View your American Dream paper assignment HERE. While we will not be writing the entire paper, we will be composing a thesis statement and body paragraph outline.
Choose a topic.
You will compose a thesis statement as though you are writing the entire paper and a paper outlineas though you are writing the entire paper.
If possible, please use this template to compose your thesis and outline your paper. Outline as though you will write your paper using the chunk method of paragraph writing.
If you have difficulty editing the document, you may compose your thesis and outline in an email and use the template as a guide.
Be sure to revisit all previous writing notes and lessons before submitting thesis and outline. You may revisit the first unit writing helps here.
To submit, please share with me at [email protected] by Wednesday, May 13 at Midnight.
Again, we are not writing the entire 2-3 page paper; however, I did include the complete assignment sheet so that you can most accurately decide which prompt and evidence you'd like to use to write your thesis and outline.
Finish and Submit any missing work from by Wednesday, May 13 at Midnight if you would like credit to improve your S2 grade.
If you do not submit, your S2 grade will be the same as your Q3 grade.
Anything that you submit can potentially improve your S2 grade.
Grades aside, Junior year is pertinent to improve your academics, so do what you can!
You may return your The Great Gatsby novels to the Tech Prep Office any weekday between 9 and 11 a.m. All books/novels/textbooks/library books must be returned in order to get your report card and schedule for next year, so please do so whenever possible.
It is wise to put a sticky note with your name and my name on your novel, or include a bookmark with your name and my name. I have a list of your novel numbers; however, there will be a lot of students turning in books in the same place.
This week, your literary analysis assignment is a brief creative writing project. You will adopt the point of view of a character from The Great Gatsby and compose a eulogy for Jay Gatsby.
Overview: You (and just about no one else) have agreed to share some words at the funeral of Jay Gatsby. As you reflect on his life, you realize you must share why Gatsby was “Great” to you. You (from the point of view of a character from the text) are to compose a eulogy for the upcoming funeral to present to the other funeral goers. Your eulogy is ONLY for Jay Gatsby. Very few people knew of his true past. You aren’t one of those people.
Eulogy requirements- You must share…
Your name (from the point of view of your character)
How you knew Gatsby (Were you a party goer? Business partner? Etc.)
Your fondest memory of Gatsby (should be text-based)
Was his death fitting for him? Why/why not?
Is the funeral fitting for him? Why/why not?
Was he truly a “Great” man? If so, what made him great? If not, what was he missing?
Choose one of the options below to present your eulogy:
Option 1: On this week’s blog post, reply with your written eulogy for Gatsby.
Option 2: Create a Youtube, TikTok, OneDrive, etc. video presenting your eulogy for Gatsby. Pretend you are standing in front of his funeral goers. Post your link on this week’s blog post for others to view, or e-mail the link to me.
Keep in mind, for this assignment, you do not have to be nice to Gatsby. As a funeral goer you can be a truly mournful individual, an angry associate getting a last word in, or anywhere in between.
Keep in character of the time period. The Great Gatsby was not “Great” because he was “a savage.” Even if he was.
Have appropriate emotions come through in your writing. This isn’t a news article!
If your character does not have a name (such as a partygoer or servant), you may give him or her one.
If you did not finish reading “The Fallacy of Success” from last week, please do so.
This article will also be a source for your American Dream Unit Paper.
Sources: The American Dream by Cullen, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello, “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman, and “The Fallacy of Success” by G.K. Chesterton.
Once you finish reading the article, you may begin synthesizing sources for your American Dream paper.
Upcoming: View your American Dream paper assignment HERE. While we will not be writing the entire paper, we will be composing a thesis statement and body paragraph outline next week. If you would like a head start, please choose a topic, and begin composing your thesis statement. Compose a thesis statement as though you are writing the entire paper. To submit, please share with me at [email protected], and we will workshop it. Again, we are not writing the entire 2-3 page paper; however, I did include the complete assignment sheet so that you can most accurately decide which prompt and evidence you'd like to use in your thesis and outline.
When you finish, complete and submit this brief literary analysis form here. The form is due by Friday, April 24 at midnight.
The next source for your paper is called “The Fallacy of Success.” Read the articled attached here in PDF, or use the link below for a digital or read-aloud option.
If you need extra assistance reading the article or finding the main ideas, please read it from CommonLit.org using this link. From this site, you can click the circular numbers, and it will ask you reading comprehension questions. It also offers a read aloud option, annotation tool, and other guided questions.
This article will also be a source for your American Dream Unit Paper.
Sources so far: The American Dream by Cullen, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello, “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman, and “The Fallacy of Success” by G.K. Chesterton.
Please submit any missing work from previous weeks. There will be no new blog assignment this week.
Watch my brief overview of this week’s assignments here. Most of this week should be spent catching up on previously missed instruction, so please see previous posts for anything that you have missed.
For this assignment, you are meant to have FUN and get creative with your analysis.
You may choose ONE of the options on the PDF above to create a 60 second video using TikTok, YouTube, your OneDrive, your computer, your cell phone, etc. It’s up to you, as long as you answer the question thoroughly and completely, the video is classroom appropriate, and you use evidence from the text to prove your claims.
If you do not want to publish your video on a social media outlet, that is NO problem! All you have to do is upload your video onto your OneDrive, and send me the link/post the link on my blog page. TIME TO GET CREATIVE!
To save a video from your phone on OneDrive, make sure that you have the OneDrive app and are logged in. Once you have it, you should have an option to share videos or photos to your OneDrive, and it will upload and generate a shareable link. Share that link to [email protected], or copy/paste the link onto the weebly blog page if you are willing to let others view it. I have made a brief “how to” Screencast on my Samsung Galaxy here.
When you finish making your short video, post the link in the comments of this week’s Weebly blog so that others may also view your work. Feeling shy? E-mail me the link to your video.
Blog Prompt: Post the video link for your novel analysis assignment. Watch at least 3 other people’s videos, and comment/reply on the Weebly blog page to AT LEAST TWO VIDEOS.
Use the rest of your time this week to catch up on “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” or “I Hear America Singing” assignments from the past two weeks. If you have not submitted forms from previous weeks, please do so ASAP. In addition, if you have not answered a blog prompt, please use this week to get caught up.
Please see previous weekly posts for text access if you are behind.
Reread chapters 3-4 of The Great Gatsby, and watch my brief weekly overview for the week here.
I have also extended your “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” form for those of you who did not get the chance to submit it last week, and you may submit it here. It will now close on Friday, April 10 at midnight. For more information, revisit last week’s post. This is the same form as last week, so if you have already submitted, you are good to go.
This week’s blog forum will synthesize your “Hollywood Dreams” article with chapters 1-4 of The Great Gatsby. If you need to review the article before pursuing the blog, please do so here. If you would prefer the read aloud option, please see the link on last week's post.
Prompt “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth Youth and Beauty” vs. The Great Gatsby Chs. 1-4: How does Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby support or refute the central ideas of “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello? To answer the prompt, write a brief paragraph to prove your claims. Include the central idea(s) of “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty”, your argument as to whether chapters 1-4 support or refute those ideas, and textual evidence from each source.
Please respond to the prompt on the blog forum page, and comment on one other person's initial response.
Read the poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman. Attached here in PDF, or you may use this link for a read aloud option, annotation tool, and guided comprehension questions. As you read, focus on the tone of the poem (the author’s attitude toward the subject), the central idea, and the central idea in relation to the American Dream. The tone words LZ handout is linked here in case you need to revisit it.
If you have difficulty understanding and analyzing poetry, I highly suggest that you use the link for the read aloud option above, as it will also offer you guided comprehension questions, etc.
When you finish reading and studying the poem, submit this forms document here. It will expire and is due by Friday, April 10 at midnight.
This poem will also be a source for your American Dream Unit Paper. Sources so far: The American Dream by Cullen, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, and “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello, “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
Please sign up for my Remind if you have not yet. Codes/instructions are on the initial e-mail I sent last week and are also at the bottom of this page.
Reread chapters 1-2 of The Great Gatsby, and watch my brief weekly overview for the week here.
View this color symbolism in The Great Gatsby PDF here and watch my color symbolism video here. Documents/videos are also l inked above for your convenience.
Look closely at the chapters, and note where color symbolism is used. This week’s blog post will analyze color symbolism in chapters 1-2.
Prompt: Consider all of all the moments the color symbolism is used in chapters 1-2. Choose the top 3 that you feel best show the symbolism of that color. Make sure you cite the direct quote when the color is mentioned, the implied symbolism of that color, and an explanation as to why you chose that as one of your top 3. Do not plagiarize or copy another’s commentary.
Example (Remember, in your initial blog post, you will do this for three different pieces of color symbolism. This example is only one.): In chapter two, George Wilson, is described as having “light blue eyes” (29). As a symbol of both depression and a disoriented reality, the light blue eyes could insinuate what Wilson is unhappy with his position working at the garage in the Valley of Ashes, or he could be completely unaware about his wife’s affair. The description of his light blue eyes parallels with Nick’s description of him as a “spiritless man” (29), one who is likely unhappy with his current life circumstances. This color symbolism is significant because it may indicate that Wilson is a man with nothing to lose, as someone who is utterly depressed and unhappy with his life is likely to be inhibited in his behavior. (You will then press “enter” and continue with your next example of color symbolism from chapters 1-2. You may put all 3 responses in the same post.)
Read the article “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty.” Attached here in PDF, but see link below for a digital or read-aloud option.
Next week’s blog post will correlate the article with chapters 1-4, so please prepare yourself.
If you need extra assistance reading the article or finding the main ideas, please read it from CommonLit.org. From this site, you can click the circular numbers, and it will ask you reading comprehension questions. It also offers a read aloud option, annotation tool, and other guided questions.
Your current focus for the article should be finding main ideas.
This article will also be a source for your American Dream Unit Paper
For your reference, your paper sources so far are as follows: The American Dream by Cullen, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, and “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello.
Once you have read the article, submit the main idea forms document here:
You will have to log in to the O365 to complete your form to submit to me.
Continue reading The Great Gatsby, chapters 3-4.
Don't forget to complete your Gatsby blog post, and all responses/comments/assignments are due by Friday, April 3 at midnight. Happy commenting!
Please read my initial distance learning information email and respond to it immediately.
Please not that this is the page ONLY for 2nd block Honors English III. If you are in 3rd block regular English IV or 4th block Honors English IV, you may ignore this page.
Click on the "The American Dream by Cullen Central Ideas Chart" button, and add any notes to your Cullen central ideas graphic organizer, which we did the Thursday and Friday before Spring Break. You will utilize this resource for your paper at the end of the unit. Make sure that it is as complete as possible.
Continue reading The Great Gatsby. Our online discussion forum for the novel will begin on Monday, March 30.
For this week, we will practice using the blog to answer prompts and comment to other people's responses.
Go to the "Gatsby Novel Discussion" page, and use the "comment" button to respond to the prompt on the blog. This week's prompt: Consider closely this time in your life, as you are living out history and embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime social, economic, political, and medical change. How has Covid-19 and social distancing affected you personally, and how are you coping? What do you look forward to when distance learning? What do you fear? Expand.
Response requirements:
Use formal language and complete sentences.
Always use your first AND last name before submitting your initial response to the prompt.
Answer all parts of the question.
Over the course of the week, read other people's comments, and respond to at least 1 other person's initial response.
Comment requirements:
Always be respectful of your classmates and their opinions at all times.
When you are replying to a specific comment, be sure to address the person by name.
Use formal language and complete sentences.
All initial responses and comments responding to other people's initial responses are due by Friday, March 27 at midnight. Happy commenting!
Distance Learning Informational Email and REMIND information
To My Dearest Second Block Juniors, Part I: Welcome Back Welcome back to school!I look forward to trying out distance learning with you all and hope that we can use the digital resources at our disposal to continue learning. Please know that I miss each of you dearly and hope that throughout this experience, we can all learn a bit more about ourselves and our priorities.I hope that we may truly understand the value of education, community, health, friendship, and family. I know that many of you are stressed, unsure, overworked, bored, anxious, or tense.I hope to provide some semblance of normalcy in a chaotic world as we open our minds to discuss literature.My hope is to use the blog on my classroom website to host discussions and post your weekly class discussions. Fortunately, you all already have copies of The Great Gatsby and have been reading your novels furiously; therefore, our focus for the next couple of weeks will be The Great Gatsby novel study. I will also provide articles for you to read and associate with the novel itself. The novel will allow us to question ourselves as we navigate complicated relationships, relive the past, and determine our own definitions of the American Dream. Part II: What you need to do.
Please respond to this e-mail. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will call you and your parents.
My mdlivingston.weebly.com webpage will be my distance learning hub.
To my website mdlivingston.weebly.com I have added a tab called “English III Honors Weekly Assignments” and will update it regularly.
I would like to remind you as well to check your school emails regularly! This is super important! Make it a daily habit.
Also check my class website and the blog comments regularly! Again, make it a daily habit.
I have also set up a class Remind, so please sign up for the class Remind! This will allow you to text me via the app, opening up an additional line of communication. I can also share files via Remind if needed.
Be sure to add your first and last name when it prompts you. Parents are welcome to join as well.
Part III: Contacting Me Option 1: Office hours- I will be sitting at my computer each week day (M-F) from 10 am-12pm. At this time, I will respond to any Emails/Remind texts/Blog posts/Questions/other inquiries immediately.Please use this time each day, if at all possible, to work on coursework for my class so that you can have immediate access if you have any questions. I will also be active in all discussion posts/comments/blogs/etc. Option 2: I have a TON of information on my website, so please utilize it before e-mailing, calling, or Remind texting, as I am likely to refer you back to resources whenever possible. Option 3: Of course, please feel free to contact me at any time and do your work at any time, whether it is during my office hours or not, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
A few reminders for when you e-mail me or text me via Remind:
Please be sure to tell me your first and last name AND the assignment that you are working on. Please do not assume that I have your phone number or e-mail saved or that I know what your question is about.
Always reference the resources I have provided for you BEFORE asking a question.I have spent much time compiling these resources so that you can access them as needed, so please use them.
I plan to do all course work via my website, and all work will be cell phone compatible.If you have significant issues and require a paper packet, please let me know ASAP. Otherwise, everything will be completed digitally for the safety of all students, faculty, and staff. Until further notice, I will aim to post all new assignments by 10 am on Monday mornings, and all assignments will be due by Midnight on the Friday night of that week. I know that this is a lot of information and new for many of you, but I am excited to start English III Honors Virtual Academy and help you prepare for college.Online classes will be a reality for you in the future, so hopefully we can all gain positive, constructive time in your lives. Again please respond to this email IMMEDIATELY by clicking REPLY (NOT reply all!). I must have confirmation of receipt from EVERY student. You all are wonderful, and I look forward to discussing literature with you and embarking on this new learning path! You may utilize your relationships during this time, as you have access to everyone's email addresses. I suggest that you turn to each other and communicate openly with me and your classmates during this challenging time.
I look forward to hearing from you soon! Sincerely, Mrs. Livingston