Welcome Back....August 20th, 2013

Welcome to Junior 11 Honors!

Dear Junior English Students,

Welcome to "American Literature," otherwise known as "Junior English." I am so excited to work with you this year. Our study will pertain to American authors and their impact on society. You will have the opportunity to read exceptional pieces of literature that will effect change within your lives.

HOMEWORK for Thursday, August 22nd:
1. Remember to return your signed copy of the Disclosure Document . Please print the following form as a Word document, have your parents read my note to them, and then I ask that both of you sign and date it.

Dear Parents,

I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with your student this year; I sincerely care about them. Their progress in Junior 11 Honors is extremely important to me. If you are concerned about your student's academic standing, need clarification regarding the disclosure document, an assignment, or feel that we need to visit regarding other concerns , please contact me at school (801-223-3120 ext. 610), or I can also be reached by e-mail (kcrampton@alpinedistrict.org). Contacting me by e-mail is the most effective form of communication. I ask that you take an active role in your student's education at Timpanogos High School. I have developed a blog(www.juniorenglishwithcrampton.blogspot.com), which is designed to assist students with their assignments and assessments.  I believe you and your student will find it a useful and helpful source. If you would like to make an appointment with me, I am available during A3 and B3 prep periods.

I hope this will be a positive year for your student; I look forward to working with them and you! 

Sincerely,

Kori Crampton

__________________________________________________________________________________

I have read and understand the disclosure document for Junior English Honors. 

Student's Name (please print) _____________________________________ Date: ____________

Parent's Signature ______________________________________________ Date: ____________

2. Remember to have your notebook organized and labeled with the following dividers (homework, handouts, notes, vocab./mechanics, and journal)

3. Remember that your "Where I stand" Introduction is also due on Thursday, August, 22nd!

Introductory Writing Prompt for Tuesday, August 22nd!

In relationship to your own abilities to write, to comprehend text, and to communicate overall, I ask that you respond to two of the following quotes:

 1. "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." -Plato_
2. "Ignorance is bliss." -Thomas Grey_
 3. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. -Plato_
4. "The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." -Plato-
5. "The only thing I know is that I  know nothing." -Socrates-
6. "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." -Aristotle-

In each response, please explain what you think the author is attempting to convey about learning. Do you agree or disagree? Explain. Support your opinions with logical and valid commentary.

 Please write your name in the upper left hand corner, along with your period and seat #. Please do your best to structure your writing in an organized and thorough manner. You will have approximately 10 minutes to write for each chosen quote.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Cheers,

Crampton

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Dear Juniors,

If you missed class, we completed the following:

1. CRT will take place on Wednesday and Friday, April 24th and 26th! If you miss the test, then you are required to take the test during another English period. DON'T MISS, my young friends, as you will miss Gatsby.
 Part of the CRT involves Latin roots. I gave the roots to each student, along with meanings. Your homework assignment for THURSDAY involves making flashcards for each root, and then LOCATING A MINIMUM of THREE WORDS that are derived from the LATIN ROOT.

Bene=Good
Phile=Love
Photo=Light
Dia=Across
Dyna=Power
Dom=Rule/Power
Liber=Free
Lent=full of
Fid=Faith
Ject=Throw
Form=shape
Demo=people
Ad=toward
Trib=Honor/Pay
Cracy=Government
Tract=Pull
Pulse=Drive
Sym=Together
Vore=Eat
 Vita=Life

 2. We then "took a quiz" covering the symbolism found within chapters 1 and 2 of Gatsby. If you missed class, you will need to visit with me about the process involved with making up the quiz.

I will see you on Thursday.
Cheers,
KC

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Dear Juniors,

I hope you have a wonderful spring break. Please be aware of the following, especially if you missed class the day prior to spring break.

1. Your homework is to read your "book report" text. Remember that your assignment is due on April 16th, which is not too far away. WORK ON THIS, my young friends.

2. We started on THE GREAT GATSBY in class on Thursday. In fact, we almost finished listening to Chapter 1. Those of you that missed class, you will need to read chapter 1 on your own. I recommend downloading it from the computer and listening to it. Initially listening to it gives you a greater understanding of the text. As we progress through the novel, you will be able to read it on your own.

3. Please do not miss class on Monday, as we will finish chapter 1. I will explain your chapter 1 quiz, and then move on to color symbolism.

Enjoy the holiday, cute kids. I look forward to seeing you on Monday.
Cheers,
Mrs. Crampton

Monday, March 11th

Dear Juniors,

1. If you missed class last week, please make sure you are prepared for class on TUESDAY.

" What does "prepared" actually mean, Crampton?"

"Well, you have a quiz covering the introductory information surrounding the 1920's. It is incredibly thorough."

" Will I need to be familiar with all the information on the note-taking page?"

"YES! So make sure yo communicate with a student that was in class. Don't forget to familiarize yourself with the art forms from the 1920's."


2. We also went to the lab and started working on our power points regarding your 1920's  You will have part of the period on Tuesday to continue working on the presentation. Remember that the presentation and the handout are both due on Thursday. YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED!

3. Everyone present showed me their book report text. Those that were not in class, MUST HAVE IT WITH YOU ON TUESDAY. I NEED to see it, cute kids.

Cheers,
Crampton

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Dear Juniors,

If you missed class today, we completed the following:

EVERYONE SUBMITTED THEIR "OUT, OUT" POEM  Extra-Credit was given for those that felt comfortable in sharing their piece with the class.

1. Crampton returned the poetry analysis for the piece that you worked on together in groups. Half of you did well with this assignment, and the other half STRUGGLED. We looked at a poor example together, and discussed ways that we could improve the analysis.

POOR EXAMPLE:
                This poem is explaining about a little boy that just found out that Santa is not really real.
The simile says "he feels as if a monster's fist has grabbed his heart and won't stop squeezing." He is telling us that Santa is dying from a heart attack. Another simile says "Rudolph's nose blinks like an ambulance's light." Ambulance lights are bright colored, just like Rudolph's nose. This poem is really sad because everyone believed in Santa when they were little, and when you found that Santa was fake, you felt like you were having a heart attack. This poem is sad, but really true.

2. We then continued by looking at three new poems.

HOMEWORK:
1.  Select one of the piece that we did not discuss in class and complete an analysis for it.
2. Final Exam for poetry is quickly approaching.

If you missed Friday, February 1st....

Dear Juniors,

REMEMBER TO WEAR WARM CLOTHES on TUESDAY; we will spend some time OUTSIDE, and I don't want you to "catch a cold."

STOP MISSING CLASS, cute kids! I don't have an extra 80 minutes to assist you in "catching up!" Visit with someone that was in class, so you can returned prepared.

1. We completed identifying the elements for TPCASTT. The meaning for each letter is easily accessible on-line; you can "Google" TPCASTT. You will need to do this before completing your homework assignment.

2. We then practiced evaluating a poem entitled "We Real Cool; Seven at the Golden Shovel" using the TPCASTT method. Everyone that was in class, received participation points for this poem.  You will need to use flex time in order to make up the missing participation points.

We real cool; Seven at the Golden Shovel
by Gwendolyn Brooks

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon. 

3. Students were then given a copy of the following poem, and asked to evaluate it using the TPCASTT method.

On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High,” by D.C. Berry

Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package. 

 Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears

and then I heard the sounds
of fish in a aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words
that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.

Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang
puncturing
a hole in the door

where we all leaked out

They went to another class
I suppose 

and I home
where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.

Homework:
1. Complete the evaluation of "On Reading a Poem to Seniors at South High" for Tuesday. Use the TPCASTT method. Record your ideas for each letter (TPCASTT) on the right hand side of the poem.
2. Wear a jacket to class for Tuesday.

Cheers,
Crampton