Monday, December 1, 2014

English 10; Performance Task for the excerpt from "Simplexity"

In a one page essay response to the following prompt from page 134 in Collections 3.  

Performance Task

Writing activity: Analysis

What does Kluger's analysis of response durng an evacuation tell you about human nature?  Write an analysis using evidence from the text as well as your own experience.


  • Reread Simplexity, making notes about how humans behave in crisis situations and why.
  • Add to your notes your own thoughts about how you might react as well as evidence from other real-life events.
  • Use your notes to draft a one-page analysis of why people act as they do during a crisis.
  • Organize your ideas in cause-and-effect order to make your points clear to readers.  
  • Type the assignment in MLA format.

The assignment is due December 2, 2014.  

Hermione Nickens

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

How to Write a College Character Analysis Essay

How to Write a College Character Analysis Essay

English 12 Classes

Writing Activity: Character Analysis

When the queen demands that the knight find out "What is the thing that women most desire?" he searches for a whole year to find an answer.  Does the knight gain understanding of women over the course of the story, or is he still essentially the same as he was at the beginning.  Respond to this question by writing a character analysis.  Consider the following:

* the knight's initial crime
* his reaction to the old woman after she insists her marry her
*  his response to the choice she offers him on their wedding night

Common Core W4

The responses are to be written independently. Incorporate direct quotations and specific details from the poem to support their view of whether the knight changes.   Be prepared to share your essays with the class.

These essays are due on December 1st (B-day) and 2nd (A-day) 2014 at the beginning of class.  They are to be typed and in MLA format.  No Late work will be accepted.  Follow the link below to find a guide to the writing the character analysis essay.  

http://tcc.edu/students/resources/writcent/documents/essay_kinds_docs/character_analysis_essay.pdf


Prior planning prevents poor performance.  Do not wait until the last minute to work on the essays and assignments.

There are several resources available for printing outside Suitland High School.

The Prince Georges County Library system is availale at www.pgcmls.info.  The closest library to Suitland High School is the Spaulding Library. 

The Spaulding Library

5811 Old Silver Hill Road
District Heights, MD 20747
Hours
Monday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday - 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday - 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Staples  3024 Donnell Drive District Heights,  Md 

County Fast Printing, 8813 Walker Mill Rd Capitol Heights, Md


        'Great By Choice'

***TO ALL STUDENTS***


It is never okay to miss time for another teacher's class to prepare assignments for my class.  

Prior planning prevents poor performance.  Do not wait until the last minute to work on the essays and assignments.

There are several resources available for printing outside Suitland High School.

The Prince Georges County Library system is availale at www.pgcmls.info.  The closest library to Suitland High School is the Spaulding Library. 

The Spaulding Library

5811 Old Silver Hill Road
District Heights, MD 20747
Hours
Monday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday - 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday - 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Staples  3024 Donnell Drive District Heights,  Md 

County Fast Printing, 8813 Walker Mill Rd Capitol Heights, Md

        'Great By Choice'

Saturday, November 15, 2014

English 10 Essay Assignment

Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts Whitman's depitcions of Civil War experiences in his poem "The Artilleryman's Vision" and in his letter to his mother.  Please utilize the packets I provided along with your ECR rubric to guide your writing.  The essays must be typed in MLA format and submitted at the beginning of class Wednesday November 19th, 2014.  No late work will be accepted.  

Things to Remember:

Prior planning prevents poor performance.  Do not wait until the last minute to work on the essay.
There are several resources available for printing outside Suitland High.

The Prince Georges County Library system is availale at www.pgcmls.info.  The closest library to Suitland High School is the Spaulding Library. 

The Spaulding Library

5811 Old Silver Hill Road
District Heights, MD 20747
Hours
Monday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday - 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday - 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Staples  3024 Donnell Drive District Heights,  Md 

County Fast Printing, 8813 Walker Mill Rd Capitol Heights, Md

        Great By Choice






Tuesday, October 28, 2014

English 12 Classes

**************Due November 6th and 7th***********


Argument is a type of writing that seeks to convince readers to accept the writer’s ideas or take a certain action. Write an essay in which you evaluate Dweck and Lewis’ presentation of ideas to the reader(s) and argue for which author is most effective or convincing. Cite evidence from both texts to support your response.  This assignment is to be typed in MLA format.  Utilize all resources available to you.  No Late Work Will Be Accepted !!!



Monday, October 13, 2014

*********** English 10**********

            *********** Up From Slavery**********
Each student is to acquire a copy of Up From Slavery, the Autobiography of Booker T. Washington.  We will begin reading the book in class on Monday October 27th, 2014.  Paper and digital downloads are each acceptable.
===============================================================

Friday, October 10, 2014

English 12 Essay II

                                         Comparative Essay

Review “Marita’s Bargain” and “Kewauna’s Ambition”. Write an essay that evaluates how each author presents and supports their claim(s) and argue for which you find more effective given the speaker’s argument, purpose, and audience. Use evidence from both texts to support your response.  Use MLA formatting for these typed papers.
   
This essay is due Mondday October 20,  2014 for A-day classes and Tuesday October 21, 2014 for B-day classes.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Monday, October 6, 2014

***********Writing Sites**********

Use these sites to quide you in writing your assignments.

Owl.English.Purdue.edu

MLAFormat.org

MLA.Org

==============================================================

********* English 12 *********

Notebook Checks for A/B-Day Classes


Your notebooks will be checked Wednesday October 8th and 9th, 2014.  Your information should be sectioned as follows:
      1.  Handouts (rubrics, speeches, etc.)
      2.  Vocabulary
      3.  Notes
      4.  Loose-leaf paper

           ############################################################


*********English 10 Notebook Checks********

There will be a notebook check Wednesday October 8th, 2014.  Your  notebooks are to be divided in the following sections:
      1.  Handouts (rubrics, speeches etc.)
      2.  Vocabulary
      3.  Notes
      4.  Loose-leaf paper
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*************English 10 Essay Assignment************

***********Comparative Essay ************

Write an essay that compares the methods used in “A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy’s “Civil Rights Address.” Which speech do you think more effectively calls people to action? Explain how the speakers use rhetorical methods in discussing race relations and argue for which you find more effective given the speaker’s purpose and audience. Use evidence from both texts to support your response. 
    
Rough draft of essay due October 7th, 2014


Thursday, October 2, 2014

ALL ENGLISH 12 CLASSES

You will be reading Up From Slavery, The Autobiography of Booker T. Washington.  Each of you is to acquire a copy of the book.  It can be in the form of a download or a paper copy.  We will begin reading Monday October 20th 2014, so you must have the book for class that day.

Thank to you and your parents, in advance,  for your cooperation in meeting this academic need.


Mrs. Nickens
Up From Slavery: The Autobiography of Booker T. Washington (Pape... Cover Art

Thursday, September 25, 2014

***ATTENTION ALL CLASSES***

***ALL tests have been re-opened.  
***ALL tests were viewed prior to being re-opened.
***Tests will close tomorrow evening.   
***Tests cannot be paused or stopped and re-started;  they must be completed in the time allotted.  
***Attempting to pause tests will result in being locked out.  

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Homework***English 12*** Homework

        Re-read "Marita's Bargain" on page 3 of the text book.  

Answer questions 1-8 on page 16 of the text book.

Complete the Performance Task (Writing Activity-Diary)
   * Carefully proofread your assignment.
   *  Use your rubric and the Standard for Written Assignments handout for accuracy.
   *  Use loose-leaf paper and blue or black pen only.  

 
 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Excellent English 10

This is an essay prompt from the May 7, 2011 SAT.  

Prompt 1

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Most of us tend to find rules, limits, and restraints irritating. We want to be free of anything that limits our choices. But limitations protect us. Without limitations on our behavior, too many of us will act without regard to the consequences for ourselves, for others, and for the future. Limitations contribute to, rather than take away from, our overall happiness.
Assignment: Do rules and limitations contribute to a person's happiness? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

***This essay is due Thursday September 11, 2014


English 12 Classes A/B Day

This is an essay prompts from the most recent SAT administration in June 2014.

Prompt 1

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
What determines success in life is not intelligence or talent, but character: those qualities gained both from living in an honorable and straightforward manner and from learning to deal with disappointment and hardship. Without character, an individual has no hope of true success. Even when competing against opponents of considerable intelligence or strength, those individuals who possess strong character will ultimately win.
Assignment: Does a person’s character determine that person’s success in life? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

A day classes, this is due Friday September 12, 2014
B day classes, this essay is due Thursday September 11, 2014

Quote of the Day

Life goes by fast.
Enjoy it.
Calm down.
It's all Funny.
-----Joan Rivers


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Excellent Job English 10

I was so pleased with your short stories today.  I was amazed at the varied and wonderful stories you told and how well they were written.  I encourage you to continue strong and don't let up.  Working well consistently prepares you for better grades, better test scores and better brighter futures.

Continue to be 'Great By Choice.'

Mrs. Nickens


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Hello English 12 classes

Food for thought

Your uncle Timmie was driving home from work late one foggy night when suddenly a cow appeared in the roadway.  Unable to stop in time,  he ran into the cow at 45 miles an hour instantly killing bot the cow and uncle Timmie.  Would you eat the steaks that came from the cow that caused poor old uncle Timmie his life?

I'll be checking for your responses.  See you Thursday 4A.

Mrs. Nickens

Monday, September 1, 2014

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it, begin it now.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Thursday, August 21, 2014

Always Remember

Some Rule for Writing


1.  Do Not use text message language.
2.  Do Not use & amp, w/, or s/he.
3.  Always write out the numerals one through nine.
4.  Each new paragraph is to be indented five spaces.
5.  Do Not number paragraphs.


Be able to differentiate between the following:

there, their and they're
to, too, two
hear, here
deer, dear
weather, whether
we're, were
butt, but
your, you're


The following site will assist you with ALL your future writing assignments:  
                 
owl.english.purdue.edu

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread !!!

Supply List for 2014-2015



Blue/Black pens
A 3-ring binder with loose-leaf paper
A composition book for journaling
Tissue
Hand sanitizer

Monday, March 24, 2014

Career Research Project for ALL Classes Due April 11th and 12th 2014

These are the instructions for your Career Research Project.

           This Career Research Project is due Thursday April 10th, 2014 and Friday April 11th, 2014.
No Late work will be accepted unless prior approval is granted.

========================================================================

Career Research Assignment Sheet
Good time management is necessary in order to complete this project. Keep all work in your folder. You are responsible for keeping track of it. Use various resources.
Your work should be neat – messy will lower your grade.

Use this sheet to monitor yourself.
1. Activity #1 – Your ideal career
2. Activity #2 -Complete 6 research forms. You are encouraged to do more as you find careers that interest you. If you don’t understand what a question is asking for, ask me!
3. Activity #3 -Write a business letter to one professional organization. You are to request information on the career you are most interested in – a sample letter is provided.
4. Activity #4 - Find and print information from the Internet on 2 of the careers that you research.
5. Activity #5 - Find and print one classified ad from the internet for each of the careers you found in #3. You can get web addresses from me or from a resourceful classmate who has surfed and found the right place. There are many sites that you could visit.
6. Activity #6 - Interview one person from the career area that most interests you. Use the interview guide sheet. This sheet must be completed and included in your research packet.
7. Activity #7 -Give a presentation to your class.      
             

What does my future hold?            
Your Ideal Job Worksheet
Describe your ideal job by writing a narrative report. Make sure you include all the areas listed below:
1. What type of work you would do all day.
2. Kind of work environment; indoors, outdoors or both.
3. Working with people or alone.
4. Working with your hands, head or both.
5. Earnings potential.
6. A set schedule or viable hours.
7. Do you want to supervise others?
8. What qualities do you have to succeed in this career?
9. How do you know you could do this type of work?
Remember when you are writing an essay, you should have an introduction, support paragraphs, and a conclusion.

========================================================================

Occupational Information Student Worksheet
Identify educational requirements, salary, job description, and occupational outlook for six career areas that match your profile by completing the Occupational Information Worksheet. This will total six different worksheets.
Career Objective:
Find out some information about your specific career choices. Make sure you find information in all these areas:
1. Salary (How much does this job pay on the average?):
2. Educational Requirements (What kind and how much education do you need for this type of   career?):
3. Job Description (What do they do?)
4. Occupational Outlook (Are there any job openings for this career, what is the outlook?):
5. Personal Characteristics/Abilities Needed for this Career:
6. Advantages:
7. Disadvantages:
8. Working Conditions (Inside, outside; lifting or not; hours; etc.):
9. Would I be suited to this job and consider it as a career possibility?
10. At least ONE address where I could find further information:

Interview Guide
You can get a great deal of valuable information about the world of work from people employed in various occupations. To identify employed individuals who may be able to supply you with current, comprehensive career information, begin with those persons most easily accessible to you, your family, friends, co-workers, school, and other resources.

REMEMBER:
You are not asking for a job.
You have the right and the responsibility to yourself to seek information from those who can help you.
Prepare yourself for the information interview by learning as much as you can about the field and the person you will be interviewing.
Prepare a list of questions you want to ask
Be prepared to take notes during the interview.
Express interest and appreciation.
Who did you interview? Where do they work? What is his/her career?
STANDARD INFORMATION INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
How would you characterize this career? (Competitive, conservative, rapidly changing, stressful, etc.)
What are your predictions for the future for this career? Is it expanding?
Are qualified workers needed in this field? Where is the greatest need?
What is the potential income for this career? What is the typical starting salary range?
What is a typical day/week like in your job?
What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
If you were hiring someone for this job, what kind of person would you hire? What skills and personal attributes are most important? What qualifications would a person need?
How did you get into this career? What was your career path?
What personal advice would you give to someone wanting to enter and advance in this career field?
What education or training is required? What courses/major should a person choose? What schools are best to attend?
What are typical mistakes people make that prevent advancement in this career?

FEEL FREE TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN QUESTIONS. BE SURE TO MAKE NOTES OF ANSWERS GIVEN.      
Notes on interview:



========================================================================


Sue Surgeon
987 Hemistat Lane Sterile, NE 99999
National Association of Nurses 123 Getwell Drive
Miami, FL 00000
July 6, 2000
YOUR name and address
Today's date


Dear Dr. Surgeon, My name is (insert your name) and I’m a 10th grade student at Suitland High School. Our class is doing a research assignment on our selected career.  I’m interested in nursing careers and would like more information about the profession. Please send me any information you have available to the above address.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
YOUR name and signature here

Use a business font. 12 or 14 pt. Run spell check.
Print two – one to send and one to turn

========================================================================

Career Presentation
You have explored various careers. Now, it is time to find the one career of the most interest to you and continue the research into the area. You will need to develop a presentation to deliver to your classmates. This will be the assessment of your knowledge of this career unit. You are only limited by your own creativity and motivation. Take the challenge, apply yourself, and have fun learning!
Following are the requirements of what needs to be included in this project:
A three (3) minute informational speech, which needs to include the following:
� A description of the work the person performs
� Wage/salary (entry level and after established in career)
� What characteristics are needed for a person to be most in this career?
� Educational background needed
� Where can you get the education necessary for the career?
� Advantages/disadvantages of the job
� Career ladder
(how does a person get from a starting position to a higher level job with more money, etc.)
� Employment outlook � Related occupations
Some type of visual - a poster, dress up like the person, PowerPoint, etc.
A written report should be turned in with all the above information included.


=======================================================================
Career Choice Essay

In a 600-word essay, discuss your future career and academic goals.

Writing a career goals essay involves introspection and honesty. The first step is to identify what you want to do and the most reasonable route of getting to that place. Once you have identified that, create your thesis statement. Your thesis should be based on your desired job title. For example, 'I have set as a goal becoming a teacher.'  Then build your essay around supporting your thesis.



Have Fun !!!

Hermione Nickens


Sunday, February 23, 2014

English 10 Classwork for Monday February 24, 2014

English 10

Select a prompt from list A and one from list B.  Use the writing process to prepare a five-paragraph essay for each prompt.


List A

1. Is studying in a college important to get educated?
2. Has technology made us aloof?
3. An arm for an arm, a life for a life. Is death penalty justified?
4. Has sex education been successful to bring down teenage pregnancies?
5. The role of a man in a family has undergone a sea of change. Give arguments for and against it.
6. Vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters. Do you agree?
7. The rise in crime rate among the teens could be attributed to the mass media, including the newspaper, films, TV, radio, etc. Give your opinion for or against this statement.
8. Should immigrants be welcomed in America?
9. Is outsourcing of jobs to the Asian countries good for America's economy?


List B

1. Predict something that is going to happen in the year 2080. How can you stop that from happening now?
2. Did you help somebody in the past one week? If yes, how? If not, then why?
3. Which fruit describes your personality the best, and how?
4. What is more important for you - being famous or being content with life?
5. Write an essay by relating the following words - soccer, aphrodisiac, intellectual, career, peace and globalization.
6. Who is the most successful person in the world today and why?


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Extra Credit

Watch the movie The Color Purple and answer the following questions.

  1. Women are not treated well in The Color Purple. Is their treatment a gender or an ethnic identity issue or both?
  2. Is Alice Walker sexist because the men in her story are almost universally mean? Should she have placed more emphasis on race rather than gender?
  3. Is it important that Nettie’s exile took place in Africa?
  4. Does it add or detract from the story that Celie – an uneducated woman writes sporadically and narrates the novel?

Homework on Subject Complements for English 9 and 10


Identifying Subject Complements. Underline the subject complement in each of the following sentences. Look for the linking verb to help you find the subject complement.
Example: Cheddar cheese is orange. John feels sick today.
  1. The mongoose, introduced to Puerto Rico to kill poisonous snakes, has become the island’s most annoying predator.
  2. Why are many of our folk heroes outlaws?
  3. The chlorine in the pool smelled harsh.
  4. This bread tastes moldy to me.
  5. The hungry beggar felt too faint to hold out his cup.
  6. The caged tiger gets especially restless during storms.
  7. After my yoga exercises, I feel almost weightless.
  8. Mahatma Gandhi always remained peaceful, despite his opponents’ most outrageous provocation.
  9. One of a mail carrier’s occupational hazards is the overzealous watchdog.
  10. Our captain’s last words to us sounded prophetic.
  11. The sunflowers by the gate grow taller every day.
  12. The class gift will be a new set of curtains for the auditorium stage.
  13. The achievements and courage of Dr. Martin Luther King have become part of our American
    heritage.
  14. A horse’s staggering gait can be a sign of swamp fever.
  15. Her story rings true.
  16. According to Dr. W. H. Sheldon’s classification of humans into physical types, the thin, slender-
    boned ectomorph is introspective.
  17. Are you nervous about making the speech?
  18. The dirigible is lighter than air.
  19. Is his pulse normal?
  20. The moon looked close enough to touch.


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The Soul Selects Her Own Society
by Emily Dickinson

The Soul selects her own Society --
Then -- shuts the Door --
To her divine Majority --
Present no more --

Unmoved -- she notes the Chariots -- pausing --
At her low Gate --
Unmoved -- an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat --

I've known her -- from an ample nation --
Choose One --
Then -- close the Valves of her attention --
Like Stone --






















Friday, February 7, 2014

How about a Haiku

Mrs. Nickens English Classes

They come in loudly.
Spoiled Brats cute to death, rotten.
Teen-agers---bad-butts!

Thursday, February 6, 2014



Today's Quote

A good teacher, like a good entertainer must first hold his audience's attention then he can teach his lesson. 

John Henrik Clark, Pan-Africanist Writer Historian, Professor



Sunday, February 2, 2014

Literary Terminology

The following is the list of Literary Terms for the Poet Unit.

allegory
alliteration
assonance
consonance
blank verse
epic poem
rhyme
iambic
pentameter
onomatopoeia
extended metaphor
satire
verse

Friday, January 24, 2014

Some Rule for Writing


1.  Do Not use text message language.
2.  Do Not use &, w/, or s/he.
3.  Always write out the numerals one through nine.
4.  Each new paragraph is to be indented five spaces.
5.  Do Not number paragraphs.


Be able to differentiate between the following:

there, their and they're
to, too, two
hear, here
deer, dear
weather, whether


The following site will assist you with ALL your future writing assignments:  
                 
owl.english.purdue.edu

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread !!!

Mrs. Nickens