English 12

Last lit circle on Monday. Also, complete the questions on the poem, "Summer in the Yakima Valley".  Finally, remember that the persuasive essay will be done in class on Tuesday.

English 12

Tomorrow you will be writing your analysis of a character from The Kite Runner.  You may bring in your planning sheet.  I'll collect it with your finished work.
On Monday, October 31st  we will have our next and final lit circle.  On Tuesday you will be writing your persuasive compositions either persuading or dissuading me from teaching The Kite Runner in my next Grade 12 class.

English 12

Answer the multiple choice questions on the poem "Prelude to Jumping in a River".  Also, read over the two handouts on persuasive compositions.  Tomorrow will be the final narrative composition.  Friday will be the in-class character analysis of a character from The Kite Runner.  Furthermore, on Tuesday you will come to class prepared to write a persuasive composition arguing for or against teaching The Kite Runner in future English 12 classes.

English 12

Tomorrow you will be writing an in-class paragraph on either "Digging" or "Wordsmith".  We discussed these poems today.  You may bring a small outline to class tomorrow, which will be stapled to your final product.
Please also complete the questions on "Tears in Heaven" and "On My First Son".  You may wish to view Eric Clapton performing "Tears in Heaven" on YouTube.
Be sure to look at the "Useful Links" section of this blog (to your right) for information on the Grade 12 Provincial Exam and compare/contrast essays.

English 12

Complete the poetry worksheet (two sides), and brainstorm the paragraph question at the end of the "Digging" package. Be sure to select 3 appropriate quotes from the poem.

The next lit circle will be on Monday, October 31st. Read to the end of the novel.

Looking ahead, on Wednesday we will be writing an in-class paragraph. We will write our last narrative composition on Thursday, and we will write a character analysis on Friday.

English 12

Prepare for your lit circle on Monday.  Assigned reading is up to page 306.  Please bring your question sheets on the various chapters. Do not worry about answering any questions at home, we will answer them in class.

Also, complete the questions on the poem "Digging". 

Finally, brainstorm the different ways that the father's repairing of his daughter's home serves as an extended metaphor for their relationship in the poem "Wordsmith".  Be sure to write down 3 relevant quotations from the poem to support your brainstorming notes.  I will be doing a homework check on this.  We will then use this information to write a synthesis composition in preparation for the English 12 final.  

English 12

Your lit circle response (on the future of Afghan women or the Taliban today) is due tomorrow. Also, be prepared to write a narrative composition on: "The best gifts are the simple ones".

English 12

Quiz tomorrow on commas, semicolons and colons. Finish questions on "The. Gold Mountain Coat".

English 12

For homework this weekend, please complete the questions on the poem "Wordsmith", and also review the package "What Should You Get Out Of Poetry?".  Complete the sheet entitled "Can You Identify These Devices (Part 2)" at the back of the package.  Most of you did very well today on our "fun quiz" so I hope that this should give you little trouble.

For grammar, please make certain that you have finished all the questions on the back of the worksheet entitled "Colons : )", as well as the hand out given today in class, "Commas, Semicolons, and Colons (One More Time, With Feeling!)".  The latter will look very much like the grammar quiz you will have on Tuesday, October 18th.

As next Thursday and Friday are both Professional Development days, our next lit circle on The Kite Runner will be on Monday, October 24th.  Our discussion will encompass everything up to page 306 (Chapter 23).

Your journal response for today's lit circle will be due on Wednesday, October 19th.  You may write on the topic given in the original handout--The Future of Afghan Women--or you may choose to write on the Taliban today.  If you choose this second topic, be sure to cover questions such as:
Where are Taliban strongholds?
Who are their supporters?
Who are their enemies?
Who are most vulnerable to their policies or conflicts?
Should Canada and the world care about the Taliban?
Why or why not?

To properly respond to either question, you must use at least two recent sources for you information (news or magazine articles, web sites, documentary videos, etc.).  You must provide hard copies of any articles and staple them to your response.  If you use websites or videos, you must cite your sources.  Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a mark of zero.


The following link will take you to a website with a 40 minute documentary about the Taliban today.  It was aired earlier in 2011 (Just copy the following link into the place where your URL address goes and hit enter.  I'll try to make this process easier within a few hours!):
video.pbs.org/video/1134781691/


If I find any more applicable sites, I will put links to them here.

Have a good weekend.

English 12

Complete questions #10-15 on semi colons. Come mentally ready to write a narrative composition on a valuable lesson. Have a beginning, middle and end in mind. Also, know your dialogue and sensory imagery.

Tomorrow you will teach your poetic terms. So, be prepared!

English 12

On Tuesday I'll be collecting your second journals on The Kite Runner.  Also, I'll be collecting your three body paragraphs on point of view in "Just Lather, That's All".

English 12

Lit circles are tomorrow. We will also have a vocabulary quiz. Make sure your three body paragraphs for point of view in "Just Lather, That's All" are completed for Tuesday.  I will only be checking for proper structure.

A few words on using transitions:

Transitions contribute to style, organization and clarity.  They help to make your writing flow smoothly and naturally, emphasize your paper's underlying structure as well as clarify the relationships between your ideas.
Here are some examples of transitions that you can start using today!

Order in Time:
In the beginning, afterward, finally, ultimately, meanwhile, since, when, whenever, at the same time, subsequently, later...
Similarities and Differences:
Similarly, in a similar way, likewise, in contrast, like/unlike, on one hand, on the other hand, nevertheless, in the same way, however, although...
Example/Explanation:
For example, for instance, such as, that is, in other words, along with, to illustrate, specifically, in particular, generally, namely...
Summary:
In summary, in conclusion, therefore, accordingly, finally, consequently, hence, in closing, thus...
Cause-Effect:
Because, consequently, since, as a result, therefore, so, thus, for that reason, as an effect...
Adding Ideas:
In addition, furthermore, also, not only...but also, another, moreover, additionally, equally, as well...

English 12

Continue working on your lit circle work and study your vocabulary words.

English 12

Study for your unit test tomorrow.  On Friday, we will have lit circles and a test on this week's vocabulary words.

English 12

Review for the test on Wednesday, continue to work on your lit circle roles, and study your vocabulary words. The words are :

Murky, insomniac, immersed, chasm, kneaded, sluiced, encapsulated, retort, precipitous, scoff, boycotting, pungent, permeated, and luminous.