Thursday, March 18th

  

Amy Tan- 1952- born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist.  She chose to write fiction instead. Her iconic novel, The Joy Luck Club, paved the way for many following authors of Asian descent.  Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement, all New York Times bestsellers. Her works have been translated into 35 different languages. Tan served as co-producer and co-screenwriter on the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club. Amy Tan has served as lead rhythm “dominatrix,” backup singer, and second tambourine with the literary garage band, the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose members included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and Scott Turow. Their yearly gigs raised over a million dollars for literacy programs. - From the Steven Barcaly Agency Biography 

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda-

Open Letter Peer Editing

Today you will be completing peer edits of your classmates' open letters. Make sure you have copied the peer-edit document from Tuesday (I have included it in today's folder also) at the end of your rough draft and submitted the rough draft to turnitin. This must be done before peer edits can be completed.

1, Go to turnitin.com (you should have created your account on Tuesday). Select the Peermark assignment. This should pull up a classmate's assignment for you to peer edit. Follow the peer edit guidelines that were copied to the end of the rough draft. 

Peer-editing etiquette:

• Read through the piece twice before adding comments. The first reading is to get familiar with the piece, and the second reading is your opportunity to really try to understand what is being said and how. Your most valuable editing advice will be focused on content, organization, and style.
• Read as if you are the intended reader. Read for content, not for grammatical errors. 
• It is not your job to fix the problem. Bring problems to the writer's attention and do not take on the writer's work as your own. Point out what does and doesn't work for you as a reader.
• Constructive criticism: "Good job" does not suffice. Offering constructive criticism can be as simple as "Remember to restate your thesis in your final paragraph." Be respectful of your classmate's work.
• A good approach is to start by telling the writier what you like and then mention what doesn't work. The writer will learn nothing from the exercise if you leave comments such as "looks good to me." Your comments must be constructive- instead of saying, "This is really muddled," try saying something like, "I wasn't completely clear about what this sentence meant."
• Be specific. Don't make blanket judgements or vague statements. Say WHY something worked or didn't work.

Tuesday, March 16th

 Women's History Month

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961. From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and Columbia Law School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978. In 1971, she co-founded the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980. She served on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Bar Foundation from 1979-1989, on the Board of Editors of the American Bar Association Journal from 1972-1978, and on the Council of the American Law Institute from 1978-1993. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993. Justice Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020. *Biography taken from Supreme Court website

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Mrs. Reith's agenda: 

1. Open Letter Project Work Day

Today you will be working on your open letter. Use this time wisely. Work diligently and take the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. 

In today's folder you will also find a link titled "Open Letter Peer-Edit." Follow the link and copy the document to the bottom of your rough draft. You will need to have this attached to your document for peer-editing on Thursday. Also make sure you read through the document to make sure you are meeting expectations. 

Monday, March 15th

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Margaret Atwood (1939)- A Canadian novelist, poet, essayist, and teacher. She is an author of over 50 works. Her works include: Blind Assassin, Cat's Eye, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Testaments (The critically praised sequel to The Handmaid's Tale). In 2016 ,Atwood published her first graphic novel. Ms. Atwood's works challenge readers to think about politics, gender, and language in their own lives through the dynamic worlds she creates.

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Mrs' Reith's Agenda: 

1. Introduce Gatsby/Modernism Open Letter project.

2. Go over expectations and tasks for project completion.

3. Begin working on Open Letter tasks/project.

***Important Note: Please finish reading and annotating The Great Gatsby by Monday, March 22nd.***

Thursday, March 11th

 

Women's History Month
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851): English novelist. Child of famous author, philosopher, Mary Woolstonecraft, and political philosopher, William Godwin. Mary Shelley began a relationship with a then-married, Romantic Poet, Percy Shelley. They traveled together, and famously spent one summer in Switzerland with her husband, and poet, Lord Byron. It was during this time where Mary Shelley developed the idea for her most-famous work, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818).
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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

Today, we will begin class with a quiz over chapters 4 and 5 of The Great Gatsby. Then, we will watch more of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann. You will need:

Your Novel vs. Film Graphic Organizer assignment so you know what you are looking for as you watch

Notebook and writing utensil (or whatever you use to take notes)

Tuesday, March 9th

  

Women's History Month 

Gloria Steinem (1934-): American journalist, political activist, and feminist. Ms. Steinem co-founded Ms. Magazine. In 1969, Steinem published an article, "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." This brought her international attention as a feminist leader. Ms. Steinem is also one of the founding members of the National Women's Political Caucus. From her website: "She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice."

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

Today's Agenda:

1. Review of POV in literature.

2. Description and short discussion of a reliable vs. unreliable narrator.

3. "Who Can You Trust?" video (TAKE NOTES)

4. Assignment: The Great Gatsby Reliable/Unreliable Narrator. This will be homework if not finished in class.

Homework: Please remember to have chapter 5 read before class on Thursday.

Monday, March 8th

 

Happy International Women's Day! 

Rupi Kaur: 

From her bio... As a 21-year-old university student Rupi wrote, illustrated and self-published her first poetry collection, milk and honey. Next came its artistic sibling, the sun and her flowers. These collections have sold over 8 million copies and have been translated into over 42 languages. Her most recent book, home body, debuted #1 on bestsellers lists across the world. Rupi’s work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. She feels most at home when creating art or performing her poetry on stage.

 rupikaur.com

47 Books by Female Authors of Asian Descent

Celebration of Women in Translation- Asian Authors

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

Today, we will begin watching the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby. 

You will also be assigned the Novel vs. Film Graphic Organizers assignment. As you watch the film, take notes about similarities and differences between the elements included on the graphic organizers. My suggestion to you is to take notes as you are watching, and then organize your thoughts before transferring that information to the graphic organizer later. 

Friday, March 5th

 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977)- A Nigerian novelist, short story and non-fiction writer. She moved to the United States to attend college. Her stories often address navigating in the US as a person of color and how race and gender impact daily lives. Her works include: Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, and We Should all be Feminists.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- "Danger of a Single Story" Ted Talk

25 Must Reads for Women's History Month

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

1. Complete the March 5 Bell Ringer as you enter class.

2. Brief review of yesterday's lesson.

3. Sentence Length presentation - have your notebooks out and be ready to take notes.

"Change Your Mood" Activity

Homework: Gatsby Passage Sentence Analysis assignment

Thursday, March 4th

 

Women's History Month

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)- British Modernist author known for her use of stream of consciousness. She was a powerful voice in the women's right's movement and is often credited as an author to inspire feminism. She struggled with mental health from an early age. This would follow her throughout her life and ultimately led to her death. Her works include: Mrs. Dalloway and the short work, "A Room of One's Own."

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

Tuesday, March 2nd

 

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)- American author best known for writing Little Women (1871), based on the Alcott home.  She grew up in a Transcendentalist home and around authors such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Alcott was a suffragist, abolitionist, and feminist.

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Mrs. Reith's agenda: 

Reading Day - Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby

Before starting chapter 4, we will briefly discuss the significant events that have happened so far in the first three chapters. What happened? What do we know about the characters? Where is it set? What is Fitzgerald telling us about the American Dream and Modernism?

Then, we will be reading chapter 4 together. This will be an ACTIVE reading session. Have your notes and writing utensils out and ready to go. 

Monday, March 1st

 

   March is WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH! 

What to watch for Women's History Month: PBS.ORG "What to Watch for Women's History"

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Mrs. Reith's Agenda: 

Modernism Review and Modernism in The Great Gatsby

Today's Agenda:

1. As soon as you get to class, start on the Bell Ringer assignment in Schoology.

2. Lesson over Modernism

3. Modernism in The Great Gatsby Jamboard

4. Modernism Exit Ticket

No homework today, unless you have not yet finished the Chapters 1-3 Close Reading assignment. This is due today.