What/When
You will write down the homework (and a learning reflection) each day at the start (and the end) of class, and I record the daily agenda in the Class Binder and on this web site (On the Daily Agenda page). BUT sometimes it's nice to look ahead to see what's coming up. For MAJOR assignments, upcoming major exams, ongoing reading schedules (for a whole novel, say), this is the place to look!
The last day for any and all late and make-up work for the semester is FRIDAY, JUNE 11th. Unused bathroom and latework passes will be collected the following Monday and Tuesday for extra credit!
This term we get new vocab words (and roots/prefixes/suffixes) every Monday, and the quiz is every Friday. For the suffix quizzes (these last two weeks) you only need to know the definitions of the vocab words, not the meanings of the suffixes-- but by the second quiz, you'll need to be able to identify what part of speech a word is (suffixes can determine part of speech!).
Our last unit of the term is Romeo and Juliet, always a favorite among students. We'll be making a portfolio of work throughout this unit, so students and parents can check that (the table of contents for the portfolio lists dates each task should be completed by) to monitor progress; you don't want to find out at the last second that you are missing a TON of points! We'll be reading/acting out the play in class, watching the professional actors in the same scenes each day in the classic movie version, and wrapping things up with an exam at the end (no essay! Just the mostly creative writing tasks in the portfolio).
Some upcoming dates:
By June 2nd we'll finish reading R&J and you'll finish your last scene summaries and creative response for homework that night.
Between June 3rd and June 10th, when your portfolio is due, you'll be finishing the last assignments for the portfolio AND completing your Final Draft Piece, where you take one creative response and revise it and add an illustration. You'll also assemble your portfolio and give it an illustrated cover page. The complete portfolio is due THURSDAY (not Friday as the handout says) June 10th.
The R&J test study guide will be given out by Monday June 7th, we'll review in class that day and June 8th, and the R&J test is on June 9th. You should finish your portfolio work by then to prepare you for the test, but the portfolio will be collected the following day, June 10th.
We'll watch the modernized film version of R&J and write journal #5 in response, comparing and contrasting it with the traditional film and the play. ALL journals (from this term, BT and R&J, #1-5) are due the following week, Monday or Tuesday.
We'll be preparing for the course final exam on Monday and Tuesday June 14th and 15th (the study guide will be available to students to request it the previous week). This will include reviewing/practicing terms/skills as a class, and preparing an outline on a note card for the essay portion of the final. The final will be in class on Wednesday, June 16th. This means your final grades will be available sooner, and the final period will be available for checking that all books have been turned in, checking for mistakes in grades, some fun class activities, and signing yearbooks, etc.