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.
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.
