Syllabus | Assignments Revised: May 23, 2006
[First Quarter Assignments][Second Quarter Assignments][Third Quarter Assignments]
Week of April 3 to 7 (Beginning of Fourth Quarter)
Mon	Journal #71 (Spring break insights and/or what I need to accomplish between now and graduation). Dictate spelling words for quiz on Thursday. (Any words missed on the quiz will need to be written out 25 times each.) Pass back graded papers to be filed appropriately in English notebook. Hmwk: check spelling words so that you'll know which words you need to study for the quiz on Thursday and begin reading "The Basic, No-Frills Essay: How to Get an "A" on an Academic Essay." Quiz Thurs.
Tues	Journal #72 (Wisdom, knowledge: "Never confuse wisdom with knowledge"--Cornel West). Individual preparation and class dicussion of five statements about writing organization. Agree/disagree; think of reasons why the statements might be true/false: Organization in writing is a good thing. As long as the right answer is in there somewhere, I should get full credit. Clear communication is the responsibility of the speaker/writer and/or hearer/reader. I don't need a thesis statement because my reader will understand what I'm saying. Many writing situations require strict formulas to be successful. If I can write effectively, I'm more valuable as an employee. People with written communication skills have more credibility. Hwmk: complete reading "The Basic, No-Frills Essay: How to Get an "A" on an Academic Essay." Quiz Thurs. Check spelling words--if you didn't do so last night. Quiz Thurs.
Wed	Journal #73 (Would you like to be famous? Famous for what?). Continue with discussion of statements from yesterday. Hmwk: summarize (in your own words, in your own handwriting) the characteristics of an "A" essay as described in "The Basic, No-Frills Essay". Due before quiz Thurs. Study for spelling quiz (Thurs.).
Thurs	Due: summary (in your own words, in your own handwriting) of the characteristics of an "A" essay as described in "The Basic, No-Frills Essay". Journal #74 ("If you are not grateful for what you receive, you will lose it." --Swami Radha). Quiz: "The Basic, No-Frills Essay." Quiz: Spelling. (Any words missed will need to be written out 25X each.) No hmwk.
Week of April 10 to 14
Mon	Journal #75 ("Unfettered truthfulness-- . . . 'truth dumping'--can be every bit as cruel as habitual lying." --Ralph Keyes). Read sample essay: "A Boy's View of Playland." Analyze essay based on concepts in "The Basic, No-Frills Essay": Underline and label thesis statement. Circle the signal term (opinion). For each body paragraph, underline and label the topic sentence. Number each supporting idea (1, 2, 3, etc.). Put a wiggly line under transitional devices (words and expressions that help the flow from one throught to the next). On the back, answer these questions: How does this essay illustrate unity? How does this essay illustrate coherence? Look for proofreading/editing errors. Find any? Return spelling quiz papers. Hmwk: Think about a childhood "place" (term used loosely) that has significance to you. What made it significant? Think of details. What is its significance now? Write out 25X any words missed on the spelling quiz. Finish "Playland" analysis.
Tues	Due: missed spelling words written out 25X each. (Submit WITH spelling quiz.) Journal #76 (Your significant childhood "place." What happened there? What does it look like? What are the sights? smells? sounds? your feelings?) Discuss "Playland" analysis for understanding of essay format and to review last week's reading of "The Basic, No-Frills Essay." With a partner (or individually) outline "Playland"--including the thesis, each paragraph's topic sentence and supports. Distribute Essay #1: Example (assignment sheet). Write down thinking/planning notes for childhood place essay. (Distribute cluster sheets--as needed.) Hwmk: Work on thinking/planning stage notes so that you'll be able to finish this stage in class tomorrow. Try to have MORE than you will eventually need.
Wed	Check off thinking/planning stage notes done so far. Complete thinking/planning stage notes and have the complete version checked off during class. Move into organization mode for the remainder of class period. Hmwk: complete rough organization--in writing! Be ready to share your organization with a classmate.
Thurs	Check off organization notes for Essay #1. Read aloud Anne Lamott's "The Crummy First Draft" to class. No hmwk.
Week of April 17 to 21
Mon	Guest speaker: Sean Kootsey talking about his recent trip to Africa. No hmwk.
Tues	Journal #77 (A really rough, fast draft of one section of your essay. Focus on details.) Continue writing rough draft. Hmwk: complete rough draft (due Wed. at beginning of class).
Wed	Due: complete rough draft (at the beginning of class). Self assessment of thesis statement, topic sentences, and examples in rough draft. Hmwk: word process rough draft--revising as you type. Due Mon.
Thurs	(Music tour people gone) Work on quality of essay examples. Hmwk: word process rough draft--revising as you type. Due Mon.
Week of April 24 to 28
Mon	Due: word-processed rough draft. Detailed self evaluation of essay. Due at end of class. Hmwk: revise essay based on self evaluation. 2nd word-processed rough draft due Tues.
Tues	Due: revised, word-processed rough draft. Journal #78 (What do you plan to accomplish between now and your 50-year Prep reunion?). Peer evaluation of essay. Due at end of class. Hmwk: revise essay based on peer evaluation. 3rd word-processed rough draft due Wed.
Wed	Due: 3rd rough draft. Proofreading and editing. "Picky, Picky, Picky" & Real-life Typos. Use your brain; don't depend on your spell checker! Sign up for conferences. Pointers for improving your proofreading: Let some time elapse between writing and proofreading. Plan your writing assignments so that you can have the luxury of not looking at your essay for two to three days before you return to proofread it. Read your essay aloud. Have a pencil in your hand because you'll probably find things you want to correct as you read aloud. Have a friend proofread for you. (You'll need to be the judge of whether there is value in the friend's advice, of course!) Use your spell checker. Notice that this is option #4. Use human brains first! Hmwk: proofread and edit essay and print out POLISHED, SMOOTH 4th draft to bring to your conference.
Thurs	No class meeting: Conferences (with 4th draft). Make appointment by contacting Mrs. Dibben.
Week of May 1 to 5 (Midterm)
Mon	No class meeting: Conferences (with 4th draft). Make appointment by contacting Mrs. Dibben.
Tues	No class meeting: Conferences (with 4th draft). Make appointment by contacting Mrs. Dibben.
Wed	Jr/Sr Picnic: No Class
Thurs	Yes, meet in class today! Discuss final editing/proofreading that needs to be done before final draft is submitted on Monday. Hmwk: finish essay. Final draft (with ALL previous drafts) in a pocket folder due Mon.
Week of May 8 to 12
Mon	Due: Essay final draft (with ALL previous drafts) in a pocket folder. Intro to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Discuss play and process for studying it. Begin reading about "Twelfth Night" from Lambs' Tales from Shakespeare. Hmwk: finish reading about "Twelfth Night" from Lambs' Tales from Shakespeare.
Tues	Reading quiz: "Twelfth Night" from Lambs' Tales from Shakespeare. Intro to language mechanics and usage unit. Distribute Warriner's Composition and Grammar texts. Diagnostic test, pp. 557-8 in class. Go over diagnostic test answers. Hmwk: ex. 1 (pp. 561-2) & ex. 2 (p. 564). Due Wed. [FYI: meaning of "twelfth night" holiday and influence on "Twelfth Night" play (in Wikipedia)]
Wed	Due: ex. 1 (pp. 561-2) & ex. 2 (p. 564). Journal #79 (Reaction to plane taking off analogy from yesterday's worship talk by Mr. Aldred). Go over ex. 1 & 2 in class. Develop personalized study list from returned diagnostic test. Hmwk: rev. ex. A (pp. 564-5) Due Thurs.
Thurs	Due: rev. ex. A. Guest speaker: John McDowell, director of PUC's Honors Program. No hmwk. (DAS production of Twelfth Night: Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m.)
Week of May 15 to 19
Mon	Begin viewing Twelfth Night. (Watch for a passage that you and a partner would like to present dramatically next week.) Hmwk: ex. 3 (pp. 567-8) & 4 (pp. 570-1). Due Tues.
Tues	Due: ex. 3 & 4. Continue viewing Twelfth Night. Hmwk: rev. ex. B (p. 571) & ex. 5 (pp. 572-3). Due Wed.
Wed	Due: rev. ex. B & ex. 5. Continue viewing Twelfth Night. Hmwk: Posttest (p. 574) & review chapter for chpt. 20 test Thurs.
Thurs	Test: chpt. 20. No hmwk (SA Picnic tonight). (DAS production of Twelfth Night: Sunday, May 21, 2 p.m.)
Week of May 22 to 26
Mon	Finish viewing Twelfth Night. Make a relationship chart incorporating all significant characters in Twelfth Night. [See Dramatis Personae.] Begin "Capital Letters," Chpt. 21. (Begins on p. 575.) Do Diagnostic Test, pp. 575-6. Hmwk: Ex. 1 (pp. 577-8), 2 (p. 578), & 3 (p. 579). Due Tues.
Tues	Due: Ex. 1-3. Continue working on relationship chart for Twelfth Night. [See Dramatis Personae.] Hmwk: Ex. 4 (pp. 581-2), 5 & 6 (p. 585). Due Wed.
Wed	Due: Ex. 4-6. Continue working on relationship chart for Twelfth Night. [See Dramatis Personae.] Hmwk: complete relationship chart. [See Dramatis Personae.] Do Rev. ex. A (p. 586; You can simply copy down the words that need to be capitalized.).
Thurs	Due: relationship chart & Rev. ex. A. In class, do Ex. 7 (p. 589) & Rev. ex. B (p. 590). Turn in by end of class. No hmwk. (DAS production of Twelfth Night: Sunday, May 28, 2 p.m.)
Week of May 29 to June 2 (End of Fourth Quarter)
Mon	Memorial Day: No School (DAS production of Twelfth Night: Monday, May 29, 2 p.m.)
Tues	Review for final exam. Do Posttest (pp. 590-1) in class. Hmwk: prepare for final exam (Twelfth Night and Chpt. 21).
Wed	10:45 to 12:15: English 12 Final Exam
Fri	10:30 to noon: SA End-of-Year Party; 12:00: Graduation Practice