Movies!

There seem to be quite a few action packed blockbusters rocking on the big screens lately.
I saw Sherlock Holmes (action packed, intelligent, hilarious) and Avatar (the animation made my inner animation geek die and go to heaven, even if the plot was the same as the movie Atlantis).
What all have you guys seen or thought about going to see?

For the record, I am disappointed in the fourth Shrek movie. Was it necessary? No. Will I go see it? Probably, if only for a sense of closure that was not totally taken care of in, you know, the last three.

Fitzgerald.

Hey Mrs. Jones, I got a Barnes and Noble giftcard for Christmas and I spent it buying a collection of Fitzgerald's short stories. The first one in it is The Offshore Pirate. I loveeeeeeeeeee that one.

So what's up? Whatcha think about OMAM?

hahahahaaha

Today is Christmas Adam... because Adam came before Eve!
get it?!
I thought it was funny :p

Hey, Ms. Jones I was wondering can you change you schuedle before next 9 weeks because i need to change form afm to pre-cal but I didnt want to wait until we get our new classes and switch then and have my classes all mixed up. Do you if there is anyway to go ahead and swicth classes around????

Heyyy!!! Only4 days until Santa comessss:):):):):) I just wanted to wiash everyone a Merry Christmas!!!!

See you guys in 2 weeks, well someone you guys I will see before haha:)

Of Mice and Men

Okay so refering to Curley talking about the glove on his hand it says it's full of vasoline.....I don't understand. If anyone could tell me that would be awesome. Thanks so much (I hope I'm not the only one that doesn't get this)

Ms. Jones's favorite song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr9EKJatJvA
ok so i couldn't help myself:)

Ralph Waldo Emerson

So its just the beginning of our Christmas break and already so much of Emerson has been popping up. For exemple, i just bought this new book to read over the break (along with mice and men;)) and when i open it up there is a quote from Emerson:

"Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence."

I am really starting to like this guy. But anyways, just thought that was a little fun fact to share, since we learned about him and his works in class. You gotta love literature:)

Commercial Crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyDA8yfZOOQ
Okay so tell me this looks like me. You won't!!!

Ms. Jones

I was sorry to not be able to get my paper to you today. I feel awful and still do. I am trying to go to school tomorrow so i will be putting my paper in your mailbox tomorrow morning just in case i dont make it to 3rd.

MS. JONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have no paper!!!

What's your email address?

Ahhhhh I'm freaking out!

hey my outline is kinda short i hope it works. i followed the format but under my numbers i didnt really have anything to put under them:(

Ms. Jones!

I really do not know how to document this..


http://www.enotes.com/poetry-criticism/dylan-bob

BOOKSSSS

Oh, and guys dont forget books!:) thank you

Mrs. Jones

I remember you saying you wouldn't read past fifty notecards, so should I only bring in fifty notecards?

ms j r u still on?

hey guys

i was no there las week and i dont kno what my out line is suppose to look like and i dont know what else is suppose to be handed on friday please help me plz :( :( :(

omggggggg, i read the entire card and i'm going to miss you guys so much! i was showing my dad and he began to cry (because he thinks i'm so cool?) haha go figure

OMG MS.J

HEY MS J I WANTED TO BE IN THE SECRET SANTA AND YOU AINT TELL ME ANYTHING! SOB NO GIFT 4 ME TOMMOROW. HOW WAS YOUR MEETING TODAY?

outline

all thats double spaced, and i i think i did it right but like is there a heading or anything for the outline? i know you said to post it up here so i did, but i am still wondering if i did it right, i think i followed the sheet...?



Thesis: By examining the dark life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, it becomes clear how he influenced American literature through his writing.
I. Introduction
II. Edgar Allan Poe’s biography
A. Early life
1. Birth
2. Growing up with the Allan’s
3. First attempt at school
4. Mrs. Allan’s death
5. Final years and death
III. What Poe did
1. Dark Romantisicm
2. Death in stories
3. Love of reason and human situatuions
IV. Poe’s influence on American literature
1. Influences on other writers
2. Famous stories/poems
3. Gothic horror
V. Conclusion

Hey Guys!

Im having a little trouble, where would I find the sponsors on a website?


Oh and dont forget those use books, if you want to bring some for people who are less fortunate

whenver there is a quote in my research paper am i supposed to put (qtd. blah blah) or do i put qtd. for something else?

Hey shannon, I tried to call your house today (you aren't in trouble) but your number says it's disconnected. Please email me at englishteacherjones@gmail.com because I have a question for you.

For the rest of you, be good tomorrow. While you complain about being in 90 minute classes, I am in a daylong (8:30-4:30) class tomorrow. I really hope you do a good job on your story endings (your assignment tomorrow) because I really want them to be fun and interesting to read. We don't get the opportunity to do creative writing very often so don't make me regret it!

Remember secret santa is Thursday (fourth blockers).

Ms. Jones, this is the site I need help with.

http://www.enotes.com/poetry-criticism/dylan-bob

hey ms.j doe sthis prong sound like it is influence or biographical becuase i am FREAKING OUT that i have to do this over in just a few days

Sanger began to contribute tremendously in the society. She had a great influence on the women in her day and age. She became an advocate for women’s health and autonomy. She focused mainly on the birth control aspect. Sanger was dedicated when it came down to her literary works. She used this technique to recruit educated women, and get them to join her fight against the stigmas attached to abortions and contraceptives. Through publications of various books she showed these women that, although society painted birth control as an obscenity and the church painted it as an abomination that that does not mean that it is wrong and selfish.
Sanger started to establish many organizations to widen her audience and provide everyone with access information. She wanted as many women to fight against such laws and prohibitions as possible. She sought after reform of state laws and pushed for birth control clinics (Whitman 720). Sanger the first doctor- staffed clinics in America. It demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of contraceptive information. By opening such an organization she was able to refute claims that diaphragms caused cancer and madness. This Bureau served as a teaching facility for physicians. They were able to receive instruction in contraceptive techniques at a time when it was not in the medical curriculum. It was known to be the model for the nationwide network. It enabled Sanger to establish over 300 clinics which provided reliable contraceptive advice and was responsible for important improvements in the effectiveness of contraceptive practices (Sicherman 626). This Bureau was a true representation of her goal in life it carried out most of her lifelong dreams to see women being allowed to make decisions concerning their own health and regarding childbearing.
After observing the seeing the progress that her establishments had made she decided to change her strategy to focus on eugenics. This is the study of hereditary improvements of the human race by controlled selective breeding. Sanger, being a eugenicist herself believed that “children that are diseased or defected in any type of way should not be born into the world” (Sanger). This includes criminals, various races and any other person that is not ideal in her eyes. She even stated in the article Pivot of Civilization, concerning blacks, immigrants and indigents are “ …human weeds,’ reckless breeders,’ spawning human beings who never should have been born” (Dew).

Sorry Mrs. Jones, but I did figure you would like to stop getting bombarded and to prove that yes the picture was on the previous blog. what a title.

Chubby Cuppy Cake Boy - For more amazing video clips, click here

Email

Hey Ms. Jones, my printer is out of ink so I was just going to send my paper to you via email, but the one on Laney's website never works for me for some reason. Can you, or anyone else who has it, tell me which email to send it to? I remember you telling us your email the first day of class but I cant find my syllabus, my bad. Haha, thanks.

hey ms jones is it bad that my prong 1 takes up all of pages 2 and 3 and one paragragh of page one and my other prongs are not as long??

are book titles underlined?

are book titles underlined or is everything italicized?

Mrs. Jones or to whoever can help

The other day Mrs. Dombroski was talking about communism and how it was looked at by people that were in poverty as good, because it provided them with the staples of life. Food, shelter, water, etc. This wasnt in our notes, powerpoint, or book. It was just from her. Would that be considered a interview or like a speech or what and how would I document it?

textbook documentation

Could anyone tell me how to document a textbook

hey how would you document a powerpoint????

heading

Hey guys, i was wondering if anyone could tell me how the heading was suppose to go again. I thought I could remember, but apparently not.

3rd Prong

I'm finishing writing my 3rd prong and Im realizing that I don't have much documentation at all in these paragraphs. Is that okay or does it need to be more fact based rather than opinionated or inferenced? If that makes sense.

Hey, all of our notes on our notecards do all of them have to be in our paper??? I didnt think all of them did but i just wanted to check

I'm working on the last part to my paper, and I am using some information from notes in my Civics class. How would i document this, and would I need to document this?

HELP MEEEEE :(

HOW DO I SEE THE WEDDING PICS EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT!?!

Mrs. Jones, im sad to say

that I was a complete creep and figured out how to go to the other blogs, I just typed the thing different in the address bar. I wont bring up inappropriate material that were on previous ones, but Im going to say this, in the pictures you looked super pretty! if you catch my drift of what im refering to. I feel creepppppppyyyyyyyyyyy.

hey you guys

just wondering what you guys did when i left and ms.j did u read that short story and di want to know you all's take on the emily dickinson poems.

Hey, Ms. Jones! How come our blog doesnt look as cool as the rest of the blogs from your other classes??

Max moves in one week:(

Omg, guys it just hit me that max is really moving in 7 days:( What are we going to do with out max in calss talking in class about ways to get rich and have tons of money or her building her time machine. hahah which isnt going to happen sorry max:) We are goong to miss you but you will have to keep writing this on the blogg!!!!!
Love ya girlll:)

John

...this is the Walmart Christmas commercial starring John for those of you who haven't yet seen it

Homework

Hey I was at the blood drive all of third and was wondering what the homework was??

Do I need to site lyrics in my paper?

Levi's: OPioneers! - Go Forth campaign

Walt Whitman makes an appearance in pop culture.

His name was indeed Polyphemus.

i hate documenting

Ms. Jones, I need some SERIOUS help with all this documenting crap, I won't even try and explain it all in this because it would make zero sense. Can I stay after on tuesday possibly and get some help with it?

lol check this out miss j

so i am grounded and this site among a very few i am allowed to go on. i finished most my hw and i am bored so i decided to read old blogs and i was jus wondering is this person talking about u? :) lol

Hey Miss J! You wouldn't believe what I saw last night! It was so beautiful. This couple were down at this place on front street right next to Elijah's and they had their wedding right on the river. I had a front row seat while my family and I were sitting in Elijah's eating. I could not help but to think of you and smile. Hopefully you'll bring in some pictures for us to see. I still love your dress.
Posted by ROC<_$tar class="timestamp-link"

help!

So Ms. Jones my paper is about FDR's new deal policies and in prong one of my paper I'm discussing the great depression and what led to the new deal. So, my question is Hoover was the president before FDR and he did some things to help the economy, but not nearly enough and i'm wondering how much detail i should go into about what hoover did.

ms j

how do you document an interview in you paper and at the bottom of a notecard

is this double spaced cause it dont look like it cuz it looks like myu previous one.

“Abortions , Eugenics and the Meaning of Margaret Sanger.” Politicsdaily.com.
Washington Post, 2009. Web.20 Nov. 2009

Baughman, Judith S. (ED). American Decades 1920-1929. Detroit MI: Gale Research
Inc,1966. Print.

Dew, Diane S. “In Her Own Words.” dianedew.com. Diane S. Dew,2001. Web. 18
Nov. 2009.

” The Negro Project”: Margaret Sanger’s Eugenic Plan for Black Americans.
citizenreviewonline.org. Concerned Women of America, 2001.Web.2009.

Sanger, Margaret. Interview by Mike Wallace. The University of Texas at Austin,
09 July 2008

Sicherman, Barbara et al. Notable American Women. Cambridge: Radcliffe College,
1980. Print.


Whitman, Alden (ED). American Reformers. New York: H.W Wilson
Company,1985. Print.

Vocabulary Test!

So as I was studying for my vocab test, I printed out vocab list eight and nine, but as I was looking at those lists, they wern't the ones on our crossword, are they on our test or not?

Ms. Jones

On one of my internet sources, there are actually page numbers listed. I know you told us that we didn't have to list page numbers on web sources, being as they don't usually have page numbers. But I'm guessing I should site the page numbers, right?

hahaha i was laughing at this and figured you guys would be the only group of people that might get the humor..i got it off my friend's facebook..

"soo you must have left your sweater at my house, cause my brother was whereing it today. lmfaoo!"

mrs jonesss

i have a question about the intro paragraphh, is it okay if i like talk about how his (poe's) work is like often times just thought upon as like dark and like weird? like that way i can bring my thesis in which includes how he actually influenced literature. ha idk if that made any senseee

hey when is our vocab test and what prongs are yall talking about

Omg, Mrs. Jones i just went on diseny channel.com and looked up whats playing and all this week starting tommorw the sweet life on deck comes on at 6:30! You should watch it and then tell us if thats what a semster at sea would be like!!!!:):)

Apparently "they" want students to complete a survey about technology in our schools. If you have a second, fill this out. I haven't done it yet, so I can't tell you how long it will take, but if you complete it and have a comment, come back and let me know. Do you see technology in use at our school? Do you want to (Emma, ignore this question)? What technology would you like to see? Specifically in an English classroom what would be beneficial. Other subjects? Is technology only useful because it makes things "interesting" or does it have a greater benefit? If I had money that HAD to be spent on technology (I don't so don't get excited) what would you want me to spend it on? Would you even want your textbooks online? Do you prefer powerpoints to handouts? Would you employ downloadable lectures or discussions with authors via Itunes or some other venue?


http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2009/

MRS JONES

Can you tell me what the publisher is for this website.
http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm

MS JONES!

Okay, so I'm finishing up my research for Ronald Reagan and I came across a question. For the middle prong where I'm doing 'what he did' would you suggest giving a brief overveiw of a bunch of things he accomplished or a more indepth look at just a few of the most important things he did?

bibliography

Hey, I'm working a book bibliography and the section I am doing has a different author than the cover on the book. What should I do with this on the bibliography card?

Research papers going well?

Class Plant

Okay, so I dont know if you remember, but I said I would start growing a plant for the class. I started growing a few flowers. Like a wildflower mix, snapdragons, etc. Their not having the longevity that I would like them to have. So I was seeing if anyone had a specific plant that they would like me to grow that could be brought to school and kept alive that would have better longevity. I know of a few, but I want to see other classmates perspective. So whichever plant you want me to grow, just let me know. I was such a rhyme master right there, without even trying!

Thanksgiving at my house...

Appetizers:
Crab dip
Artichoke dip
Brie
Bruschetta

Dinner:
Turkey
Ham
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Candy yams
Stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Peas
Rolls
Green bean casserole
Sauerkraut
Gravy

Dessert:
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin cheesecake
Cheery cheesecake
Sugar cookies
Ice cream
(we had seven pies total)

Everything was homemade... my family started cooking on Sunday :p

Shotgun

Haven't we all wondered if there were rules to certain proceedings in ones life, I have!
Which leads me to post a post about the rules of calling shotgun. Theres a website called shotgunrules.com that anyone who wants a good Thanksgiving laugh should look at:)
its fairly amusing and I can put a check mark on my list of certain proceedings in my life that in fact have valid and universally acknowledged rules:P

what thanksgiving food are you most looking forward to?

finally

i am glad to say i finally got on here. stupid email account

ms j

what happen while i was gone did u give out the other book?
did u give out other homework jhus trying to get caught up and i will retake the quiz and test either tuesday or wednesday. it turns out i had an upper respitory tract infection and was adviced against coming to school today but the meds i have are making me feel MUCH better lol.

Research!

Mrs. Jones,

Since I have been out, I dont know if you have said how much research we should have done by the time we return to school. Should we have all of it, half of it, etc?

Mrs. Jonesssss

i looked up Poe and the gothic era and Poe and dark romanticism but i still cant seem to find anything about his influences. do you have a suggestion to what to google?

Vocabulary

Hey, Mrs Jones or Fellow Classmates,
Do we have a vocab. list for this week since we are only in school for 2 days??

Mrs. Jones!!

Mrs. Jones, i have a few questions about the last two chapters of the book but i don't want to give it away for anyone who hasn't finished reading...and also what room number is Mrs. Mccarthy?

Good Advice

Schedule.

Mrs. Jones I forgot to ask you this today, but I met with the counsler and Im trying to schedule my classes so I have a very good chance of getting into Chapel Hill. I added AP Psychology to my schedule next semester, but the only time it is, is fourth block, which conflicts with you AP English. Is there anyway I could switch to third block, I know Bryan is, so I thought if we could work something out, I could as well. Thanks Alot:) have a swell weekend!

Hey Mrs. Jones I was wondering if we are going to gett anymore time in the libaray to work on our reserach papers aka our junior projects (jk):) because I saw on the sheet that we were suppose to go today and friday but we didint have time to go!

I ran into Mr. O'Briant today and he said he only made it to page four in Gatsby. If you see him in the hallways you should casually ask him about his reading; maybe it will encourage him to keep reading.

Mrs. Jones

Hey,
Mrs. Jones is the study guide that Laruen posted a good study guide to use while reading this book. Also will it help us on the quizzes??
Thanks,
Kimberly

Study Guide for Great Gatsby

Hey guys! Some of you were asking about a study guide for The Great Gatsby in class on Friday. I found one online!!!

Chapter 5
1. Why does Gatsby deliver so many goods and services to Nick's house?

2. Describe the effect of rain on the plot.

3. Why does Gatsby offer Nick work? How does Nick feel about this?

4. Explain the significance of the green light.

5. Why does Gatsby get so many phone calls? What does this say about him?

Chapter 6
1. How truthful was Gatsby when he relayed the story of his life to Nick? Why does Fitzgerald tell the story of Jay Gatz now?

2. Describe the meeting of Tom and Gatsby. What does this meeting reveal about them?

3. Why did Daisy and Tom find Gatsby's party loathsome?

4. How did Gatsby measure the success of his party?

5. When Nick told Gatsby that "you can't repeat the past", Gatsby replied, "Why of course you can!" Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby?

Chapter 7
1.Who is Trimachio? Explain how this describes Gatsby.

2. Describe Daisy and Gatsby's new relationship.

3. Compare George Wilson and Tom. What did each man learn about his wife and how did they each react?

4. If Daisy says she's never loved Tom, is there someone whom she thinks she loves?

5. Describe the fight between Gatsby and Tom. What do these men think of each other? How are they similar and how are they different?

6. What was significant about Nick's 30th birthday?

7. What do you think Tom and Daisy were saying to each other in the kitchen? Do you think that

8. Tom knew Daisy was driving the "death car"? Why, why not?

9. At this point, how would you end the novel?

Chapter 8
1. How does Fitzgerald achieve a melancholic mood in the beginning of this chapter?

2. How are seasons used in constructing this novel?

3. Who is Dan Cody and what is his significance in Gatsby's life?

4. How does Nick's statement "You're worth the whole bunch put together" show a change in Nick from the beginning of the novel?

5. How does T. J. Eckleberg affect Mr. Wilson?

Chapter 9
1. Why did Nick take care of Gatsby's funeral?

2. How was Jay Gatz's childhood schedule consistent with the adult Gatsby's behavior?

3. Who attended Gatsby's funeral? How and why is this significant?

4. What is the purpose of Nick's last meeting with Jordan?

5. Why does Nick call Tom and Daisy "careless people"?


Post Reading
1. Does this novel have villains and heroes? Why, why not? If yes, who fits into these categories and why?

2. Nick is both part of the action and acting as an objective commentator. Does this narration style work? Why, why not?

3. How did Fitzgerald use weather to reflect the mood of the story?

4. Again, why are we still reading a book written in the 1920's? What gives a book its longevity? Which of its themes are eternal in the American psyche?


hope it helps!!! (the website was www.teachervision.fen.com )
-Lauren

Water on the Moon

So NASA discovered water on the moon and they plan to try to set up a permanent residence for Astronauts to live on. I think this is completely ludicrous, what if their drilling affects our lunar activity? So not only do humans think they have the authority to completely destroy Earth, we also want to venture into space and destroy our moon. God, help us.

spread the stupidity :)

my friend sent me this in an e-mail quite some time ago, but i thought it may humor some of you.....enjoy :)

Spread the Stupidity
Only inAmerica .........do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America ........do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America .........do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America .........do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .........do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America ....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.


EVER WONDER ....
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while. :)

The Smile by Blake

There is a Smile of Love
 And there is a Smile of Deceit
 And there is a Smile of Smiles In which these two Smiles meet.
  And there is a Frown of Hate
 And there is a Frown of disdain
 And there is a Frown of Frowns Which you strive to forget in vain. 
 For it sticks in the Heart's deep Core 
And it sticks in the deep Back bone. 
And no Smile that ever was smil'd But only one Smile alone. 
 That betwixt the Cradle and Grave It only once Smil'd can be, 
But when it once is Smile'd There's an end to all Misery.

ms j

hey ms j,
im coming school in the morning but i am not staying im just coming to take the gatsby quizz and pick up any other work i need.

The Great Gatsby!

Ooo, this is starting to become one of my favaorite books! I think Gatsby is just brilliant in this crazy mysterious way.

The Charleston!

This is Tyreka and Kayleen and another girl I don't know doing the Charleston in my third block on Tuesday. Haha, Shannon, I got the top of your head! ;p

research paper topic

Hey Mrs. Jones, I was wondering if Michael Jackson would be an acceptable topic? Elvis is on the list!

Thanks, Brook

Funny Crap

So how's Gatsby going?

Pic Dump!

Per Ms. Jones's request, I am posting pictures of some of the very lovely Huck Finn projects. =) Everyone did a great job! Ahaha, the hairball. <3

the vocab

hey ms j i the laney website is not working so i was wondering if u could post the voab words online please

I have to say that I am very proud of the way some of you have gotten into these projects and really shown your organizational and leadership skills. Kudos.

Keep in mind that you will be signing up for Gatsby projects/groups tomorrow. I know you can't wait to start reading another novel. I'm sure you have been lost without your nightly reading ritual.

Question:

For the HF project, would it be okay if i have a picture with guns on it? Or is that against the school rules or whatnot?

Modern Day Transcendentalism

Alan Watts.

By combining western science ideals with eastern philosophy he introduces a modern eccentric branch of Poetry.

He writes about men and nature and individuality and life and death and destruction....

Tonight.

Mrs. Jones posted what she was going to do tonight, so I decided I would mimic her post.

What am I, Shannon Wright going to do tonight:
1. Die a very painful death from a rare disease called tomuchstudyingitis.
Its going to be lots of fun, NOT.
2. Try to read at least a page from my Autobiography of Anthony Kedis and a page of the journals from Kurt Cobain(aka. a genius, his reputation is close to god, I would think). I doubt this will happen though, because reading from these two great works of literature would fall under the catagory of enjoyment and unfortunately thats not allowed in your junior year.
3. Drink an average of about fifteen cups of coffee, i'll be so shaky from it, I bet i'll look like a cup of jello.( i.e. caffeine makes you shaky, is that how you spell caffeine?)
4. Sleep for thirty minutes with my chemistry book and grammer notes under my head, so I can absorb the magnificent knowledge flowing out of the page through osmosis. (its not been disproven:)
5. Stop blogging, so I can actually do the above four.

P.S. Everyone will do the most fantastic job tomorrow, so good luck:)

Midterms

Hey Guys! I just wanted to tell $th block good luck on our midterm for Mrs Jones tomorrow! Also good luck to everyone on their exams!

Midterms

Just remember everyone, don't stress.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

So take it easy. Breathe. Its all going to be fine.

We all have the ability to do wonderfully on all our exams. Whether it be Ap Statistics, Honors United States History, Latin 1, or even Honors English three.

But don't become too egotistical because....

"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." - Jane Wagner

So I found a really funny youtube video. It's a parody of The Way I Are by Timbaland. It's called Bad Grammar. I wanted to post it put I'm so dumb with computers but if someone wants to check it out and post it you definitely should.

A couple of people have expressed a posting dilemma: what do I post? Well, think English for a minute. Is there anything you hope we do/do not do? Is there a book you want to talk about here? Is there something we've read and you want to discuss/continue to discuss it? Have you come across a funny grammatical error in public? Take a pic of it and post it. Do you have a question about something we are doing? Do you have an appropriate rant? Do you want to discuss something going on locally at our school or in our community? There are plenty of things to talk about. Just give it a shot.

I know we didn't read "The Raven" in class, but I figured you might have read it before in a previous English class or at least have seen The Simpsons' rendition of it. This struck me as funny. Guess what kind of bird really does have an effect on the mood of the story.

The masque of the red death

Obviously you would have to read the text to understand the story considering all of the characters are gone but after reading the story I thought this was a cool interpretation.

bored!!!!!

hey,
i am here in class right now blogging lol, can u belive it iam listenin to Bryan C. argue with his peers about a stupid transperancy! well i was wondering what book would you all like to read next? Our next literary period that we are going to study is Dark Romantacism. Our choices are Poe , Hawthorne and Mellville but im guessing since we did Hawthore already we wont do it again. My bets are on Poe. Kadie's choice is The Mask of the Red Dead. Mrs J just told me that is our homework tonight so... yup im bored now so duces.

Someone sent these to me in an email and I thought they were hilarious. Every now and then you guys do stuff on quizzes, tests, etc. that really is share worthy. Not credit worthy but definitely worth showing others :)

Brian, you are a boss haha

Midterm Study Guide

Hey fellow students! I had nothing better do this Friday, so I created a consolidated list of what we've done so far, and what is likely to be on the midterm.

Week 6

1. Ambiguous - vague
   
2. Red Herring - a distractor
   
3. fallacy - misconception
   
4. pinnacle- peak; summit; apex
   
5. respite - postponement; a delay;
   
6. sagacious - wise
   
7. veracity - truthfulness
   
8. plausible - likely; probably;credible
   
9. stringent -strict; severe; restrictive
   
10. cognizant - aware

Week 7

1. repudiate - renounce; discard
   
2. erudite - wise
   
3. truncate - to cut short; trim; curtail
   
4. recalcitrant - stubborn; hard to deal with
   
5. soporific - sleep inducing
   
6. innocuous - harmless
   
7. querulous - full of complaints
   
8. succinct - concise, to the point
   
9. superfluous - redundant; unnecessary
   
10. prevaricate - to lie; speak misleadingly

Week 8

1. vaunt - to brag, boast
2. obsequious - fawning; submissive
3. truculent - fierce; cruel; brutally harsh
4. beguile- to deceive or trick
5. enervate - to deprive of strength; weaken
6. idiosyncratic - a characteristic or trait that's peculiar to an individual
7. exonerate - to free from guilt
8. alacrity - eagerness; cheerfulness
9. canonical - tradition
10. evocative - to evoke; remind of

Week 9

1. atrocity - cruelty; injustice; inhumane
2. malevolence - wishing evil on someone
3. sagacious - wise
4. chimera - hodgepodge; a mix of parts put together
5. docility - trainable; teachable
6. conflagration - large fire
7. odious - hateful
8. perverseness - to do something wrong deliberately
9. phantasm - ghost;

Types of Literature

1. Native American - Various authors
2. Puritan - Hawthorne
3. Revolutionary War - Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry
4. Great Awakening - Jonathan Edwards
5. Romanticism - Edgar Allen Poe
6. Transcendentalism - Thoreau, Emerson, Margaret Fuller

Pieces of Literature

1. Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving
2. The Tide Rises the Tide Falls - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
3. Old Ironsides - Oliver Wendell Holmes
4. Native American "Myths" (When Grizzlies walked upright and the Earth on Turtle's Back)
   
5. The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano -Olaudah Equiano
6. The Devil and Tom Walker - Washington Irving
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
8. Of Plymouth Plantation - William Bradford
9. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Edwards
10. Upon the Burning of my House - Anne Bradstreet
    

Native American Literature

1. History: before the 1800s people thought Native Americans didn't have literature
   
2. passed down orally
   
3. centers around gods, creation, the meaning of life and death, and natural phenomena
   
4. focuses on nature
5. topics: greed, wisdom of elders, respect for nature
6. usually has a trickster figure (ex. grandmother, spider, cayote)
   

Romanticism (1800-1860)

1. value feelings over reason and logic
   
2. values poetry
   
3. places faith in the imagination
   
4. reflects on nature to gain spiritual wisdom
   
5. prefer innocence to sophistication
6. fights for individual's freedom and worth
7. trusts past wisdom not progress
   
8. A romantic hero is NOT good with chicks. =(
9. Romantic hero is youthful and innocent
   
10. Romantics: Edgar Allen Poe, Irving, Longfellow, and Holmes

Transcendentalism

1. self trust and confidence
2. self-reliance and simplicity
3. live close to nature because nature is the source of trust and inspiration
4. valued individuality, non-conformity, and free thought
5. Transcendentalists: Thoreau, Emerson
   

Remember to also study grammar like adverbs, and prepositions. Other than that, this is most of what we've done this nine weeks. PLEASE ADD more to the list, this is by no means a complete list of everything we've done.

To Ms. Jones: Please verify/add/remove anything as you see fit. merci

Have a great day APers. Study like a boss.

"I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come."
- Abraham Lincoln

I don’t know if this is relevant, but please do read!

Come support your dear and loving school's theater program! Honors drama's final night performance of "The Good Doctor" is on Tuesday October the 27th at 7:00 p.m. This is the play we are bringing to regionals, which we take quite seriously. We would greatly appreciate it if you would come and provide a nice and mature audience. This would be our last performance before we take it to competition. Also, you would be supporting your fellow classmates, being as most of the class is composed of Juniors. I promise you would get a few good laughs out of it!

Thanks,
Melissa

What did we do in class today???

Dear Ms Jones and fellow APers,
I was not in school today. What did we do in class? and (to Ms Jones) how can I make it up??
thank you for your time =)

Sincerly,

Kadie

Really Mrs. Jones, I'm flattered that my name was mentioned in your blog :D

and I'm afraid to misuse grammar in here because it's an AP English blog

but oh well

So I'm going to get this party started!!! What should we do here...hmmm....Well first I'll blog in the traditional sense

Tonight I intend to:

Feed my dog
Hang out with a friend
Invite Max to the blog
Clean my house (some)
Read as much as I can of my bookclub book seeing as the meeting is on Thursday and I'm on pg. 90
Admire myself in the mirror and chant about how daggone smart I am
Fine tune your midterm (meaning make is egregiously difficult)
Write a letter of recommendation for Columbia University


What are YOU getting in to...?

Rip Van Winkle?

To anyone else who has started reading the Rip Van Winkle packet that Ms. Jones gave us: Does your packet skip pages, too? Mine skips every other page. It makes no sense when I try to read it. I didn't know if it was intentional or a mistake. I'll try to answer the questions anyway in case Ms. Jones doesn't see this, but I wondered if anyone else has experienced this problem.

I also wanted to know if anyone else had heard of National Novel Writing Month. It has to be the best and worst event ever. What you have to do is write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. This is my third year doing it, and it's mad crazy. Anyone else want to be mad crazy with me and try for it? Even if you don't meet the goal, you learn a lot and it's a lot of fun (Yeah, you learn a lot, great way to motivate teens, lol). The website is http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Have a lovely weekend, APers!

HOpefully and end is in sight to my internet dilemma. I really want to get this blog up and going but without access to our good ole web, I'm out of luck. soon soon soon

I am inspired by the youtube videos below, I want that dudes library.
I hope I dont ever make bad grammatical errors on this blog.
To go along with the shakespeare type theme, here's my favorite joke:)

Said Hamlet to Ophelia, "I'll do a sketch of thee.What kind of pencil shall I use? 2B, or not 2B?"
hahah, thats a knee slapper, that one. Lame, but suprisingly funny.

Shakespearean Insults Are Better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tt-WIdmCVQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy1M5VHF3no

I thought of all people, you all would enjoy this the most. The first video is a song about the horrid butchering of the English language on Youtube to the tune of 'Baby Got Back.' It only says a wordy-dird once, I believe, but otherwise, it's clean. (And hilarious.)
The second is a video from Brotherhood 2.0 about how Shakespearean insults are way better than modern insults. And a tour of John Green's personal library (I love him, he wrote 'An Abundance of Katherines'). Mark Twain is mentioned! Totally subject relevant.

Now, you mildewed ears, behold and then tell us about your favorite grammatical pet peeves! Like when uppity people haughtily tell you that you need to use proper 'grammer.' XD
Come on, guys, the blog needs some QFT.

So-we are about to start reading Huck Finn. While not my favorite piece of American novel-writing, it is hugely famous and necessary for anyone who considers himself "well-read." It definitely covers some conversation-worthy topics and I hope to see the blog activity pick up as we begin reading. What can I do to inspire posts? I can't offer incentives, but I would like to see this pick up!

I had high hopes that in my absence you had been using the blog. Apparently not. For third block, disregard the crossword. It's for another class. I'll make you one pronto.

A Post For the Dead Blog

Welcome back, Ms. Jones! We missed you and are all very, very glad that you are better.

So, now, it is our obligation to annoy the living daylights out of you as students have a tendency to do. Let's start with http://www.thegreatflu.com/
It will consume your soul. And the souls of any others who feel like clicking.
It's an incredibly frustrating game, but it puts the point of view of an important and influential figure in perspective. Oh, darn the games that somehow worm education into the fun. 8/

Come now, fellow Honors/AP students. Join me in the quest to annoy Ms. Jones and post your games, quotes, amusing websites, stories of your weekend, thoughts on the speech. Anything. Let's make this fun, okay? =D

the scarlet letter

to my fellow english classmate,
i have just finish read the scarlet letter and there is a question tha ti cannot figure out and i wanted ur opinion. do u think that dimmesdale's death was waged upon his sin or of the crafty works of the philistine him self chillingworth. and what do u think was embedded upon his chest.

Welcome!

For many of you this is your first academic blogging experience, so let me suggest ideas for posts:

Anything related to our reading/classroom discussion: this could include (but is not limited to) a newspaper article or media release related to something we have read or are reading in class.

A fun literary game. I have spent many hours playing vocabulary games and even some vocabulary hangman.

Your comments on the goings-on around Laney, Wilmington, or even your house. You may get personal here, but please remember that this is a public blog so do not reveal any information you would not want said aloud in class. Previous students have voiced opinions on everything from proposed dress codes, presidential elections, Laney's scheduling process, recipes and pics of dinners cooked, craft projects, aquariums, new haircuts, etc. Just remember that these pictures should ALWAYS be appropriate and in good taste.

Homework questions. These can be answered by me or your fellow students. The goal is for your classmates to help first, then I will confirm or add text if necessary.

Funny cartoons, especially grammatical or literary ones.

Grammar mistakes found in public. These crack me up.

Just give posting a try. Communicating in an online forum is very essential in today's society. Get used to it.