Mythology/Odyssey Unit Week 1

Separate Peace and the Hobbit are (finally) over, and now, after Choices Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be in the midst of the Greek mythology and The Odyssey to finish the nine weeks.
The planner (with revised calendar for the literary terms) is available, as are the literary terms, which will be tested October 3rd and 9th.
The first assignment is the Pre-Odyssey research on the Greek gods, which has three sections (Sections 1 and 2 are due Thursday, Section 3 is Monday).

Greek Mythology links:

• Greek Mythology.com. Great site for section 1 and 2
• Mythweb, a popular Greek myth site with illustrations
• Greek Mythology from the Iliad to the Tyrants is an advanced source for mythology lovers and those who want to have a deeper examination into Greek myth.
• Greek Mythology Link has charts, maps, dictionaries, etc. Another good source for those of you, especially if you are doing the extra creditQ
  

A Separate Peace, a New Start

We start the new school year running as we leap into the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles.
First, be sure to have the following items:
Syllabus: (English 9H Foundations)
Weekly Planner (Aug. 6-15th, 2008)
You will want a copy of Pre-AP Survivor's Guide, which is only available for download.

Separate Peace study questions are now available!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2-3

More information concerning the novel will be in the next post. Welcome to Mr. Tyler's honors classes!

Welcome to Doth Grin Honors 9 Blog

Welcome to Gilbert High School and also this blog/web site, the critical link between you and Mr. Tyler this year.
Some key things to this page:
1) You will need to have an active e-mail account, preferably Yahoo, Cox, or Gmail (Please do not use AOL for this site if at all possible). You need to e-mail me as soon as possible so you can be eligible for e-mails from me and also eligible to use the blogging capabilities of this site later this year.
2) Please note the Assignment Advisor section of this page.
3) Look over some of the posts on this page from last year, so you have a flavor of what the class will be about. Be careful, however, in attempting to use assignment handouts, as several will be changed this year.
4) Bookmark this site and check it daily, especially if you are absent.
5) Items will be posted according to unit, assignment, or situation, as evidenced in the archive material on this page.

Final Week of the Poetry Unit

We wind down the poetry unit this week with the end of the project.
Also, the new planner is now available.
The project is due Wednesday.
The individual poem and AP multiple choice questions are due Friday by 11:59 pm
Subject line should be mc questions.
Please name your file with your last name and mc questions:
Example: tyler_mcquestions or tyler mcquestions

The poetry explication is due Friday.

Poetry Unit Week I

The poetry unit begins with an introduction to three different methods for analyzing poetry: TP-CASTT, SOAPS and DIDLS. We will look at those methods and will be using some of them in the coming months.
We will have an initial poetry assignment due on Friday, which is a look at two poems: "The Legend of the Paper Plates" and "My Mother Remembers Spanish Influenza".
The planner for Thursday 4.10 through next Thursday is now available!

Warning: The next three weeks are going to be intense. Please plan accordingly and take full advantage of the long range planner I have provided for you.

Poetry Unit Starts

After two rounds of testing, we head into an intense poetry unit which covers important elements needed for students planning to engage in the AP curriculum their junior year.
Students can take a cursory look at what is coming with the advanced planner; students will receive this planner along with the weekly planner this Thursday.
Students should also grab the TP-CASTT, DIDLS, and SOAPS handout, something they will definitely want to keep!
Need help? Check out this poetry terms website, or for students hoping to excel in AP, especially in the poetry area, go to this loaded AP link site for poetry.
Watch for more details!

Romeo and Juliet Acts III and IV; Terra Nova

We continue our rather brief but intense examination of Romeo and Juliet by looking into the pivotal third act and then the brief (if you can call it that) respite of Act IV.
Students can get the new planner, as well as the Act III study questions, which are due on Tuesday, April 1st (sorry, no April Fool on this one).
Wednesday is a half day, and Act IV will be due on Thursday, April 3rd.
Root Test #7 is on Friday, April 4th.

Parents (and students): An advisory concerning the upcoming Terra Nova and AIMS Science test will be on the main dothblog page.

Romeo and Juliet Acts I and II

We are taking a different approach with Romeo and Juliet. There is an emphasis on literary terms and finding examples of those terms in the text. You will be reading several literary analysis essays reflecting different aspects of the novel, written by scholars and giving you a flavor of what you will be able to add to your future discourses.
Act I is due Wednesday (you are responsible for seven of the ten quotes)
Act II is due Friday: You will have vocab and quotes, plus a reflection essay on the balcony scene that you need to read and highlight for Friday's discussion.
Thursday, you will be doing an in-class reading on Mercutio's character.
Root List #7 is also now available. That test is scheduled in the planner.
Please check out the planner for a look at the rest of the school year!

Animal Farm Chapters 5-9

Animal Farm is rolling along. However, thanks to several interruptions this week, the assignments have changed.
Chapter 5 is due Monday, March 3rd.
Chapters 6-7 is due Wednesday, March 5th
Chapters 8-9 is due Friday, March 7th
The planner is already ready!
We will also be watching the TBS version of Animal Farm beginning on Thursday. We will be doing some film analysis and also some blog conversation based on the book and movie versions.

Animal Farm Chapter 1-5 (revised)

"Serious sport is war minus the shooting" - George Orwell

Animal Farm has now begun!
You are responsible for dialectical journals for this novel, at least four per chapter unless otherwise specified.
For potential enhanced credit (+5 above normal score), use any research from the Orwell site in your dialectical journals and/or comment on them during class!
There will also be some close readings and other assignments.
Monday, February 25th: Chapter 2 (same as Friday) Also, get the new planner
Tuesday, February 26th: Chapter 3 (reading only)
Thursday, February 27th-28th: Chapter 3 and 4 dialectical journals (focus on symbolism and connections to Communism)
Friday, February 29th: Chapter 5 dialectical journal: Theme: The role of technology in society; elements of satire in this chapter

Animal Farm Unit Begins

I hope the break was good for you. However, in true Grin fashion, we're right back at it.
We start Tuesday with a mini-research project to fulfill the state standard in researching, one that is critical since all of you are college bound.
That mini-project is due on Thursday, February 21st, although students with a "A" or "B" can receive an extension if they notify me by Wednesday morning.
One link I will give you is to the Animal Farm movie page, but the rest (read the directions) must be done by you!
The first two chapters will be due by Friday, February 22nd. You will need to do a dialectical journal on them, but it must be on any quotes that reflect the following themes: education as a weapon, propaganda, or Orwell's warning concerning communism.
The planner for this week is also now available!

Break (yeah right, Mr. Tyler) time

There will be a one week break between the completion of To Kill a Mockingbird (except the essay) and the start of Animal Farm.
We are going to be focusing on how to take AP/SAT style multiple choice tests, especially since the final exam will be styled like such tests as we prepare you to advance into sophomore year and the PSAT exams.
Monday is the root test, and the freshmen registration video (The new Planner is now available for week of Feb. 11th, by the way).
Tuesday 2.12: Rough Draft
CHANGE: Friday 2.15: Final Draft