Wirthy English

Hamlet Project

2012-02-06T11:24:00.001-05:00

The steps of the project include:
1. Choose a partner.
2. Choose a theme.
3. Collect 5 quotes on your theme & save them to a word document.
4. Write a statement that explains and interprets each quote. (The statement should explain in a general sense what the quote might add to our understanding of the theme; it should not be specific to the play and its characters).
5. Choose an image to go with each quote & statement.
6. Put quotes, statements, and images together in the form of a slideshow, prezi, poster, or other.
7. Present to the class.

The full text of Hamlet is here. You can locate quotes with your theme by using the "Command F."

The rubric for the project is here.

"There is the story of the woman who read Hamlet for the first time and said,

'I don’t see why people admire that play so. It is nothing but a bunch of quotations

strung together.'” –Issac Asimov, Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare

Lists of Biographies

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

bi·og·ra·phy [bahy-og-ruh-fee, bee-] noun, plural -phies.
1. a written account of another person's life: the biography of Byron by Marchand.

25 Fascinating Biographies Every College Student Should Read (from Best Colleges Online)

Best Biographies (A list of 10 books from an Amazon.com contributor)

Top 10 Inspirational Biographies (An Amazon.com List)

Hamlet Journal

2012-01-06T20:14:00.001-05:00

Click here for the Hamlet Act I Journal template.
Click here for the Hamlet, Act II Journal template.

Then copy and paste the template to your favorite word processing program. Then save it as a document.

Hamlet on Facebook:
If only Elsinore had Wifi:
Click here to view.

Hamlet Resources

2012-01-02T23:16:00.003-05:00

Resources:
Hamlet -- Full Text online

Enjoying "Hamlet"
Shakespeare Resource Center
Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country

Reading for Variety

2011-12-22T12:12:00.001-05:00

Standard 2 in English reads: "Students will read a wide variety of literature from many periods and genres to build an understanding of the dimensions of human experience."

It's a worthwhile standard and one that we hope you continue to build on through your lifetime.

Your Quarter 2 online reading journal, which is due by Jan. 20 (no penalty for getting it done early!), should include a personal reading list of books you have read during high school. It's ok to include a few favorite titles from your earlier years as well. Details, as well as a sample list, are below:
The goal is to list 12 or more titles that you have read in entirety during high school. These can be assigned texts or independent reading. If you have read dozens and dozens of books, it is ok to list only the top most memorable titles in your post. If you have read fewer than 12 books, it is ok to list books that you have read at least in part.

Listing author names is also a nice touch.

Sample List:
The Adventures of Ulysses
Monster
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
To Kill a Mockingbird
Romeo and Juliet by Wiliam Shakespeare
Night
Speak
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Where the Heart Is
The Crucible
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Scarlet Letter
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Where Men Win Glory by John Krakauer --IR
Into the Wild by John Krakauer --IR
Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure --IR
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race
the World Has Never Seen --IR

*IR= Independent Reading

Beowulf Resources

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-05:00

Beowulf -- Easy to read version

Beowulf -- Hypertext version

Beowulf -- Greene Hamlet Resources

Beowulf Translations.net

Tim Romano Translation

Beowulf -- Translations.net zip file
(This valuable site with dozens of translations of Beowulf from different time periods is now available in the form of a Google-hosted zip file that can be downloaded, expanded, opened, and then used as a website that will be private to your own computer. To download, click the link above and then click the download link on the top right corner of the page.)

Do's & Don'ts for the College Essay

2011-12-02T11:30:00.001-05:00

Athough we've officially completed the college essay in English 12, many of you are still putting finishing touches on their essays before sending them off to colleges. In light of that, the following link might be useful.

A source which includes a list of 10 things to avoid in your college admissions essay is at:

www.college-admission-essay.com

A Common Inheritance

2011-11-29T09:44:00.001-05:00

Inheriting something is usually thought of as a good thing. Literature is a common inheritance we receive from earlier generations. Let's see if we can appreciate and learn from that inheritance.

We'll be reading excerpts from The Things They Carried and Beowulf in the coming weeks.

After that, we'll read some poetry from different time periods and then will move on to Hamlet, which is rather poetic in itself.

Themes we will be discussing include:

good and evil
heroes and villains
courage and fear
the story of how English came to be what it is today.

Resume and College Essay Humor

2011-11-02T11:06:00.004-04:00

An extensive list of resume bloopers and blunders is at jobmob.co

A list of bloopers from actual college admissions essays is at ems.psu.edu/

College Admissions Essay -- Resources & Samples

2011-10-24T22:46:00.002-04:00

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at quintcareers.com/ and at
college-admission-essay.com

The Common Application essay prompts are at https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012/2012AppFY_download.pdf

True fact: You can pay as much as $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask me and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Building Your Resume

2011-10-17T06:28:00.002-04:00

A useful online Resume Builder is at
http://www.resumizer.com/

Another good option for resume templates is via Google Docs.
(If you don't have a Gmail account, see me for the login info for the class Gmail account. Once logged in on Google Docs, click "Create," select "from Template," and then type the word "resume" into the search field.)

Resume Headings:

Activities
Activities & Interests
Additional Experience
Additional Skills
Additional Training
Affiliations
Associations
Awards/Recognitions

Career Goal
Career Objective
Certifications
Coaching Experience Achievements
Community Involvement
Community Service
Computer Skills
Conferences Attended

Education
Employment
Employment History
Employment Objective
Experience

Goals

Highlights of Qualifications
Hobbies & Interests
Honours & Awards

Language Skills

Memberships Extracurricular Activities

Objective

Personal Achievements
Presentations
Publications

Qualifications

Related Activities
Related Experience
Relevant Experience
Relevant Skills

Scholarships & Awards
Skills
Special Skills
Summary of Qualifications

Teaching Experience
Technical Skills
Training

Volunteer Activities
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer Work
Work Experience

Interactive Comma Quiz

2011-10-11T07:34:00.002-04:00

mhttp://www2.ivcc.edu/eng1002/practice_comma_quiz.htm

Transitions & Cohension in the Persuasive Essay

2011-10-03T07:31:00.000-04:00

See http://www.roanestate.edu/OWL/Connect.html for a list of transitions and for tips on how to effectively use them in your essay.

See http://www.eslbee.com/transitions_connectors_punctuation.htm for a quick review of transitions and their punctuation.

See http://eslbee.com/cgi-bin/quiztest.cgi?transitionsandconnectorsandpunctuation for a 10 question quiz on punctuation of transitions.

Resources for Persuasive Writing

2011-09-30T07:46:00.004-04:00

ProCon.org

Issues & Controversies

Writing for Results

2011-09-21T13:35:00.001-04:00

and Verbal Self-Defense

Another way to think of persuasive writing (and thinking) is verbal self-defense. Much like other forms of self-defense such as karate and taekwondo, being good at it requires discipline, skill, and practice.

Being good at self-defense makes you more likely to come out on the winning side of a conflict. It also makes you less likely to be attacked.

Resources for Persuasive Writing:
Persuasive Essay (Essayinfo.com)
Guide to Writing a Basic Essay
50 Topics for Argumentative Writing

Sample Essays:
Television Watching
Euthanasia
Cats

Topics for Persusaive Writing
Persuasive Writing Prompts
Fun Persuasive Topics

2011-09-21T13:11:00.001-04:00

Prove It!

You are a lawyer involved in the case spelled out below. Your job is to read the facts, think about the facts, think outside the facts, and then develop a logical, well-supported case to prove the guilt or innocence of the accused. We will not actually conduct the case in class, but your job is to spell out what you would research, what you would aim to find out, and how you would support your case.

The case:

The theft of $2 million has been reported by Bangor Savings Bank in Bangor, Maine. The bank believes it was an inside job because no doors, windows, or locks were broken during this nighttime robbery. They believe that whoever entered had a key and also had knowledge of the security camera and alarm system. .

The accused is Janet Con, a 32-year old former employee of the bank. Evidence gathered at the bank included a security camera video that showed a shadowy, hat-wearing figure who seems to resemble Janet Con. Additionally, a partial fingerprint of Ms. Con was found on the door to the vault.

Create an outline for your case that looks something like this:

Janet Con is __________________________ (guilty/ innocent) Choose one.

Issues to Investigate:

--Argument 1 and supporting details:

We would investigate and aim to show . . .
We would investigate and aim to show

--Argument 2 and supporting details:

--Argument 3 and supporting details

(The more arguments you can present, and more more closely you are able to tie the details (evidence) with your case, the better chance you have of winning the case. Be creative. Think outside the box. Leave no stone unturned.

Welcome Class of 2012!

2011-08-30T12:34:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the 2011 - 2012 school year. My hope for each of you is that you can arrive in class with enthusiasm, persistence, and a sense of purpose. These qualities will carry you a long way down the road toward graduation -- and a successful life.

Like a lot of things in life, how much you get out of this course will be based on how much you put into it. Bring your dreams, make plans, and use this course to help you move forward and make those dreams into reality.

This blog will be an important resource throughout the year. Please bookmark it on your browser so you can find your way back later. (Simply google "wirthy english" if using another computer.)

As part if our beginning of the year goal-setting process, you will be completing a practice Accuplacer exam. This exam is used by colleges after you have already been admitted to place you in classes and also to determine if you need to do any remedial work in English or mathematics.

Some students enter their senior year feeling like they really don't need much but a diploma. Taking a practice Accuplacer will help you find out if you are as ready as you think you are.

An useful resource that includes practice questions for the Accuplacer is at:
www.testprepreview.com/accuplacer_practice.htm

Senior year is a springboard to the rest of your life. So get hopping!

Sample Outline for Future Essay

2011-06-02T12:21:00.002-04:00

Template for Outline:

1. Brief introduction: state your overall view of the future

2. Novel view of ___________ (Aspect A)

3. My view of ___________(Aspect A)

4. Novel view of _______ (Aspect B)

5. My view of _______ (Aspect B)

6. Novel view of _______ (Aspect C)

7. My view of _______ (Aspect C)

Sample Completed Outline:

1. Optimistic view of future, especially in terms of technology, leisure, and government.

2. Anthem view of technology in the future

--primitive technology

--fear of technology

--group control of innovations

3. My view of technology in the future

--advances in technology

--trust in technology

-- freedom for innovations

4. Anthem view of leisure in the future

--limited leisure choices

--limited time for leisure

5. My view of leisure in the future

--expanded leisure choices

--increased time for leisure

6. Anthem view of government in the future

--totalitarian government

--gov. maintains status quo

--leaders not elected

7. My view of government in the future

--democratic government

--gov. reflects changes in society

--leaders not elected

Loaded Words and Your Issue

2011-05-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Section 5 of your report requires you to:

(1) Explain how those on different sides of the issue talk about the issue differently.

(2) Identify loaded words and phrases used by each of the groups.

(3) Explain how this use of loaded words affects the dialogue between the two groups.

A color coded sample Section 5 is here (click link).

Steps to Write Section 5 include:

1. Brainstorm loaded words relating to your topic. Indicate whether each has a positive or negative connotation. + / -

2. Use Google News, Procon.org and Issues and Controversies to locate articles about your topic.

3. Skim the articles for loaded words and add them to your list. You should have 10 words/phrases or more.

4. Write a draft of this section.

5. Double-check your draft with the rubric and checklist.

Instant Pie Charts

2011-05-16T08:22:00.000-04:00

Create pie charts for your survey results using instantpiecharts.com

To transfer each pie chart from the site to a word document, simply copy and paste it.

Deconstructing Ads

2011-05-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

1. Visit the Deconstruction Gallery and deconstruct some ads together with the class.

2. Complete your own ad deconstructions (see handout)

3. Create your own Counter Ad

More Resources

Classic cigarette ads

Resources for Freedom of Speech Issues

2011-05-03T09:21:00.000-04:00

ProCon.org

Issues & Controversies

Merchants of Cool

2011-05-02T08:53:00.000-04:00

The PBS Frontline documentary, Merchants of Cool, plus related materials can be viewed at:

hwww.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/

Euphemisms, Loaded Words, & Persuasion

2011-04-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

A euphemism is a word or phrase used in place of another word or phrase. Often euphemisms are used in order to mislead, to confuse, or to neutralize the reaction of an audience.

Loaded words are words used to engage the emotions of the reader or listener. These are words that have strong connotations. Some loaded words (especially the ones with positive connotations) are also euphemisms.

Using a thesaurus such as Thesaurus.com is one way to generate lists of words that have similar meanings but different connotations.

If you have used any loaded words or euphemisms in your bumper sticker, please explain this in your paragraph on wording in your critique.

Spoof Ads

2011-04-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

spoof (noun)
1. a mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored; lampoon or parody: The show was a spoof of college life.
2. a hoax; prank. --Dictionary.com

View the following groups of spoof ads at Adbusters.org and then complete the related thinksheet.

Tobacco
Big Mac Attack

Absolut Craze

Environmental

Colors & Symbolism -- Campaign Bumper Stickers

2011-04-11T11:12:00.002-04:00

Here are links that provide tips on symbolic meaning of different colors:

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/color/a/symbolism.htm

http://crystal-cure.com/color-meanings.html

Finishing Touches: Title Page, Table of Contents, Media Projects, Presentations

2011-03-15T12:45:00.000-04:00

1. Your project should include a standard title page.
2. Your table of contents should include titles and genres. Page numbers are optional.
3. Media Projects and Presentations have separate rubrics. Please ask for a copy.

A few resources for presentations include:

--Wordle.net (Creates word clouds that could be used for a cover or as part of a presentation)
--Taxedo.com (Word clouds and more; a little more involved than Wordle.net)
--Prezi.com (This is slideshow 2.0)

Genre Pieces -- Developing, Extending, Polishing, Refining

2011-02-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

I've spent time reading over your draft genre pieces. Here are some general suggestions that will help strengthen your pieces:

Develop your headings and titles. A fully developed heading may be 2 - 3 sentences or more. A title is generally short -- but make the most of it. "Waris Dirie" or "Waris Dirie -- One Determined Woman" The 2nd title is stronger, yet it still doesn't "cost" that much. Agree?
Among your 5 pieces, include at least 3 pieces about specific events or moments in your biography. General pieces that give an overview of a person and that person's accomplishments can be useful, but don't stop there.
Aim for at least one piece from the point of view of a "contemporary" of your subject -- someone who knew your subject and had a relationship of some kind with him or her. That person undoubtedly had an opinion on your subject and a way of voicing that opinion.

Instant Genre Piece: A 2-Minute Poem to Kick Start Your Week

2011-02-14T09:28:00.001-05:00

Use this site to create your own list poem based on your biography:

http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/listpoem.htm

Notes:

A list poem may appear random but it is not
The poem should end with something surprising, insightful, or important. One way to do this is to move from the literal to the figurative (see example poem below).
Once you have made your initial list, consider re-arranging the order of the items. Also consider adding more detail. Use precise and concrete language as much as possible. Provide your reader with a clear image of what you see.

Sample below:

________________________________________________

What’s in the canoe
a sharpened axe with a battered wooden handle
a weathered tent green with mold
a bag of pea flour
a plug of tobacco
three long poles with metal boots
four damp wool blankets
a refusal to turn back
a lot of heart

--based on the book Great Heart: History of a Labrador Adventure

Recommended Genres

2011-02-08T08:20:00.002-05:00

These genres will work especially well for most biography projects:

Character sketch (definition and sample)
Stream-of-consciousness (definition, sample)
Diary entry or series of entries
Letter (to or from your subject) or series of letters
Interview (Rolling Stone interview of Obama; Interview of author JK Rowling, Interview of author Dan Brown; )
Conversation (similar to an interview in format, but less formal; tips)
News article (news story or feature article)
Speech (before writing identify an occasion and an audience)
Poem or series of poems

Author & Subject: What is the Relationship?

2011-01-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

As you read your biography, it is important to think about the relationship between the author and the subject. If it is a person writing about his or her own life (autobiograhy), this could be said to be a very close relationship. If it is a person writing about someone else, he or she must have had a reason for this choice. Did they admire this person? Feel compelled to criticize them? Either way, it is a form of bias.

What motivations might your author have had for publishing this story? Money? Fame? Respect? Revenge? To convince others of a point of view? Keep these in mind as well.

Read with a cynical eye. Read with a sympathetic eye too.

Biography Project -- Preliminary Research

2011-01-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

The goal is get started on researching topics related to the biography you are reading. Don't worry about what the research will be used for. Follow your interests. Find some sources. Save the source information so you can easily go back later.

1. Identify topics for research, using the handout

2. Set up a place to save and organize all your bookmarks. This could be a folder with Safari or Firefox Bookmarks. Or you may choose to set up an account on Delicious or Diigo.

3. Start identifying sites that are potential resources. Don't just start with Google. See Wirthportal (right sidebar link) and check out Marvel, Internet Public Library, Google Wonder Wheel, Google News, and Google Timeline.

4. Save your sites you find within your bookmarks folder (or on Delicious or Diigo).

English 12 -- Exam Essay Question

2011-01-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

For those who still need to complete the essay portion of the midyear exam, the essay prompt is below:

Part 3: Hamlet (33%)

Write about a Scene: Write a 4 paragraph essay in which you discuss the importance of one scene in the play -- and how Shakespeare uses that scene to add to the overall effect of the play. Your introductory paragraph should include a thesis that introduces 3 main ways the scene is important. Each body paragraph should provide supporting detail from the text in terms of one of the 3 aspects you are discussing. (Suggested aspects of literature you might discuss -- choose 3 -- include plot, characterization, theme, mood, irony, symbolism.

(S 1, 2, 3) Meets: Presents plausible well-supported interpretation. Includes 3 distinct arguments, each supported with detail from the text. Effectively organizes elements of essay. Exceeds: All of meets, plus: Examples are well-chosen, specific, and are discussed in detail. Discussion shows originality and insight. More than 3 arguments may be included.

English Wide Open Exam -- Online version

2011-01-18T09:30:00.002-05:00

Click the link below. Then copy and paste it into Open Office or Microsoft Word:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=10m03aFg_ghJ3lLCDOa5Y4DG2wg81A_1GzxNcJK4SOLg

Hamlet Quizzes

2011-01-11T11:40:00.000-05:00

Sparknotes provides a Hamlet Quiz that provides a good check on your basic understanding of the plot, characters, and background of the play. A few of the questions are on things we have not discussed, but if you have been paying attention, you should be able to score 20 or more out of 25. Take the quiz!

Shakespeare Online provides a good quiz that provides detailed answers. You will end up knowing more than when you started if you take this quiz. Take the quiz!

Poetry Out Loud Comes to Senior English!

2010-12-06T23:26:00.001-05:00

Hey Seniors, we will be holding classroom Poetry Out Loud Competitions in early January. School-wide and then regional competitions will follow not too long afterward. The time to start preparing is now.

1. Please find and begin memorizing a poem -- see the links below.

2. Be sure to choose a different poem than the one you chose last year.

3. Memorizing a poem is something you can all be successful at. Just don't put yourself in the situation of trying to memorize it all at once.

4. Good luck!

Poetry Out Loud -- Poems of 25 Lines or less.

Poetry Out Loud -- Browse Poems

Hamlet Resources

2010-12-06T23:13:00.003-05:00

Resources:
Hamlet -- Full Text online

Enjoying "Hamlet"
Shakespeare Resource Center
Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country

Into the Wild Resources

2010-12-03T08:10:00.003-05:00

Resources for your Into the Wild research are at the following link:

http://delicious.com/wirth_ray/mccandless

The White Man's Burden: Rudyard Kipling's Poem and the Response

2010-11-30T13:54:00.000-05:00

In 1899, Rudyard Kipling (of Jungle Book fame) wrote a little poem that generated more than a little controversy. Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden," was a plea for America to be more involved overseas and, in particular, in the Philippines. Many people not only disagreed with the worldview expressed in the poem but also found it to be racist.

Until 2007 or so, there was an excellent website that featured Kipling's poem and many of the responses, which came in the form of editorial cartoons, poems, essays, and letters to the editor. This website has unfortunately been taken down. However, some of the resources are still up on various places on the web.

As a believer in the learning opportunities available in looking at the original poem and the response, I have started to re-gather these resources and put them back in one place. White Mans Burden .Net (White-Mans-Burden.Net) is now onine in hopes that teachers and students around the U.S. might find it useful.

Beowulf Resources

2010-11-10T11:32:00.002-05:00

Beowulf -- Translations.net

Beowulf -- Easy to read version

Beowulf -- Hypertext version

Evalating Online Sources

2010-11-09T12:45:00.003-05:00

Evaluating Online sources: 5-Question quiz

1. Please read and discuss the "Evaluating Your Sources" handout together as a class.

2. Below are a few tips related to the handout:
---Authority (authorship) can often be determining by scanning the top of the web page, the bottom of the web page, and the "about us" page (if any). Keep in mind that unless the person is famous and/or known to you, a name only tells so much. Who is this person? What do they do for a living? What kind of education do they have?
---Objectivity: Is the site selling anything? Trying to persuade you of anything? Are there ads on the site?
---Authenticity / Reliability: Is there an organization, corporation, or educational institution associated with the site? What is it? As before, look at the top of the web page, the bottom of the web page, and the "about us" page (if any).
---Timeliness: Is there a date provided somewhere on the page or even in the copyright (if any) at the bottom of the page?

3. Visit each of the 3 diet sites below and complete the chart by making comments about these sites in each respective box in the chart:
Weight Loss Center (article)
Medicine.Net (article)
Diet Pills Hoopla & Hype (article)

Coming Soon:
You can travel into space for $200,000.00
Right now you can go to
The End of the Internet for free.
Check it out!

Time Management Quiz

2010-11-05T13:38:00.004-04:00

Take the time management quiz at:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm

Words, Words, Words -- An inventory of your college essay.

2010-10-25T11:41:00.002-04:00

Create a word cloud:
http://www.wordle.net/

Check out the Readability of your essay:
http://www.addedbytes.com/code/readability-score/

More Tips on the College Admissions Essay

2010-10-22T07:44:00.001-04:00

A useful source which includes a list of 10 things to avoid in your college admissions essay is at:

www.college-admission-essay.com

Utilize Action Verbs in your resume!

2010-10-04T12:25:00.000-04:00

Action verbs for your resume are listed here.

College Admissions Essay -- Resources

2010-09-30T09:04:00.002-04:00

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at www.quintcareers.com/

The Common Application essay prompts are at https://app.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/CommonApp2008.pdf

True fact: You can pay as much as $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask Wirthy and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

The Glue of a Good Essay - Transitions

2010-09-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

A list of transitions and guide to their use is at:
www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/

Building Your Resume

2010-09-27T08:57:00.002-04:00

Writing for Results -- How Can We Persuade?

2010-09-15T07:48:00.003-04:00

Resources for Persuasive Writing:
Persuasive Essay (Essayinfo.com)
Guide to Writing a Basic Essay
50 Topics for Argumentative Writing

Sample Essays:
Television Watching
Euthanasia
Cats
Hand Dryers

Topics for Persusaive Writing
Persuasive Writing Prompts
Fun Persuasive Topics

What Discipline Do You Practice?

2010-09-08T08:37:00.006-04:00

Discipline (noun)
1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.

2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.

3. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

4. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.: the harsh discipline of poverty.
--Dictionary.com

Prompt:

What is one of the disciplines that you practice? Or that is practiced by a person you respect and admire? (Write 2/3 page or more in response).

Storm Waves & Acadia -- Resources

2010-09-03T09:33:00.000-04:00

Articles on the storm wave incident at Acadia National Park in August of 2009 are on another page of this blog. Click here to view that page.

Welcome to Senior English 2010 - 2011!

2010-09-01T22:41:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the 2010 - 2011 school year. My hope for each of you is that you can arrive in class with enthusiasm, persistence, and a sense of purpose. These qualities will carry you a long way down the road toward graduation -- and a successful life.

This blog will be an important resource throughout the year. Please bookmark it on your browser so you can find your way back later. (Simply google "wirthy english" if using another computer.)

As part if our begining of the year goal-setting process, you will be completing a practice Accuplacer exam. This exam is used by colleges after you have already been admitted to place you in classes and also to determine if you need to do any remedial work in English or mathematics.

Many students enter their senior year feeling like they really don't need much but a diploma. Taking a practice Accuplacer will help you find out if you are as ready as you may think you are.

An useful resource that includes practice questions for the Accuplacer is at:
www.testprepreview.com/accuplacer_practice.htm

Not all of you will go to college, but we want and expect all of you to be college ready.

Links to the Future

2010-06-07T10:03:00.002-04:00

The Future Essay rubric requires you to refer to your future novel as well as at least one other source. Please choose, read, and refer to 1 or more articles from the sources below:

http://www.newsoffuture.com/ (recommended)

http://www.futureforall.org/ A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society

http://www.globalfutureonline.org A World Vision Journal of Human Development

http://www.globalfuturist.com Harnessing the Power of Innovation

http://www.wfs.org World Future Society

Anthem Online

2010-05-21T09:20:00.000-04:00

Ayn Rand's Anthem (full text) is online at:
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Ayn_Rand/Anthem/

Media Literacy Resource

2010-04-08T08:16:00.002-04:00

A valuable resource for media literacy is at:
http://www.nmmlp.org/media_literacy/index.html

Galleries of Internet Ads:
http://www.bannerreport.com/html/gallery.section.php?size=3
http://www.bannerreport.com/html/gallery.section.php?size=4

English 12 Assignment for Tuesday, April 6

2010-04-05T23:11:00.001-04:00

Please complete the following as part of our Language & Power unit:

1. Print a copy of the following worksheet:
--How to Read an Ad
2. Go to the webpage "Ad Dissection 101: How to Read an Ad"
3. Read and click your way through the activity. Be sure to respond to the corresponding questions on the worksheet.
4. Turn the worksheet in to the basket on the front desk. Thanks!

Colors and Symbolism

2010-03-31T12:12:00.002-04:00

Spoof Ads

2010-03-29T08:05:00.003-04:00

spoof (noun)
1. a mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored; lampoon or parody: The show was a spoof of college life.
2. a hoax; prank. --Dictionary.com

View the spoof ads at Adbusters.org and then complete the related thinksheet.

Merchants of Cool -- Frontline Program Available Online

2010-03-25T10:40:00.002-04:00

The Frontline Merchants of Cool program is available online at the following link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/

English 12 Assignment for Tuesday, March 23

2010-03-23T07:14:00.003-04:00

Please complete the following as a way to get started with our Language & Power unit:

1. Print copies of the following worksheets:
--How to Read an Ad
--Recognizing Appeals and Claims
2. Go to the webpage "Ad Dissection 101: How to Read an Ad"
3. Read and click your way through the activity. Be sure to respond to the corresponding questions on the worksheet.
4. Go to the webpage "Recognizing Appeals and Claims"
5. Read and click your way through the activity. Be sure to respond to the corresponding questions on the worksheet.
6. Turn both worksheets into the basket on the front desk. Thanks!

Resources for Creating a Bibliography

2010-02-23T08:01:00.002-05:00

Use this to create your bibliography: EasyBib

Go here to learn about annotations: Purdue Owl: Annotated Bibliographies

This site includes a sample of what your bib page should look like:
Lesley U.: MLA Format Annotated Bibliography Sample

Evaluating Online Sources

2010-01-27T09:30:00.003-05:00

Coming Soon:
You can travel into space for $200,000.00
Right now you can go to
The End of the Internet for free.
Check it out!

English Wide Open Exam

2010-01-19T07:53:00.002-05:00

An online copy of the English Wide Open Exam will be placed here.

(If typing your exam, please copy and paste the exam into a word program and then type each of your responses below the respective question.)

English 12 Semester Outline

2010-01-14T11:11:00.004-05:00

Writing:
Acadia storm wave essay
Resume
College admissions essay
Persuasive essay
Question paper (interpretative paper)

Readings:
Beowulf (3 episodes)
Canterbury Tales: Prologue, Pardoner's Tale
"The Somebody"
Hamlet
Independent reading: ________, __________ (2 or more books)
Biography: ________________

Terms:
Concrete detail
sensory detail
chronological
functional
voice
organization
revision vs. editing
simple, compound, complex sentences
thesis
argument
opposition argument / rebuttal
objective
critical
analysis
synthesis
evaluation
literary period
genre
alliteration
rhythm
climax
resolution
conflict, internal & external
ambiguity
point of view

Themes:
The Story of English (how our language has evolved)
Inheriting Earlier Voices
Writing for Results

English Wide Open -- Semester Outline

2010-01-14T08:47:00.005-05:00

Writing:
Descriptive writing
Writing about a place
Persuasive writing
Wild places essay
Acadia storm wave essay
Resume
College admissions essay

Readings:
Island Girl
The Reach
The Island / Polar Dream
Into the Wild
Into the Wild (film)

Terms:
Concrete detail
sensory detail
chronological
functional
voice
organization
revision vs. editing
simple, compound, complex sentences
refute
critical
analysis
synthesis
evaluation
literary period
genre

Themes:
The Importance of Place
Going to Extremes in Search of Truth

Going to Extremes in the Search for Truth

2010-01-08T08:10:00.002-05:00

In a world where extremism is so prevalent, we might ask why is it that so many individuals are going to such extremes. We also might ask if extremism is more a reflection of the individual or of society.

What is extremism? Do all (most, many) of us have extremist tendencies? Can any of us become an extremist?
Is extremism always bad? Are some forms of extremism more harmful than others?
What are the causes of extremism?
What would a world without extremism look like?
Are some people more susceptible to extremism? What characteristics do these people have?
What can we do as individuals and as a society to reduce extremism?

Links for further research:

ADL: "Extremism in America"
Islam for Today: "Muslims Against Extremism and Fundamentalism"
SPLCenter: "Active U.S. Hate Groups" (map)
Religious Tolerance: "Hate Websites"
Hate Groups for Dummies: "How to Build A Successful Hate Group"
Tolerance.org: "Responding to Obama: America at the Extremes"

Into the Wild Resources

2009-12-15T08:50:00.006-05:00

Links for your Into the Wild interpretation are at:
http://delicious.com/wirth_ray/mccandless

Evaluating Internet Resources

2009-12-02T06:25:00.004-05:00

1. Please read and discuss the "Evaluating Your Sources" handout together as a class.

2. Below are a few tips related to the handout:
---Authority (authorship) can often be determining by scanning the top of the web page, the bottom of the web page, and the "about us" page (if any). Keep in mind that unless the person is famous and/or known to you, a name only tells so much. Who is this person? What do they do for a living? What kind of education do they have?
---Objectivity: Is the site selling anything? Trying to persuade you of anything? Are there ads on the site?
---Authenticity / Reliability: Is there an organization, corporation, or educational institution associated with the site? What is it? As before, look at the top of the web page, the bottom of the web page, and the "about us" page (if any).
---Timeliness: Is there a date provided somewhere on the page or even in the copyright (if any) at the bottom of the page?

3. Visit each of the 3 diet sites below and complete the chart by making comments about these sites in each respective box in the chart:
Weight Loss Center (article)
Medicine.Net (article)
Diet Pills Hoopla & Hype (article)

Coming Soon:
You can travel into space for $200,000.00
Right now you can go to
The End of the Internet for free.
Check it out!

Beowulf Resources

2009-11-22T23:10:00.002-05:00

Beowulf -- Translations.net

Beowulf -- Easy to read version

Beowulf -- Hypertext version

College Essay -- Resources

2009-10-19T11:09:00.001-04:00

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at www.quintcareers.com/

The Common Application essay prompts are at https://app.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/CommonApp2008.pdf

True fact: You can pay as much as $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask Wirthy and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

2009-10-07T09:41:00.001-04:00

American Parks Network, History of Acadia

John William Uhler, Acadia National Park Information Guide -- History

Acadia.net, History of Acadia

National Park Service, Acadia -- History & Culture

Park Vision, Acadia National Park -- Photographs

2009-09-29T08:15:00.004-04:00

Click the link directly below (but first read the following note):
Online Resume Builder

Important note: You can save the resume you complete using the above Online Resume Builder by:
1. Dragging your browser over the resume, copying it, and pasting it into Open Office.
2. Naming and saving the document .

Other resume resources:
Resume Builder from Emurse

The "Glue" of a Good Essay: Transitions

2009-09-27T11:08:00.003-04:00

A list of transitions and guide to their use is at:
www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/

Resume Heading Suggestions

2009-09-25T08:14:00.006-04:00

Activities
Activities & Interests
Additional Experience
Additional Skills
Additional Training
Affiliations
Associations
Awards/Recognitions

Career Goal
Career Objective
Certifications
Coaching Experience Achievements
Community Involvement
Community Service
Computer Skills
Conferences Attended

Education
Employment
Employment History
Employment Objective
Experience

Goals

Highlights of Qualifications
Hobbies & Interests
Honours & Awards

Language Skills

Wild Places Essay -- Resources

2009-09-22T22:15:00.002-04:00

National Parks, State Parks: Do They Help or Hurt the Local Economy?
Maine Woods National Park: The Economic Value of Protecting Wildlands

Maine ASCE Report Card: State Parks

Plum Creek Development Wins Recommendation of LURC Staff

Plum Creek Considerations -- Bangor Daily News

Restore.org article

Natural Places: Do we need them? If so, why?
Why Kids Need a Big Dose of Nature (US News & World Report)
"Nature Deficit Disorder" (No Child Left Inside)
"Why is Environmental Education Important?" (No Child Left Inside)
"Videophilia: A New Kind of Childhood" (CYfernet)
"Kids Lose Interest in Nature . . . " (Greenchange)

Storm Wave Hits Acadia: Articles & Videos

2009-09-04T12:06:00.004-04:00

Witnesses recount MDI wave tragedy
Eyewitness: Giant Wave at Acadia Came out of Nowhere
Belmont teen thought he was going to die along Acadia’s shore
Girl, 7, Dies After Rogue Wave Sweeps Her Out to Sea
Child Dead After Rogue Wave Blasts Boat

Additional Links:
YouTube: Thunder Hole Acadia National Park- Hurricane Bill 08/23/2009
CBS Evening News Video: Hazardous Hurricane Waves
Village Soup: Eyewitness Account

Welcome to Senior English 2009-2010!

2009-08-26T12:14:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the 2009 - 2010 school year. My hope for each of you is that you can arrive in class with enthusiasm, persistence, and a sense of purpose. These qualities will carry you a long way down the road toward graduation -- and a successful life.

This blog will be an important resource throughout the year. Please bookmark it on your browser so you can find your way back later. (Simply google "wirthy english" if using another computer.)

As part if our begining of the year goalsetting process, you will be completing a practice Accuplacer exam. This exam is used by colleges after you have already been admitted to place you in classes and also to determine if you need to do any remedial work in English or mathematics.

Many students enter their senior year feeling like they really don't need much but a diploma. Taking a practice Accuplacer will help you find out if you are as ready as you may think you are.

An useful resource that includes practice questions for the Accuplacer is at:
www.testprepreview.com/accuplacer_practice.htm

Not all of you will go to college, but we want and expect all of you to be college ready.

AP Option 2009-2010 Summer Reading

2009-06-17T09:20:00.001-04:00

All students taking AP English in 2009-2010 should complete the following:
(1) Read one required novel: either Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses or Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees.
(2) Read one choice novel. This novel should come from the reading lists below or from one of the lists provided as a handout.
(3) Post your responses on the online forum at http://2liveis2learn.proboards105.com/
OR take notes as you read the two books. These "notes" should consist of 40 or more "bookmarks" in the form of post-it notes inserted into the book. Each booknote should be a comment about a particular passage in the book. Ideally your notes will include reflections, observations, analysis, connections, and more. Please write me at rwirth@msad56.org if you have questions.

I'm strongly encouraging students to post in the online forum rather than taking "booknotes" but have left the booknote option primarily for those students without internet access. See you on the forum.

101 Great Books

Author	Title
--	Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua	Things Fall Apart
Agee, James	A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane	Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James	Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel	Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul	The Adventures of Augie March
Brontë, Charlotte	Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily	Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert	The Stranger
Cather, Willa	Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey	The Canterbury Tales
Chekhov, Anton	The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate	The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph	Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore	The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen	The Red Badge of Courage
Dante	Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel	Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel	Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles	A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor	Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick	Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore	An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre	The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George	The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph	Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo	Selected Essays
Faulkner, William	As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William	The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry	Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott	The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave	Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox	The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von	Faust
Golding, William	Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas	Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel	The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph	Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest	A Farewell to Arms
Homer	The Iliad
Homer	The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor	The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hurston, Zora Neale	Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous	Brave New World
Ibsen, Henrik	A Doll's House
James, Henry	The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry	The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz	The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong	The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper	To Kill a Mockingbird
Lewis, Sinclair	Babbitt
London, Jack	The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas	The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García	One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman	Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman	Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur	The Crucible
Morrison, Toni	Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery	A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene	Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George	Animal Farm
Pasternak, Boris	Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia	The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan	Selected Tales
Proust, Marcel	Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas	The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria	All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond	Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry	Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D.	The Catcher in the Rye
Shakespeare, William	Hamlet
Shakespeare, William	Macbeth
Shakespeare, William	A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William	Romeo and Juliet
Shaw, George Bernard	Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary	Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon	Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander	One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles	Antigone
Sophocles	Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John	The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis	Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher	Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan	Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William	Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David	Walden
Tolstoy, Leo	War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan	Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire	Candide
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr.	Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Alice	The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith	The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora	Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt	Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar	The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee	The Glass Menagerie
Woolf, Virginia	To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard	Native Son

Top Ten Forecasts for 2009 and Beyond

2009-06-03T06:31:00.001-04:00

A top 10 list of predictions from The Futurist magazine is at:
http://www.wfs.org/Sept-Oct08/Nov-Dec%20FUTURIST/topTen.htm

English Without Borders Assignment -- May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T06:58:00.002-04:00

(1) Please choose and read 1 article at:
http://www.newsoffuture.com/

Also read choose and read 1 article from among the following sites:

http://www.futureforall.org/ A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society
http://www.globalfutureonline.org A World Vision Journal of Human Development
http://www.globalfuturist.com Harnessing the Power of Innovation
http://www.wfs.org World Future Society

(2) Then post a summary in your own words of the 2 articles in the "Links to the Future" thread on the forum at http://2liveis2learn.proboards.com/

(3) Use the remaining time in the class to work on Future Projects and/or to read their future novels. Novels and projects should be complete by next Friday.

Links to the Future

2009-05-26T21:54:00.002-04:00

newsoffuture.com Future News for Year 2020 and Beyond

futureforall.org/ A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society

globalfutureonline.org A World Vision Journal of Human Development

globalfuturist.com Harnessing the Power of Innovation

thefutureofourworld.ytmnd.com The Future of Our World

wfs.org World Future Society

Assignment for Monday, March 30

2009-03-30T06:48:00.001-04:00

Biographies were to be completed last week. Any student who has not completed his/her biography should use some of the class time today for reading.
Reading conference sheet also due last week.
Genre piece planning sheet (chart). Please complete this as well.
Drafts of 3 genre pieces (totaling 3 or more pages in length) are due by the end of the class on Friday.
Begin research by locating and bookmarking online sources for topics related to your biography.

AP English Literature -- Exam Prep. Links

2009-03-24T09:33:00.002-04:00

College Board: AP English Literature
(Program Description, Test Information, Sample Questions, more)

Just for Advanced Placement Students
(Practice Questions, Program Info., & more)

Creating a Bibliography and Works Cited Page

2009-03-17T08:29:00.002-04:00

An easy way to organize and format your bibliography and works cited page is at:

www.easybib.com/

A sample bib. entry for an Amazon.com review of Into the Wild is below:

"Into the Wild." Amazon.com. 17 Mar. 2009 .

(Note, author of the review and date of review is not available, so that information is omitted).

Cool Hamlet Sites

2009-01-26T15:01:00.002-05:00

Hamlet Links

Dr. Seuss Does Hamlet: Fox in Socks, Prince of Denmark

HAMLET: The Song (from Prarie Home Companion)

Enjoying "Hamlet"

Hamlet Discussion Questions

Hamlet Resources

2009-01-26T14:56:00.002-05:00

Shakespeare Resource Center: Hamlet
The Rotten State of Denmark
Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country

Best of Adventure 2008

2009-01-16T07:50:00.001-05:00

http://www.explorersweb.com/

English 12 Semester 1 Outline

2009-01-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

English 12 Semester 1 Outline

English Wide Open Course Outline

2009-01-13T23:05:00.001-05:00

The English Wide Open Course Outline is here.

Additional Sources -- Viewpoints on Chris McCandless

2009-01-06T10:15:00.001-05:00

Sean Penn (director), Into the Wild

Catherine Todd (reviewer), "Chris McCandless from an Alaskan Park Ranger's Perspective"

Amazon.com reviews

Far North Science, "Into the Wild: The False Being Within"

Craig Medred, "McCandless' story isn't really told in the book or the film" (Schizophrenia article)

Adventure Blog, "Was Chris Mccandless Crazy, Literally?"

Alaska Daily News, Chris McCandless articles (links)

Not Very Bright (blog & discussion) "Chris McCandless"

Online Resume Builders

2008-11-07T07:04:00.002-05:00

BEGIN HERE (and read the note below):

Online Resume Builder

Important note: You can save the resume you complete using the above Online Resume Builder by:
1. Dragging your browser over the resume, copying it, and pasting it into Microsoft Word.
2. Saving the Microsoft Word document on the transfer drive.

Other resume resources:
Resume Tutor from University of Minnesota.

A second online resume builder (click on free trial)

Sample Student Resumes from AIE

More Student Resumes

Sample Resumes for different careers.

College Essay Resources

2008-11-03T07:44:00.002-05:00

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at www.quintcareers.com/

The Common Application essay prompts are at https://app.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/CommonApp2008.pdf

True fact: You can pay as much as $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask Wirthy and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Topics and Links for Things Fall Apart Mini-Research

2008-10-29T10:43:00.002-04:00

Topics:
Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart (criticism and reviews)
Ibo culture & traditions (music & dance, food, religion, family)
Colonialism in Nigeria
human sacrifice & cannibalism
Nigeria today

Links:
Portals to the World: Nigeria
Online Nigeria
NationMaster: Nigeria
Amazon.com: Things Fall Apart
Reading Room: Things Fall Apart Review

Creating a Personal Portaportal for Literacy 9

2008-10-22T07:08:00.004-04:00

Your assignment for today is to create a Portaportal with links to 15 or more resources that will be helpful for Explorations Board research.

(1) Please begin by checking the Literacy 9 links at www.guest.portaportal.com/ray_wirth and bookmarking links to those sites that you feel are most useful, based on the web site criteria we have been discussing.

(2) Next use the following search terms on Google.com and investigate the sites you receive as results. Don't stop with page 1 of the results. Dig deeper:

Online Encyclopedia

Online dictionary

History resources

Science resources

Another site for Consideration: (See especially history and science headings):

EducationIndex.com

(3) Create your own Portaportal by going to www.portaportal.com and creating an account. (If you are unable to create a Portaportal account for any reason, please save your links as an organized set of desktop "bookmarks" instead.

(4) I'll check your work next time. Good luck!

Essay on Wild Places (Links)

2008-10-20T08:35:00.003-04:00

Boston Globe Article: At Loggerheads Over Maine Woods

Forest Ecology Network: Maine Woods National Park

Evaluating Online Resources II

2008-10-05T22:25:00.004-04:00

Evaluating Online sources: 5-Question quiz

Misleading Websites

More misleading sites.

Acadia National Park Resources

2008-09-28T21:53:00.005-04:00

Where Are You on the Political Map?

2008-09-18T11:17:00.002-04:00

World's Smallest Political Quiz

Information Overload: Who Can You Trust? (Evaluating Internet Sources).

2008-09-18T07:57:00.014-04:00

Three Internet Sites with information on the Plum Creek Plan for Moosehead Lake:

http://www.plumcreekplanmaine.com/

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1167053/debate_pro_con_heard_at_plum_creek_hearings/index.html

http://www.greenvilleme.org/news/120307.html

http://dlsoucy.blogspot.com/2007/12/blue-mecca.html

Four Internet Sites with information on Sarah Palin:

http://www.boycottliberalism.com/Sarah-Palin-Biography.htm

http://wizbangblue.com/2008/09/04/the-democratic-view-of-palins-speech.php

http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=27200

http://palin4america.wordpress.com/tag/sarah-palin-info/

Four internet sites on Dieting and Weight Loss:

http://www.consumerpricewatch.net/

http://www.weight-loss-center.net

http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/article.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/health/24brod.html

AP English Summer Reading 2008

2008-06-11T11:46:00.003-04:00

All students taking AP English in 2008-2009 should complete the following:
(1) Read one required novel: either Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses or Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees.
(2) Read one choice novel. This novel should come from the reading lists below or from one of the lists provided as a handout.
(3) Post your responses on the online forum at http://2liveis2learn.proboards105.com/
OR take notes as you read the two books. These "notes" should consist of 40 or more "bookmarks" in the form of post-it notes inserted into the book. Each booknote should be a comment about a particular passage in the book. Ideally your notes will include reflections, observations, analysis, connections, and more. Please write me at rwirth@msad56.org if you have questions.

I'm strongly encouraging students to post in the online forum rather than taking "booknotes" but have left the booknote option primarily for those students without internet access. See you on the forum.

Wirthy English

Hamlet Project

Lists of Biographies

Hamlet Journal

Hamlet Resources

Reading for Variety

Beowulf Resources

Do's & Don'ts for the College Essay

A Common Inheritance

Resume and College Essay Humor

College Admissions Essay -- Resources & Samples

Building Your Resume

Interactive Comma Quiz

Transitions & Cohension in the Persuasive Essay

Resources for Persuasive Writing

Writing for Results

Welcome Class of 2012!

Sample Outline for Future Essay

Loaded Words and Your Issue

Instant Pie Charts

Deconstructing Ads

Resources for Freedom of Speech Issues

Merchants of Cool

Euphemisms, Loaded Words, & Persuasion

Spoof Ads

Colors & Symbolism -- Campaign Bumper Stickers

Finishing Touches: Title Page, Table of Contents, Media Projects, Presentations

Genre Pieces -- Developing, Extending, Polishing, Refining

Instant Genre Piece: A 2-Minute Poem to Kick Start Your Week

Recommended Genres

Author & Subject: What is the Relationship?

Biography Project -- Preliminary Research

English 12 -- Exam Essay Question

English Wide Open Exam -- Online version

Hamlet Quizzes

Poetry Out Loud Comes to Senior English!

Hamlet Resources

Into the Wild Resources

The White Man's Burden: Rudyard Kipling's Poem and the Response

Beowulf Resources

Evalating Online Sources

Time Management Quiz

Words, Words, Words -- An inventory of your college essay.

More Tips on the College Admissions Essay

Utilize Action Verbs in your resume!

College Admissions Essay -- Resources

The Glue of a Good Essay - Transitions

Building Your Resume

Writing for Results -- How Can We Persuade?

What Discipline Do You Practice?

Storm Waves & Acadia -- Resources

Welcome to Senior English 2010 - 2011!

Links to the Future

Anthem Online

Media Literacy Resource

English 12 Assignment for Tuesday, April 6

Colors and Symbolism

Spoof Ads

Merchants of Cool -- Frontline Program Available Online

English 12 Assignment for Tuesday, March 23

Resources for Creating a Bibliography

Evaluating Online Sources

English Wide Open Exam

English 12 Semester Outline

English Wide Open -- Semester Outline

Going to Extremes in the Search for Truth

Into the Wild Resources

Evaluating Internet Resources

Beowulf Resources

College Essay -- Resources

The "Glue" of a Good Essay: Transitions

Resume Heading Suggestions

Wild Places Essay -- Resources

Storm Wave Hits Acadia: Articles & Videos

Welcome to Senior English 2009-2010!

AP Option 2009-2010 Summer Reading

101 Great Books

Recommended for College-Bound Readers

Top Ten Forecasts for 2009 and Beyond

English Without Borders Assignment -- May 28, 2009