News
APELCers and freshmen, I wanted to post some final notes and thoughts for the fall semester, but because of problems I experienced posting to the site, obviously I was unable to do so. I asked APELCers to watch Digital Nation over the break, which you can watch at FRONTLINE, but since I’m only able to post so late, you needn’t view it for Monday. Watch over the next week if you would; it’s broken into smaller chapters, so you can take it in pieces.
Look forward to working with a new page at Schoology. Here’re the individual class links so you can bookmark your page:
I’ll try to score some time in the liberry next week so we can enroll in and get acquainted with the site, which will probably come to you more intuitively than it will me since I’m not a Facebooker and most of you are. This could be a boon to class or a huge mistake and management issue. We’ll see.
I’ll keep a blog at Posterous, a new Mr. Girard Online, that’ll mirror the blog at Schoology (maybe—it depends on how ambitious I’m feeling).
I hope you had a fine holiday, and I’ll look forward to seeing you on Monday when we’ll commence the spring semester. And you’ll get to meet Ms. Harris, our student-teacher.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we completed our reading of The Odyssey today. It was a long time with our beaks stuck in the textbook; just be grateful we didn’t attempt the entire epic.
We saw the hero (?) Odysseus take back what the gods and monsters, the sea, the suitors, and time tried to take from him. We then talked over some the main ideas and details that informed our inferences about the same. You had time then to begin your last bit of homework for the semester; see your class page for details.
I’ll look forward to meeting you on Monday.
Have a fine weekend.
APELC Class Notes
APELCers, we spent the first half of class Thursday and Friday revisiting clauses, phrases, and syntactic (and lexical) categories, and playing with others’ and our own words in a mimicking exercise. We completed the second half of our time together in the liberry where you continued to draft you narrative arguments, which, as you well know, are due on Monday.
I’ve encouraged you last week to pay attention to issues surrounding WikiLeaks, too significant a news item since the most recent dump of documents to not be paying attention to. Here’s more:
- “Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Tax Dollars Fund Child Sex Slavery in Afghanistan”
- “The 24-hour Athenian democracy”
- “Silencing WikiLeaks A Free Speech Challenge For U.S.”
- “Web Attackers Find a Cause in WikiLeaks”
Have a fine weekend. It’ll all be over soon.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we have nearly completed our reading of portions of The Odyssey. Today and yesterday, second and seventh period spent time with Odysseus and Telemachus as they infiltrated the suitors’ ranks, and Laertes’ son demonstrated his ownership of his bow. We’ll see how Odysseus dispatches the bums and wins his kingdom and home back next class.
We took some time, too, to talk over grades and approaches to work. This was an important discussion as I laid out several considerations for next semester as they pertain to your success in English 9. Some of you wrote down my prescriptions, but I’ll post them again at the end of next week.
See you next time, kids.
APELC Class Notes
APELCers, Tuesday and Wednesday we processed the Vowell text and discussed elements you might mimic to use in your own writing before we headed to the liberry for the penultimate day of in-class drafting of your narrative arguments.
I mentioned two stories in class, both from Weekend Edition Sunday on NPR, that I’ve linked here as you begin to consider your research topics for next semester. Remember, you’ll be narrowing in on some distinctly American cultural text:
I’ll define the assignment more over the break, and I’ll share it with you when we get back. After finals, I’d recommend you read the description of the Morning Edition series “Present at the Creation” at NPR, then read and listen to some of the stories about the American icons, indices, and symbols in the archive.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we began with conventions errors corrections today and moved to the final portions of our epic poem as Odysseus returns home to Ithaca to reclaim his throne and queen. We’ll complete the story this week and we’ll discuss and prepare for the final as we close the fall out.
I’ll look forward to seeing you next class.
APELC Class Notes
APELCers, you spent today responding to your peers’ late narrative argument drafts, but before I shared with you a visual text I came across over the weekend. Crafted originally as a cameo, the powerful image below was designed by British abolitionist Josiah Wedgwood, and I argued the similarities between it and the Douglass text.
Here’s the list again of English teachers or other options you might consider as we close the fall and move to the next semester:
- Junior English Ms. Caples, Mr. Kaufmann, Ms. Minor, Mr. Morin, Ms. Reynolds
- Senior English Ms. Bonar, Mr. Erickson
- College Writing Mr. Smythe
- PCC, Gold Program, online options
Remember, I don’t want students to leave, but I do urge those who are dubious about their commitment to APELC to think carefully about next spring because it’s gonna get harder.
See you Tuesday and Wednesday.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, today and yesterday we talked over your reading of “The Sirens” and “Scylla and Charybdis” and reviewed your study guide and graphic organizer over the same. You had time to begin your After Reading questions related to the reading, and I was able to monitor and guide your work. Those that didn’t finish in class may complete the work at home for turn in on Monday.
Have a fine weekend, and drive carefully to and have fun in Tempe, those you who’re attending the state championship game tomorrow.
Go Dorados!
APELC Class Notes
APELCers, we did little the first half of fourth period Thursday, as only five students had completed the reading. Third and fifth periods had fantastic discussions of the Manning piece, and we touched upon a variety of issues including the roles of touch and playful violence among loved ones. I appreciated students’ willingness to share, and I mentioned a brief article about father-son touch which I said I’d link to here: “I Blow-dry My Son’s Hair”.
I’ll review and post the list of English class options for juniors and seniors who don’t want to remain in APELC next semester, for whatever reason.
Attend the homework details on the class page.
See you Monday.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we completed reading about Odysseus’s encounter with the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis. We discussed certain instances of repetition we read in the poem and observed their roles as place markers for those bards reciting The Odyssey to audiences since the text didn’t exist in bound texts. You had time to complete the study guide questions related to the excerpts, which we’ll discuss next class when we’ll also go over the graphic organizer attached to the reading.
I’ll see you on Thursday and Friday, kids.
APELC Class Notes
APELCers, yesterday and today we talked over the Douglass text, more in fourth period on Tuesday than in third and fifth on Wednesday because of our wacky schedule. We met in the liberry for the last two thirds of class on Tuesday and for the entire period on Wednesday where students drafted their narrative arguments and I conferred with others over their free-response revisions. You do have a reading for homework; please attend the details on your class page.
I decided after fifth period on Monday to post the “damn” words I proscribed from student papers here on out. This should help those that find them too numerous to remember. The words are
- Aspect
- Factor
- Efficient
- Kids (this was the word I couldn’t read)
- Hooks
- Uses
- Vivid
- Paints
- Choppy
This list will continue to grow, and, of course, there’re other phrases I’ve mentioned in class that remain forever banned from your papers, and I’ll remind you as needed.
If you’re not following the news about WikiLeaks, you really should do what you can to educate yourself about this most important development in foreign relations. You can start with these:
- “State’s Secrets” at the New York Times (see also “The War Logs” about the organization’s first major document dump to attract worldwide attention)
- “WikiLeaks: A Reminder Of The Pentagon Papers” from Morning Edition
- “The Inner Workings Of WikiLeaks” from All Things Considered
Also, as Hanukkah begins tonight, here’re two more fun pieces from NPR:
- “Tracing Hanukkah’s U.S. Roots … To Cincinnati?” from Morning Edition
- “No Gelt, No Glory: A Dreidel Champion Is Crowned” from All Things Considered
We’ll see each other next class, boys and girls.