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CCR English 10 Homework and Presentations

Course Description

This is an ever-evolving page for Mr. Braam's 2019-20 CCR English 10 classes, Bells 1-3, 6-7.
It will have homework (if possible to electronically post), and various presentations that are made in class (again, if possible to post electronically). It is for students who were either absent, or forgot to bring home items that they need to be able to work. It is the practical, day-to-day page, while my main page will have announcements, tips, student examples, etc..
You can check in here directly on a daily basis, or -- if you subscribe -- you will receive one email each day that I post something new. The email will include a link and explanation. This is an excellent way for parents to keep up on what we are doing!

Posts

READ THIS: Parents ... Things You Need To Know Over Break

Happy Holidays to everyone!
I am writing to let you that I just returned Thursday after being out 5 days with pneumonia. I want to keep you updated on what is happening in class and where your child should be or what they should be doing (forgive the length!):
1. READING/AUDIO BOOK: We are reading Fahrenheit 451 in class. Students should be to at least Page 89. If they are not (due to absence), and wish to catch up with the use of an audio book, they can go to www.audiobookx.com/video/1661  and listen up to the 2:41.30 mark. It is read by actor Tim Robbins and is actually very entertaining. 
2. BOOK AVAILABLE ONLINE: If your child has left their book at school, no worries; here is a link to a downloadable PDF of the book: https://www.fsusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001943/Centricity/Domain/2034/Fahrenheit%20451.pdf
3. ONGOING BOOK ASSIGNMENTS: Students are supposed to be, while reading, filling out a vocab sheet (already posted) and also annotating the book for figurative language and other parts of the text that they find of interest, which will be used for a later assignment in the third quarter. A list of Figurative Language/Poetic Devices has already been posted. 
4. MISSING ASSIGNMENTS: On Friday, I distributed to all students in attendance a copy of all of their missing work (if any was missing, that is). Was your child absent, lose the slip, or do you want to check yourself? Look on Progressbook or email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to email you their current status. All missing assignments must be turned in by Wednesday, January 8, unless other arrangements are made.
Note: Assignments not completed due to skipping class will receive a zero, and cannot be made up, per the syllabus.
Note #2: During my absence, students were given entire 45-minute bells several days in class to complete missing work, or to catch up on ongoing assignments. SOME STUDENTS CHOSE NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS, WHICH IS WHY THEY STILL HAVE SO MUCH MISSING WORK. 
5. NoRedInk ASSIGNMENTS: Any assignment that begins with "G" is a NoRedInk.com Grammar assignment. Most students have finished their work on that, but some have chosen to not even begin on some of the four assignments that have been spread out over the quarter. Students should know their USER name and PASSWORD, but if they do not remember (or claim to not remember), you can email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to email you their USER name and then reset their PASSWORD.
The USER name SHOULD be their initials, plus their six-digit lunch code. The password SHOULD be their first initial, followed by an @ sign and their backward birthdate. So, Joe Jones, born on March 28, 2003 would be USER: JJXXXXXX and the PASSWORD would be j@030328. However, some students passwords have been reset to 1234567 and then the student did not change it to the correct format as requested. Also, USER names and PASSWORDS are case-sensitive, so you may have to try several combos of capital and lowercase if your child did not follow directions. Again, I can reset passwords as needed.
6. 451 MINI-ESSAYS: Students have been working on five 250-word essays for a number of weeks now. They are not due yet, but will be shortly after we return from break. They were given numerous days in class, but some students chose to not work on them. The assignment, along with the prompts, is already posted. 
7. MIDTERMS: When we return from break, we will be having regular class on 
Monday-Wednesday, but then will begin 3 days of special schedules for Midterms on Thursday, Friday and Monday, Jan. 9-10 and 13. The complete Midterm schedule has been posted separately on my pages.
8. OTHER QUESTIONS: Please contact me at [email protected] and I will respond as quickly as possible. 
 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
 

The 2019-20 FHS Midterm Schedule

2019-20 Fairfield High School Midterm schedule

Attached is the 2019-20 Fairfield High School Midterm schedule, which will take place the last three days of the 2nd quarter (January 9-10 and 13). Note that your child will NOT have every class every day. Also note that these three days would NOT be a good time to schedule any doctor appoints, etc.!
 
 

A Little Review on Figurative Speech

Attached are definitions and examples of many types of figurative language. It is a review form for what students for the most part should already know. Students are to be looking for examples of figurative language within the text and annotate where it is found,
Students should bring this list to class every day, along with the book and the vocabulary list,

Vocabulary Fahrenheit 451

Attached is a list of vocabulary words for Fahrenheit 451. Students are to define each word, then write the sentence in which the word is found within the text. It was distributed Dec. 9 and is to be worked on in class or whenever we are reading. It will be due at the end of the book.

Early Warning: Midterm schedules for January

Hello parents! Just in case your child has not told you (or in case that they had not heard the news), we will be having special midterm schedules for the last three days of the second quarter (which are January 9-10, 13).
More specific details will follow, but you should know that students will have just 2-3 extended-length classes each day for the taking of mandatory midterm exams in EVERY class.
Each day will be of ordinary length, but those students with early dismissal or special schedules will need to pay extra close attention to what tests are offered at what time each day.
Perhaps needless to say, those would not be good days for scheduling doctor appointments or driving exams, etc.!

DQR PowerPoint

Attached is the PowerPoint on the concept of DQR that was discussed in class on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 3-4. It discusses the concept of DQR (Defend, Qualify or Refute) questions. This is to help CCR students answer such questions that are frequently found today on AP and EOC exams, in addition to other such high-level exams that students of all levels face today. The PowerPoint notes in Word form will also be posted.

Defend-Qualify-Refute PowerPoint Notes

Attached are the PowerPoint notes in Word form on the concept of DQR that were discussed in class on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 3-4. It discusses the concept of DQR (Defend, Qualify or Refute) questions. This is to help CCR students answer such questions that are frequently found today on AP and EOC exams, in addition to other such high-level exams that students of all levels face today. The PowerPoint will also be posted.

AP Reader DQR Explanation

Attached is a supplementary handout distributed in class on Wednesday, Dec. 4. It is about how Advanced Placement English test readers (graders) view the concept of DQR (Defend, Qualify or Refute) questions. They discuss the concept, how to improve scores on such questions, and what students do poorly or lack when responding to such questions. This is in addition to the PowerPoint that we watched and discussed in class on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

451 Mini-Essays 2019-20

Attached is the assignment sheet for 451 Mini-Essays that students have been writing in conjunction with reading Fahrenheit 451. As students finish each one, they are bringing them up to me to see if the formatting is correct. They will be doing at least 5 of the 10 prompts. They are to be keeping both printed and electronic versions of their papers, because later they will be revising their work and handing them in as a portfolio.
The due date for the completed work will likely be right before Winter Break begins. It was handed out last week during the time period I was in and out of the classroom due to illness, which is why it was not posted until now. They have already had multiple days to work on this in class, though some students have yet to hand even one in to me, so I would check with your child and see what their progress is.

NoRedInk Assignment 11/25/19

FYI: I am out on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, due to illness. The students' assignments for today were two NoRedInk.com assignments, one a lesson/practice, followed by a quiz over Noun-Verb Agreement. Students can log on from home if they are absent or else did not finish at school.
 

FYI: Progress Reports and Grades

This is just a heads up for parents: Interim Grade Reports will be entered later tonight (Thursday evening) and students will receive them next Tuesday during a study hall, 
A number of students are panicked by their grades, because NoRedInk.com grades were just entered earlier this week, and -- despite being warned every day for the last three weeks that they were already late and needed to be completed -- a number of students were shocked to see a "MISSING" entered into Progress Book for three assignments and their grades drop correspondingly. Each grammar-related quiz was worth 20 points, so if they had not finished any of them (which they were given lots of time in class to finish on multiple days), then their grades reflected a 0/60. They can make it up, but many of them did not in time for Interim Grade Reports. 
The moral of the story is, "When your teacher warns you to get things finished many, many, many times over several weeks (and offers you both class time and time before and after school), it might be to your advantage to get it done ... and get it done now, not later."

Macbeth Act 3 Reading Guide

Attached is the Macbeth Act 3 Reading Guide. It was distributed, discussed and worked on in class Oct. 22-25. It will be due Friday, Nov. 1, along with the Act 4 Reading Guide (which will be distributed Monday).
A 2-day, 2-part test over Acts 3-4 will begin on Friday, Nov. 1.

Due Date for Hall Passes

A friendly reminder for students: Remaining hall passes may be turned in for extra credit on Wednesday, Oct. 23, the last day of the quarter. Do not forget to bring them (particularly since you are supposed to have them with you daily anyway!)