Hail and Farewell

Incoming Pre-AP II students: Welcome. Thanks for coming by. Bookmark this page so you can visit it again (and often). The Summer Assignment will be up by June 3rd.

To my 2010/2011 Students: Have yourownbadselves an awesome summer. You have earned it. Pre-AP II's, please get next year off to a better start than you did last year -- do the AP III Summer Assignment! I will miss each and every one of you, so please come by my room next year to keep me updated on your many successes. Thanks again for a memorable (and amazing!) year. Take care of each other.

--Mr. Mikesell

ACP Tips

Please do the following to succeed on all your ACPs, but especially English.

• Get a good night's sleep. (All you little scene monsters, take a week off.)


• Eat high-protein dinners.


• Eat fruit for breakfast. (Jelly donuts and Fruity Pebbles do not count as fruit.


• Keep your head up during the test. (Maintain a positive mental attitude and don't take a nap; no time for slacking off during the ACP.)


• Make sure you understand what the questions are asking. (If you don't know what you're being asked, you cannot truly succeed.)


• Pre-AP: Pay attention to the positive and negative connotations of key words/phrases when you're being asked mood/tone questions.


• Everybody: Remember, you CAN do it ... you just have to DO do it.

Be awesome.

Final Extra Credit Opportunity

Got a gorilla picture from class/school?
E-mail it to me!

See the collection.

Pre-AP: Outside-Class Writing Assignment Reminder

Write a well-developed essay on the following prompt:

In some literary works, the author creates a unique society or community in order to make an important point about humanity. Examples of such works are Lord of the Flies, Anthem, and Fahrenheit 451. Discuss how the authors of these novels use their fictional society to convey important ideas about mankind and society in general. Be sure to clearly identify the “important ideas” they express.

Tips to success:

Consider using the outline we discussed in class.

Model your body paragraphs after the "Harrison Bergeron" assignment at the beginning of the six weeks.

Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REVISE (85 points). Look at diction, metaphor, imagery, setting (time and place), conflicts (like man v. society), etc., and how the author’s use of these techniques contributes to meaning.

Remember that only REVISE and ACCEPTED essays will be taken for a grade, so submit your IWA early, rather than at the last minute to ensure that your essay will count!

*** More than 5 careless spelling mistakes and 5 careless punctuation errors will result in a REDO grade***

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Drop-Dead Deadline: Thursday, May 26, 2011.
(If no work is received by 5/13, a "Missing" grade (counts as a 0) will be entered into the grade book; some work may receive a temporary "Incomplete" grade (no effect on grade), but that will be replaced with a "Missing" on 5/20.)

Pre-AP: Report to the Library, May 19-20

Students will be taking the Laying the Foundation End of Course exam on the library computers this Thursday and Friday. Please report directly to the library to a) avoid being marked tardy/absent and b) have as much time available for the test as possible.

Thank you.

Suggested Outline for IWA

When writing your IWA, please consider the following outline. You may adapt it to your individual needs, but all the information must be there.

1. Thesis with the two literary devices you'll be analyzing in essay


2. Book 1 (either Anthem, Fahrenheit 451, or Lord of the Flies)


1. Message of Book 1


2. Description of society


1. How Lit Device #1 (from thesis) helps create the book's society so author's message gets through


1. Text evidence #1


2. Text evidence #2


2. How Lit Device #2 (from thesis) helps create the book's society so author's message gets through


1. Text evidence #1


2. Text evidence #2


3. Same as II, but for second book


4. Same as II and III, but for final book


5. Summary Conclusion

Pre-AP: "Burning Bright" Test Preview

5/13 UPDATE: This should have posted last night, but due to Blogger issues, it didn't. Consequently, dictionaries will be allowed during the test.

The subject of our test on Friday, May 13, will be "The Tyger," a poem by William Blake.

Students who know the meaning of the following terms and vocabulary words will score better on the test tomorrow than those who don't. As may students who have actually read the poem ahead of time.

Literary Terms

• Allegory
• Alliteration
• Allusion
• Analogy
• Anecdote
• Aphorism
• Metaphor
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Simile

Attitude / Tone Words

• Astonished
• Didactic
• Incredulous
• Paternal
• Sneering

General Vocabulary

• Grieve
• Practicality

"Burning Bright" Socratic Seminar Questions

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class on Thursday, May 12, 2011.
If you missed the seminar, submit well-thought out written responses to two questions (100%; one question=80%). You will not receive credit for answers to the Close-Ended or other "scratched-through" questions.

If you were in class and did not respond twice, use the back of your remaining half-sheets ("buns") to respond to the questions. If you respond to a question discussed in class, your response must add to the conversation we had. (+10 pts. each.) As above, you will not receive credit for answers to the "scratched-through" questions.

WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
Is it OK to run from your problems? Explain. --E.V. 1st

Under what circumstances would you "snitch out" your boyfriend/girlfriend? --A.V. --1st

If you had to evacuate your house quickly and could only take one small suitcase, what would you fill it with? --M.G. 3rd



CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
How is the Mechanical Hound able to track Montag? --V.E. 1st

How does Montag kill Beatty? --V.A. 7th

Where does Mildred go? What happens to her? --Mr. Mikesell

Where does Faber go? What happens to him? --Mr. Mikesell



OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
What does it tell you about the government that they use a scapegoat when they can't catch Montag? --J.L. 1st

Why didn't Montag turn himself over to the police? --S.P. 3rd

How does Montag escape the Mechanical Hound(s)? --Mr. Mikesell



UNIVERSAL THEME / CORE QUESTIONS
If TJ / Dallas / Texas came up with rules you felt were wrong, what would you do? --F.T. 3rd

If your vision of the future was the opposite of what most of society wants, how would you go about making it real? --M.R. 7th

What lessons have you learned from the books we're read this year? --K.L. 8th



LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
What does fire symbolize in "Burning Bright"? --A.M. 3rd

Why does Beatty refer to Icarus during his final confrontation with Montag? --A.P. 7th

What ironies are encountered in the "Burning Bright" section of Fahrenheit 451? --V.A. 7th

Socratic Seminar Question Types: Fahrenheit 451 -- "Burning Bright"

In class Wednesday, May 11rd, you will create questions (one for each of the following) for a Socratic Seminar on Thursday, May 12th. Any question not accompanied by a valid answer will receive no credit.

All questions must be related to the "Burning Bright" section (e.g., "you could ask "how does Montag change from the beginning of the book to the end" ... except now that I've used that as an example, you can't).


WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION
Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: Under what circumstances would you kill someone?


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION
Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a “correct” answer.

Example: Where does Faber go?


OPEN-ENDED QUESTION
Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: How does Montag escape the Mechanical Hound(s)?


UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTION
Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: If you memorized Fahrenheit 451, what could you teach someone?


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTION
Write a question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, archetypal hero patterns, for example?

Example: What is the significance of Granger's name?

Read The Pearl Online

An online text is available, here.

It appears you can download it if you have a facebook account (doesn't work at school, so I haven't tried it yet).

Enjoy.

English II: What's in a Name?

In class we discussed that Kino and Juana's baby's name, Coyotito, means little coyote. Why that's significant to the story will become apparent later on. Your name probably means something, too. The purpose of this project is to explore the meaning of your name and how it applies to your life's story.

Collect the following information, then create a poster (8.5"x11" or larger) displaying everything you know about your name. (If you don’t want your poster displayed, write “do not share” on the back.)

1. What does your name mean (first, middle, last) – You may look it up in a baby-naming book at a bookstore or online at a site like Baby Names World. You can possibly get information on your last name from Search for Ancestors. If your family has a traditional crest (coat of arms), it might be found at All Family Crests.


2. If possible, ask your parents why they chose the name(s) they gave you and write down their response(s).


3. How much is your name a part of your identity? What do you feel your name “says” about you? If you changed your name would you become a different person? Why or why not?

Due: Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

Pre-AP: "Sand and Sieve" Essay Prompt Preview

In class on Friday, May 6th, students will respond to the following essay prompt.

In the "Sand and Sieve" section of Fahrenheit 451 Faber tells Montag that he believes three things are necessary in order for books to be able to make a difference in society. In a well-developed essay, discuss whether or not you agree with his assessment? Support your answer with anecdotal evidence from the novel as well as your personal life. You must specify what Faber's "three things" are.

This will count as a test grade. This will be a closed-book test (you will not be allowed to use the novel in class), but you may bring notes written on a 3x5 card to refer to. Dictionaries will also be allowed.

Pre-AP: 451F Audio File Update

If you would like to listen to an audio file of the novel as you read it (you still have to read it), please see me. You'll need a flashdrive with at least 250MB of space available.

I now have the entire novel, plus the Afterward and Coda.

Fahrenheit 451 Socratic Seminar Questions

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class on Wednesday, May 4, 2011.
If you missed the seminar, submit well-thought out written responses to two questions (100%; one question=80%). You will not receive credit for answers to the Close-Ended questions.

If you were in class and did not respond twice, use the back of your remaining half-sheets ("buns") to respond to the questions. If you respond to a question discussed in class, your response must add to the conversation we had. (+10 pts. each.) As above, you will not receive credit for answers to the Close-Ended questions.

WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
If you found your job was causing other people harm (physical, mental, etc.), what would you do? --L.A. 1st

Why are books important to society --P.H. --7th

What do you do when you develop feelings for someone who isn't the person you're currently in a relationship with? --I.M. 8th



CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
What did Mildred do to commit suicide? --J.O. 3rd

What was Faber's previous job? --E.P. 7th

How old is Clarisse? --J.R. 8th

What three things did Faber say were needed for books to make a difference in society? --Mr. Mikesell



OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
Why doesn't Mildred get along with Montag? --K.M. 3rd

After reading the opening scene, what can you conclude about Montag? --I.O. 8th

Why was Mildred afraid when she saw the books? --Y.C. 8th

What did Beatty say led to books being banned? --Mr. Mikesell



UNIVERSAL THEME / CORE QUESTIONS
What is there in your life that is worth dying for? --Mr. Mikesell

What is there in your life that is worth living for --J.C. 1st

How can a person influence your point of view/outlook on life --M.V. 8th



LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
What are some of the historical/literary allusions Bradbury employs? --J.L. 1st

What does Bradbury do by characterizing Mildred as shallow, apathetic, and not particularly intelligent? --F.T. 3rd

What does Bradbury accomplish by having Montag convince Faber to make copies of the Bible? --V.A. 7th

Socratic Seminar Question Types: Fahrenheit 451

In class Tuesday, May 3rd, you will create questions (one for each of the following) for a Socratic Seminar on Wednesday, May 4th. Any question not accompanied by a valid answer will receive no credit.


WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION
Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: When a friend or family member is depressed, what do you do?


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION
Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a “correct” answer.

Example: What three things did Faber say were needed for books to make a difference in society?


OPEN-ENDED QUESTION
Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: What did Beatty say led to books being banned?


UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTION
Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: What is there in your life that is worth dying for?


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTION
Write a question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, archetypal hero patterns, for example?

Example: What does Bradbury accomplish by making Clarisse McClellan so different from all the other female characters in the book?