Week 5
Monday, 2/27—Begin The Great Gatsby.
Tuesday, 2/28— Read and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 1.
Wednesday, 2/29— Read and take notes Gatsby, Ch. 2.
Thursday, 3/1— Read and take notes Gatsby, Ch. 3.
Friday, 3/2— Vocab Quiz on VEII, Chapter 4; do phrase review exercises on p. 61 of Workbook
Week 6
Monday, 3/5— Written assignment!
Step I: Find, re-read, and mark up passages describing:
1. Gatsby’s party and Myrtle’s party
Or
2. Myrtle’s two residences (in Queens and Manhattan) and the Buchanans’ home.
Step II: Write a thesis statement in which you articulate a significant difference between the two parties or the two residences, depending on which topic you choose.
Step III: Pick at least TWO quotations from the novel and analyze them in support of your thesis.
Please post the assignment on your homework site.
Word count: 300 words (not including quotations).
Tuesday, 3/6— Read and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 4.
Wednesday, 3/7—New assignment! Do ONE of the two following assignments and post on your personal homework page:
1. Passage analysis: Analyze ONE of the two main paragraphs on page 64 of The Great Gatsby ("He was balancing himself . . ." and "I'd seen it. Everybody had seen it"). Pick at least THREE key words from the passage and suggest what these words say about Gatsby and/or an important theme of the novel.
2. Creative assignment: write a journal entry from either Gatsby's or Daisy's perspective about the moment they spent together in the "white roadster by the curb" (74) back in October of 1917. What made that moment so magical for the character you chose? What does your character see in the other one? Why are they so much in love? (Thank you Erick and Lucy for coming up with this topic!)
Word count for either assignment: 200-300 words.
Thursday, 3/18— Review for grammar test.
Homework: Read the attached PDF at the bottom of this page and do the exercises included on it. You can print out the PDF or write your answers on a word doc if you prefer.
Friday, 3/9— Vocab quiz on VEII, Chapter 5 plus Grammar Test on Verbals.
Extra Practice on Verbals: Click here.
Week 7 (note: need to be re-worked!)
Monday, 3/12— Read and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 5.
Tuesday, 3/13— Read and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 6.
Wednesday, 3/14— Read and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 7 (pp. 113-129).
Thursday, 3/15— Finish Ch. 7. Take notes. Note: essay topics are now attached below (see the bottom of this page for the word doc). Please note that I’m posting these topics a bit early. It’s possible that I will add another topic and/or we might talk about one of these topics in class. If we do discuss one of these topics in class, be sure that what you say in your paper adds significantly to our discussion. Your essay should do more than merely repeat ideas we’ve already discussed.
*** (comment posted on 3/16: I've changed the topics since I posted them yesterday (the 15th). Please download the new essay topics posted below (old essay topics have been removed).
Friday, 3/16—Read and take notes Gatsby, Ch. 8.
Week 8
Monday, 3/19—Finish and take notes on Gatsby, Ch. 9.
Tuesday, 3/20—Revision of Shakespeare essay.
Please post your revision of the essay on the "homework" section of your website, along with the original draft (with my comments visible). You must make the changes and fixes I've suggested as well as any others that, in your opinion, will make the essay better.
***If you did not answer the questions under "Reflections on Writing" in class, you must also do this for homework. Using the edit button, write your answers under the questions in a different color ink.
Wednesday, 3/21—Freewrite on ONE or MORE of the Gatsby essay topics (see topics attached below).
Please post the freewrite in the homework section of your personal website and specify which topic/s you are writing on.
If you're sure which topic you want to write upon, I suggest you write exclusively on that topic. If you're not sure which topic you'd like to choose, write a little on each of the topics that interest you; perhaps you'll discover which one you like best.
Word count: 300 words
Thursday, 3/22—Please post this assignment in the homework section of your personal website:
Write out a working thesis for your essay
Find 3-4 rich, meaty quotations to support your thesis
Analyze each quotation, selecting out specific words, and demonstrate how the quotation and the specific words support your thesis.
Word count: 300 words minimum
Friday, 3/23— No Classes! Grade Report Writing
Week 9
Monday 3/26--Conferences. For homework: please post the introductory paragraph of your essay including your working thesis on your homework site. Also have an outline of the body paragraphs and conclusion (outlines should include working topic sentences and quotations you might use for evidence).
Tuesday 3/27--Conferences. For homework, write out a draft of ONE of your body paragraphs and post on your homework site.
Wedsnesday 3/28--Conferences. Keep working on your essay. For homework, write out a draft of the other body paragraph/s and post on your homework site.
Thursday 3/29--Writing workshop. For homework, write out a draft of your conclusion and post on the homework site.
Friday 3/30--Essay due. Please revise your essay and review the essay checklist: writing contract