Author: litalive

litalive

Assignments for 01/15/2024

Winter cottage

Assignments due for the week of January 15th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our study guide for Cyrano de Bergerac together in class today. Then, we started going over the terms we did in our Literary Terms notebook. Next week, we will take the second Cyrano quiz (Acts IV and V) and then take our final test. Before, this we will play a review game to go over the events of the entire play. Since you have no reading for next week, complete the following terms in your Literary Terms notebook: Lesson 20 on Characters and Characterization (pages 52-53), Lesson 21 on Conflict (pages 54-56), and Lesson 23 on Dialogue (pages 60-61).

Watch this final scene from the play we read.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We went over things to remember on an actual test day, and they each have a list for their notebooks. We then played a Jeopardy game to review the information we have covered this semester. We will finish the review next week and finish other instructions to register for the free test in April. If you need to turn in your complete writing plan, please bring it to class next week. Let me know if you have any questions at all. If you had any notes on your vocabulary list, please give that back to me as well.

American History

We spent today’s class period reviewing the states and the capitals and special facts about each of our past Presidents. Even though we do not have these tests for a few weeks, each time we review, you will remember a few that you did not know before! Sooner or later, it will come naturally to you.

For next week, read Chapter 16 in your text on The Civil War. We will finish Chapter 17 next week on The Reconstruction of the South. Then, we’ll be ready of our test over Chapters 10-17. Students will be given a list in the Chapter Review of what you need to study from these two chapters. You need only study those terms I have given you for each of these chapters for the test. We will have a quiz on Chapters 16 and 17 in two weeks, which will prepare us for the upcoming test. The Civil War is a pivotal point in American History, and we will begin our study of a more modern nation after that.

Watch this brief video about the start of the Civil War.

U.S. Government

Today we played the same game we did on our first day of class. It was amazing how much the students knew that they did not know on that day at the beginning of this semester! This was also a great review for our final exam next week. We will do a game review over the entire semester of U.S. Government before we take the 100 question final exam for the semester. We will begin with No-Spin Economics the following week, which will tie in directly with what’s going on in today’s government issues.

Watch this video to review how our government was set up by the Constitution.

Explorations in British Literature

We finished up what the students had already read in their texts and then did some of the pages together. (through page 89) For next week, read the following examples of satire: pages 91-93 and answer the questions after each entry.

Then read the following excerpt on “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift.

Complete page 95 after you have read the proposal. We will complete page 94 together in class.

Watch this 60 second description of satire.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 12/18/2023

Assignments due for the week of December 18th, 2023

Merry Christmas and Tree

Quick Looks at Great Books

We took our final test on Silas Marner today and then went through our study guide on Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. We discussed Cyrano’s Grand Gestures in Acts I and II. Next week, we will take our quiz on Acts I-III. Also, read Acts IV and V for next week. We will celebrate a Victorian Christmas since Charles Dickens and George Eliot both wrote in that period.

Watch this scene from Act I in the play.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We took the last ACT test today—the Science Test. We then went over all the writing pointers for the ACT writing test, which will also apply for the SAT test as well. We looked at actual submissions for the prompt that was given in the opening. For next week, turn in a sample of two personal experiences that could be used in a variety of illustrations. Also, give two examples of illustrations that could be used in any writing prompt. The two can be both historical incidents or two literary references or one of each. I will give these back to you to add to your notebook. This will be in your writing “plan” for these tests.

American History

Super job again on your Presidents’ reports in class today! They were each thorough with lots of important information! We will review these again before our test on the first 24 Presidents.

Watch the following 60-second video of the life of President Abraham Lincoln.

For next week, read Chapter 15 on Slavery and Secession. We will talk about the new Republican party and how Abraham Lincoln was elected. The Civil War is up next! Also, next week, we will take a short quiz on Chapters 10-12 that was supposed to be last week. Since we ran out of time, we postponed the quiz. Lastly, we will see how the Americans celebrated Christmas in the 1800’s.

U.S. Government

Everyone did a super job on the second test over five lessons in your text. We went over those and answered any questions. Then we went through the lessons on City Government and the Post Office. The students were given the few terms that will be on the final exam for Lessons 18-21. Here are the crossword answers for Lesson 22—Navy, Lesson 23—Marine Corps, and Lesson 24—Air Force. Then complete these last three lessons in our texts before Christmas break.

Listen to this medley of the theme songs for each branch of the military.

Here is the newest addition—the Space Force

British Literature

Review the following summary of Macbeth for our quiz next week.

For next week, do the following reading in your text:

Carpe Diem: Seize the Day (Cavaliers’ poetry and questions on pages 71 and 72), John Donne’s Metaphysical Writing (poetry and questions on pages 75-77), and the excerpt from Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan & questions on page 78. We will finish anything we missed from last week’s assignment. We will also find out how the Elizabethans celebrated Christmas!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 12/11/2023

Assignments due for the week of December 11th, 2023

Christmas downtown

Quick Looks at Great Books

The students had a great review today with our Jeopardy game of two rounds. We went over the Chronolog that they completed for homework as well. We ran out of time after our comprehensive review, so they will take the test at the beginning of our next class.

They received the study guide for our new book Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It’s a play, so it will be quick reading. For next week, read Acts I-III, and we will work on the study guide together. Before you begin your reading, read the instructions on page 5 and then complete the drawing on page 6 to illustrate the set-up for the play that was being presented in Act I. I know some of you are talented artists, but no worries if you’re not! Just draw stick men to illustrate what the various guests are doing. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We did some practice tests to prepare for the last section of the ACT test—Science. The students did a fantastic job on these, and many got all of the answers right! It doesn’t matter how many science classes you have had. The information for the questions is all contained in the charts, graphs, or experiments given. We will take the ACT Science test next week and go over the writing portion.

American History

Super job on your Presidents’ reports in class today! They were each thorough with lots of important information! The Ukrainian students (Vlad and Maks) did an especially thorough job and read it all to us in English. Fantastic accomplishment! We all admitted that we could never do that in the Russian or Ukrainian language!

Next week, I will give you the list of things to know from Chapter 13, and we will go over Chapter 14. Read that new chapter (14) this week, and we will continue with new political and Presidential facts about what was going on during the advances in transportation and technology.

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

Zachary Taylor

Millard Fillmore

Franklin Pierce

James Buchanan

Don’t forget if you have a report next week:

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

Let me know if you have any questions at all.

U.S. Government

Great job as we reviewed for this second test! The score was so close that we will have to have a rematch soon on our next review! We then took the test itself, and I think everyone did well! For next week, complete the next two lessons. Here are the Crossword answers for Lesson 19—City Government and Lesson 20—The Post Office. We are almost done with our notebook and just have the four branches of the military left!

Watch the following video about how our mail is processed and delivered.

British Literature

We went over the terms in our study guide, finished pages there, and did a review game on the entire play. I think the students will do really well on the test they took after that. We will go over what you did in your text on Dr. Faustus, as well as the assignments for next week. I will give you on this website a summary of the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Watch the summary, and we will work together on the pages in your text.

In your text, complete the following pages: page 60 (Royal Fans—Answer questions about Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.), pages 65-66 on The Sonnet: A “Little Song”of Thoughts, page 67 “How to Read an Essay”, pages 68-69 on Bacon’s Essay, and page 70 Poetry and Meaning Take Shape. (Answer the two questions.)

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

litalive

Assignments for 12/04/2023

Assignments due for the week of December 4th, 2023

 

Christmas downtown

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:

litalive

Assignments for 11/27/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 27th, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving - sending blessings

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:

litalive

Assignments for 11/20/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 20th, 2023

 

Hello November

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:

litalive

Assignments for 11/13/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 13th, 2023

 

Hello November

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:

litalive

Assignments for 11/06/2023

Assignments due for the week of November 6th, 2023

 

Hello November

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:

litalive

Assignments for 10/30/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 30th, 2023

Country path in fall

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:

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Assignments for 10/23/2023

Assignments due for the week of October 23rd, 2023

Country path in fall

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: