Hey there! What’s that, you can’t wait to complete the summer reading requirements for September? Awesome! Well, how `bout a reminder of the expectations? Click the following links for PDF files!
Category Archives: Freshman Honors
FINALS START FRIDAY!
Holy smokes! This Friday marks the beginning of final exams for the 2013-2014 school year! Rather than waiting until Thursday night to begin preparing, get a head start. To help you being, I’ve provided the study guides! Check `em out!
Inheriting the Wind!
As a conclusion to our examination of Lawrence and Lee’s INHERIT THE WIND, the Freshman Honors classes are writing original works of courtroom drama! These vignettes, lasting between five and ten minutes, will present thought-provoking legal dilemmas and insight into the characters grappling with them! Things are going to get real litigious on Friday!
JULIUS CAESAR EXAM!
This week will see the Freshman Honors classes taking the JULIUS CAESAR exam! For your preparation purposes, please make use of the following format guide:
– Background Information/Key Facts (10 Points)
– Literary Devices & Poetic Forms (20 Points)
– Quotation ID/Analysis (30 Points)
– Short Answers (20 Points)
– Open Response (20 Points)
March is Research Month!
March is a wild month filled with various wonders — MCAS exams, NCAA basketball games, and research projects!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of Freshman Honors or Junior Honors, the fact of the matter is that you’ll benefit from reviewing the MLA guidelines. Although there are a multitude of sources, I strongly suggest checking out the following links. Both of these sources provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for citations both in-text and on your Works Cited pages.
War Pigs!
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been analyzing George Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM from a number of different angles. In fact, many would argue that the novel is considered a classic because it works on multiple levels — as a tale of farm creatures staging a revolution, as a parallel for the Russian Revolution and its consequences, and as a parable about power and resistance.
We are going to further our understanding of Orwell’s work by comparing it to another classic that uses animal imagery to express a poignant message. Oh, you’re wondering what classic we’ll be investigating? Well, it’s a classic of the most rockin’ sort.
Today, we’re listening to WAR PIGS by Black Sabbath!
Click the link!
Orwell’s Freedom of the Press
As we continue our exploration of ANIMAL FARM, it is useful to investigate the perspectives and worldviews of author George Orwell!
Today, we are going to read & analyze an essay titled Freedom of the Press. What’s interesting about this piece? How about the fact that Orwell uses it to advocate for the necessity of free thought and free speech, and to condemn Britain’s policy of censoring anything that cast the Soviet Union (an ally at the time) in a negative light.
Even more interesting is the fact that this essay, about the evils of censorship, was not published as Orwell originally intended!
Click the link and follow the instructions!
The Tortoise and the Hare
As we prepare to read Orwell’s Animal Farm, it’s useful to consider why fables speak to us. To get us started on this discussion, watch the Disney classic The Tortoise and the Hare.
Mid-Year Exams on the Horizon!
In case you didn’t realize, Term II ends this Friday! While the vast majority of the work for this quarter of the school year has already been submitted, there is still something worth working on this week. What’s that? You don’t know what you could possibly be preparing for? You’re pretty sure that this is just a coast week? Hrm.
How about Mid-Year Exams?
Rather than waiting until the night before, why not start doing some of the legwork now? Look through your materials and figure out which areas you’ll need to focus on in order to get the grade you want. For your benefit, I’ve even posted the Mid-Year Exam guides below!
[JUNIORS]
[FRESHMAN]
A Literary Analysis of Spider-Man
Think that in-depth character analysis is reserved solely for classic works of literature? Guess again!
If you have a spare moment, head over to Comics Alliance and read Chris Sims’ fantastic new article: Why Spider-Man is the Best Character Ever (Yes, Even Better Than Batman). Throughout the course of the piece, Sims provides a close reading of Peter Parker, detailing why it is that the character has remained so poignant since his 1962 debut.
An excerpt:
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So he has to be Spider-Man, because he knows for a fact that he can help people, and that fact makes the decision for him. It’s another piece of that sacrifice, that atonement, but it’s also an incredible illustration of the pressure that he’s under, and how he just has to carry on, dealing with the things that he can control.
And how does he do it? By creating a better version of himself.
Batman’s essentially Batman from the moment his parents die, he just needs to go learn kung fu and how to be a detective. But at the start of Peter Parker’s story, he’s not a hero — he’s not even close. He’s shy and he’s an outcast, and while those things aren’t really his fault, they lead him to become pretty vindictive…
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