Juniors - Thursday, December 18, 2008

Today we watched the first part of a stellar documentary about Vietnam entitled "Letters Home." This is a great film composed of real footage from every facet of life in Vietnam for the young men at war, and the dialogue is the reading of actual letters sent home by soldiers. There is also great music in the film that is reflective of the times. We got through the first half, so we will be finishing it up as soon as you return from break. You also turned in your dialectical journals today, which will be added to your quarter/semester grade. I hope all of you enjoy the holidays and have a fantastic break!!!! =)

Freshmen - Thursday, December 18, 2008

Today we wrapped up The House on Mango Street by completing an in class activity that asked you to personally respond to several thematic questions that were posted all over the room. All of you walked around with markers and responded to each of the sets of questions. To see the questions, please click here. This was followed by a brief discussion. You also completed semester reflections and turned in your dialectical journals and literary terms organizers (these will count towards your quarter/semester grade).
I hope all of you enjoy the holidays and have a fantastic break!!! =) Maybe I will run into a few of you on the slopes...

English 9 and Modern Lit. - Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec.16-17 2008 - FINALS!!!

Yay for finals! You are in the home stretch. Today and tomorrow will be spent completing your English final - how did you do? What did you think about the test? Feel free to use this space to comment. After this frenzy is over, we will spend Thursday wrapping up our current units, discussing the reading, and completing sememster reflections. I will also have progress reports for all of you with updated grades. Keep plugging away, it is almost over!! =)

English 9 - Please note: Your Literary Terms Organizer and Dialectical Journals are due on Thursday, and those grades will count towards your semester grade. If you will be absent, please turn these in early or email them to me no later than Thursday at 5pm.

Juniors - Please note: Dialectical Journals are due on Thursday, and these count towards your semester grade. If you will be absent, please email them to me at megan.l.alvarez@adams12.org no later than Thursday at 5pm.

Juniors - Monday, December 15, 2008 FINALS WEEK!

Today we spent the class period reviewing for the final, which is exactly like the ACT English Test. I also had each of you write me your semester reflections, asking you for your feedback regarding the course overall, the assignments, activities, and units that we completed, and also your assessment of your own performance in the class and your goals for next semester. To help prepare you for the final, click the link below and take the practice tests for English and Reading - your final will be the same format. For homework, finish the book (the remaining two stories) and be ready to discuss on Thursday. Also, I will be collecting your dialectical journals on Thursday for a grade, so don't forget those! Reminder - the extra credit blog assignment is due by Thursday at 12 noon - no later!!

ACT Prep Tests (click on the English and Reading sample tests in the left hand column)

Freshmen - Monday, December 15, 2008

Today was spent reviewing for the final and finishing up the literary terms organizer (the info collected on the organizer will be very helpful for the final!). View the Literary Terms Power Point by downloading below. GOOD LUCK with finals this week!! For homework, finish up the last few stories in The House on Mango Street. We will be discussing the book in class on Thursday and having a Socratic Seminar as soon as we come back from break.

Literary Terms Power Point

Juniors - Friday, December 12, 2008

Today you took a quiz on The Things They Carried, covering up to the end of "The Ghost Soldiers" (page 218). If you were absent, you must make up the quiz no later than Tuesday, December 16. Please see me as soon as possible to schedule a time to take the quiz, as this grade will be a part of your semester average, and failing to make it up by Tuesday will result in a zero. REMEMBER, YOUR FINAL SOAPSTONE ANALYSES IS DUE ON MONDAY!!!!! THIS ASSIGNMENT IS OUT OF 100 POINTS, AND NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!
Have a great weekend, and please email me if you need any help with the assessment. I will be home all weekend grading like a maniac, so I will be checking my email several times throughout the day and will be able to help you (megan.l.alvarez@adams12.org). Also, please note: You do not have to upload your assessment to turnitin.com, as noted on the calendar. There have been some technological issues with it and I am currently unable to log in and set up the assignment, so don't worry about it this time. Just bring your hard copy to class (or email it beforehand) on Monday.

Freshmen - Friday, December 12, 2008

Today you took a quiz on pages 1-80 in The House on Mango Street. If you were absent, it is essential that you make it up NO LATER than Tuesday, December 16, 2008. Please see me as soon as possible to schedule a time to take the quiz, as this grade will be a part of your semester grade. Please note: Friday was the last day to turn in any missing work. I will have updated progress reports for all of you on Thursday, December 18, that will reflect your grade for the quarter.

Juniors - Extra Credit Blog Assignment - Protest Music of the Vietnam War era

For this assignment, you must choose and analyze four to six songs from the Vietnam War era (most often these take the form of protest songs). I have attached a list of suggestions, but you are free to choose them on your own as long as they are from the time period we've been dealing with. Type an analysis for each song, at least a detailed paragraph in length, that addresses the following:

1. Listen to the song (duh) and analyze the lyrics. What can you gather about the artist's perspective through this song? In other words, how does he or she feel about the war, American culture, politics, etc.? How do those views come through in the music? What is the overal message of the song? Quote the lyrics to back up your thoughts.

2. Research any references or allusions to names, places, or events. Note the social/historical context and explain. (Also, please note the date the song was released/recorded, and give a little background info about the artist(s).)

3. Connections to The Things They Carried - Describe any similarities you see to any stories in the book - does the song reflect any similar themes, sentiment, or attitudes about war or American culture? What are these similarites? Please include textual evidence to back up your explanations!

Because this assignment was posted late (my bad), this will due VIA POST no later than Thursday, Dec. 18. This assignment will be worth 30 points, and must be completed in full to recieve credit. Please email me if you have any questions. Have a great weekend and enjoy the snow!

Recommended Song List (feel free to choose songs that aren't listed here, these are just some suggestions):

"For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield

"Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Bring 'Em Home" - Pete Seeger

"The Times They are a Changin," "Masters of War," and "Blowin in the Wind" - Bob Dylan

"What's Goin On" - Marvin Gaye

"Ohio" - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

"Draft Dodger Rag" - Phil Ochs

"War" - Edwin Starr

"Vietnam Song" - Country Joe and the Fish

"Give Peace a Chance" - John Lennon

"Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" - Peter, Paul, and Mary

"A Change is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke

"Peace Train" - Cat Stevens

"Minister of War", "Saigon Bride" - Joan Baez

Modern Lit. - Wednesday and Thursday, December 10-11, 2008

Today we finished up the last ten minutes of the video and then discussed it as a group. We also briefly went over the video questions in class. How does your understanding of our culture in America during the late Sixties help you to better understand the experiences of the young men at war as described by Tim O'Brien? Do you see any possible connections? The rest of the period was spent going over the final SOAPSTone Analysis assignment, which is due this Monday, and you also had a good amount of time in class to work on it. We started with the Analysis Planning sheet, which is a graphic organizer. Complete this first, before you type up the final, as it will help you organize your thoughts. If you were absent, please be sure to see me as soon as possible so that I can go over it with you, and be sure to read all of the requirements on the assignment sheet. As always, anyone can email me if you have questions at megan.l.alvarez@adams12.org. Also, if you'd like to see an example of what a good analysis looks like, download below. For homework, please read pages 189-218 by Friday. We will have a quiz. Please note: The extra credit blog assignment will be posted on Friday. As a result, I am extending the due date for this to Thursday, December 18.

SOAPSTone Analysis Final Assignment Sheet

Analysis Organizer - complete this before you type up your final analysis, and attach to your finished copy.

SOAPSTone Example

New York Times Review of The Things They Carried - this is a great example of a critical analysis! Make sure you read the entire article (it's about two pages).

Freshmen - Wednesday and Thursday, December 10-11, 2008

After our warm up today, we went over another literary term (oxymoron) and discussed various examples. Don't forget to add that to your organizer if you were absent! Afterwards, you split into groups and had small group discussions on the reading from the last few days, as well as some corresponding questions that I gave you, and then each group shared what they had done. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and couldn't continue working on your name collages =( , but we will hopefully finish up with them later on next week. If you didn't complete the guided reading questions from yesterday, please be sure to do so and get those to me by Friday.

Modern Lit. - Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Today was spent finishing up the video "1968" and completing the corresponding film questions. View these questions by scrolling down to Monday's post and clicking the link. We will be discussing them in class on Tuesday. REMEMBER, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 IS THE LAST DAY TO TURN IN ANY MAKE UP WORK. NO EXCEPTIONS. Also, please note: below is an updated calendar that reflects the minor changes that have been made to the schedule. Don't forget: There will be a quiz on Friday that will cover up to page 218 in the book!

Schedule and Calendar for December 1-18

Freshmen - Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Today after our warm up, we started going over the literary terms focus lessons to help prepare you for your final. Download a copy of the Lit. Terms Graphic Organizer for The House on Mango Street below, review the Power Point, and fill out the information in the organizer. You need to find examples of these literary terms in your book, which might require you to look at past chapters, and briefly explain how your example demonstrates that term. See me if you have any questions. We also spent some time going over the reading and discussing important themes. For homework, please read pages 65-81 and download the Guided Reading 3 Questions here, and turn in on block day.

Literary Terms Graphic Organizer

Guided Reading Questions #3

Literary Terms Focus Lessons Power Point

Juniors - Monday, December 8, 2008

Today we briefly discussed the reading from the last few days and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. We spent most of the time discussing the reading questions from "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," which we didn't really get a chance to go over much. See the discussion questions by scrolling down to the Friday, Dec. 5 post and clicking on the link (make sure you are familiar with these as they might appear on your next quiz!) The rest of the period was spent discussing cultural revolution and watching the video "1968," which we will finish on Tuesday. We are going to talk a bit about what was happening in America during the Vietnam War, and what affect these events had on our history and our collective consciousness as a society. I asked you to keep in mind the essential questions that we are examining for this unit as you watch the video. You also need to answer some video questions, so if you were absent, you need to make an appointment with me to view it. Download the questions by clicking the link below. For homework tonight, please read pages 155-178.

PLEASE NOTE: There has been a change to the calendar/schedule. The song/sonwriter profile assignment has been removed and will not be assigned. We don't have time! =( Just make sure you are caught up with your reading, as you will have a quiz on Friday that will cover up to page 218.

"1968" Video Questions

English 9 - Monday, December 8, 2008

Today we dove back into The House on Mango Street, after remaining on hold for a bit because of We the People. After our warm up, we briefly discussed the last reading assignment, reviewed some themes and stories, and also went over the calendar and schedule for the next two weeks leading up to break. You will recieve hard copies of this calendar in class tomorrow, but you may also download one by clicking the link below. We then had a review of the characteristics of Sandra Cisneros' style, and you completed the vignette assignment in class (the one we had started two weeks ago), due tomorrow. You must write a brief vignette, on any subject you'd like, that imitates Cisneros' style and voice. For homework, please read pages 46-61.

Calendar and Schedule for Dec.8-18

Friday, December 5, 2008

Today we had a guest speaker come and talk to our class about his experiences in the Vietnam War, who happens to be my dad, Dave Alvarez. He was drafted into the war in 1965, and served as Military Police and a helicopter gunner for the Air Force from 1967-1969. He brought in several pictures that he took while he was there and recounted many stories about the land of Vietnam, his travels, training, combat experiences, and also answered many of your questions. I was very impressed by some of the great questions that many of you asked! For homework, please consult your calendar and finish the reading assignment for the weekend. Also, please download the discussion questions for "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" and answer them on a separate sheet of paper. We will be going over the reading from the last few days on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Discussion Questions "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"

Congratulations Freshmen!!

Congratulations to Ms. Cody's and Ms. Alvarez' Integrated English/Government classes for taking FIRST AND SECOND PLACE at the We the People competition on Thursday!! I am so proud of all of you, and I was truly blown away by your confidence, poise, great public speaking, and stellar performances. Congratulations to all of you for all of your hard work!

Modern Lit. - Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 3 & 4

Block days this week were spent in the computer lab working on an in-class assignment that examines American involvement in wars throughout history. Groups were assigned a specific war, and you were asked to locate various kinds of information pertaining to that war, such as the causes of the conflict, reasons for American involvement, any controversy that surrounded either. Pairs then created a one-page write up that explains the conflict, and compared their assigned war to Vietnam. What common themes were noticed? Similarities/differences? How does O'Brien's depiction of the Vietnam War affect your thinking about other wars, if at all? If you were absent, please download the assignment sheet, choose one of the wars indicated on the assignment, and do a little research. Turn in a one page explanation as soon as possible. For homework, please read pages 117-134 by Friday. Also, your SOAPSTONE Analysis assignment #1 is due on Friday at the beginning of class. NO LATER.

Origins of War Research Assignment

IMPORTANT!! If you did not recieve one in class, download one here:
Schedule and Calendar for December 1 - December 19

Freshmen - Wednesday & Thursday, Dec. 4 & 5

We The People!!! Finally!!! Good Luck to all of you!!!

Juniors - Tuesday, December 2

Today we started the day with an activity centered around finding textual examples of the many themes of the The Things They Carried. Three themes that we discussed were: the fear of shame or showing weakness, physical and emotional burdens, and the idea of "truth" and its place in storytelling. These themes were posted on the wall, and for twenty minutes you worked independently to find examples in the text that represent or embody each theme. Your recorded these quotes on sticky notes along with a few sentences of explanation, and then posted your note under each corresponding theme. After everyone was finished, you went back and read the other responses. This should give you a good supply of textual evidence to use for your next assignment as well as your assessment. Following this activity, we went over your next assignment, which is due on Friday. Please click the link below for the assignment sheet, and be sure to read carefully. You will be writing a S.O.A.P.S.TONE analysis of one story from the book (see me and/or refer to the assignment sheet if you have any questions). This needs to be a minimum of six paragraphs (one paragraph for each element of SOAPSTONE) and must contain at least one piece of textual evidence for each paragraph. This is a "practice" assignment to prepare you for the assessment, but it is also a graded one (40 points), so don't slack on this. It is due at the beginning of the class on Friday, December 5th. The end of the semester is coming up quickly, so be sure to stay caught up! For homework tonight, please read pages 89-116, "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", by block day.

SOAPSTONE Analysis Assignment 1

Modern Lit. - Monday, December 1, 2008

Welcome back from break - I hope you all had a great few days off! The next three weeks are going to be VERY BUSY, so be prepared to work hard and do a lot of reading. Over break, you needed to read "How to Tell a True War Story" in The Things They Carried. I completely forgot to post the discussion questions last week (sorry!), but that's alright, since we tackled them in class today. Today, the class got into four groups. Each group was given a set of discussion questions. You went over them in your groups, recorded your responses, and also found relevant quotes to support your answers. After everyone was done, we went around to each group and shared your answers. See the discussion questions by clicking the link below. If you were absent, please choose a set of discussion questions, write down your responses, and choose one quote from the text that you feel best embodies the questions and your responses. Turn in to me as soon as you return, as this was a graded assignment, and also some of these questions will appear on a future quiz. For homework, please read "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," pages 89-116, by block day.

"How to Tell a True War Story" Group Discussion Questions

English 9 - Monday, December 1, 2008

I hope you all had a GREAT Thanksgiving break and hopefully you were able to get a little R&R. The next three weeks are going to be VERY busy as we prepare for the end of semester. Until We the People, which takes place this Wednesday and Thursday, we will be using our class time on Monday and Tuesday to practice and put the finishing touches on your opening statements and responses to the follow up questions. In the meantime, it would be helpful for all of you to go back over the material for The House on Mango Street so that you don't feel lost when we pick it up again.