Friday

• Beowulf tests returned & discussed. 

• New unit: Short Fiction 
• Turn in your terms inventory
• HW due Thurs. 10/18/18: Read "Born Bad" by Sandra Cisneros. Annotate as you see fit, but especially focus on making physical notes that help you answer the following question:
• How does the author use literary techniques to illustrate the complex relationship between Esperanza and Aunt Lupe?

• College Admissions Essay: 
• 🔉LISTEN TO ME INTRODUCE THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY HERE
• Apply Texas Topics 
• Search to find application requirements (including essays) by university
• Scoring Guide for essay
• Sample essays
• 8 Questions Your College Admissions Essay Should Answer
• College Essay Advisors (video)
• 5 College Essays That Suck (SuperTutorTV)
• What Colleges are Looking For (SuperTutorTV)
• Due Thurs. 10/18/18: Brainstorm for essay ideas and begin writing your first draft. Come to class with a physical copy of a complete first draft. You can use traditional methods to brainstorm like webs or lists, but also try some other methods:
• 5 Fun and Unique Ways to Brainstorm for Your College Essays
• Brainstorming: Quick Tips
• 3 Brainstorming Exercises for the Personal Essay
• Other planning resources:
• Steps2College
• MakeMeAFreshman
• Application Tracker Spreadsheet to Download
• Printable Application Tracker (PDF)
• Virtual College Tours
• If you need to write a resume for your application, here is a good site to use for directions and here is an example of a high school student resume.

• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• Get your FAFSA ID here
• Tues. 10/16/18: Seniors will go to the lab during our class period to meet with counselors to start their financial aid form online. 
• Tues. 10/16/18: FAFSA ID Event, Library, 4-6 pm
• Tues. 10/23/18: Financial Aid Night for students and parents, 6-8 pm

Wednesday

• Root of the Week: HYPO (sub, under, less)
• Watch an SNL skit that will help you remember this root
• Make a sketchnote page in the vocab/terms section of your notebook for this week's root.
• root
• image reminder
• fun fact
• 3 words with definitions (basic, advanced, super)
• Watch for the challenge!

• Poem of the Week: In-class assignment (notes only!)
• MAKE NOTES ON THE POEM FOR EACH STEP
1. Read the poem through
2. Step 1: Ask questions for clarification
3. Mark off the quatrains and couplet
4. Reread the poem
5. Step 2: Ask questions for figurative elements and their effect 
6. Determine the main concept of quatrain 1 
7. Examine quatrain 2 to see how it responds to the idea presented in quatrain 1
8. Examine quatrain 3 to see how it responds to the idea presented in quatrain 1 
9. Identify repetition of ideas / phrases / words and comment on the connections
10. Reread the poem
11. Summarize the couplet
12. Note how the couplet reflects the 1st quatrain
13. Step 3: Ask questions for meaning by looking at the pattern of ideas in the poem 
14. Note a key topic at the bottom of the page
15. Write a poetic idea that explains the point the poem is making about the topic

• HW Due Fri. 10/12/18: Fiction terms inventory

Friday

• Beowulf Test #2

• The following assignments were turned in:
• Beowulf and Genre
• Themes in Beowulf
• Annotated poem of the week

• College Admissions Essays
• We will start writing college admissions essays next week. For Wed. 10/10/18, please research the schools to which you plan to apply and come to class with ALL of the essay topics you plan to complete. Here are some resources:
• Apply Texas Essay Topics 
• Search to find application requirements (including essays) by university
• The Common Application

Live Stream Study Session

Here's the link to tonight's live stream study session for Beowulf test #2.

Wednesday

TONIGHT: Wed. 10/3/18 @ 8pm: We will have a live stream study session. Subscribe to my channel or check Twitter/weblog for notification of live status.

• Root of the Week: -IC (suffix meaning "nature of" or "-like"). Note that -IC turns a noun into an adjective.
• Create a sketchnote page in the vocab/terms section of your notebook for this suffix. Remember to include:
• image reminder
• definition
• color
• basic, advanced, and super words using the suffix (and their definitions)

• Poem of the Week: Shakespearean sonnet notes / discussion
• HW Due Fri. 10/5/18: Fully annotate the poem & identify a topic and poetic idea. Remember that your annotations should show evidence of stage 1, 2, and 3 level questioning of the poem.
• 2A: Sonnet 29
• 3A: Sonnet 60
• 4A: Sonnet 73

• College Admissions Essays
• We will start writing college admissions essays next week. For Wed. 10/10/18, please research the schools to which you plan to apply and come to class with ALL of the essay topics you plan to complete. Here are some resources:
• Apply Texas Essay Topics 
• Search to find application requirements (including essays) by university
• The Common Application

• Beowulf: 
• Beowulf and Genre sheet turned in
• Individual assignment: Themes in Beowulf

• Fri. 10/5/18: Final Beowulf test. Here are the details:
• The test will cover the entire book.
• Study Guide Section 1
• Study Guide Section 2
• Watch Video Study Session for Section 1 & 2 test
• Check answers for your Section 1 & 2 test
• Study Guide Section 3
• Study Guide Section 4
• Wed. 10/3/18 @ 8pm: We will have a live stream study session. Subscribe to my channel or check Twitter/weblog for notification of live status.
• There will be multiple choice and written portions. You will be allowed to use your annotated book on the written section.
• The test will be similar to the first test, except that it will include passages from the epic poem and questions from our wrap-up activities (Halverson article, themes, genres). 
• For the passage-based questions, you will need to identify things like vocabulary, the speaker in the passage, who is being addressed, the importance of the passage to the narrative as a whole, whether or not the passage is a digression. The written sections will come from the passages as well. Here is a sample passage-based series of questions.
• Background information will appear on the exam. Review:
• Slideshow: Setting & Language in Beowulf
• Anglo-Saxon Language
• Halverson article + notes
• Beowulf Genres
• Beowulf Themes

Monday

• Root of the Week: -IC (suffix meaning "nature of" or "-like"). Note that -IC turns a noun into an adjective.
• Create a sketchnote page in the vocab/terms section of your notebook for this suffix. Remember to include:
• image reminder
• definition
• color
• basic, advanced, and super words using the suffix (and their definitions)

• Poem of the Week: Shakespearean sonnet
• HW Due Wed. 10/3/18: Research the qualities of a Shakespearean (English) sonnet and apply them to your assigned poem.
• HW Due Fri. 10/5/18: Fully annotate the poem & identify a topic and poetic idea
• 2A: Sonnet 29
• 3A: Sonnet 60
• 4A: Sonnet 73

• Beowulf: 
• Discuss your notes on the main points of article "The Struggle Between Order and Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson. Add anything new from group members to your own notes.
• Look deeper into the article and add these details to your original summary notes.
• HW due Wed. 10/3/18: Complete the Beowulf and Genre sheet
• Fri. 10/5/18: Final Beowulf test. Here are the details:
• The test will cover the entire book.
• Study Guide Section 1
• Study Guide Section 2
• Watch Video Study Session for Section 1 & 2 test
• Check answers for your Section 1 & 2 test
• Study Guide Section 3
• Study Guide Section 4
• Wed. 10/3/18 @ 8pm: We will have a live stream study session. Subscribe to my channel or check Twitter/weblog for notification of live status.
• There will be multiple choice and written portions. You will be allowed to use your annotated book on the written section.
• The test will be similar to the first test, except that it will include passages from the epic poem and questions from our wrap-up activities (Halverson article, themes, genres). 
• For the passage-based questions, you will need to identify things like vocabulary, the speaker in the passage, who is being addressed, the importance of the passage to the narrative as a whole, whether or not the passage is a digression. The written sections will come from the passages as well. Here is a sample passage-based series of questions.
• Background information will appear on the exam. Review:
• Slideshow: Setting & Language in Beowulf
• Anglo-Saxon Language
• Halverson article + notes
• Beowulf Genres
• Beowulf Themes

Thursday

• Written Response #6

• Beowulf
• Q&A for section 4 study guide
• The final Beowulf test will be next week. Here are the details:
• The test will cover the entire book.
• Study Guide Section 1
• Study Guide Section 2
• Watch Video Study Session for Section 1 & 2 test
• Check answers for your Section 1 & 2 test
• Study Guide Section 3
• Study Guide Section 4
• There will be multiple choice and written portions. You will be allowed to use your annotated book on the written section.
• The test will be similar to the first test, except that it will include passages from the epic poem and questions from our wrap-up activities (Halverson article, themes, genres, heroic ideal). 
• For the passage-based questions, you will need to identify things like vocabulary, the speaker in the passage, who is being addressed, the importance of the passage to the narrative as a whole, whether or not the passage is a digression. The written sections will come from the passages as well. Here is a sample passage-based series of questions.
• Background information will appear on the exam. Review:
• Slideshow: Setting & Language in Beowulf
• Anglo-Saxon Language

• HW due Mon. 10/1/18: 
• Look up and define the vocab words for your reading assignment, "The Struggle Between Order and Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson
• Read "The Struggle Between Order and Chaos in Beowulf" by John Halverson online. In your notes, make a list of the main points of the article. There are 6 sections, so you should have at least 6 main points listed.

• POW
• Poetic idea workshop and group practice
• Turn in annotated poems
• 2A: "The End and the Beginning" by Wislawa Szymborska
• 3A: "Manifesto of the Lyric Selfie" by Becca Klaver
• 4A: "No Title Required" by Wislawa Szymborska

Tuesday

• AP Practice Exam m/c corrections collected. If I didn't get them at the beginning of class today, you missed the boat.

• About Extra Credit: I have had a few questions about whether I will offer extra credit here at the end of the six weeks. I rarely do extra credit. For sure I do not offer extra credit in advanced classes to fix issues with not completing regular credit. I feel that there are plenty of opportunities to work on your grades throughout the six weeks and grades are not a surprise since I keep up with the grade book. If you ever find that your grade is not what you would like, come to see me so we can discuss your goals and how they can be achieved. 

• ROOT OF THE WEEK: Intro.
• This week's root- CHRON

• What is a sketchnote?
• Sketchnote Examples & Ideas folder
• How to sketchnote in notebooks for our vocabulary study:

• POW: Analyze and annotate for Thurs. 9/27/18.
• 2A: "The End and the Beginning" by Wislawa Szymborska
• 3A: "Manifesto of the Lyric Selfie" by Becca Klaver
• 4A: "No Title Required" by Wislawa Szymborska

• Beowulf: Section 4 study guide complete for class on Thurs. 9/27/18

Friday

• Seniors turned in their annotated POW and went to the computer lab to meet with counselors regarding applytexas.org. They also made an account and acquired a barcode for the college fair coming up soon. You can do this yourself by going to gotocollegefairs.com. 

• Juniors also turned in their annotated poem and signed up for the college fair by going to gotocollegefairs.com. Then we watched the info videos below and worked on the AP m/c test corrections and reviewing section 4 of Beowulf for Tuesday.
• 5 Tips for the PSAT
• What is on the ACT?
• Overview of the ApplyTexas application
• What is financial aid?
• Types of financial aid
• 5 activities that don't help your college application
• (PLAYLIST OF ALL OF THESE VIDEOS)

______________________________________________________

• Written Responses: I graded the notebook responses #1-5 today in class.

• Beowulf
• Test #1 booklets returned. You can check your answers here.
• Due Tues. 9/25/18: Review and add additional notes for section 4 of Beowulf

• AP Practice Exam #1: Review your test and score. To enhance your original score by up to 30 points, complete the following on your test booklet and turn it in by Tues. 9/25/18.

1. Mark an X on the number of any question you had wrong.
2. Indicate the correct answer for each question (highlight, checkmark, etc.)
3. Write an explanation of the correct answer for each of the 21 questions, even the ones you had correct. This can mean giving reasons why four of the answers are incorrect and/or explaining why the correct answer is right.

Here is the key:

1. A     2. D     3. E      4. C     5. E     6. B     7. A     8. E      9. D      10. C      11. E    

12. D     13. B     14. E    15. E     16. B    17. E    18. D    19. D    20. C    21. C

Here is an example answer explanation:

Wednesday

• POW: Q&A 
• Due Fri. 9/21/18: Analyze and annotate the assigned poem. Annotate for:
• 3 elements of poetry analysis
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme

• 2A: "How to Write a Poem" by Allen Lee Taylor
• 3A: "Reply to the Question: How Can You Become a Poet?" by Eve Merriam
• 4A: "How to Read a Poem" by Al Zolynas

• Beowulf: 
• Discussion / additional notes for section 3 (see study guide here)
• Due Tues. 9/25/18: Review and add additional notes for section 4

• AP Practice Exam #1: Review your test and score. To enhance your original score by up to 30 points, complete the following on your test booklet and turn it in by Tues. 9/25/18.

1. Mark an X on the number of any question you had wrong.
2. Indicate the correct answer for each question (highlight, checkmark, etc.)
3. Write an explanation of the correct answer for each of the 21 questions, even the ones you had correct. This can mean giving reasons why four of the answers are incorrect and/or explaining why the correct answer is right.

Here is the key:

1. A     2. D     3. E      4. C     5. E     6. B     7. A     8. E      9. D      10. C      11. E    

12. D     13. B     14. E    15. E     16. B    17. E    18. D    19. D    20. C    21. C

Here is an example answer explanation:

Monday

• Beowulf Test #1 results

• Written Response #5

• Poem of the Week (POW)
• Review the notes on the poetry analysis process that we discussed on the first day of class
• Make sure you have definitions in your notebook for stanza, metapoetry, and prose.
• Due Wed. 9/19/18: Begin analyzing the poem and come to class with questions I can answer to help you with your analysis.
• Due Fri. 9/21/18: Analyze and annotate the assigned poem. Annotate for:
• 3 elements of poetry analysis
• topic- general subject of the poem; one word or a short phrase
• poetic idea- what the poet is trying to communicate about the topic; theme

• 2A: "How to Write a Poem" by Allen Lee Taylor
• 3A: "Reply to the Question: How Can You Become a Poet?" by Eve Merriam
• 4A: "How to Read a Poem" by Al Zolynas

• Beowulf- 
• Get a definition for in media res in your notebook
• Complete notes for the study guide for section 3 by Wed. 9/19/18

Thursday

• Beowulf test #1 over sections 1 & 2: If you were absent, make this up with me after school ASAP. This grade will go on the progress report.

• HW due Mon. 9/17/18: Review and add to your annotations for section 3 of Beowulf, lines 1905 - 2541.

Live Stream Study Session 9/12/18

You can watch the video from the live stream study session for Beowulf test #1 here. It was about an hour long. I hope it helps you study! 😊
P.S. In the video I misspoke when I was retelling the Finn Saga. Here is an outline for you to make up for it.

Tuesday

• Written Response #4

• Beowulf, section 2, lines 1062-1904
• General overview
• Study Guide for Section 2

• HW due Thurs. 9/13/18: Study for Beowulf TEST #1
• See test specs here
• Vocab list from summer reading
• Slideshow: Setting & Language in Beowulf
• Anglo-Saxon Language
• Study Guide Section 1
• Study Guide for Section 2

• Juniors should take the PSAT when it is given FOR FREE on October 10. See your counselor or Ms. Rodriguez in the College & Career Center to reserve your spot.
• Counselors will have seniors begin completing the Apply Texas college application on Fri. 9/21/18. Have you taken the ACT yet? FYI here are the ACT test dates & registration deadlines:

Friday

• Written Response #3

• Q&A for Beowulf section 1 study guide questions

• Introduction to the AP Exam 
  
• Notes (listen to the audio of class here to take your notes if you were absent)
• Practice AP m/c test (if you were absent, make plans to stay after school next week to complete this)
• Check on how different universities will apply your AP credits here.

• HW due Tues. 9/11/18: Review section 2 of Beowulf (lines 1062-1904). Add to your original annotations by enriching your notes on:
• vocabulary
• summary notes
• literary devices used and their effects on the poem/reader
• note question / clarification points

• Note that we will have a Beowulf test on Thurs. 9/13/18, after we have finished reviewing and discussing section 2.

Wednesday

• Written Response #2 & discussion
• Beowulf background
• Take notes on the Setting & Language Slideshow 
• Anglo-Saxon Info. sheet
• Section 1 of Beowulf (lines 1-1061)
• Discussion / Q&A from HW rereading
• Study guide
• Beowulf character pronunciation (handout) (video)
• HW due Fri. 9/7/18: Finish study guide notes

Friday

• Syllabus overview
• Notebook set up
• Create three sections: Notes, Terms, Written Responses
• Written Responses (in notebook)
• Expectations for written responses
• Written Response #1: What are the more primitive aspects of Beowulf's society? What are some elements of our society that are similar to ours today?
• Beowulf timeline group discussion
• Group share of events on timelines-- add those you didn't have.
• Group research to add more items to the timeline in the areas of:
• world exploration / expansion
• the growth of the English (Anglo-Saxon) language
• inventions / discoveries
• worldwide events / notable people on multiple continents
• literary contributions at this time
• world religions

• HW due Wed. 9/5/18: Review the first section of Beowulf (ln. 1-1061). Add to your original annotations by enriching your notes on:
• vocabulary
• summary notes
• literary devices used and their effects on the poem / reader
• note question / clarification points

Wednesday

• Who I Am and Where I'm Going poster presentations
• Discussion of syllabus items
• Beowulf 
• Books returned (see scoring rubric here)
• Sections:
• Section 1- lines 1-1061
• Section 2- 1062-1904
• Section 3- 1905-2541
• Section 4- 2542- end
• Due Fri. 8/31/18: Beowulf timeline. Research the time period when Beowulf may have happened and when it was probably written down. Create a timeline on paper that indicates these periods as well as at least seven world events / notable people living at this time. Give dates (approximate are OK because history is loose at this time) and put events in time order on the continuum. Be sure to leave lots of extra space on the timeline so that you can add more from your classmates on Friday. Here are some resources that could help you:
• Timeline Index (probably the best source of these three)
• Timelines of World History (Wikipedia)
• Chronology of World History
• Due Wed. 9/5/18: Review the first section of Beowulf (ln. 1-1061). Add to your original annotations by enriching your notes on:
• vocabulary
• summary notes
• literary devices used and their effects on the poem / reader
• note question / clarification points

Monday

WELCOME TO ENGLISH 4 AP!

• First day info card
• Eng 4 AP syllabus
• Beowulf books turned in for a grade
• Poetry discussion: 
• "School" by Daniel J. Langton
• Foundations of poetry analysis
• Assignment due Wed. 8/29/18: Who I Am and Where I'm Going" poster