Week 17: May 20th - 26th 05/20/2012
This is an A week, and we will do our last monthly breakfast THIS Friday—a week early as there will be an assembly on the first Friday in June, June 1st. This an all-Upper School breakfast with the 8th grade invited. American Literature: We are a little behind, so we will be watching A Streetcar Named Desire on Monday and Wednesday and then moving to Day One of Poetry Island Survivor, as planned, on Friday, the 25th—mood music. Remember, you will be presenting a selection of your poet’s poetry with background music that sets the tone for the work you are reading, so be prepared! Long-range reminder: keep on top of the final poetry presentations due in lieu of a final exam [see pages 8 and 9 of the syllabus]. Poetry and Nonfiction: We will be watching the Ted Koppel interviews with Morrie Schwartz before watching a film version of Tuesdays with Morrie. You need to make certain that you have your poetry notebooks up to date as these will be collected for a grade on Friday, June 1st! Don’t forget: this is an A week, so you will need to bring in 15 copies of your three poems to share with the class on Friday! Shakespeare’s Tragedies: We should finish reading Hamlet by Wednesday, and if so, we will start watching the film on Friday. Don’t forget that we are headed to The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton on Thursday to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream! We need to leave by 6:00 AM as this is AT LEAST a four-hour drive, and the play starts at 10:30. The tickets for the play are paid for, but you will need to bring money for lunch at The Baja Bean http://www.bajabean.com/ and any drinks or snacks you want when we stop for gas. Reminder: your final projects MUST be presented on Monday, June 4th or earlier! The Word: We will finish watching The Song of Bernadette and then move from 19th century France to the future as we begin watching The Matrix trilogy. You will be amazed at the Biblical references in these three films! World Literature: We will be reading Chapter 4, “Evening Faces” from The Tale of Genji this week. Don’t forget that your final projects are due on Wednesday, June 6th, or earlier! There will not be an opportunity to make this up if you are not ready when it is due, so be prepared! We are down to the last three weeks of school, so stay focused and on track. There are projects and other assignments for so many classes that it is easy to forget one--make sure you know what is due when, complete it on time, and TURN IT IN/PRESENT IT ON TIME!!!! T. Barb :) Add Comment Week 16: May 13th - 19th 05/14/2012
Now that Prom 2012 is over, graduation will be here before you know it! I hope you found the CD-ROM of prom pictures a nice memento of the evening! This is a B week. American Literature: This week we will need to catch up since we have gotten a bit behind due to several other priorities. Writing Assignment 2, which was due on Friday May 11th [see page 7 of your syllabus] MUST be presented this week! After that we will be watching A Streetcar Named Desire. Poetry and Nonfiction: We will continue reading Tuesdays with Morrie, covering the sections from “The Eleventh Tuesday” to “The Conclusion.” You need to have this book finished this week! Shakespeare’s Tragedies: We will continue with our reading of Hamlet this week. Don't forget that our trip to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton is next Thursday, May 24th. We will need to leave school by 6:00 AM! We will be seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Word: We will finish up with our textbook, reading Chapter 40: “The Bible and Literacy” and the Unit Feature: “Freedom and Faith in America.” Afternoon with an Apostle/Disciple presentations are due on Thursday, May 17th! Once we finish with the presentations, we will watch The Song of Bernadette. World Literature: We will continue exploring Korea through the film The Way Home. After that, we will turn to The Old Testament for the story of Job and then to Heian Japan for a look at a chapter from Murasaki Shikibu's monumental work, The Tale of Genji. If you have not already done so, you will also be selecting a poet or collection of poetry to present to the class in lieu of a final exam. [See pages 8-9 of the syllabus for more information and the list of poets.] Amnesty: As you know, I deduct points each day for late work until there are no points left to earn. However, I am offering an amnesty period from May 15th through May 25th for late work. I will deduct only 50 points off of the grade you earn for any late work turned in during this time, and believe me, SOME points are better than NO points when I calculate your final grade. I will NOT accept any late work after May 25th, so take advantage of this opportunity NOW. We are down to the last four weeks of school, so stay focused and on track. There are projects and other assignments for so many classes that it is easy to forget one, and that could have a negative impact on your grade—make sure you know what is due when, complete it on time, and TURN IT IN/PRESENT IT ON TIME!!!! T. Barb :) May 8, 2012--Update for American Literature 05/08/2012
Congratulations to the Boys' Baseball Team and the Girls' Soccer Team for their wins yesterday which advance them to the next round in their respective tournaments! Because so many of the students in American Literature are involved in these games, I am extending the due dates for two of the assignments for this class. The Bookseller Team Presentation, which was due on Wednesday, May 9th, will now be due on Friday May 11th, and Writing Assignment 2, which was due on Friday, May 11th, will now be due on Monday, May 14th. I hope that helps! Good luck in today's games! Week 15: May 6th - 12th 05/06/2012
This is an A week, and Prom takes place on Saturday night from 7:30 – 11:00. The Class of 2015 will be meeting at the school at 5:30 for pictures and then going to Otani for dinner. American Literature: This week you will be working on several projects:
Poetry and Nonfiction: We will continue reading Tuesdays with Morrie, covering the sections from “The Professor” through “The Tenth Tuesday.” Don’t forget: this is an A week, so you will need to bring in 15 copies of your three poems to share with the class on Friday! Shakespeare’s Tragedies: We should finish reading out Othello on Monday and then move on to watching the play on film. Next up? Hamlet! The Word: We will finish watching Kingdom of Heaven and move from Jerusalem to South America with The Mission. Don’t forget that the Afternoon with an Apostle/Disciple presentations are due next week, Thursday, May 17th! World Literature: REMEMBER—the Multimedia 2 Project is due on Tuesday, May 8th! [See pages 6-7 of the syllabus.] After the presentations, we will continue exploring Korea through the film The Way Home. You will also be selecting a poet or collection of poetry to present to the class in lieu of a final exam. [See pages 8-9 of the syllabus for more information and the list of poets.] We are down to the last five weeks of school, so stay focused and on track. There are projects and other assignments for so many classes that it is easy to forget one, and that could have a negative impact on your grade—make sure you know what is due when, complete it on time, and TURN IT IN/PRESENT IT ON TIME!!!! Teacher Barb :) Week 14: April 29th - May 5th 04/28/2012
This week is a B week. The Seventh Annual Charity Golf Classic takes place on Friday, May 4th—the same day as the monthly breakfast for advisories! Even if you don't play golf, you can participate by joining us for dinner, door prizes, and a silent auction at 5:45 PM at Cypress Point Golf Club in Virginia Beach. If you need a dinner registration form, you can download it from the sidebar. American Literature: We will begin the week with the 1865 – 1914, The Transformation of a Nation: American Realism unit but end it with the 1914 -1945: American Modernism unit. On Monday we will read Jack London's To Build a Fire and a selection from Jane Addams' Twenty Years at Hull House before moving on the interwar period: 1914-1945. We will use a different way of experiencing the selections in this unit: we will be putting together a bookseller team and selecting one of the short stories in this section to "sell" to the rest of the class! On Wednesday we will also select poets for the Multi-Media Project 2 Assignment which is detailed in the syllabus and which will be due on June 4th in lieu of a final exam. Reminder: Writing Assignment 2, which is detailed in the syllabus, is due on May 11th! Poetry & Nonfiction: we will begin reading Tuesdays with Morrie. We do not have a classroom set of this book, so you will need to get a copy for yourself before we start reading on April 30th! Don't forget that you need to be working on your final project, in lieu of a final exam, which is due by Tuesday, June 5th! By the way, some of you have totally forgotten that you need to be keeping copies of the poems that are shared on our Fridays Afield! Your poetry collection is worth 20% of your final grade, so you should probably check in your cubbies, under your beds, and in your trash cans for those copies and get them into a notebook... Publications & Media: We need to keep working on pages so we can meet our deadlines for publication! Shakespeare's Tragedies: We are reading Othello this week, and we need to get this finished so that we can move on to Hamlet! Each of you needs to come to class every day and be ready when your cue is given for your character's part! Remember, our trip to Staunton to see a play at the American Shakespeare Center has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 24th, and we will see A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Word: We need to finish Unit Thirteen, Revelation, which includes Chapter 39: “A New Jerusalem” and the unit feature, “Dante's Purgatorio.” Then we will move on to the Crusades with The Kingdom of Heaven! Reminder: Biblical Biographies: An Afternoon with an Apostle/Disciple. This will be due on May 17th in lieu of a final exam! World Literature: We need to finish Kojima Nobuo's The American School which we started on Thursday, and then we will spend the rest of the week visiting Korea by way of two documentaries, two short stories, and the Korean film The Way Home. Just a reminder, Multimedia Project 2 is due May 8th! Other dates to keep in mind:
Teacher Barb :) Week 13: April 22nd - 28th 04/24/2012
This is an A week, and Field Day will take place Friday morning from about 9:00 until 1:00 with lunch provided after the competitions end. American Literature: We continue with the period between the Civil War and WWI, 1865 – 1914, The Transformation of a Nation: American Realism. This week's focus is Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Reminder: Writing Assignment 2, which is detailed in the syllabus, is due on May 11th! Poetry & Nonfiction: This week we are focusing on finishing up with the two nonfiction books we have read in the last few weeks: A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and In My Hands. In class on Monday we will complete a 3x4 for In My Hands. The assignment sheet for that is on the website. The sonnet for any episode from A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is due on Friday, April 27th. This assignment sheet is also on the website. I will also go over the final assignment which involves reading and presenting any nonfiction book of your choice to the class in your choice of format. The assignment sheet for this is on the website as well. Finally, next week we will begin reading Tuesdays with Morrie. We do not have a classroom set of this book, so you will need to get a copy for yourself before we start reading on April 30th! Publications & Media: We need to keep working on pages so we can meet our deadlines for publication! Shakespeare's Tragedies: We will continue with King Lear this week with the western-themed version, King of Texas, starring Patrick Stewart as King Lear. Our field trip to Staunton next week has been canceled by the theatre due to a lack of attendance for that performance of The Winter's Tale. So... we will be attending a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Thursday, May 24th instead. Do NOT forget that you need to start thinking about your final project which will be due in lieu of a final exam on June 4th! The assignment sheet is on the website. The Word: We are working on Unit Twelve: Other Letters, which includes Chapter 35: “The Fulfillment,” Chapter 36: “General Letters,” and the Unit Feature, “The Legacy of the Reformation.” Then we will move into Unit Thirteen, Revelation, which includes Chapter 37: “Crisis and Persecution,” Chapter 38: “A Great Battle,” and Chapter 39: “A New Jerusalem.” Reminder! Biblical Biographies: An Afternoon with an Apostle/Disciple. This will be due on May 17th in lieu of a final exam! World Literature: Don't forget that you need to read Zaabalawi and create a map/timeline of events for that story for April 26th! This week we continue the unit Home Invaded by Other, reading selections from The Decameron and “The American School.” Just a reminder, long-range, Multimedia Project 2 is due May 8th! Dates to keep in mind:
Week 12: April 15th - 21st 04/13/2012
We are in the fourth quarter with eight weeks to go... Projects and major assignments will begin to pile up now, so it is crucial that you stay on track! American Literature: We move into the period after the Civil War, 1865 – 1914, The Transformation of a Nation: American Realism. After an introduction to the period and a review of the timeline, we will discuss Writing Assignment 2 which is detailed in the syllabus. Basically, you will select one of the works listed below [one student per work, please], select 15 words that believe are essential to that story, and using a written format of your choice, explain why you selected each word and how it is integral to that story. This assignment is due on May 11th! This week's focus is Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Poetry & Nonfiction: I hope you enjoyed our first Friday afield—it was a lot of fun! This week we will continue reading In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, and on Wednesday we will travel to Richmond to visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum http://www.va-holocaust.com/default.asp . We will have lunch in Richmond, possibly at Bottoms Up Pizza http://bottomsuppizza.com/ so you should bring money for that, but there is no additional cost for museum admission. We will leave school at 8:15 AM and return by 3:30 or 4:00, depending on the traffic. You should finish the book this week as we will move on to Tuesdays with Morrie on April 30th. We do not have a classroom set of this book, so you will need to get a copy for yourself before we start the book! Reminder: your sonnet on an episode from Annie Dillard's A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is due April 26th! Publications & Media: We need to keep working on pages so we can meet our deadlines for publication! Shakespeare's Tragedies: We will continue with King Lear this week, first finishing the traditionally staged version with Sir Lawrence Olivier and then with the western-themed version, King of Texas, starring Patrick Stewart as King Lear. The Word: We are working on Unit Eleven B: The Letters of Paul this week. We will continue reading Chapter 33: “The Christian Community,” and then read Chapter 34: “Social Order” and the Unit Feature, “Augustine.” We also need to read all of Unit Twelve: Other Letters [including Chapter 35: “The Fulfillment,” Chapter 36: “General Letters,” and the Unit Feature, “The Legacy of the Reformation.” At the end of the week we will discuss your final project for the course, Biblical Biographies: An Afternoon with an Apostle/Disciple. This will be due on May 17th in lieu of a final exam! World Literature: Don't forget that you need to read Zaabalawi and create a map/timeline of events for that story for April 26th! This week we begin the unit Home Invaded by Other, and we will start with The Song of Roland and then move to The Decameron. Just a reminder, long-range, Multimedia Project 2 is due May 8th! Dates to keep in mind:
Teacher Barb :) Week 9: March 25th – March 31st 03/25/2012
This is the last week of the third quarter! I will be at the Spring Writing Conference at ODU on Thursday and Friday, so you should ask any questions you have for me concerning assignments in the next two weeks by this Wednesday! American Literature: We are still exploring the literature of 1820-1865: the American Renaissance. We will be looking at Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Birth-Mark” and watching Rappaccini’s Daughter. Next we will read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life,” “The Slave’s Dream,” “The Jewish Cemetery at Newport,” and “My Lost Youth” before turning to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” Don’t forget, Writing Assignment 1 is due Friday, March 30th!The specifics for this assignment are in your syllabus. Poetry and Nonfiction: We are still waiting for the Poet/Poetry Presentations from Barbara, Tyler G., and Sarah; you have until Wednesday afternoon before I mark these as zeroes. Some of you are missing poems from our Friday Poetry Sessions; these MUST be turned in by Wednesday, or you will receive a zero for any missing work. I would hate to see anyone fail this class for not turning in work, but it could happen to a few of you…. This week we are concentrating on chapters 11 - 15 of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. We will finish the book for and discuss it on Monday, April 2nd. Please remember, your Nonfiction Observational Writing Project, Cosmic Oranges, is due on Friday, March 30th. The specifics for this assignment are in your handouts and are also available on this website on the Poetry/Nonfiction page. Publications & Media: You have been doing pretty well with learning the Adobe CS5 platform, and I am hopeful that we will meet the deadlines you are setting for yourselves. I need to see at least TWO finished pages from each of you for grading purposes for the Progress Reports…. Shakespeare’s Tragedies: We will continue with our reading out of Julius Caesar, and then watch the film starring Marlon Brando—it is an interesting piece! As I told you last week, because I will not be here on Friday, I have moved the due date for your midterm presentations. Your midterm projects are due on Monday, April 2nd. If you are NOT ready on Monday, this could severely impact your Progress Report grade! The Word: Our Art Gallery “opening” went very well, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! We will finish watching Peter and Paul and then begin Unit Eleven A: “The Letters of Paul” which includes Chapter 31: “Grace and Faith” and Chapter 32: “The Power of Love.” World Literature: You did a wonderful job with our two plays last week; we had a lot of fun, didn’t we? This week we will continue with our “Encounter with Supernatural and Spirit Worlds” unit, moving to the Twentieth Century: "Self and Other in Global Context” with Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Don’t forget, your five haiku are due Thursday, March 29th! Again, this week marks the end of the third quarter, so Progress Reports will be going out right after the Easter/Passover holiday. Most of you have done quite well and should be pleased with your resulting grades. However, a few of you are currently failing one of my classes because you have not turned in any/al of your assignments. Except for The Word, ALL of my classes have something due this week or on Monday of next week [Shakespeare only!]. Do not use the excuse that “Teacher Barb wasn’t here, so I didn’t/couldn’t turn in my work!” If you do NOT turn in the work that is due on its due date to my substitute, there could be dire consequences for you, and I do not necessarily mean just the failing grade you could receive for the class; I am sure your parents can think of several consequences for you for not doing your work. FINAL REMINDER: TURN IN ANY MISSING ASSIGNMENTS BY THIS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28th! This is an A week. Teacher Barb :) Week 8: March 18th - 24th 03/18/2012
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend—Saint Patrick’s Day means spring is almost upon us--it actually begins this week [the Vernal Equinox is the 20th], but with the weather we have been having, it feels more like summer! American Literature: We are still exploring the literature of 1820-1865: the American Renaissance. We will begin this week with “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving and then read two poems by William Cullen Bryant: “Thanatopsis” and “To a Waterfowl.” We will end with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” and “Self-Reliance,” which we may have to finish reading as homework. Don’t forget, Writing Assignment 1 is due Friday, March 30th! The specifics for this assignment are in your syllabus. Poetry and Nonfiction: We are still waiting for the Poet/Poetry Presentations from Barbara, Tyler G., and Sarah. And some of you are missing poems from our Friday Poetry Sessions. I would hate to see anyone fail this class for not turning in work, but it could happen to a few of you…. This week we are concentrating on chapters 6-10 of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Additionally, we will talk about the Nonfiction Observational Writing Project, which will be due on Friday, March 30th. Publications & Media: This week we need a plan to put together the 2010-2011 yearbook while taking pictures for the 2011-2012 yearbook. Most of you have at least SOME knowledge of how to use one of our Adobe tools, so to make the most of our computers, we need to create deadlines and determine how we will schedule our time in order to MEET those deadlines. Shakespeare’s Tragedies: With multiple absences of key “players,” we have gotten behind. We will finish our second film version of Macbeth this week and begin reading out Julius Caesar. Don’t forget that your Macbeth acrostics are due on Wednesday, March 21st, and your midterm projects are due on Wednesday, Marc. Because I will be at a writing conference next week, your midterm presentations have been moved to Monday, April 2nd. PLEASE be ready as we need these grades for progress reports! The Word: We will explore the journeys of Paul and the experiences of early Christians through the film Peter and Paul. Don’t forget that our “gallery” opening is scheduled for Friday, March 23rd when your explications of a work of art based on the New Testament are due. [See the handout, The Object Speaks, for specifics for this assignment.] World Literature: This week we begin a new unit,“Encounter with Supernatural and Spirit Worlds.” We will begin with a visit to Greece as we read Euripedes’ play Medea. Then we will discuss the Golden Age of Japanese Culture and Nōh drama before reading a terrific “spirit” story from Japan, Kanze Kojirō Nobumitsu’s Dōjōji. Don’t forget, your five haiku are due Thursday, March 29th! OK, those of you who always turn in your work early or on time, THANK YOU! The next part is NOT for you. For those of you who are “missing” any assignments, and you know who you are since I nag you continuously, there are only two weeks left in the third quarter, so you need to get all of your work completed and turned in! Remember, I DO subtract points for late work, but SOMETHING is better than NOTHING. I would hate to have anyone failing a class on Progress Reports, but if you don’t turn in your assigned work, this is your choice. This is a B week. Teacher Barb :) Week 7: March 11th - 17th 03/09/2012
I hope everyone has had a great Spring Break! Although the weather is still unpredictable, Spring IS coming! This is an A week, and there are only three weeks left before the third quarter ends and Progress Reports come out. If you are missing any assignments, you should DEFINITELY get on track! American Literature: We will finish up the period of 1700-1820 with two assignments, the Tombstones which are due on Wednesday, March 14th, and the writing assignment which is due on March 30th [see page 5 of the syllabus for specific information for this assignment]. We will begin the next period, 1820-1865: An American Renaissance--Nationalism, Transcendentalism, and Romanticism with an overview before viewing The Last of the Mohicans. Poetry and Nonfiction: I hope you have been working on your Poet and Poetry Project as these are due Monday, March 12th—yes the day we return from break! I have already extended the due date once, so you have had plenty of notice.... Don't forget it's an A Friday, so we have a poetry day! Publications and Media: We really need to buckle down and get moving in teams of two on beginning the pages and getting the yearbook for 2010-2011 under control. We also need to focus [yes, pun intended!] on getting pictures for the 2011-2012 yearbook! So this week we will determine how we can wok most efficiently with the resources we have, and we will be setting deadlines for our projects and working on tutorials for our Adobe programs—we are going to be very busy, so come to class prepared to WORK! Shakespeare's Tragedies and Histories: Now that we have finished reading the play, we will view two very different productions of Macbeth--one that is traditional and one that is decidedly more modern. Don't forget about your acrostic for Macbeth; this is due on Wednesday, March 21st. Also, the Midterm Projects are due on Wednesday, March 28th, so keep working on these! The Word: We have now seen three different versions of the crucifixion, but we still have one, possibly two, more to go—after we get some reading done. This week we will be looking at Unit Ten: The Early Christian Community. We should be able to get through Chapter 28: “The Birth of the Church,” Chapter 29: “The Church Grows,” Chapter 30: The Journeys of Paul,” and the Unit Feature: “A Death with Meaning.” Keep working on your New Testament Art Explication project which is due on Friday, March 23rd. World Literature: Hopefully you finished “The Prologue” and then read “The Miller's Tale” from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales during the break, although since there seem to be quite a few World Lit textbooks in cubbies, I am concerned about this.... We will be using “The Prologue” as part of our journey to premodern Japan this week when we attempt to write haiku. Don't forget to change your clocks on Saturday night [Spring forward; Fall backward] or you could be late to school on Monday! Teacher Barb :) | Do You Need to Know it?
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| upper_school_a-b_schedule--2011-2012.pdf |
| us_schedule--2011-2012--second_semester.pdf |
| the_learning_center_at_vbfs.pdf |
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