English 10

Periods 5 and 6:
Answer the discussion questions (#2-5) on the first ten chapters of the class novel.  Be sure to use quotations in all answers except (#4).

English 12

Your vocabulary words are due on Thursday. Also, read Chapters 5 & 6 of the class novel. Use the handout entitled "Discussion Questions" to answer the question assigned to you in class on Tuesday:
Number 1s:  answer question 1
Number 2s: question 4
Number 3s: question 6
Number 4s: question 16
Number 5s: question 20
Number 6s: question 36

Also, we discussed stream of consciousness writing in class.  Some points to remember about this are that this kind of writing is...

1. an intense form of 1st person point of view--readers react intensely to Holden because of this.
2. characterized by the free association of ideas...what is weighing on Holden's mind comes to the fore.
3. full of personal symbolism--the hat, the ducks, the museum, the carousel, a catcher in the rye all mean something to him, so pay attention to what he says when he mentions these things
4. full of discrepancy between his thoughts and his actions (Holden says negative things about people, but then will be nice to them).
5. full of repeated sentence patterns and expressions to let readers know what Holden is really thinking about...

• "sort of", "and all"  Holden uses this kind of hedging, imprecise language because his thoughts are imprecise...he's sorting things out.  This may also show his youth and insecurity
• "That just about killed me"...very intense, odd expression used over and over.  Could this be weighing on his mind?
• slang--he's young
• "goddamn", "chrissakes"--Holden is profane, negative, crass
• "ironical", "phony"--Holden is very concerned with these concepts; angered that things aren't the way he expected them to be and disgusted/confused by the falseness of the adult world.
• switches from "me" to "you" when discussing painful subjects in order to distance himself from them

English 10

Five vocabulary words and definitions are due on Thursday.

Also, if you did not hand in your journal on Tuesday, please do so on Thursday.  In this journal, you were asked to tell be about a time when you experienced significant pain (from an injury, perhaps) or exhilaration (like when you first rode a roller coaster).  Be sure to include descriptions that appeal to at least three of the five senses, and underline these.

If you were absent from class, make sure that you have read up to the end of...
Chapter 5 for Blocks 5 and 6.
Chapter 3 for Block 8.

English 10

Complete the package we began in class on Richard Wagamese.  If you have not completed the paragraph on your name, please do so.  See the previous Grade 10 entry on this site for more information.  Also, you should be in the process of collecting 5 new vocabulary words and definitions for Thursday.

English 12

Please read chapters 2-4 of Catcher in the Rye and answer the questions.  Your vocabulary words (5) are due on Thursday.  Finally, your journal entry on your attitudes on and experiences with profanity are due on Tuesday (about 3/4 of a page of thoughtful content).

English 10

Please write me a well-composed, informal paragraph about how you received your full name.  Does it have a special meaning or connection to another family member?  How did your parents decide on it?  Provide any other details you feel are relevant.  You may use the first person and contractions.

Also, before the break, the class watched two documentaries and did a brief writing assignment on them.  This assignment relates to the novel we are starting; so if you have not completed the task, here it is again:

On Thursday in class, we watched two documentaries which will relate to the novel we will start reading in the next few weeks.  Please watch this one and then write a short response where you outline the three most memorable aspects of it.  Please write in full sentences.  This doesn't have to be an expository paragraph, just write it as a letter to yourself. 

Here is the documentary:

1. "The Angry Eye"-- find it here.

English 12

Collect 5 vocabulary words and their definitions by next Thursday.

English 12

Tomorrow's poetry test will consist of three poems.  For the first poem, you will be asked a question related to theme.  The poem will be one of the following:
"Chicago", "Mending Wall", "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", "The Flea", "Fast Run in the Junkyard" or "The Man Who Finds His Son is a Thief". The second section will consist of two poems that you have not seen before and their related questions.  The third section will be a paragraph response.

English 10, Period 8

Period 8, your words are as follows:

1. lethargic: lacking in energy; sluggish; apathetic
2. panacea: a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases
3. lunatic: a person with a mental illness (this term is not a term doctors/nurses would use)
4. aphrodisiac: a food, drink, or drug which stimulates physical desire
5. fidelity: loyalty; faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief
6. panorama: a picture or photograph containing a wide view; a complete survey or presentation of a sequence of events
7. mnemonic: a device that helps one to remember (a short poem, and image, a jingle)
8. geriatrics: the branch of medicine dealing with the health and care of the elderly
9. mortician: one who prepares a corpse for burial or cremation and helps with funeral plans
10. lethal: deadly; the ability to cause death
11. flora: the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
12. fauna: the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
13. cupidity: greed for money and possessions
14. insomnia: an inability to sleep
15. thronged: densely gathered group of people; clustered; massed
16. parentage: the identity or origin of one’s parents
17. illicit: forbidden; taboo
18. narcissist: one who is vain, selfish, overly self-involved
19. venture: a risky undertaking or risky journey
20. dalliance: casual involvement with something (esp. a romantic or sexual relationship)
21. phlegmatic: an unemotional, calm disposition
22. peripatetic: travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in different places
23. inveigle: to persuade someone to do something especially by means of flattery or deception
24. choleric:   bad tempered
25. brood (v): to think deeply on something that causes one unhappiness
26. insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
27. callous: having an insensitive or cruel disregard of others
28. admonish: to warn or reprimand firmly; to advise or urge earnestly
29. wistful: having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; nostalgic
30. to scuttle:  to run hurriedly or furtively with quick steps; to sink one’s own ship
31. thrall:  the state of being in someone’s power or of having great power over others
32. fecund:  producing/capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile
33. festooned:  adorned with ribbons, garlands, or other decorations
34. blasphemy:  profane talk; the act of speaking irreverently about God or other sacred things
35. chasm:  deep fissure in the earth or other surface; a profound difference between people
36. to keen:  to wail in grief for a dead person
37. heathen:  a non believer; what people who belong to a widely held religion call others who do not belong to a world-wide, organized religion
38. forsaken:  abandoned; deserted
39. ministration:  the provision of assistance or care; the services of a minister or religious institution 

English 10 Period 6

Period 6, your words are as follows:

1. panacea: a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases
2. geriatrics: the branch of medicine dealing with the health and care of the elderly
3. cupidity: greed for money or possessions
4. fidelity: loyalty; faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief
5. lethargic: lacking in energy; sluggish; apathetic
6. insomnia: an inability to sleep
7. Pangaea: a purported prehistoric super-continent that included all the world's continents before they broke apart
8. martial: of or appropriate to war; warlike
9. flora: the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
10. aphrodisiac: a food, drink, or drug which stimulates physical desire
11. mnemonic: a device that helps one to remember (a short poem, and image, a jingle)
12. fauna: the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
13. thronged: densely gathered group of people; clustered; massed
14. parentage: the identity or origin of one’s parents
15. illicit: forbidden; taboo
16. narcissist: one who is vain, selfish, overly self-involved
17. venture: a risky undertaking or risky journey
18. citadel: a high fortress
19. wither: to become dry and shrivelled
20. dalliance: casual involvement with something (esp. a romantic or sexual relationship)
21. phlegmatic: an unemotional, calm disposition
22. peripatetic: travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in different places
23. inveigle: to persuade someone to do something especially by means of flattery or deception
24. choleric:   bad tempered
25. brood (v): to think deeply on something that causes one unhappiness
26. insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
27. callous: having an insensitive or cruel disregard of others
28. admonish: to warn or reprimand firmly; to advise or urge earnestly
29. wistful: having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; nostalgic
30. to scuttle:  to run hurriedly or furtively with quick steps; to sink one’s own ship
31. thrall:  the state of being in someone’s power or of having great power over others
32. fecund:  producing/capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile
33. festooned:  adorned with ribbons, garlands, or other decorations
34. blasphemy:  profane talk; the act of speaking irreverently about God or other sacred things
35. chasm:  deep fissure in the earth or other surface; a profound difference between people
36. to keen:  to wail in grief for a dead person
37. heathen:  a non believer; what people who belong to a widely held religion call others who do not belong to a world-wide, organized religion
38. forsaken:  abandoned; deserted
39. ministration:  the provision of assistance or care; the services of a minister or religious institution

English 10 Period 5

Period 5, your words are as follows:

1. lethargic: lacking in energy; sluggish; apathetic
2. flora: the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
3. fidelity: loyalty; faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief
4. cupidity: greed for money or possessions
5. aphrodisiac: a food, drink, or drug which stimulates physical desire
6. phobia: an extreme or irrational fear which interferes with a person's life
7. maniac: a person with extreme behaviour, esp. violent or dangerous; an obsessive enthusiast
8. mnemonic: a device that helps one to remember (a short poem, and image, a jingle)
9. mortuary: a funeral home or morgue
10. panacea: a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases
11. geriatrics: the branch of medicine dealing with the health and care of the elderly
12. fauna: the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period
13. insomnia: an inability to sleep
14. thronged: densely gathered group of people; clustered; massed
15. parentage: the identity or origin of one’s parents
16. illicit: forbidden; taboo
17. narcissist: one who is vain, selfish, overly self-involved
18. venture: a risky undertaking or risky journey
19. citadel: a high fortress
20. wither: to become dry and shrivelled
21. dalliance: casual involvement with something (esp. a romantic or sexual relationship)
22. phlegmatic: an unemotional, calm disposition
23. peripatetic: travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in different places
24. inveigle: to persuade someone to do something especially by means of flattery or deception
25. choleric:  bad tempered
26. brood (v): to think deeply on something that causes one unhappiness
27. insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
28. callous: having an insensitive or cruel disregard of others
29. admonish: to warn or reprimand firmly; to advise or urge earnestly
30. wistful: having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; nostalgic
31. to scuttle:  to run hurriedly or furtively with quick steps; to sink one’s own ship
32. thrall:  the state of being in someone’s power or of having great power over others
33. fecund:  producing/capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile
34. festooned:  adorned with ribbons, garlands, or other decorations
35. blasphemy:  profane talk; the act of speaking irreverently about God or other sacred things
36. chasm:  deep fissure in the earth or other surface; a profound difference between people
37. to keen:  to wail in grief for a dead person
38. heathen:  a non believer; what people who belong to a widely held religion call others who do not belong to a world-wide, organized religion
39. forsaken:  abandoned; deserted
40. ministration:  the provision of assistance or care; the services of a minister or religious institution 

English 12

Here is your full vocabulary list for the third vocab test:

1. monogamous – having only one mate, usually for life
2. mnemonic – pertaining to memory
3. to wane – to abate; to subside; to lessen in strength or intensity
4. unbidden – unasked for
5. shrill – sharp, piercing, pertaining to a sound
6. bough – a tree branch
7. connotation – the emotional or figurative meaning of a word
8. to lurch – to move in an erratic, uncontrolled manner
9. geld – castrate; deprive of vigour or vitality
10. scaffold – a raised wooden platform historically used for hangings; a wooden structure used in construction
11. bootless – futile
12. surly – bad tempered; unfriendly
13. ramparts – a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, usually having a wide walkway and parapets
14. azure – a brilliant, sky blue
15. enwrought – woven; worked in with something (woven with golden thread)
16. preconceptions – ideas formed before having the facts
17. tardy – late
18. runic – consisting of or written in runes; mysterious and secretive
19. to squinch – a movement consisting of both squeezing and pinching
20. portmanteau word – a word blending the sounds and meanings of two other words (eg. Motel = motor and hotel)
21. dalliance: casual involvement with something (esp. a romantic or sexual relationship)
22. phlegmatic: an unemotional, calm disposition
23. peripatetic: travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in different places
24. inveigle: to persuade someone to do something especially by means of flattery or deception
25. cupidity: greed for money or possessions
26. brood: to think deeply on something that causes one unhappiness (v); a family of young animals (n) (broody: thoughtful and unhappy or inclined towards laying eggs)
27. insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
28. callous: having an insensitive or cruel disregard of others
29. admonish: to warn or reprimand firmly; to advise or urge earnestly
30. wistful: having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; nostalgic
31. spurious –false, fake or illegitimate
32. languid—slow and relaxed; disinclined toward physical effort or exertion
33. pane (n)—a single sheet of glass in a window or door
34. verdant—green with grass or other vegetation; lush
35. plethora—an excessive amount
36. cloistered—kept away from the outside world; sheltered
37. gossamer—something very light or filmy, delicate, or insubstantial like a cobweb
38. cherubim—small, infant angels; an angelic child
39. miasma—an oppressive/unpleasant atmosphere that often emanates from something; an unpleasant/unhealthy odor
40. flotsam—the wreckage of a ship or its cargo washed up by the sea; people or things that have been rejected or are regarded as worthless

English 12

For Friday, you have all been assigned a new poem to investigate.  For your poem, write one excellent open-ended question, find 3-5 poetic devices, and select a quotation that you believe is significant to the poem.

Also, for next Tuesday, write a clear, fluid paragraph using a minimum of 16 of your latest 30 vocabulary words.  The words are as follows:

1. monogamous:  having only one mate, usually for life
2. mnemonic:  pertaining to memory
3. to wane:  to abate; to subside; to lessen in strength or intensity
4. unbidden:  unasked for
5. shrill:  a sharp, piercing sound
6. bough:  a tree branch
7. connotation:  the emotional or figurative meaning of a word
8. to lurch:  to move in an erratic, uncontrolled manner
9. geld:  castrate; deprive of vigour or vitality
10. scaffold:  a raised wooden platform historically used for hangings; a wooden structure used in construction
11. bootless:  futile
12. surly:  bad tempered; unfriendly
13. ramparts:  a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, usually having a wide walkway and parapets
14. azure:  a brilliant, sky blue
15. enwrought:  woven; worked in with something (woven with golden thread)
16. preconceptions:  ideas formed before having the facts
17. tardy:  late
18. runic:  consisting of or written in runes; mysterious and secretive
19. to squinch:  a movement consisting of both squeezing and pinching
20. portmanteau word:  a word blending the sounds and meanings of two other words (eg. Motel = motor and hotel)
21. dalliance: casual involvement with something (esp. a romantic or sexual relationship)
22. phlegmatic: an unemotional, calm disposition
23. peripatetic: travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in different places
24. inveigle: to persuade someone to do something especially by means of flattery or deception
25. cupidity: greed for money or possessions
26. brood (v): to think deeply on something that causes one unhappiness
27. insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
28. callous: having an insensitive or cruel disregard of others
29. admonish: to warn or reprimand firmly; to advise or urge earnestly
30. wistful: having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; nostalgic

English 10

Fill in your planning sheet and be ready to write your composition on The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? on Friday.  You may also use any handouts I have given you about either work.

English 12

For homework, read over the six following poems from your poetry package:

1. "Fast Run in the Junkyard"
2. "The Mending Wall"
3. "The Flea"
4. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
5. "Chicago"
6. "The Man Who Finds His Son Has Become a Thief"

Everyone has been assigned one of these poems.  For your assigned poem, you must do the following:

1. Write down an excellent, open-ended question about the poem (topics to consider include theme, symbol, poetic devices, curious quotations, form of the work)
2. Write down 3-5 poetic devices used in the poem (you will be asked to discuss how these affect the overall meaning of the work).
3. Write down a significant quotation from the poem (and be prepared to answer why you think the quote is significant)

You will need to hand in these three items on Wednesday.
If you were not in class and do not know your assigned poem, email me or just choose one of the above poems.

English 10

Work on your commercials.  They're due on Wednesday.

English 12

From the poetry package that you received today, choose your top two poems and write an open-ended question for each (questions that require a more detailed answer--think about something I might ask). You don't have to answer the question--yet! Then, select a quotation from each poem, record it, and then explain why you think it is significant.

Also, correct your semicolon quiz.  We'll go over the corrections next class in preparation for the semicolon retake quiz on Monday.

English 10

Continue to work on your commercials. They are due on Monday, February 15th.  Also, continue to review your vocabulary words.  The test will happen about a week after Feb. 18th.

 GO TO FEB 6TH TO FIND THE LINKS TO THE BROWN EYES/BLUE EYES DOCUMENTARIES.  You will need to write a response to these docs...tell about three memorable moments from these two programs.

English 10

On Thursday in class, we watched two documentaries which will relate to the novel we will start reading in the next few weeks.  Please watch these and then write a short response where you outline the three most memorable aspects of them.  Please write in full sentences.  This doesn't have to be an expository paragraph, just write it as a letter to yourself. Please watch the documentaries in order.

Here are the documentaries:

1. Excerpt from "A Class Divided"-- find it here.

2. "The Angry Eye"-- find it here.

English 12

Please complete the sheet on "Ode to Autumn" for homework.