To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Pre-reading video/historical context of the novel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgC09oMIwLc

Video Sparknotes to be used as a study tool after reading the novel:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkohqLvClI

Short Story Test Review

The following links may be helpful resources as you prepare for your final short story test.

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant
http://quizlet.com/17504702/the-necklace-by-guy-de-maupassant-story-element-questions-flash-cards/

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
http://moronepedia.wikispaces.com/Most+Dangerous+Game+Questions+and+Answers!

Marigolds by Eugenia Collier
http://english54321.tripod.com/id5.html

The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst
http://www.enotes.com/topics/scarlet-ibis/quiz

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
http://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/9555-the-cask-of-amontillado

It is important to know the following literary elements:

• exposition - background material about the characters, setting, and dramatic situation in which the author introduces the essentials of the story to the reader.
• rising action - the part of the story in which the tension rises. occurs after the exposition and  leads to the story's climax.
• climax - the moment when the action comes to its highest point of dramatic conflict or the moment when the main character comes to a realization or learns a lesson.
• falling action - the part of the story following the climax and leading to the resolution in which there is a sharp decline in dramatic tension.
• resolution - the conclusion of the story
• conflict - the central source of tension and drama in the story; the problem the main character is facing. internal conflict - character vs. some feeling or emotion.  external conflict - character vs. an outside force (another character, nature, society, etc.)
• irony - a situation that seems odd or out of place.  the opposite of what one expects to happen actually happens.
• mood - the over-all feeling of a work created by the author's choice of words
• narrator - the speaker who tells the story.  May be a character in the story or may be someone outside the story.
• point of view - the perspective from which a story is told.  omniscient - author is involved in the story and presents the thoughts of all the characters involved.  limited - story is told from the viewpoint of one character who only sees part of the story.
• protagonist - the central character of the story
• antagonist - the character who works against the protagonist
• suspense - techniques used by the author to keep readers interested in the plot and wondering what will happen next
• symbol - an image, object, character, or action that stands for something else beyond its literal meaning
• theme - a story's main idea; the message that the author intends to communicate

Edgar Allan Poe

To learn more about Edgar Allan Poe, check out his biography provided by A&E.

http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160/videos/edgar-allan-poe-full-episode-2104513528

For a few laughs, check out the following parody of Poe's famous poem, The Raven.  If you're a fan of The Simpsons, you will enjoy it!

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=251203

The following link will take you to a brief animation of The Tell-Tale Heart, another of Poe's well-known works.

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=251203

Interested in listening to a couple of Poe's finest works?  Listen and follow along to The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado.

http://www.loudlit.org/works/heart.htm

http://www.loudlit.org/works/cask.htm

Of Mice and Men

The following links will take you to helpful sites in preparation for the test on Of Mice and Men:

http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/video/micemen

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/

http://www.shmoop.com/of-mice-and-men/characters.html

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/mice/

26 Reasons to Read!

"I hate reading!"  "Reading is so boring!"  "Ugh, why do we have to read so much?" "There are too many other things I would rather do besides read a book!"

Sound familiar?  Then read on to find out why reading is such an important life-long skill and to learn about some startling statistics and facts about reading!

I've also included several links to popular books for teens/young adults!

http://www.brevardcounty.us/docs/Files/26reasontoread.pdf

http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/creating-readers/creating-reading-culture/engaging-teens-reading

http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday/facts.htm

http://raisingbookworms.com/resources/reading-and-literacy-statistics/

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/teenagers-and-reading.htm

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/07/157795366/your-favorites-100-best-ever-teen-novels

http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/teen

Vocabulary

The vocabulary text for the class is Vocabulary for Success (Sadlier).  There are 7 units of study in the book, and each unit contains 3 lessons.  Students are encouraged to take advantage of the online resources at www.vocabularyforsuccess.com.  In order to access the site, students should enter the following Student Access Code:  VFS13SGDVXTF.

www.vocabularyforsuccess.com

Helpful Resources

Writing

I will often reference the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).  This is a fantastic resource that offers 200+ free resources.  You can find help for research, writing, grammar, style guides, and professional writing.  Excellent examples are also provided.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu


Oral Presentations

There will be several instances throughout the school year in which students will be expected to give presentations, both informal and formal.  I often hear students say, "I don't 'do' presentations!"  Here's my response:  Do you walk into math class and say, "I don't 'do' fractions!"  Do you walk into science class and say, "I don't 'do' lab experiments!"  Do you walk into foreign language class and say, "I don't 'do' verb conjugations!"?  Of course, you don't!  Instead of thinking and saying, "I don't 'do' presentations!" how about saying, "I CAN do this presentation!"?

I can empathize with students and their fear of public speaking.  I, too, used to become anxious when knowing I had to speak in front of an audience, but by making the effort to at least try, you are already taking your first step in decreasing your fear of public speaking.  It does get better each time you do it.

Practicing in front of family and friends is one way to feel better prepared for your presentation.  I am always available to work with students one-on-one before or after school or during my lunch time in order to help a student overcome their anxiety.

Knowing how to speak effectively is not just an "English class" thing; it is a life-long skill you will need in order to be successful in your college and career goals!

I have included some links that students may find helpful when preparing for a presentation and/or wanting to reduce their anxiety of public speaking:

http://www.lehigh.edu/~incso/PDFs/publicspeakinganxietypamphlet.pdf

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/hub/blog/extension-blog/3-tips-overcoming-fear-public-speaking

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Oralcomm/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20OvercomingSpeechAnxiety.pdf

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fear-of-public-speaking/AN01979

Literature

The following link will take you to a glossary of literary elements and their definitions.

http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm