Last Entry

Thanks for ten wonderful years of being in the classroom and 22 years of great memories on the court, Judge. Some of the things I will always remember from basketball are the sophomore teams I got to coach that finished 18-1 and 19-1, going 20-6 against Juan Diego, going 3-0 against Sky View in Freshman Tournament Championship games, getting to the championship of the tournament seven times in 12 years (including a stretch of six times in eight years), and three Championships, especially the 18-2 team's win in 2015.

As far as the classroom goes, I'll always remember the amazing Freshman Capstone Projects kids did, the inspiring This I Believe essays and presentations, and the great insights in the Hero Catch-Phrase Project. I am very proud of the number of state winners we had for the Letters About Literature and Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contests. And most of all, I'll remember the awesome students that make Judge Memorial special.

I also got to work with many amazing coaches and teachers through the years, especially Coach Yerkovich, Dan Del Porto, Patrick Nolan, Chris Sloan, Linda Simpson, and Chris McGill. Thanks for everything.

If anyone needs to reach me, you can email me at jeffreymarshallbaird@gmail.com.

Friday, May 27

Freshmen: Today we wrote an essay in response to the following prompt: "What is the message of Mark Osborne's More? Analyze the film according to the components of literature we have studied this year as you prove your thesis." In this essay, you must use three of the rhetorical devices we have studied this year (compare and contrast, definition, narration, division and classification, cause and effect, etc.). You are to finish this essay and type up a final draft, which is due on Tuesday. Read for 20 minutes several times over the long weekend.

Sophomores: Today we watched the final interview Morrie Swartz had with Ted Kopple. Please keep up with the reading schedule over the weekend.

CNF: Today we examined why the Batman doesn't just kill the Joker.

CNF Second Semester Final Exam 2016

This semester we studied the notion of what the world would be like without us, as well as what the world can be like with us. With that in mind, your final exam is to write an essay that details what specific, tangible, and measurable thing (or things) you will do in the next calendar year to make the world a better place. In the course of your essay, you should reference some of the things we have read, viewed, and discussed, as well as how the thing we have read, viewed, and discussed have impacted your thinking about this concept of each individual person making the world a better place. Your essay should be double spaced and clear of most conventions errors. The essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and display depth and clarity of thought. Provide a compelling (non-fiction) title at the top when finished. Not included in your grade, but expected from me, is periodic updates from you over the next year as to how your plan is working out. Good luck, and thank you for your time and effort this semester.

Thursday, May 26

Freshmen: Today we began an argumentative literary analysis of Mark Osborne's short film "More." We will continue with the essay in class tomorrow. Read for 20 minutes and watch the film once more and add to your notes.

Sophomores: Today we continued with Tuesdays With Morrie. Keep up with the reading schedule. Your essay is due in class on Friday and to turnitin.com no later than midnight on Saturday.

CNF: Today we discussed whether the Joker can be held morally responsible for his actions.

Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25

Freshmen: Today we concluded studying a documentary. Read for 20 minutes.

Sophomores: Today we reviewed for the semester final, had our last Hero Catch-Phrase Project entry, and continued to read from Tuesdays With Morrie. See the schedule on an earlier post.

CNF: Today we focused on whether or not the Joker is morally responsible for his heinous actions.

Freshman English 2016 Second Semester Final Exam Review Guide

Freshman English 2016 Second Semester Final Exam Review Guide

Here is what you need to know about your semester final:

1. It's worth 20% of your semester grade.

2. There is a 67-item objective exam worth 67 points, or almost 7 percent of your semester grade. Topics covered on the exam may include, but are not limited to, the following: various rhetorical devices we've studied this semester (argument, division and classification, cause and effect, process analysis, etc.), ideas and advice contained in The Elements of Style, poetic forms such as haiku, sonnet, creative response and the various motifs we studied, and the reading comprehension strategies we studied.

3. There is a 100-point essay exam worth 10% of your semester grade. Here is the prompt you will be given:

Argumentative essay: Recently, cell phones in schools have become a hot-button topic, with strong reasons for and against allowing cell phones in schools. Imagine your school is going to ban all cell phones from the campus, even from lockers and backpacks. Anyone caught with a cell phone will be immediately suspended, regardless of circumstance. In an essay, argue _____ this ban, citing evidence that you have collected. You must cite the evidence correctly, either in blocked or in-text citation form, or using a technique from They Say I Say, as you build your case in order to get credit. You also must use one of the lead and conclusion techniques we have studied this year, and at least three rhetorical devices we studied this year as you build your argument. An effective essay will also use provide some context as to why you are entering the conversation as a writer, as addressed in They Say I Say. Furthermore, an effective essay will adhere to advice given in The Elements of Style. Give your piece a compelling title when finished. Please double space to increase readability as well as to allow you to use a blocked citation if you go that route.

4. You will not find out if you are required to write for or against the ban until the day of the exam. In order to prepare for the exam, you need to research three facts that will support the ban on cell phones, and three facts that will support allowing students to have cell phones in schools. You need to write these facts on a single index card that is no larger than 4x6 inches. Place three facts on one side of the card, and three facts on the other side. This index card is worth 3% of your semester grade, but you cannot earn a passing grade on the essay without them.

Sophomore Honors Western Traditions 2016 Second Semester Final Exam Review Guide

Sophomore Honors Western Traditions 2016 Second Semester Final Exam Review Guide

Here is what you need to know about your semester final:

1. It's worth 20% of your semester grade.

2. There is a 73-question objective exam (worth 73 points, or about 7% of your semester grade). Some of the topics covered on that exam are the following: The four stages of the hero, the monomyth, ideas from the Hero Catch-Phrase Project, archetypes, and some of my main man Joseph Campbell's rocking' ideas 'bout da hero.

3. You will write an essay that will require your Hero Catch-Phrase Project notes to complete (the prompt will be revealed with the exam). The notes are required for successful completion of the essay, which is worth 100 points, or 10% of your semester grade.

4. You will hand in your Hero Catch-Phrase Project notes at the end of the exam, and they are worth 27 points, or about 3% of your semester grade.

See me if you have questions.

Monday, May 23

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Freshmen: Today we nearly concluded our study of Supersize Me and Spurlock's use of various rhetorical devices. Read for 20 minutes and take the Membean quiz tonight.

Sophomores: Today we began reading Tuesdays With Morrie. See the reading schedule on a previous post. Take the Membean quiz, finish up Campbell, and get your next essay finished.

CNF: Today we read a bit more from Three Cups of Tea. 

Tuesdays With Morrie Reading Schedule 2016

Please follow this reading schedule for our reading of Tuesdays With Morrie. Some of the stuff we may read in class, so you won't need to reread it at home ("through" means "including").

Monday, 5/23: Read "The Curriculum" through "The Student."

Tuesday, 5/24: "The Audiovisual" through "The Classroom."

Wednesday, 5/25: "Taking Attendance" through "The Second Tuesday."

Thursday, 5/26: "The Third Tuesday" through "The Professor."

Friday, 5/26: "The Fourth Tuesday" through "The Fifth Tuesday."

Saturday, 527: "The Sixth Tuesday" through "The Seventh Tuesday."

Sunday, 5/28: "The Eighth Tuesday" through "The Ninth Tuesday."

Monday, 5/29: "The Tenth Tuesday" through "The Audiovisual, Part III."

Tuesday, 3/30: "The Twelfth Tuesday" through the ending.

Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20

Freshmen: Today we examined how a good filmmaker creates an argument in a documentary and employs multiple rhetorical devices while building that argument. Read for 20 minutes Thursday and this weekend and work on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we listened to "Act V" from This American Life, found at http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/218/act-v. Continue reading from Campbell, work on your essay and on Membean, and we will begin Tuesdays With Morrie on Monday.

CNF: Today we read more from Three Cups of Tea and had a discussion.

Tuesday, May 17

Freshmen: Today we did some analysis of some argument essays, primarily examining how the writers used multiple modes or multiple rhetorical devices in the essays (compare contrast, definition, narration, cause and effect, and so on). Read for 20 minutes and work on Membean this week.

Sophomores: Today we continued looking at which archetype Hamlet best fits. Finish up any reading you need to do, and work on Membean. Your Triple Entry Journal is due on Wednesday, as is your reading of Hamlet. 

CNF: Today we read further into Three Cups of Tea. 

Thursday, May 16

Freshmen: Today we began an overview of argument. Read for 20 minutes and work on Membean this week.

Sophomores: Today we started to determine which archetype best fits Hamlet. Continue to follow your Hamlet reading schedule, keep reading from The Hero With a Thousand Faces, work on Membean, and get going on your next essay - and bear in mind the advice on the previous post.

CNF: Today we continued to read from Three Cups of Tea. 

There's Nothing Good Or Bad But Thinking Makes It So...

Far be it for me to contradict my main man Hamlet, aka Hamdog, aka the Hamstermanster, but I think there are some less-good and better ways of bringing Campbell into the analytical essays you're writing. And because my main man Polonius, aka Po-dawg, says, "Brevity is the soul of wit," I'll provide two short examples below. Strive for the better version in your final essay of the year.

Less good:

Hamlet, the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays, is the story of a Danish prince who must avenge his murdered father. The events of this play can be best understood by reading American mythologist Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In “Chapter I: Departure,” section “The Call to Adventure,” Campbell teaches us that the hero may be “drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood” (51). An example of this would be in Act I, Scene V when Hamlet meets his father’s ghost and learns that his father was murdered by the man who “Now wears his crown” - young Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius (1.5.47).

Better:

Hamlet, the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays, is the story of a Danish prince who must avenge his murdered father. Hamlet first learns that his father was murdered by his own brother, the very man who “Now wears his crown” (1.5.47). This information shakes Hamlet’s world to its foundations, and represents what Joseph Campbell calls in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces “The Call to Adventure.” Sometimes this call to adventure is a benign invitation, but in the case of Hamlet, he is “drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood” (51). For Hamlet, not only is the information revealed in the call world-shattering, but the call itself opens his eyes to a level of reality he did not previously know existed and causes him to question the very nature of existence, as well as his own sanity.

Friday, May 13

Freshmen: Today we took a quiz on Chapter 5 from The Elements of Style and completed our grammar games exercise from Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay. Read for 20 minutes, work on Membean, and come to class Monday prepared with an idea that you can argue.

Sophomores: Today we finished reading and discussing the essays by Harold Bloom. Continue reading Hamlet and The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Work on Membean and your next essay, too.

CNF: Today we heard a little bit from Greg Mortensen and started reading Three Cups of Tea.

Thursday, May 12

Freshmen: Today, we shared your division and classification essays and worked a little bit more on the grammar games we started earlier this week. Tomorrow, you will have a quiz on Chapter 5 from The Elements of Style, a link to which can be found on an earlier post. Read for 20 minutes and work on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we read more of the Hamlet essays by Bloom. Read, work on Membean, and get started on your final essay.

CNF: Today we talked about how our culture defines femininity and the responsibility creators of nonfiction texts have, and viewed a 60 Minutes piece about Greg Mortensen and his foundation.

Tuesday, May 10 and Wednesday, May 11

Freshmen: Today we did some peer revision with your essay. Take your peers' comments and use it to revise and improve your essay, which is due on Thursday (along with your current draft). Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday, work on Membean, and finish Chapter 5 from The Elements of Style for Friday's class. Yesterday's post has a link to that chapter if you need it.

Sophomores: Today we finished a film version of Hamlet and began reading some essays about the play by Harold Bloom. Keep reading Hamlet, Campbell, and working on Membean.

CNF: Today we finished Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? We will start Three Cups of Tea on Thursday.

Monday, May 9

Freshmen: Today we took a quiz on Chapter 4 from The Elements of Style and discussed the issues pertaining to the quiz. Due for Friday is Chapter 5. If you don't have copy of the text, you can find it in its basic essence here: https://quizlet.com/44249464/strunk-and-white-chapter-v-an-approach-to-style-flash-cards/

We will get to the revision exercise with your division and classification essays on the block day. Also read for 20 minutes Monday and Tuesday evening and take the quiz on Membean tonight.

Sophomores: Today we watched a bit more of a film version of Hamlet and discussed a few issues. Follow along with your reading schedule, take the quiz on Membean tonight, and begin the next section from The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

CNF: Today we began a documentary - Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? 

Friday, May 6

Freshmen: Today we continued to work on your division and classification essay. Take your draft home and type it up over the weekend, and bring your next draft to class on Monday. Remember, your essay should have the following elements: a lead and conclusion technique we studied in class, an interesting title, clear use of division and classification, a couple of citations either from primary or secondary sources to help build up your argument, and a clear thesis. Remember, your audience should probably be conceived as a reader who isn't familiar with Judge and your purpose is to explain what kinds of students or teachers we have here. Read for 20 minutes as well.

Sophomores: Today we continued to study Hamlet. Keep up with the reading schedule and on Membean.

CNF: Today we discussed Season of Life.

Thursday, May 5

Beware the Revenge of the Fifth!

Freshmen: Today we worked on your division and classification essay. In addition to the quotes you have from people both in and out of our English class, I want you to integrate a little research that you can use to flesh out your essay - maybe something about one of your categories, maybe something you can use to make your delineation more interesting, or what have you. Keep reading and working on Membean.

Sophomores: We studied Polonius today, and his famous speech. You'll have to make up your own mind about whether he is wise or simply a fool... follow the reading schedule

CNF: Today we essentially finished Season of Life in class.

Tuesday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 4

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Force, and the Fourth, Be With You.

Freshmen: Today we began working on a division and classification essay. Due for Thursday are some more notes on the various categories you are crafting, and a quote from someone outside our classroom that you can use in the essay, ala Viorst in "Friends, Good Friends - and Such Good Friends." Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday, and due for next Monday is Chapter IV from The Elements of Style. Keep working on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we began watching a film version of Hamlet. You are to read the summary of 1.1 in your copy of the play and read the whole of the text of 1.2 before Thursday's class. Continue to read from The Hero With a Thousand Faces and remember, your essay is due on Friday. Keep working on Membean.

CNF: Today we read some from Season of Life and had some small group discussions. Read on your own if you can.

Monday, May 2

Freshmen: Today we focused on the Elementary Rules of Composition from Chapter 2 of The Elements of Style. Read Chapter 3 tonight - there will be a quiz on the block day. You can find a PDF of it online. Read for 20 minutes and work on Membean this week as well.

Sophomores: Today we got an introduction to Hamlet; you are to read the short essays titled "Shakespeare's Hamlet," "Reading Shakespeare's Language," "Shakespeare's Words," Shakespeare's Sentences," "Shakespearean Wordplay," and "Implied Stage Action." Work on Membean, and don't forget about your next essay.

CNF: Today we read and tried to get close to finishing Season of Life.