Final Post 2010-2011

It's Finals Week and another school year is drawing to a close.

It's been said that a picture's worth a thousand words. Here is a word cloud of this year's blog:

eng 2 blog word cloud apr2011




As I watch students bring in the food they made with love and put the finishing touches on their presentations,

food made with love


I am reminded of the words a teacher once handed me on the last day of school:

I wish to begin this summer well;
to do something in it worthy of it and me;
to transcend my daily routine and that of my townsmen...
I pray that the life of this spring and summer
may ever lie fair in my memory.
May I dare as I have never done!
May I persevere as I have never done!
-Henry David Thoreau

Wishing you good things to read and think about,
Dr. Preston

June 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
[n/a]

AGENDA:
1. Essay Final

HW:
1. Group presentation (due finals week by period as follows: p.3&4 on Tuesday, June 7; p.5 on Wednesday, June 8)
2. Course evaluation (please print and complete the form below and bring it to your period's final)

COURSE EVALUATION
Please print and complete the following two forms this weekend, and bring them with you on the day of your final.

Evaluation Journal 1


FINAL JOURNAL evaluation

June 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
The third part of that original journal topic asked, "How far are you prepared to go to achieve your goals?" Did you go far enough this year? Can you go farther?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss final two chapters of Like Water for Chocolate
3. More about tomorrow's essay final
4. More about the group presentation

EXIT TICKET: group names, meals, significance, ingredients, requirements

HW: Study for tomorrow's essay final

June 1

JOURNAL TOPIC:
The second part of that first journal topic in August asked, "What do you expect of the class and of yourself this year?" Did the class meet your expectations? Did you meet your expectations? Explain.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Immigrants in Our Own Land"
3. Return vocabulary finals
4. Review for essay final
5. Group presentation requirements

HW:
1. Study for essay final
2. Begin working on presentation

May 31

JOURNAL TOPIC:
This is the beginning of the last week of your 2010-2011 journal. The first question this year asked you, "Who are you and what are you doing in this class?" Nearly ten months later, are you the same person who came to this class last August? Are you here for the same reasons? How have you and your motivations changed, and how have they stayed the same?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Immigrants": victims and volunteers

HW:
1. Go through your materials from the year and make a list of everything you read in this course, including the books you chose for literature analyses.

May 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
***[no journal today due to final]***

AGENDA:
1. Vocabulary final

HW:
1. Finish memorizing "Immigrants in Our Own Land" (due Tuesday, 5/31)
2. Complete reading/active reading notes on Like Water for Chocolate (due Wednesday, 6/1)

May 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe a time when cooperation enabled you to survive or succeed in a way you couldn't have on your own. Use as many vocabulary words as you can!

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss LWFC chapters August-October
3. Vocabulary final review

HW: Study for tomorrow's vocabulary final.