HW Due Tuesday, June 1

http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/nobelprizespeech.aspx

Visit the above website to read Elie Wiesel's speech at his Nobel Prize awards ceremony in 1986. What is his message?

HW Due Friday, March 5, 2010

Choose one theme from today's discussion and notes to write about. Explain how your chapter "speaks" to this theme. What does it "say"?

HW Due Thursday 2/11

BLOCK SCHEDULES ARE CANCELLED FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY!!!

This means that the following homework is due on Thursday FOR ALL SECTIONS:

-Direct / Indirect Object Worksheet (all excercises)
-Study Unit 7 Vocabulary Words (TEST THURSDAY on spelling/sentences/definitions/synonyms/antonyms/parts of speech)

HW Due Monday / Tuesday Block

-Complete Unit 7 Vocabulary packet
-Complete all qs in "More on the Eight Parts of speech" packet
-Complete all qs on the "subject and predicate" worksheet

Make sure that you bring your book to class. You will need it to write your in-class essay.


REMINDERS:
A Separate Peace by John Knowles must be read by 2/26. I will check to make sure you have obtained a copy for yourself on Monday/Tuesday.

You must have a Marble Notebook with you (new/not shared with any other classes) by this Monday/Tuesday

Homework Due Friday, January 22

Complete the brainstorm packet for your character analysis. Start by answering all of the questions presented. Then find AT LEAST 3 quotes SAID BY YOUR CHARACTER and analyze them. To analyze, you must make inferences about your character and his or her behaviors BASED ON THE WORDS he or she uses. Ask yourself why the character says what he/she says and what the words reveal about him or her. Then ask yourself how these words play into the overarching themes of the play.

**For example, if your friend said, "O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew," you might say to another friend: I'm worried about my friend. He wishes that his flesh would melt! Plus, he says that his flesh is sullied! For some reason, he thinks that he is contaminated, or ruined. Maybe that's because his girlfriend's father prohibited her from speaking to him. So because her dad doesn't like him, he feels like there's something wrong with him.... hmmm.. this plays into the fact that he has an inferiority complex. I mean, he did say another time that he was not like Hercules. He sees himself as weak and contaminated. Ugh. I'm sure that the fact that his dad, the king, was killed, has something to do with this. And then his mom married his uncle. No wonder he feels sullied. His family name is sullied. His father's honor is sullied. And he is part of his father, so now he thinks he is sullied too. I wonder why he chose to say that his flesh would "melt" rather than just disappear or something. Maybe he sees himself as cold as ice, like he's thinking cold thoughts. This wouldn't surprise me, given what he is going through. He has no warmth left! Poor guy. And resolve itself into a dew? Well, when I think of dew, I think of morning. Maybe he wants to be like the residue left on the trees in the morning on a warm day. Dew is crysal clear, it's easily swept away to nothing, and it evaporates in the sun. So, he wishes he would evaporate. I would be REALLY worried about him, except for the fact that he's such a smart and witty guy. I hope that his sense of humor and wits will carry him through this. Come to think of it, when I think of morning, I think of mourning, and he's definitely mourning........ (kids, I could go on forever here, so I'm just going to stop now... I think you get the idea)....


You should be able to fill out all three pages of the packet by following these directions, this example, and the 15 page paper you read on Hamlet.

Now get to your analysis brainstorm and make it good!!!!!!!!!!!

HW Due Wednesday, 12/23

Write a 1-2 page analysis of Hamlet. Do not attempt to analyze the entire play, because that would be IMPOSSIBLE in 1 or 2 pages. Rather, analyze an aspect of the play. I think the best way to get started would be to select a passage or two from the Trojan War myth and ask yourself what it could suggest about the play. Take it from there. For example, you may choose to write all about Gertrude's role in the play and in the murder of King Hamlet. Maybe you'd like to write about "all the advice giving" in the play and what it shows. Or perhaps you find that Polonius knows more than we give him credit for. Even still, you might be interested in how Hamlet's language changes, based on who he is talking to. The point is to analyze deeply an aspect. DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE ACTION. I ALREADY KNOW THE PLAY!!!! Tell me something I don't have a definite answer to.

This assignment must be typed and submitted in class tomorrow. Handwritten assignments will only be accepted if you spoke to me in class today about it before you left the room.


For those of you who asked for this, here is a copy of the file I used for the stations in class today. The quotes are from the Trojan War myth. The thoughts/questions are my annotations.

“All that was left of Troy was a band of helpless captive women, whose husbands were dead, whose children had been taken from them. They were waiting for their masters to carry them overseas to slavery. Chief among the captives was the old Queen, Hecuba, and her daughter-in-law, Hector’s wife Andromache. For Hecuba, all was ended. Crouched on the ground, she saw the Greek ships getting ready as she watched the city burn. Troy is no longer, she told herself, and I— who am I? A slave men drive like cattle. An old gray woman that has no home” (286).

Is this how it’s all going to end for Gertrude? Are Gertrude and Ophelia these “captive women?” The “who am I without a husband” idea interests me. Do you think this is what motivates Gertrude? Has Gertrude been in on King Hamlet’s murder this whole time? Or do you think the “who am I without a husband” idea motivates her to keep her mouth shut after having figured it out? Or do you think she is completely in the dark?


“In the middle of the night the door in the horse opened. One by one the chieftains let themselves down. They stole to the gates and threw them wide, and into the sleeping town marched the Greek Army. What they had first to do could be carried out silently. Fires were started in buildings throughout the city. By the time the Trojans were awake, before they realized what had happened, while they were struggling into their armor, Troy was burning. They rushed out to the street one by one in confusion. Bands of soldiers were waiting there to strike each man down before he could join himself to others. It was not fighting, it was butchery. Very many died without ever a chance of dealing a blow in return” (286).

This makes me think about Hamlet’s plan to take Claudius by surprise. Is it fair fighting to take someone by surprise? Is it a cowardly act for Hamlet to try to take Claudius by surprise?


“They saw clearly by now that unless they could get their Army into the city and take the Trojans by surprise, they would never conquer. Almost ten years had passed since they had first laid siege to the town, and it seemed as strong as ever. The walls stood uninjured. They had never suffered real attack. The Greeks must find a secret way of entering the city, or accept defeat. The result of this new determination and new vision was the stratagem of the wooden horse. It was, as anyone would guess, the creation of Odysseus’ wily mind. […]Whatever happened they would be safe; they could sail home if anything went wrong” (283).

How is Hamlet’s “play within a play” scheme similar to Odysseus’ plan about the Trojan horse? Is trickery the only way to get want you want in Hamlet? Where do we see “trickery and the idea of “disguise” in Hamlet? Try to think of examples that are less than obvious. How does Hamlet’s plan allow him space to “sail home if anything went wrong”


“At nightfall he went to find them and he had reached their quarters when Athena struck him with madness. He thought the flocks and herds of the Greeks were the Army, and rushed to kill them, believing that he was slaying now this chieftain, now that. Finally he dragged to his tent a huge ram which to distracted mind was Odysseus, bound him to the tent-pole, and beat him savagely (278).”

… Hold your horses! Is it possible that maybe Hamlet really is “mad” (in the crazed sense)? Is it possible that his “feigned disposition” and “antic behavior” actually turned him antic? How does this happen to a person?!




“Then his frenzy left him. He regained his reason and saw that his disgrace in not winning the arms had been but a shadow as compared with the shame his own deeds had drawn down upon him. His rage, his folly, his madness, would be apparent to everyone (279).”

This makes me think of how Hamlet talks about Pyrrhus’s awakened fury. He says that “just as a raging thunderstorm is often interrupted by a moment’s silence,” Pyrrhus’s bloody sword “mercilessly falls on Priam.” Is Hamlet ready to act? Will he be ready to act if the play within the play scheme works?


“Olympus laughed pleasantly to himself when he saw god matched against god” (273).

Remember earlier when Hamlet said, “man in action is like an angel… in apprehension how like a god.” Are Hamlet and Claudius like gods opposed? Do they have hubris and behave as if they are gods? Are they apprehensive with each other? Why don’t they act against one another, if Hamlet seeks revenge, and Claudius seeks safety from revenge?


“He felt shame before them and he told them he saw his own exceeding folly in allowing the loss of a mere girl to make him forget everything else. But that was over; he was ready to lead them as before. Let them prepare at once for the battle” (273).

This got me thinking… It’s too late for Claudius to ask forgiveness from anyone. His brother is dead, so there’s no forgiveness there. Hamlet is enraged and wants revenge, and it’s unlikely that he would forgive Claudius. He’s in too deep with Gertrude; that is, if she didn’t know about the murder already. Shame will need an outlet for Gertrude. The outlet for his shame seems to be lying. Where do we see Claudius lying? To whom does he lie? Doesn’t he also lie to himself? I see him lying to himself when he trusts that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are going to report everything back to him that Hamlet does around them. I see him lying to himself when he just believes Voltemand, who says that Fortinbras’ uncle says that Fortinbras says he retreat from Denmark and stay away. It seems foolish to believe such hearsay—and this makes me think that Claudius doesn’t even believe the lies he tells himself.

“Grief took hold of Achilles, so black that those around him feared for his life. Down in the sea caves his mother knew his sorrow and came up to try to comfort him” (272).

This makes me think of the idea that grief has the power to take control of people’s lives. How has this happened in Hamlet? In what ways has his grief taken over? Talk about three or four ways his life and worldview is turned upside down.


“O Zeus, in after years may men say of this my son when he returns from battle, ‘Far greater is he than his father was’” (268).

This reminds me of when Hamlet says that Claudius is “no more like my father than I to Hercules,” which got me thinking that maybe Hamlet has an inferiority complex. He does NOT see himself like Hercules at all, because we know that he sees his real dad as superior than Claudius. Maybe we can look at this play as a coming of age for Hamlet, where a boy is just growing into a man and wants to outdo his father as part of the “growing up” experience.


“My dear lord,” she said, “you who are father and mother and brother unto me as well as husband, stay here with us. Do not make me a widow and your child an orphan” (268).

Maybe this idea is why so many directors cross that line with family loyalty and love. Perhaps the configuration of love should be understood as “life giving” and supportive. We know that Gertrude is “life-giving,” literally, as Hamlet’s mother. But is she supportive in any way? Is she loyal? Is she loving?


“He was of more than royal blood; his mother was Aphrodite herself, and when Diomedes wounded him she hastened down to the battlefield to save him. She lifted him in her soft arms, but Diomedes, knowing she was a coward goddess, not one of those who like Athena are masters where warriors fight, leaped toward her and wounded her hand. Crying out she let her son fall, and weeping for pain…”(266).

Is it me, or does this passage remind you of Gertrude? How does Hamlet see himself as “of more than royal blood”? Think about how he thought of his dad. And based on the way his dad treated Gertrude, we could say that she was treated like a goddess of beauty. Is Gertrude like this “coward goddess,” who could not fight “where warriors fight”? How does Gertrude symbolically “let her son fall”? What has he “fallen into”?



“But although his mother failed him Aeneas was not killed” (266).

Maybe Hamlet uses what he perceives as his mother’s weaknesses and fragility (remember, he says “frailty, thy name is woman”) to motivate him. Perhaps he’s thinking, “what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.”

Winter Break Assignment

Read and annotate Act 3 of Shakespeare's Hamlet. To help you manage your time, I've broken the reading into 4 sections. Follow this schedule as loosely or as strictly as you like. You should have at least one post-it note on each page. Remember, post-its that simply summarize the text rather than analyze or interpret DO NOT COUNT ANY LONGER!


Reading Schedule
THERE ARE FOUR SECTIONS OF READING
3.1.1. - 3.2.97.........(pgs 123-141)
3.2.98 - 3.2.402........(pgs. 141-159)
3.2.403 - 3.4.156.......(pgs. 159-179)
3.4.157 - 240 (end of act).....(pgs. 179-185)

There will be a reading quiz when we get back from the break.

HW Due Friday

Read and annotate 2.2.237 all the way to the end of act 2.

Your vocabulary test is Monday, for unit 4. Your study cards for unit 4 and all your annotations in Hamlet will be checked while you are taking the test.

If you are not going to be here next week, you need to let me know A.S.A.P. so that I can give you the winter break assignment!!

HW Due Wednesday / Thursday Block

Read Act 2.1 and act 2.2.1-237. Annotate on post-its! Pay special attention to the ways in which Hamlet puts on "an antic disposition."

HW due 12/11

Read Act I, scenes i and ii of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Take your notes on post-its and place the post its near the passages that inspired the notes.

Bring your independent reading book for tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HW Due 12/7 & 12/8

Your comic books are due in class tomorrow! Review the first sheet of the brainstorm packet for all of the specifics. In class, you will be asked to come to the front of the room and give a brief presentation (1-2 minutes) on an aspect of your comic. I will ask you to talk about one or more of the following:

protagonist
antagonist
conflict
plot
setting
symbols
figurative language

Happy coloring!

November Vocabulary Due Dates and Test Dates

Monday/Tuesday 11/16 & 11/17 -Vocabulary Cumulative Review PACKET (Units 1-3)

Wednesday/Thursday 11/18 & 11/19- Vocabulary TEST Units 1-3

Monday 11/23 –Vocabulary Unit 4 PACKET and STUDY CARDS

Wednesday 11/25 –Vocabulary Unit 4 TEST

Monday/Tuesday 11/30 & 12/1- Vocabulary Unit 5 PACKET and STUDY CARDS

OEDIPUS GAME QUESTIONS!!!

Questions 1-30 are due Wednesday. You do not need to write in complete sentences or write in paragraph form. However, you MUST number the questions.

1. Which group of words and phrases best matches Sophocles’ Oedipus?
a. Greek Mythology, mystery, tragic hero, faith, swollen foot
b. Greek Mythology, drama, hamartia, fate, swollen foot
c. Roman Mythology, irony, tragedy, faith, Sophocles, daughter
d. Roman Mythology, foreshadowing, hamartia, fate, swollen foot

2. What does Oedipus’ name mean?

3. Who named Oedipus and why did they name him that?

4. Name 4 different abstract ideas presented in the text. You can not use words that are synonymous with one another.
(Abstract ideas will never be adjectives like blind, tragic, proud)

5. What does the chorus beg Oedipus to do in the exposition?

6. Describe (in as best detail as you can, the part of the plot that we would consider to be the climax, or turning point of the play.

7. Where does the Oracle live, and which of the Greek gods does he represent?

8. Thematic statements present abstract ideas like Truth, Knowledge, Trust, and Justice combined with what aspects of humanity?

9. What warning did King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes try to prevent, and who warned them?

10. What instructions did Laius give the shepherd whom he gave to Oedipus and what did he do first?

11. What did the pitying shepherd actually do with Oedipus?

12. What does the herdsman do with Oedipus after he takes him from the shepherd who was supposed to leave him to die?

13. Which city does Oedipus grow up as prince of?

14. Why does Oedipus travel from Corinth to Delphi in the first place?

15. At Delphi, what two horrifying prophecies does the oracle predict for Oedipus?

16. How does Oedipus determine to avoid his terrible destiny?

17. In your own words, why does Oedipus decide never to return home to Corinth?

18. The parts of the plot when Oedipus completely believes his parents to be the king and queen of Corinth is best described by which two parts of the plot?

19. Why does Oedipus kill the man in the chariot near Thebes?

20. Who is the old man in the chariot that Oedipus kills?

21. Work out the following metaphor: Oedipus kills Laius at a crossroads.

22. What kind of creature does Oedipus meet outside Thebes?

23. What riddle does the monstrous Sphinx ask Oedipus?

24. What is the right answer to the riddle the Sphinx asks, and how is that the answer?

25. Explain two ways the situation with the riddle of the Sphinx is ironic.

26. Explain how the answer to the riddle presents an instance of foreshadowing.

27. How do the Theban people react to Oedipus’ solving of the Sphinx’s riddle?

28. Why was the city of Thebes “kingless”?

29. On what group of people do the citizens of Thebes blame the murder of King Laius?

30. Who does Oedipus marry?

31. What is the literary element used that causes tension and positions the audience as omniscient?

32. What is the literary purpose for using Dramatic Irony?

33. Provide 2 examples of fate as presented in Oedipus.

34. Provide 2 more examples of fate as presented in Oedipus

35. What is Creon’s relation to Jocasta?

36. What is Creon’s blood relation to Oedipus? What does Oedipus think his relation to Creon is?

37. Provide one example of dramatic irony as presented in the play.

38. Explain how Tieriesias’ character is “double ironic.”

39. Why does Tiresias come to Thebes in the first place?

40. How does Jocasta brush off the idea of prophecies being true?

41. Why does Oedipus become distressed when he hears the prophet Jocasta received so many years ago?
Oedipus becomes distressed because he remembers killing a man who resembled Laius at a crossroads.

42. What important information does Jocasta reveal to Oedipus that leads him to the realization that he might be the murderer of Laius?

43. Why does Oedipus send for a shepherd during the falling action?

44. What bit of information do Oedipus and Jocasta receive from a messenger that causes them to rejoice?

45. After the death of Polybus, king of Corinth, Oedipus feels a little bit more safe because the oracle’s first prophecy can not possibly come true (or so he thinks). What is his new concern?

46. The messenger, overhearing Oedipus’ concerns about marrying Merope, offers some information that he thought would bring even more rejoicing for Oedipus. What news was that, and for what two reasons did he think Oedipus and Jocasta would rejoice at this?

47. What’s up with all the double identities in this play (shepherd, herdsman, witness / king, murderer / brother-in-law, uncle, new king)? What is one theme of identity explored in this text?

48 After Oedipus learns from the messenger that Polybus has died and that Polybus and Merope are not his real parents, he determines to track down the shepherd referred to by the messenger. What are the “truths” of Oedipus’ birth that he wants to hear from the shepherd?

49. Why does Jocasta run out of the palace in grief? What does she do next?

50. The shepherd refuses to speak at first, when he arrives at Thebes. How does Oedipus get him to talk?

51. With what does Oedipus rake out his eyes?

52. Explain how this is a metaphor: Oedipus blinds himself. (Hint: why doesn’t he hang himself or stab himself?)

53. Who takes over Thebes during the resolution?

54. What is Oedipus waiting for at the end of the play?


SHORT RESPONSE QUESTIONS
1. How does dramatic irony create tension in the play? Support your response with specific textual evidence (as specific as you can get without the words in front of you!!)

2. List examples of how Oedipus fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

3. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus as having excessive pride, or hubris?

4. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus’ myth as one of a tragedy of fate? In this case, one might argue that Oedipus is blameless.

5. What do you understand to be the major conflict in the play? In other words, what do you see all of the other conflicts amounting to? (*Discuss only the MAJOR conflict, as you INTERPRET it.)

Thematic Essay

Dear Students,

I have been recieving lots of emails asking whether the Oedipus essay is still due tomorrow. As I said in class (and wrote on the board for you to read during the days I was absent), yes, the essay is still due tomorrow.

I will collect all work (brainstorms, freewrites, prewrites, ect.) associated with the essay. Your final draft should be stapled to the top of this packet.

You will get your essays back with my comments as soon as I can finish grading them. At that point, you will have an opportunity to rewrite. Despite this fact, you must treat the draft you submit tomorrow as if it were your final final draft.

See you tomorrow!

Ms. Walsh

Homework Due Monday 10/26 and Tuesday 10/27

Respond to the following questions 9 from paragraph 2 of the Writing Mantra in freewrite format. Use what you know about life from your own experiences, but also speak to ideas presented in Sophocles' Oedipus. What do these questions mean for the characters in our play?

These questions are listed as follows:

1. What are the obstacles that stand in the way of the things we desire?

2. What strengths are called upon when we set out to face these challenges?

3. What types of external experiences (with society, with other people, with family, with fate, with nature) influence our states of mind and our actions?

4. How and when do these states of mind and actions affect our future, our relationships with others, others themselves?

5. How do these external experiences influence our internal experiences (our emotions)?

6. On the flip side of this coin, how do our internal experiences and our emotions influence our external experiences (with society, with other people, with family, with fate, with nature)?

7. What happens with us internally and externally when our strengths are pushed to the limits and don’t seem to be enough to overcome our weaknesses and our obstacles?

8. How can people change their patterns of thinking, socializing, and behaviors? (Avoid telling us what people "should" do because we are not in a position to make that call. Instead, observe and consider the processes of CHANGE. What DO people do?)

9. How do abstract ideas take on new shapes and forms? (Examples: When and how does pride become hubris? When and how does fear become violence? When and how does love become war? When and how does truth lie? When and how is knowledge “ignorant”?)

*How long does this assignment have to be, you ask? As long as it takes to answer the questions. One page will probably not be enough. Really think about this stuff and work it out in your brainstorm!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* I suggest revising your thematic statement as soon as you are finished with these questions and your ideas are fresh in your mind. It will be easier than trying to remember all of your thoughts on Monday or Tuesday. The brainstorm above is meant to influence the ideas you already have about the play (characters, plot, etc.) and what it expresses about
- the human condition (what it means to be human)
- human ambition
- human motivation

Monday 10/19/2009

P7 Students- This assignment is due Wednesday, October 21:

Now that you have composed your thematic statement for Oedipus, write AS MUCH AS YOU CAN about how the myth of Oedipus applies to your statement. Give every example there is. At the VERY LEAST, you NEED 10 EXAMPLES! This work will be collected.

10/16/2009

Complete a double entry journal for 3 passages in Oedipus. Passages must be 5-7 lines long each and you must include line numbers. Journal entries should include connections (text to self, world, text, ect.), Questions (literal and interpretive), and thoughts (This means.... This could mean...). You must also use 10 vocabulary words from our recent vocabulary packets. Due Monday/Tuesday Block

HW Due W/H 10/8-10/9

Finish reading and annotating Thomas Gould's essay titled "The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosphers on Oedipus the King." Your annotations will be checked in class and MUST BE written directly on your packet. I will be looking for AT LEAST 3 ANNOTATIONS PER PAGE.

Reminder: Scroll down for vocabulary dates for your class.

HW Due M/T 10/5, 10/6

Complete all of the questions for Oedipus / lines 1-125 that follow. Yes, you have to the complete the paragraph response question as well (but of course!)This assignment is due the next time we meet for a block. That means that you have five days to work on it. There is no substitution for effort. Do a little bit each day and it won't feel like a lot. We talked about all of these questions in class. Every... single... one... If you took notes (as you should have), this should be a breeze. If you did not, then you had better start.

REMINDER: VOCABULARY TEST THIS FRIDAY!!! SCROLL DOWN FOR STUDY TIPS!!

You can write directly on your worksheet, but here are the Qs for those students who were absent or "lost" their sheet:

1. What news does the Priest of Zeus bring to Oedipus at the royal palace of Thebes?

2. Sight and blindness are important motifs in the play. Locate seven references to sight in the first two pages. Write the sentences and line numbers.

3. Why might it be important to consider ideas about hubris as we read?

4. Why and how might themes explored in ancient Greek myth be related to Oedipus’ myth?

5. Why does the Priest of Zeus call on Oedipus for help?

6. How does Oedipus perceive himself as a leader?

7. Sophocles’ audience would have known Oedipus’ myth well. How then, could Oedipus’ greatness be interpreted as his tragic harbinger? (Dramatic irony)

8. What are some similarities and differences in character between Oedipus and the Priest of Zeus?

9. What are some similarities and differences in character between Oedipus and Creon?

10. On reflecting over Oedipus’ first lines (1-10), what is your sense of Oedipus as a leader?

11. Which lines reveal elements of tension and suspense? (Exposition -----Rising Action)

12. What is your understanding of Oedipus’ sense of compassion?

13. Which three sentences of Oedipus’ dialogue do you deem the most important and why do you say so?

14. Which three sentences of Creon’s dialogue do you deem the most important and why do you say so?

15. Setting:

Time________________________________________________
What kind of world does Oedipus inhabit?


Place________________________________________________
How do the people of Thebes perceive Oedipus?


Circumstance__________________________________________
What are the major conflicts and tensions so far?


THEMATIC STATEMENT RESPONSE:(3 paragraphs / ON LOOSELEAF) “It is insight, not eyesight, which holds the key to the truth, and without it, no amount of knowledge can uncover that truth. Our capability for knowledge is vast but limited. Our powers of intellect and insight are remarkable, yet unreliable.”
a) interpret and explain
b) real life application
c) what these ideas mean to/for Oedipus
*Use the word web method as a brainstorm/prewrite
*Paragraphs should be 5-9 sentences and must include topic sentences.

What counts, you ask? Everything... including, but not limited to:
- spelling
- grammar
- punctuation
- content (meaning)-- did you answer the question?
- complete sentences
- vocabulary

Welcome to sophomore year.

VOCABULARY TEST THIS FRIDAY!! (10/2)

We will have our first official vocabulary test this Friday. Your homework is to study the words from unit one. Practice the index card study methods we used in class to best prepare. I would say that if you study for 15-20 a day over the next couple of days, you would most likely know all of your words! If you need to study more than that, then do so!

*
- Know the definitions
- Know (and understand why) the parts of speech
- Be able to properly use the word in a complete sentence (with context clues)
- Spelling counts (always, and of course!)
- Know the synonyms
- Know the antonyms