English Express
Volume 8
Mrs. Neal Is Reading...
Morning Star by Pierce Brown
English II EOC Complete
I couldn't be more proud of our kids for their hard work leading up to the test! Testing will resume in May with additional EOCs and AP tests, but for now, let's enjoy a few test-free weeks!
JoLeigh Turned 4!
Why should you read Morning Star?
Well you really shouldn't until you read the first two books in the trilogy: Red Rising and Golden Son.
“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.” — Entertainment Weekly
If you are a fan of dystopian literature and/or science fiction, then this is the series for you. It is smart, witty, and will make you think about human rights, power, honesty and truth, and justice.
Check out my Goodreads page to see what else I'm reading.
All of Our English II Learners!
#PKD2016 Is Coming!
All English II Honors learners have worked for the last several weeks to create compelling persuasive presentations that aim to end a variety of social injustices. The presentations were inspired by the historical fiction novels we read in the fourth six weeks, but our research has led us to understand that many of these injustices recur throughout history and still go on today.
Next week the finalists will be announced. Stay tuned and wish your child luck!
Contribute to #PKD2016
Dear parents,
On behalf of your English II learner, I wanted to let you know about something cool we have going on in class. Your children have been aiming to end a variety of social injustices plaguing the world via PechaKucha presentations.
If you’ve never heard of it, PechaKucha (Japanese for “chit-chat”) 20x20 was invented by architects who were tired of of architects talking for too long during lectures (apparently that’s a problem) – thus, the 20x20 platform was born. Each PK presentation is 20 slides, which automatically change every 20 seconds, creating a fast–paced, concise, and engaging presentation. Even cooler than the platform are the social gatherings that have evolved from this platform. PechaKucha Nights (PKN) are fun, informal gatherings where people get together and share their ideas, thoughts, etc. in the PK 20x20 format.
We will have our very own gathering of presentations – which we have dubbed PechaKucha Days (#PKD). The 5 most effective presentations of each class period will compete against each other in our Finals round on Monday, April 25th in the Lecture Hall.
In an effort to make this a truly fun experience for the learners, we are putting together prizes for the top 3 presentations of the day. If you would like to make a donation for the prize baskets in the form of gift cards, tee shirts, candy, snack food - any type of item that you feel would appeal to a teenager - we would really appreciate it. If you are a business owner and would like to make a donation, we will thank your business in our program as well.
Please let me know if you would like to send any items for our prize baskets. The presentations will be on Monday, April 25, so I will need all donations by Wednesday, April 20.
Please ask your child to see the video of their presentation - I think you’ll be blown away by the passion they have put into their work!
Thank you so much for your support!
AP Exams Are Coming!
See the exam schedule below:
Top Tier Colleges Weigh In
Want to Contribute to Our Classroom Library?
If you would like to continue helping build our library, you are welcome to donate books that you no longer wish to keep at your home. We are looking only for books that our learners desire to read. Just send any books to school with your learner, and your family's donation will be remembered inside the book cover.
Contact Mrs. Neal
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for your continued support inside and outside of the classroom!