AP Language Class Notes
Period 5 juniors, we kinda watched the video today and munched on donuts provided by moi, although most of you were passing around yearbooks and pens. I shared a few thoughts on the year and next year’s Pride Time and handed our your final grades. As I explained in class I’ll post more on the two former some time next week.
English 9 Class Notes
Period 3 and 4 freshmen, you completed your final today. As I mentioned previously, I’ll have your work and your grades for you tomorrow and I’ll be posting some final thoughts next week after some down time.
Class of ‘08 APELCers
The Girard family was in the stands this evening to see the APLEC seniors graduate. Congratulations to Mike, Wes, Elizabeth, Aislinn, Shawn, Sarah, Quinn, Michelle, and Tessa. Thank you for your class contributions and leadership this year; each of you offered something valuable to your peers, and we’re all richer for your participation.
Best thoughts and prayers to you all as you go off into the great, wide world. Drop by class anytime your in town and you feel inclined.
AP Language Class Notes
Second period juniors, we finally completed your worldview presentations today, and just in time. Julia told us all about Islam; Casey, Christianity; Katie, Agnosticism; and Kala, Atheism. I also passed out your final grades.
We made no attempt to watch the video as planned because we only had a little time to finish the day. But in that time, even though Marie was on fire with her art and Michael was on something with his quips, we discussed a bit about Pride Time and what you can do to show your opposition or your support. Some time next week I’ll post some more thoughts and information for you to digest, and I’ll post some final thoughts for the year.
English 9 Class Notes
Period 1 freshmen, you completed your final today. I’ll have final semester grades for you at the end of Thursday. Come by then to pick up your remaining work and find out how you did over these last several months. I’ll post some final thoughts for the year next week if you care to check back then.
If I don’t see you after Thursday, or you’ve had enough of Mr. Girard Online, have a restful but productive summer.
AP Language Class Notes
Seniors and juniors, second period saw Marie tell us about Zoroastrianism; Sam, Baha’i; Andre, Mormonism; and Elise, Hinduism; fifth period processed the anti-Pride Time rhetoric plastered all over campus today and began watching The Persuaders .
Fifth period meted out the speaker, context, audience, argument, presentation (logos), common grounds and values (ethos), emotional anticipations and manipulations (pathos), call-to-action, and effectiveness of the shellacked handbills, though I reminded everyone that while the non-violent pamphleteering-style resistance was admirable, the flyposting aspect was troubling―the custodians, not the posters, will be responsible for scraping the handbills off the concrete.
But note that while you, students, are taught in school to admire and emulate the spirit of the status-quo-resistant activist-reformer (Paine, Wilberforce, Wollstonecraft, Douglass, Anthony, Gandhi, King), the guerilla act was little admired by the-powers-that-be, one going so far as to call the posters “poison”.
I snapped a couple of photos of part of the scene. I’ll post those and a recreation of the mocking pamphlet itself (along with its original positive counterpart) later, and I’ll further address the frustration at the lack of voice Chloe mentioned and possible solutions for interested students to explore.
Bring food to our last class. (I like the bacon, egg, and cheese burrito from Nico’s.)
MOZART’S BALLS: Yes, the confection bearing the name is real. Popularly known as Mozart’s Balls by travelers and tourists, the Mozartkugeln (Mozart balls) (pistachio, marzipan, nougat, and chocolate) were introduced by an Austrian confectioner in the closing years of the 19th century. They don’t taste very good.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmen, you turned in you completed essays today. Well, lots of you did. I yapped a little about your future success and we watched a portion of To Kill a Mockingbird, the trial scene with Atticus’s closing arguments.
Prepare well for your final boys and girls. This is it.
AP Language Class Notes
Period 2, with plenty of presentations still to go, we had a visit from senior Sarah who told us all about Catholicism so she could get her four years as a Dorado over with. Then Addie laid Anabaptism on us; Michael, Wicca; Paul, Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Maggie, Scientology.
Those of you still to present, be ready to zip through your presentations Monday. And please attend your reflection letters.
Have a good weekend.
English 9 Class Notes
Period 4, you worked well today, well enough that we were able to begin viewing the film. Be sure you do your best on the work due Monday. You still have an opportunity to display your mettle.
AP Language Class Notes
Objective: APELCers presented worldview papers.
The day after the exam and many of you reported confidence in your performance. It’s good to hear; I hope your scores bear you out. Anyway, during class Tessa told us about henotheism; Miriam and Allie, Wicca; Kourtney and Mark, Taosim; Hannah, Confucianism; Taylor and Michelle, Existentialism; and Danny and Brennan, Jainism.
Remember your reflections letters are due Monday, as is the extra-credit assignment should you choose to complete it.
Later on, dudes.
English 9 Class Notes
Objectives: Students 1) assembled and revised their introductory and expository paragraph over a semi-biographical text, and 2) analyzed literary concepts in a film text.
First and third freshmen, you reviewed your working drafts with neighbors today and began working on your outros. There was time to continue to the film, and you were able to compare what you read and heard with the narration of the text in class to the director and producer’s vision of the novel, which, as you could plainly tell, lacked much of the richness of Lee’s original story.
Please check your class page for homework and final details.
English 9 Class Notes
Period 4 freshmen, you did the same as your peers in first and third period. Check their notes for objectives and details, and keep writing.
AP Exam Day
I’m working in T-12 right now wondering how you all are doing. At 9:30 you should’ve finished the multiple-choice section of the exam and have begun to plough through the writing section. I trust you’re all doing well.
You left plenty of the store-bought baked goods and Capri Sun I purchased for you consumption in class and I’m being tempted. But if I’m to scale Everest in twenty years, I must fight the processed flour goodness.
AP Language Class Notes
Objective: APELCers presented worldview papers.
Jake laid atheism down on us today; Emily, Islam; Danielle and Adam, Mormonism; Chloe, Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Mike, Sikhism.
All APELCers, relax tonight. Don’t study. Relax. I have every faith in your ability to do as well tomorrow as you have prepared. I’m very proud of each of you and your progress this year. See you tomorrow 7:30 am in T-12.
English 9 Class Notes
Objectives: Students 1) assembled and revised their introductory and expository paragraph over a semi-biographical text, and 2) analyzed literary concepts in a film text.
First and third freshmen, you worked with partners today to revise your introductory and body paragraphs, making sure your evidence was detailed, your inferences more than restatements of your evidence, connections between evidence and inference clear, and the overall fluidity of your papers smooth.
Please bring this draft next class.
AP Language Class Notes
Objective: APELCers presented worldview papers.
In second period, Lauara told us all about the New Age today; Ryan, Mormonism; Eliza, Pragmatism; and Mae, Islam. In fifth period, Clay and Sarah told us all about Hinduism, and Tony, Buddhism. (I was going use cute verbs and to put links to neat sites as I did for your peers in last week’s notes, but I’m tired and behind.)
Please be here at 7:30 Wednesday for our photo, bring your movie permission slip, and complete your reflections for next Monday.
English 9 Class Notes
Objectives Students wrote introdutions to their essays.
Freshmen, you began working on introductory paragraphs today, different from others you’ve written in the past in that I instructed you to avoid using personal pronouns, asking ridiculous questions (like those of the “Have you ever wondered?” variety), and stating a reading history and taste (like those of the “In my class we read a book called X, and I liked it alot” variety).
I asked you to focus on:
- Writing a general statement about what you’re writing;
- Commenting on that statement by comparing/contrasting, analyzing, evaluating, et cetera; and
- Providing a thesis statement that explains what you’ll argue about what you’re writing in your paper.
This was foreign to you, but we worked the class period on it, and I asked that you continue to work on this introduction for homework.
APELC Class Picture
APELCers, as I spoke about in class, I’d like to get a photo of second and fifth period together in T-12. The best time would be before the exam next Wednesday morning. I’d really like all of you to be present, so the three seniors who’re finalling instead of AP-Examining, it’d be a really groovy thing if you could show just for five or ten minutes in the morning for the picture. I’d really dig that.
AP Language Class Notes
Seniors and juniors, most of you were taking the AP History exam today, but we continued with worldview presentations in your absence. Carli wooed us with her talk on Romanticism, Shawn brought us together for an understanding of Unitarian Universalism, Wes helped us meditate on Buddhism, Elizabeth cheered us up with her discussion of Nihilism, and we submitted to Blaise and his impressions of Islam.
I posted some detailed reminders in your peers’ notes yesterday. Please see to them.
See you Monday.
English 9 Class Notes
Fourth freshmen, you were writing machines today. You did the same as your first and third peers yesterday, so check their notes for objectives and details.