2021

Assignments due for the week of March 22nd, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Some of you are completely up-to-date with our speeches and have no new one due for next week. If you have not done your extemporaneous news article speech, please have it ready to present next Monday. (If you need to review the directions for any past speech, please refer to past assignments given at the bottom of this page.) Each student should be done with all of our shorter speeches so that we can begin working on our three big assignments—Informative, Demonstration, and Persuasive. For next week, brainstorm for a topic for your Informative speech. Please come to class with page 41 in your notebook completed. Follow the directions on the page as we went over them in class today. I will meet with each student individually next week to help you narrow your top three choices to the one that will work best for your speech. I want everyone to have a topic chosen BEFORE spring break. We will avoid duplicate topics and maybe save some choices for one of our other speeches. Let me know if you have any questions about completing page 41.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great discussion and review today! You did a great job in the Jeopardy review game and in analyzing some of the events and themes in the book. We will finish a final quick review game before we take our test in class next week. I will also give you your new study guide for our next book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We will go over the background for the novel which takes place in the 1930’s in the South in America. Our last two novels will be by American authors. You will need to have a copy of the book by the time we return from spring break on April 5. If you are not traveling, you can start the book over spring break when you have extra time. Our first quiz on the book will be on Monday, April 12.

Since you have no new reading to do, please complete the following pages in your Literary Terms notebook: Story Within a Story (pages 94 & 95), Stream of Consciousness (pages 96-98), Surprise Endings (pages 99 & 100), and Suspense (pages 101-103).

Watch the following quick review of two key symbols in The Count of Monte Cristo.

No-Spin Economics

We did a quick review game before our quiz on the U.S. coins and currency. Then we reviewed for our quiz on Crash Courses #3 and #5. Watch Crash Course #6 and fill out the handout you were given in class today.

Next week before spring break, we will have a test on Crash Course Economics videos #1-#6. We will go over the handout you were given and then review with a game all six videos before we take the test. You can study your handouts for each video or watch the previous videos by going to past assignments at the bottom of this page. There will be no assignment over your break.

Adventures in American Literature

Fantastic observations as we played Jeopardy to review The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! We went over the remaining questions in the study guide before you took the test.

You were given a study guide for our test on the frontier hero, tall tales, and the various authors we have studied before we began Huckleberry Finn. The study guide sheet has everything you need to review for the test. The authors and their works are given in a matching section, so you just have to identify the work by each author. Also, the literary terms and their definitions are in a matching section. Refer to your Literary Terms sheet for the exact definitions to study.

We will be reading several short stories by different authors after spring break. Please begin by reading “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte.

Complete pages 128 and 129 in your notebook about this story and its characters.

You will have no homework over your spring break.

Previous Assignments:

March 16, 2021March 16, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 03/15/2021

Assignments due for the week of March 15th, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

We have now finished all of our manuscript speeches. What a nice variety of topics and speakers presented! We began our Introduction speeches and will finish them next week. Remember, to project to your audience and not to READ your speech to us. Just talk to us and use notes as needed.

Next week, we will do our last extemporaneous speech before we begin our major speeches. (Informative, Demonstration, and Persuasive) In preparation for our major speeches to come, this one should be at least three minutes. Find a news article that interests you and share it with the class. Give the title and then tell us the main points of the story. You may find a human interest story or a major news event for the week. (international, national, or local) Use newspapers, magazines, or online news websites. (Fox News, CNN, Kalamazoo Gazette, wwmt.com, etc.) Use note cards of some kind, but DON’T read the article to us!! You should have the major points in your notes. (You might also want to write down any dates or statistics you want to remember.) Just tell us the story in order to maintain eye contact and a conversational tone with your audience. Many of you are “soft-spoken”, so continue to work on increasing your volume!! 🙂

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great job on trying to portray one of the many characters in The Count of Monte Cristo by means of Charades!! You did a great job acting them out and also guessing the characters! We will continue to explain much of the details in the final chapters of the book as well as review the events and characters by participating in two competitive games. We will have our final test at the beginning of class on March 22. You will have a chance to get your new study guide before spring break. Finish any reading you have not yet completed in the novel.

For next week, work on the following pages in your Literary Terms Notebook as we continue to finish it before the end of the year. Pun (pages 86-88), Rhetorical Question (pages 89-91), and Satire, Parody, and Farce (pages 92 & 93).

Watch the following video to briefly explain and illustrate the term satire.

No-Spin Economics

We had a fascinating examination of the U.S. currency today and noted the many ways our government has tried to prevent counterfeiting. Microprinting and security threads are just part of the efforts. Next week, we will have our quiz on coins and currency. Study the handout you were given two weeks ago, the sheet on the dollar bill, and the sheet from today on the $100 bill. The quiz will be both matching and True and False, Watch the following videos about the making of our bills to conclude our study from today.

We will also finish going over the handout from Crash Course Economics #5 (Macroeconomics) before we have a quiz on #3 and #5. (Go to the bottom of this page and check the assignments for last week if you’d like to review those videos.)

Lastly, read Chapters 5 and 6 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? We will talk about these chapters in class.

Adventures in American Literature

Great job in piecing together the lessons the author taught us in the final chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We will have our final test next week after we play a competitive game review! Review the characters and events for next week as well as your past quizzes. Watch the following videos to review themes, symbols, motifs, etc. from this novel.

Characters

Symbols

Motifs

Themes

Since you have finished your reading, please take time to watch and process these brief discussions to learn more about Twain’s ideas.

Previous Assignments:

March 9, 2021March 9, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 03/08/2021

Assignments due for the week of March 8th, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Great start on our Manuscript speeches. We will finish them next week as well as do our next short Extemporaneous speech. Prepare a 1-2 minute “Introduction” speech for our next class. You may introduce a friend, family member, political figure, sports hero, movie hero, historical character, fictional character, Biblical character, etc. Welcome him/her to our class, give a list of his/her qualifications and experiences, some biographical information, and then introduce the person by name to the class. You may use notes (preferably note cards or a half-sheet of paper), but do NOT merely READ the introduction to us. Make it as conversational as possible and talk to and look at your audience. 🙂 Continue to work on volume and vocal variety and have fun with this!!

Quick Looks at Great Books

Finish your reading of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 91-105 in your study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 64-71
Unabridged version — Chapters 104-117

Enjoy the completion of this fantastic book and the resolution of many complicated situations. We can continue to be amazed as to how this author could possibly create such intriguing plot twists!! We will begin discussing the many themes that Dumas intended to convey. Be prepared to discuss any surprises you may have had as you completed your reading.

No-Spin Economics

We finished our examination of the obverse side of the one dollar bill and went over the handout for Crash Course Economics #4 before we took the quiz. Next, we we will have a quiz on Crash Course Economics videos #3 and #5. We will definitely finish going over the sheet of notes BEFORE we take the quiz. (Crash Course #5)

You can review these two videos at the following links.

DON’T FORGET TO BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO CLASS NEXT WEEK TO EXAMINE IN DEPTH OUR PAPER CURRENCY!!

Adventures in American Literature

Complete your reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by reading Chapters 30-43. The adventures continue in a big way, and the plot is resolved in the end. This is not only a fun adventure story but also an educational journey for Huck as he learns to form his own opinions despite what society has told him. Also, finish your study guide questions. We will finish going over all of them as we continue our discussion.

Previous Assignments:

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 03/01/2021

Assignments due for the week of March 1st, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Nice start on your first speech given to the class! You all tried to incorporate many points that we discussed in class. We will make up the rest of these memorization speeches next week and will continue with our manuscript speeches. Keep working on volume and project to the back of the class!! 🙂

Prepare the manuscript speech that you chose from the list in class. Please locate the speech online as soon as possible and let me know if you have any problems. Research the background for your selected speech and deliver it with the passion the original author intended! (Don’t forget to email me if you choose to change your speech or choose one of your own and give me your title and speaker.) Please mark your “script” as we discussed in class today to help you with your delivery. (Refer to page 36 in your notebook for help in preparing your speech.) Concentrate particularly on inflection, articulation, (speaking clearly) and eye contact. If you have chosen a longer speech, edit and condense it so that it is around 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes. Remember, you should not SOUND like you are reading the speech! 🙂

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 83-90 in your study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 54-63
Unabridged version — Chapters 82-103

The plot thickens against the Count’s enemies, but he must also face a serious challenge. Be ready for some real “Gasp” moments!!

No-Spin Economics

What an interesting study of our coins today and of the history behind them!! We will finish our study and observation of the dollar bill next week and “tie up” some other loose ends.

Next week we will have a quiz on Crash Course Economics #4 (Supply and Demand) Today you were given the handout for that video. Watch the video at the following link. We will go over the worksheet BEFORE you take the quiz.

Watch the following Crash Course video and complete the handout you were given today in class.

Adventures in American Literature

Interesting adventures as Huck and Jim continue their journey down the Mississippi River! Please keep up with the reading each week so that we can talk about the events and their implications. For next week, read Chapters 19-29 and answer questions 48-68. The adventures continue as they travel through Arkansas and Mississippi.

Watch the following scene when Huck disguised himself as a girl.

Previous Assignments:

February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 02/22/2021

Assignments due for the week of February 22nd, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

We finished many of our interviews today and learned even more about our classmates!! We discussed the four types of speeches we will be doing this semester and how and why they are used. (We completed page 35 in your notebook.) For next week, prepare an example of a memorization speech. You may choose a toast or tribute (for a wedding, banquet, birthday, graduation, or anniversary) to honor a friend, sibling, teammate, relative, etc. You will need to write out what you plan to say and then memorize it. (You can write it on page 37 in your notebook or on another sheet of paper.) Plan to turn in a copy of your speech to me before you speak. It should be at least one minute.

Identify the occasion, your relationship to the person, and a few opening remarks to the couple or person. Then list some personal examples of good qualities of the honoree and how that will serve him/her well in the future. You might also or instead tell some humorous events that the two of you shared in the past that would be entertaining to the audience. Congratulate the person again as you close! Don’t forget to practice aloud and time yourself so that you are speaking for one minute.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 77-82 in your study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 42-53
Unabridged version — Chapters 63-81

Watch for more new characters, combined with an ever-increasingly complicated plot! New relationships abound!!

No-Spin Economics

Great discussion today on supply and demand, a key concept in the study of economics! Watch the following link to Crash Course Economics #4. Since I forgot to give you the handout to complete, I will give it to you next week, and we will complete it together in class. Since it is on “supply and demand”, it will reinforce what you have already read about it.

Also, we will have a quiz on Chapters 3 and 4 from Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (Now you know the answer to the title question!)

ALSO DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO CLASS NEXT WEEK TO EXAMINE COINS AND A DOLLAR BILL. You will enjoy the study!!

Adventures in American Literature

Great beginning discussion of one of American literature’s greatest novels!! It is representative of life in Missouri in the early 1800’s. Twain is definitely basing this on his experiences growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. I think you will enjoy and engage with the story of his adventures as it unfolds. For next week, read Chapters 11-18 and answer questions 27-47. We will still go over the rest of the questions on Chapters 1-10 that we did not get to today.

Previous Assignments:

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 02/15/2021

Assignments due for the week of February 15th, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Such enjoyable interviews today!! I loved learning more about each of you who was interviewed! We will finish the other half next week, continue our unit on “Listening”, and study the four basic types of speeches. We will prepare to do our first speech the following week.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 51-76 in your study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 28-41
Unabridged version — Chapters 36-62

Watch for new settings and new characters in this next “episode”.

Watch this short video of information about Carnival celebrations in Venice, Italy. This is the new center of elaborate festivals, just as Rome was in The Count of Monte Cristo. Disguise played a big part in the fate of the characters you are reading about!

No-Spin Economics

Great illustration of the practice of free trade in our economy today! Remember that trade always benefits everyone involved!! Next week, we will have our first quiz on the notes from The Law and also the notes from Crash Course video #1 and Chapters 1 and 2 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? You should have notes in your notebook to study for each of these.

For next week, also read Chapters 3 and 4 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Complete the handouts you were given in class for these chapters and also for Crash Course video #3.

Watch Crash Course Economics #3 at this link:

Watch the following short video to review an important concept for our quiz next week.

Adventures in American Literature

After reading and discussing some of Mark Twain’s writings, we are ready to begin his most famous novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Read Chapters 1-10 and answer questions 1-26 in your new study guide. Bring any questions you have about your reading to class, and we will answer them before we take a quiz on these chapters. You had a “taste” of the adventures of these Missouri boys in your reading from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer today. I think you will really enjoy Twain’s telling of this story!

Previous Assignments:

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 02/08/2021

Assignments due for the week of February 8th, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Critical listening is crucial! To help you realize techniques that others may be using to persuade you, go over page 12 in your notebook to review the strategies. Choose three advertisements from TV, radio, or internet to illustrate three of your choices from page 12. (This week is a good time to choose from some of the most unique ads from the Super Bowl!) Be prepared to turn in your choices by listing the ad, explaining what it was about and what it was “selling”, and listing the strategy that was used.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 19-50 in your study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 13-27
Unabridged version — Chapters 16-35

Be prepared for an unraveling plot, suspense, and surprises in this section, along with new characters introduced!!

Watch the following video to see the Chateau d’If as it is today.

Please watch this video AFTER you have read this week’s assignment.

No-Spin Economics

Read Chapters 1 and 2 of Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Complete the notes sheets you were given in class to use to review for future quizzes and tests. Watch Crash Course Economics #2—Specialization and Trade at the following link and answer the questions on the handout you were given.

We will finish discussing your incentives (perverse and good) for littering and also see what you came up with for spending in the national government if you cut other budgets.

Adventures in American Literature

Read the poems of Civil War poet Walt Whitman on pages 105-111, answering questions given and following any other instructions. Next, begin to familiarize yourself with the works of Mark Twain by reading “The Story of the Bad Little Boy” and answering questions on pages 114-116. Read Chapter 2 (an excerpt from his novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on pages 118-120. Answer the questions on page 121. For Part B, just put the maxim in a sentence using your own words. Lastly, read “A Burlesque Biography” on pages 122 and 123 and his Diaries from Adam and Eve on pages 125-128. Don’t forget to find a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain by next week.

Previous Assignments:

February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 02/01/2021

Assignments due for the week of February 1st, 2021

Practical Public Speaking

Great job going over the true meaning of communication and in defining and illustrating the uses of nonverbal language. We have no assigned homework for next week. We will continue working through your notebook pages. (Don’t forget to have the “text” that you were given with you next week.)

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great game review of Cyrano de Bergerac today!

Begin reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 1-18 in your new study guide.

Abridged version — Chapters 1-12
Unabridged version — Chapters 1-15

Be prepared to begin an intriguing adventure of exciting plot twists and captivating characters!!

No-Spin Economics

Hopefully, you will see your “Economic IQ” improve over this semester! 🙂 We will start our study by watching a summary of Frederick Bastiat’s The Law. Watch the following video and fill out the handout of notes you were given in class.

Also watch the following introductory video of Crash Course Economics and answer the questions on the handout you were given.

Come to class ready to discuss these videos and have your questions answered!

Adventures in American Literature

In your notebook, read the poems of the “Fireside Poets” on pages 92-96. Answer the corresponding questions on pages 96 and 97. Read the poem Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote for his thirtieth college reunion on page 97 and answer the questions on page 98. Lastly, on pages 100-104 read the excerpts from a play and works of Emily Dickinson, an unusual young lady from Amherst, Massachusetts.

Watch this information and background of the “Fireside Poets”:

Previous Assignments:

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 01/25/2021

Assignments due for the week of January 25th, 2021

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We had our last class of the semester today with a final review of the test formats and subject matter. There is no homework unless you have not turned in your writing plan or any other tests you might be missing for the semester. You will receive an email when your transcript for this semester is ready. I’m looking forward to seeing almost all of you next week for our new class. I will provide you a “textbook” for Public Speaking, and all you need is a three-ring binder to hold the pages. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you better this next semester as we have fun with learning the art of public speaking!!

Quick Looks at Great Books

Review all of Edmond Rostand’s play for our final test next week. We will finish our discussion and review all the characters and events with a competitive game.

In your Literary Terms notebook, complete the following terms: Hyperbole (pages 4 & 5), Genre (pages 66-69), Irony (pages 69-71), Mood & Tone (pages 74-76), and Plot (pages 81-82). Bring your terms notebook to class with you.

Watch this concluding scene from Cyrano de Bergerac.

U.S. Government

Fantastic job on our review game today!! I know you did well on your final exam! There is no homework this week as we will start our Economics class next Monday, January 25. All you need to have is a three-ring binder to hold the notes and handouts I will give you over the upcoming weeks.

Adventures in American Literature

In your American literature notebook, read the chapter from Herman Melville’s Redburn on pages 79-82. Then answer the questions on page 83. On pages 86 & 87, read the excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” and answer the questions on page 88 analyzing it. Then read William Cullen Bryant’s poem “Thanatopsis” on pages 89 & 90. Answer the questions explaining this poem on page 91.

If you would like to listen to Bryant’s poem while you read it, watch this video:

If you were one of the six who were assigned a short story by Poe or Hawthorne to tell us, don’t forget to read it online and email me with any questions.

Previous Assignments:

January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 litalive

Assignments for 01/18/2021

Assignments due for the week of January 18th, 2021

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Great game review today on all the basics and strategies of the PSAT, SAT, and ACT tests. We also discussed the “must-do’s” to prepare for the actual day of the tests. I will let you know if you are still missing any work, and we will do a final review next week in class.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Read Acts IV and V in Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. We discussed the first three acts and worked on the study guide together, identifying the Grand Gestures in each act and also each attack on Cyrano’s nose in Act I. Be prepared for the second quiz on the final acts of the play.

Watch the following scenes from your reading:

U.S. Government

Your responses to the same questions we did on the first day of class did not disappoint!! I think you really have the basics down!! What a close competition!! Review for our final exam next week by studying your past quizzes and tests. We will do another game review for the exam before we take it class next week.

Adventures in American Literature

On page 73 in your notebook, choose three of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s aphorisms and explain their meaning and application. Read his famous essay, “Self-Reliance”, on page 75 and answer the corresponding questions on page 76. On page 77, do the same thing for Henry David Thoreau. Choose three of the “lessons” he learned from his stay on Walden Pond. Explain what he meant by them below each statement.

Read “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Answer the questions on page 85.

Watch this video on Henry David Thoreau.