English II Honors - Extra Credit

Hey Guys!

Some of you will inevitably get finished with your workbook questions a little early, so I have a little extra credit available to you. There will be 15 points of extra credit for those brave enough to create one minute audio reviews of the novel they studied during the unit using GarageBand. The review, which I will convert to Mp3 on my return, will be uploaded to the LIbrary card catalog.

Two eadsets are in the top drawer next to my computer on the left. Good luck!

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - The Chocolate War Questions #2

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the second third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE/POST READING QUESTIONS

1. Jerry has a poster in his locker that reads, "Do I dare disturb the universe?". Describe the universe that Jerry lives in and compare it to your own in a 100-word response.

2. Using the following vocabulary guide drawn directly from the novel, create a magnetic/found poem. Describe which words you chose, and why.

http://www.vocabulary.com/VUctchocolatewars.html

3. Jerry decides not to sell the chocolates, starting the war that is mentioned in the book's title. Describe Jerry's decision and why he chose not to sell them in a 100-word response.

READING QUESTIONS PART 2:

1. Adults bully as well as children, often producing even more dramatic effects. Describe adult bullying or adults being bullied in the novel.

2. Describe the protagonist of the novel.

3. How much school spirit should we have? Where should we draw the line? Do we have school spirit at Greenup County High School?

4. Describe the Goober.

5. Paul and “Tubs” have humiliating experiences selling chocolates. Describe them.

6. Do you think the world is made up of either victims or victimizers? Explain.

7. Why does Archie tell Brother Jacques about the trigger word?

8. Why does Jerry continue to refuse to sell the chocolates after the assignment is over?

9. Jerry feels sick every morning because he has to face Leon. How are physical and mental stress connected, and have you ever experienced them relating to each other?

10. Should the teachers do something about the Vigils? If they were in your school, would you want them to?

11. How do the other students in the school feel about the Vigils? Describe their reactions.

12. Describe the antagonist of the novel.

English II Honors - FAHRENHEIT 451 Questions #2

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the second third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1. The novel Fahrenheit 451 is part of a literary movement called "Dystopian fiction", of which Orwell's 1984 is the most prominent example. Read the following excerpt and summarize it into a response less than 100 words.

http://wsu.edu/~brians/science_fiction/451.htm

2. Consider the issue of censorship. How and when are you censored? What is appropriate to censor and what is not appropriate? Write a 100-word response in which you discuss the answer to this question.

3. Using the following vocabulary guide drawn directly from the novel, create a magnetic/found poem. Describe which words you chose, and why.

https://secure.layingthefoundation.org/english/vocab/novels/Fahrenheit%20451.pdf

READING QUESTIONS PART 2: The Sieve and the Sand

1. How were movies, pictures and TV the beginning of "it all"?

2. "Out of the nursery, into the college, and then back into the nursery" Explain this in your own words.

3. Why do people read less and play more?

4. "Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca" Explain this in your own words.

5. What do schools turn out instead of intellectuals?

6. How do firemen "keep everyone happy."

7. "She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why?" Explain this in your own words.

8. How can Guy get back in the good graces?

9. Why are there no front porches?

10. Why is Mildred acting strangely?

11. What is the rest of the world like?

12. What mistake could Montag be making?

English II Honors - The Chocolate War Questions #3

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the final third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Assuming that you do not have an excused absence before then, the final set of notebook questions will be due the Wednesday directly before Spring Break.

Good Luck!

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

READING QUESTIONS

1. Who or what gives the Vigils such power?

2. Do you think Jerry should begin selling the chocolates? Why?

3. Carter punches Rollo when he talks back to Archie. What can we do when faced with the threat of physical violence?

4. Is the quote “All schools [have] animals” true? Explain your response.

5. What would you do if someone sabotaged your work?

6. Should Jerry tell his dad what’s going on?

7. What’s the difference between a spirit of brotherhood and what the boys of Trinity have?

8. Have you ever been in a fight? Did it solve the problem?

9. Did Jerry have to go to the field for the fight? What would you have done in Jerry’s situation?

10. Has Jerry really given up?

11. To what lengths would you go to stand up for something? Relate your experiences to the novel.

12. How do you feel after the ending?

13. What does the novel suggest about disturbing the universe? Does this story leave us with any hope at all?

POST-READING QUESTIONS

1. Write a 150-word response in which you consider your final thoughts on the novel. Include your analysis of the ending - those reading the posts should have read the ending themselves and come to their own conclusions.

2. Robert Cormier wrote a follow up to the novel, called Beyond the Chocolate War. Why might he have written another book? What might it be about? Write a 150-word response hypothesizing about the next novel and what it might be about.

English II Honors - FAHRENHEIT 451 Questions #3

Here are your questions for the final third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Assuming that you do not have an excused absence before then, the final set of notebook questions will be due the Wednesday directly before Spring Break.

Good Luck!

Mr. Parsons

READING QUESTIONS
Part III: BURNING BRIGHT

1. How has Beatty given Montag hints that he is under suspicion?

2. Who must have brought the books back from the garden?

3. Who turned in an alarm against Montag? Why?

4. What happened to Montag’s green bullet?

5. Why did Montag burn Beatty's body?

6. What is Montag’s plan to escape?

7. How much money did Montag give Faber?

8. How many scents can the mechanical hound remember?

9. Why did Montag want Faber to turn on the air conditioning and sprinklers?

10. Interpret “Twenty million Montag's running, soon, if the cameras caught him.”

11. Why did the search for Montag veer inland?

12. Who died in Montag’s place?

13. What did Granger mean by “Welcome back from the dead.”

14. When Granger and other like minded people are stopped by authorities, why isn’t any incriminating evidence found?

15. What does Granger mean by his quote “You’re not important. You’re not anything.”?

16. Explain the last implications of the events in the last 4-5 pages.

POST-READING QUESTIONS

1. Write a 150-word response in which you consider your final thoughts on the novel. Include your analysis of the ending - those reading the posts should have read the ending themselves and come to their own conclusions.

2. Write a 100-word response comparing the novel to 1984, discussing their similarities and differences.

English II Honors - Happy St. Patrick's Day

At last...my boy.

Dashiell James Parsons
8.3 pounds
6.45 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, 2009

English II Honors - Open Mike Sessions

Hey guys!

Following is a podcast of the Open Mike Session we did in class on Tuesday. There were a few technical difficulties (thanks to me!! grr.), but I was pretty happy with the outcome. Expect more recordings with better audio quality in the coming weeks, as a few students have volunteered to record some audio tracks for us.

Thanks, and enjoy!

http://www.switchpod.com/
users/musketeerenglish/feed.xml