Date / Assignment
Mon
7/25-27 / Getting Started and Setting the Tone
  • Name cards and seating charts
  • Curriculum Review
  • Focus: Argument and Analysis
  • The class website
  • Syllabus Review
  • Policies Review
  • Ethics Agreement (due Monday, 8/1)
  • Turnitin Registration (due Thursday)
  • The birthday calendar
  • Possible research topics (due Monday)
  • For the Year: Vocabulary and Grammar lessons

Block / Summer reading check-up/questions: Thank You For Arguing
Check out books
  • Assign Chapter 1, The Language of Composition, due Monday
Assign: Writing Diagnostic—drafts due Thursday
  • Choose a prompt, and pick one primary pattern of development (pgs. 17-25). Approximately 300-500 words.
Lecture: Rhetorical Theory in a Nutshell
Mon
8/1 / Due:turnitin registration
Due:Ethics Agreement
Due:Chapter 1, The Language of Composition
  • Discussion
Assign: Chapter 2, The Language of Composition, due Monday, 8/9
8/2 / Due: reading assignment/possible research topics
  • finding a topic—preliminary broad topic is due Tuesday

8/3 / What is synthesis writing?
Block / Grammar Mini-lesson #1: Parallel Structures/bring your book to class
Due/optional: Summer Reading (early in, 5% x/c) —tii upload required
Due:Writing Diagnostic drafts—camera workshop, revisions due in one week
Mon
8/8 / Due: Grammar lesson #1, Parallel Structures/bring your book to class
8/9 / School Pictures (0/6:40; 1/7:30; 3/9:30)
Due (drafts): ThreePreliminary Research Topics
  • Please bring in 3 broad topics, narrowed at least once, with a question to argue

8/10 / Guest Speaker: Kathrine Henderson
  • Conducting credible research

Block
Substitute / Close Reading Diagnostic (group work)
Chapter 3: The Language of Composition (seat work)
Mon
8/15 / Portfolio Exchanges at the beginning of class
Due: Summer Reading —tii upload required
Due:Narrative Writing Diagnostic —tii upload required
Due:Vocabulary Log #1
Research Project/Final Exam
  • Introduction, objectives and requirements
  • Annotated Bibliographies—this is how it’s done; #1 and #2 are due 9/7
  • Library instruction—using the data bases

8/16 / Synthesizing sources/bring your book to class
Due:Chapter 3, The Language of Composition
  • Practice Timed Writing: Synthesis (honor codes)

8/17 / Practice Timed Writing: Synthesis (honor codes)
Block / Library Research Time in the computer lab
Due: Summer Reading (25% late penalty) —tii upload required
Mon
8/22 / Due (final): Preliminary Research Topic, narrowed, with short narrative of interest
Writing Workshop/Review and Scoring: Synthesis timed writing: Honor Codes
8/23 / The art of close reading and rhetorical analysis
Due:Notes for Chapter 2, The Language of Composition
  • Discussion and Review
  • SOAPSTRA: “The Box Man”—due Thursday

8/24 / Wrap-up: Writing Workshop/Review and Scoring: Synthesis timed writing: Honor Codes
Block / Rhetorical Analysis: Barbara Aesher’s “The Box Man”
  • “Honor Code” camera work, cont.
  • Due:SOAPSTRA for “The Box Man”
  • Reading/Analysis: Trump essay, due 9/1

Mon
8/29 / Due:Vocabulary Log #2; Vocabulary Sentence Set #1 —tii upload required
M/C Strategies/MC Practice
8/30 / An introduction to Philosophy
Assign: Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, due Thursday
8/31 / Video: Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”
  • Reading: “The Allegory of the Cave”

Block / Due: Trump essay analysis paragraph
Discussion: Trump essay
Grammar Mini-lesson #2:Direct, Precise and Active Verbs/bring your book to class
Mon
9/5 / No School: Labor Day Holiday
9/6 / Due: Grammar lesson #2/bring your book to class
9/7 / Due:Socratic Discussion: Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”
Block / Whorton out
Mon
9/12 / Due:Research Project/Final: Bibliographies 1 and 2 —tii upload required
Due:Vocabulary Log #3
Assign: Next philosophy reading
9/13 / Counseling in: Testing
Philosophy
Socratic Discussion Prep: Free Will
Due: outside research on free will; please complete a rhetorical precis for your research—word-processed.
9/14 / Socratic Discussion: Free Will
Block / Due: outside research on fear; please complete a rhetorical precis for your research—word-processed.
  • Discussion: Machiavelli and fear
Return Bibs #1 and #2
Assign: philosophy essay
Grammar Mini-lesson #3:Subordination in the Complex Sentence/bring your book to class
Mon
9/19 / Due: Grammar lesson #3/bring your book to class
Close Reading Practice
9/20 / Philosophy/American: Transcendentalism
  • Take notes on the major tenets of Transcendentalism

9/21 / Philosophy/Transcendentalism: William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”
  • Annotate the essay as we reading and discuss in class

Block / The Writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Philosophy/Reading/Discussion Prep: excerpts from RWE’s “Self-Reliance” and “Nature”
  • Work in groups to prepare questions for panel discussion

Mon
9/26 / Due: Research Project/Final: Bibliographies 3 and 4 —tii upload required
Due: Vocab log #4/Sentence Set #2—tii upload required
Philosophy/Panel Discussion: excerpts from RWE’s “Nature”
9/27 / Philosophy/Panel Discussion: excerpts from RWE’s “Self-Reliance”
9/28 / Work Day: Reading and preparing discussion questions for HDT’s “Civil Disobedience”
Block / Philosophy/Panel Discussion: Thoreau
  • Turn-in philosophy unit scoring
  • Review quarter/portfolio requirements
After School: Dead Poets Society. Movie from 2:30-4:30—20 optional credit points for FULL attendance
10/1-10/18 / Fall Intercession—Have a great break!
10/19 / Welcome Back!
Block / Due:Philosophy unit, compiled and scored
Due:Philosophy essay drafts/Writing Workshop
Mon
10/24 / Writing Workshop: camera/full essays
10/25 / Due:an example of satire
Unit #2: Satire
  • Introductory lecture

10/26 / Unit Two: The Art of Satire
  • Jessica Mitford’s “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”

Block / Unit Two: The Art of Satire
  • Jessica Mitford’s “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”, cont.
Due: Philosophy essay revisions —tii upload required
Due:Research Project/Final: Bibliographies 5, 6 and 7 —tii upload required
Grammar Mini-lesson #4:Cumulative, Periodic and Inverted Sentences/bring your book to class
Mon
10/31 / Due: Grammar Lesson #4/bring your book to class
Close Reading Practice
11/1 / Review/change-up: The elements of argument—Prop 205—should recreational pot be legalized?
11/2 / Review/change-up: The elements of argument—Prop 205—should recreational pot be legalized?, cont.
Block / Whorton out/Sub in
Satire
Mon
11/7 / Due:Vocabulary Log #5
Introducing Mark Twain
  • Review requirements
  • Check out books
  • Assign biographical reading
  • Assign outside research: the “N” word

11/8 / Election Day: Mark Twain for President
11/9
Day 1 blks. / Due:Outside Research/The “N” word
Due:biographical readingIntroducing Mark Twain/annotations only
  • Ken Burn’s documentary Mark Twain

11/10 / Day 2 blks/zero hour only
11/11 / No School: Veteran’s Day Holiday
Mon
11/14 / Socratic Discussion: The "N" word—please have the two piece I gave you Wednesday, plus the one your researched read, with points noted that you'd like to bring into the discussion.
Mark Twain Tonight!(time permitting)
Due:Biographical Reading/bullet points/reflection on Twain(word-processed)
  • “The Seriously Funny Man” by Richard Lacayo
  • “America’s Original Superstar” by Roy Blount, Jr.
  • “Getting Past Black and White” by Stephen L. Carter

11/15 / Due/Reading:Jonathan Swift's “A Modest Proposal”, page 914-920.
  • Suggested: two readings/notetaking is optional

11/16 / Timed Writing: Satire
Block / Timed Writing: Satire, continued/workshop
Grammar Mini-lesson #5:Coordination in the Compound Sentence/bring your book to class
Distribute, Discuss and Assign: Ancillary readings for Huck Finn
Mon
11/21 / Due: ECAP Updates
Due:Research Project/Final: Bibliographies 8, 9 and 10 —tii upload required
  • Assign: Final Position Statement/Intro Paragraph, due 11/28
Due:Grammar Lesson #5/bring your book to class
Essay analysis: The Onion’s Magna Soles
11/22 / Essay analysis: The Onion’s Magna Soles—scoring
11/23 / Assign: Ancillary Reading for Huck Finn
Close Reading:Hsuan Hsu’s excerpt from Vagrancy and Comparative Radicalization in Huckleberry Finn and “Three Vagabonds of Trinidad”
  • Groups 2 and 3 need to write and answer three questions from this essay; Group 1 needs to read and carefully annotate—you’ll be answering the questions in the discussion.

Block / No School: Thanksgiving Holiday
Mon
11/28 / I am in school, but out of the classroom, except for Period 3.
Due:Presentations: Satire Projects (period 3 only)—periods 1 and 2 will continue group reviews of Thank You For Arguing
11/29 / Presentations (periods 0, 1 and 3): Satire Projects, cont.
11/30 / Presentations (periods 0, 1 and 3): Satire Projects, wrapped
Assign: Intro paragraph/established position—argumentative paper, due 12/13
Block / Due:Part I: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn —tii upload required
Reading, Part I: Chapters 1-18; 6 chapter questions (at least two focused on satire, and labeled), and 3 questions from the ancillary reading below:
  • Hsuan Hsu’s excerpt from Vagrancy and Comparative Radicalization in Huckleberry Finn and “Three Vagabonds of Trinidad”

Mon
12/5 / Due:Vocabulary Log #6
Wrap: Satire Presentations
12/6 / Wrap: Thank You for Arguing review and summaries
12/7 / Close Reading:Lionel Trilling’s “The Greatness of Huckleberry Finn”
  • Groups 1 and 3 need to write and answer three questions from this essay; Group 2 needs to read and carefully annotate—you’ll be answering the questions in the discussion.

Block / Due:Part II: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn —tii upload required
Reading, Part II: Chapters 19-30; 6 chapter questions (at least two focused on satire, and labeled), and 3 questions from the ancillary reading below:
  • Lionel Trilling’s “The Greatness of Huckleberry Finn”

Mon
12/12 / To complete and turn in: Argument Reviews: Thank You for Arguing
SSR:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
12/13 / Writing Workshop: Intro paragraphs/positions established
  • Please bring all 10 bibliographies to class with you—we will organize and review them

12/14 / Close Reading:Jane Smiley’s “Say It Ain’t So, Huck”
  • Groups 1 and 2 need to write and answer three questions from this essay; Group 3 needs to read and carefully annotate—you’ll be answering the questions in the discussion.

Block / Due:Part III: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn —tii upload required
Reading, Part III: Chapters 31-end; 6 chapter questions (at least two focused on satire, and labeled), and 3 questions from the ancillary reading below:
  • Jane Smiley’s “Say It Ain’t So, Huck”

Mon
12/19 / Final Test: Period 0
Due:Portfolio Updates: Periods 1 and 3
12/20 / Final Test: Period 0
  • BOOKS WILL BE CHECKED IN AT THE END OF THE PERIOD!

12/21 / Day 1 Final: Comprehensive Exam: The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe exam includes questions for the biographical materials, and all other ancillary readings. Open book/open notes.
  • BOOKS WILL BE CHECKED IN AT THE END OF THE PERIOD!

12/22 / Day 2 Finals