Happy Holidays!

Don't forget to complete your holiday assignments!

Read "The Miracle Worker" by William Gibson. It is located in the Elements of Literature book.

Answer questions -

• 1-25 for Act I
• 48-68 for Act II
• 79-99 for Act III

Your back to school writing prompt will be based on this play, so please do the reading. You will also have a test on the play.

I am looking forward to talking about poetry, protests, and peace for Term 3.

Be good and stay safe over the break.

Romeo and Juliet

Far from being Shakespeare's best play, it is certainly one of his most popular and well known works. As we talked about in class, the themes in Romeo and Juliet are still applicable today. Taken from the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe and Arthue Brooke's poem The Tragical Historie of Romeus and Juliet, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet inspires other works to this day. We have West Side Story, Tristan and Isolde, Jodi Picoult's The Pact...just to name a few. Can you name any other works inspired by this play? Leave a comment and earn some credit!

Note: Pyramus and Thisbe will reappear when we begin to study A Midsummer Night's Dream, perhaps my favorite of all Shakespearean plays.

Extra Credit Opportunites

With the holidays approaching, I think it will be a great idea for the sudents in College English 9 to give to the community. Beginning on December 1, I will begin collecting toys and books for the Toys for Tots program. To earn extra credit, please bring in a new, unwrapped book or toy and receive extra credit points towards your Term 2 grade.

Thanks in advance for your generousity!

Term 2 Notes and Errata

The Rules remain the same, but they will be strictly enforced this term.

Binder Organization
Your binder should have six sections, divided by index tab dividers.
- Do Now
- Notes
- Tests/Quizzes
- Vocabulary
- Homework
- Independent Reading

You MUST have these items in your binder at all times or you will receive a FAILING BINDER GRADE.

- Syllabus
- Term Planner
- Table of Contents

Do Now Assignments
There is no time to socialize when you arrive to class. There will always be an assignment posted. I will no longer go by the honor system. I will come around after the start of class to stamp Do Now’s. There will be penalties for those who have not finished their assignment.

Class Materials
You are required to have your binder, Elements of Literature book, and a black or blue pen EVERY day. You are required to have your PowerPlus vocabulary book or Wednesdays and Fridays. I will tell you when you need the Elements of Writing book. Work done in colored pen or pencil will not be accepted.

Essays and Writing Projects
Unless it is an in-class writing prompt, you MUST type all work, print it yourself, and submit to Turn It In. I will no longer print work or submit work to Turn It In for anyone. The school library is open at 6:30 am and 2:00 pm. The Boston Public Library also has computer and printer access. You are responsible for getting your own work in on time. Please make sure you are using a program that the school's computers can access. The computers have Microsoft Word. Turn It In accepts MS Word, WordPerfect, PostScript, PDF, HTML, RTF, and plain text.

Absences
You have one day to make up missed homework and three days to make up a missed test/quiz. If you are absent when a project or writing assignment is due, you will receive no credit for the assignment and there will be no make-ups.

Extra Credit and Tough Love

The end of term 1 approaches and many of you are not happy about your grades. Many of you are not happy about your grades because you unwisely did not take the advice I offered at the beginning of school and nearly every week since school began. That advice?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!

Let me stress again: Homework is 20 percent of your grade. If you do not make homework a regular part of your educational plan, you would have to ace every test, quiz, project, or paper just to get a B -. Seems kinda impossible, right? Homework is not only the easiest thing you can do to improve your grade, it also reinforces the daily lesson. So you can learn. That is our goal. Learning.

That being said, the only opportunity for extra credit is by finding something that I would deem interesting or important enough to be posted on our blog. The extra credit points will be given at my discretion.

Upcoming Project Dates

Please remember that your Independent Reading Book Review is due on 10/26 on Turn It In. If you still need help after reading my exemplar, The New York Times publishes excellent book reviews. Follow this link for inspiration.

Short story rough drafts are due on 10/22. They need to be typed and printed before our class session. If you do not have a rough draft, you will not be allowed to upload a final draft and will receeive a zero on the project. Final Drafts are due on 10/26.

Please see me with any questions or concerns.

The Irony of it All...

Most groups did a fantastic job on their presentations today. Are there future teachers among you?

Remember when thinking about irony, there are three types:

• Situational
• Verbal
• Dramatic

Situational Irony is a part of the plot. It is when what we expect to happen and what actually happens.

Verbal Irony is when the authro says one thing, but means something else. Often confused with sarcasm, verbal irony is more subtle.

Dramatic Irony occurs when the audience or reader knows something that a character does not.

Like the ironic twists? Go here for a list of stories you will enjoy.

Goal Seeking?

Hey guys! Have you logged on to ThinkWave yet? Are you unsatisfied with your current grade? The term ends on 10/26 and many of you have asked what you can do in order to secure a better grade before the end of term. My ThinkWave has a neat little feature called Goal Seeking. You tell me the grade you want, and I tell you exactly what you need to do on future tests and assignments in order to secure that goal. Interested? Make an appointment to see me after school.