Monday, August 23

Hi. Welcome back. If you post a comment today, you will earn 10 points extra credit. Just put your first name and the period you are in (if there's two of you with the same first name, give me a last initial, too). Check the blog every day to get an update on what we did and what is due.

Freshmen: Today we did a basic introduction to the course. Bring back your signed disclosure statement next period, and have your binder as well. Remember, your homework every night Monday-Thursday, plus one day on the weekend, is to read for 20 minutes and to bring that book to class for our in class reading time - so be sure you read tonight. We will read the books from our class list together, so hold off on those. We looked at our first poem today and briefly discussed it. All and all, it was a good first day and I look forward to working with you all.

Sophomores: Today we did a basic introduction to the course. Bring back your signed disclosure statement next period, and have your binder as well. Also, remember to bring your vocab book this week and your copy of the Tao te Ching to class every day. We also began exploring the central thread of the course, which is how beliefs and philosophies shape shape both ourselves and characters in literature. The first book we will read is Life of Pi, but we will not begin that until next week on the block period day - just be sure you have it before then.

CNF: Today we did a basic introduction to the course, and you will receive a disclosure statement tomorrow. While homework will be a rarity in this class, I would like you to watch some of the news tonight and tomorrow and just have a sense of how it is a "constructed text." Also, bring some current newspapers or news magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc. - NOT Teenybopper Update or the like) to class later this week. The first book we will read is Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, so be sure to get a copy of it for next week.