Daily+Assignments

[__The following list will be continually updated to notify students of daily class topics and homework. Homework should be completed before the following class period.__]

=__**ENGLISH 12--SPRING 2012**__=

__**Week of Jan. 3-6**__: Day 1: __Easing Back into English 12__ __Homework__: Read Mark Twain, "Corn-pone Opinions" (//Best American Essays//, 1-5)

Day 2: __Mark Twain and Humor__ __Homework__: Begin reading Twain, //Pudd'nhead Wilson// (see "Home" page for reading schedule for the novel)

Day 3: __Mark Twain and //Pudd'nhead Wilson//__ __Homework__: Keep reading //PW//

Day 1: __MT and //PW//__ __Homework__: Keep reading //PW//
 * __Week of Jan. 9-13__**:

Day 2: __//STNG//: "The Measure of a Man"__ __Homework__//:// Think about the key themes and questions raised in the Star Trek episode. Consider how these relate to themes and questions being explored in the Twain novel: for example, identity, superior vs. inferior people, and understandings of "race." Come to class tomorrow with 1 or 2 questions for discussion/debate on the episode and on its connections to the novel. //(And keep reading the novel--to p. 137 for tomorrow!)//

Day 3: __//STNG// and //PW//__ Homework: Keep reading!

Day 4: __//PW// discussion__ Homework: Keep reading!

__**Week of Jan. 16-20**__:
 * NO CLASS Monday, Jan. 16!**

Day 1: __//PW// discussion__ __Homework__: Keep reading!

Day 2: __//PW// discussion__ __Homework__: Bring //PW// and //Best American Essays// to class tomorrow.

Day 3: __PW discussion and free writing__ __Homework__: Write draft of PW paper--see "Essay Assignments" for details. Draft due Monday; final paper due Wednesday, Jan. 25.

__**Week of Jan. 23-26**__: **//Bring// Best American Essays //book to class this week!//** Day 1: __Writing Workshop/Peer Review__ __Homework__: Work on paper revisions.

Day 2: Reading William Manchester, "Okinawa: The Bloodiest Battle of All" in //Best American Essays//, 497-506 __Homework__: Think about quesions on Manchester essay: (1) Select a paragraph or section that most affects you—what’s the point/purpose of the section? Why does it affect you? What’s the source of its power? (2) Does this essay fit in with the course theme of “endings and beginnings?”

AND finish final draft of //PW// essay, to be turned in tomorrow!

Day 3: __Discussion of Manchester essay__ (We will be using the __Essays__ book) __Homework__: None

Day 4: I__n-Class Reading/Study Period__ (Dr. Combest out of town; bring to class Hurston's //Their Eyes Were Watching God// [//TEWWG//]. ) __Homework__: Read first five chapters of //TEWWG// for Monday. (**//See reading schedule for novel on home page//**).

__**Week of Jan. 30-Feb. 2**__: Day 1: __Zora Neale Hurston__ __Homework__: Keep reading!

Day 2: //__TEWWG__// __Homework__: Keep reading!

Day 3: //__TEWWG__// __Homework__: Keep reading!

Day 4: //__TEWWG__// __Homework__: Keep reading!

__**Week of Feb. 6-9**__: Day 1: __//TEWWG//--Listen to Ch. 5__ __Homework__: Keep reading __**AND**__---Class tomorrow (and perhaps Wednesday) will be guided by your questions for thought and discussion. Review Chapters 5-8; in posing questions, have in mind the following themes (among others): -individual desires and motivations, -the use of language/conversation, -the community dynamic, -relationships and power, and -the development of Janie's character.
 * Write up two questions or prompts for discussion, one focused on chapter 5 and one emerging from chapters 6-8. E-mail these to me (ericcombest@westminster.net) no later than 8 am Tuesday**.

Day 2: __//TEWWG//--discussion based on student questions/prompts__. __Homework__: Keep reading AND--Class tomorrow will again be guided by your question s for thought and discussion. Review chapters 9-12. **Write up two questions or prompts for discussion, one focused on chapters 9-10 and the other focused on chapters 11-12. E-mail these to me no later than 8 am Wednesday**. (//Thoughtful and received on time--5 points; not received on time--0 points.//)

**See home page for** writing assignment due in class on Thursday, Feb. 9 (20 pts.)

 * Day 3: __//TEWWG//--discussion based on student questions/prompts__**
 * __Homework__: Keep reading AND complete writing assignment due in class Thursday (see home page for details).**


 * Day 4: //T__EWWG__//**
 * __Homework__: Finish novel over the weekend.**

__Week of Feb. 13-16__**: Continue discussion of the novel this week.**
 * Day 1: __//TEWWG//__**


 * Day 2: __//TEWWG//__**


 * Day 3: __//TEWWG//__**


 * Day 4: __//TEWWG//__**
 * __Homework__: (1) Read Alice Walker essay, "Looking for Zora," in //Best American Essays//, 395-411. (2) E-mail me the lines from chapter 20 you selected for freewriting.**

//NO CLASS ON MONDAY, FEB. 20!//
 * __Week of Feb. 20-23__**: //BRING ESSAYS BOOK TO CLASS THIS WEEK!//

Day 1 (Tues.): __//TEWWG// and Walker Essay__ __Homework__: For Thursday, read Mary McCarthy, "Artists in Uniform," 199-213, in //Best American Essays//.

Day 2: __TEWWG, Walker, and McCarthy (and perhaps a continuation of our discussion of identity and stereotypes)__ __Homework__: Finish McCarthy essay; brief writing to be assigned (check again on Wednesday!)

Day 3: __TEWWG, Walker, and McCarthy__ __Homework__: **For Monday**-- A. Read “The Bottleneck,” by Edward O. Wilson (link on Wiki home page). __Write three paragraphs__ in response (**hand in hard copy Monday—20 pts**.)

1. In two paragraphs, summarize the two positions on the future—economist and environmentalist. 2. Based on Wilson’s argument in the essay, do you find the last paragraph of the essay convincing? Why or why not?

B. Find __two__ photographs to **bring to class**. (1) The first should be of your parents (or of one of your parents) __before you were born__. (2) The other photo should include you in it (as well as others, possibly—it’s up to you) from a time before you entered high school (as a baby, toddler, junior high student, etc.). (*If you have one or both of your photos digitally saved, and if you don’t mind showing them to the class, please e-mail them to me as attachments by Monday before class.)

Day 1: __Argument and Persuasion: Wilson's "The Bottleneck"__ __Homework__: none
 * __Week of Feb. 27-March 1__**: //Check this page frequently this week for specific assignments!//

Day 2: __Photographs and Memories__ __Homework__: none

Day 3: __Photographs and Memories__ __Homework__: Bring in pictures

Day 4: Finish up with photos


 * __Week of March 5-8__**: SPRING BREAK!

Day 1: I__ntroduction to //The Crucible//__ __Homework__: Read Act One of //The Crucible//.
 * __Week of March 12-15__**:

Day 2: //T__he Crucible__// __Homework__: Read Act Two.

Day 3: //__The Crucible__// __Homework__: Read Act Three.

Day 4: __//The Crucible//__ __Homework__: Read Act Four.

__**Week of March 19-22**:__ Day 1: //__The Crucible__// __Homework__: Review Act 4 and the entire play. __Write down at least two discussion prompts__ –one specifically on Act 4, the other on the play as a whole. Also, __write down a theme__ that is developed in the play __and one way in which it is expressed__. (**Please bring in hard copies, in case I want to collect them**.)

Day 2: __//The Crucible//__ __on Film__ Homework: None (Make sure you bring in your written questions and themes.)

Day 3: __//The Crucible//__ Homework: None

Day 4: __//The Crucible// on Film (Act 4)__ Homework: **(5 pts.)** Write a paragraph (__to be handed in__) on how or why a scene from the movie reinforced or altered your understanding of the same scene in the play.

__**Week of March 26-29**__: Day 1: __Themes in //The Crucible//__ Homework: None

Day 2: __//The Front// (1976)__ Homework: None

Day 3: __//The Front//__ Homework: Develop discussion prompts on the movie and the play.

Day 4: __//The Front// and__ //__The Crucible__// Homework: None

__**Week of April 2-5**__: Day 1: __//High Noon// (1952)__ Homework: None

Day 2: __//High Noon// (1952)__ Homework: Bring ideas/questions for discussion to class on Tuesday.

Day 3: __Free Study__ (Dr. C on Model UN trip)

Day 4: __**NO CLASSES (HOLIDAY)**__

__**Week of April 9-12:**__ Day 1: **__NO CLASSES (Easter Holiday)__**

Day 2: __Discussion of //High Noon// and //The Crucible//__
 * __Homework__**: **__Begin work on //Crucible// essay (posted under "Essay Assignments").__** //**Hard copy draft due in class for workshop on Thursday, April 12; final essay due in class Monday, April 16.**//

Day 3: __The Persistence of //The Crucible//: //STNG//__ __**Homework:**__ Keep working on essay!

Day 4: **__Writing Workshop--bring in draft of essay__** __Homework__: Essay due in class on Monday!

__**Week of April 16-19:**__ The next two weeks, we will consider the theme of "endings and beginnings" and your own upcoming transitions by watching and "reading" two different movies: //The Graduate// (1967) and //Say Anything// (1989). You will be writing on these movies, so you may want to take some notes as we watch and discuss them.

Day 1: __//The Graduate// (part 1)__ Homework: Come to class tomorrow with discussion prompts for the first half of the movie.

Day 2: __Discussion of the first part of //The Graduate//__

Day 3: __//The Graduate// (part 2)__ __Homework__: Come to class tomorrow with discussion prompts for the movie.

Day 4: __Discussion of //The Graduate//__

__**Week of April 23-26:**__ Day 1: __//Say Anything// (part 1)__ __**Homework:**__ Come to class tomorrow with discussion prompts for the movie. Consider comparisons to The Graduate.

Day 2: __Discussion of first part of //Say Anything//__

Day 3: __//Say Anything// (part 2)__ __**Homework:**__ Come to class with discussion ideas.

Day 4: __Discuss //Say Anything// and //The Graduate//__ __**Homework:**__ ****Brief writing to be assigned.**

__**Week of April 30-May 3:**__ Day 1-4: TBA (but expect some time to work on your final papers!)