Thursday, August 29

I have been really slammed, trying to get our new online gradebook system mastered and getting to know students and starting the year off.

I know I need to do better at updating this site daily and I will do my best.

Sophomores: We are finishing up "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. The students will have a test Friday and we will finish watching clips of the movie version of the story.

Seniors: We are wrapping up the Anglo-Saxon period, which included Beowulf and some other short stories. We will have a test on Friday and get ready to begin the Medieval Period, which will include the Canterbury Tales. If students aren't already reading their novels for their Capstone Project, they really need to get busy on that. We are already almost halfway through the first nine weeks. The first part of the Capstone project is due Sept. 22 and the last part of Part I, which is a three-page paper, is due Oct. 3.

Journalism: We are learning about journalism ethics and libel law. We are working on setting up an online newspaper and will be working toward that goal in coming weeks. Students will have a test next week over basic terms and concepts we have covered in class. They will also take the Student Learning Objective Test for journalism next week.

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Thursday August 22

Sophomores: Today we read the short story "The Monkey's Paw" on page 14 in our text. Students are responsible for the following vocabulary words: Amiably Presumptuous Maligned Prosaic Attribute Avaricious Inaudible Torrent Broach Liability

Seniors: We worked on essays today. Students chose between these two prompts: 1. While Beowulf predates Christianity in England, the version we have today has Christian elements. Discuss the Christian elements of the epic and explain their significance. How would the Christian elements relate to the depiction of Grendel as a monster rather than just a human being? Use textual evidence to support your assertions. 2. How does the writer of Beowulf use the themes of good versus evil and light versus darkness? Use textual evidence to support your assertions.

Mr. Neill

Tuesday, August 20

Sophomores: Today we are taking a quiz on the short story "On the Rainy River". Tomorrow we will start a new story in the Mirrors and Windows text called "The Monkey's Paw.

Seniors: This is what we are working on today in Beowulf: 12th Grade Advanced Lit. - Independently read Cantos 32-38 - Do questions 1b-5b on page 54 - From the beginning to where you stopped reading, identify: 3 examples of kennings 3 examples of alliteration 3 examples of Christian references

Journalism: Today we have a quiz on the history of news and what comprises news. Finishing up the movie "All the President's Men" about the reporting of the Watergate scandal.

Mr. Neill

Friday August 16

Sophomores:We are wrapping the reading of a short story called "On the Rainy River" in our textbooks. We will finish the story Monday and have a quiz on the story and 10 vocabulary words associated with it on Tuesday. Students were assigned the vocabulary words for homework and should study them prior to the test

Seniors:We are working on the epic Beowulf and most of the students have already selected the novels they want to read for the important Capstone Project. This Tuesday we will have a quiz over the first part of the epic.

Journalism:Journalism students will have a quiz Tuesday on news definitions and the history of news from notes they took in class. We have also been watching the movie "All the President's Men" about the two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story.

Mr. Neill

Wednesday Aug. 14

Sophomores: Currently, we are reading a short story called "On the Rainy River" which deals with the Vietnam War. Students are taking notes and studying things like author's point of view and themes in literature. It is important that they bring me their spiral notebook for their in-class journal by Friday, if they haven't done so already.

Seniors: We're going over background for Beowulf and getting ready to start the epic. We will start in-class reading of the story on Thursday.

Journalism: We are going over the history of journalism and what comprises news. Students will likely have a quiz over the topics being covered on Friday.

Mr. Neill

First Day Done

It was a smooth first day of class and students should be bringing home a course syllabus to parents to be signed and returned to me.

Seniors: In addition to a syllabus, I sent home a listing of tasks that are required to complete their Capstone Project, a major project we'll be working on throughout the year. Both forms need to be signed and returned

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I plan to distribute books to 10th- and 12th-grade literature students by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Students will bring those books home and are responsible for them. We will be using class sets so they won't have to carry their books to school each day

. Mr. Neill

Welcome back

Summer never lasts as long as we'd like it to, and here we are at the start of a new school year.

And it should prove to be a good year, as we strive to constantly improve our instruction to produce students who are better prepared for this increasingly complex world.

I am trying to meet that demand by creating an outlet to communicate more effectively with students.

This blog will serve to inform parents and students about daily assignments they may have missed due to unplanned absences. It will also keep parents informed about the various topics we are studying in class.

Please check in here frequently, and I will do my best to update the blog daily.

Let's make this a great year!

Mr. Neill