A Message for Parents and Students

Open House: A Celebration of Learning is scheduled for Thursday, February 13th from 6:15 to 7:45. It will be a busy night, so I will not be able to stay in my classroom the entire evening. Here is my schedule:


5:15 - 6:15: Appointments
6:15 - 6:40: Spaghetti Dinner (Cafeteria)
6:40 - 6:55: Yearbook table (outside the Student Bank/Moor Market)
7:00 - 7:20: Open Classroom (C224)
7:25 - 7:45: AP/Honors Night (Career Center)


If I don't get a chance to speak to you personally that night, here is a description of what to expect from this class for the rest of the year and some advice about how to succeed in English!

World Literature 7/8 (12th grade English):

Ms. Naylor's Period 2.

Semester Two FAQ:

Q: What are you studying now?

A: We are currently reading Shakespeare's Hamlet and In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez at home. For a copy of the reading schedule, handouts, links, and more information about our current reads, please see my PREVIOUS POST.

Q: What works will you be studying for the rest of the semester?

A: After Spring Break we will read Things Fall Apart, The Metamorphosis, Blood Wedding, and The Joy Luck Club. We will also focus on preparation for real world and college writing!

Q: Is there any extra credit available?

I don't really offer extra credit. From time to time you may get a few extra points on a quiz or from attending a free school-sponsored event. Please do not plan on relying on extra work at the end of the semester to pass. Do your work now and keep track of your grades so you do not fall behind.

Q: Do you accept late work?

I do not accept late work unless it is because of an excused absence. When in doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask me.

Q: What can I do to improve my grade in English?

A: Keep the following things in mind if you want to do well in English:

• Come to class on time. If you are often tardy or absent, you will miss important instruction time.
• Be prepared every day (bring your book, packets, pen, etc.).
• If you are absent, bring a note and speak to me about what you missed.
• Ask questions whenever there is something you do not understand. You can ask during, before, or after class.
• Check your grades regularly at family.ausd.us
• Tutoring and help with essays is available (usually at lunch) by request. See me.
• Take notes/annotation when you read. You need to "read with your mind" not just with your eyes.
• Study! Sparknotes.com is a good website to use when reviewing for a test or essay on a novel or play. Our class website (this one) has links to grammar and vocabulary websites, etc.

Q: What do I do if I have a question about grades?

A: You should check your grades regularly at family.ausd.us - as soon as something is graded it shows up there. If you click on your grade for English, a detailed list of assignments and scores will pop up. Any score that looks like this: --/10 is for an assignment that has not been entered yet. A score of zero (for example: 0/10) means you did not turn in the assignment (it could also mean you turned it in late and the new grade has not been entered yet). I do not give zeros if you turn in the work - zeros are only for work that is missing.

If you cannot check your grades online, you are welcome to see me before or after class and I can look up your grades for all of your classes. Please ask nicely!

This is your senior year! You should not get below a C in English. Check your grades regularly and if you notice your grade starting to dip, bring it back up. See me if you need help or tutoring, or if you have any questions. I will not give an extra credit assignments at the end of the year. I also will not "bump" a grade up (for example, change an 89 to a 90) so do not ask.

Q: What if I have another question that has not been answered here?

A: For other questions about our class, please refer to the COURSE SYLLABUS or contact me (email is the fastest way to reach me) my email address is listed on the syllabus.

Thank you!

Ms. Naylor

Hamlet/In the Time of the Butterflies

The time has come to study Shakespeare's Hamlet! Aren't you excited? We are also going to read In the Time of the Butterlflies by Julia Alvarez. Here is some information you may fin helpful.

Here is the READING SCHEDULE for the next few weeks. It is subject to changes, but we should be able to stick to it pretty well.

Here is the LIST OF CHARACTERS FROM HAMLET that I went over on Wednesday. It is basically the same as the Sparknotes list, though.

The SPARKNOTES PAGE FOR HAMLET is full of useful information. Unfortunately, they do not have a page for In the Time of the Butterflies. This page also includes the EIGHT MINUTE VIDEO GUIDE, but beware of spoilers.

Here is the NO FEAR SHAKESPEARE page for Hamlet, it is a good way to do your at-home reading. I believe this page uses the same version of the play as our book.

There's more to come!

Like Water for Chocolate

Welcome back - it's time for the second and last semester of your senior year! That means it's time to read several novels/plays. I highly suggest you set aside a regular amount of time each night for reading; you do not want to fall behind.

Our first novel is Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate. I think you are really going to enjoy this book - it's also going to make you very hungry!

Here is some information, links, etc. that I think you may find helpful. Happy reading!

Here is the Sparknote for Like Water for Chocolate.

Below you will find our reading schedule. Note that when we are done reading, we will have a test and an essay. Both of these assessments require extensive and deep analysis of the text. Not only is it essential for you to actually read the novel, you need to also THINK about it (the symbolism, subtext, motifs, etc.). Consider, for example, this question:

Q: How does Nacha's death affect Tita?

While an answer like "It makes Tita sad" is technically correct, it is not an acceptable answer. Think about it - almost everyone is sad when someone dies; that answer not only does not require you to think deeply about the novel, you don't even have to read it or know who these people are to give that answer. A better answer would involve how Nacha was really Tita's MOTHER and a part of Tita died with her. Not only that, but now Tita has to take over Nacha's servant duties, which parallels the fact that her destiny in life seems to be to be her mother (Mama Elena)'s servant. This also further separates her from her two older sisters.

Literature Circle Roles

Next week we will begin our literature circles on British female writers. The following are the handouts for the Literary Circle jobs in case you need an extra copy, etc.

Discussion Director Job Description

Discussion Director Sample Handout

Literature Circle Job Handouts

There is more to come!

Writing Essays in MLA Format

Here is a blog with helpful information about how to use Microsoft Word 2010 to write a paper in MLA format:

MLA Format in Word

Here is a sample paper written in MLA format. The paper is not excellent, and has errors, but the formatting is correct:

Sample MLA Paper

(Google docs wouldn't let me use a header for the pager number, so it is just typed in).

And here are the main rules again.

1. You need 1 inch margins (format - document - change the ones with 1.25 to 1)
2. Double Space (format - paragraph - line spacing: double)
3. Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font (format - font - Times New Roman - 12 pt.)
4. Add a header/page number (insert - page numbers - Uncheck "Show number on first page" - Top of Page (Header) - Then click OK. It will add the numbers. Click on the number and type your last name in with one space between your name and the number).
5. If you have a title, center it (select the title - format - paragraph - alignment: centered). There is probably an easy button for this in the toolbar, though.
5. When starting a new paragraph, don't forget to hit "tab" on the keyboard to indent.

It sometimes helps if you type first before you begin step 2 or 3.







And here is some information about the SAT essay:

Here is the link to the six sample essays we went over in class:

Six Sample SAT Essays

And here is more information about how the essays are scored (with more sample essays, too):

How the SAT Essay is Scored

Grammar: Semicolons

We will have a grammar quiz on semicolons on Monday, September 23rd. Here is the handout:

Semicolons

Here is a website that explains how to use semicolons and includes a video and a quiz.

Semicolon Website

Theseus

Here is the myth of Theseus that we are currently studying:

http://nexuslearning.net/books/HoltWorldLit/Theseus.pdf

and here is the Theseus Archetype Worksheet:

Theseus Archetype Worksheet