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So many books......so little time.

Welcome to Canyon Crest Academy, to 9th grade English, and to my class.  These next four years should be filled with wonderful experiences for you, provided you take an active role in your education, of course.  CCA offers you a wealth of opportunities and experiences......it's up to you to take full advantage of them. I do hope you are able to get the most out of your high school career here, and I hope it all starts with my class.  

Homework for Thursday, May 14th

Turn in your sonnet tomorrow Friday, May 15th.  Remember it must be typed and follow the iambic pentameter and rhyme scheme outlined in the directions.
r&j--shakespeareansonnet.docx
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The Odyssey

Vocabulary List:  (test on Tuesday, April 28th)


Click here for a QUIZLET of the vocabulary list from The Odyssey.


formidable               indifferent               appalled
adversary                 stealth                      succumb
disconsolate            abominably             contemptible
revelry                      restitution                aloof
epithet                      epic simile               immortal fame

Of Mice and Men unit--3/23-4/3

Vocabulary List:  (test on Tuesday, March 31st)

Click here for a QUIZLET of the vocabulary list from Of Mice and Men.

pantomime          imperiously          pugnacious
complacently      derogatory           deliberate
reverently            cowering              dignity
sniveled               crestfallen            aloof
meager                 bewildered          monotonous

Lord of the Flies unit--2/10-3/20

The jury must complete their five-paragraph essay on "Why Boys Become Vicious" (due Thursday at the beginning of class)

The files below can help assist you with your essay.  The one on the right is the article by David Holcberg that the class debated and used to write a group precis.  The file in the middle is a step-by-step process on writing the rhetorical precis, which will serve as your "hook" for the essay, as opposed to a rhetorical question, startling statistic, or other device you may have used in the past.  The file on the left is William Golding's article printed just a few weeks after the tragic death of James Bulger, which we spoke about in class.  

Write a rhetorical precis for Golding's article, followed by your thesis as to why you think "boys become vicious" and then use the remainder of your essay to support your assertion.  Make sure you use ample evidence and support for your claim.
eng9--precisarticle--holcberg.doc
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eng9--rhetorical_precis_how_to.doc
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flies--goldingarticle.doc
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Trial of Roger

This week the class is putting Roger on trial for killing Piggy.  While his guilt is not in question, the jury will come to a decision as to whether or not he should be tried as an adult or a juvenile for his crime.  After researching past cases in this realm, and studying the police report (the novel), a prosecuting team, defense team and jury will participate in a trial this week to determine Roger's fate.  I will play the part as the Honorable Judge Black.  Good luck, Counselors!
Vocabulary List:  (test on Tuesday, March 3rd)
Click here for a QUIZLET of the vocabulary list from the second half of the novel. 


improvisation       perspective          impervious
apex                       bastion                 demure
contempt              mutinously           bliss
inarticulate           decorum               cynicism
emphatic               sagely                    iridescent

Found Poem (due Tuesday February 24th)

flies--found_poem_assignment.doc
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Vocabulary List:  (test on Tuesday, February 24th)
Click here for a QUIZLET of the vocabulary list from the first half of the novel. 

enmity                    hiatus                   contrite
eccentric                spontaneously    chronic
furtive                    ebullience            myriad
pallor                      taut                       vagrant
communion          gaudy                    malevolently

Are we born good?

Check out the 60 Minutes piece to the right as Lesley Stahl explores morality through the lens of infants.  Can babies tell the difference between right and wrong?  After viewing this piece, what conclusions have you drawn?  How does it shape the way you think about the capacity for young people and morality, in general?  Do you think people are born inherently good?  William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, explores the notion that perhaps the capacity for evil is born within us as well; it just takes some environmental influence or catalyst to bring that behavior out.  What do you think?
 

Mob Mentality

Sometimes, unique social behaviors emerge when people are in large groups.  Often, these behaviors can be negative in nature, even violent at times.  The terms mob mentality, herd mentality, or crowd hysteria are ways of describing these behaviors, which are studied by social psychologists to determine why we, as people, are willing to participate in certain behaviors in a group setting that we would never consider doing if we were alone.  

Can you think of a literary example of mob mentality?  Check out this video clip to the right from the motion picture version of a novel I'm quite sure you've read, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Notice how Jean-Louise "Scout" Finch manages to turn this angry mob, about to inflict harm on her father Atticus for his representation of Tom Robinson, into a group of individuals.  Once she accomplishes this, the mob disbands and Atticus is safe from harm.

Short Story unit--1/28--2/6

Vocabulary List:  (test on Thursday, February 12th)

Click here for a QUIZLET of the list to help you study.

tangible                    condone                    irony
destined                   apathetic                  dramatic irony
fetter                        palpable                    verbal irony
implore                    conflict                       foreshadowing
impunity                  virtuoso                     double entendre
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/POE/cask.html
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

http://www.dukeofdefinition.com/dangerous_game.pdf

Can hunting endangered animals save the species?

Before reading Connell's The Most Dangerous Game, we discussed the pros and cons of hunting and culling animals.  Consider your stance on the subject before reading the National Geographic article in the link below. Then take a look at the 60 Minutes piece to your right.  Has either changed your perspective on hunting wildlife?  If so, how?  

eng9--mostdangerousgame--killingwildlifearticle.docx
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