Finals Week

This is a big week at OACP.  English finals for all stduetns are on Wednesday, December 21 during class time.  We are on a normal schedule all week.  Students in all grades had a review day last week.  They are allowed to use notebooks on the final, but will be expected to complete their final within the class time.  All students hav ea review document on their Google Classroom account to refer to if needed.

On Thursday, the 9th and 10th graders will walk to the Fallon Theater for a private showing of the new Star Wars movie.  Parents, please turn in your child's permission slip this week.  Also, we could use about 5 boxes of candycanes.  If you are able to send some in with your student, we would appreciate it!

Finals Prep

We are in the last two weeks of the quarter and the semester, a time when every grade counts.  If your student is missing any grades, please have him or her come talk to me.  It is not too late today to correct it, but it will become too late very shortly.  I want to see all students getting good grades, so don't let your student end the semester with missing work.

This week the ninth graders are presenting their plot diagram posters from their American Romantic short story.  We are learning a lot and the discussions about the interpretation of the literature have been very impressive.  Tenth graders are continuing reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  We are doing all reading in class and will finish next week, just in time for our final.

The English final for all grades is on Wednesday, December 21.  This is a one day final that will be part multiple choice, including vocabulary and grammar, part reading comprehension, and part essay and written response.  I will go into more specifics with all students in class this week so they have time to prepare for next week.  To encourage thorough note-taking all year, students are allowed to use their notes on all tests and on the final.

For all students, there are still grades to be earned, like the book report on Wednesday, December 14.  Please encourage your student to work hard and finish strong.  Have a great week!

Reading Projects

Ninth graders are working on their American Romanticism Short Story Project.  All groups are reading their story in class, but students can do their vocabulary at home.  Students will have until the end of class Wednesday to complete their story.  They will complete vocab, a character map, and an attribute web independently, and a summary and a plot diagram storyboard as a group.

Tenth graders are starting to read the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  They have vocabulary words and should expect unannounced comprehension quizzes. Vocabulary quizzes will be announced.  No notes are allowed on quizzes, so being prepared is important.  Because we will finish this reading very close to our final, the content of this book will be covered on the final.  

All students have a book report on December 14 and should be completing books this week to be ready for that in-class assignment.  Have a great week!  

Challenging Reading

Welcome back!  Hopefully you all had a nice Thanksgiving break.  Students in all classes have an in -  class book report on Wednesday, December 14, so all students should have chosen their book and be working towards finishing it with their home reading.

Tenth grade students are wrapping up our Shakespeare study this week with a discussion of heroic actions in Hamlet and famous lines from Hamlet.  Students will also participate in a brief soliloquy project this week before moving on to our next book.

Ninth grade students finished reading Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville and identified the elements of the narrative arc or plot diagram.  They will get a new American Romantic story to read this week with a group and will identify the same elements before presenting to the class.

In both grade levels, students have been engaged in challenging reading.  This reading has offered rich discussions and exposes students to a different style of literature that will broaden their base as a reader.

Final Draft Writing

This is the start of a short week, but even so, all classes had final draft writing to turn in today.  We spent time in each class color-coding our writing according to elements in the rubric.  All students have worked on these for the past several weeks and this should be their best writing.  Students will get several grades from these final drafts, an MLA grade, a grade for the outline, organizer rough draft and peer review, and a final draft grade.  Grading these takes time, but hopefully grades will be entered in the next two weeks.

We have been reading American Romantic short stories in ninth grade and reading Hamlet in tenth grade.  Both texts have a more complex style, making them more challenging reading; however, students have been able to write, discuss, and even act out what they are reading and it has been valuable exposure for the students.

There will be no assigned homework over the break, but all students have a book report on Wed. Dec. 14, so books should be completed before then.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
 

Rough Drafts

All students turned in a printed rough draft in class today.  Ninth graders are writing a research paper on a college of their choice, 4-5 pages, MLA format with citations.  Tenth graders are writing an argument paper, 3 pages, MLA format, minimum of two citations.  Argument papers should include a claim, reasons, evidence, counter claim and rebuttal.  All students who had their work ready completed a peer review in class. This peer review paper should also be handed in with the final draft next week. The peer review is helpful in the revision process.  We will not have any more time in class for these papers, so students should be working at home to get this completed.

In each class there were students who did not have this draft completed.  These students are responsible for completing the peer review on their own to turn in with the final draft, due Monday, 11/21.

This week in class, we will shift back to our reading for the rest of the week.  Ninth graders will read a short sotry from the american Romantic movement, identifying th eelements of plot.  Tenth graders will continue reading Hamlet, Act 3, scenes 2-4.  Should be a great week!

Reading

This week, ninth graders are working on a group project during class time, the American Romantic Author project.  Each group was assigned an author from this literary movement and each group member will research the answer to a question.  Groups will share their product and oral presentations with the class on Wednesday.

Wednesday is also the book reprot day for all grades. This will be a one question essay response on the book each student selected in early October.  This assignment will be completed in class, with students given 30 minuets to respond.

Tenth graders started reading Hamlet today in class.  We will focus on Act 3, so we got character information in class and read parts of Acts 1-2, learning the overview of the plot.  We will work on Hamlet until Thanksgiving break. All students will get a chance to "act" out this play (or read character lines in front of the class), an assignment some are looking forward to and some are dreading.

Conferences with ninth grade parents are ongoing this week.  Thansk you for signing up and sticking to the schedule. Have a great week!