Cask? Amontillado? Isn't this supposed to be in English?

Students -

To kick off our "Twists and Turns" unit I figured there would be no better author to start with than Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. If dark, twisted, weirdness is your thing, you are going to love Poe. If not, sorry.

1st & 3rd - Your homework for the weekend is to read this spine-tingling work of genius and answer the Close Reading Questions that I handed out in class on Friday.

There will be a sub on Monday and you'll be watching M. Night Shyamalan's (yes, I had to look up how to spell his last name) The Village. Talk about twists and turns. Don't get too comfortable though because there will be a supplemental worksheet that you'll be filling out while watching the movie.

I'll bring the popcorn.

Mr. P

What?!? Tomorrow's already Monday?!?

Hey Students -

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. I have been hard at work grading everyone's tests and papers and hopefully can have those for you by tomorrow.

1st period: your grammar worksheet is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. don't forget to turn it in!

3rd period: your grammar worksheet and vocab for "The Perfect Storm" is due at the beginning of the period. remember, SENTENCES AND DEFINITIONS, please.

here's what's on schedule for the week:
- test over nonfiction suspense & survival unit ("Thin Air" & "Perfect Storm") and vocab - (Wednesday)
- test over grammar and your notebook (hopefully you've been keeping up with it!) - (Friday)
- beginning of our "twists & turns" unit (oooooh)

See you guys tomorrow.

Mr. P

Too Perfect to be True? I think not.

Students -

Today we got introduced to "The Perfect Storm." Some of us have seen the movie so we have a better vision than others of the vivid details that the story goes into. I highly recommend renting it and sitting down with your folks and watching it. Especially on a dark, rainy night. Don't forget (both periods) that the questions that we started in class are due tomorrow and you may or may not (depending on how generous I'm feeling) have a quiz tomorrow so be ready!

Both "Thin Air" & "Perfect Storm" are pretty intense stories and they're both true! These events actually took place! Isn't that nuts?! Which did you prefer more between the two? Personally, I'm more of a snow & mountains type of guy so I really enjoyed "Into Thin Air." What imagery! Tell me what you think.

Peace, love, and perfect storms,

Mr. P

Hurricane! ACK!!!

Students -

Good work in the lab today. We would've been back in there tomorrow but since school was canceled, we're pushing it back to Monday. If you didn't get a whole lot done with your paragraph, you're going to have to play catch-up on Monday!

On a serious note, as you all are well aware, Hurricane Ike is scheduled to make landfall late tomorrow night or early Saturday morning and I think it's safe to say that the effects of Ike will definitely be felt in College Station. If necessary, evacuees are being housed at AMCMS & CSMS. Basically, the purpose of this post is just to warn you of something that I'm sure you're already well-aware of and to let you know that it is my sincere wish that you and your family stay safe this weekend because (as much as I hate to admit it) I really want to see your faces on Monday in my classroom.

Wishing you safety and security,

Mr. P

Rockin Thursday!

Thanks for sticking with me through grammar today! I know it's not the most exciting thing in the world to learn but it's EXTREMELY important.

Towards the end of class, I gave you guys our new writing assignment - a literary analysis paragraph. Tomorrow, we'll be in the computer lab working on drafting that paper.

"But, Mr. Phillips, I have no idea where the heck this lab that you speak of is located!" Fear not freshmen, for we will meet in the classroom before heading over to the lab.

Don't forget to wear your rockin' attire tomorrow to Rock Out Westlake! I'll be representing the Rolling Stones. I know, you're jealous. I can sense it.

Adios for now.

Test # 1 - EEK!

Hey Class -

So, as we all know, tomorrow's our first big test. Don't freak out. Here's a reiteration of what you need to know for tomorrow's test:

- vocab (multiple choice)
- new suspense story
*multiple choice
*short answer/essay
- apply fiction terminology to short answer/MC questions
- a crossover question tying in all 3 short stories & the new one on the test
- short answer: answer the question AND provide textual evidence (these are quotes taken directly from the passage!)

Post here if you have any last minute questions at all.

I know y'all can do well. Study hard! Good luck!

One-Pager Rules

Students - Here are the guidelines for the One-Pager. Enjoy.

You need:

-sheet of unlined white paper

-markers, crayons, map pencils, etc.

-a pencil

-a blue or black pen

Your one pager must include the title and author of the piece. It must fill the entire page. The writing MUST be in ink. The illustrations must have color.

1)Include two or more excerpts from the reading (passages you like or think are important)

2) Must have a graphic representation that ties into the piece and to the quotes you chose.

3) The most important part is a paragraph that includes a personal response to what you have read: comment, interpretation, evaluation, etc. (but NOT a summary!)

Done and Done

YES! We're done with the freshman year paragraph! Celebration!

Let me reiterate the rules for the blog for those of you who are unaware:

1. Please use proper grammar. You are in an English course.
2. No text message lingo, slang, or profanity.
3. Do not deliberately put down anyone for their thoughts or opinions.

Now that that's out of the way, I just wanted to remind both periods of your homework for this weekend. If you failed to finish your "One-Pager" (the activity with the drawing and quotes from "TBAF") in class then you must finish it for homework for Monday. Also, both periods must complete the vocabulary (word, definition, & sentence) homework for "TBAF" for Monday.

I hope you all have safe, amazing weekends! Go Tigers!

Fire Building 101

Hey Students -

Congrats to 3rd period for being done with your freshman year paragraph! 1st period, you're almost there! Your paragraphs are due tomorrow at the beginning of the period. Don't forget!

1st period: For homework, finish your Most Dangerous Game handouts for your handouts section of your binder. You won't be turning it in. Also, please have "To Build a Fire" (p. 517) read by tomorrow as we will begin our in-class discussions.

3rd period: Since we are a little ahead, please have "To Build a Fire" read and the worksheet completed (both front AND back) for tomorrow.

Post your comments about "To Build a Fire" here. Did anyone else get cold while reading the story? Just me? Cool.

You Mean We Have to Write?!?

Unfortunately, the answer is "yes." Here's the lo-down on what went down in today's class periods:

1st period: We discussed peer revision and I showed you a couple of examples of what a good vs. bad paper were before you began to peer revise the papers of others. I felt a general sense of confusion so we're going over it tomorrow briefly before wrapping up our discussion on Most Dangerous Game.

For homework, I need you to finish going through that peer revision worksheet using your classmate's paper. Put some thought into it! Think of it this way, your ability to provide constructive criticism may completely affect the grade your classmate gets!

3rd period: We took a different approach to peer revision. We talked about varying your sentence structure, using descriptive language, and GIVING ME DETAILS! We passed our papers around and I gave you the opportunity to critique the works of others. We finished a little early so I gave you a couple of options, either write your final draft of your freshman year paragraph or begin reading "To Build a Fire" (p. 517).

For homework, you MUST complete your freshman year paragraph. IT IS DUE TOMORROW, typed or not! Remember, if you're planning on typing it, don't forget the guidelines I gave in class!

General Advice on Writing for Both Periods:
1. Give me vivid details! If you're excited about something, tell me why!
2. Use adjectives (words that modify nouns) and lots of them! ex. "the cavernous hallways"
3. Show me your personality. If you have a sense of humor (which I'd venture to say that most of you do) let me see it in your writing!

I apologize for the lengthiness, but I know each of you has the ability to turn in a brilliant paper! See you tomorrow.

Philosophical Chairs and "The Stick of Power"

So in 1st and 3rd periods we had two amazing discussions on whether or not Rainsford was a murderer. Third period became extremely intense and we decided that we needed a "Stick of Power" (a term that I clearly came up with on my own) for the speaker to hold. The only person that could be speaking for their side had to be holding "The Stick of Power." Come to think of it, we never came to a logical and satisfying conclusion to our argument. I suppose you might want to know which side I'm on. Well, too bad, you'll have to form your own opinion!

So, let's continue the discussion here. Is Rainsford a murderer in every sense of the word? Let's hear what you think!

Finally, your homework for tonight (both periods) is to revise your paragraphs based on the corrections made for tomorrow's peer revision session.

Additionally, please complete the opposite side of the plot chart for the Most Dangerous Game. I promise we'll get around to discussing it, it just won't be tomorrow (but I WILL check!).

Happy writing kids. See you tomorrow.

Most Dangerous Game...oooh, scary

Hey students -

So today we briefly went over "The Most Dangerous Game" and there were some quality contributions from both periods. As I said, I get WAYYY into the story so I hope you guys did too. For tonight, here's the homework:

- "MDG" Vocab: Write the word, definition & use it in a sentence - DUE TOMORROW (9/2)
- Based on revisions that I made to your Shaping the Paragraph worksheet, begin composition of a rough draft of your paragraph. We'll discuss & revise in class ON WEDNESDAY so PLEASE have it done by then.

On the schedule for tomorrow:
-continue discussion of Most Dangerous Game (yesssss!)

Who knows? I may show up decked out in camo. I guess we'll see.