Author: litalive

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Assignments for 04/27/2020

Assignments due for the week of April 27th, 2020

Debate

Nice job finishing up the one-on-one debates from last week. Next week will be our first major team debate. Even though you had time with your team in class, you will probably need to make contact by email or phone as you continue your preparations this week. Research people should be particularly prepared with statistics and points to use in the crossfire as well as being thoroughly prepared to challenge the opposing side. Let team members know how you change your presentation to see if they have other suggestions for you. Please try to improve specifically on the areas we discussed in class. Remember that the key goal in debate is PERSUASION. Use your information as well as your inflection, eye contact, and passion to convince the judges to vote for your side of the topic. Present yourself as fully convinced! 🙂

Explorations in British Literature

Your mom will receive the multiple choice quiz on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Make sure you take it and return it to me by next week.

Read “The Adventures of the Blue Carbuncle” about Sherlock Holmes and be prepared for discussion and a quiz next week.

Read the excerpt from H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds on pages 157-159 and answer the four questions.

Read T.S. Eliot’s poem “Cats” on page 160. Be prepared to discuss your observations of the cats and their unique names.

Watch the following clip from the Broadway musical “Cats” based on Eliot’s poem.


Watch a few minutes of an example of a song from “Cats”.

Don’t forget to email me your original limerick by next Monday so that our illustrators can do their job! 🙂

Here are more of Lear’s works for examples.

No-Spin Economics

Don’t forget to take the quiz over this week’s assignment and return it to me. (Quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 7-9 and Crash Course Economics # 7)

For our next class read Chapter 13 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Watch Crash Course Economics videos #10 & #11.

Watch for an email with the handouts for videos #10 and #11 and also study notes for the chapters in your book.

Crash Course Economics #10

Crash Course Economics #11

Quick Looks at Great Books

Your moms will receive the final quiz for To Kill a Mockingbird. Please return it to me before next week’s class.

For review for our final test, complete the Chronolog on page 16 of your study guide.

In your Literary Terms notebook, make sure you have completed terms 1-13 and terms 19-40. I will check your notebook, and I will continue to review these pages with you in class.

We will review for our test on To Kill a Mockingbird with a game review next week in our Zoom class and finish our discussion of the author’s themes and motif.

Watch these videos from the book’s concluding chapters:

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Assignments for 04/20/2020

Assignments due for the week of April 20th, 2020

Debate

Great job today adapting to new situations as we did our first one-on-one debates online! Thanks to the moms who helped us and gave great pointers. The goal is to learn from the evaluations and to apply them in the next debate. We will finish these debates next week and meet with your teams to finish preparation for the debate on whether or not the U.S. should continue minting the penny. (Debate on Monday, April 27) Be sure to email your part (Constructive, Summary, or Final Focus) to your team members before next week. Researchers, don’t forget to give pointers to the speakers with any new points or stories you may have found. Don’t forget to email me your opinions on the winners of today’s debates.

Explorations in British Literature

Review the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from the sheets you were given. Complete the study guide of his life and return it to me by next Monday. Read “The Red-Headed League” about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Complete the study guide on this story that you will receive by email before our class next Monday. You may refer to the story to answer the questions.

Watch the following video about the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes.

No-Spin Economics

After next week’s class, we will have a quiz on Crash Course Economics video #7 and Chapters 7-9 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

For next week watch Crash Course Economics videos #7 and #9 and read Chapters 10-12 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Complete the worksheet that you received by email for each one.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Complete your reading of To Kill a Mockingbird by finishing Chapters 15-31 and answering the study guide questions corresponding with those chapters.

Wash these scenes to “illustrate” your reading.

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Assignments for 04/13/2020

Assignments due for the week of April 13th, 2020

Debate

Enjoy the next week without having a major assignment due!! We will meet in class via Zoom on Monday, April 13. Be prepared for your one-on-one debate to be given online that day. We will have judges present to help decide which person was most persuasive on each of the teams. We will select each in random order, and a toss of the coin will give you, as the winner, the choice of going first or second. After each presenter has given his constructive (approximately 4 minutes), there will be a 3 minute crossfire between the two. You were also assigned a “side” in our next debate as well as a position on that team: first constructive, second constructive, summary, final focus, or research. Research your side and also the points for your presentation so that you can go over them with your team on the 13th.

Explorations in British Literature

Read the poem “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll that we discussed in class.

Watch this version of “Jabberwocky” by the Muppets!

Watch these limericks by Edward Lear:

Watch this excerpt from the musical The Pirates of Penzance. W.S. Gilbert was a master of satire and nonsense. He wrote the lyrics for light operas and is another example of Victorian humor.

Great response to the online class today. Thanks!

No-Spin Economics

Loved seeing 100% of the class online today! Thanks for your patience with my computer dying!! I will keep it plugged in all day from now on! I will send your moms the test on Crash Course Economics videos 1-6. Just make sure I get it back by April 13 when we meet again.

Take a look at the U.S. debt in real time. Look at how fast it is changing (by the second!) Also see that because of the new $2 trillion package, the debt is ahead of the GDP total!

Watch the following video just to comprehend how much a trillion really is. We will get some other great verbal descriptions as we continue in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Quick Looks at Great Books

Read Chapters 1-14 in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and answer questions 1-34 in your study guide. We will discuss the characters and the events when we meet online on April 13th.

Watch this brief scene so that you can get a “visual” for the children you are reading about.

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Assignments for 03/30/2020

Assignments due for the week of March 30th, 2020

Debate

If you have a debate partner now, as well as a topic, make sure you complete the constructive (approximately 4 minutes) for your one-on-one debate. (See the assignment from last week for more specific instructions.) When you have it done, email it to me. We will put these on hold for now and will do them online if our time away from the classroom is extended. We will invite an audience to help us judge the winners. I realize that many of you did not get your topic until later in the week, so if you can finish it this next week, that would be great.

For our next major debate with two teams, we will be debating whether or not the United States should continue to mint the penny. I would like all of you to research both sides of this issue. Next week, I will divide you into two teams, each one debating one side of this issue. You will be able to find lots of information and opinions on this topic. Start gathering info on both sides. That way you will know where your opposing team will be headed. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

Explorations in British Literature

You will be receiving two videos to review for our final test on Oliver Twist. I will be sending Quiz #4 to a parent to give to you first. Then make sure you watch the review videos which would have been done in our class time. After that, you will be ready to take the final test, which I will send to your mom as well. If you could send the quiz and the test back to me by next Tuesday (March 31), that would be great. (Scan the documents back to me, take a picture and email them, or use the free app “Clear Scanner” which takes a picture and emails it as a PDF—if you do not have to have the capability to scan). The review videos you were given last week will also help you see the symbolism in the novel and the significance of the major characters and themes. Here is another commentary on the themes:

As always, please email me if you have any questions at all.

No-Spin Economics

Thank you so much for sending your quizzes to me. If you have not done this yet, please send them this week. Thanks to all of you who joined us on Zoom today. It was great to be able to interact with you and hear your opinions of what is going on currently in our economy! Next week, we will have a test on Crash Course Economic videos 1-6. We will do a game review to cover all the main principles in these videos. Also, read Chapters 8 and 9 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Don’t forget that you already have notes for your notebook for Chapters 7-9 in your book. It’s amazing how so much of the material in the videos and in the book are more pertinent today than even when they were written!! Here is a copy of the last video (#6). You can review the others by going to the past assignments at the bottom of this page. You also have the handout notes for each of these six videos.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Don’t forget to send me the final test for The Count of Monte Cristo as soon as you have taken it. This week, read pages 18-26 in your study guide to familiarize yourself even more with the setting and background of the novel. Make sure you watched the PowerPoint from last week on Harper Lee and the historical background of To Kill a Mockingbird. I will send a quiz on this material to your parent. Please return the completed quiz to me by Tuesday of next week. (March 31) We will spend the next two weeks reading the novel and discussing the characters and events.

Watch this brief video of Harper Lee’s friendship with Truman Capote:

Watch this brief summary of Harper Lee’s life to help you prepare for the quiz:

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Assignments for 03/23/2020

Assignments due for the week of March 23rd, 2020

Debate

Be sure to email me by midnight Tuesday (March 17) with your top three choices for the one-on-one debates. (Check your email!) I will get back to you by midnight on Thursday with your assigned selection. Assignments will be made on a first-response basis. (You do NOT have to wait until midnight on Tuesday to give me your choices!) 🙂

Once you know your selection, prepare a 4 minute constructive supporting your view of the subject. Make sure you state specific points and back them up with evidence. You should also research the opposing side so that you will know how to answer points and questions in the crossfire. These will be “mini- debates” with a full four minute constructive for each person and then a three minute crossfire between the two of you. You may write out and time your presentation but don’t forget to review it well so that you can use eye contact and voice inflection to persuade your audience. Please email me with any questions you may have.

Explorations in British Literature

Hopefully, you have finished your reading of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and answered your study guide questions.

Please email me with any questions you may have had in completing your study guide.

After you have finished the book, watch the following video to review the main characters.

Watch the following brief discussion of the symbols in the novel.

Here is the BBC Oliver Twist movie we have been watching in class if you would like to see the rest of it.

Review the characters and plot for our final test. Read pages 138-141 in your British literature notebook and answer the four questions about the life of Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

No-Spin Economics

I will be sending your two quizzes to your parents for you to take sometime this week. (one on the new $100 bill and one on the U.S. coins and currency) For this week, read Chapter 7 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? I will send in an email the handouts for Chapters 7-9, which you will use for the next two weeks.

Also watch Crash Course Economics #6 (Productivity and Growth)

In an email, you will be sent the handout to fill out for this video and a guide to study for the quiz.

Quick Looks at Great Books

I will be sending an email with a recorded review of The Count of Monte Cristo for our final test. After you have watched the review, a parent will administer our final test for you. Please feel free to email with any questions you may have before you take the test.

You will be receiving the study guide for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In preparation for reading the book, this week we will be focusing on the historical background for the novel. (1930’s in the South–Alabama) Watch the following powerpoint to become more familiar with what that era was really like.

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Assignments for 03/16/2020

Assignments due for the week of March 16th, 2020

Debate

Great job on your first experience with a public forum debate! I think you have a better idea of how to prepare and present. We will do some practice “games” next week as well as choose topics and partners for a “one-on-one” debate on Monday, March 23. To give you more experience with the Public Forum format, watch at least 20 minutes anywhere in the following video of an actual high school debate.

Explorations in British Literature

Finish the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens by completing Chapters 41-53 and answering the corresponding questions in your study guide. We will watch some remaining scenes from the BBC movie and begin to review the entire book.

No-Spin Economics

We will have two quizzes in class next week—one on the new $100 bill and one on our study of the U.S. coins and currency. Study the handouts you were given to prepare for these two quizzes. Also, plan to make up any quizzes you have missed in the past two weeks. (Crash Course videos #3 and #5.) Make sure you have completed your reading of Chapters 5 and 6 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great job completing one of the best novels ever!! 🙂 We will continue to discuss and review before our final test on the book next week. (Monday, March 16) If needed, review the events and characters for the test. In your Liteary Terms notebook, complete the following sections: Onomatopoeia (pages 31-33), Parallelism (pages 34-36) Dialect (pages 57-59), Local Color (pages 72-73), and Mood and Tone (pages 74-76).

Watch the following short video song to reinforce the use of onomatopoeia and give some word examples:

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Assignments for 03/09/2020

Assignments due for the week of March 9th, 2020

Debate

Your first official debate will be in class on March 9. Make contact with each other as a group to finalize each of the prepared speeches. (1st Constructive, 2nd Constructive, Summary, and Final Focus) The remaining team members should be prepared with research for your side as well as the opposing side. Plan when you will use your time-outs and be prepared to let team members signal you when they feel they need time to discuss points and rebuttals. (Each team will have two minutes of “time-outs” to use any time after the first constructive and before the Final Focus. You can use one minute, two minutes, or 30 seconds at a time.) Your job is to persuade the judges to agree with your position.

Listen to the following “rapid speech” debate and plan to speak in a personal, convincing, conversational way to your judges! This video is NOT our goal for persuading your judges!

Speed debaters spew serious policy points video on YouTube

Explorations in British Literature

Continue your reading of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Read Chapters 28-40 and answer the corresponding questions in your study guide. You will have many new characters introduced, but most will play significant roles as the plot unfolds!

Watch the following brief scene of Oliver’s outburst with Noah Claypole.

No-Spin Economics

Read Chapters 5 and 6 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Be prepared to discuss them in class. I will give you handouts from each chapter as well. There are important principles in these chapters. The wage-price spiral will be explained simply for you. Also, don’t forget to be aware of what happens on “Super Tuesday” (March 3) and bring your evaluation to class to share! DON’T FORGET YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS NEXT WEEK. YOU WILL NEED IT TO EXAMINE THE NEW $100 BILL.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Enjoy the completion of The Count of Monte Cristo 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!! Finish the remaining study guide questions, and we will begin discussing the many themes Dumas intended to convey. Be prepared to discuss any surprises you had as you completed your reading.


Abridged version — Chapters 64-71
Unabridged version — Chapters 104-117
Study guide questions 91-105

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Assignments for 03/02/2020

Assignments due for the week of March 2nd, 2020

Debate

Nice job presenting your “commercials” in class today! Make contact with your entire group by email during this week. Make sure each person knows his/her assigned role in the upcoming debate.

If you are the First or Second Constructive, prepare (and time) a four-minute presentation to share with your team next week. The team should weigh in with suggestions so that you can revise and rewrite before the debate day on Monday, March 9. The Summary person should prepare a two-minute presentation for review by the entire team. (Review your strongest points and make an appeal to the judges for your position.) The Final Focus debater should include an illustration or emotional appeal as the last effort to persuade the judges! (1-2 minutes) The one or two other debaters should be researching the other side’s positions as well as extra material to share with the team.

Explorations in British Literature

Continue your reading of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Read Chapters 15-27 and answer the corresponding questions in your study guide. You will meet more new characters and see other characters’ lives continue, as well as many returning from the past!

No-Spin Economics

Great job remembering your magnifying glasses today! You really needed them to find the microprinting on the bills we examined today. Next week we will have a quiz on Crash Course Economics videos #3 and # 5. Watch video # 5 on Macroeconomics and complete the study sheet you were given. Both videos are below so that you can review #3 as well as go over #5. We will review both in class before the quiz.

We will catch up on some past points and plan to examine the new $100 bill the following week, Monday, March 9.

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!!!

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Assignments for 02/24/2020

Assignments due for the week of February 24th, 2020

Debate

Be prepared to present your 30 second commercials next week illustrating the logical fallacies you were assigned. Begin your research for the historical debate concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Bring all your research to class to contribute to your group.

Research options:

  1.  Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. The Warren Commission report, the “magic bullet”, J. Edgar Hoover said public must believe Oswald acted alone, Twenty reasons to believe Oswald acted alone, etc.
  2. Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the assassination. JFK assassination, grassy knoll, Oswald patsy, lone gunman, single bullet theory, etc.

Every member of each team should contribute his research and any other “evidence” he or she found. Do some searching on your own! 🙂

Explorations in British Literature

Begin your reading of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Read Chapters 1-14 and answer the corresponding questions in your study guide. Be prepared to identify the characters you meet in this section.

No-Spin Economics

Great job today examining our dollar bill as well as all of our coins. Review Crash Course video # 4 and be prepared for a quiz on it next week. We will go over the handout before the quiz. Review the information of the Coin & Currency Handout to be familiar with the material for an upcoming quiz. DON’T FORGET TO BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO CLASS NEXT WEEK.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 78-82 in your study guide.

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

Note the web that is being woven with the characters of Major Cavalcanti and his son and start following the clues to the mysterious murders taking place in the Villefort home! The plan for revenge is in full play, and there will be lots of new surprises and mysteries to solve.

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Assignments for 02/17/2020

Assignments due for the week of February 17th, 2020

Debate

Review the process of Inductive Reasoning on pages 20 and 21 in your notebook. Solve the “Detective Stories” on page 23. Write your solutions in your notebook. Continue to work on ideas for your commercial project to share with your group next week. Watch your email for the revised phone and email list.

Explorations in British Literature

Prepare for the introductory quiz on the life of Charles Dickens and the background for Oliver Twist. (pages 1-7 in your new study guide) Watch the following video giving reasons why you should read the novels of Charles Dickens. 🙂

No-Spin Economics

Prepare for a quiz on Chapters 3 and 4 of Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (You can study the notes you were given and/or reread the chapters. Watch the Crash Course Economics video #4 on Supply and Demand and complete the handout you were given in class.

Watch this video to reinforce the concept of TANSTAAFL.

Quick Looks at Great Books

Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and answer questions 52-77 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 current Carnival celebrations in Venice, Italy. This is the new current center of elaborate festivals just, as Rome was in the time of The Count of Monte Cristo. Disguise played a big part in the fate of the characters you read about.

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