September 30th

A little switch in our schedule for the next few days...  flexibility is a virtue :)

1. Today we will have a fantastic presentation from our LMC! They will be addressing research/source material, etc. This is an unbelievable presentation where you will want to get down all of their tips, instruction, guidance, etc. This information will make your life much easier from this point on when it comes to writing, researching, thinking....

2. Our Socratic Seminar over The Alchemist has been postponed until Wednesday/Thursday, September 6th/7th.

3. For FRIDAY, September 1st, please read through the following Bloom's Taxonomy info graphic and get the 6 levels in your notes:

Monday, August 28th

TONE: The general character or attitude of a text.

Remember.. determining TONE is a cumulative exercise.. Here are some hints at the elements to add together.

To do so... pay attention to the following elements:
1. Diction (word choice)... What words are the characters using.. and at what times? What words does the author use to describe certain circumstances? Connotative meaning.. Denotative meaning.. Inference.. Choices.. choices.. choices.. Choices have cumulative impacts...
2.  Imagery (words and phrases that invoke the reader's senses).... How does the author describe certain scenes? Events? Imagery is used to draw in the reader so they experience the text... this, too, has a cumulative effect on tone.
3. Characterization (the manner in which a character is developed by the author).... How does the author USE his/her characters? How are they developed? How do they interact with each other?
4. Plot (the sequence of events).... WHAT happens? WHEN?  WHY? Why does a certain event happen at a certain point? Why does it follow what it does? Why does a certain event follow IT?
5. Reader response (The role of reader experiences and influence of interpretation)... How the reader responds to all of the above DOES play a role in determining TONE... is it influencing TOO much? Is the reader's response overpowering the author's intentions? Must be considered!

(I would have the above in your notes for class at the end of Tuesday, by the way)

NOW.... I want you to consider the above.. this should give you PLENTY of direction to search..

Once you have determined a full-blooded, fleshy adjective to describe TONE of The Alchemist by examining the APHORISMS, which you have diligently collected... . you need to find EVIDENCE to prove your conclusion. TEXT... For this you will expand beyond the aphorisms in your notes.... You will have a list of QUOTES. Remember citation... MLA.  You will add a brief explanation note of the connection between the quotes and your assumption of tone. (Refer back to the devices above to see HOW the text leads to this result).

It will look like this:
Tone in The Alchemist: _________
Quotes that support this conclusion of tone:
1. "........." (Cohelo 55).
           - Note about the explanation of the quote back to the tone. 

Friday, August 25th

** If you have not marked that you have submitted the syllabus signature form on Google Classroom, please do so by the end of class!! 

Remember the definition of one of our first literary terms- APHORISM and its 5 defining characteristics. Make sure that these are in your notes.

For today, you were asked to come to class with examples of APHORISMS found within The Alchemist. They should be located in your notes.

1. We are going to gather in groups of three and work to populate a large list of these aphorisms,
2. while clarifying the fact that they are indeed aphorisms by the checklist you were given.
3. As you are discussing the defining principals of each quote, I would like for your small group to discuss the larger figurative meaning of the identified aphorism and ponder what it contributes to the larger meaning of the text.
4. The major points of your discussion will needed to be added to your notes. They will be helpful down the road.
5. Remember the small group expectations that Mrs. Cole has outlined at the beginning of class.

Homework for Monday:
 After having quite the discussion with your peers, and hopefully multiple additions to your list of aphorisms, in your notes I would like you to write down 5 revelations about The Alchemist from your discussion of aphorisms. What have you learned more about the book? The characters? The text's goals? The text's accomplishments? Your understanding?

Once these are IN your notes... please open up GOOGLE CLASSROOM and submit your list to me.

Wednesday/Thursday August 23rd/24th

1. You have just finished your first quiz. I would suggest looking back in your notes and make sure that your notes are complete... and highlight/mark the information that was covered on the quiz. Remember, we are building a foundation.

2.  We will be starting our work with Paulo Coelho's Top 10 Rules for Success:

Top 10 Rules for Success

One on One- A modern day philosopher

One on One: A Modern Day Philosopher Pt. 2

3. We have been examining the term APHORISM. (reviewing the definition.. looking at certain aphorism examples and examining their meanings..... relating to these meanings... and then identifying, on your own, an aphorism in current culture).  NOW... we are going to be looking for aphorisms in The Alchemist...

For FRIDAY.. in your notes... you need to make a rather large list of aphorisms from The Alchemist. Think of it as if you are looking for treasure.. hunting and gathering. Please put a list of the quotes in your notes. Remember to have citation in your notes (it will help you also find them later).

"Aphorism direct quote from the text" (Coelho 34).

To give you a place to start looking...  Think of how aphorisms are used? They express a truth about life. Who does this in the book? Who functions in this capacity. Who infers meaning to us the reader? They act as instruction... When are we instructed? When is Santiago?

Class today: Tuesday, August 22nd

1. Coming in to class today, you have explored and reflected upon the characteristics of GRIT, while writing about your own experiences with GRIT!

2. What is the definition of GRIT? Do you recall?

"Your dreams are on the other side of your grit"

-What is the literal meaning of this quote?
-What is the figurative meaning of this quote?

TERMS:
Infer: To deduce or conclude from evidence that is not explicit.
Figurative Language: Words or expressions with meaning that is different from the literal.
Aphorism: A one lined statement that expresses a universal truth about life.

How does the above quote function as an aphorism?

3. Homework for Wednesday/Thursday:
- Aphorism practice... Link found HERE: APHORISM PRACTICE
- QUIZ: First 4 days quiz.

Friday, August 18th

Congratulations! You made it through the first week of school! And for this success... you are rewarded with a well-deserved ECLIPSE DAY on Monday.. you are welcome ;)

1. First thing for today, you will need to review the syllabus. It is found under "Important Links" to the right. When you are done, please open the following Google Form (FOUND IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM) to confirm that you have read and understood the procedures of this class. If you have any questions about the syllabus, let me know.

2. Make sure that you have completed the yearbook survey!!! (Found on August 16th post)

 3. For today, you were to read and annotate the "5 Characteristics of Grit"... you have also watched Angela Duckworth's "Passion and Perseverance" Ted Talk..  Today you are going to reflect upon the concept of grit in your own lives...

Please provide a written reflection addressing the following prompt:
How have you already exhibited GRIT in your life? How do you hope to enhance your GRITTINESS this year in school? How do you think that GRIT is tied to LEARNING. 

Open up a Google Doc from Classroom... Please put the MLA heading at the top right of your paper. If you need a refresher, there is a MLA Heading Sample found under "Important Links". (Look right).
In your response, you will need to incorporate a minimum of 3 direct quotes from the Perlis "Five Characteristics of Grit" article.

Do you remember how to basically introduce a quote? Here is an example:

Perlis explains, "While courage is hard to measure, it is directly proportional to your level of grit" ("5 Characteristics").

** I put the opening words of the title in the parentheses because I used the authors name in the "tag line" of the quote. There are not page numbers for this source.

For Friday, August 18th

1. For today, you were asked to annotate the article "What do Students Lose..."  With this, you were asked to come to class with two discussion points/questions/revelations, etc.

Building off our discussion today, as we think about taking risks in leaning, we are going to move to the next idea of GRIT!

2. Definition of GRIT: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals; courage and resolve.

We will be watching Angela Duckworth's TED Talk- "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance"

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance

Take notes on the major points made by Duckworth- Think about your notes like she is giving advice to you... what are your takeaways from this advice?

3. For Friday, please read and take notes over the following article found in Forbes: 5 Characteristics of Grit

REMEMBER: Please complete the Yearbook Survey (posted below). Please finish by Friday!

Welcome to a fabulous 2017-2018 School Year!

Awesome Students~ This website will be your best friend this year! I post assignments, notes, assignment sheets, extra help, announcements, funny memes, etc. ALL HERE!!! Please check this daily!

1. Make sure that your summer reading is uploaded to both Google Classroom AND Turnitin.com by 11:59 PM on August 16th (THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL). You were sent an email on August 7th with detailed instructions on how to to upload your assignment.

2. Yearbook is asking for all English students to take the following interest survey. Please do so by Friday! Yearbook Survey

3. For Thursday, August 17th, please read the article, "What Do Student's Lose By Being Perfect? Valuable Failure". I gave you this in hard-copy form for a specific purpose. I want you to interact with the document by annotating as you read.  Here is a digital copy for you, just in case. Nevertheless, make sure you have a hard copy when you come to class.
"What do Students Lose by Being Perfect" article

Some suggestions in annotating this article..

• What ideas do you find intriguing? What haven't you thought about before? What do you agree with?Disagree with? 
• What words spark more dimensions than just the basic denotation (dictionary definition). More emotions? More meaning? Specific perspective/bias? 
• What can you relate with in this article? What other sides/perspectives do you recognize? 
• What connections can you make with the ideas expressed in this article with what you read in The Alchemist?
• Identify two points that come from your annotations that you can share in discussion on Thursday. Make sure that these are clearly written down.. and findable for class on Thursday.