Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Research Activity

Research Activity – Understanding the roots of 1984




Conduct your research using the internet. You may not use Wikipedia. You must find another credible source to use for research. All research should be compiled and handed in at the end of class. It should be done in complete sentences. You may type or write out this assignment, but it must be in your own words and not copied and pasted from the internet.



1. What was life like for people in 1949 when the story was written? In America? Other countries?

2. Describe how socialism emerged. Where did it start? Who started it? Why were people afraid of it?

3. What was life like before World War 2? After?

4. How did World War 2 impact the United States?

5. How did propaganda play a role in the war effort in America?

6. Describe 2 types of propaganda techniques and find 2 examples of WW2 propaganda.

7. How was subliminal messaging used in the US? Other countries?

8. Describe how countries practiced “the destruction of words”. Why did they do this?

9. Who was Winston Churchill? What does “Winston” mean? How does this relate to our main character?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Creative Writing - Speech Assignment

Speech Unit!




In class you will conduct research on the internet and post your findings to your blog. Your first assignment as part of the speech writing unit will be to research famous speeches in history on topics that are truly of interest to you. You must find 4 examples. After you have chosen your examples, you must pick out 5 elements of each speech that make the speech effective or ineffective and discuss your findings in a well written entry on your blog.



After you have done this and found elements of effective speech writing, you will come up with a creative idea for your own persuasive speech. You must then decide on 10 points that support your argument and 5 points that go against your argument so that you can truly highlight your point and argue against it.



After you have finished your research and your outline for a persuasive speech, you will begin a preliminary draft of your own persuasive speech on the appropriate topic of your choice.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Research Activity - Creative Writing!

In class, you will research three styles of poetry of your choosing. In your research please include the history and evolution of that style and writers who specialize in that style. This all must be in your own words! Post your findings to the blog. Choose one of the styles and a writer to mirror their style in your own creative way. Write an entry explaining your choice of poet. For homework you will be mirroring a poetic form much like our short story exercise. All work taken from outside sources must be cited properly when posting to your blog.

Friday, October 16, 2009

English 4 - Research Homework

Choose 5 leaders from the following list: Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Alexander Dubcek, Mikhail Gorbachev, Eric Honecker, Wojciech Jaruszelski, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, or Pol Pot. Write a quick biographical sketch that includes a discussion of how the life or ideas of this leader may have influenced the people in the country.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Class blogs

Since many of your blog web addresses have changed, please post the links here so that we have a listing of them as a class!

Headline Activity!

Post your headline activities here!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Summer Reading! All Students!!

Please do not forget to prepare this weekend for your summer reading Tests! They will take place in class on Monday and Tuesday!

Students in English II Level 1 and Honors!

Charles Dickens Scavenger Hunt!
Conduct an internet scavenger hunt to learn about the author. You may use any search engine; however, I caution the use of Wikipedia as is can often times be unreliable!

1. When and where was Dickens born?
2. Identify three places Dickens lived as a boy.
3. What happened to his father when Charles was young?
4. Identify one or two authors who influenced Dickens while he was growing up.
5. What job did Dickens have in 1827?
6. What occupation did Dickens have at age 20?
7. Who ruled England during most of Dickens’s life? How old was he when she became queen?
8. What was his first book?
9. In what form was his book first published?
10. What was Dickens’s adult home called?
11. What was the name of the woman whom Dickens was close to when he was age 18-20?
12. What was the name of the actress with whom he was deeply involved? What happened to their relationship?
13. What important personal event occurred in his life before he wrote Great Expectations?
14. Where did Dickens work when he was 12? Why?
15. Identify five social problems that concerned Dickens during his lifetime?
16. In what magazine was Great Expectations first published?
17. How many chapters were published at a time?
18. How many copies were sold in magazine form?
19. Which president of the U.S. did Dickens meet?
20. Which novel has sold the most copies?
21. Identify the titles of his books?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Creative Writing Assignment

Each student must bring in a picture from a magazine, book or newspaper to be used on an in class assignment.

Senior English Assignment

Seniors English IV
Please answer the following questions for homework in preparation for our first reading unit.

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
Where were they from?
What did they do?
Why are they important to our study of literature?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Quote Response

At the beginning of every class, there will be a quote posted on the back board intended to provoke thought and discussion. Each day you will be required to write the quote in your notebook and explain what the quote means. You will also be asked to apply the quote to yourself, or a character in a novel you have read about. You may also apply the quote to any (relevant) current events. This will be a separate section in your notebook and will be checked frequently for content.

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back! All classes will be taking their Summer Reading Tests next week on Monday and Tuesday.