Vocabulary words

monarchy, unwittingly, harassing, trepidation,
lorries, foyer, integrity, squabbling,
gnarled, imminent, demise, unscrupulous,
notorious, hemorrhaged, garrulous,
carcass(versus corpse), liability,
affluent, tapestries, chandelier, vaulted,
congenital, perpetually, skeptic, scoffed,
virtuous, intricacies, exhilarating, melee, jostled, vehemently, revving,
nemesis, obstinacy, irony

Questions for Wednesday's class

1.How are the boys different after the attack? Give at least 3 details.

2. What happens between Amir and Assef at the party? What does this show about each of them?

3.What is “Hassan’s final sacrifice to Amir”? What happens to sever their relationship? What is revealed about Ali in all of this?

Questions for discussion

Be ready to talk about these questions when you come to class on Tuesday:

1. Why is kite flying so important to Amir?

2. Explain the significance of Hassan frequently saying to Amir, “For you a thousand times over.”

3. Why doesn’t Amir help Hassan when he is attacked? What does this show about him?

Independent versus dependent clauses

Check here for a website that gives a very clear and concise explanation of how dependent and independent clauses work.

Critical Questions for Chapters 1-3

These questions aren't homework, but you ought to be able to answer them after reading the chapters for Tuesday's class.

1. What is your most vivid childhood memory?
2. What mood is established in chapter 2?
3. Why did Ali and Sanaubar make an odd couple?
4. Why doesn’t Amir invite Hassan to the lake? How does Baba treat Amir that day? From these things what can you conclude about the father/son relationship?

Code of Conduct Questions

Homework:
Write down the following questions and then say
whether you believe the statement is true or false, based on your reading of the Code of Conduct, pages 18-28:
1. Cutting class is a minor infraction that will be handled by teachers calling your home.
2. Using profane, obscene, vulgar, lewd, offensive, or abusive language or gestures is punishable by a Principal's suspension.
3. Bringing visitors to school is okay if they are not disruptive.
4. Using a ipod in school okay as long as you use headphones and keep the ipod hidden.
5. Cheating on a test is more serious than plagiarizing.
6. Propositioning someone that you like is not considered sexual harassment.

Registering for Engrade

To register for Engrade, go to www.engrade.com. Click the student button and go to register. You'll be prompted to enter your special code. Your code is: mrvilbig-yourMidwoodId#-your top secret special four digit code #.

(The top secret special four digit code # is the one I gave you in class.)

Please note that mrvilbig is spelled with no periods and no capitals.

Good luck!

Grades

Grades will be based on the following:
Tests and at home literary essays and projects: 40 percent
Classwork, quizzes, and homework: 60 percent
Total: 100 percent

How we'll work: For each book or literary work we read, you’ll be expected to read about 15 to 25 pages a night. In addition you will sometimes have homework in which you'll be asked to write brief responses or answer questions about your reading or topics for class discussion. In addition, you can expect that for each book or literary work, you'll write one at-home essay and have one to two tests.

IMPORTANT: Grades are cumulative. That means the grades you make now count as much as the grades later in the semester. So it's important to work hard from the very beginning and not dig yourself into a hole in the first weeks of our class.

How to use this blog

The blog is a place where you'll find a variety of material helpful to you in this English class. Sometimes assignments will be posted here; vocabulary lists will frequently be found here; additional material (videos, readings from around the web, and other miscellaneous matters) will also make their way to the blog.

It's important that you check in regularly. Some students link the blog to their email so they'll receive notification when there's new material. This is probably a good idea.

Remember too that in reading the blog, the latest posting will always be at the top. So make sure you don't miss a posting because a new posting has been placed above it: read a few down. If later in the course you want to find a prior post you can find them in the list to the right hand side.

Occasionally, I'll have a longer posting and will use a "more" tag. Just click on it and you'll be able to read to the end.

That's about it. Any questions about the blog, let me know.

Welcome to English 1

Welcome to English 1 and the beginning of your high school experience. We will be focusing in this class on helping you to become more adept and skillful readers and writers. In reading you will be introduced to a variety of classic and modern works of high literary merit. You will focus on developing your vocabulary and your ability to interpret and analyze literature. In writing, you will develop the ability to write a literary essay, sharpen your grammar skills and your understanding of how language and sentences work. You will become a skilled writer capable of expressing your thoughts concisely and creatively.