October 25, 2019

ENG I
This week we began some Grammar work beginning with Parts of Speech.  Remember Schoolhouse Rock?  Well, I told your sons that they should watch those on YouTube -- they helped us, right?  We covered nouns, pronouns, and adjectives this week.  In the past, we have noticed that sometimes students, especially Freshmen, do not think they need to study for Grammar quizzes and then they do not do well.  So, please encourage your son to study a little more for these quizzes.  Also, if he thinks I am moving too fast, please have him come see me in Homeroom 302 and I will slow it down!

Remember:  Test on Revolver Tuesday, October 29th!  

ENG II
We have been reading The Great Gatsby this week.  We will finish next week, take a test, and write essay on some of themes in the novel. Not much to report this week!  But be sure to ask your sons what they think of this novel.  I think they like it!
                   

October 18, 2019

ENG I
This week we began our 2nd writing assignment:  writing a thesis statement analyzing two points and two paragraphs developing those points with evidence and analysis.  Rough Drafts were due on Friday, and we spent time in class editing and revising. Final Drafts will be due Monday, October 21st.  You can help your son with proofreading.  Another strategy that works very well is to have your son read his paper out loud to you.  When students do this, they often catch sentences that do not make sense or that need to be worded better and maybe words that they are over-using.

                                  

ENG II
We have been reading The Great Gatsby this week through Chapter 4.  I am happy to report that I think more of them are actually reading.  There is a 2013 movie directed by Baz Luhrmann staring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway.  I will be showing them parts of this film periodically in class, but you might want to see if your son wants to watch it with you!  Make some popcorn and have a movie night!  Just be sure that your son is also reading the book because there are several differences between the book and the movie and some things are even left out.  And while this is actually an excellent book to movie adaptation, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie!                                                                          

October 10, 2019 -- YAY! It's A 4-Day Weekend!

ENG I
I hope everyone enjoys this upcoming 4-day weekend!  This is the perfect weekend to get the Outside Reading book, Revolver, read.  I spoke to your sons this week about taking brief notes after each chapter.

The Test for this will most likely be October 29th.  There is still plenty of time to read this book...just try to make sure that your son does not save it until the last minute.  The end of the marking period can sometimes be a bit hectic at CBA, so having Outside Reading finished or almost finished by then will be incredibly helpful.

I am very excited that I think we are finally going to have some Fall weather this week!


ENG II
We have started reading The Great Gatsby this week.  Well, half of them are reading.  I gave your sons a pop quiz on their reading of Chapter 2 on Thursday and more than half of them could not answer ANY of the questions.  I may have taught some of your sons a little lesson today.  They simply did not do their homework, and I am not interested in telling them about an amazing book that they are not willing to read.  The good news is, I think many of them got the message and I think they will be reading so they do not get a 0/15 on a future quiz.   

It's October! -- October 4, 2019

ENG I
Everyone worked really hard this week!  We completed our first writing assignment and I read some nicely organized paragraphs.  We are going to continue to strengthen those writing skills all year.  The goal is to become comfortable and confident writers, so that they approach writing without any stress or confusion.

We read "The Most Dangerous Game" this week.  It is a story that involves some themes of hunting, what it feel like to be the hunted, and surviving under incredible pressure.  You may want to ask your son about this story and maybe how he feels about hunting and testing medicines and products on animals after reading this story.  The story makes you consider what the animal being hunted feels like which might not be something they have ever thought about before.  Like all of the stories we have read so far, there is a surprise ending, so you can also ask your son about that, too! 

                                       

ENG II
We continued to work on Grammar this week:  Commas and Sentences (fragments, run-ons, and complete sentences).  We also worked on taking their interviews and turning the responses that they got into a 4 paragraph essay.  Essay are due Tuesday.  You may want to help you son this weekend with proofreading this essay.   Sometimes, it is difficult to find/catch mistakes in our own writing.  I am sure they will appreciate your help.  I also had them write a thank you card to the person that they interviewed.  They may need you help with an address and a stamp to get this to the intended person.  Thank you for your help and support with this assignment.  If you have any feedback regarding it, please send suggestions my way!

We will being reading The Great Gatsby next week.  This novel is a big hit with students and I am so excited to read it with your sons and to discuss the issues that arise in the story with them.  You will definitely want to ask your son periodically how he likes it.  Also, PLEASE make sure they have a copy by Tuesday!  You may have ordered it this summer with all the other books, but if you did not, please get it for your son ASAP.