Week 4 Syllabus: July 1 and 2

WE CLOSE THIS WEEK WITH SOME sentence combining practice, based upon the comma review in the Standard Deviants punctuation/parts of sentences video. We will finish reading our novel, prepare you to read the summer reading assignment, and close with a quick review of Joseph Campbell’s hero journey, aka the “monomyth.”

MONDAY, JULY 1

• rReading about the recent cicada swarms and what you have seen, heard, felt, smelled and (perhaps even ) tasted during the last few weeks.

• Thinking about different types of essays (descriptive, persuasive, narrative) and reading “Shooting Dad” from Sarah Vowell’s excellent collection Take the Cannoli. Reviewing annotation as a dialogue between text and reader (thinking about what the book says, AND how your experience(s) relate to the reading).

• Watching a selection on commas and restrictive/non-restrictive phrases and clauses.

• Closing with I am the Cheese.

• TOMORROW: We will first finish the novel. Then, we will review Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and how it applies to IATC and our final reading, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.)

TUESDAY, JULY 2

• xxx

"The Sound of Thunder" Vocabulary

Review your annotations, seeking out words that the writer uses to create the story’s MOOD (the feeling within the story) and the author’s TONE (the writer’s approach to the topic, or attitude/demeanor).

Post 20 (twenty) of these words as a response/comment to this blog entry. Please do NOT number these…just enter them as a list. For example:

quaver
phlegmz
aurora…

Week 3 Syllabus: June 24-28

ONE KEY TO BECOMING A BETTER WRITER IS to pay attention to what other writers do, especially with sentence structure. This week, we will review your punctuation rules, parts of speech, and the essential parts of a sentence—subject and predicate. Once you have these basic building blocks, you can construct more complex structures and play with meaning and emphasis. That will allow you to think more clearly about a) what message you want the reader to get, and b) how you can emphasize that message in subtle ways with sentence structure and organization. We will only start that work this week, work you’ll continue throughout Freshman year.

MONDAY, JUNE 24

• Starting with a news story from this past Sunday’s Chicago Sun-Times. Annotating for whether or not you would enjoy the club/activity described.

• Revisiting the “reading to understand” techniques—looking for topics, main idea, supporting details—in our reading comprehension strategies handout.

• Practicing paraphrasing technique.

• Finishing and posting your paragraphs about R. Banks’ “The Fish.”

• Returning to I am the Cheese, and looking for clues about Adam Farmer’s mother’s phone calls. In the second passage, we will look carefully at context clues for the conflict between Adam and the three boys in the diner.

• TOMORROW: Working on annotation technique in “Going to School,” and looking for reader’s signals in a non-fiction text.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25

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• Revisiting what annotation should be. Looking at another scholar’s annotation technique (boxes around names, bold underlining of words, notes on themes) and then choosing ONE question to annotate for in that same story.

• Reading your writing aloud to your group (¶s on “The Fish”)

• Finishing with our reading from the novel.

• TOMORROW: We review punctuation rules! I will give everyone a great tool for correcting punctuation.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

• Inversion day. We are starting with I am the Cheese, brainstorming questions we have, as readers, about the novel (see image below).

• Returning to our non-fiction reading techniques, learning about signal language that writers use (more specifically called subordinate transitions).

• Reading Ray Bradbury’s “The Sound of Thunder”

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

• Starting with a Caveletter blog post about rage-posting on the internet.

• Returning to the conclusion to Bradbury’s SOT. What is Bradbury’s lesson for his reader (hint: it is NOT related to time-travel or hunting dinosaurs)? You will post these written responses to our squarespace blog.

• Returning to the library annotated bibliography project, this time adding notes on a video relating to Hesiod’s “Theogony.”

• Closing with our novel, IATC.

• TOMORROW: We will start working on comma usage.

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

• Starting with an article about Lemon Merangue pie-flavored ice cream.

• Writing about your own favorite (or most hated) flavor of ice cream, practicing descriptive writing like we saw in “The Sound of Thunder.”

• Taking a punctuation quiz, checking to see who-knows-what about: . ? ! , ; : ‘ “ ( ) - —

• Reviewing a grand punctuation guide that will assist you at New Trier.

• Returning to IATC.

"The Fish" Paragraphs

Finish writing your paragraph that explains the lesson of Russell Banks’ short story “The Fish.” What is the lesson of the story? Use the cheeseburger paragraph organizational structure. Include both a direct and indirect quote. Remember, when you post a comment as guest, include your first and last name, and include your NT email address. (Leave the URL line blank).

Week 2 Syllabus: June 17-21

WE HAVE BEGUN PRACTICING ANNOTATION WHILE reading. Remember, that your written notes within the book should reflect the reader’s dialogue with the text, about meaning. Regardless of which method your teacher requires, that’s the ultimate goal: outline your thinking in the margins. Writing is a form of thinking: it helps clarify your thoughts, identify patterns, articulate questions, develop new thoughts about what you read.

MONDAY, JUNE 17

• Starting with a news story from this past Sunday’s New York Times. Annotating for how the writer sets up direct quotes.

• Reading paragraphs about “The Man in the Well” aloud in class, and revising.

• Key revision takeaways: avoid signposting language before and after quote (an example of this is seen on page #, this quote shows that, the reader can see that) and including the author, type of literature, and title in the topic sentence.

• Reading and practice annotating Cormier’s I am the Cheese (pages 28 through X).

• TOMORROW: Reading a new story, and starting some non-fiction annotation techniques.

TUESDAY, JUNE 18

• Reading a NYT article about rumor, and the impact it had on an Amazonian tribe who recently gained access to the internet.

• Story time: reading “The Fish.” Annotate for how rumor drives the action of the story, why Col. Tung’s attempts to kill the fish fail, and why the fish is ultimately killed.

• Distributing a new packet on non-fiction annotation techniques. We won’t get to this until Friday at soonest.

• THURSDAY: If the NTHS network is live and working on student iPads, we will head to the Library for orientation.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19

• No school for Juneteenth.

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

• Checking network connections, overview to connecting to Canvas, google drive/apps

• Writing paragraph about story, “The Fish”: In Russell Bank’s short story, “The Fish,”… Describing the key lesson of the story, without using to be helping/linking verbs in claim.

• Using visualthesarus.com to locate stronger verbs

• After break, working in Library for orientation.

• TOMORROW: We will return to the library to conduct some simple research, and to use Noodle Bib to create a 3-source annotated bibliography.

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

• Starting in library for training on using Noodle tools to create annotated bibliography.

• In W-348, we will read a new short story, “Going to School.”

• Ending the day with reading from our novel, I am the Cheese.

• NEXT WEEK: We will review the non-fiction annotation techniques you received this week, continue reading our novel, and shift our focus onto grammar/parts of speech review.

"The Man in the Well" Paragraphs

Post your written response to the question about Ira Shur’s short story “The Man in the Well” as a comment to this post, below. Remember to include a direct and indirect quote from the story in support of your answer. Use everything you know about paragraph writing in your reply.

If prompted to add your name, include first and last name. For email address, use your NT email address (2028xxxx@student.nths.net).

Week 1 Syllabus: June 10-14

THIS COURSE WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF SKILLS and approaches to help students hit the ground running this Fall. In week one, I will cover lots of basics: what to expect from your English teachers, how to read and write like a scholar, where to get help and how to approach your teachers. Because students will not have iPads or id cards in the first week, we will start mostly using pen and paper in class. However, as soon as you have an iPad and your id, you should bring it. We will use both in the library to research some mythology topics, check out materials, research library databases. Also, the Library will be a key resource for printing, as NT does not have computer labs or printer stations for drop-in student use. Finally, plan on purchasing I am the Cheese from the NT bookstore by Wednesday, and pick up your summer reading before class next Monday (we will do some reading and annotating in class next week).

MONDAY, JUNE 10

• Overview of English at New Trier and the level system.

• Introductory survey.

• Seeking help from teachers, and a short tour of NW corner of Winnetka Campus.

• Reading through a sample course expectations that teachers will review in August.

• Reading and circling vocabulary words in a short story

• TOMORROW: We will pick up with “The Man in the Well,” sharing your words-circled list and adding the reader’s questions about meaning. We will also practice the Great Books format of discussing literature.

TUESDAY, JUNE 11

• Reviewing our syllabus.

• How to get into groups, share names, complete a task (reviewing your words-circled from “The Man in the Well”)

• Great Books method of shared inquiry for above story.

• After short break, returning to small groups and completing comprehension questions.

• Ending with a reading of “The Monkey’s Paw”

• TOMORROW: Our first writing assignment, review of using direct and indirect quotations in literary responses.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

• Welcoming new scholars, and re-reviewing classroom activities to date.

• Writing first short essay, responding to question on “The Man in the Well”

• Reading “The Monkey’s Paw” and working on crossword.

• TOMORROW: We will begin reading I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier. I will review in more detail other annotation techniques used by NT English teachers, as well as my own.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13

• Starting with a 5 part learning style assessment, to better understand learning preferences.

• Typing and posting paragraphs about “The Man in the Well” into Squarespace, using NT email addresses.

• Lecture on Killer Kane and a revision-mindset.

• Annotation technique: questions, opening signals, last-looks, patterns, contrasts and connections.

• We will practice annotation using Corimer’s novel I am the Cheese.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14

• Frame narration and 1,001 Nights.

• Introduction to literary analysis and narrative technique.

• Reading through and including page 27 in IATC.

• Lecture on argumentative terms (claim, reason, evidence) and structure (cheeseburger paragraphs).

• NEXT WEEK: We will revise posted paragraphs, tackling some typical, stylistic issues that aggravate NT English teachers, and get into study habits (of mind) and our novel. We will also read and annotate two more short stories.

Introductory Survey

Teachers will typically conduct some type of survey which helps them get to know you. This might include some form of assessment of your background knowledge, a skills-assessment to see what you know, and personal information so they can build a rapport with each student.

Here’s a sample one that you will complete in class today.

Greetings, Class of 2028

Introduction to Freshmen English course description:

“[F]or entering freshmen who need practice in the language arts skills necessary for successful work in high school. Emphasis is on language (vocabulary, usage, mechanics), composition (pre-writing and composing with emphasis on the paragraph), reading fiction, and study skills. This course also emphasizes the development of organizational skills, the importance of being an active listener and a contributing classroom participant, and the value of time management. Practice note-taking and text-marking and explore memory strategies and study skills helpful in preparing for objective and essay exams in multiple disciplines.”

Final Essay Test

Both Holden and Gene experience life through the lens of boarding school, and both find these lessons difficult. Failure and expulsion, sexual assault, bullying, war, even attempted murder haunt both novels. Why does Salinger and Knowles set their books at schools, and what lesson do our protagonists learn about life through their experience?

Write a 2-3 page comparison essay that explores the authors’ lesson for the reader. Direct quotes are required. 1” margins, 12 pt. font, double spaced. Include a title that captures your answer to the essential question (about what the reader learns).

Due Thursday, August 1.

separate peace paragraph #1

Why does Gene “bounce” the limb of the tree, causing Finny to fall?

"a Spell of Kona Weather"

Why does the narrator ask Grandma loudly if she is done counting the money? What is the Grandmother doing with the money?

"It's a Bird" Written Repsonse

What place or role does Superman have in modern America? Use an example or two from the text in support your response.

Audio to "A Separate Peace"

You can access this novel’s audio files here. Each chapter runs from 22-50 minutes, but nearly all the chapters are approx. 25-30 minutes in length. Find the audio files here.

Chekhov's "Rothschild's Fiddle"

What does Checkhov want his reader to more deeply understand about live, through his story? Post your response as a comment to this blog entry, using the comment feature below.

Lesson of "The Floating World"

What does Kadohata want her reader to learn from the story, “The Floating World.” Post your response to this post in a comment. If you are logged into your NT google account, squarespace should not prompt you to log into an account to post on this page.

Paragraphs on "The Body Politic"

Post your paragraphs here as a comment to this thread. Remember to be logged into your NT google drive before attempting the post.

Audio for Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

You can find a mp4 version of Salinger’s chapters here.

Book Prices for Frosh/Soph English

Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student: $17.99

Coming of Age in America (Anthology): $19.57

Catcher in the Rye by Salinger: $16.35

A Separate Peace by Knowles: $16.35

Macbeth—no need to purchase

"The Man in the Well" Paragraphs

Write one paragraph that explains what Ira Shur wants his readers of “The Man in the Well” to realize via his tale. Include a quote from the story in support of your answer. Use everything you know about paragraph writing in your reply.