Blue Sophs--Vocab Unit 9 due Friday

Rows 1-3 work with words 1-10. Rows 4-6 work with words 11-20. As always, post ten sentences giving contextual clues to the meaning of the words.

Yellow Sophs--Vocab Unit 9--due Friday

Rows 1-3 work with words 1-10. Rows 4-6 work with words 11-20. As always, post ten sentences giving contextual clues to the meaning of the words.

Friday, May 10th ...Shhh!

Shhh! Don't tell anyone. 

If anyone even mentions "Gatsby," you say, "Gatsby, what Gatsby?"

We're taking over the movie theater for the opening. 

Soph in-class writing make-up

In a well-organized 12-15 sentence paragraph, write about ONE of the following topics found in The Catcher in the Rye. Note a minimum of four specific incidents and/or even lines (quotations) from the novel.

1.       The Catcher in the Rye both values and criticizes education and the educational system.

2.       Allie, Jane, or Phoebe (you will write about one) each presents both hope and problems for Holden.

3.       True to the Peter Pan syndrome, Holden prefers that things remain the same while he dislikes change or growth.

4.       The Catcher in the Rye criticizes American materialism.

Post before the end of class. You might want to work in a Word document and save periodically so that your work will not be lost in case of computer or electronic problems. 

February 25 Lab Day for Sophomores--Yellow Section

Today in the lab I would like you to read through the blog responses to #1 Soph Journal, From a Different Point of View for YOUR section. This blog was posted on February 15.

Comment on three of the better responses, specifically explaining why you liked each of the three in a few sentences (3-5 each).

Complete for homework and post here!

February 25 Lab Day for Sophomores--Blue Class

Today in the lab I would like you to read through the blog responses to #1 Soph Journal, From a Different Point of View for YOUR section. This blog was posted on February 15.

Comment on three of the better responses, specifically explaining why you liked each of the three in a few sentences (3-5 each).

Complete for homework and post here!

Catcher in-class writing help for Friday's class

For tomorrow’s in-class writing, you will be asked to write about one or two of the following topics found in The Catcher in the Rye in organized paragraphs in which you note specific incidents and even lines (quotations) from the novel. Prepare some brief notes on each since you won’t know about which topics you may write.You may use notes for this writing assignment, but definitely not printed "outside" sources.

The Catcher in the Rye both values and criticizes education and the educational system. 

Catching and falling imagery and how each relates to the novel’s theme

Allie, Jane, or Phoebe (you will write about one, if given the option) as each presents both hope and problems for Holden

Holden’s preference for things to remain the same—dislike of change and/or growth

The Catcher in the Rye as a criticism of American materialism

The Catcher in the Rye as a criticism of a morally corrupt world.

The Catcher in the Rye essay- due March 4

Assignment: Write a three to four page, five-paragraph analytical essay on The Catcher in the Rye.

Format: MLA style (heading, title, double-spaced, numbered pages)

Special instructions: Circle your central idea.

Underline your thesis statement in your first paragraph.

Underline your topic sentences in your body paragraphs.

Due date: March 4

What is an analytical essay?

An analytical essay "analyzes" some method, writing technique, or motif of the author that YOU have noticed or that WE have discussed in class. That method might be some motif (like materialism) or theme (like Holden's desire to save childhood innocence). That method might be the use of characters to reveal some theme (like the use of Ackley, Stradlater, and Sally Hayes to show "phony" adolescents). That method might analyze settings, objects, symbols, etc.

Here is a review of the many motifs and themes from Catcher that we have covered from which you might come up with a central idea: religious hypocrisy, corruptive nature of money, phoniness of the adult world, phoniness of the adolescent world, falling imagery, catching imagery, Catcher in the Rye symbols, etc.

The manner in which you present your analysis might be through analyzing characters, their actions, their descriptions, or their dialogue. You might want to analyze by looking at objects, specific scenes, or settings in the book. This is up to you. This decision becomes your thesis statement.

You are pointing out what you've noticed through your analysis. After I read your analytical paper, theoretically, when I re-read the novel, I will do so with an understanding that I did not have before.

You are NOT to use any outside sources at all! Doing so will result in a grade of zero for plagiarism.

Here are examples of a central idea and a thesis statement for your essay. In your essay, I'd like you to circle your central idea and underline your thesis statement. You may NOT write about this central idea and thesis statement!

Central idea (this is a clear statement of the point that you wish to make by your analysis of the novel)

e.g. Holden's heroes are idealized innocent children, a notion that contributes to his problem of not wanting to grow up.

Thesis statement (this is a sentence or sentences that include how you wish to prove the central idea)

e.g. Without an adult role model, Holden looks to three inspirations to remain in his state of arrested development: his deceased brother Allie, his childhood friend Jane Gallagher, and his beloved younger sister Phoebe.

Style requirements for formal essays

Be formal with your language (do not use contractions, slang, figures of speech)

Do not ask rhetorical questions

Write in the third person about the novel

Write about the events of the story in the present tense

#1 Soph journal---From a Different Point of View

If you don't trust Holden as a reliable narrator, how about if you tell your version of the story?

YOU, of course, are NOT you.

You will now retell some part of the Holden chronicles from the point of view of any one of the OTHER characters in the book, like Mr. Spencer, Phoebe, Stradlater, Ackley, Jane Gallagher, Sally Hayes, Mr. Antolini, etc. If you don't want to retell any one incident, then just tell me what you think of this Holden character and explain why you feel the way you do.

In completing this assignment, try to imagine how your character would "talk" to the reader. In other words, don't make your character sound like Holden.

Any worthwhile and creative assignment of this type is going to be at least "a million crumby" words. Sorry, Holden managed for a minute to slip his thoughts into my blog. Let's try for a minimum of 500.

Yellow Class Vocab Unit 8

Rows 1-3 work with words 1-10. Rows 4-6 work with words 11-20. As always, post ten sentences giving contextual clues to the meaning of the words.

Blue Vocab Unit 8

Rows 1-3 work with words 1-10. Rows 4-6 work with words 11-20. As always, post ten sentences giving contextual clues to the meaning of the words.