Assignment for Wednesday, April 13

Finish preparing your presentation. Bring to class both the text and the images you will use in the presentation. The H block class (it met first block on Monday) will practice the presentation in small groups and get feedback on it from peers.The B block class (which met second block on Monday) will not have as much time to practice because there will be two presentations, but everyone should be prepared to practice in pairs.

Click here for the form that will be used to evaluate your presentation. (It is also posted to the right.) Use it and the presentation guidelines (also posted to the right) to prepare your presentation.

Assignment for Monday, April 11

Work on your presentation. It would be great if you could bring to class a version of your presentation. This version should include your main point, your three take-aways, and an attempt at concluding your presentation in an inspiring way. You should also bring to class the images you have selected so you can begin or continue to make sure that they suit the points you  are making.

Assignment for Thursday, April 7

Work on your presentation. Review the guidelines for the presentation that are posted to the right. Go over your paper and think about your project (if you performed community service, worked at an internship, conducted an experiment, or completed a visual or performing arts STP). Make sure that you follow the guidelines as you prepare the presentation. You might find that you'll need to adjust the images you've selected as you clarify your main point, three takeaways, and conclusion.

You will have time during class to work on the presentation, but don't rely just on class time to do so. We still have a few speeches to hear, and we will spend some time reviewing for the AP exam.

Assignment for Tuesday, April 5

If you were absent on Wednesday, March 30, view this TED talk, which we watched during class. Pay attention to the ways the speaker connects with the audience, the strategies she uses to communicate her message, and the ways the images reinforce and enhance her points.

If you have turned in the complete draft of your research paper, you have no homework for Friday, April 1. If you have not turned in the complete draft, you need to turn it in by Friday. For Tuesday, April 5, complete the speech assignment that was handed out in class and is posted to the right. If you can't locate the handout with the rhetorical devices, it is also posted to the right.

Assignment for Thursday, March 24

Read and annotate Chinua Achebe's essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" (which is on pp. 336-349 in your volume of Heart of Darkness).

In class, you will give extemporaneous speeches in preparation for your STP presentations.

Assignments for Friday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 22

For Friday: Read and annotate pp. 42-54 (to the end of Part II) in Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

For Tuesday: Read and annotate Part III (pp. 54-77) of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. 

Assignments for Monday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 16

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, read and annotate to the end of the first paragraph on p. 42. Keep track of the keywords (and their variations) that we have identified: heart, dark, light, civilized, primitive, black, white, native.

In class, you will have time to work on the research paper. The next three-to-four pages are due on Wednesday, March 16. Also, if you need to speak to anyone to make arrangements for your presentation (such as a teacher whose class you'd like to present to), you should do so as soon as possible.

Assignment for Wednesday, March 9

Work on the research paper; try to write an additional page. You will have time to work on it in class, and you will continue to work on avoiding plagiarism and integrating your sources. You do not have to read Heart of Darkness for Wednesday.

The next three-to-four pages of the research paper are due Wednesday, March 16. 

Assignment for Monday, March 7

Read and annotate to the end of Part 1 in Conrad's Heart of Darkness (to p. 31). As you are reading, pay close attention to the keywords we have already identified. Also, I will need to know your plan for the presentation, whether you will do it in class or elsewhere.

In class, we will begin by discussing Heart of Darkness, with particular attention to the rhetoric that is developing with those keywords. In addition, we will do some work (via a website) on avoiding plagiarism in research papers. If there is still time, you will be able to continue working on the research paper.

Just a reminder: The next three-to-four pages of the research paper are due on Wednesday, March 16.

Assignments for Tuesday, March 1, and Thursday, March 3

For Tuesday, read and annotate to p. 14 in Conrad's Heart of Darkness (stop when you get to the paragraph that ends with "hidden out of sight"). While reading, pay attention to each mention of the following words (and variations on them):  heart, dark, civilized, primitive, black, white, and native.

Keep in mind that the first three-to-four pages of the research paper and the outline of the research paper are due on Thursday, March 3.  You will have time to work on them in class on Tuesday, and you will not have to read Heart of Darkness for Thursday.

Assignment for Friday, Feb. 26

Prepare for the in-class essays on Civilization and Its Discontents. You will write an argumentative essay and a rhetorical analysis essay. For the argumentative essay, you should think about your perspective on the potential topics suggested in class today. For the rhetorical analysis essay, look at the passages suggested in class and think about the effects of Freud's rhetorical strategies in those passages and how those rhetorical strategies achieve a particular purpose in those passages. (You do not have to read to the middle of p, 14 in Conrad's Heart of Darkness.) 

Summarizing and Paraphrasing and Homework

Sorry I can't be in class today, but I hope everyone had a restful break (I did) and is refreshed for this long stretch of school we have ahead of us. Summarizing and paraphrasing are two essential skills you will need for writing the research paper. Today, you will practice them with Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents. First, some definitions.

A summary is a text that has significantly reduced in length another text, using your own words while preserving its essential content and meaning. You use a summary when you need to convey the content and meaning of a text to an audience that isn't familiar with it.  A paraphrase is a text that you have rewritten in languate appropriate for an audience that might not understand the discourse of the original text because of its jargon or technicalities. It is usually, but not always, slightly shorter than the orignal text. Typically, you paraphrase a passage or sentence that is difficult for your itnended audience to understand.

When you summarize or paraphrase, you must cite the original source, including any page numbers. If you don't, then you will have plagiarized the original text.

So, here's what you're doing today: First, summarize a chapter of Civilization and Its Discontents. Be sure to identify the chapter you are summarizing. Second, paraphrase a passage from Civilization and Its Discontents. Be sure to indicate the page number(s) of the passage you are paraphrasing. Email these to me (fmontas@mph.net) or write them by hand and leave them with the coverage teacher.

When you finish these, if you have time, prepare two potential essay topics for the essays on Civilization and Its Discontents. You will write the essays in class on Friday.

You homework for Wednesday is to write one paragraph (any paragraph) of your research paper and begin reading Heart of Darkness. (Read the first four pages or so. Stop when you get to "He paused.") In Wednesday's class, we will talk about the research paper, prepare for Friday's essays, and introduce Heart of Darkness.

Assignment over the Break

You don't really have one, but if you're looking for something to do, keep in mind that on Wednesday, February 24, you will write the argumentative and rhetorical analysis essays in response to Civilization and Its Discontents. Also, on Monday, February 29, the first two-to-three pages of the research paper will be due.