all. I look forward to applying the history we learn to our current events!
LESSON 4 CROSSWORD ANSWERS (page 13)
ACROSS DOWN
1. Liquor 2. Income
4. Black 3. Women
5. Congress 4. Bails
9. Criminal 5. Civil
11. Religion 6. Eighteen
12. Soldiers 7. Trial
8. Warrants
10. Arms
Watch the following brief video explaining and reviewing the Bill of Rights.
Quick Looks at Great Books
Today we reviewed once more the historical pages in their study guides and took a quiz on the information. Then we discussed the first six chapters of the book and the characters that were introduced. They got a sampling of the writing of Charles Dickens as he wrote all of his novels originally — for serial publication. (chapters each month in a magazine) We also watched BBC’s great version of the book so that they could picture the characters that they had met. We will continue with that next week as well.
For our next class, each student should read Book 2 — Chapters 1-9. This takes place in London five years later. Very interesting to see the changes in the characters!! Also, try to answer questions 15-31 in the study guide (pages 42-44) That will help you to know if you are getting the details from your reading. This is a great story with fascinating, rich characters that I look forward to going over with you!!