Conferences Reminder

Hey, seniors in English 12 - when you come to your writing conference, bring the book you are reading for your Independent Reading Project.

YA Literature w/Tanvi

Tanvi Rastogi from Ames Public Library visited our sophomore classes today, offering book talks on some hot contemporary Young Adult fiction such as Butter by Erin Lange, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga.

Thanks, Tanvi!

Did Proctor Do the Right Thing?

Heated debates today in Honors English 10! Some say Proctor is justified and becomes a martyr by mounting the gibbet, others argue he abandons his family and dismisses "God's most precious gift."Some of us continue to wrestle with the evidence and revise our analysis. Nicely done, sophomores!

English 12 - Narrative Essays - Chunk it Out

Today and tomorrow, revise and organize the body of your essay. Think in chunks. What are the key moments, the snapshot moments readers need to understand your story, your place, your experience? Alternate between scenes and summary. As you read the autobiography, biography or memoir you selected, notice how the writer moves back and forth between scenes and summary, scenes and analysis. You should too.

Some reminders from class today:

The Shell Game!!

Independent Reading - Every Day

English 12 Students - Remember to log at least 20-minutes each night with your Independent Reading selections. Glancing around the room yesterday, it didn't look like most of us were 1/4 of the way through our books. Take some time today and Thursday to make some progress, get into your story. Remember to flag:

• moments of struggle
• models of beautiful writing
• passages you connect with 

College Application Essay Bonanza!

Seniors are writing personal narratives this week, responding to prompts from the Common Application or college and scholarship applications of their choice. We are taking inspiration and stealing techniques from the writers we admire.

Book Talk with Tanvi from Ames Public Library

Tanvi Rastogi from the Ames Public Library visited our room last week for a few book talks about memoirs for our Independent Reading / Life Studies Unit. 

The Crucible! Live in Room #201

Scenes from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, performed in Room #201:

Scenes from The Crucible

English 10 Honors students have been preparing to perform scenes from The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Here are a few action shots of their read-throughs and rehearsals:

English 12 Siddhartha - Illumination of a Theme

Students in English 12 and Advanced English 12 recently completed their Creative Illumination of a Theme from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Here are a few highlights!