Due November 23, 2009

November 12, 2009

Journals: On Monday, I will have information on a writing assignment to be done in December; please look for it.

Vocabulary: Starting with Unit Seven no credit will be granted to students who do not have the work done in their books; we have been in school for more 
                  than a month. No one is listed as still waiting for a back order for the vocabulary book; i can only conclude some of you did not yet place your
                  order. Please take care of this ASAP as no one can afford to accumulate zeroes.

Literature: Please add the following questions to the review questions distributed in class this morning.

                Does this story HAVE to be set in Ireland? Why or why not?
                What atmosphere is created bythe opening tableau and monologue in the opening of Dancing at Lughnasa and then again in reverse at the
                end?
                What do the faces on the kites tell the audience aout the young Michael?
                What is the climax of the play?
               
I will give you the date of the test on the play soon. Your vocabulary list with definitions is to be handed in with the test as is the assignment given earlier
for page C16ff.

Now that we are in the second quarter and ready for something new, I will be posting your homework assignments on the "Homework" section. If you are to go to "Announcements" for one reason or another, I will let you know on the Homework Section.

Vocabulary: Unit Four Quiz: Tuesday, October 27
                  Unit Five: Written work due this Friday, October 30

Journals: Numbers 10, 11, 12 are due in the new cycle which starts October 30

Literature: The introduction to and overview of Dancing at Lughnasa was started today. Several of you did not have
                your book with you. I will continue checking books daily for the indefinite future. At least two girls today
                did not have their books for my class as they had lent them to friends who were not careful about retur-
                ning them to their owners! Please get your own book ASAP!

                We will be working from the book and Section "C" in the binder; please have both your binder and book
                in class every day (to repeat myself AGAIN).

College Essay: There are several students who have not gotten a "Finished" from me on the essay; those students 
                      with a "Pass" will be graded 95 for this quarter; those who have not been giving me corrected copies
                      will be given a failing grade; I suggest you take care of this promptly as the quarter ends this week.

Reminder: Homework posted on the board in 114 Thursday (when I could not be in school) asked thet you have two kenning poems ready (typed and illustrated) for Monday.

Students who were absent for the Beowulf test (one or both days) will take one part the day of your return to school. Please make arrangements to get to school early (7:30 AM) or to stay at 2:35. The second part will be asministered your second day back.

You need your copy of Dancing at Lughnasa in class this Monday, October 26.

Your quiz on Vocabulary Unit Four will be this Tuesday; Unit Five is due Friday, the thirtieth.

Tomorrow will be the day your take the objective section of the Beowulf test. Please be sure you have your binder with you as there will be an "Independent Work" assignment for any who may finish before the end of the period. It will be due Monday from all students.

I will not be in class Thursday; your test will have your name on it. All work is to be done in blue or black ink; I will not correct anything done in pencil; none of you can afford to lose the points for a significant part of a test.  

Journals: This cycles entries will be written in the composition notebook this time 'round; the numbers are 7, 8, and 
              9. Remember that each entry is to be written in blue or black ink, that illustrations are not only allowed, 
              but encouraged. Extra cedit entries start with seven.

Homework: Vocabulary Unit Four is due Wednesday as is your kenning poem.  

Vocabulary: Unit Four's quiz will be given next Tuesday; Unit Five is due next Friday, October 30.

Literature: Please have Dancing at Lughnasa in class Monday.
              

Journals: The next cycle starts this Wednesday. Your entry numbers are 7, 8, and 9. If you write extra entries for 
              extra credit, they are to be numbered 9a, 9b, 9c.

Sister Anne

The review for the test on Beowulf continued today. We checked and corrected, made additions, etc to the plot of the battle with the dragon. These were collected to be checked and graded. Unit Four of vacabulary was gone over; the work is due Wednesday of this week. The quiz will be next week; I will give you the date later in the week. The test on Beowulf will be given Thursday and Friday of this week; I will give you the specifics on which day will involve the Objective Section and which, the Essays.  I also went over the last two announcements that give you questions to think about and terms to review.

As I solidily what I will be including on the Beowulf test, I will send you little notes. Please think about the questions I sent you earlier; review literary terms: alliteration, caesura, kenning, metaphor, personification, oxymoron. What themes are prominent in this work? Can you site instances that back up your choice (s) ?

How are you at charting the plot of the three battles as each can be taken separately? What happens if I ask you to consider the two battles in the land of the Danes as one experience in Beowulf's life?

Can you identify the more prominent characters in the incidents we read?

Why do the Anglo-Saxons name their most-treasured swords? (an aside totally unrelated to the test: is this related to the way some people name their cars or refer to them as "she"?) Why does their armor come under the category "treasure"?

What does the similarity of the start and end of the epic do for the work? What difference is to be inferred from the two passages?

Just a reminder: I assigned B42 in your binder as homework today (Thursday). The work is to be done on loose-leaf or typed for class tomorrow.

Your test on Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon poetry will be one day next week; I will let you know Monday. You should be reviewing already.

This is my second attempt at getting a message to you today.

Vocabulary: People absent for today's test will take it the day of return. If that is Thursday, please get here for 7:30 
                  AM as I have a meeting that afternoon so will not be available.

Literature: The work for pages B43 -- B45 is due Thursday from all students. The answers to the questions are to be 
                written out; typing is also acceptable. 

                I will present kenning and caesura on Thursday with follow-up both that day and Friday. You should be 
                reviewing for your test. Can you chart the elements of the plot for the three battles? discuss the major
                themes of the epic? Discuss the elements of the Anglo-Saxon epic as seen in Beowulf? the role of rele-
                gion? With what level of society does this epic deal? Which elements can be seen in our society today?
                How important is friendship? loyalty? the keeping of promises? What in Beowulf is similar to bonuses to-
                day? What seems to have been the role of women in Anglo-Saxon society? How do you know? Can 
                Beowulf be described as an ethical man? Would that be true of him in today's society? Why or why not? 
                What is the meaning of "ring-giver"? Who are the ring-givers in today's society? These and other ques-
                tions should be considered in your reviewing for the test; the reason some works remain and are 
                called "classic" is that their truths span the centuries -- how does Beowulf apply to the twenty-first 
                century in which we live? 

We are in the last days of reading Beowulf; in fact, two classes have finished and are working on finishing answering the questions that go with the chapters. You do NOT have to worry about answering the questions dealing with the passages/chapters you were told to omit. Leave those blanks empty. If you have left answering the questions on a regular basis, do something about it. I will be collecting them SOON.

Your Vocabulary test on Untis One, Two and Three will be this coming Tuesday.

Today is the first day of the cycle in which you will write about a childhood toy. Check the directions in your binder carefully before you start. On those pages should be notes on the clarifications I gave you in class. If you were absent, you should have spoken with a friend by now. Following directions is part of your final grade.

There are still a few students who are not getting their corrected essays to me promptly. The way I see it, you are taking care of one person and I am responsible for eighty plus; I have gotten your essays back to you the same day or the next morning at the latest. It would be courteous if you were as prompt with me as I am with you.

Sister Anne

This is actually a reminder of a few things that came up in class today.

Quiz: I compressed the information on Procedures and Expectations from the binder to the shorter version   distributed today. I will be giving the quiz on the information contained on the sheet in class tomorrow as I am hoping you know what is expected of you so that I can see such things as follow-up to absences and taking care of make-ups put into action by young women beginning to take responsibility for their academic needs. It does not help if you allow yourself to accrue a series of zeroes because you do not make time to check groupfusion, to see me, or to take missed quizzes or tests. I will not go looking for you. It is easier for you to find me; I am usually in Room 114 or the faculty room except when I am covering a class.
        

Journals: I went over the journal assignment for the next cycle in class; if you were absent, please get the specifics
              from a friend. Also check your binder; the original date was September 21

Summer 2009 project: all the projects that were on display are now on the bottom shelf of the bookcase at the back 
                                 of room 114. Please claim yours before Friday dismissal; any left will be discarded.

Vocabulary: The test on Units One, Two and Three will be administered on Tuesday, the thirteenth. The format will be
                  similar to that of the quizzes. You should be reviewing a few words each day; if you wait until the night 
                  before, you will find that trying to learn the sixty words and their antonyms will not be possible. Think
                  ahead!

Beowulf: The test on Beowulf will probably be given at the end of next week; you should be reviewing terms, names, plot elements, characterisitics of the Anglo-Saxon epic and Anglo-Saxon society as depicted in the epic 
now. 

Vocabulary: Begin (or continue) to review the vocabulary for Units One, Two and Three. The test will be late next week, thursday or Friday.

Journals: Please check earlier announcements on this. May I remind you that repetitions of "went," "got" and other common, over-used verbs will drop your score. I mantioned this at the start
              of the year and some have gotten a bit careless about breaking an old habit of choosing the easier over the better.

College Essays: Any of you who has not gotten a note from me indicating that your essay is ready to go to your counselor is to hand me in a copy of your essay (or essays) Monday, preferably
                        before 8:00 A.M.

Beowulf: Homework: page B36 from binder. the work may be typed. The quiz on Battles 1 and II will be administered Tuesday. Pleae find time in the interim to study.

Group fusion: If you are having trouble logging on to Group fusion, please let Mr. Conklin know at aconklin@e-mercyhigh.com. Pleaase give your full name and student number.

I neglected to tell you yesterday that if you e-mail Mr. Conklin, please give him your school number and your full name.

Journals: As we move further into the year, I have noticed a few things to call to your attention:
       a. Only one list can be included in any cycle's set of three entries. The list should have something written
          about it (prose).
       b. I told you earlier that I do not correct anything written in pencil. Please do not forget; it is a shame to 
           spend time on something and then lose credit for it;
       c. You do not need a heading on the entry; just the number will do.
       d. Please meet the minimum length if you want full credit.

Beowulf: Expect a quiz on the two battles we have read (or will have read by Monday). Review the plot structrure of 
             each. Please review the names of key figures in the sections we have read and the literary terms pointed
             out.

Vocabulary: I will apprise you of the date of the test on Units One, Two and Three once I look at my calendar. It will
                  certainly NOT be on Monday!

Mr. Conklin has heard from several people that some of you are having difficulty accessing groupfusion. If you are among that number, please contact him at aconklin@e-mercyhigh.com and explain what has been having when you try to access the groupfusion site. Thank you.

Vocabulary: Both Unit Three and the Review Unit are due tomorrow (Thursday, October 1). I will give you the test date before the end of the week.

Journals: In the present cycle, you are writing entries 4, 5, and 6; if you choose to do extra credit, label them using 6 as in 6a, 6b. 6c. The maximum number that will be counted is three.

            Next cycle (starts Thursday, October 8 will have a topic given in your binder. We will discuss it soon. The format will follow that of those already done. Extra credit is to be done in your composition book and follow the "6 pattern" given above.

Beowulf: expect a quiz on the first two battles early next week. Have the key names memorized. There were a few girls who handed in the extra credit work this morning; the three credits you earned will be added to the Beowulf quiz's score.

Today was the first day of the current cycle of seven school days; journal entries should be numbered "4, " "5," and "6." Each entry should start on a right hand page; you may write on both sides if the ink you are using does not leak through the paper making the visual presentation unsightly and the reading of your entry an unnecessary challenge.

You will be receiving (finally!) your summer reading tests back tomorrow (Wednesday); I told you originally that the Objective Section would be worth 60% and the Essay Section 40 %; that got so complicated because I also told you that I would grade only what you managed to do as long as there was enough done. As a result, you will find two (2) fractions on the top sheet of your test; the first is your score for the objectives; the second is your score on the essays. The two have been added together and that is your grade.

If you were absent today and so missed the quiz on Vocabulary Unit Two, please come inn early, if possibel, to take it in the morning. Otherwise, plan on seeing me at dismissal.

I hope this covers everything; if not, I will be writing to you again soon and giving messages orally in class.

EXTRA CREDITz; due before 8:05 AM tomorrow morning (September 30). Find and download two (2) or more pictures of armor found at the Sutton Hoo site in England. I will add three points to you next quiz if you get the work to me on time.

I am giving you tomorrow's assignment today for tomorrow and repeating it here for the weekend. Since I will not be in tomorrow, I want you to know what you will be doing.
Your assignment sheet reads:

A. Take notes while viewing: Beowulf and & Anglo-Saxons
B. HomeworK: rearrange your notes into a list of facts
    Type these into an organized list: you can make categories: geography, lifestyle, dwellings, armor, etc -- anyting that fits what you viewed, wrote down, or remember. Staple the typed list to your notes to hand in on Monday; the list should be on top.

While my classes are not all at the same point in Beowulf and probably never willl be, the information I give you from this site will apply to the immediate past and so be a kind of review, the present for a class or two, or a foreshadowing of what is to come. Please put dates mentioned in your assignment pad or agenda and refer to it often.

Vocabulary: If the dates I listed in the last announcement do not cause conflict with other dated requirements, please put them where you will see them -- how about a post-it on your mirror?

Journals: Please number the entries for the cycle starting on the twenty-ninth "4," "5," and "6," even if they are the first ones you are writing in your notebook; this is to aid me in my bookkeeping.

Beowulf: We will finish reading through line 1067 early next week; you should be familiar with names and the two dominant tribes. Ust the chart at the end of the bookor the one in the binder. 
              Expect follow-up.

I will not be here Friday: an assignment will be left with all the informatin needed.  
       

This is your second announcement today; I hope as the day is drawing to a close, you are satisfied with what you brought to it today both in school and at home.

Details: Your work on Beowulf to be done independently as we read sections of the epic are to be kept up to date; I may ask for a page time to time lr walk around the class checking to see if you are keeping the work current.

Starting this coming Monday, i will check on whether or not you have a book in class with you; again, this will be time to time but your having it will give you a good grade -- mush better than the alternative, a zero!

If you missed the quiz on 09/21 and did not see me about it before eight this morning, your only time to take it is at dismissal tomorrow (Wednesday).

If you missed the vocabulary quiz on unit One today and are in school tomorrow, yiu may take it either before school or after in 114.

Unit Two vocabulary is due Thursday of this week;this may be handed in tomorrow if you have finished it. Please include the first page which was attached to your Unit One work. Unit Three and the Review Unit are due October 1; ther will be no quiz on Unit three. the date for the Unit Two quiz is now September 29. Let's see if the new schedule works out this time!

See you in the morning!

Sister Anne

I am going to begin adding announcements often to the group fusion site in the hope my students will receive each as they are sent out. The dates for the vocabulary has to be adjusted; I will do that as soon as possible.

It is important that you do the reading assigned in Beowulf; there will be quizzes on occasion on the independent reading assigned; the four pages in the binder assigned yesterday are included. If you have difficulty reading a passage, please see me before school and we will look at it together. You must take an active part in learning the material presented.

You have journals due this cycle; please check the date for your day and get your work in on time. You do not want to find yourself with unnecessary zeroes because of forgetfulness. I will speak about the next cycle later this week.

Thank you.

Sister Anne

Friday, September 18

As I told you at the beginning of class today, the Prologue to Beowulf is to be read for Monday; you also have the dates for the first three vocabulary units. We will be reading Beowulf the next two weeks or so; I hope you come to enjoy the story and appreciate the beauty of the language at times. You ned the book in class each day as well as your binder. I will give notes when they are needed and direct you to information in your binder as needed. Expect unannounced quizzes on independent reading which means you will be having one quite soon. Look back at your assignment pad and review those pages already assigned.

As you are reading keep asking yourself what is happening? how does this event carry the plot forward? to which tribe does each major character belong? what point does the author seem to be making? If you do not understand something in a passage assigned for homework note the lines and be sure to ask about it in class when I ask, "Are there any questions?"

You have a journal assignment due this week -- work on it this weekend so as not to be pressured during the week. and don't fotget your college essay is an ongoing project. The final copy will be given test value because of the effort and time that will go (or has gone) into it. so far most seem fine; keep up the good work.

Have a good weekend!

Sister Anne

Dear Girls:

Ths is a short message to welcome you to English ACP. I hope we have a good year together. Your basic text is yur binder. Please add loose-leaf paper to it so you will have it at hand whenever you are asked to take a sheet or two out. Once we start a paperback, you will be expected to have that paperback in class every day as well. We will go over the inforation in the first part of the binder on Wednesday the ninth and days following if necessary.

Reminder: Summer work on the two assigned books is due Wednesday, the ninth.
                The Summer 2009 assignment is due on the eleventh.