Storm Waves & Acadia -- Resources

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!

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

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

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

Media Literacy Resource

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

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

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

Spoof Ads

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

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

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

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

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!

English Wide Open Exam

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

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

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