1. English 10A
  2. Assignments

English 10A Assignments

Instructor
Evan Rabins
Term
Quarter 1 2015
Department
English
Description
Greetings!
 
ENGLISH 10A IS A REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION, AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL WORK THAT OCCURS WHILE YOU ARE ABSENT.  If you're here at Poly every day and you turn in all your work, passing my class is not difficult. If you can handle those simple expectations, we can look forward to a fun and successful year!
 
My goal is to prepare you for AP English Language in 11th grade, and college and career success beyond.  I truly believe that a strong command of the English language is crucial to your future success, no matter what career you wind up in.   English skills include reading, writing, speaking, listening, and correct grammar and syntax.  One of our focuses all year long will be rhetoric, which is the command of using language to reach a desired effect.
 
This term, we will be working out of the 10th grade Springboard textbook.  Unit One is on Cultural Identity.  You will be exploring your own, and the cultural identity of others.  You will have a book assigned for outside-of--classroom reading, the honors class will be reading Angela's Ashes, a memoir of growing up in Depression-era Ireland.
 
Vocabulary acquisition is VERY important for each of you.  We will be doing units out of Simon's Saga, an SAT preparation textbook, throughout the year.  More importantly, you will have a weekly assignment at vocabulary.com.  You will have to go to that website and create an account, (it's free).  Once you do, you will have to click on one of the following web addresses to join the class.  PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE CORRECT CLASS!
 

Period One Honors: http://vocab.com/join/3E61HC5

2nd Period: http://vocab.com/join/RMKG2Q

3rd Period: http://vocab.com/join/20N3HGC

Homework: I do my best to post assignments online, so in case you're absent, you can keep current.  Use the link below to see a list of assignments by date.  I also often put secret extra credit assignments under homework, so be sure to check in frequently!


Assignment Calendar

Upcoming Assignments RSS Feed

No upcoming assignments.

Past Assignments

Due:

Assignment

In Springboard, read "Two Ways to Belong in America" on pp.70-1 and answer questions 4-6 on pp. 72-3.  Then read "An Indian Father's Plea" on p.75 and fill out the chart on p.80.  Periods 2 and 3 need to read up through p.18 of Fahrenheit 451, and the honors class has an essay due on Of Mice and Men next Friday.  The vocabulary.com list is still "Everyday Use," the next one we'll be doing is "Vocabulary from Simon's Saga, Episode 7."  Have a nice weekend.

Due:

Assignment

HERE ARE ALL THE VOCABULARY.COM LISTS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE:
What Is Cultural Identity?
Ethnic Hash
Two Kinds
Vocabulary from Simon's Saga Episode 5
By Any Other Name (due 10/5)
Vocabulary from Simon's Saga Episode 6 (due 10/12)

Due:

Assignment

NEW VOCAB.COM LIST: "Two Kinds"  by vocabulary.com, 15 words.  Be sure to click on "Practice" once you find the list, and have it done by the end of next Monday.
 
ALSO, The Simon's Saga Episode 5 Packet will be due this Thursday.
 
ALSO ALSO: We are reading and annotating "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, on pp.17-26 of your Springboard book.  Have it completed, including the chart on p. 26, by Thursday.

Due:

Assignment

TWO ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEKEND:
 
1. Finish the paragraph we started in class describing your ethnic heritage and your ethnic identity.  If you need definitions of those terms, they're described towards the end of "What Is Cultural Identity?" on pp. 8-9 of your Springboard Book.
 
2. Finish mastering the vocabulary.com list: "Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 5 (by vocabulary.com, 20 words).

Due:

Assignment

WEEKEND ESSAY ASSIGNMENT:
 
The prompt is on the bottom of page 12 of your close-reading packet, but here it is again: Write an essay in which you connect the subject and purpose of this painting to Quindlen's commentary stemming from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
 
Naturally, they are referring to the Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze painting "George Washington Crossing the Delaware."  If you would like to look at the painting in color to grab details, here is a link: http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/sites/core/files/images/Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_by_Emanuel_Leutze%2C_MMA-NYC%2C_1851.jpg
 
For Monday, I expect you to have your three body paragraphs written out.  Here is what I expect in a body paragraph, in order.  Each one of these is a sentence:
 
1. A Topic Sentence that tells me what the paragraph is about.
2. Introduce your first piece of evidence, either a quote from Quindlen's essay or something you describe from the painting.
3. Give a piece of commentary, your words explaining your evidence and what it means.
4. Give a second piece of commentary, your words explaining why your evidence is significant or important.
5.Introduce your second piece of evidence.
6. Give a piece of commentary explaining your evidence and what it means.
7. Give a second piece of commentary explaining why your evidence is significant or important.
8. Finish with a transition sentence to the next paragraph.
 
If you do all that three times for your three body paragraphs, I'll be happy.  Have a nice weekend.

Due:

Assignment

vocabulary.com sign-up: You can get ahead of the game by going to vocabulary.com and creating a free account for yourself, (be sure to say you're a student at John H. Francis Polytechnic HS in your profile -- we want to get credit for your hard work!).  Once you have created an account, click on one of the links below to join the class.  I CANNOT SEE YOUR RESULTS UNTIL YOU DO THIS STEP.  Please be sure to click on the correct class.