Honors English II/III & AP Language:
American Literature 2024-2025
******** HISTORY on Monday & Tuesday next week ********
For Wednesday 3/12:
Read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
DUE: D#1 Cather/Steinbeck essay
Self-evaluations (3 copies of each) are DUE to me on Wednesday, 3/12/25. Write a thoughtful paragraph on the 1st question, then use the following questions as guidelines for your self-evaluation (be as thorough as possible – NOT 1-2 sentence answers):
Recent research in neuroscience is revealing the anatomy of emotion -- including that of the new "American Dream" of ultimate happiness. Surprisingly (to some), happiness does not have everything to do with sitting on a beach, or playing video games all day long, although such activities do contribute to an overall feeling of well-being.
In spite of all the benefits people attribute to "positive thinking" and personal optimism (how many truly optimistic teenagers do you know?), to really feel long-term happiness, according to Richard J. Davidson, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it is essential to experience, "...the positive emotion accompanying thoughts that are directed toward meaningful goals..."
How can you redirect your own thoughts & attitudes about academics to initiate feelings of happiness & well-being in your daily life? Considering that school is presently your "job", and that you spend most of your time doing NFS assignments (at least as far as school work goes), what specific actions can you take in April & May to create a positive feedback-loop in your own life that lets you enjoy what we do?
What have you learned since September?
How have you become a better student this year?
What are you doing well right now?
What needs to be improved?
What could you be doing to be a better student?
What specific steps will you take during April & May to improve your performance?
What are your own personal goals for this year?
Have you reached them? If so, what did it take for you to achieve these results?
If not, what can you do to reach these goals?
Has this been a successful year for you so far? If so, why? If not, why not?
vocabulary words assigned so far: ratiocination, scientism, eminence, compel, compulsion, infer, imply, plaintive, ascendancy, transgress, lugubrious, anomaly/anomalous, antecedent, congenial/genial, ignominy/ignominious, infamy, sagacity/sagacious, adulterate/ unadulterated, repudiate, flagrant, contumely, remonstrate, peremptory, ascetic, mortify, penitent, plebeian, empirical/empiricism, repose, prevail, purport, discern, exhort, egregious, cognizant, austere, abstruse, mendicant, infamy, heresy, abash, evanescent, obscure, affinity, celibacy, vilify, peripatetic, poignant, gesticulate, contumely, licentious, propitiatory, propitiatory, caprice, capricious, surfeit, stricture, sycophant, laconic, supercilious, taciturn, lassitude, perfunctory, reticent, dissolute +
The Elements of Style, Part IV: Words and expressions Commonly Misused
aggravate/irritate; all right; allude; allusion; alternate/alternative; among/between; and/or; anticipate; anybody; anyone; as good or better than; as to whether; as yet, being, but, can, case, certainly, character, claim, clever, compare, comprise, contact, cope, consider, currently
Timeless
by Anna Morgan
That little yellow cabin by the lake
hidden by big, bushy branches
of the oak outside:
water washes up on shore -
sand warmed by gleaming sun
smiling down
on our peaceful yellow cabin by the lake.
Quiet morning hangs limpid as an
impending buzz of life
breaks the veil of silence
surrounding
this rustic yellow cabin by the lake.
Popsicle juice runs sticky
down our fingers, to our toes;
washed away by crisp waters
brushing up against sandy banks
of that lone yellow cabin by the lake.
Grammar, key terminology, and vocabulary items that we have discussed in class are on the AP Language & Composition Vocabulary Archive. While most of you will not take the AP Language exam until next year, it always helps to become familiar with these terms now (rather than cramming next year). The sooner you get started, the sooner (comparative degree) you will know all your terms.
American Literature vocabulary SEE FULL PAGE HERE
Student Resources: English III
Check every piece for THESE SKILLS before turning anything in for an edit.
Check ALL CITATIONS (quotes) with these formatting rules before turning anything in for an edit.
Click HERE for directions for email editing
Summer reading list for High School students
Access our HS student writing archives to see what our readings and assignments are for this year, and to read sample pieces written by previous English II students.
*** *** *** *** ***
English II GRADING:
Participation = 30% (purely subjective, based on my perceptions of your initiative, interest, self-motivation, & tenacity)
Assignments = Revisions (20%)
Edits (20%)
Vocab/Multiple Choice tests= 15%
Timed essay grades= 15%
*** *** *** *** ***
AP Language GRADING:
Participation = 30% (purely subjective, based on my perceptions of your initiative, interest, self-motivation, & tenacity)
Assignments (two parts of grade)
1st Semester EFFORT = 20%; CONTENT = 10%
2nd Semester EFFORT = 10%; CONTENT = 20%
Vocab/Multiple Choice tests= 15%
AP Portfolio essay grades= 15%
Exams = 10%
"The difference between predictions and outcomes is the key to understanding a strange property of learning: if you’re predicting perfectly, your brain doesn’t need to change further…Changes in the brain happen only when there’s a difference between what was expected and what actually happens." — David Eagleman in Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain
Unfinished Pieces: 3rd Quarter
(updated 3/5/25
Anna
Revisions = 25/36
Edits = 0/6
timed essays/presentations = 75%
Vocab/Mult. Choice practice = 80%
DUE 3/12/25 — Self-Evaluation (3 copies)
Cather/Steinbeck Outline: Environment Influences Growth
college applications: UC system & Common App
application essays: 8 short + 2 long
Green poetry: Quatrains; Limericks
Audio file: Anna Morgan
John
Revisions = 23/36
Edits = 0/6
timed essays/presentations = 63%
Vocab/Mult. Choice practice = 67%
DUE 3/12/25 — Self-Evaluation (3 copies)
Essay OUTLINE: Of Mice and Men
Cather/Steinbeck Outline: Hardship Complicates Dreams
Philosophical essay: Making Money
college applications: UC system & Common App
application essays: 6 short + 2 long
Pink poetry: Poem of Feeling; General to Specific
Audio file: John Spilotros
Gleeful
by John Spilotros
In the meadow
gentle winds flow through tall grass,
spreading the warmth from fluorescent sun
that hangs in a bright blue sky.
Grass blades frolic
like gleeful children.
Birds recite sweet symphonies, while
sunflowers flourish in vibrant sunlight
dancing in the meadow.
Twilight
by Anna Morgan
Wind whistles
through drooping branches.
Darkness expands;
sun sinks below dark clouds.
Suspense hangs in the air
like thick eerie fog, a
pale glow of moonlight
breaking through.
Distantly, an owl hoots;
fireflies hover:
glimmers of light dot early morning sky.
