9.13.12 Reminders 10th Grade Periods 1, 3, and 6

Today in class you took notes on the Powerpoint presentation that had background information for Cry, the Beloved Country.

If you are in periods 1 or 3 and had trouble getting your notes written down, you need to speak with Ms. Queen to see if she can get you a copy of the Powerpoint.

Tomorrow, Friday the 14th, you will be having a quiz on the vocabulary from "A Private Experience."  The essay on "A Private Experience" is also due tomorrow.

We had trouble getting the video to load in some classes, so if you missed it, you can watch it here.

9.12.12 Ninth Grade Reminders

Today in class you worked with your partners on your mythology pair/share project.  This was the final day that you would have class time to work on this assignment.  Anything that you did not finish today will need to be completed by Friday when you present your projects.

Tomorrow (Thursday, 9/13) we will be going to the gym for a leadership assembly.

Friday you will present your projects. This assignment counts as two separate grades, a test grade for the written part and a quiz grade for the presentation.

9.12.12 10th Grade 5th Period Reminders

Today in class we read chapter four in Of Mice and Men.  You should be caught up on the study questions through the end of chapter four.  Again, it's in your best interest to complete these questions as we read the chapters together in class rather than to wait until the end.

Tomorrow you will be having a short comprehension quiz on chapter four.

Friday you will be having a vocabulary quiz on the words from chapters 1-3 from the novel.  Here are the words

1. mottled
2. tramp
3. pantomime
4. anguished
5. morose
6. yammer
7. pugnacious
8. flounce
9. contort
10. rouged
11. disengage
12. derision
13. receptive
14. squawk
15. solitaire

9.12.12 Reminders 10th Grade Periods 1, 3, and 6

Today in class you worked on your essay for "A Private Experience."  The final draft of the essay is due on Friday, September 14.  You may write the final draft by hand, neatly, or you may type it.


The essay topic is

The riot in the story begins when a Christian Igbo man runs over a copy of the Holy Koran; afterwards, Hausa Muslims drag him out of his car and decapitate him. Incorporate evidence from text to give examples of the religious and cultural conflict at the heart of the story. What do the women have in common? What are the differences between them? How does Chika view the Hausa woman? What stereotypes does Chika hold? In what ways does the Hausa woman live up to those stereotypes? In what ways does she defy Chika’s expectations? Do you think the cultures discussed in this story will ever be at peace? Why or why not?

Your paper should be a minimum of four paragraphs.  You can find the full text of the story here.


You must turn in the plan that you created for the essay with your paper to receive full credit.


Remember, too, that you will be having a vocabulary quiz on the words from "A Private Experience" on Friday.  

Here are the words:

garish
machete
hostel
waft
mortuaries
surreal
henna
diagnosis
zealot
murmur
repose
chi
ghoulish
raucous
omniscient
instinctively
legitimise
Mecca
corpses
rosary
carcasses
sheaths

Ninth Grade Honors Reminders 9.11.12

On Monday, 9/10, you were to write the essay for the following topic during class:

“In much the same way as many of our books and movies depict the Hero’s Journey in some way, so too are most stories told using recognizable archetypes.  With so many of our stories following these patterns, how do we avoid becoming bored with what is, essentially, the same story told over and over again?  Provide specific archetypes from films and books to support your assertions.”

You were supposed to finish the essay during class, and a couple of people turned it in.  If you did not finish it, you were to finish it for homework.  If you have still not finished the essay, you may turn it in tomorrow (9/12) with a ten-point penalty.

Today in class we worked on a mythology pair/share project with a randomly assigned partner.  The pair/share presentations will begin on Friday (9/14) and continue on Monday (9/17) if we need the time.

On Thursday, 9/13, we will be attending a leadership assembly in the gym.  You need to report to class first, and then we will go to the gym together and sit together (so that I can keep track of your attendance).  

Fifth Period Reminders 9.11.12

We are currently reading Of Mice and Men.  Right now we are at the end of chapter 3, and we will continue reading the novel tomorrow.

To access the audio of the story, go here.

You will be having a vocabulary quiz on Friday on the following words:

1. mottled
2. tramp
3. pantomime
4. anguished
5. morose
6. yammer
7. pugnacious
8. flounce
9. contort
10. rouged
11. disengage
12. complacent
13. derision
14. receptive
15. squawk
16. solitaire

Be sure that you are keeping up with the study questions for the novel!  You don't want to wait until the end to answer them because it'll be way more difficult for you.

"A Private Experience" Reader Response (Periods 1, 3, and 6)

Your writing assessment for "A Private Experience" is the following prompt:

Writing Situation:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story “A Private Experience” centers on the emotional connection established between two women during a riot in Kano, Nigeria. In a well-developed essay, analyze the story using the following prompt.

1)      The riot in the story begins when a Christian Igbo man runs over a copy of the Holy Koran; afterwards, Hausa Muslims drag him out of his car and decapitate him. Incorporate evidence from text to give examples of the religious and cultural conflict at the heart of the story. What do the women have in common? What are the differences between them? How does Chika view the Hausa woman? What stereotypes does Chika hold? In what ways does the Hausa woman live up to those stereotypes? In what ways does she defy Chika’s expectations? Do you think the cultures discussed in this story will ever be at peace? Why or why not?

Your essay should be a minimum of four paragraphs and should include examples from the text.  The final draft of this essay is due on Friday, September 14.  You must plan for the essay and include the plan to receive full credit.

You can find the full text of the story here.