"The Necklace" Full Text

Click HERE to read the full text of "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.

Section E - "The Pardoner's Tale" HW Questions due next class!

On a piece of loose leaf paper, please answer the following questions:

1. At the beginning of "The Pardoner's Tale," what are the three rioters doing?
2. What do the rioters find under the tree, and what do they decide to do as a result?
3. What finally happens to the rioters? How does it happen?
4. Situational irony occurs when there is a difference between the expected result and the actual result of a situation. Why is the ending of "The Pardoner's Tale" ironic?
5. EXTRA CREDIT (10 points!) - Draw a picture of Death as you imagine him personified in the tale! The best ones will be displayed in the classroom!

Sections B, C, G - "The Pardoner's Tale" HW Questions - Due next class!

On a sheet of loose leaf paper, respond to each of the following questions. Use your RAPP strategy (restate, answer, prove, proofread) to ensure that your response is thoughtful and complete.

1. Why do you think the rioters set out to kill death in the first place? Think about what they learn from the boy and the innkeeper, their view of themselves, and other factors that may influence or impair their judgment.
2. Is the old man's statement that the rioters can find death under the oak tree true? If so, how?
3. A literary theme is a large idea or universal message taken from a literary text. How does "The Pardoner's Tale" convey the theme that money is at the root of all evil?
4. How is personification used in this tale?

"The Pardoner's Tale" Full Text

Click HERE to read the full text of "The Pardoner's Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Brit Lit Twilight Zone Writing Assignment - Sections B & C due Wednesday 11/4, Section G due Fri 11/6

As we discussed in class, satire does not always use humor, but it does always criticize human behavior. Think about the element of irony in "Eye of the Beholder," the episode of The Twilight Zone we viewed in class. In a brief writing piece (2 pages, double spaced minimum), respond to the following prompt:  

How does "Eye of the Beholder" use satire to criticize standards of beauty and appearance?

In your piece, you should include the following

• An MLA heading (name, teacher's name, course, due date)
• MLA page numbers (last name followed by page number, upper right corner of page)
• An original title
• An interesting, attention-grabbing hook, a clearly-stated thesis
• paragraphs that include a topic sentence as well as concrete examples to illustrate your ideas

You may submit your paper via email or hard copy by the due date. If you need to re-watch the episode, it is available on iTunes or Netflix. You may also be able to find it on YouTube.

Journalism Ethics Group Project

Our project will be based on the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. This code, though unable to be legally enforced, is an agreed upon list of guidelines that was adopted by the SPJ in 1996, "after months of study and debate among the society's members."

Your task will be to work with your section group to create a mini lesson on a portion of the code, which will be assigned to you to teach to the rest of the class. You will be responsible for either a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to go along with your lesson. In addition, you must not only read off the bullet points, but incorporate hypothetical or real world situations to illustrate these points. You are encouraged to incorporate questioning of your "students," you may provide a handout, incorporate a game, present as a news broadcast, etc. Whatever you decide would be the best way to make your portion relatable and clear for your lesson is up to you.

Requirements

• Your presentation must be at least five minutes in length and include a visual portion (PowerPoint, Prezi, handout, etc.)
• Every member must present a portion of the lesson -- no one should be standing up there doing nothing
• When you work in your groups, you must be WORKING -- that means focused, on task, in a seat, and only speaking to those in your group. In addition to your group's project grade, I will be giving you an individual grade based on your conduct and contribution to the group
• WORK TOGETHER AND IN CLASS -- Don't just assign things for people to do--work together. Don't sit there and play games on your iPad or say you're going to do the work later. This is an in-class project, so it needs to be completed in class. There's always something you could be doing that is productive for the sake of your project. Sit together. Communicate clearly. Value everyone's ideas and negotiate in a professional manner.

Due Date: As of right now, I'm expecting you to be ready to present on Wednesday, November 4, after three and a half class periods dedicated to work. The deadline is flexible--if it needs to be moved up or down, it can be.

Asssignments:

• The News Section will teach Seek Truth and Report It
• The Sports Section will teach Minimize Harm
• The Lifestyle Section will teach Act Independently 
• The Entertainment Section will teach Be Accountable

Click HERE to view the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics.

British Lit HW Section E (Benilde) due Tuesday, October 27

Answer the following questions about The Canterbury Tales prologue in complete sentences on a sheet of loose leaf paper or via email.

1. What point of view does the narrator use when writing the prologue? How would the descriptions of the characters be different if they got to speak for themselves?
2. Which pilgrim would you most or least like to travel with? Why?
3. How does the narrator expose the flaws of the characters?

British Lit Sections B, C, & G - HW due Tuesday, October 27

In The Canterbury Tales prologue, Chaucer uses satire to criticize or mock the behaviors of most of the characters. He exposes their weaknesses, loose morals, and hypocrisies. Your task is to choose one of those characters and write a defense from their first person point of view. Have your character speak back to Chaucer, defending him or herself from Chaucer's criticisms. Chaucer has a lot to say about each character, and now is the chance for the characters to try to excuse or explain their behavior.

Your writing should be at least a paragraph (5-7 sentences) in length, and should either be emailed to abongiorno@hudsoncatholic.org or written neatly on a clean sheet of loose leaf paper to be handed in.

Section B, C, G - "The Seafarer" HW - due next class!

On a sheet of looseleaf paper, repond to the following questions about "The Seafarer." You should answer in complete sentences that restate the question. I'm looking for effort and evidence of thought. To read the poem digitally, click HERE.

1. Identify the elements of this elegy that are pagan and those that are Christian. Give some examples for each. Which do you think the speaker (narrator) does a better job of expressing? In other words, which part do you respond to more? Why?
2. What does this poem have in common with Beowulf? What's different?
3. What kind of mood/atmosphere is achieved in this poem? In other words, what kind of feeling does the poem build in the reader/listener? What is this poem's literary theme? What does it have to say about life?

Journalism Essay due Wed 9/30

Take either side of the following question and write an essay of at least four paragraphs: Should the American press be restricted by the government? Consider these related questions:

• If it should be restricted, who decides what the restrictions would be?
• What would the penalty be for violating the restrictions?
• Would such restrictions change the nature of American life? How?
• Are such changes good or bad? Why?

Study Guide Questions for Beowulf Exam

• What are alliteration, caesura, and kenning?
• How is Beowulf an epic hero?
• What is an epic?
• What is hubris?
• What point of view is Beowulf written in?
• How were the battles alike and different?
• What are the outcomes of the three battles?
• Who are the major characters?
• What are the major settings?
• What time period is Beowulf from, and how was it originally told?

Brit Lit B, C, D, E - Gothic Short Story Assignment

Directions:

v You will be writing a Gothic short story. Your story must include a theme (central idea) of dualism, such as a character struggling with the good and evil within him or her, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

v Your short story will need a main character, a Gothic setting, an interesting conflict, and an eventual resolution to the conflict.

v For some help in planning your story, follow the basic story plot formats below.

v Your story must be 2 double-spaced pages in length, typed and printed. The first draft will be due in class on September 28. On that day, we will have a peer revision workshop in which you and your classmates will exchange stories and offer feedback/suggestions for revision.

v On October 5, you will need to come to class with your final draft, original draft, and classmates’ feedback in a neat, organized stack. You will be graded on this, so don’t lose any of these important elements. You will also give a brief presentation of one part of your story for the entire class, which will be graded as a quiz.

v You may add illustrations and/or photos to help bring your story to life, but you must follow the guidelines of MLA for formatting.

v Above all else, I’ll be looking at your work for creativity, effort, and a clear understanding of the Gothic. Altogether, this project is worth a test grade AND a quiz grade.

Journalism News Story HW - due Wednesday, September 16

To be presented in class Wednesday:

• You are a reporter on assignment. You can go anywhere in the world and cover any story. Write a news story of 250 words using the inverted pyramid and T/Q formula. The content of the article can be totally fabricated, but it should be written in a way that seems convincing and is objective. Include a headline and two (2) direct quotations.
• Journalism Jargon #1 quiz Thursday!

Journalism Jargon #1 - Quiz Thursday, 9/17

1. 5W'S & H The essentials of any story: who, what, when, where, why, and how
2. ABOVE THE FOLD The top half of the front page of a newspaper, where the most important story goes
3. BY-LINE Indicates who wrote the story; often includes the writer's title
4. CAPTION The portion of the layout which explains what is happening in a photograph. Also called cutlines. Often includes a photo credit.
5. EDITOR Has overall responsibility for the publication
6. OBJECTIVE Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions
7. EDITORIAL A type of story which serves to express an opinion and encourage the reader to take some action
8. ETHICS A standard of conduct based on moral beliefs
9. FEATURE A story written with some interpretation that goes beyond just reporting the facts
10. FLAG The name of the paper that usually appears at the top of page one
11. FLUFF News that is not hard-hitting; often used to fill space or time
12. GRAF A paragraph in news writing.  These are often short, around 2-3 sentences.
13. HEADLINE Large type designed to summarize a story and grab the reader's attention
14. HUMAN INTEREST An element of news that includes people or events with which the audience can identify; stories that are just interesting
15. INVERTED PYRAMID The basic structure of a news piece, wherein the most important information is presented in the beginning (top), and the information becomes less newsworthy toward the bottom.
16. LEAD The beginning of the story which serves to summarize the story and/or grab the reader's attention; first graf
17. QUOTATION A statement made by another person included in a published story. A direct quotation is exactly what the person said and appears inside quotation marks. An indirect quote is a paraphrase of what a person said and does not appear in quotes.
18. REVIEW A form of editorial written to comment on a play, movie, piece of music or some other creative work
19. LIBEL Written defamation; damaging false statements against another person or institution that are in writing or are spoken from a written script
20. SLANDER Spoken defamation; damaging false statements against another person or institution that are spoken

HW for Brit Lit Section G, B, C, & E - Due next class!

• On a sheet of loose leaf paper, write a 4-line poem of your "life lessons," from your point of view. The poem can be in any form you want, it may rhyme or not, but you MUST start two lines with the word "If"! 
• Summer Reading due Friday, September 18! Instructions can be found on a post below. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.
• Syllabus slip due Friday, September 11!

Rubric for Class Participation

Category	Excellent-A	Good-B	Satisfactory C-D	Needs Improvement D-F
Attitude	Student is always respectful of self, others, and teacher, has a positive attitude, and does not disrespect anyone else’s ideas or work.	Rarely is disrespectful of ideas or work of others. Often has a positive attitude about the task(s). Usually treats others and self with respect.	Often or occasionally has a positive attitude about the task(s) and behaves in a respectful manner.	Often is harshly critical of the work or ideas of others.  Rarely behaves in a respectful manner.
Focus on Class Work	Consistently stays focused on in-class work and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.	Focuses on in-class work and what needs to be done most of the time.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Often must be reminded by the teacher about what needs to get done.	Rarely focuses on class work and what needs to be done.
Contributions	Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.	Usually provides useful ideas when participating in classroom discussion. A strong student who tries hard.	Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in classroom discussion.  A satisfactory student who does what is required.	Rarely provides ideas when participating in classroom discussion.  May refuse to participate.
Working with Others	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others.  Students can feel safe volunteering in this student’s presence.	Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but sometimes is not actively listening or responding.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others.  Often disrupts or discourages others’ attempts to participate.
Preparedness	Brings needed materials to class and is always ready to work.	Almost always brings needed material to class and is ready to work.	Often brings materials but sometimes needs to borrow.	Seldom brings materials and/or is rarely ready to work.
Time-Management	Routinely uses time well to ensure things get done on time. Student never asks to adjust deadlines.	Usually uses time well, rarely misses deadlines.	Tends to procrastinate, does not use school time or schedule provided to get work completed.	Rarely gets work done by deadlines, always asks for extensions or does not submit work despite time in school.
Quality of Work	Provides work of the highest quality that reflects the student’s best efforts.	Provides quality work that reflects an effort from the student.	Work occasionally needs to be redone or does not reflect any time or effort.	Provides illegible work that reflects very little effort or does not turn in any work.
Handbook	Student is aware of and follows all rules in the student handbook, such as plagiarism, food, drink, tardies, etc.	Student seems to nearly always know and follow rules as outlined in the student handbook.	Student has broken a few rules during this marking period or has made no effort to make him or her self aware of the rules.	Student does not follow rules as explained in student handbook.
Behavior	Student is awake and engaged in class on a daily basis, and shows no disruptive behavior.	Student is awake and engaged in class nearly every day, and shows no disruptive behavior.	Student is awake most of the time but has fallen asleep or done nothing for a few classes. Show no disruptive behavior.	Student frequently sleeps and/or disrupts class.