Syllabus | Third Quarter's Assignments Revised: Mar. 15, 2007
[First Quarter's Assignments] [Second Quarter's Assignments]
Week of January 22 to 26 (Beginning of Second Semester and Third Quarter)
Tues	No Class
Wed	Journal #19 (College, what's next?). Intro to college essays section. Handouts: What NOT to do: an example of a really bad college application essay, College Essay Blunders (Berkeley), Characteristics of a Good Personal Statement (Berkeley), College Essay Writing Tips (CollegeBoard.com), The Personal Statement For Freshmen (Berkeley), real-life college entrance essay questions from several institutions. Hmwk: finish reading handouts.
Thurs	[Music Festival] Read "The Lumber Room" & "Sredni Vashtar," by H. H. Munro (Saki). No hmwk.
Fri	[Music Festival] Work period. No hmwk.
Week of January 29 to February 2
Tues	Review real-life essay questions hndt. Pick one question that interests you. Notes on board about writing process. Begin thinking/planning stage in class. [cluster sheet] Hmwk: complete thinking/planning stage. Come to class tomorrow ready to draft. Make sure you have made decisions about your purpose, your audience, the thesis statement, topic sentences and examples for your essay.
Wed	Check off thinking/planning stage (thesis, topic sentences, examples, other notes). Quickly draft your college entrance essay. Don't worry about proofreading/editing at this point. Just get down all of your ideas. Hmwk: complete handwritten rough draft of essay.
Thurs	Analyze structural elements of essay: thesis, topic sentences, intro & concl. Use purpose and thesis to help you eliminate extra ideas and focus on important ideas. Cross out, draw arrows, draft additional paragraphs--as necessary. Hmwk: word process rough draft.
Fri	Due: word-processed rough draft. Peer reviewing. No hmwk.
Week of February 5 to 9
Tues	Editing/proofreading stage. Handouts. Sign up for individual conferences to be held during Wed. & Thurs. class periods. Hmwk: create draft to bring to individual conference with Mrs. Dibben. Bring two identical copies: one for you to read aloud and the other for Mrs. Dibben to make notes on during the conference. (This will be returned to you for your reference.)
Wed	Due: conference draft. Individual conferences during class time. Hmwk: complete editing and proofreading of your essay. Word-process final draft. Due Friday (with all previous drafts)--at the beginning of class.
Thurs	Due: conference draft. Individual conferences during class time & appts. Hmwk: complete editing and proofreading of your essay. Word-process final draft. Due Friday (with all previous drafts)--at the beginning of class.
Fri	Due: final draft of college entrance essay. Put final draft into folder. Arrange all previous drafts, notes, etc., in reverse chronological order behind the final draft. Journal #20 (If you were five years older . . .). Begin mini unit on H.H. Munro (Saki). "[W]hile he recognized [animals'] ruthless struggle for survival, he habitually contrasted their instinctive decency and bravery with the sorry spectacle of human behavior." (Munro biographer, Charles Gillen quoted in classroom text)] No hwmk.
Week of February 12 to 16
Tues	Journal #21 (Untimed, to be handed in: YOUR writing process. How do you best think/plan, draft, revise, edit/proofread? How can the conference be better?). Read aloud "The Disappearance of Crispina Underleigh," by H. H. Munro (Saki). Hwmk: Read "The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope," by H. H. Munro (Saki).
Wed	Reading quiz over two Saki stories assigned yesterday. Read "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger" and "The Recessional," by H. H. Munro (Saki). Hmwk: complete reading of "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger" and "The Recessional."
Thurs	Due: annotations for "The Recessional." Reading quiz over yesterday's stories. Review annotations. Read "The Hen" and "Louise," by H. H. Munro (Saki). Hmwk: Prepare for tomorrow's questions for discussion.
Fri	Questions for discussion: How does "the sorry spectacle of human behavior" feature in each of this week's stories? (Feel free to include other Saki stories you have read, too.) ["The Lumber Room" & "Sredni Vashtar"] Is H. H. Munro ultimately optimistic or pessimistic about human nature? Why? What are Munro's standards for human decency and behavior? Can humans reach those standards? If so, under what conditions? If not, why not? Would you want to reach his standards for behavior in your social relationships? No hmwk.
Week of February 19 to 23
Tues	Journal #22 (What is "temptation"? How are you best tempted? What tempts you?) Intro to Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis. Read back cover, Preface. Understand "irony" and "satire" as used in Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #1 & 2 and discuss main points. Hwmk: Understand "irony" and "satire" as used in Screwtape Letters. Read Letter #3. Write paragraph summaries for Letters #1 & 2 (to be submitted to Turnitin.com by midnight tomorrow night. Include in each summary: main arguments, main temptations, and personal reflections--as appropriate. [Practice reading quiz over Letters #1 & 2]
Wed	[PUC Basketball Tournament] Return essays. Optional re-writes due next Tuesday. Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters 3 & 4. Work on Letter #4 Study Questions. Hmwk: Work on paragraph summaries for Letters #3 & 4 (to be submitted Thursday night). Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #1 & 2 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight. Include in document: your name and the letter numbers of the summaries.
Thurs	[PUC Basketball Tournament] Continue with Screwtape Letters. Create a reading quiz over Letter #5 (#1,2: T/F questions; #3,4: questions requiring explanations; #5: analysis/application question). Hmwk: Read Letters #6 & 7. Complete paragraph summaries for Letters #3-7 (in one document). Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #3-7 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Fri	[PUC Basketball Tournament] Journal #23 (If I have a problem, I complain, blame others, make excuses OR take personal responsibility and set about trying to solve it constructively OR a bit of both? Explain.). Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #8 & 9. No hmwk.
Week of February 26 to March 2
Tues	Due: Optional re-writes of college entrance essays. Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #10 & 11. (We also read aloud Letter #12--in between marveling over the snow falling!). Work on paragraph summaries. Hmwk: Complete paragraph summaries for Letters #8-12. Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #8-12 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Wed	Snow Day: No Classes
Thurs	Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #13, 14 & 15. Work on paragraph summaries. Hmwk: Complete reading through Letter #17. Complete paragraph summaries to be submitted to Turnitin.com. Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #13-17 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Fri	Reading quiz over Letters #16 & 17. Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #18 & 19. Hmwk: Read Letters #20 & 21.
Week of March 5 to 9
Tues	Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #22 & 23. Discuss. Work on paragraph summaries. Hmwk: Complete paragraph summaries for Letters #18-22 (in one document). Read Letter #23. Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #18-22 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Wed	Reading quiz over Letter #23. Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #24 & 25. Discuss. Work on paragraph summaries. [Essay test options] Hmwk: Read Letter #26. Work on paragraph summaries to be submitted to Turnitin.com tomorrow evening.
Thurs	Synthesis qstn: Screwtape Letters was written in the 1940s--long before many things now commonly found in homes were widely available, or even invented. Write a letter from Screwtape to the devil of a patient alive now incorporating what you think C. S. Lewis would write about a specific feature that makes life today different than life in post-war Britain. Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read Letters #27 & 28. Work on paragraph summaries. [Essay test options] Hmwk: Complete paragraph summaries for Letters #23-27. Read Letter #29. Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #23-27 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Fri	[Band members missing] Extended class period: those who are here watch Driving Miss Daisy. Hmwk: Read Letters #30 & 31. [Essay test options]
Week of March 12 to 16
Tues	Continue with Screwtape Letters. Read aloud "Screwtape Proposes a Toast." [Essay test options] Hmwk: Complete paragraph summaries for Letters #28-31. Submit: Paragraph summaries for Letters #28-31 (in one document) to Turnitin.com by midnight tonight.
Wed	Questions to Ponder about "Screwtape Proposes a Toast." Review for essay test. Hmwk: Prepare for test. [Essay test options]
Thurs	Test: Screwtape Letters. [Essay test options] No hmwk. Have a GREAT Senior Trip!
Fri	No class: Senior Class Trip
Week of March 19 to 20 (End of Third Quarter)
Tues	No class: Senior Class Trip
March 21 to April 1: Spring Break