Some important announcements today:

1. Periods 3, 4, 6, and 7, meet at the MPR during your class time tomorrow for a special performance of Romeo and Juliet. Students in period 1, you may go only with the permission of your elective teacher (if you are not failing the class!) to a later showing.

2. All MAUS reading guides must be turned in by Friday to receive credit.

During class, we took a practice AP-style reading quiz related on an article related to Winter’s Bone. Please come make this up during lunch if you were absent.

Students then finished their MAUS exam essays.

You need to begin reading Winter’s Bone – students should be to page 38 by Thursday, and complete the reading/discussion guide. If you were absent and I did not assign you a question, please choose one to respond to.

Here is the document with all reading/discussion guides for the book:

Winter’s Bone Reading and Discussion Guides

Today we took our MAUS test. If you did not finish the essay portion, you’ll have some time (not the entire period) tomorrow. If you were absent, please come in to make up the exam some day during lunch, Tuesday through Thursday, of this week. (I have a meeting Friday during lunch.)

Homework for tonight was to be working on your graphic novel project – you don’t need to turn anything in tomorrow, but I don’t want you to have to rush to finish it at the last minute (it’s due May 12).

Homework for tonight is to analyze this poster:

Faces of Meth Poster

Faces of Meth Short Answer Response

Today we watched a documentary about the problems associated with meth use. This one takes a more personal look at the cost to the individual drug user, while the one assigned for homework analyzed how it’s a problem on a wide, systemic scale.

Here’s the link if you’d like to continue watching:

And here’s the viewing guide:

The Meth Epidemic Documentary Viewing Guide

Today we worked on the reading guide for Chapter 5 of MAUS…

Maus RG 5

Homework, which is due Thursday, is to watch a PBS documentary on the rise of the meth industry and how it’s hurting American communities in preparation for our study of Winter’s Bone.

The Meth Epidemic Documentary Viewing Guide

Lots of important announcements today!

1. We’re about to start our next novel, Winter’s Bone. If you don’t already have a copy, you can get one here. I’ve heard from students that the local bookstores don’t seem to have a lot of copies, so ordering one online might be your best bet.

2. We’ll have a test over MAUS a week from today (Monday, April 28).

3. Extra credit for the test! Go to the Holocaust Museum (admission is free, but you must get a ticket from the front desk to prove that you were there). Do this sheet, staple your ticket to it, and turn it in on the day of the test for 10 points of extra credit.

Extra Credit for the MAUS Test

4. Here are all of the reading guides and homework for MAUS that we have done so far:

Maus RG 1 Maus RG 2 Maus RG 3 Maus RG 4

I know you read at different speeds, but in the coming days you need to be finishing up, otherwise you’ll need to come into my room during lunch to finish reading.

5. I won’t be in my room tomorrow during lunch – I have a meeting! I should be there the rest of the week.

6. Just as a reminder, you need to be working on your graphic novel project…

More MAUS and poems today! Here is a copy of the reading guide for chapter 3 and the homework for periods 1 and 3. (Periods 6 and 7, your homework is on yesterday’s post. Period 4, you didn’t have homework for tonight!)

Maus RG 3

More MAUS today! Come see me for a reading guide.

Also, homework for periods 1, 3, and 4 is the last page of this reading guide:

Maus RG 2

Another big announcement from today – we’re doing a make-your-own graphic novel/memoir/essay:

Writing a Graphic Memoir Project

As I said in class, you have almost a month to do this project, and I am really going to encourage you to work ahead. It should be a project that is a lot of fun, but I think it’s also going to be one that takes some time.

Today in class, we listened to more poems and continued with our study of MAUS. Please come see me for paper copies of assignments.

Seventh period, remember that we’re meeting in the science conference center. If you are able to, please take a quick look at these poems:

Lynn Xu and Yang Lian at BHS

We began the first of our poetry recitations today – congratulations to our students who performed!

We began our reading of MAUS – students worked on a reading guide as they read. Please come see me if you need a copy.