Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Today in class you took a quote quiz through page 325 of AA, which resulted in me owing Brandon Sass a bottle of water.  We discussed the book briefly, then reviewed the answers from yesterday's M/C test.   Alejandro Botas particularly enjoyed this portion of class.

Tomorrow your college assignment is due!

Tomorrow your need to have read and annotated "A Modest Proposal." 

Mot du jour: Inculcate  - Mikey Molly, the Master of, inter alia, Dirty Things in General, inculcated in Frankie the certainty of Frankie's "doomed" status.  (If I had written "his" instead of the second "Frankie's," the "his" would have been an indefinite pronoun - SAT stuff.)

Post Gobble Day - Monday, November 29th

Brilliant Scholars:

Today you took an AP-style multiple choice test on portions of AA.

Tomorrow, please have read and annotated through page 325 of AA.  You must enjoy this assignment on some level.

Wednesday, please have read and annotated "A Modest Proposal," and submit your college assignment.

Notice how the comma goes INSIDE the quotation mark?

Thursday?  It's a mystery.

Friday, please have read and annotated through the end of AA, AND submit your commencement speech to turnitin.com if you have not already done so.

Quote du jour:  "Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching."

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

Substantively, everything you need to know is in yesterday's post.

Enjoy your family, food, and book!

Monday? Thursday? Eve of Turkey break?

Scholars, please peruse the following:

Today we took an AP-style M/C test on Angela's Ashes.  We will review the answers to said test tomorrow.  If you did not take this test, you may take a make-up test Friday, December 3, 2010.

Dates to know:

Read and annotate through page 215 of Angela's Ashes by tomorrow, Tuesday, November 23rd;  Feel free to bring treats to share with your peers;  

AP-style M/C test on Angela's Ashes on Monday, November 29, 2010 - Welcome Back!;

Read and annotate through page 325 of Angela's Ashes by Tuesday, November 30th;

Read and annotate "A Modest Proposal" by Wednesday, December 1st; and submit your college assignment on that date!;

Finish (reading and annotating) Angela's Ashes by Friday, December 3rd.

Now for those of you who could not submit your commencement speech to turnitin.com, you have until December 3, 2010 to do so.  Here are the relevant passwords:

First period - sewardfirst

Second period - Sewardsecond

Fourth period - sewardfourth

Sixth period - sewardsixth

Seventh period - sewardseventh

Please note that all of the passwords (except for second period) are in lower case; second period's password begins with an upper case letter.

Please pay respects to John F. Kennedy today, who was slain on this date in 1963.

Have a magical day! (as we say in the Magic Kingdom)

Off to Disney World !!!!!! Wednesday (my Friday) November 17, 2010

Today in class we reviewed our work through next Tuesday.  We also discussed Angela's Ashes, and you submitted your annotations.

Tomorrow you will write a rhetorical analysis.  Please bring your copies of Antony's speech from Julius Caesar, Paris Hilton, and Donne's "The Flea."  You may use your "Rhetorical Analysis Cheat Sheet" that you received in class today.  Also tomorrow, please pick up your graded Angela's Ashes.

Friday you will write creatively on a photo.

Monday, November 22, 2010, we will have an AP-style multiple choice test on excerpts from Angela's Ashes.  Please bring your copy of Angela's Ashes.  You may use your green vocabulary sheet on the test  Monday evening, you will also vote for ANYONE BUT BRISTOL PALIN on DWTS.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010, please have read and annotated through page 215 of Angela's Ashes.  For those of you who may have different pagination, please read and annotate through chapter VIII (8).  Also on Tuesday, please bring your copy of Zeitoun.

Be good this week, and have fun!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Today in class you wrote an essay on Zeitoun, whom we must sadly bid farewell.

However, the silver lining is that now we GET to read the wondrous, profane, yet lyrical Angela's Ashes.

Soooooo, tomorrow, please have read and ANNOTATED the first two chapters.  Come with questions and comments, and be ready to take a quote quiz.

Thursday, you will write a rhetorical analysis.  Bring "The Flea," Paris Hilton, and Antony's speech from Julius Caesar.

Friday, you will write creatively.  Let's write a class book!

Monday, November 22, you will take an annoying yet necessary multiple choice, AP style test on excerpts from Angela's Ashes.

Your tentative reading schedule:

Tuesday, November 23rd through page 208;

Tuesday, November 30th through page 325.

Friday, December 3rd - DONE!

Have a beautiful day!  Make a debonair friend!

Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be - November 15, 2010

Scholars, today we made lemonade from lemons.

We all expected to watch a Tavis Smiley interview with Zeitoun and Kathy, but were reduced to audio.  However, I thought we did well under the circumstances.  If you would like to see Zeitoun and Kathy actually talking, click on "pbs.org," search "Tavis Smiley and Zeitoun," and play the interview dated August 27, 2010.

Tomorrow, you will write an essay on Zeitoun; I hope that you paid attention today.

Wednesday, please have read and annotated the first two chapters of Angela's Ashes.

Have a great autumn evening, and perform a public service by voting for Kyle on DWTS!

Trivia question:  from what song does the title of this entry stem?  What singing group recorded this song?  Tell me tomorrow as you walk in the door.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Friday, in class we took a quote quiz on the final pages of Zeitoun; some classes had an opportunity to discuss same.  You submitted your annotated Zeitoun. 

Speaking of opportunities, Monday, we will meet in the library to watch Tavis Smiley's interview with Zeitoun and his wife Kathy. 

Tuesday, you will write your final essay on Zeitoun.

Wednesday, please have read and annotated through page 90 Angela's Ashes.

Hope that the quidditch match went well. Have a great weekend!

Thursday - Veterans Day - November 11, 2010

Today in class we did the following:

Wrote a thank-you note to a veteran;

Reviewed the "who/whom" conundrum.

First period discussed the validity of pondering the afterlife; in second and fourth periods, Jason and John/Jack, respectively, read their commencement speeches.  In sixth and seventh periods, we will write notes, focus on who/whom, and likely write and discuss philosophical matters.

For tomorrow:

Read and annotated all of Zeitoun.

Bring $11.50 for your own copy of Angela's Ashes.

It's been tooooo long! Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Well, I have no excuse for neglecting to post yesterday's entry other than I was enthralled by last night's result show of DWTS.  All politics aside, whoever (not whomever) is voting for Bristol Palin needs to stop, please, now.

In class today, you all participated in a graded discussion stemming from the first 268 pages of Zeitoun.  Second period reached unprecedented levels of civility, and many students even agreed with Jason - a Kodak moment.

Tomorrow, we will plunge into a melange of activities: some commencement speeches, some art pieces, the ever popular who/whom conundrum, a Chilean miner runs the NYC marathon, and the validity of pondering the afterlife. 

Friday, please have finished (read and annotated) Zeitoun.  I will take your books.

Sorry for the length of this e-mail; I don't feel very laconic today.

Have a great hump day!

Monday night, November 8, 2010

Scholars:

Please bring your speech to class tomorrow.  Quite a few of you have already submitted your speech to turnitin.com.  However, some of you seem to having problems doing so.  If there is a password that you need, and I did not give it to you, my apologies.  I don't have any more information with me, and I have been unable to access this through turnitin.  Accordingly, if you cannot submit your piece, please just bring a hard copy to class, and we will sort it out tomorrow.

Sorry for any stress,

Ms. Seward

Don't forget to fall back! Friday, November 5, 2010

PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE CORRECTED THE PAGE NUMBER FOR YOUR WEDNESDAY DISCUSSION TO PAGE 268, NOT 168!!!!  THANKS!

Dearest Scholars:

BIG schedule change because we took our second benchmark today.

Monday, you will write a rhetorical analysis on one of the following pieces:

"The Flea"

Paris Hilton's campaign speech; or

Mark Antony's speech from Julius Caesar.

Bring all three pieces to class on Monday!

Monday night or BEFORE, you will turn in your commencement speech to turnitin.com.

The information that you will need to submit your paper is as follows:

2010 - 2011 First Period  3421894

2010 - 2011 Second Period 3421908

2010 - 2011 Fourth Period 3421920

2010 - 2011 Sixth Period 3421930

2010 - 2011 Seventh Period 3491939

Tuesday, bring a hard copy of your paper to class.

Wednesday, we will have a graded discussion through page 268 of Zeitoun.  Bring three written questions or comments to class. 

Friday, finish reading and annotating Zeitoun.

Great job reciting "Invictus."  Best year ever!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Scholars:

What a day!

We read and analyzed John Donne's poem "The Flea" and then turned to that brilliant rhetorician, Paris Hilton.

I did not take a grade today. 

Tomorrow we will take a benchmark and then analyze, rhetorically, in writing, a piece.

Kudos to all of you wonderful reciters of poetry!!  Kudos to Yang yang, Philip, and Samantha who know about Will Rogers.

A Rainy, Chilly Hump Day - Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Today in class, we did the following:

First period - discussed Zeitoun and took a quote quiz;

Second period - wrote about the responsibility and consequences of bullying and took a quote quiz and discussed Zeitoun;

Fourth period - discussed Zeitoun and took a quote quiz;

Sixth and seventh periods - wrote about Juan Williams and took a quote quiz and discussed Zeitoun.

Tomorrow we will discuss variously Zeitoun (all classes), ethos, pathos, and logos (all classes but fourth), and Juan William (first, second, and fourth).

Friday we will write or participate in a project regarding ethos, pathos, and logos.

Monday, we will have a graded discussion through page 268 of Zeitoun; your commencement speech is due on or before Monday night on turnitin.com. - Thanks Alice Wang!!!!!!

Tuesday, please bring your commencement speech to class and publish it by reading it.

Wednesday, finish Zeitoun. 

"Invictus" HOF
First period - Ambrose Page; Laura Solinger
Second period - Sneha Joshi; Andrea Owen; Eliza Posada; Julia Chernis; Jackie Tien, Anna Demmler
Fourth period - Jon Bonem;  Michelle Cohen
Sixth period - Kathryn Kubena; Matt Pace; Dana Felberg;
Seventh period - Mable Wan; Ye-jin Song

Trivia question (should be easy for first and fourth periods):  Who was Will Rogers and what was his most famous saying?  Please tell me as you enter class tomorrow.  I wonder if you could work that quote into an SAT essay?

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Scholars, here is a rundown of the day's events:

All classes received a W.O.D. sheet and an opportunity to order Angela's Ashes;

First period - We discussed iris inprinting cameras and the tension between constitutional right to privacy and national security; you wrote in your journals regarding this subject;

Second period had a rousing discussion regarding, inter alia, bullying and personal responsibility, i.e., are we the masters of our fate?  Mabel Wan recited "Invictus" while bouncing a tennis ball against her racket; we will write in journals tomorrow;

Fourth period pondered ethos, pathos, logos in terms of John Donne's poem "The Flea"; Jon Bonem recited "Invictus" via a cellular device (and later in class); Daniel Yun read his art piece; and

 Sixth and Seventh periods discussed and wrote about the Juan Williams matter.

Tomorrow, please have read and annotation Zeitoun through page 217;

Friday is the last day to recite "Invictus."

Have a great Tuesday!

"That's my Funday" - Monday, November 1st

Scholars:

Today you took a quote test on Zeitoun through page 146.  If you were absent today, you must make up this test on Friday at lunch.

Tomorrow first and second periods will discuss hot topics and write in journals.  Fourth, sixth, and seventh periods will delve into the enigmas of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Wednesday, please have read and annotated Zeitoun through 217.

Friday is the last day to recite "Invictus."  Hall of Famers are comprised of the following:  Ambrose Paige, Laura Solinger, Sneha Joshi, Kathryn Kubena, Matt Pace, and Dana Felberg.  Fourth and seventh periods???

Zachary Matthew, I thought about your question, and I agree.

See you tomorrow! 

P.S.  Trivia question - from what song does the title of this entry originate and to what day of the week is the singer referring?  Tell me as you walk into class tomorrow.