Author: litalive

litalive

Assignments for 09/30/2024

Welcome back!

Assignments for September 30th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We reviewed the French Revolution and the pages they read in their study guides. Then we took the Introduction Quiz over those things included in the novel as well. We went over the background material for A Tale of Two Cities.

For next week, begin the novel by reading Book 1—Recalled to Life. (Chapters 1-6) Then answer the questions in your study guide on pages 40 and 41. (Questions 1-14) We will discuss all that you have read before we take the quiz.

Watch the following recap of The French Revolution as you begin the book.

American History

We finished going through Chapter 2 and went over the Chapter Review on pages 36 and 37. I had the students circle the names and terms they needed to know for the test on Chapters 1-3. For next Monday, be prepared for a quiz on Chapter 1. (and part of Chapter 2) We started discussing Chapter 3 and will finish next week. We will review for the test on Chapters 1-3 which will be the following week. (October 7) For next week, also read Chapter 4—Preparation for Independence. (a really short chapter In addition to going over the chapter, we will also review for our upcoming test.

We also played games to once again review the states and capitals. I can see a big difference in that they are beginning to learn them. (Those who knew none!)

Watch this brief video of The Great Awakening in American History.

U.S. Government

Many of the students forgot to ask their parents a special question: “Who is the most famous founding father that you never heard of?” They SHOULD be able to tell you the answer to this question.

We reviewed for our quiz, and I gave the students a page for the front of their textbooks. (The Three Branches of Government) We then took the quiz, and I think the students did really well! We went over Lesson 3 on The Constitution and also went over a sheet on the first ten amendments. (Bill of Rights) We will discuss the rest of the 27 amendments next week and also check Lesson 4.

For next Monday, complete three lessons in your textbook—Lessons 5, 6, and 7. Here are the crossword answers:

They will easily be able to finish the lessons with these words. We will talk more about that famous founding father and the Constitutional Convention next week.

Watch the following video about The Making of our Constitution.

Test Prep

We went over the last Practice Reading test in your notebooks (The Great Seal) and took any questions.
We then took our first PSAT Reading Test, putting the answers on an answer sheet. The students were able to keep the Reading Test in their notebooks for later study. I will let them see the graded answer sheets next week.

Next week, we will begin preparing for our second test which is on grammar. Students should review page 38 (Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs) for a quiz. After reviewing the sheet, we will go over all the rules in your notebooks and begin the practice tests. This is one area that I know the students can improve if they will study and review the rules. It may have been some time since they had a grammar class! Study, particularly, the irregular verbs lie/lay, sit/set, and swing. The quiz will involve choosing the correct form of the verb.

Adventures in American Literature

We covered and discussed the poems of Edward Taylor and Anne Bradstreet, Jonathan Edwards’s famous sermon, the letters of Abigail Adams, and the writings and speeches of Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry. They were also given a list of Literary Terms for this year, and we went over the first four since those we could see in today’s reading.

For next week, read and answer the questions about the songs written for the Revolution. (pages 27-30) Read Franklin’s Use of Time on page 31 and answer the questions on page 32. Answer the questions on page 33, and we will talk about your schedule. Read and answer the questions about Poor Richard’s Almanac on pages 34 and 35. Read Franklin’s aphorisms on page 36 and Google even more if you would like. Choose one to illustrate and explain. Give the literal meaning of the “proverb”, the idea expressed, and illustrate it with a picture. You will not be graded on your ability to draw. 🙂 Just do your best or use a computer image. Be ready to turn this in.

Watch this song illustrating the Revolutionary song.

Yankee Doodle

Revolutionary Tea

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 09/23/2024

Welcome back!

Assignments for September 23rd, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

You did a fantastic job today on your reports! Many of you gave us new information about all of these subjects. You will receive a quiz grade for this report.

Next week, we will go over the pages in your purple study guide that you read for today. (pages 2-36) We will also finish the report for the person who was absent and then have a quiz over the material. As we discuss the pages in your study guide, I will make sure to go over all that is on the quiz. Your first assignment in A Tale of Two Cities will be given next week, unless you want to go ahead and start it. Otherwise, just review the pages in your study guide for the quiz next Monday.

Watch the following video to review the French Revolution.

American History

We reviewed in story form all of Chapter 1 and half of Chapter 2. At the end of Chapter 1 (Chapter 1 Review p. 14), I told the students what would be on the test by giving them what to study, When we finish Chapter 2, I will do the same. For next week, read Chapter 3, and we will discuss it after we finish the previous chapter.

Watch this brief video about John Peter Zenger and freedom of the press.

U.S. Government

Next week, we will have our first quiz on the terms in Lessons 1 and 2. Students should study pages 4 and 8 for the terms in these two lessons. (I say pages 4 and 8 because the quiz will be matching, taken directly from the definitions given there.) Actually, those terms were on each page of those two lessons. Also, I gave them exactly what the “fill-in the blanks” questions were. There are 10 of those and they can find all the answers on the three branches of government. They will receive a copy of this sheet to put in the front of their notebooks. I did tell them what each of the questions would be. Also, do the next two lessons in your workbook–The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. (Lessons 3 and 4)

In case you don’t know, and many parents don’t, this Tuesday is a federally recognized holiday–Constitution Day. Our Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. Watch this brief video about the day and what it means to many.

Lastly, the students were supposed to ask their parents a question: “Who is the most famous founding father that you never heard of?” Maybe you know the answer to this because you have an older student who has taken this class. If not, your student should be able to give you the answer. If they don’t remember today, they will surely know after we study his life next week.

Here are the answers to the crosswords on pages 9 and 13. (Lessons 3 and 4) This will help them to complete the lessons for homework.

Lesson 3

Across                     Down

1. Bill of Rights      2. Implied
7. Rhode Island     3. Federalists
8. Delaware            4. Supreme Court
10. Madison           5. Amendments
11. Expressed         6. Confederation
12. Concurrent       7. Ratified
–                                9. Reserved
–                               10. Morris

Lesson 4

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

Test Prep

We worked on the practice exercises today for the PSAT Reading Test that we will take in class next week. For next week, complete the final practice exercise on pages 19-22. (Excerpt is from a 2013 history article titled “The Great Seal.” ) Read the article and answer the ten questions that follow. (Just circle A, B, C, or D) We will go over the ten questions with the why of the answers before we take the timed test. This test is a full 60 minutes and the longest of the four PSAT tests.

Adventures in American Literature

We went over the pages of assignments for today. I was surprised that so many of them had personal associations with so many states! We also covered John Smith and William Bradford from the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies. I know this is an older form of English, but this is the earliest record of history we have.

For next week, read the poetry by Edward Taylor and answer the questions on pages 15 and 16. Then read the poetry by Anne Bradstreet on page 17, the sermon of Jonathan Edwards (“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”) on page 19 and answer the questions on page 20, and the letters by Abigail Adams and questions on pages 21-24. Lastly, read Patrick Henry’s famous speech to the Virginia legislature on pages 25 and 26 and answer the questions. (“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”)

Watch the following two short videos that Charles Kuralt did as he traveled.

Thomas Jefferson

Joseph Charles

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 09/16/2024

Welcome back!

Assignments for September 16th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

Today, we reviewed our procedures for the class and discussed the French Revolution, which is the setting for our first book. Each student received a study guide for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and a Literary Terms workbook. (Please bring a three-ring binder next week, if you did not today, to hold the pages.)

For next week, read pages 2-36 in your (purple) study guide. Also, please be prepared to share orally the report that you were assigned. (Let me know if you have any questions.) Find as much information as you can on your subject. You will only have to do one report, but you will hear lots of others on people and places in the French Revolution! Be prepared for a quiz over the extra information two weeks from today. (After we have finished our reports and discussed the pages.) In the time we had left, we watched a portion of the History Channel documentary of the French Revolution. Start securing a copy of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Let me know if you need me to bring you a copy to borrow next week.

American History

We had a great time going over some of the things we will cover this year in American History. Each student filled out a survey of things we will cover and any person/subject they would like to know more about. No grades—just for my information only. We also answered some questions about our flag and the original 13 colonies. Then we played a game to find out how much they remembered about our states and capitals. We had two students who seemed to know almost all of them!

For next week, read Lessons 1 and 2 in your History text. I will tell you what you will need to know from the Chapter Review at the end of each lesson. (Definitely not all of it—just those things that are most important.)

Watch this brief video to review those 13 original colonies.

U.S. Government

We had a super first day of class! We are living in most important times right now, and I love to be molding our future citizens. We played a game today, and we will play the same game at the end of the semester. I used to be discouraged at how little they know, but by the end of the semester they will know ALL these answers.

For next week, complete Lessons 1 and 2, which are both on Government terms. For each lesson I will give them answers on the first page, so they will have no reason not to know how to do the following pages. Complete pages 2-4 and pages 6-8. They received a text in class today and should just work from these pages in these lessons.
Here are the answers for the first page of Lessons 1 and 2. Just copy these answers into your notebook, and then complete the rest of the lessons.

Lesson 1

Across                         Down

1. Communism         2. Monarchy
5. Aristocracy           3. Fascism
6. Socialism              4. Common
7. Capitalism            8. Autocracy
9. Democracy           10. Cabinet
12. Civil                     11. Right Wing
14. Amendment       13. Law

Lesson 2

Across                         Down

1. Anarchism             2. Civil
3. Abdication            4. Bureaucracy
6. Dictator                 5. Habeus Corpus
9. Impeachment       7. Legislature
11. Conservatism      8. Liberalism
13. Executive             10. Due process
14. Amnesty              12. Autonomy

Adventures in American Literature

We had a great first day today. We got to know each other and played an American History game to see if they could put historical events in chronological order. American Literature was so dependent on what was going on around the writers.

For next week, in the text you were given, complete pages 3 and 4 with the help of your computer. (List all 50 states in alphabetical order.) We will add to that together next week. Then complete page 5, again using your computer if you need help. (List the 48 continental states on the map given.) On pages 6 and 7, read the story of “Godasiyo, The Woman Chief.” This was an oral legend passed down by the Seneca tribe in America. Then answer the questions on page 8 about that story. Also, the students were told ask their parents about the family’s roots. “Do you have a famous American in your family closet?” “Was your family name passed down or altered?” “Have your ancestors moved throughout the country for religious, ethnic, or racial reasons?” “What occupations did your ancestors have?” These were some of the questions we asked. Do you have anything you can tell your son or daughter about any of these, or what country you came from? Thanks for your help!

I look forward to getting to know each of the students as we explore our literature together.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024:

  • No previous assignments.
litalive

Assignments for 05/20/2024

Purple flowers

Assignments due for the week of May 20th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

Today, the students took their final test on The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and finished the background quiz on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

With the rest of our class time, we reviewed for our final exam over the entire year. We especially went through all the terms in our LiteraryTerms notebook. “Motif” and “foil” are the two terms we have discussed since our first book that are not in the notebook. Next week, we will play a competitive review game and then take the final exam for the year. I know they will do well, and I can’t wait to grade their exams!

Watch these two short videos to review the two terms that we have added:

Foil

Motif

Public Forum Debate

We reviewed impressions and perspectives of the judges for our last debate. Then we spent the rest of the time preparing for our last formal debate next week. (Monday, May 20 at 9:30 A.M.) Parents, we would LOVE to have you join us for this “final exam” of the class. See what your students are learning and how they are applying it to their debate performances. Come to cheer them on and be supportive to the work they have done!

American History

Today, we made up any missing work as well as completed our test of Presidents 25-46 and the test on the location of our 50 states. We also reviewed what the students needed to know from Chapters 26-30. Next week, we will have a competitive review before we take the final exam.

Watch this short video to see the actual Berlin Wall and some of the men and women who tried to escape.

No-Spin Economics

We did make-work today as well as a team review of Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Chapters 1-13.

Then we took the test on these chapters. Next week, the final exam will be on Penny Candy Chapters 1-13 and on Crash Course Economics 1-7 and 9-12. We will once again review with a game before we take the exam.

Explorations in British Literature

In class today, we reviewed Orwell’s essay, “The Red-Headed League”, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Agatha Christie. Lewis, Tolkien, and Christie are very popular and widely-read British authors. We found that Christie was third only to the Bible and Shakespeare as far as copies of her works sold and the millions of readers who read her works. We also took a test on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Students will receive their papers back next week, and all work must be made up be next Monday. We will do a team review of the important things for the year and then take our final exam. Use your study guide to review the important works and terms for the year.

Watch this preview of the movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 05/13/2024

Purple flowers

Assignments due for the week of May 13th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion of the rest of the book, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I answered any questions anyone had regarding the book or the study guide questions. We applied some of our literary terms to this book, and then took the second quiz. We divided into teams for a competitive review of the entire book. It was one of our closest games yet! We will take the test on the book at the beginning of the next class. If you need to review, be prepared for the test next week. Also, we will take Quiz #1 on the background material for To Kill a Mockingbird (the Great Depression). Study and read page 2 and pages 18-26 in your orange study guide. This is another grade to help your average. If you have time, you can begin studying for our final exam. We will go over a lot of the literary terms next week and also review all that the test will cover.

Watch the following explanation of one of our terms: onomatopoeia.

Public Forum Debate

We had the second of our three major debates today. The winners are as follows:

Debate #1: The minimum wage should NOT be raised to $15 per hour nationally.

Debate #2: U.S. Supreme Court Justices should be elected by the people for 8-year terms, renewable one time. (Maximum 16 years of service)

Our last debate will be Monday, May 20 and will serve as their final exam. They should put into practice the things we have gone over all semester and also heed the comments you were given by various judges. The students chose their topics and the side they wanted to “argue” for. The first debate will be on whether or not the government should lessen the gap between the rich and the poor.

PRO—Yes—Scott, Autumn, Cody, and Adam
CON—No—Zach, Wyatt, Austin, Zeke, and Yuna

Begin your research this week and decide what your points would be and what role you would like to play. You will have time to work in class on writing the constructive and including your strongest points.

Our second debate will be on lowering the drinking age to 18 or keeping it at 21.

CON—leaving it at 21—Ben, Ian, Huck, Keely, and Alura.
PRO—changing to 18—Eda, Ellie, Rocky, Paul, and Erica.

American History

Today, the students were given a study guide for the final exam. The exam will cover the entire year, but you only need to know and remember the most important things. Go through each of the 30 chapters and make a list of those things you need to know. The dates you need to know are also listed on the study guide. Use that to study these important people and places in our country’s history.

Students received papers back from last tests, and we finished our Presidential reports. I then went through all that each student would need to know about the Presidents. You need to know only a few basic facts about each one. We will also have our test on the location of each state next week. You can study the map on pages 540 and 541 for the location of states test. You can also study the order of the Presidents on page 538. (Our second test will cover Presidents 25-46—add Joe Biden to the list at #46. Also, read our last chapter (30) for next week. We will go over the last chapters that we have not yet been tested on. They will be on the final exam.

The Deadliest Attack on American Soil

No-Spin Economics

Today, we spent time going over what your credit score is and what it means. We viewed via Powerpoint a review of some basic economic principles that everyone should know now. We also took a quiz on Crash Course Economics #12 and Penny Candy Chapter 13.

Next week, we will have a test on Penny Candy Chapters 1-13. We will have a competitive game to review all of these chapters and points before we take the test. These chapters will also be on the final exam, but you will have already studied them!

Explorations in British Literature

Today, the students were given a study guide to use to prepare for the final exam. We went over each item. I left room between each item to write notes from your text or facts that I gave you. We then went over the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the study guide you did on the biography pages I gave you. If you have all of these answers, you will do well on the test, which is all multiple choice. Also, complete the sheets I gave you on more current British authors—C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Agatha Christie. You can find any answer to the two worksheets on your computer. Next week, we will talk about the Sherlock Holmes story you read and the worksheet you completed.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 05/06/2024

Purple flowers

Assignments due for the week of May 6th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We began discussing the last book they just finished—The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. We went over Hemingway’s life and his “Code Hero”. We took the first quiz and will take the second one (on second half of book) next week, as well as do a competitive game review and have our final test. Each student received a study guide, which we worked on together. Look over the questions and see if you don’t understand or remember any answer. Also, begin studying the Literary Terms for your final exam. You should have all of them completed except terms 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. (mainly poetry terms) Finish the workbook pages if you have not done so already.

Watch the following short video about Idioms.

Public Forum Debate

We went over the pages on rhetoric in your text and how to prepare and plan your debate successfully. We also chose sides and subjects for the final debates on Monday, May 20.

Next week will be our second debate on Monday, May 6 at 9:30. Please be in contact with your teammates during this week to finalize all your plans. We would love to have as many parents as possible to join us that Monday at 9:30 A.M. till 11:00 A.M.

American History

We celebrated Vlad’s birthday (April 30) while we took our quiz on World War II. (Treats provided by Vlad’s mom.) Then we had our Presidential reports on Jimmy Carter—Joe Biden. We started a review for our Presidents’ test, which will be on May 13. We will finish next week. Each student will also receive a study guide on specifically what to study for the final exam. Next week, we will have our States and Capitals test. For half of them, I will give the state, and you will give the capital. The other 25 will be reversed—-I’ll give you the capital, and you will give the state. We have been reviewing these all year, but you can also study the list on page 539 in your textbook. Please read Chapters 28 and 29 for next week as well.

No-Spin Economics

Today, we discussed your handout on Crash Course Economics #12. If you did not receive it until today, you could fill it in as we went over it and watch the video later. (Also, watch the video on last week’s assignment on “The Great Recession”.) You were also given a summary of all the notes for Chapter 13 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? You should have notes for each of the chapters to study for the test on May 13. Next week, we will have a quiz on Crash Course #12 and Penny Candy Chapter 13. On May 13, we will have a test on Penny Candy Chapters 1-13, and on May 20, we will have our final exam. The final exam is on Penny Candy Chapters 1-13 AND Crash Course Economics 1-7 and 9-12.

Explorations in British Literature

We returned for our final test on Animal Farm by George Orwell with a Jeopardy game to review major events and characters. Then we took the test and a short quiz on the characters of the novel.

For next week, you should read the biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and do the worksheet to review what you just read. We will have a test on his life two weeks from today (May 13). Read one of Doyle’s detective stories, “The Red-Headed League” unless you happen to have it in book form.

Be ready to hand in the worksheet you were given, for a grade. You may refer to the story as often as you like.

If you did not turn in your limerick today, please bring that with you next week. (Check page 151 in your text for the rhyme scheme and structure. Check last week’s assignment at the bottom of this page.)

Watch this short biography of Conan Doyle.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 04/29/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 29th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We divided into teams and reviewed all of To Kill a Mockingbird before our final test. The review should have really helped, particularly with the names of characters. We will take the background quiz on this book later. For next week, read all of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. We will discuss the book with the study guide next week. (I will give it to you in our next class.)

Watch the following brief biography of Ernest Hemingway.

Public Forum Debate

We went over the evaluations of each team from our last debate. (Winners of last week’s debate—The U.S. should cease to mint the penny—very close! Each state should NOT have the right to ban self-driving cars on state highways—again very close!) We then divided into four new teams and began planning for our May 6 debate. Let me know if you have any questions.

American History

We passed back last week’s test. Congratulations on all the good grades! We then continued with our Presidents’ reports with Herbert Hoover—Gerald Ford. Next week, we will finish with our reports with Elizabeth, Vlad, Zeke, Joy, Maks, Avalyn, Dan, and Emery. If you can’t remember who you have, you can check the April 15 assignment at the bottom of this page. For next week, we will have a quiz on Chapter 25. (World War II) Also, read Chapter 27. (Foreign Policies of the Cold War)

Watch the following 60-second recaps of our upcoming reports.

Ronald Reagan

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton

George W. Bush

Barach Obama

Donald Trump and Joe Biden do not currently have a 60 second recap. I’ll give you things to know from the reports we have this week.

No-Spin Economics

Today we covered both Crash Course Economics videos 10 and 11 and went over the handouts you were given. I also gave you a sheet with the twelve Federal Reserve Districts on a map and a brief explanation of how the system works. For next week, watch our last Crash Course Economics video for the year (#12) on the 2008 Financial Crisis. Also read Chapter 13 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? which is really a brief summary of what you learned in the entire book. We will have a quiz on Crash Course #12 and Penny Candy Chapter 13 on Monday, May 6.

The 2008 Financial Crisis

The Great Recession

Explorations in British Literature

We looked at examples of limericks from the students of past years. Note the rhyme scheme and structure on page 151 and write your own limerick for our class. Our illustrators will receive extra credit, and you will enjoy this popular form of entertainment! You may type or write your limerick with your name and hand it in next week. Our illustrators will draw a picture for theirs and three other classmates.

Also, next week, we will return to Animal Farm by George Orwell for our final test. Look over your study guide to review events and characters. Remember, this is an allegory with characters (animals) representing specific human beings in the Russian Revolution. We will play a competitive Jeopardy Game to review this novel before our test and short character quiz. (10 matching questions)

Watch this brief but comprehensive summary of the book.

Listen to a rendition of their anthem—Beasts of England

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 04/22/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 22nd, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We took our second quiz on the novel and continued to finish going over the questions in the study guide. I think everyone had a good understanding of what they read. Next week, we will have a Jeopardy Review game of the entire book and take our final test. Make sure you obtain a copy of our last book, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Also, for next week, complete page 16 in your study guide as a review. (Chronolog—events in chronological order) Be prepared to take our final quiz on the background material. It will all come from page 2 in your study guide and pages 18-26. (lots of pictures)

Watch the following scenes from the ending of this book.

Public Forum Debate

Great job today on our real debate!! Next week, I will pass back your evaluations from this debate and begin plans for our May 6 debate. Thanks to all the parents who came to support and judge. Hopefully, you can help us on Monday, May 6 as well—just let me know. We’d love to have you. We will work next week on our May 6 debate, assigning teams and subjects.

American History

We did a review game on Chapters 21-24 and then took our test. We began going over Chapter 25 and all the important details of World War II. We will finish that next week and then have a quiz on just that chapter on April 29.

We are scheduled for reports on eight U.S. Presidents next week. If you’re not sure when yours is due, check the assignments from last week. (at bottom of this page) We also reminded everyone in class today. Read Chapter 26 and how the Cold War started.

Watch the following 60 second videos on our Presidents.

John F. Kennedy

Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter

No-Spin Economics

We took our quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 7-9 and Crash Course Economics #7. Then we went over the handout on Crash Course Economics #9 on Deficits and Debt. Deficits, Debt, and Default are important “D’s” in Economics! We will finally cover the Federal Reserve Bank. Complete the handouts you were given and watch videos #10 and #11. Next week, you will receive a map of The Federal Reserve districts in the U.S. (We talked about these a lot when we examined our currency.) Watch the following videos.

Monetary Policy

Money and Finance

How Much is a Trillion

Explorations in British Literature

We covered all of today’s assignments in class as well as other novels to review for our final exam. Remember exactly what a limerick is since you will be writing one in the next two weeks! We will have our final test on Animal Farm by George Orwell on Monday, April 29. Look over page 152 to see all of Rudyard Kipling’s works. He was quite a versatile writer! Read excerpts from his works on pages 153-155. Match the description with the titles of the excerpts you read. H.G. Wells specialized in science fiction. Read the excerpt from The War of the Worlds on pages 157-159 and answer the questions on page 159. Lastly, read T.S. Eliot’s poem on Cats. We will talk about it and the musical it inspired.

Watch this excerpt from the musical Cats. Follow on page 160 in your text.

The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert contributes to the humor by speaking fast and nonsensically!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 04/15/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 15th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our quiz on Chapters 1-14 in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee today. We then went over the study guide questions. We will talk more about each character. Complete the book this next week, (Chapters 15-31) We will discuss our completed book in our next class.

Watch the following scenes in the movie taken from the book. The funny thing is that Harper Lee helped cast the characters in the movie!!

Atticus and Scout

Dill, Scout, and Jem playing with the tire

Mrs. Dubose

Public Forum Debate

We played “Triple Speak” today, a debate game to improve your thinking on your feet and utilizing your creativity! Then, we spent time in our groups preparing for next week’s debate. We will have two debates—one on minting or ceasing to mint the U.S. penny and one on whether states should or should not ban self-driving cars. We need to start as soon as possible in the class since we have two debates to complete. Our three major debates for this semester will be next week, April 15, Monday, May 6, and Monday, May 20. All debates will be from 9:30-11:00. We will ask parents to come and be our judges. (to decide which side is more persuasive) The two teams NOT debating during the first one will also vote on a winner. We will begin with the Penny Debate, and then end with the Self-Driving Car Debate. Even if our judges have an opinion on each subject, you are voting on the team which was most confident and persuasive.

American History

We went over our schedule of events for the rest of the school year. We have two sets of Presidents’ reports left.

April 22

  • Herbert Hoover — Maille
  • Franklin Roosevelt — Zach Snell
  • Harry Truman — Hannile
  • Dwight Eisenhower — Brady
  • John Kennedy — Erica
  • Lyndon Johnson — Nathan
  • Richard Nixon — Lainey
  • Gerald Ford — Finley

April 29

  • Jimmy Carter — Elizabeth
  • Ronald Reagan — Vlad
  • George H. W. Bush — Zeke
  • Bill Clinton — Joy
  • George W. Bush — Maks
  • Barack Obama — Avalyn
  • Donald Trump — Dan
  • Joe Biden — Emery

On Friday, May 6, we will have our States and Capitals test, on May 13, the 2nd Presidents’ test, and on May 20, our final exam. Students will know exactly what to study for each of these. Next week, we will have our test on Chapters 21-24. (We will do a brief review game before the test.) Also, read Chapter 25 on World War II.

Watch the following 60 second videos on our Presidents.

Warren Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover

FDR

Harry Truman

Dwight Eisenhower

No-Spin Economics

Today, we took our test on Crash Course Economics videos 1-6. Then, we covered the handout on Crash Course Economics #7. Next week, we will have a quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 7-9 and Crash Course #7. Just study the handouts you were given for each of these.

Also, read Chapters 10-12 in Penny Candy and watch the video on Crash Course Economics #9. Complete the handout for this video that you were given today.

View the current debt at U.S. Debt Clock.

Deficits and Debt

Explorations in British Literature

In addition to taking our quizzes on Animal Farm by George Orwell, we also finished our study guide for this book. We did it in class together. (We also watched today’s solar eclipse in Michigan.)

Because we will have half our class gone for HPA for the next two weeks, we will do our Jeopardy review and final test when they return. We will continue with other work in our text.

Queen Victoria’s kingdom turned into “topsy-turveydom” when the nonsense writing of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear came into vogue. Complete pages 148-150 on Lewis Carroll’s writing and answer the questions. Then, read page 151 with a few of Edward Lear’s limericks. Then meet George Orwell (real name of Eric Blair) and read pages 165-167 and answer the question on p. 167.

Watch the Muppets version of Jabberwocky, a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 04/08/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 8th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We talked about our new book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and went over parts of the new study guide. The historical background is that of The Great Depression and the American South in the 1930s. Then we went over many of the terms in our Literary Terms notebook, particularly ones that applied to our new book. For next week, read Chapters 1-14 and answer the study guide questions 1-34. We will go over any confusing points, so have your questions ready before we take our quiz.

Public Forum Debate

We played two rounds of a “Balloon Game” in which students practiced quick thinking skills and debate rebuttals that would aid them in the future. After that, the students spent the second half of the class period working in their new groups and on their new debate topics. Next week, each speaker should come with a written statement of what they plan to present for their side. Team members should weigh in on anything they feel should be included. Also, practice reading your presentation and get input from your team on how you could improve. Research members should have lots of research on both sides of their issue.

American History

We finished our Presidential reports today with great coverage of Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding. Harding and Hoover were in our chapters we reviewed today. For next week, complete Chapter 24 on The Great Depression. The following week, we will have a test on Chapters 21-24. (April 15)

Watch the following Presidential recaps.

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt

William Taft

Woodrow Wilson

No-Spin Economics

We reviewed Crash Course Economics 1-6 for our test next week with a competition between the boys and the girls. Study the handouts you were given for each video. Also, watch Crash Course Economics #7 and complete the handout you were given. We will go over the handout after we have taken the test.

Inflation, Bubbles, and Tulips

Explorations in British Literature

Today we watched a video of Simon Callow as he reenacted “The Death of Nancy” in Oliver Twist. He gave us a good idea of the way Dickens portrayed his scene and how much he put into his presentation. Then each student received a study guide for our last novel this year, Animal Farm by George Orwell. We went over a number of pages in your study guide, background for the novel, and information on Orwell himself. We will do the remainder of the study guide together in class. For next week, read Chapters 1-10 (the entire book) of Animal Farm and come with questions about any characters or events that you might not understand before we take our quiz.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024: