4th Quarter Freshman Prayer and Great Thoughts Assignment

During the 4th quarter, your prayer and great thoughts will look like this: you need to write up two great thoughts, with attribution, on separate sheets of paper, just like the ones we post around the room. These are the great thoughts only - you don't need to write up a prayer or a talk or anything like that. Both these great thoughts are due the day we return from break. Please try to choose ones that you haven't heard before in class.

I will collect them and place them in a large envelope. Then, each day, I will choose a different student's name at random. When your name is called, you will draw a great thought at random from the envelope, lead the class in prayer, and then give a short talk on the principle embodied by the great thought you have selected. The rubric for the assignment is listed below:

4th Quarter Prayer and Great Thought Rubric

Name:

Leads class in prayer	/30
Great Thought starts well	/10
Understanding of Great Thought’s topic	/10
Eye contact	/10
Body language	/10
Voice projection	/10
Clarity of speech	/10
Great Thought ends well	/10
Great Thought lasts 60-90 seconds	/10
Overall quality	/40
Total	/150

Tuesday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 23

Freshmen: Today we continued to focus on Romeo and Juliet. We had a discussion, watched some of a film version, and did some reading. Over the break, you need to work on your triple entry journal, read 4.2, and write down two different great thoughts. See the entry on the 4th quarter prayer assignment for details.

Sophomores: Today we discussed ideas from Campbell's book that you feel are evident in The Poisonwood Bible, took a quiz, and did an entry in our Hero Catch Phrase Project. We also did a short, practice "I Remember..." essay. Over the break, you need to read from both our books. Book III from the The Poisonwood Bible is due April 7. That's 8 pages a day if you are caught up and read every day. There is no Membean required until the next quarter.

CNF: Today we finished An Inconvenient Truth; we will finish The World Without Us and begin Season of Life when we get back from break.

Monday, March 21

Freshmen: Today we wrapped up most of Act III - finish it for homework. Continue to work on your Triple Entry Journal. There is no Membean homework this week.

Sophomores: Today we continued to read and did some more work on the memory project we will conclude on Tuesday. Due Tuesday is Chapter 2 from The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Book II from The Poisonwood Bible, and your essay. There is no Membean homework this week.

CNF: Today we began An Inconvenient Truth.

Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16

Freshmen: Today we focused on Act II of Romeo and Juliet. Finish all of Act II for Thursday's class; keep working on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we focused on the idea of memory and parental relations. Due next Tuesday are Chapter 2 from The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Book II from The Poisonwood Bible, and your honors project essay. Continue working on Membean.

CNF: We concluded The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill and will continue to read Part III from The World Without Us the rest of the week.

Tuesday, March 8 and Wednesday, March 9

Freshmen: Today we continued studying Romeo and Juliet. Your homework is to work on Membean and to read 1.5 by Thursday and finish the guide sheet we began today.

Sophomores: Today we focused on learning about the characters from The Poisonwood Bible and learning how to differentiate one character from another based on her voice, diction, tone, and style. Finish Book I for Monday, and you should be done soon with Chapter 2 from The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Keep vocabularizing your bad selves with Membean!

CNF: Today we finished Addicted to Plastic and discussed it, Rivers and Tides, and Part II from The World Without Us. 

Monday, March 7

Freshmen: Today we started with Romeo and Juliet. You should read 1.1 and 1.2 for homework tonight. Work on Membean as well.

Sophomores: Today we read some of The Poisonwood Bible and talked about our initial impressions of the characters. Keep reading - you need to be done with Book I by next Monday, and should be close to done with Chapter 2 from The Hero With a Thousand Faces soon. Work on Membean.

CNF: Today we continued Addicted to Plastic. 

Friday, March 4

Freshmen: Today we discussed the plot, characters, and issues we'll see in Romeo and Juliet. Read the sections "Shakespeare's Life" and "Shakespeare's Theatre" for Monday and add five notes to the notes you took on the other preparatory essays. Work on Membean as well.

Sophomores: Today we discussed some of the important issues and background you'll need to understand going into The Poisonwood Bible. Start reading it - the schedule is on the blog.

CNF: Today we started Addicted to Plastic.

Advice for Sophomore Honors Analytical Essays Moving Forward...

Your writing this semester is very good. However, there are five things that I want you to focus on for your final four essays:
1. Choose lead and conclusion techniques different than background and echo for the next little while, so as to stretch yourself as a writer and add more tools to your toolbox.
2. Avoid repetitive structures to your essay, and phrases like "Campbell next writes about _________" and "___________ is an example of..." or "another example is...". Find other ways to introduce examples aside from naming them as examples.
3. Focus on less summary and more analysis. I believe this will be easier now that we are reading The Poisonwood Bible together.
4. Avoid references to the following: Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Batman, and Harry Potter.
5. Do not summarize the entire chapter in your first paragraph, for example, "In Chapter X, Joseph Campbell introduces us to idea Y and breaks it down into the following sub-sections: A, B, C, D, and M."

The Poisonwood Bible Reading Schedule 2016

March 4 - Begin text.

March 14 - Book 1 Genesis due (82 pages = 9 pages a day).

March 22 - Book 2 The Revelation due (104 pages = 14 pages a day).

April 7 - Book 3 The Judges due (126 pages = 8 pages a day).

April 14 - Book 4 Bel and the Serpent due (64 pages = 10 pages a day).

April 26 - Book 5 Exodus due (130 pages = 11 pages a day).

April 28 - Book 6 Song of the Three Children due (28 pages = 14 pages a day); Book 7 The Eyes in the Trees read in class that day.

Thursday, March 3

Freshmen: Today we worked on navigating Shakespeare's language by reading through some of his sonnets. Your homework tonight is to finish reading "Reading Shakespeare's Language" and writing down the seven most important things from that section. Keep working on Membean as well.

Here's your rubric for the sonnet:

14 lines long: /14

10 syllables per line: /14

Correct rhyme scheme: /14

Effectiveness of the turn: /8

Total: /50

Sophomores: Today we finished A Christmas Carol and your graphic novels. If you took one home to complete it, bring it on Friday. Also, bring The Poisonwood Bible to class on Friday and keep working on Membean.

CNF: Today we finished Rivers and Tides: Working With Time.

Tuesday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 2

Freshmen: Today we studied the sonnet. You need to go online and find a sonnet by Shakespeare, print it, and bring it to class on Thursday. You also need to write your own sonnet, type it up, and bring it to class on Friday. Bring your copy of Romeo and Juliet to class on Thursday. Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday and work on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we continued with A Christmas Carol; keep working on Membean, and read Chapter 2, Initiation, in The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

CNF: Today we began studying Rivers and Tides: Working With Time.