Reading Comprehension Practice Today

Continue to work on your reading and annotations of Letter From A Birmingham Jail.  Remember it is due on Wednesday (3/5) when you walk into class.

Continue your work on your 1920's project.  You should have finished some preliminary research and planned out the order of your slide show.

Horatio Alger Scholarship is available to students who have overcome adversity and demonstrate financial need.  Scholarship is for juniors and due this summer.  Please see the form to look over the requirements to apply.  This is a great opportunity to get a scholarship and have a lot of your education paid for.  Horatio Alger Scholarship Info

Finally, today we will practice some reading comprehension.  You will be given a practice test from the Cal State University English Placement Test.  First, we will look at some reading comprehension strategies to use during the test and all of your reading.  Then be prepared to take the test.

Dr. Martin Luther King & A Letter From Birmingham Jail

We continue our unit on transformational thinkers and the use of civil disobedience.  Today we will look at civil disobedience and its affects in the United States.  Specifically, the civil rights movement and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King.  We will look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From A Birmingham Jail.  First, I want to watch a short video about the history behind the letter.

Please carefully read and annotate Letter From A Birmingham Jail.  Please highlight you 5 favorite quotes from the letter.  We will discuss the letter in detail when you turn in it at the beginning of class on Wednesday, March 5th.

Continue to work on you 1920's projects.  I am giving you a lot of time to work on and perfect this project.  I have very high expectations for your presentations so DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.  Make sure you are doing your own research beyond the textbook; you are able to present information or details on what you find interesting.  If you think the information is boring, then your presentation will most likely be boring; so find something that peaks your interest.

We will be creating new descriptions of your internships to display in the classroom.  It will more informative and better looking for our classroom than the current list.  Here is the example.  Please fill out all required info and be creative, this will go up on the board so make it pretty.  This will be due by Friday, March 7th.

Gandhi

Today we will discuss the life and achievements of Monandes K. Gandhi.  Then we will read and analyze a speech that he made on civil disobedience.

You can find the speech on pg. 377 in your English book.  Please read through it carefully and think about his words.  Do the following outline and then write a 2 paragraph response.  The first paragraph describing the main ideas and the second paragraph will be your thoughts or commentary.  Please staple together and turn in on Wednesday (2/26) when you walk into class.

Continue working on your 1920's history project.  Please meet with me if you have any questions

It is time to start registering for the ACT if you plan to take it in March.  Registration deadline for the test on April 12th is March 7th.  Remember the ACT is much different than the SAT and many students get better scores.  Colleges will replace your SAT score with ACT if you do better.  You all should strongly consider taking it on April 12th.

Mrs. Leonard has put together a contest for Read Across America.  We can choose to participate by decorating our class door in some sort of fun reading theme.  The advisory with the best decorated door will win an ice cream sundae party.  Would you all want to participate???

Finally, check your handout form Mrs. Badger on Starting Your Own Business.  #3 on the quiz should be true, but she may have graded incorrectly.  Check your quiz and if this happened to you please take it to Mrs. Badger to get your points.

1920's Project & Civil Disobedience Quiz

Today we will begin our project on the 1920's.  You have been assigned your groups and designated topics to study.  Take time to research your topic beyond your text book and find some things that interest you. 1920's Project

Today for English we will be taking our Civil Disobedience Quiz.  Please take before the end of 1st period advisory.

For those of you with Mesa College classes we will be getting our ID's soon.  Please print out this form, fill it out and return to Mrs. Villegas by Monday. Mesa ID Form

Due Dates!
PE and Computer Science is due today
Book Reviews are just around the corner.  Make sure you are finishing up your books.  Also, be sure to look at updated instructions for reviews on the blog and the new list for books you may be interested in the next 6 weeks.

Welcome Back!

Today you will turn in your annotations for "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau.  After I check them off and give you credit I will return them to you so you can study for the quiz on Friday.  The quiz consists of 10 short answer questions about the text.  After the quiz on Friday we will learn about Gandhi and his thoughts on civil disobedience and how he used these ideals to defeat the British Empire in India.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  Though the quote is about the French Revolution, it wonderfully describes our next unit on the 1920's in America.  The "Jazz Age" or "Roaring 20's" was an era of new found prosperity and freedom, but these new freedoms also brought widespread fear and change.  A time of prohibition and the temperance movement brought about rise of bootleggers, gangsters, and "speakeasies".  During the "Harlem Renaissance" African American arts and ideas flourished, though African Americans still faced widespread discrimination.  New ideals led to new trends in fashion, music, and arts including literature of the "Lost Generation".

For our project on the 20's you will work in groups of 2 to present on a topic of your choice.  Please discuss with your partner and turn in a paper or notecard with your top 3 choices from the following:

African American Experience                  Change Brings Fear                        Role of Women
Rights of African Americans                     Anti-Immigration                          Women in Workplace
Harlem Renaissance                                   Red Scare                                      Right to Vote
Negro Leagues                                           Rise of the Klan                             "Flappers"
Black Artists, Poets, and Musicians          Science & Religion Clash              "Double Standard"

Politics, Corruption, & Rise of Gangster         Changing Culture               Business & Labor
Harding Presidency                                          Fashion                              New Urban Scene
Teapot Dome Scandal                                      Sports                      Workers Strike/Labor Unrest
Prohibition                                                       Music & Art                   "Superficial Prosperity"
Al Capone & Rise of Organized Crime           Literature & Poetry       Henry Ford & Automobile

Test Corrections

Today you will get back your test on WW1.  If you received less than a 14/20 you may do test corrections to bring your grade up to a 14.  To receive credit you must write in complete sentences the answer to all questions you missed and turn in to me before the 21st.  Since you may use your notes or the book make sure you completely answer each question.

SAT PRACTICE ESSAY

Finally, today we have an SAT practice write.  You will have 25 minutes to organize and write your essay.

WWI Test Today! Civil Disobedience & SAT/ACT Prep

Civil Disobedience annotations are due on Wednesday (2/19).  Remember for those of you with internships this will be your last day to ask me questions in class due to Presidents day 4 day weekend.  Please ask any questions you may have about the reading.

Chapter test on WW1 will be handed out today.  There will be no notes or discussion, so please complete the test quietly.

For those of you taking the ACT below are webinars (online lectures through youtube) that run about 45 minutes long to help study and boost your scores.  They are from Method Test Prep, and you may want to follow or check out their youtube channel for more great SAT/ACT resources.  Remember, due to content filter here at school they must be viewed at home.

ACT: Raise Your Score by 4 Points (General info about whats on the test, when to take, etc.)
ACT English Class
ACT Math Class
ACT Reading
ACT Science

Finally, we have an SAT Mini Math Class for $10.  This is a live online class for math concepts and strategies for the SAT.  The class will take place on February 20th.

Civil Disobedience

Today we will begin reading Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and annotating the work to better understand it.  Please read and take notes (highlight important passages, annotate, write definitions, and translate into your own words) to make sure you understand.  The text is available here online and in the book on pg. 369.  Annotations are due on Wednesday (2/19) and we will have a quiz on the reading on Friday (2/21).  You will notice that these texts are building on each other as we move along.  Take a look at Thoreau's bio to help get context for this work. Civil Disobedience. 
Please meet with me if you have any questions I would be happy to go over with you individually or in small groups.

You have a history test on Chapter 11 World War 1 on Wednesday (2/12).  Make sure you are looking over your notes and studying key concepts to prepare for the test.  the test will be similar to the quiz and you will have to demonstrate your knowledge about the war and time period in complete sentences.

Happy Friday! & SAT Practice

Another week down! Happy Friday to everyone.  We do have a lot of work to get done before we can start the weekend.

Your history notes for section 4 are due today.  I will check off your notes then hand them back to you along with the rest of your notes for chapter 11.  I want you to use these notes to study for your test which will be given on Wednesday (2/12/14).

Your annotations and essay on "Self Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson is due on Monday.  Please see me and I will be happy to go through the text with you.  I know much of the language is old and dense at some points.  However, the more you look at the work of Emerson, and Thoreau next, I think you will really like their message.

SAT and ACT Test Dates

I wanted to show you the SAT and ACT test dates so you can plan when you want to take this tests.  I know some of you are already registered or planning to take the SAT in March.  I want you guys to take a look and plan when you want to take these tests and how you want to plan to ensure you get a score that you are happy with and will allow you to achieve your goals after high school.

SAT

March 8th

May 3rd

June 7th

ACT

April 12th 

June 14th

September 13th

October 25th

Differences between SAT & ACT 

SAT Essay Practice

Today we will plan and then take a practice SAT essay write.  You will have 25 minutes to write the essay from this prompt:

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Frederick Douglass once said, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle." He was right. Progress is something that must be fought for; without conflict, progress simply does not occur.

Assignment: Does progress result only from struggle and conflict? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

Self Reliance & College Info

Today we will be reading and annotating and except from "Self Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Emerson, a transcendentalist, was a great poet and essayist who stressed the importance of the individual.  Please write down in your own words the main point of each paragraph provided.  There will be some difficult vocabulary that you may need to look up online.  Also, it is in your English textbook (pg. 363) which offers some notes and definitions.  Once finished with you reading and annotations please take a look at your short essay prompt.  I will be working with students is small groups at the end of first period or during your IWT for students who would like to work through this together.  Your completed annotations and essay are due on Monday (2/10).

For History, your final section (section 4 pg. 398) notes for this chapter are due on Friday (2/7) and your chapter test will be on Wednesday (2/12).  You have a quiz on sections 1 & 2 today!  Please get the test from me during your US History or IWT period.  Quiz must be completed in my room.

College Info

I'm First is a college support website for first generation college students.  It offers support, college searches, scholarship info, and more.  It is a great resource for first generation college bound students and highlights schools that have a high need or desire for first gen. students.

Ecampus tours is another great college resources.  It provides very in depth virtual campus tours, that give you an idea of what the campus is like.  It also offers scholarships, tips on how to pay for college, and college planning for both students and parents.  Going to college takes hard work and is up to YOU! to get this accomplished.  It's never to early to start planning for college and these are the type of sites you should start signing up for.

Speaking of campus tours, now is a good time to start planning some.  No online tool, however effective, can replace seeing a campus for yourself and taking a tour.  Student guides (usually volunteers) take you through campus and can answer questions and really give you a student perspective on what campus life is like.  This is a great way to see the campus and surrounding area to see what it may be like spending the next 4 (or more) years of your life there.  Choosing a college is an extremely important choice in your life; not only because of the education you will receive (though also extremely important obviously) but the people you will meet and place you will live for some of the most exciting and difficult years of your life.  Spring break, which begins on March 31st,  is a great time to get out and view some of these colleges.  Talk to your parents about a possible road trip over the break.  This is a great way for you to talk to your parents about college and get them excited about the prospect of you attending college as well.  I understand it is difficult for many parents to get away, so consider taking the train (with your parents permission of course).  Amtrak offers a pretty inexpensive way to travel to colleges in the Southern California area.  Colleges like UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach, UCLA, UC Riverside, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, CSU San Marcos, etc. are all a day away.  Also, we have 3 great universities right here in San Diego that are a quick drive or bus ride away.  Even if you don't plan to attend or even apply to that college it is a good idea to take a tour.  This gives you an idea of the amenities, etc. that different colleges offer that you like and don't like and what you want to look for when touring/choosing your own college.

Finally, REGISTER FOR THE SAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!