“Coke Essay” Summative

Due next class.  9/26 for periods 1,3; 9/27 for period 4.  Aiming for sophisticated insight: Sagaciously revised.  Meticulously edited.  Carefully typed.

Bragging rights…

Publishing giant Penguin sponsors the Signet Classics national scholarship essay contest.  Last year, one of my former students, Daniela Ganelin entered an essay she wrote for my class.  She ended up winning the Grand Prize.

Check her essay out here.  Click on her name to read the essay.

Congrats Daniela!  You deserve it!

The Gazette’s “My Favorite Teacher” Essay Contest

I’ve been asked (notice the passive voice) to advertise this essay contest.  Please consider recognizing your favorite teacher, flexing your prose muscles and possibly getting an iPad out of the deal.  (This is not a personal plug)

Here’s a part of the email I received:

Hope you are well. I’m contacting you from the Marketing Department at The Gazette and am happy to announce the return of our “My Favorite Teacher” contest and would like to invite Blair High School students to participate.

We encourage students to submit a short essay about their favorite teacher now through Monday, October 7^th to be entered to win an Apple iPad. Last year, we had hundreds of submissions and we would love to see nominations come in for a teacher at your school!

I encourage you to visit our official website for more information and rules: http://www.gazette.net/section/teacherContest/

Reading Schedules

Reading schedules are now posted on the course specific pages for:

1) AP Lang: The Scarlet Letter

2) Hon. Eng. 10: Black Boy

The Heron- An Announcement

All classes have been assigned an out of class, online assignment.  It will be due Thursday, 12 September 2013 regardless of whether our class meets on Odd or Even days.  It’s not very time consuming.  I strongly recommend writing your initial response this weekend September 7-8.  That will leave you enough time to read your peers’ responses and then complete the second part of the assignment (which is to respond to a classmates’ response).  You may respond to any classmate in any of my classes, or to Mr. Klein or Mr. Dinh, should they post a response.  This seems more complicated than it actually is.  More details are posted on the class specific pages and on the assignment specific page for “The Heron.”  Enjoy the read.  Happy analyzing!

National Book Festival

Save the Date: Saturday, 21 September 2013:

Two great authors, Don Delillo and Margaret Atwood will be speaking at this year’s National Book Festival.  My wife and I will be in attendance.  I welcome all students (and their parents) to attend.  This is not a school sponsored event, nor am I requiring you to come.

You and/or your friends, parents, etc. will travel to and from this event on your own as free citizens.

If you have the time and inclination, feel free to join us.  I plan to listen to both Delillo and Atwood (10:00-11:40am) and then stick around for the book signing (I hope to leave with a signed copy of White Noise and The Handmaid’s Tale.  Underworld is unwieldy [but I might bring it anyway as my infamous capriciousness unbridled literary enthusiasm sometimes rates me irrational]).  Anyone who comes and sticks around is also welcome to get a bite to eat after the event and discuss the experience.

Click below for more information.

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/