Assignments due for the week of December 4th, 2023

 

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion of the remainder of the book and watched some “heartwarming” scenes of Eppie as she grew up on the BBC video. Each student was given a Chronolog sheet to review the events of the book in chronological order. We will review the sheet next week and play a Jeopardy review game before we have our final test on Silas Marner.

In addition to getting ready for the test, complete the following lessons in your Literary Terms notebook: Flashback (pp. 62-63), Hyperbole (pp. 4-5), Idiom (pp. 6-7), Imagery (pp. 8-9), and Alliteration (pp. 22-24).

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Great job on the ACT Reading test! That subject seems to be a favorite of most of the class. We took the Math portion of the ACT today. Most of this class said that they felt they did their best work in math, so I look forward to the results of this test. Next week, we will begin work on the final part of the ACT—the science section. All answers are included in the reading of each section. We will take several practice science sections so that the students are familiar with the format they will be experiencing.

American History

We went through Chapter 12 and gave numbers to circle of terms to know for that chapter. Next week, we will have a quiz on Chapters 10-12, with a total of 20 multiple choice questions. Also, read Chapter 13, which focuses on the education, technology, and culture of this time period rather than the historical and political events. We then played games to review the U.S. Presidents and our states and capitals.

We will begin our reports on the Presidents next week with the following students:

• Andrew Jackson — Vlad
• Martin Van Buren — Maille
• William Henry Harrison — Hannah
• John Tyler — Karly
• James Polk — Hadley

Watch the following 60-second videos of the lives of the Presidents that we will be hearing about next week.

Martin Van Buren

William Henry Harrison

John Tyler

James K. Polk

U.S. Government

Next week, we will have our second major test, covering five lessons. (Immigration, Citizenship, Supreme Court, The Law, and Trial) We will play a competitive game together before we take the test. In class today, you were given the Crossword answers for Lesson 18 (page 69) on State Government. This differs just slightly from what you have learned about the National government. (States’ Rights!) Click here to see the answers again.

Watch this other video that describes the Supreme Court building itself.

British Literature

We watched Acts IV and V on our video before we took our final quiz. It is much easier to follow the comedy as you see the characters’ facial expressions! We also worked in groups to analyze some of the characters in the play. We will play a competitive review game before taking the final test on this play. We will continue with a few remaining pages in your study guides as we discuss the answers together. Complete page 19 in your study guide, and we will go over it together in class.

In addition to reviewing the play and characters, using your British literature text, read the excerpt from Dr. Faustus on pages 61 and 62 and answer the questions on page 63.

Watch the following video about the themes revealed in Twelfth Night.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 11/27/2023
• Assignments for 11/20/2023
• Assignments for 11/13/2023
• Assignments for 11/06/2023
• Assignments for 10/30/2023
• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 27th, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We watched some of the BBC version of Silas Marner so that the students could see the characters portrayed on the screen. Part I of the book is such a sweet story of how Eppie came to Silas and replaced the gold he had lost! We went through the study guide questions for their reading today. For next week, please finish your reading of this book —Chapters 16-21 and the Conclusion. (only 2-4 pages) Everything is resolved, but not the way you may have thought! This is such a sweet story, and we will make sure that you didn’t miss anything in your reading! We will begin our review for the test on this book. Everyone seems to have a good understanding of it so far!

Enjoy the conclusion of this story and your Thanksgiving with your family!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

The students received their grammar quizzes back, and we went over any questions. Then we reviewed the Reading practice test they did for homework, as well as another practice test to review for the ACT Reading test itself. I was pleased with the results so far on the ACT test. Many of the students have excellent scores as we begin this series of standardized tests. We then took the ACT Reading test on the same answer sheet. Next week, we will continue by taking the Math test. This is more the kind of math you are used to doing in your classes. Review page 47 in your notebook to study for the math section. Make sure you know how to do all the processes listed on that page.

American History

We went over the last test and pointed out any questions that were frequently missed. The students did an excellent job, improving with each test they take!

We will have a test on Presidents 1-24 during second semester and then finish with Presidents 25-45 at the end of the year. We will have a series of reports on each of them after James Monroe (#5). They covered much of their lives in the early history of our country. On Dec. 4, we will hear reports on the following:

• Andrew Jackson — Vlad
• Martin Van Buren — Maille
• William Henry Harrison — Hannah B.
• John Tyler — Karly
• James Polk — Hadley

These are oral reports and are for the benefit of the entire class, not to be handed in as a writing assignment. I will also give the students the facts they need to remember about each President for our test later. On Dec. 11, we will continue with the following reports:

• Zachary Taylor — Lainey
• Millard Fillmore — Elizabeth
• Franklin Pierce — Erica
• James Buchanan — Annaleigh
• Abraham Lincoln — Maks

Please let me know if you have any questions at all. You can tell, read, or use notes with bullet points when you give you report. Make it fun for all of us!

For next week, read Chapter 12 in your text. We will go through it and I will tell you what you will need to know for any quiz or test. Also, we will have a quiz just on the videos given on this website next week.

Andrew Jackson (Battle of New Orleans)

James Monroe

John Quincy Adams

Andrew Jackson

U.S. Government

We went over our lessons on Immigration and Citizenship today and then took the Citizenship test that immigrants have to pass to become naturalized (or legal) citizens. They really have to study some of America’s history and government information to pass the test! Hopefully, the students have learned some of those things this year already. For next week, complete the pages on The Law and Trial. Here are the crossword answers for Lesson 16 The Law and Lesson 17 Trial. With these answers, you can complete pages 62-64 and 66-68. We will go over these together and begin to prepare for our second test over these lessons. The Law and Trial go with the Supreme Court because all the justices on the Supreme Court are former lawyers! Let me know if you have any questions at all about the assignment. We went over the lesson on the Supreme Court together in class today and recognized pictures of all the justices last week. Remember the the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (currently John Roberts) is the one who swears in the new President on Inauguration Day.

Watch the following video on the Supreme Court of the United States.

British Literature

We watched a lot of the play today from the video performed outside London. It was easier to understand and enjoy as you saw the actors portray their characters! (Especially Malvolio!) We watched Malvolio fall prey to the trickery of Maria, and then implement everything she had told him to do!

For our next class, finish reading Acts IV and V. Actually, these two acts are shorter than your last reading of Act III. You will enjoy the resolution that comes if you have not already figured it out. We also watched a little of Act IV which is a preview of what you can assume might be part of the resolution! We will continue to watch the resolution of the plot on our video. It should be easier to understand and enjoy as you see it performed.

We will discuss the remaining two acts as well as work on the study guide. We began our definitions of Useful Terminology on page 1. We will also begin our review of the entire play then and complete the study guide together. We will do a competitive game review of the details of the entire play before we take our final test.

Watch this short clip of a scene from Twelfth Night performed at the iconic Globe Theater in London.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 11/20/2023
• Assignments for 11/13/2023
• Assignments for 11/06/2023
• Assignments for 10/30/2023
• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 20th, 2023

 

Quick Looks at Great Books

We went over the background and events in the first seven chapters of Silas Marner. Even though this book is written in the same time period as when Charles Dickens wrote, I think the students will still find it easier to understand as well as enjoying a heartwarming story!

For next week, read Chapters 8-15. (through Part 1) This will be our longest reading assignment, but a lot happens during this time! Students should look over all the questions in the study guide for these chapters to make sure they have not missed any important events. We will also watch portions of this novel’s BBC version in class. It’s always fun to see the characters personified to see how they match with what we were thinking from our reading! (ESPECIALLY this week’s assignment) Please bring to class any questions you may have about your reading. We will definitely go over them all before the quiz.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We reviewed some basic rules on subject/verb agreement, reviewed the 12 Classic Errors on the ACT, and took a quiz over the material. Then we took the ACT English Test together. (45 minutes) I will pass back the graded answer sheet next week. The students were given a practice test for the ACT Reading Test. Complete that at home, and we will go over it together. We will also do other preparation for the Reading test, which we will take next week. (35 min.) I expect good things on both these ACT tests.

American History

We did a review game to prepare for the test over Chapters 7-9, with a brief review on the first six chapters as well.They did a super job on the review, so I think they will do well on the test too. We had great scores on last week’s quiz on Chapter 7, so that should help!

For next week, read Chapters 11 and 12. We will go over the chapters with a focus on the new Presidents elected. On Monday, December 4, we will have a number of reports on some of the Presidents we will be reading about in the next few chapters. I will give the assignments next week, and you will have two weeks to prepare them. Let me know if you want to be included in this opportunity.

Watch the following short videos about the first four Presidents.

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

U.S. Government

We reviewed all the lessons for our test today by playing a competitive game between each half of the class. If they listened to all of the questions, they should not have missed them on the test. They will receive the results next week.

For our next class, students were given the Crossword answers for Lesson 13 on Immigration (in the news a lot right now!). Complete pages 50-52 based on the answers I gave you. Also, complete pages 54-56 on Citizenship. (Lesson 14) Here are the answers for the crossword Citizenship Lesson 14. In our next class, we will also take a sample Citizenship test which all those applying for legal naturalization in our country have to pass. It will allow us to see what they have to study and know to assimilate into our country. Let me know if you have any questions.

British Literature

The students seemed to have a good understanding of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night despite the 1500’s English used!!! We went over the first two acts along with a discussion of all the major characters. We watched a little of the video of a performance of the play outside London. Act III will be especially fun to watch with the trick that was played on Malvolio. It’s always good to see the characters portrayed as real human beings and see how they fit Shakespeare’s description of them! We will watch lots of the next scenes of the play. We took our quiz on the first two acts after we had fully discussed it. (We went over especially questions that would be on the quiz.)

For next week, read Act III and answer the questions on page 15 of your study guide. I think you already know which characters will provide the humor in the story! Enjoy the comedy!

Watch the commentary about Act I Scene 1.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 11/13/2023
• Assignments for 11/06/2023
• Assignments for 10/30/2023
• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 13th, 2023

 

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished going over the book itself and then went over the Chronolog for A Tale of Two Cities. (Events in the book in chronological order) After that, we had a review on the entire book by having a competitive game between two teams. They did well and listened to all the questions to get a thorough review. Students will receive their graded tests back next week.

For homework Read Chapters 1-7 in Silas Marner by George Eliot. Each person received a study guide for our next book. Look over all of the questions for Chapters 1-7 to assure that you understood what you read. We will watch part of the BBC version next week. We did read the biographical sketch of the author and went over it together.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Each student received a copy of all the correct answers with explanations for the last Math Test (With Calculator). These should be kept in their notebooks for reference and study before they take an actual standardized test.

We continued to review grammar and took two practice tests in preparation for the ACT English Test. We will take a quiz on the 12 Classic Grammar Errors on the ACT (pages 41-42) before we take the ACT English Test.

American History

We reviewed last week’s videos on The XYZ Affair and The Louisiana Purchase. If you have any trouble with them at all, watch the two videos from last week at the bottom of this page. Review Chapters 7-9 for next week’s test. There will also be some review questions from the first six chapters. Just review the questions on your first two tests. The review questions will come from those tests. We will play a competitive review game before we take the test on these chapters.

Watch the following video song to review the Battle of New Orleans and Andrew Jackson’s victory.

U.S. Government

We covered the review sheet of the Powerpoint of Political Parties. Know each of the major parties’ core beliefs as well as a basic tenet of the third parties. We went through the lessons on the two major parties (Republican and Democrat) and also the ones on the President and Vice President. Next week, we will have a test on the following lessons: Voting, Electoral College (Powerpoint and notes sheet, Political Parties (Powerpoint and notes sheet), Republican Party, Democratic Party, President, and VicePresident.

Watch the following two videos of the perks and protection of our President.

The Beast

Air Force One

British Literature

The students received back their tests on British Literature during the Middle Ages. We then finished our reports on the Renaissance years in England and around the world. We spent extra time talking about the history of the Globe Theater and its more modern update in London today.

For next week, read Acts I and II in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. In the study guide you were given in class, read pages 2 and 3 about the play’s characters and answer the questions that follow. Complete pages 6 through 12 to assure that you understand what is happening in the play. We will discuss both these acts and take any questions you may have before we take the quiz.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 11/06/2023
• Assignments for 10/30/2023
• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 6th, 2023

 

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished A Tale of Two Cities! (and made up the quiz from last week) So much happened in these last few chapters with a conclusion that no one really anticipated! We went over all the details so that no one missed anything that Dickens tried to teach us. Then we took our last quiz on this book and will review next week for our test that day on the entire book. (All objective-Matching, True/False, and Multiple Choice) To review briefly, everything that happened, complete the Chronolog you were given today. (Events in chronological order) Look over the Genealogies of the characters on the sheet you were given to put it all in perspective.

For next week (since you have no reading to do), complete the following pages in your Literary Terms notebook: Metaphor and Simile (Lesson 5), Personification (lesson7), Symbol (Lesson 8), Allusion (Lesson 19), Foreshadowing (Lesson 25), and Irony (Lesson 27).

Watch this conclusion of what you read for today.

Watch the following 2 60-second recaps to review this novel.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

The students were given their final score for the PSAT test and were asked to put it in their notebooks with the various parts of the test itself. We went over the 2023 averages for the test so that the students would know where they stood in light of the scores nationwide. The students will also be given the solutions and explanations for each problem on the second math test.

We then reviewed the grammar rules on pages 24-27 and also the 12 Classic Grammar Errors (pages 41-42). We worked on two practice grammar tests from the ACT. It is important for the students to know the format and what to expect on this grammar test. The list of the 12 most common errors on this test is ALWAYS included on every ACT test. Students can easily improve their scores by studying these errors and not missing ANY of them. Next week, we will continue to work on practice tests and also have a quiz on those errors listed on pages 41 and 42. This should also improve their grammar or writing scores if they have a class on either subject. I will also pass back this week’s grammar quiz in our next class so that they can see how they did. Study those rules on pages 41 and 42.

American History

The students did a super job on last week’s test on Chapters 4-6! We had lots of A’s! Next week, we will have a quiz on Chapter 7 from their text. They were given every term they needed to know from the list of people and terms on the Chapter Review page. (p. 116 in the text) That way they will have already studied Chapter 7 when we have our test on Chapters 7-9 on November 13. We went over the rest of Chapter 7 and all of Chapter 8 in class today. Read Chapter 9 for next week—The Age of Jefferson. (pages 117-132)

Watch the following two brief videos about these important events in American history.

The XYZ Affair

The Louisiana Purchase

U.S. Government

We briefly reviewed the Electoral College and then took both quizzes on the Electoral College and the Senate and House of Representatives. We reviewed the “father of the political cartoon”—Thomas Nast. He is completely responsible for the symbols we now take for granted for our two major political parties. He continued to use them and caused others to do the same! We watched a Powerpoint on political parties in the United States. The students easily learned the core beliefs of the two major parties as well as the beliefs of many “third” parties in the U.S. The students should have a sheet filled out from our study of the Powerpoint.

For next week, complete Lesson 11 and 12 on the President and the Vice President. You will find the answers to the Crossword pages here.

Lesson 11: The President

Lesson 12: The Vice President

After completing the Crossword pages (pages 41 and 45), you will be able to finish pages 42-44 and pages 46-48. Next week, we will finish the political parties lessons as well as covering Lessons 11 and 12.

British Literature

I passed back last week’s quizzes on the characters of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and gave the students time to look over them before the test. That way they could see any they missed and be sure not to miss it again! Then we took the test on the Middle Ages in Britain, based on all we reviewed last week. We then started our reports on this new period–the Elizabethan Age. We had a lot of great historical information on Elizabeth I and her father Henry VIII today in our reports. We covered a lot of people and will finish them all next week. We are covering the Globe Theater next!

Here is the homework for next week: Read Queen Elizabeth I’s poem on page 45 and do your best to try to answer the questions. Drama was really the “literature” of the day. Read an excerpt from an early drama on pages 46-48 and answer the questions about it. Then read the morality play on pages 49 and 50 and answer the questions that follow. Most plays then tried to teach religious lessons to their audiences. Lastly, read page 59 on “Shakespeare’s Stage” and complete the description on the lines given. You will also learn about James Burbage and the Globe Theater in our reports. (The students who did reports today did a super job!) Don’t forget to secure a copy of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. I will give you our first assignment next week, along with a study guide for the play.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 10/30/2023
• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 30th, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We went through all of their reading today and explained a lot of “behind the scenes” thoughts. It took so long to go through the questions and the reading itself that we ran out of time to take Quiz #5. We will do that at the beginning of our next class. Things are happening so rapidly now—the pace has definitely picked up! Dr. Manette was terrified about what was in that letter found in the Bastille!

For next week, complete this first novel by reading the final chapters—11-15—and by answering the study guide questions 73-80. Be prepared for lots of surprises, tension, and even regret! Enjoy the great conclusion that only Dickens could conceive.

Watch the following courtroom scene that you read about for today. (Darnay’s second trial in Paris)

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

The math test from last week was passed back, along with detailed answers and explanations for each problem. The students were given time to look over what they had missed and why. The purpose was to avoid making the same mistakes on the second math test. Then we took the longer math test (45 min.). The students could use a calculator for this one. Next week, they will receive their final PSAT grade since they will have now completed all four tests.

Next class, we will begin preparing for the ACT test. Many students like this format much better. It will be totally up to each individual. We will start by reviewing some grammar rules and taking some sample grammar ACT tests, Please review pages 24-27 in your notebook. These were the grammar rules for the PSAT test. The same errors apply for the ACT test as well as other rules we will cover over the next two weeks. At the end of the period, we will have a short grammar quiz to prepare for the ACT test itself. Grammar is one area which can improve your score just by studying rules that are often tested. If students have not had a grammar class for awhile, they may have forgotten some of these basics. In two weeks, they will be ready to take the next test. They will also notice a big improvement in any English placement test they take at KVCC in the near future.

American History

We had a great competitive game review before we took our test today on Chapters 4-6. The students did a fantastic job, and both teams had high scores. I know they had studied the material. Then we took the test, and I feel that they did a great job.

For next week, read the rest of Chapter 7 (pages 97-104) and Chapter 8 on pages 105-116. The citizens start the process of ratifying the newly written Constitution, and the country votes for its first two Presidents.

Watch the following short video to further explain the Federalist Papers.

U.S. Government

We played a game today to further understand the Electoral College of our country. Students were also given a map of the new Electoral College numbers for each state for the 2024 Presidential Election. (These are a result of the 2020 Census.) We started to go through our lessons on the two major political parties of the U.S. and will finish that next week as we discuss other characteristics and history of our two parties.

You have no new lessons due next week. We will finish the lessons on the Republican and Democratic parties. We will also have two quizzes. One will be on the Electoral College. (taken from the note sheet students were given from the Powerpoint we watched last week and the video on the Presidential election process on this website) The other quiz will be on the lessons on the Senate and the House of Representatives. Study the two matching sections on pages 24 and 28. Also review the following video on the Senate and House of Representatives.

Electoral College

Senate and House of Representatives

British Literature

We reviewed for our test on the Middle Ages next week. The first part will be a matching section for the characters and descriptions of Chaucer’s pilgrims in his Canterbury Tales. We took a quiz to practice recognizing these characters. We also reviewed EVERYTHING that would be on the test next week on the Middle Ages. We reviewed the Prologue of the Canterbury Tales and the idea of what was going on in the story, the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the differences in the death of King Arthur in the book by Mallory and The Once and Future King by T.H. White, The Idylls of the King by Tennyson and its dedication, and then those characteristics of a ballad (refrains, incremental repetition, and alliteration) in the poems they read for today.

In addition to studying for the test on the Middle Ages, each student was given an assignment to research on page 44 in your text. Students were told to circle their assigned topic so that they would remember what they were assigned to research and tell the class. This does not need to be a report that is turned in but just an oral telling about their assigned people or events. We will be ready to start Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare soon, so be sure to secure a copy to read.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 10/23/2023
• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 23rd, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We are now totally caught up with our quizzes and discussions! We finished talking about what was read last week, and then we went over (with lots of explanations) Chapters 20-24, the reading for today. We also took both Quiz #3 and Quiz #4.

Next week, we will start the final “Book” of the novel. Read Chapters 1-10 and answer questions 59-72 in your study guides. We have one more reading assignment before we finish the book. The French Revolution is in full swing now, and events are very fast-paced. You will have lots of new information in this book and lots of surprises too. Enjoy the suspense of this section! You will see each character’s “true colors” come through!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We went over the instructions for the math test and how to grid your answers for the last four problems. Next week, we will take the last PSAT test—the longer (45 minute) test. PLEASE BRING A CALCULATOR TO CLASS WITH YOU NEXT WEEK. This time the calculator will save you some time and help reduce silly errors. To practice for this test, do the same thing as you did last week. Go to Khan Academy. Try to practice problems from each of their four areas: Heart of algebra, Problem-solving and data analysis, Passport to advanced math, and Additional topics in math. We will review problems you missed from this week’s test before you take the last one. We also reviewed some vocabulary words common in reading passages on standardized tests.

American History

We reviewed all of Chapter 6, and students were given the names, places, and terms to know from the Chapter Review. Next week, we will have our second test on Chapters 4-6. Before we take the test, we will do a competitive game to review all the material. This will help immensely with your performance on the test! Study so that you can see in the review anything you might have missed. For next week, read part of Chapter 7—pages 88-97. (Review questions through Section 7.2)

Watch the following video to explain “The Great Compromise”.

U.S. Government

We took our third quiz today, and since I had given them everything that was on the test, I think they will do well. We covered the lesson on Voting that they did for this week. Then we watched a Powerpoint to learn how the Electoral College works. The students took notes on the sheet of questions that I gave them. Next week, we will play a game to more fully understand how it works.

For next week, complete Lessons 9 and 10 on the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The answers to the Crosswords are below.

Lesson 9

Lesson 10

Now they are able to complete pages 34-36 and 38-40 I also plan to give them a new map of electoral votes for each state based on the 2020 census. There were some changes made. Some states lost electoral votes and some states gained them. I want to make sure they have those for this next Presidential election. See if your student can explain how the Electoral College works in our Presidential elections today. Make sure your student(s) explain to you how a state gets a certain number of electoral votes and why some states lost them in this last census.

Watch the following brief video to further understand our Electoral College.

British Literature

I checked to see if they had done their crossword page on Chaucer’s characters in The Canterbury Tales, and then we reviewed all of them for our test on the Middle Ages. We will review once more the tales and characters, the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the legend and death of King Arthur, and the three short poems they are reading for next week. In your text, read “Three Sorrowful Things” on page 40, “Maiden in the Moor” on page 41, and “Fair Margaret and Sweet William” on pages 42 and 43. Answer the questions on each poem and on page 43, summarize in one paragraph what took place in the last ballad. The students will have a list of what to study for the test on the Middle Ages this next week, and we will be ready to start the Renaissance and the works of Shakespeare. The students will have their first assignment in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare in two weeks. Make sure you have a copy of the book by then. (Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare) You can check it out at the library, borrow it, buy it used, order it online, or get it at any bookstore. Let me know if you have any questions.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 10/16/2023
• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 16th, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion of last week’s reading and watched the BBC version of this section. It was great to see a visual representation of each of the characters Dickens had described.

We then started going over this week’s reading — Chapters 10-19. We will finish the last of the section and take the quiz over those chapters at the beginning of our next class. This week we will have our shortest reading assignment of all — Chapters 20-24. We will be able to finish up last week’s reading and this week’s as well. Book 2 definitely ends with a cliffhanger conclusion! We all know how naive Charles Darnay is!!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We went over our last quiz before taking the PSAT Writing and Language Test. Then we went over the practice sections in their text for this test. (pages 31-35) We then took the “Grammar and Writing” test together in class. Everyone seemed to finish with time to spare!!

Next week, we will begin our PSAT Math sections. We will start with the shorter one, after going over all the grid-in instructions. No calculator is needed for this part. There are 17 questions total with 13 multiple choice and 4 grid-ins. Go to Khan Academy to practice for the math test. Do practice questions in each of the four areas: heart of algebra, problem-solving and data analysis, passport to advanced math, and additional topics in math.

American History

We went through Chapter 5 and concluded with the Chapter Review on page on page 72. They were given the people, terms, and people they need to know for the test. We passed back the test on Chapters 1-3 and discussed any questions they might have. They did a phenomenal job on their first test!!

For next week, read Chapter 6 which is on The War for Independence itself. We will go over the events and what they need to know for the test.

We will play selected history games as we did today, only we will switch so that everyone plays two different games than today. Games are a great way to learn basic facts about our states and capitals, the American Revolution, basic American history facts, and American geography facts!

U.S. Government

We took another quiz today, and I’m hoping that they do as well as last week! Our quiz next week will be a matching section of the nine amendments I told them to know as well as the content (main subject) of the seven articles of the Constitution. (matching) The rest of the quiz will be True/False, Matching, and Multiple Choice. Of course, there will be a few short answer questions that we have had in the previous two quizzes. Study the amendments, articles of the Constitution, and the terms given in Lesson 5 on the Congress.

For next week, complete Lesson 8 on Voting. The students were given in class the answers to the Crossword on page 29.

Use those words to complete pages 30-32. Next week, we will discuss voting, the electoral college, and why the founding fathers created it.

Try to keep up with what’s going on in the news this week!

British Literature

We talked about the passages they read in their text today — Morte d’Arthur and The Once and Future King. Both of these tell of the death of King Arthur, but they were written five hundred years apart, so they are very different. Then we talked about the passage that Chaucer wrote about the knight in his story. We also went over the background and summary of these tales based on the videos they watched in the email. We then completed anything they didn’t know in their text on page 36 about the life of Chaucer and his works.

For next week, complete the crossword you were given on the characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I gave them all the answers to fill in their text on pages 32-35. Those will definitely help you with the crossword answers. Also, read or watch a summary of two of Chaucer’s tales at the links below. Then analyze the two tales, following the numbers on page 39. For the second tale, do the same thing on a separate sheet of your own paper.

Summary of The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

Summary & Analysis of The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

Summary & Analysis of The Pardoner’s Tale

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 10/09/2023
• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 9th, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We began discussing Chapters 1-9 of Book 2 in A Tale of Two Cities. Make sure your students have questions ready if there is any issue they don’t understand. I try to give them extra information that they may not find out until later in the book. Next week, we will continue watching the DVD of these chapters so they can visualize how the characters may have looked. The Marquis St. Evremonde is usually a disgusting surprise! We will have our quiz on this section at the first of the period next week, as soon as we discuss the fate of the Marquis!

For next week, read Chapters 10-19 of Book 2 and answer the study guide questions 32-52. John Barsad and Roger Cly reappear in a surprising way!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Students received their answer sheets from the PSAT Reading Test. They did amazingly well! We reviewed the “Principal Parts of the Verb” sheet, worked the first practice session for the PSAT Writing Test, and took a quiz to review verb usage. For next week, do the two remaining practice exercises on pages 31-35. We will go over them in class to see how they did and answer any questions. Then we will take the timed PSAT Writing Test (Grammar) so that we can get a scaled score for the entire verbal section.

American History

I passed back last week’s quiz, and we went over the answers and events. We then reviewed briefly for today’s test on Chapters 1-3. Then we took the test and went through Chapter 4 on our preparation for independence. We discussed the impact of The Great Awakening in America and how it prepared us for religious and political freedom. We went over the French and Indian War and how that affected the Americans. For next class, read Chapter 5 as we finally have our conflict with Great Britain and march on toward our war for independence. We will go through the chapter and play some games to review our early history as well as our states and capitals.

Watch the following video which further explains The French and Indian War.

U.S. Government

We took our first quiz today on Lessons 1 and 2. We also reviewed everything that will be on Quiz #2 next week, covering Lessons 3 and 4. In addition to the same short answer questions as today, we added the following: How many U.S. Senators are there? How many U.S. Representatives are there? and How many Supreme Court Justices are there? They do NOT need to know about ALL the amendments to the Constitution–just the ones I gave them in class.

For next week’s class, do Lessons 6 and 7–Senate and House of Representatives. Here are the Crossword answers for pages 21 and 25.

Lesson 6–Senate

Across                                      Down

1. Special                                 2. Cloture
3. Two                                      4. Hundred
6. Immunity                           5. Upper
9. President Pro Tempore   7. Override
10. Vice President                 8. Policy
12. Caucus                              11. Standing
14. Filibuster                         13. Six

Lesson 7–House of Representatives

Across Down

1. California                            2. Impeach
5. Conference                         3. Table
8. Lower                                  4. Rules
10. Caucus                              6. Census
12. Speaker                             7. Population
13. Joint                                  9. Majority
14. Two                                  11. Twenty

Watch the following video on the Senate and House of Representatives.

British Literature

We took our quiz on the Anglo-Saxon Age in class today and watched a video of a parody of Camelot and the Knights. That should help the students understand the parody they read on knighthood.

The students did a great job giving us pertinent information on various people and events in the Middle Ages. All of the reports had to do with excerpts we will be reading in our text.

For next week, read Morte d’Arthur on pages 25-27. (Handout 19 is on pages 28 and 29.) Read the excerpt from The Once and Future King by T.H. White on pages 28 and 29 and answer the questions on page 29, comparing the stories of the two accounts of the death of Arthur. Also, complete page 31 on the life of Chaucer.

Watch the following two videos which deal with a summary of The Canterbury Tales.

The Canterbury Tales

 

The Prologue

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 10/02/2023
• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 2nd, 2023

Quick Looks at Great Books

We actually began discussing our book today and went over all of the questions for the first six chapters in their study guides. We also went over some of our literary terms that Dickens is already using in his writing. We saw his unique use of words in his description of his characters. Before we took our quiz, we watched the BBC version of A Tale of Two Cities. I love this DVD because it has so much dialogue directly from the book.

For next week begin Book Two-The Golden Thread Chapters 1-9 and answer the study guide questions 15-31. We will watch more of the book video in order to visualize the characters. Come with any questions that you do not understand because we will discuss all of your reading before the quiz on this section.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We took our timed PSAT Reading Test today in class. After this, we will begin our grammar review. I will pass their answer sheets back to them next week as well as giving them the correct answers for the Reading test. They can keep all the tests in their notebooks to review at any given time.

For next week, study page 38 in your text on the Principal Parts of Verbs. We will have a quiz next week on recognizing errors in the wrong usage of verbs. This is applicable for the PSAT, SAT, ACT and all other tests on grammar. Note particularly the following irregular problem verbs on the sheet: burst, lay, lie, set, sit, swing, and wring. We will review all of these before the quiz as we go over other grammar rules in your text. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

American History

We took a short quiz today on Chapters 1 and 2 and then went over Chapter 3, giving students names and terms to know from that chapter. We will have a test next week on the first three chapters of our text. It will all be objective—multiple choice, matching, and True/False. I gave you everything to study today. Also, read Chapter 4 on Preparation for Independence. Watch the following brief information about The Great Awakening in history.

U.S. Government

If your son or daughter forgot to ask you a question about a founding father last week, make sure they do that!

We went over Lessons 3 and 4 on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other amendments. The students were given extra sheets explaining each of the first ten amendments (Bill of Rights) and another sheet on amendments 11-27. They were also given which amendments they need to know in detail. (not ALL of them!)

Next week, we will have a quiz on Lessons 1 and 2. They know exactly what to study for that. Also, do Lesson 5 in your notebook. You were given the answers to the Crosswords on page 17 in class. Complete pages 18-20 and watch the following video on the Bill of Rights.

British Literature

We had a brief review of Beowulf before we took our quiz on the epic. Then I gave the class notes about what to study for next week’s quiz on the Anglo-Saxon Age. There is a matching section on it for Beowulf as well, and I expect that they will do really well.

We began the Middle Ages today with a new hero from literature–the knight. This character was a little different than the rough and tumble Anglo-Saxon epic hero! We talked about their code of chivalry and what was happening as we enter that study. Each student was assigned a report to acquaint everyone with this time period in history and literature. They can sit right at their seats and tell everyone what they found for this period. That way everyone benefits from your research. You do not need to hand in a written report, but instead you will be telling the class what you found about your subject. Email or contact me if you have any questions or forget what you were assigned. In addition to your oral report and our quiz on the Anglo-Saxon Age, read pages 20-22 in your text (A Parody of Knighthood) and try to identify what behavior of knights the author is ridiculing. (That’s what a parody does.) We will work on several pages in your text in class and be ready to start covering Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. We will only be reading a summary of two of his tales which I will give you, but we will definitely discuss what the book was about.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

• Assignments for 09/25/2023
• Assignments for 09/18/2023