Friday, February 7, 2020

It's Friday! 😄

We are going to spend today reviewing rhetorical devices (Ethos, Logos, and Pathos). In just a few weeks, you will be completing another district writing assessment that looks at rhetorical devices; we will spend today and all of next week reviewing and discussing rhetoric and satire in preparation for that.

We will start today with a video that looks at how to use rhetoric to get what you want, then you will complete a Nearpod that covers the different aspects of rhetoric. At this point, this should be review for you but feel free to grab your notes from last month if you need help.  This Nearpod will be due by Sunday, February 9 at 11:59pm. If it asks for a code it's IKZRB.

If you have questions regarding this assignment, please check with Ms. Fowlkes first. If she can't answer it, she will either text me or tell you to email me; please make sure to ask her first, though.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Today, all classes will report to the theater to see a live performance of Romeo & Juliet!

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

There is a significant amount of you who have decided that since I'm not there every day, you no longer need to complete work and turn it in. Today is Grace Day. I'm allowing you to use today to complete and turn in any missing assignments for my class only. This is NOT a study hall where you can work on things for other classes, play games, listen to music, etc. You can do 1 of 2 things:

• Work on your missing assignments for English I
• Work on your assigned IXL skills which are due in a couple weeks

If you choose to do anything other than this, you will not be permitted to turn in your missing assignments at a later date. Don't waste your one chance for grace.

Ms. Fowlkes will be keeping a list of who uses this class period appropriately and who does not. Don't find yourself on the wrong list.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Today, all classes will be participating in day 2 of the activity you started yesterday in class.

General (2nd, 4th, and 5th period): You will continue working on your One-Pager Poster. If someone new has been added to your group, it is your responsibility to catch them up on the project and make sure they understand how they are expected to contribute. All you need today is something to write with and the PDF text of Animal Farm opened on one person's laptop; everyone else can have their laptops put away.  This assignment is due at the start of class tomorrow, so if it's not done at the end of the period today someone in your group will be responsible for taking it and finishing it before you come to class on Wednesday.

To see some really good examples of really well-done One-Pager Posters, click this link and look through the album of pictures.


Honors/STEM (1st, 3rd, and 6th period): Today is day 2 of the Socratic Seminar. Side A (closest to the windows) will be answering the questions that Side B (closest to the door) will be asking. Remember, you are being graded on the quality of the questions you ask and the answers you give. It's okay to elaborate on or disagree with another student's answer as long as you can support it with an explanation and some kind of evidence from the story. Everyone on Side A must answer at least 1 question today, and everyone on Side B must ask at least 1 question today.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Today, all classes will be participating in a two-day activity.

General (2nd, 4th, and 5th period): You will be working in small groups of 4 to create a One-Pager Poster that looks at the important elements of Animal Farm, including character development, key quotes, themes, symbolism, and rhetoric. These need to be detailed and creative and should show me that you and your groupmates understood not just the basic story of Animal Farm, but all of the components that influenced George Orwell to write it, as well as how that aspects of the novel influenced you as the reader. All you need today is something to write with and the PDF text of Animal Farm opened on one person's laptop; everyone else can have their laptops put away.

To see some really good examples of really well-done One-Pager Posters, click this link and look through the album of pictures.


Honors/STEM (1st, 3rd, and 6th period): Today is day 1 of the Socratic Seminar. Side A (closest to the windows) will be asking the questions and Side B (closest to the door) will be answering. Remember, you are being graded on the quality of the questions you ask and the answers you give. It's okay to elaborate on or disagree with another student's answer as long as you can support it with an explanation and some kind of evidence from the story. Everyone on Side A must ask at least 1 question today, and everyone on Side B must answer at least 1 question today.