Thursday, January 31, 2019


Thursday, January 31, 2019
70 minutes

In groups or individually respond to these questions about "An Ex-Mas Feast."

      *HOMEWORK: Finish the group questions that we worked on in class.


Tuesday, January 29, 2019


Tuesday, January 29, 2019
92 minutes

1.   SSR—extended so that people can finish reading “An Ex-Mas Feast” 

2.   Watch about 40 minutes of interview with author Uwem Akpan and TAKE NOTES at this link:  http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Watch-Oprahs-Book-Club-Say-Youre-One-of-Them-Webcast-Video

HOMEWORK DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 30: Complete the annotation and questions for  “An Ex-Mas Feast”

Friday, January 25, 2019


Friday, January 25 2019
92 minutes
     1.    SSR 

      2.      Watch and take notes on Elif Shafak TedTalk: The Revolutionary Power of Diverse Thought 

     3.      Discuss Shafak’s ideas about diverse thought 

     4.      Background information on our next writer: Uwem Akpan 

     5.      Homework for next time: Read “An Ex-Mas Feast” and annotate it and respond to questions at the end of the packet.

HOMEWORK DUE TUESDAY, JANUARY 28: Read and annotate and respond to questions about “An Ex-Mas Feast”


Wednesday, January 23, 2019


Wednesday, January 23 2019
92 minutes
1.   SSR 
2.   Groups  finish work on questions about “Sugar” 
3.   Whole class discussion about “Sugar” 

Tuesday, January 15, 2019


Tuesday, January 15 2019
44 minutes

For the Final Exam period tomorrow: Make sure that you have annotated your copy of “Sugar” and have annotated it based on the instructions

1.   SSR
2.   Work on preparing for final exams


Friday, January 11, 2019


Friday, January 11 2019
92 minutes
1.   SSR 
2.   Share your homework and then hand it in 
3.   Watch Elif Shafak's TedTalk.  Take notes on this sheet on these concepts in the talk: circle metaphor, identity politics, compass metaphor, and cultural cocoon. 
4.   Pair share your understanding of these concepts. 
6.   Review these literary devices: allusion, setting, and central conflict 
8.   HOMEWORK DUE TUESDAY January 15: Read and annotate "Sugar" according to the directions linked above.


Wednesday, January 9, 2019


Wednesday, January 9 2019
92 minutes

REMINDER: PHONES SHOULD BE PUT AWAY ENTIRELY OR YOU CAN PUT IT IN THE BLUE BUCKET
1.   SSR/ Essays returned. Set up files 
2.   Finish jigsaw groups of Solzhenitsyn Nobel Prize speech 
3.   Small groups: discuss the meaning of Solzhenitsyn’s speech and connect his ideas to an example from the real world or from fiction. Share out. 

HOMEWORK DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 11: Complete the writing assignment comparing themes in “One Word of Truth Outweighs the World” and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 

Monday, January 7, 2019

Monday, January 7 2019
92 minutes

1.   SSR 
2.   Share your homework in small groups
3. Whole class discussion of the homework (each group shares a group member's homework response about mood in the story and about Shukov's character.
3.   Read Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize speech and in groups and paraphrase it (jigsaw groups)

HOMEWORK: read your SSR book for at least 30 minutes a night

Thursday, January 3, 2019


Thursday, January 3 2019
92 minutes

1.     Presentation by counselor (PSAT scores)   

2.     Free-Write in Composition Notebook: "Unjust Punishment": Write about a time when you were unjustly punished.  What happened? How did you respond? What did you do to show that you disagreed?  Share in pairs. 

3.     Read short biography of the author Alexander Solzhenitsyn and discuss key ideas.
4.     Hand out and discuss homework  DUE MONDAY, January 7: read the excerpt from Solzhenitsyn's novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and respond to the questions on this instruction sheet

HOMEWORK DUE MONDAY, JANUARY 7: read the excerpt from Solzhenitsyn's novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and respond to the questions on this instruction sheet