Week of December 19th

Christmas. It has finally arrived.

This week is our last school week of 2016 and I hope we can all agree that we want to make it a good one! I know it can be difficult to focus with such big holidays right around the corner, but I expect students to be ready and prepared to complete classwork when they come to class.  If you can do that, you fully deserve your break. Think of it this way- You're mind, body and conscience will rest better over break knowing you worked as hard as you could in class.

This week, classes will be working to tie up all loose ends before the holiday. We will only be back in school for 1 week before mid-terms in January so we don't want to leave any projects or assignments unfinished. Honors English classes will be finishing our work with Unit 2 from the literature textbooks. English 9 will be reading a short story from the literature textbooks. You will get a quiz on this reading at the end of the week. And Mythology classes will continue work with The Odyssey.

Have an excellent holiday break with family and friends and I will see you on January 3rd, refreshed and ready for a new year!


Honors English 9
This week we are going to finish up Unit 2 in the white literature textbooks. We will read our last selection from the Unit, an excerpt from the novel The Life of Pi. Monday will be our first read of the text, Tuesday and Wednesday will focus on a close reading of the text, Thursday we will target some important information and Friday we will quiz. As our Friday class will be shortened, your quiz will be shortened as well.

Homework
Monday: Be sure comprehension check questions are complete
Tuesday: Finish first half of close reading worksheet
Wednesday: Be sure to have your close reading worksheet done
Thursday: Study for your quiz on the excerpt from The Life of Pi
Friday: Enjoy your holiday! Read something new!


English 9
Period 2
We will spend most of this week reviewing material we have already learned in class. Monday we will complete a worksheet that will help us review pronouns and antecedents. On Tuesday we will complete a Jeopardy review game, which will encompass everything we have learned in class so far. Everything from grammar to vocabulary to literature is free game. We will finish the Jeopardy game up, if necessary, on Wednesday and then begin watching The Outsiders film. You will complete a chart comparing the novel to the film as you watch. If time permits, we will have a discussion on the differences and similarities between the book and the film on Friday.

Homework
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday: Complete Outsiders film and novel comparison chart
Friday: Enjoy your holiday! Read something new!


Period 5
This week we are going to read a selection from Unit 2 of the textbook. We will begin the short story "The Seventh Man." This story is a frame story and we will spend some time discussing what that means and what kind of impact it has on the way the story is told by the author and the way the reader understands it. Please be sure to bring your white literature books with you to class every day this week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent completing a first read through the story. Thursday and Friday will be spent completing a close read. Please be sure to bring your white literature books with you to class every day this week.

Homework
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Enjoy your holiday! Read something new!


Mythology
We will move into reading "The Adventure of Odysseus" this week. We unfortunately won't have time for the whole epic poem, The Odyssey, but instead will read an abridged re-telling from our textbooks. We will spend Monday and Tuesday finishing up our presentation of the events and war that lead up to Odysseus' adventure and then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we will read the re-telling as a class. You will be completing a worksheet as we read. There will be a writing assignment attached to this reading that you will work on when we return from break. Please pay close attention to this reading selection.

Homework
Monday:
Tuesday: Complete Troy worksheet
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Be sure "Adventures of Odysseus" worksheet is complete