October 18, 2022October 18, 2022 litalive

2022

Assignments due for the week of October 17th, 2022

Country path in fall

Quick Looks at Great Books

We had to go over la lot to finish last week’s reading and also to watch it on the DVD. (BBC version of the book) We then took the quiz on Chapters 1-9. We will continue our explanation next week of Chapters 10-19, beginning with Chapter 13, and then take the quiz on those chapters. Be sure to have your questions ready if you have trouble knowing what is happening or how to answer the study guide questions.

For next week, you have a shorter amount of reading in chapters and pages. This would be a good time to catch up if you are behind in your reading. Reading through Chapter 24 completes Book 2 — The Golden Thread and leaves us with Charles Darnay’s naïveté and rash decision. In your study guide, complete questions 53-58. Enjoy the excitement of this section!!!

Watch this brief explanation of literary terms that Dickens uses so often!

PSAT/SAT/ACT TEST PREP

We reviewed today for the PSAT Writing test. (mainly grammar) We went over last week’s quiz, completed pages 28-30 (“Summer Break”), took another quiz on verb usage, did pages 31-33 (“Electroconvulsive Therapy”), and took another quiz on grammar rules we have gone over. The students now know the format of this second half of this PSAT test. To finish our practice for the test, complete the final practice section on pages 34 and 35 (“Resumes”). We will go over the answers next week and discuss any problems you may have had. Then we will take the PSAT Writing timed test to average with the score on the Reading test. Then you can see how you did on the verbal section of the test. Great job on recognizing the grammar errors on today’s practice sections!

American History

Happy Columbus Day!! We discussed again what we had learned about this explorer and how he has been criticized in today’s environment. He is a fearless explorer and a role model for all Italians in America today. We then briefly reviewed for today’s test on Chapters 1-3 and took our first test. We will have a short quiz next week on Chapters 4 and 5 and begin reviewing the major events of the Revolutionary War for our next test. For next week, read Chapter 6—The War for Independence. We will go over all the facts and names you will need to know from the Revolutionary War. Do the section reviews in this chapter.

Watch this overview of the American Revolution to reinforce what you have read.

U.S. Government

We went over our first quiz, expectations, and what the format would be for the second quiz. It takes a little time for students to know what to expect! We took our second quiz today on Lessons 3 and 4, and I’m sure they did even better than last week!

We will have a short quiz next week on the contents of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. There will be no fill-in-the blanks on this quiz. There will be a matching section where they will match certain amendments with the appropriate explanation of that amendment. They should be able to match the content of amendments 1, 2, 4, 5, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21, and 26. They were given detailed descriptions of each amendment in the Bill of Rights and also a sheet on amendments 11-27. Study from those sheets. They also need to number the correct article of the Constitution with its corresponding subject. Article 1–Legislative branch, Article 2–Executive branch, Article 3–Judicial branch, Article 4–Federal and State Governments, Article 5–Changing the Constitution, Article 6–Constitution as the Highest Law, and Article 7—Making it Official (Ratification). There will also be seven True/False questions about material we have discussed.

Besides reviewing for the quiz, complete Lesson 8 on Voting in your notebook. (pages 30-33) I have attached the Crossword answers for page 29. Just copy them into your notebook to help you complete Lesson 8. We will be studying these pages and a lot of other material that I will give the students to prepare for the upcoming election.

Adventures in American Literature

Today we went over the life of Benjamin Franklin. He invented so many things in addition to being a great writer, ambassador, politician, and founding father! We discussed his writing of Poor Richard’s Almanack and the success he achieved. We also talked about Phillis Wheatley’s contribution to our heritage of literature. We finished with Crevecoeur’s comments and observations. Next week, we will work with some of Franklin’s aphorisms.

For next week, we will begin learning about the many tall tales that have become an important part of our literary history. Read and answer the questions on pages 47-48 (Paul Bunyan), page 49 (Johnny Appleseed), and pages 50-51 (Mike Fink and Davy Crockett.) Each person in class was assigned an oral report on a tall tale hero/heroine to tell about to the class. Each profession had its own hero, either legendary or in real life. (however exaggerated) Please let me know if you have any questions about your report. It does not need to be handed in, but just given orally to inform the class about that person and his accomplishments.

Watch this short video about this midwest hero that you read about in this week’s homework.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2022 – 2023:

October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 10/10/2022

Assignments due for the week of October 1oth, 2022

Country path in fall

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion and study guide questions on Chapters 5 and 6 of Book 1 and took our first quiz on the book. Then we went over much of today’s reading and will finish next week before our second quiz. It does help to watch the BBC version of this book. You can get a good picture of the characters as well as direct conversations from the book.

Watch this brief explanation of a literary device we talked about today.

PSAT/SAT/ACT TEST PREP

We reviewed some basic grammar rules and examples today after taking a quiz on the verbs you had on the sheet I gave the students in class. We will do some practice Writing tests next week and have two grammar quizzes. One will be on recognizing the correct verb form in each sentence. The other will be on some of the rules we went over today. The practice tests will help you know how to process the Writing section of the PSAT. Go over the rules on pages 24-27 to review.

American History

We took our first quiz today on Chapters 1 and 2. We also reviewed for our test next week on Chapters 1-3. We will go over Chapter 4 that you read for today as well as next week’s chapter. Read Chapter 5 for next week and answer the two section review questions. I will go over what you need to know, especially in the Chapter Review at the end of each chapter.

Watch this brief 3 minute video about The Great Awakening, a significant event in American history and the two key figures involved in it.

U.S. Government

The students took their first quiz today, and even though I haven’t looked at them yet, I think they did really well. We will have a quiz on Lessons 3 and 4 next week. (We went over these in class today. They were also given sheets on the Bill of Rights and Amendments 11-27 of the Constitution) The quiz next week will just be matching of the terms on those lessons (not the specific content of amendments) and the fill-in the-blanks like we had on today’s quiz. We will add three numbers to what you did for this week: Number of U.S. Senators–100, Number of U.S. Representatives–435, and Number of Supreme Court Justices–9.

For next week, also do Lessons 6 and 7 in your notebooks.
(pages 22-24 and pages 26-28) I have included the Crossword answers for The Senate Lesson 6 and The House Lesson 7. (pages 21 and 25)

Watch this special video to distinguish the two houses of Congress.

Adventures in American Literature

Great job discussing some of the “Pre-Revolutionary Days” literature! The songs were typically poems that were meant to be sung—-ballads. For next week, we will discuss the many works of Ben Franklin and others. Some pages we will do together in class. For homework, read the following pages and answer the questions on those pages. Ben Franklin is on pages 31-35, Phillis Wheatley (first female black poet) is on pages 37-40, and Frenchman Crevecoeur’s comments and questions are on pages 41 and 42. You should find the works of Ben Franklin quite interesting. You saw a good portrayal of him in the video we watched today.

Watch this video of the accomplishments of Ben Franklin.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2022 – 2023:

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 10/03/2022

Assignments due for the week of October 3rd, 2022

Country path in fall

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our review of the French Revolution and had our quiz on the background, or setting, for this book. Then we started with the initial section of A Tale of Two Cities. Remember, this is the most difficult book we read all year, so please ask any questions about characters or events that you don’t understand. We will finish the last two chapters of today’s reading and answer any questions you may have on that section before our quiz next week.

For next week, read Chapters 1-9 of Book 2–The Golden Thread. We will see if you know why it was given that title by the time we finish that section. Also, answer questions 15-31 in your study guide to check your comprehension. Look for lots of new characters and note the difference five years have made! The location is now London, England. You will see Jerry Cruncher, along with his wife, in his home in London. Dickens’s days as a court reporter helped him to accurately describe the trial at Old Bailey.

PSAT/SAT/ACT TEST PREP

We went over the answers to the last two sections of the practice Reading passages in the notebooks. Everyone seemed to do really well! Then we took the actual 60 minute Reading PSAT test. This is for practice and for knowing how to manage the time you have. This was an actual test that was given in the past. Students will receive their graded tests back next week so that they know how they did. At the end of the period, each student received a sheet to study of the principal parts of irregular verbs. We will have a quiz on these next week after we have thoroughly gone over them. Watch particularly the following pairs: lay/lie, raise/rise, and sit/set. You will just need to correct any misuse in the sentences or mark them as “Correct”.

American History

We reviewed everything that would be on our quiz on Lessons 1 and 2 next week and finished going over Chapter 3. We will have a test on the first three chapters on Monday, October 10. We will review for that test next week. Also read Chapter 4 in your textbook and answer the “section” questions in your textbook. (2 sets) We will then continue with the games we played today. If you played with the trivia geography cards today, you will switch to the states and capitals next week. That way, the entire class will work with both sets. You can learn a lot of important material that is not actually in your textbook!

Watch this video that briefly explains the importance of the French and Indian War:

U.S. Government

Great discussion today on the “colorful” life of Gouveneur Morris! We talked about the Constitutional Convention and reviewed for next week’s quiz on Lessons 1 and 2. There will be two matching sections of the terms in Lessons 1 and 2. There will also be a “fill-in-the-blanks” section on the three branches of government. They will need to know the three branches, their function, the two parts of Congress, and the length of the terms of Senators and Representatives. In addition to studying for the quiz, do Lesson 5 in your workbooks. (Congress–pages 18-20) You were given the Crossword answers for page 17 in class today. Hopefully, you wrote the answers onto that page. You will do the remaining pages using those terms. (pages 19 and 20) Let me know if you have any questions.

Watch the following two videos to provide more information on what we discussed.

Constitutional Convention of 1787

Articles of Confederation

Adventures in American Literature

We discussed the two early English colonies today and read some of the journals which became our historical records. We then went over the works of two early poets in America. Edward Taylor was known for his metaphors–comparing two things that may be unsimilar. We also started, through a game, to become familiar with the works and authors in literature.

For next week, we are finishing with some of our earliest forms of American literature by reading some sermons, letters, speeches, and songs. Read Jonathan Edwards famous sermon on pages 19 and 20 and answer the questions on page 20. (He has great illustrations of lots of our literary terms.) Read Abigail Adams’s letters to her husband, which give us a woman’s perspective of the events of the day. (pages 21-24 with questions) Patrick Henry’s famous speech is on page 25, and Thomas Paine’s excerpt and questions are on page 26. Lastly, read the lyrics of the two Revolutionary songs and answer the questions on pages 27-30. We’re almost ready for some of the fun of America’s tall tales!

Watch the following video that illustrates the song “Revolutionary Tea”:

Previous Assignments for School Year 2022 – 2023:

September 27, 2022September 27, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 09/26/2022

Assignments due for the week of September 26th, 2022

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great reports and information today on the French Revolution! We all learned a lot! We reviewed the study guide and all the information there. We did run out of time to take our quiz on the French Revolution and to watch the condensed version of the History Channel documentary on the revolution. I love for the students to get to see the dress of the day and the characters portrayed.

For next week, begin reading A Tale of Two Cities by completing Book 1 “Recalled to Life” Chapters 1-6. (All three “Books” are within the book itself.) It takes place in Paris and introduces some of the book’s major characters. Answer the study guide questions on pages 40 and 41 to make sure you are understanding the main events that take place. Have your questions ready as we discuss what you read. We will go over in detail anything you did not understand.

PSAT/SAT/ACT TEST PREP

We worked today on practice sections for the PSAT Reading Test. We went over all the correct answers and, hopefully, you will benefit from any mistakes for the practice 60-minute test we take in class next week. For next Monday, finish the questions on “Washington’s Farewell Address” and read the last passage on “The Great Seal” and answer the questions that follow. We will go over the correct answers and any questions you have before we begin the practice Reading Test in class. I will return the scored tests to you the following week.

American History

We covered the stories of the explorers to the New World in Chapter 1 and listed each date, person, and event they would need to know for the quiz. We began Chapter 2 and will continue going through it next week and pointing out what will be on our first quiz. For next week, read Chapter 3—Life in Colonial America. Answer the questions at the end of each section. We will go over Chapter 3 and review for the quiz on Chapters 1 and 2. You will meet some familiar characters in Chapter 3!

U.S. Government

We had another great class today, and the students seemed to understand the first two lessons. Do you know what holiday is this month? September 17th was Constitution Day! It’s an important date in our history, September 17, 1787, and, believe it or not, it is celebrated in our country today! We will talk more about the Constitutional Convention next week after the students do Lessons 3 and 4 in their notebooks on the Constitution. (Assignment for next Monday) We discussed a lot of important facts about the convention and will continue with that as well.

As promised, here are the answers to pages 9 and 13 in the notebooks. (I will always give you the answers to the Crossword pages.)

Lesson 3 The Constitution

ACROSS DOWN

1. Bill of Rights 2. Implied

7. Rhode Island 3. Federalists

8. Delaware 4. Supreme Court

10. Madison 5. Amendments

11. Expressed 6. Confederation

12. Concurrent 7. Ratified

9. Reserved

10. Morris

Lesson 4 The Constitution (Bill of Rights & Amendments)

ACROSS DOWN

1. Liquor 2. Income

4. Black 3. Women

5. Congress 4. Bails

9. Criminal 5. Civil

11. Religion 6. Eighteen

12. Soldiers 7. Trial

8. Warrants

10. Arms

Watch this brief video about Constitution Day.

Watch this video about the Constitutional Convention.

Complete pages 10-12 and pages 14-16 in your notebooks based on the Crossword answers above. (Transfer the answers above to your notebooks.) Also, your student should ask you a question and, hopefully, be able to give you the answer if you don’t know it.

Question: Who is the most important founding father that no one has ever heard of?

We’ll discuss this man more next week as well as try to catch up on all that you’ve done in your workbook. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

Adventures in American Literature

We went over what the students had done in their notebooks and what we covered last week. In all the fifty states, we began our list of personal associations and will add to the literary associations throughout the year. They all did a great job analyzing the Senecan legend and its purpose. Sometimes, we forget that the Native Americans really contributed to the start of our literature.

For next week, read the journal writings of John Smith and William Bradford who had very different leadership styles. (pages 9-13) Then answer the questions on page 14 about the two accounts. Read Edward Taylor’s poem on page 15 and answer the five questions that follow. We will further discuss Taylor’s metaphors in our next class. Lastly, read the poem of America’s first female poet Anne Bradstreet on pages 17 and 18. Answer this question about her poem:

How are Mrs. Bradstreet’s Puritan beliefs evident in the reaction to the loss of her house?

You can watch the following video, which reads Anne Bradstreet’s poem to you with illustrations.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2022 – 2023:

Assignments for 09/19/2022

September 21, 2022September 21, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 09/19/2022

Assignments due for the week of September 19th, 2022

Quick Looks at Great Books

Great beginning to our study of the French Revolution, the setting for the first novel we will be reading. For next week, read pages 1-33 in your purple study guide and prepare the oral report you were assigned. If you have any questions about what your topic was or about the presentation, just email me. After we have gone over the pages you read, given our reports, and answered any questions, we will have our first quiz on the details of the French Revolution. It will be great preparation for the events you will read about in this historical novel.

Watch the following brief summary of the French Revolution.

PSAT/SAT/ACT TEST PREP

We at least learned today what PSAT stands for as well as the SAT test. Each student should be able to answer that question! We will start taking our timed tests, beginning with the Reading Test two weeks from today. There is no homework for next week. Just be sure to bring back the workbook (syllabus) you were given in class today.

American History

Each class member did an amazing job in the game which helped put major events in American History in the proper order. We will continue our study by reading Lessons 1 and 2 in your new textbook. (No worries, if your text is still coming by mail this week. You will still have time to read the assignment for next Monday.) Begin a spiral notebook or a section in your three-ring binder for notes from your reading in Lessons 1 and 2. Keep your notes here to study for quizzes and tests. For Chapters 1 and 2, answer the review questions in your text (four sections for Chapter 1 and six sections for Chapter 2.) This will help you to understand important facts and people. We will discuss both these chapters and their Review Questions in class next week.

Watch the following brief video about the first 13 colonies:

U.S. Government

It was great getting to know each student and seeing just how much they knew about how our government works! We will play the same game we played today at the end of the semester. They will be amazed at how much they know then! For our next class, complete Lessons 1 and 2 in the workbook you were given in class today. I will always give you the Crossword answers on the first page of each lesson. We didn’t have time to do this in class today, so the answers are below. Just write them into your text and finish the lesson from there. The six terms listed on the second page of each lesson can be found in your Glossary on pages 97-99. On the “Evaluate” section, read the questions and be prepared to discuss them in class. You will need to complete pages 2-4 and pages 5-8.

Lesson 1 Government Terms

ACROSS DOWN

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

Lesson 2 Government Terms

ACROSS DOWN

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

Please let me know if you have any questions at all about the assignments. We will also talk about the Federal holiday this month that you may not know about!

Adventures in American Literature

We played a game today to see how much students knew about the events in American history since these events directly influenced the literature of each period. They did really well! Those students who are also in American history will keep in touch with what was going on in America in each literary period. We will start with the beginnings of American literature by reading the Native American legend on pages 6 and 7 and by answering the questions on page 8. You were given an alphabetical list of the states of the Union. (We will add more notes to many of these states as we progress through the literature.) For next week, try to label the map of the continental states on page 5 of your textbook. Do as many as you can and look up any that you do not know. We will continue our discussion of page 2 next week, an excerpt from Charles Kuralt’s book, On the Road with Charles Kuralt.

Watch the following two videos which aired on CBS news as he tried to capture the diverse geography and people of our great country.

Thomas Jefferson

Joseph Charles

Previous Assignments for School Year 2022 – 2023:

No assignments yet.

September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 litalive

End of School Year 2021

May 23rd, 2022

Flowers and Chair

Great job on your debate today on social media!

WINNER OF TODAY’S DEBATE

Social media does more harm than good.

(Very close!)

Congrats to Sara, Benny, Natalie, Macy, & Kierstyn

Mrs. Murphy recorded all of today’s debate on her phone. She did it in sections, so that you can view only certain portions if you’d like. Contact her if you would like her to send it to you. Laura Murphy at .

If your son or daughter is a senior and will be participating in the graduation ceremony at Centerpoint this Thursday, I will have his/her graded exam or debate evaluation, as well as the transcript for the class. Otherwise, I will get the documents to you by email.

For all others, I will have them with me at the KAT registration on Monday, June 6 at Centerpoint. Don’t forget to see me and pick them up. I will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about classes next year. Looking forward to seeing you then!!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2021 – 2022:

May 24, 2022May 24, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 05/23/2022

Assignments due for the week of May 23rd, 2022

crocus flowers

Debate

Great job on your debate today! I love that all of you are researching and learning about relevant topics that are in the news today. Even if you did not agree with your designated side, we could not tell that, and you seemed convinced of your particular point of view!

Today’s debate was VERY close. Remember that your grade does not depend on whether or not you actually won, but rather on how you presented your case. Many of the judges said that it was too close to call. However, here is the final decision.

WINNER OF TODAY’S DEBATE

The minimum wage should NOT be raised to $15 per hour. Congrats to Emily, Emma, Darrin, Cianna, and Ariel

MAY 23 DEBATE

Does social media cause more harm than good?

Yes—Benny, Macy, Sara, Kierstyn, Natalie (PRO)
No—Colin, Josie, Devon, Abigail, Sol, Cyrus (CON)

Explorations in British Literature

We went over all missing work today. Don’t forget to bring anything you’re still missing to class next week, since it’s our last day of classes. I will return to you your worksheets on J.R.R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie next week. After discussing the importance of knowing about an author’s personal life, we talked about three important British writers who are a little more contemporary—C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Agatha Christie. It’s really time to start thinking about any books you might decide to read this summer when you have more free time than during the regular school year. You were given a study guide to study for next week’s final exam over the entire year. Since the whole test is objective, I think you’ll do really well! Don’t forget to let me know if you need a copy of the Literary Terms to study.

No-Spin Economics

We did a game review and then took our test on the entire book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Next week, we will have our final exam covering the Penny Candy book and Crash Course Economics videos 1-7 and 9-12. Don’t forget to use you weekly worksheets to review each video or each chapter in the book. We will do another review game of both the book and the videos before we take the final exam next week.

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our covering of the questions in your study guide for The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Then we took the second quiz on the book. We then did a competitive review game on the entire book before taking our final test. Some of you have a great understanding of the fishing experience!

Next week, we will do another game review on the entire year. You will be amazed at how much you know!! We covered all you should study for the various books and authors we have read this year. Many of the literary terms we have discussed and applied since September. Watch the following brief video to review some of these terms.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2021 – 2022:

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 05/16/2022

Assignments due for the week of May 16th, 2022

crocus flowers

Debate

Fantastic job on today’s debate! Both sides did a great job. I love that you are learning to “think on your feet” and are “aggressively” handling the Crossfires. Super job for both teams! I look forward to these next two debates, which will be the final debate for our teams. Make this one the best of the year, applying all the tips we have gone over throughout the semester. This is like the final exam of the year for this class! Do your very best, and don’t forget to practice aloud in advance of the day of your debate.

May 16 Debate

The minimum wage should be raised to $15/hour: Nick, Lucy, Lily, Olivia, Samuel
The minimum wage should NOT be raised to $15/hour: Emily, Emma, Cianna, Ariel, Darrin

May 23 Debate

Does social media cause more harm than good? Yes—Benny, Macy, Sara, Kierstyn, Natalie
Does social media cause more harm than good? No—Colin, Josie, Devon, Abigail, Sol, Cyrus

Explorations in British Literature

We played a Jeopardy Review Game before we took our final test on Animal Farm by George Orwell. The students all have a great grasp of the book’s connection to the Russian Revolution and Orwell’s intended comparisons. They all did an excellent job on the quizzes, so I expect great results on the test as well! 🙂

For next week, complete the worksheets you were given on the lives of J.R.R. Tolkien and Agatha Christie. You can find the basic information online by googling them, or you can check out The Tolkien Society and Agatha Christie’s website.

Watch the following videos on the lives of these authors.

Christie

Tolkien

No-Spin Economics

We went over the handout for Chapters 10-12 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and also the notes from Crash Course Economics video #12 on the 2008 Financial Crisis. We took our quiz on the homework from last week.

Next week, you need to study the Penny Candy book Chapters 1-13 for a test. This will prepare you for the final exam the following week, May 23, which will cover the entire book and the Crash Course videos 1-7 and 9-12. We will do a review game before we take the test on the book.

Quick Looks at Great Books

We took the final test for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and then began our discussion of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. We went over the religious imagery that Hemingway used and a little bit about his personal life. We took a quiz on the first half of the book and will finish our discussion and take the second quiz next week. We will do a review game of the entire book and take the final test. We will then go over what you should study for our final exam on May 23. Watch this video to review the literary term imagery.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2021 – 2022:

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 05/09/2022

Assignments due for the week of May 9th, 2022

crocus flowers

Debate

Great job on today’s debate on the Supreme Court Justices! It’s great to see improvement with each debate that we do. We’ll go over points made next week together, and then you will have some time with your teams before the debate starts.

May 9 Debate

The right to vote should be extended to citizens 21 years and older: Josie, Sol, Colin, Devon, Natalie, Cyrus
The right to vote should be extended to citizens 18 years and older: Sara, Abigail, Macy, Benny, Kierstyn

May 16 Debate

The minimum wage should be raised to $15/hour: Nick, Lucy, Lily, Olivia, Samuel
The minimum wage should NOT be raised to $15/hour: Emily, Emma, Cianna, Ariel, Darrin

Explorations in British Literature

We answered the questions from the excerpt from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Then we finished going over all the points in the study guide and discussed the rest of Animal Farm by George Orwell. We took the quizzes on the book. Next week, we will play a Jeopardy game to review Animal Farm before we take the final test and the character quiz we did not have time to finish in class. Also, read the mini-biography on C.S. Lewis and complete the summary page (front and back) to turn in for a quiz grade. We will finish our discussion of this great Christian author the following week. You can find more information about him at the C.S. Lewis official website.

To gain more information and specific facts, watch this brief biography.

No-Spin Economics

We took our quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 10-12 and on Crash Course Economics video #9. We also went over the handout you were given on The Federal Reserve board and a map of its 12 districts. That is a review of Crash Course #10. We also went over the worksheet on Crash Course #11. For next week, we will finish our Penny Candy book by reading the Summary. (Chapter 13) You were given a handout for our last video of the year—Crash Course Economics #12. Watch the video at the following link.

We will cover all to this material next week and then take a quiz on Penny Candy Chapter 13 and Crash Course video #12

Quick Looks at Great Books

We played a Jeopardy game to review the entire book of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Since we had two rounds in addition to a final Jeopardy question, we did not have time to take the final test! We will take the test at the beginning of our next class period.

For next week, read the short book (no chapters) of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. You were given a study guide with several questions even though the book only has two main characters and covers only four days. Look over the questions to make sure you understand the story and come to class with any questions you may have about the characters or events. We will discuss the entire book and then take two quizzes on the events of the story. Watch for all the symbolism the author uses.

Watch this brief reminder of what symbolism is.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2021 – 2022:

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 litalive

Assignments for 05/02/2022

Assignments due for the week of May 2nd, 2022

crocus flowers

Debate

Great times with your teams this week as you prepared for upcoming debates!! Next week, we will be debating the Supreme Court justices’ ability to serve for life or whether they should have term limits. On May 9, we will be debating on the voting age for U.S. citizens. Don’t forget to get with your teams during the week to confer and evaluate each other’s presentations. Practice aloud ahead of time to ensure a smooth presentation! Fantastic job on the Balloon Debate today—very creative thinking on your feet!!

Parents, we would love to have you join us for any or all of our debates on the next four weeks. You can watch your son or daughter or watch on weeks that they are not debating. I will email you with more information.

Explorations in British Literature

We went over the first five chapters of Animal Farm, and the students seemed to have a great understanding of what Orwell was trying to communicate. We also began discussing one of Britain’s famous writers that we have not covered covered yet—Rudyard Kipling. He wrote so many poems, essays, stories, and novels. All of his works would fill a total of 35 volumes! We noted today, just briefly, how many different settings he used in all of his various works. We also responded to George Orwell’s essay on “Shooting an Elephant.” We saw that he only shot the elephant to “save face” and because so many spectators came to watch and cheer him on!

Next week, we will finish our discussion of the entire book (Animal Farm) and work on the rest of the study guide together. We will take the quiz on questions on the book, as well as a matching quiz on the characters. Also, read pages 157-159 and answer the four questions on the last page. This is an excerpt from H.G. Wells, the inventor of “science fiction.”

Watch this brief history of a momentous radio broadcast of the novel by H.G. Wells.

No-Spin Economics

We went over Chapters 10-12 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (You were given handouts for these chapters that were updated with current numbers.) We also reviewed Crash Course Economics #9 from your worksheet that we discussed in detail last week. Next week, we will have a quiz over Chapters 10-12 in Penny Candy and Crash Course video #9. We went over the contents today of Crash video #10. For next week, complete the worksheet you were given for Crash Course Economics #11.

View video #11 here.

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird and took our final quiz. You asked some great questions before we took the quiz! Hopefully, that helped all of you on the quiz if you had any trouble following the ending and exactly what happened. Review for our final test next week by completing page 16 (Chronolog) in your study guide. Also, since you have no reading assignment for this week, make sure you have completed the following pages and terms in your Literary Terms notebook—terms 1-10, 12, and 19-32. These have been previously assigned. This is just for you to check that you have them all done. We have gone over them all in class, but you will see them again on the final exam.

Watch the following final scenes from your reading in To Kill a Mockingbird.