Here is a list of English assignments past, to avoid cluttering the
more current assignments page. Blog posts are in caps, and hard copy assignments to turn in to Dr. Preston are in bold.
October
- Finish reading the play and prepare to discuss who dies, how, why, and so what. Assigned 10/31.
- TOOLS THAT CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK: read "tools that change the way we think" and post your comments to your blog. Assigned 10/30.
- VOCABULARY #9. Assigned 10/30.
- Read Hamlet Act IV. Assigned 10/29.
- THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS): explain how your thinking about the play has evolved from the time we began reading to the end of Act III. Has anything changed your mind about the plot or characters since the ghost showed up at midnight? Where do you see things going from here? Assigned 10/29.
- THE PERFORMATIVE UTTERANCE IN HAMLET: read "The Performative Utterance in Hamlet" and take notes to post to your blog. Assigned 10/29.
- FILTER BUBBLES: Watch Eli Pariser's talk on "Filter Bubbles." Assigned 10/29. Please respond to the following questions in a comment to the post AND on your blog:
- a) What new information did you learn from the video?
- b) How does this information make you think differently about what you see online?
- c) What questions does this video raise about the Internet in general?
- d) How can you improve the effectiveness of your searches?
- WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT ACT III: study Act III and put the results on your blog. Assigned 10/25.
- Reminder: memorize Hamlet's "To Be Or Not To Be" soliloquy (Act III, Scene i) by Monday, 10/28. If you don't want to recite it in class the traditional way, Dr. Preston is open for suggestions! Assigned 10/14.
- Evaluative Introspection: complete the form (you can write on paper if doc doesn't download or print) to prepare for 1-to-1 grade conference. Assigned 10/24.
- (Re)read Act III of Hamlet. Assigned 10/24.
- Reminder: Literature Analysis #3 due
Friday, October 18 Friday, October 25 (everyone say thank you Dr. Preston!)
- Preview Act III of Hamlet. Assigned 10/23.
- Study vocab for our quiz tomorrow, 10/23.
- Coordinate your Hamlet group presentation for tomorrow, Tuesday 10/22. Assigned 10/21.
- Reminder: make sure you read and understand Act II by Friday, 10/18. (We will probably have a test on it sometime soon)
- VOCABULARY #8: post definitions and sentences to your blogs if you haven't already. (Note: For practice, try writing sentences in the form of a paragraph [or several] that describe what you know about Hamlet so far and how the character is similar to and/or different from others you've read.) Reminder: quiz is tomorrow (Wednesday, 10/16). Assigned 10/15.
- Please preview Act II of Hamlet for tomorrow. (The test might be next Monday, 10/21.) Assigned 10/14.
- Reminder: study vocabulary for a quiz on Wednesday, 10/16.
- DEAR OPHELIA: Imagine that you write an advice column and you receive a letter that says, My name is O, and I'm trapped in this weird sort of dating thing-- a prince says he loves me, but my father & brother hate him and tell me to stay away. What should I do? (Tip: use the opportunity to play with Vocabulary #8.) Assigned 10/11.
- Finish reading Act I for interesting conversation and possible quiz Monday. Assigned 10/11.
- Please comment to this post regarding Chaucer and P2P evaluation ideas. Assigned 10/10.
- Please read and comment on Hamlet's first big soliloquy. Assigned 10/10.
- LITERARY FICTION & EMPATHY: Please read this article and post a response to your blog about it. How can reading fiction help you understand others? Use Hamlet as an example to explore your own thinking process and reactions to a character's innermost thoughts/struggles. Assigned 10/10.
- Read Act I Scene i (script here). Assigned 10/9.
- UNNAMED HAMLET ASSIGNMENT: Find at least three other learning communities that are studying Hamlet (in an AP class, a college/university course, or independently). Introduce yourself and use the principles of "The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online" to do exactly that! Report the experience(s) on your blog. Assigned 10/9.
- Research Hamlet online and answer the following questions (with citations for any website you consult and/or quote) in comments to this post: (Assigned 10/9)
- 1) What is the play about?
- 2) Why is interpreting the play such a challenge? Why doesn't everyone agree on what the play "says" or "means"?
- Finish the ending to your Chaucer story with your group and incorporate all of the words from Vocabulary #7 and post it to your blog (this is in place of posting definitions and sentences). Assigned 10/8.
- SO MY MAIN POINT WAS/WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS: please articulate your thesis for Friday's Chaucer essay (in a clear, brilliant style unencumbered by time and assigned vocabulary). Assigned and reassigned with different titles 10/7 and 10/8, respectively.
- GREEN EGGS & HAMLET: Answer these "Pre-Will" questions: (Assigned 10/8)
- a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?
- b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
- c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
- d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
- Study vocabulary for the test tomorrow, Wednesday 10/9.
- Begin reading book for LITERATURE ANALYSIS #3. Assigned 10/7.
- IF I JUST HAD MORE TIME: explain how you could improve your preparation for and/or performance on today's midterm. Assigned 10/4.
- Select a book from the AP Reading List for Literature Analysis #3. Assigned 10/4.
- Solve Dr. Preston's riddle with your group. If you need a hint, join the Google Group! Assigned 10/2.
- LITERATURE ANALYSIS #2, due Friday, 10/4, at 5:00 pm.
- Study vocabulary for midterm Friday, 10/4.
- Upload your group's story to the etherpad (please include your group's name and members as a title) if you haven't yet. Assigned 10/3.
- THE COMPARISON'S TALE: explain how at least one of the tales you learned about from other groups shared Chaucer's choices of style/theme/tone with the tale your group read. Assigned 10/2.
- TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE: Read the Canterbury tale your group chose and post a summary to your blog. In addition to summarizing, answer the following questions: 1. Explain the central character of the tale by analyzing five (5) examples of indirect characterization; 2. What is Chaucer's purpose in telling this character's tale? Is he satirizing society, giving the voiceless a voice, or trying to accomplish a different goal? [Support your argument with textual evidence.] Assigned 10/1.
September
- Familiarize yourself with the etherpad. Assigned 9/25.
- CHARACTER STUDY (III): invite your three East/West characters on the journey (see Key & Peele videos 1 & 2)-- and get started by describing the meet-up and departure. Assigned 9/26.
- CHARACTER STUDY (II): write your character into the emerging story you and your colleagues are creating. Assigned 9/25.
- Visit ≥ 5 of your colleagues' blogs and comment/ask questions re: their literature analysis #1. Assigned 9/25.
- <UNNAMED NETVIBES ASSIGNMENT> Create Netvibes (or Symbaloo dashboard, set as browser launch page, and describe in a post to your blog. Assigned 9/24.
- CHARACTER STUDY (I): use in/direct characterization to write yourself as a fictional character preparing to embark upon a journey. Assigned 9/24.
- CANTERBURY TALES (I): list any observations about the Prologue. These may include questions, vocabulary, predictions, literary techniques, and quotes/elements that you found especially effective or memorable. *Which character's story do you most want to read? Assigned 9/24.
- VOCABULARY #6: post definitions and sentences. Assigned 9/23.
- Application packet: put together your résumé, personal statement/s, and >2 letters of recommendation (or if you don't have them yet, write a note explaining whom you've asked, when you asked them, etc.) due Friday, 9/20.
- WHAT A CHARACTER: please describe a fictional character that made an impression on you. What was it about this character that made him/her memorable? Can you distinguish/identify literary techniques that contributed to the overall effect? Assigned 9/18.
- Post your Literature Analysis #2 book choice here.
- Bede & Chaucer notes: Read/review Bede (pp.74-82) & read Prologue to Canterbury Tales (pp.90-115) in textbook-- please take active reading notes on paper. Due Wednesday, 9/18.
- VOCABULARY #5: post definitions/sentences.
- Update TIP and bring to class Tuesday, 9/17.
- DECLARATION OF LEARNING INDEPENDENCE: write a blog post detailing how you will use Collaborative Working Groups, SMART goals, and Big Questions to make your learning experience your own. Assigned 9/16.
- Ask 5-7 people to write you a letter of recommendation. Assigned 9/13.
- LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1: due Friday, 9/13.
- ALL OF THE ABOVE: Correct your multiple choice answers on the 1987 AP Exam (the key is on p. 24) and analyze your performance. Did you meet your own expectations? Did you surprise yourself in any way? Are there certain kinds of questions that you got right/wrong? Assigned 9/11.
- Start your Time Investment Portfolio. Assigned 9/10.
- Read five Beowulf essays and comment on the author's thesis. Assigned 9/10.
- VOCABULARY #4: Assigned 9/9.
- BEOWULF ESSAY due Monday, 9/9.
- WILL STUDY FOR FOOD: find a scholarship worth applying for and report on the scholarship (or the temporary futility of your search). Explain what you need scholarship $ for and how much you hope/intend to earn. If you haven't yet, this is a good time to start analyzing costs of school and living in order to determine where to set your fundraising bar. Assigned 9/4.
- VOCABULARY #3: assigned 9/3.
August
- WHY THIS BOOK?: Choose first literary analysis book, post choice/reason to your blog, and start/continue reading. Assigned 8/30.
- Read "From Scroll to Screen" and comment to the post with your views on e-readers versus books. Assigned 8/30.
- Read "The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online". Assigned 8/29.
- Sign up for Literature Analysis #1 (Period 3, Period 4, Period 5). Assigned 8/28.
- Personal Statement Worksheet: read the worksheet, write your personal statements, and bring a hard copy draft (preferably typed but neatly written OK) to class Thursday, 8/29.
- Review "The Beginnings of English" in textbook (p.12). Assigned 8/27.
- VOCABULARY #2: Assigned 8/26.
- Finish the Beowulf questions and post the answers to your blog. At the beginning, please describe how you went about it (whether you worked individually or in a group, in person or online, how much time it took, etc.). Assigned 8/23.
- BEOWULF QUESTIONS. Assigned 8/22.
- Read the first section of the Beowulf modern text (Prologue-Chapter X) here. Assigned 8/21.
- Read the excerpts from Beowulf in your textbook (pp.31-60) and take notes. Assigned 8/21.
- MY OPINION ISN'T (A) RIGHT: please post your notes from the Socratic Seminar (Friday, 8/16) and/or your "Right to Your Opinion" reading notes to your course blog. Assigned 8/20.
- Read pp. 2-14 in the textbook. Assigned 8/20.
- VOCABULARY #1: Assigned 8/19.
- Read your partner's 1987 AP essays and evaluate according to the AP Scoring Guidelines. Due Friday, 8/23.
- REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 1: Assigned 8/19.
- AUSTEN/MONTAIGNE ESSAY: due Monday, 8/19.
- Read the Personal Statement Worksheet and complete the Senior Resume Worksheet, due Monday, 8/19.
- 1987 AP Exam: Take the 1987 AP Exam and write yourself notes about which questions you found easy, which questions you found challenging, and which questions will haunt your dreams until you pass the exam. Answers can either be on your course blog or hard copy; notes should be on your blog. Due Monday, 8/19.
- Read "The Right to Your Opinion". Assigned 8/14.
- POETRY #1: Assigned 8/13.
- ESSAY #1: Assigned 8/13.
- Research the following quote, translate it, and explain its relevance to this moment/course in a brief comment to this post: "dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe." Assigned 8/13.
Summer
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