English 11

Tomorrow, you will be writing a five-part persuasive essay. Your task is to either persuade me to continue using Life of Pi as the class novel or dissuade me from ever using this novel again. Remember, a persuasive composition is very similar to the regular five paragraph expository essay. You still must have three reasons to support your thesis, and these reasons must be supported with strong, logical evidence. However, you can be more emphatic and passionate in your statements. You also have more leeway to use literary and figurative devices to champion your position. Finally, in the conclusion you must include a call to action and encourage your reader to DO something.

Tomorrow, you may bring any handouts I have given you in class, an English to English dictionary, and rough notes (to be attached to your final copy). Experience writing essays in a timed, classroom situation is a very important component of this exercise. Please do not bring a completed essay to class tomorrow morning in the hopes that you can simply rewrite it as a good copy.

Lisa sent me this very moving video clip of albatrosses on the island of Midway in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I know that some of you investigated the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Great Pacific Garbage Gyre when you were doing your investigations for Life of Pi. This enormous, swirling mass of human garbage is wrecking havoc on our planet. The video clip tells a chilling story about the effects of this terrible case of pollution on the albatrosses of Midway Island. You should definitely take a look at this four minute video. These birds are, I fear, our "canaries in the coal mine".

English 11

This may be of interest to some of you: the provincial government will fund Grade 11 next year.

Tonight, complete the final role sheets for Life of Pi. Remember that you do not have to do the investigation section. Do, however, make mental note of three reasons why I should select this as a class novel for any future Grade 11 students.

Also, your final vocabulary words for Grade 11 are: dappled, burrow (v), egregious, multitude, vagaries, corrode (v), contradict, euphoria, extrapolate (v), pliable, sinister, ostensibly, botch (v), ramifications, pertaining to, and dearth. The quiz will be next Monday.

Finally, as for the rest of the week...

Tuesday - lit circle #5

Wednesday - you will persuade me in writing to either continue using Life of Pi as a class novel or stop using it in favour of another book. You will have about one hour to write your argument. We will also do a little poetry.

Thursday - poetry and the poetry "quest"

Friday - final exam (one poem & a paragraph plus a story & a multi-paragraph composition...and a few multiple choice questions on each reading)

English 11

Tonight, review the vocabulary words. Also, complete the questions on "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud".

English 11

Tonight, make sure you have reviewed the vocabulary words and read "Happyness for Sale".  Here is the link to the poem "High Flight".  Please watch this and finish the questions on the poem for tomorrow.

English 11

Tonight, go over this week's vocabulary. We will complete "The Highwayman" questions tomorrow, look at some new poems, and review the article "Happyness for Sale".

English 11

Our fourth lit circle will be tomorrow. Your vocabulary words for the week are:

prissy (adj) p.216

to be famished (v) p.216

civility (n) p.219

to fray (v) p.219

hallucination (n) p.221 

apprenticeship (n) p.229

vestiges (n) p.237

arduous (adj) p.241

behemoths (n) p.254

heinous (adj) p.254)

envy (n) p.254

looming (adj) p.261 (from the verb to loom)

juggernaut (n) p.261

lustre (n) p.264

eviscerated (adj) p. 283 (from the verb to eviscerate)

English 11

Tomorrow will be the in-class narrative composition.  You may bring an English to English dictionary to class.  You may also bring the handout on sensory words and one page of rough notes (not your entire essay) to which you may refer.  You will have to submit the one page of rough notes with your completed composition.

Here is the recording of the ballad "The Highwayman" by Loreena McKennitt.  Alfed Noyes' poem lends itself so well to the music because of its regular rhyme scheme and rhythm:

You may wish to refer to the poem as you listen to the music.