Ms. Tyre's English 12 Homework due Tuesday, April 30:

1. Finish reading "Mary Shelley and Romanticism" Handout.  Take decent notes.
2. Read "Author's Introduction" in the novel  (pp. vii-xiv)  to  learn the story of how she came to write it.
3. In class tomorrow, do the questions on the dull brown riso handout "Author's Introduction" : Do all the questions in the "Responding to the Selection" section and the "Analyzing Literature" section.  You may work with one other person.  Try to finish these by the end of the class.  Please write in full sentences and be thorough.

4. If you finish before the bell, start your Homework for tomorrow. 

Ms. Tyre's English 12 Homework due Wednesday, May 1st:

1. Start reading Walton's Letters.  This is the beginning of the novel. Do the questions on Walton's Letters on the Buff coloured sheet: all 4 letters.

Ms. Tyre's English 9 Homework for Monday, April 29, Tuesday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 1.
1. You are to do a thorough revision of your House of the Scorpion character essay.  This requires a great deal of rewriting, including adjectives, examples and explanations.  Be sure you are using the strongest examples.  Many of you are not describing the very difficult circumstances that Matt has endured. It is through his suffering and through his friendships that he matures the way he does.  The young man that he becomes at the end of the story is because he has overcome so much and realizes what he must be.

2. Make sure you have a thesis statement that shows growth from beginning to the end.  You must have three adjectives that describe Matt's inner character in the thesis,  not plot elements.  But you will need to explain how he builds his character through plot elements (what happens to him).

3. Triple check every sentence before you print your work out.  Use your Personal Edit Checklist to check your writing before you print.  Bring it with you, completed, on Thursday.

English 12 Homework Due Monday, April 29th: Note-taking

1. "The Olympian Gods":  Read this Handout of the Myth of Prometheus. He was one of the Olympians, a Greek god of the Classical era, 2500 years ago in the Greek Golden Age.  He is particularly important as he was a great benefactor to mankind. Read the Handout carefully, take good notes and be prepared to share your understanding of the myth and what Prometheus symbolizes.

2. Prometheus in Art: go onto the Internet and look at depictions by several artists over the ages. Be prepared to describe these works and interpret them. Take excellent notes.

3. The Gothic Novel: go to http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm
    Take thorough notes on the elements of the Gothic novel, as they well be helpful as you read Frankenstein .

Ms. Tyre's English 9 Homework due Monday, April 29.

1. Revise your Introductory paragraph., Body Paragraph #1, Body Paragraph #2, and write Body Paragraph #3. These revisions are improvements in organization, written expression, content, discussion etc.

2. Make sure you are looking carefully at every sentence you write, to ensure that they are proper sentences.  This takes concentration. I suggest you read them out loud to yourself to HEAR how they are constructed. You will often find they need work.  You also need to read the body paragraphs for Organization. Is your discussion in logical order?  You also need to ensure that a stranger could understand your ideas.  Give your work to a family member to read. This might help you see some gaps in your explanations.

3. Please follow the formatting criteria on yesterday's post as to how to word-process your work ie. double-spacing, indenting, underlining Thesis, Topic Sentences, Concluding Sentences.

This is due on Monday.

English 12 Homework for Friday, April 26

You will be writing Personal Narrative #1 tomorrow. I suggest you come in at lunchtime if you need to have the extra time.  You may come with an outline that has your ideas on a Freytag pyramid. They should be short points, only.  Please bring your Personal Edit Checklist with you for editing.

English 9 Homework for Friday, April 26 

1. You are to rewrite your 1. Introduction and Body Paragraph #1 of the Character essay we are working on.  

• You must word-process your work and double space it.  

• Please indent your paragraphs using the TAB key.   

• Make sure you are following the criteria on my Essay Handout for the proper organization of ideas.  Keep it beside you when you write.  

• Make sure that your Thesis is the last sentence of your Introduction and that it has three character adjectives that show Matt's growth over time. It is an interesting sentence, not just a list.

• Be sure that your Topic Sentences of your Body Paragraphs have one of the adjectives in the order that you wrote them in your Introduction. And make sure you have two developed examples to support that adjective. If you choose to, you may start working on Body Paragraph. 

  Please edit your work before you print it out.

• If you were away on a field trip, you should have you buddy edit both the Introduction and Body Paragraph #1 for you, by emailing it to them.

English 9 Homework for Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

1. Rewrite your Introduction for the Character Essay.  Follow the format on the Handout "Creating an Essay Outline" and the insights you gained in today's class.  Make sure that the Thesis Statement is not just a string of three adjectives, but a sentence that shows and explains Matt's growth.

2. Start Body Paragraph #1.  Follow the format on the Handout: You introduce the first of Matt's character traits in the Topic Sentence, then discuss this trait through two developed examples. Remember to write to a reader who does not know the story.  Be thorough.  The last sentence of the BP is the Concluding Sentence. Follow my advice on the Handout.  Please word-process your work; be critical and revise your work as often as you must.  Make sure sentence structures are correct and your ideas flow.

English 9 Homework for Wednesday, April 24, 2013

1. You are to write a draft of the Introduction to the "Character Essay of Matt" The introduction should follow the format of the Handout that I gave you in class. Therefore, it must include the following:
1st Sentence: The Hook: This sentence should be a general but interesting statement about the topic.
2nd, 3rd and possibly 4th Sentence: Introduce the novel title, author, and a very brief summary of the story.
4th Sentence: The Thesis Statement that has your three adjectives, written in an interesting way. Do not just state the three character traits, but explain their connection.

No 1st Person.

English 9 Homework for Tuesday, April 23

1. Keep your Literature Circle notes up to date and rich with details, so that you have a study guide.
2. Prepare 3 adjectives to describe Matt's character as he learns and grows through the story.
    Find concrete examples from the story to show each of these character traits.
3. Be sure to have 2 theme statements (full sentences) that you can discuss. Remember, themes are
    big, important truths about life that are revealed through the novel. Look at what Matt lives through
    learns and becomes. Nancy Farmer shows us through Matt what is true and real about life.What
    two important themes does she develop through this story about an innocent little boy, named Matt
    who suffers, endures and becomes........

English 9 Homework for Monday, April 22.

1. Choose one of the important characters in House of the Scorpion and choose three adjectives that describe their character.  Your adjectives should show their essential qualities as a person and how they have changed/grown/learned through their experiences.

2. Read the pink Theme handout and come up with two theme statements (each full sentences) that the novel develops.  Remember, a theme is a truth about life and human nature that the story reveals.  Look at the protagonist and what how they change/grow/learn.

English 12 Homework for Monday and Tuesday: April 22-23

1. For Monday: Choose a prompt from the Provincial Exam Composition list and start gathering ideas for a personal narrative essay.  Bring it with you on Monday, as well as your package of exemplars and we will look closely at them.

2. For Tuesday: Read the "The Romantic Age" in the text Adventures in Literature from pp. 422-472. Take careful notes as indicated on the handout and be prepared to share your understanding.  It would be wise to start this on the weekend.