We Might NOT be Watching the Watchmen!

While this post is geared more for the comic book club, I thought that it was worth posting on my classroom blog. It seems that the release date for The Watchmen might be up in the air (as we discussed before). 

here is an article on the legal troubles between Warner Bros. and Fox. 

I hope everyone is having a great break!

Reading Circle Books- due 12/22

Seniors-

Due to the poetry project that is due on 12/15, the complete reading circle book is now due 12/22. I mentioned this in class, but it seems that some people did not write it down. 

If you know that you will not be in school on 12/22 (due to Holiday things), please come to room 159 during activity period to show me your journal and take the full-book quiz. 

Research Paper Grades

Seniors-

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to parents and students that think that their research paper is "missing". Since I am grading papers and adding the grades to Skyward as I go, if the paper has yet to be graded it has been marked as missing. If a paper is truly not turned in, the grade will be a "0" on Skyward. These apologies go out especially to Nick Leghart, who was unable to see a horrible movie at a very late hour because his parents thought that his research paper was never turned in.

I have posted some of the grades for the research papers. I know that this has been a long time coming, but reading over 100 six-page research papers is taking longer than I anticipated. My goal is to have all of the papers back to you by 12/23.

If you have questions about your grade, please speak with me during activity period or after class. I have no problem sitting down with you to explain why you received the score that you did. If in Skyward it says "Redo- Did not meet requirements" you need to see me ASAP in order to find out why you are being asked to complete the assignment again.

Mr. Cullen

Seniors: Poetry Assignment

If you missed class on 12/9 or 12/10, you must have the following assignment completed for 12/12. All of the readings are in your textbook, but they are also on the handout that I gave you.

Read: Writing About Poems (114,115)
Read: What Work Is (117) and Singapore (118)

Write: An analysis of one of the poems looking through a Marxist Lens.

The writing must be completed on a seperate piece of paper. Before writing your poetry analysis, you may want to refer to the following website: Writing about Poetry.

Poetry Presentations

As the culminating assessement for our poetry unit, I have created the following project. If you have any questions about the requirements, please feel free to speak with me.

Presenting Poetry

Because Nick Rehak Complained...

Students,

It seems that the students that do check the blog regularly are upset that I have neglected my "updating duties". For that, I apologize. While there is no valid excuse, it has been a struggle to grade all of the rough drafts of the research papers. So, here is the update that you were looking for, Nick Rehak:


Star Wars Paper
Your Star Wars paper will be due on Monday November 10th. Please remember that this paper is analytical in nature and should demonstrate your understanding of how to apply critical lens theory. I expect that these papers are revised & edited final drafts, not simply done the night before. You have classtime to work on this assignment, so you might as well use it.



Final Research Paper
The final research paper is due to me on Monday, November 17th. At this time, you will also be turning in your notes, Works Cited Page and the rough draft that I evaluated. If you turn all of these things in early and/or take one of your drafts to the writing lab (ask me for a pass) you will receive bonus points.



Reading Circle Books: Take II
1/2 of your reading circle book will be due on Tuesday November 25th. Starting Monday November 10th, you can take your reading circle quiz in my classroom during Activity Period. Please do not ask to take the quiz during class. On Tuesday and Wednesday of that week, I will meet with the groups individually to discuss their novel.



How cool is this? I found a website that will put a small amount of text into the "Star Wars" font.
Now I know why I love the internet so much.

The Wait Just Got Longer...

I know that some of you were anxiously awaiting the release of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (filmed in Pittsburgh last winter). Unfortunately, it seems that the project has been pushed back. I had a feeling that this was going to happen since there is no trailer, the website only has the cover of the book and no one is talking about it. 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

The Senior Research Paper has Arrived!

Seniors,
I hope everything is going well with your research paper. I am creating this post as a way for you to have a central resource for all of the information regarding the research paper. I will continue to update this post as the research process continues, so please check back.

The Best Draft You Can Write on Your Own (BDYCWOYO) is due October 27th. The paper must follow all formatting guidelines set forth by the MLA and meet all of my minimum requirements for the paper. This includes the following: At least 6 pages in length, size 12 Times New Roman font, & in-text citations. Notes and Works Cited page are not mandatory, but you may turn them in if you choose. 

If you have questions about the paper (at any point) please post them here.

MLA Formatting Handout (from the College of the Redwoods)

Topic Selection Handout (here is the link to the issues at CNN.com)

Citation Machine

Thesis Selection Worksheet

Thesis Creator (not perfect, but it will help!)

Hempfield Area High School Library

OWL @ Purdue: Avoiding Plagiarism

Mr. Cullen's Outline Handout

A&P- The Movie!!!

Film adaptations of literature don't get better than this flick, starring Sean Hayes (from Will & Grace) and Amy Smart (from Scrubs)!!!!

If you have 18 minutes of free time, check it out. 

A & P | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Seniors: A&P

For Wednesday 10/1:

1) Finish Reading A&P by John Updike
2) Write a journal entry using either the Marxist or Feminist Lens
3) Be prepared for a quiz

Sophomores: Test on Wednesday 10/1

This is just a reminder that there will be a test the Wednesday. The test will be on everything that we have done with plot structure so far this year.

For the test, you should be able to do the following:

1) Identify the parts of the "class plot structure diagram" (see picture above)

2) Complete the "plot structure analysis" worksheet (the one we have been using in class) on a story that you have never read before.

3) Answer questions about the three stories we have read thus far (Contents of a Dead Man's Pockets, The Leap, and The Pedestrian)

If you would like to sign a book out to re-read the stories, you may do so in class on Tuesday. If not, you should study the plot structure worksheets that I have handed back to you.

If you have any questions about the test, please post them here on my blog.

Seniors: The Yellow Wallpaper

Fr class on Tuesday 9/23:

• Finish reading The Yellow Wallpaper (click on link for full-text).
• Complete a journal, either based on our class discussions or based on your own reading.
• Be prepared for a reading quiz!

Please also keep in mind that 1/2 of your reading circle book is due on Thursday, 9/25.

Seniors: James Joyce Test 9/19

Just a friendly reminder that you will be having a test on James Joyce's Dubliners this Friday. Please study the PowerPoint notes (you can find them on this blog), and be ready to write an essay dealing with paralysis found in Dubliners. 

There will be a review session during activity period on Friday in room 159 and you must have a pass (written by me) to attend. 

Seniors: Journal Entry Due for 9/17

After reflecting on our discussions of Counterparts, Araby and A Painful Case, you should be able to piece ideas together that attempt to say the "author's intent" of these works.  In your journal, please answer the following question: 

In what ways is Joyce's characterization of the citizens of Dublin apparent through the 3 stories we have read? 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Seniors: Reading Circles

Please remember that 1/2 of your reading circle book is due Thursday, September 25th. On that day, you will have a quiz specific to your novel and then I will lead a discussion with each group.  

If you have yet to obtain the book that you and your group chose, please do so ASAP. I just picked up 3 brand new copies of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and 1 copy of The Time Traveler's Wife. If you would like to borrow one of these copies, just be one of the first three people to post a comment saying you would like one. 

Problems with Family Access?

I have heard from some students that their parents are having problems with the Family Access portal in Skyward. Here are some helpful links that should answer your questions:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Login Trouble?

System Requirements

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will try my best to answer them.

Seniors: Assignments for 9/11 and 9/12

For Thursday, September 10th: Please write a journal entry responding to some aspect of Joyce's short story Counterparts. For the time being, the only criteria for this journal entry is that is must make at least one claim about the text, with at least one quote to support your claim.

If you are having trouble thinking of a claim to make, please review your notes from today's lesson and re-read the handout that was given to you.

Feel free to post comments and/or questions.

For Friday, September 12th:

Read Joyce's short story Araby, located on page 828 of your textbook (or you can use the link on the post below). Be prepared for a quiz that is similar to the one you took on 9/10. Even though this story is shorter than Counterparts, it requires more in-depth reading. You may even want to read it several times in order to be prepared for the quiz.

Sophomores: 5-Paragraph Writing Due 9/11

As the title indicates, your 5-Paragraph writing assignment (that we wrote last week in the library) is due on Thursday, September 11th. Please have the paper printed out and ready to turn in at the beginning of class. Remember to use size 12, Times New Roman font and double space the final copy.

If you have the rough draft that I made comments on, please include it with the final copy. If you have any questions, please feel free to either email me or post a comment on the blog.

Online text of Dubliners

If you chose not to bring your textbook home this evening, you can still do the homework! I found a link to the full-text of Dubliners on the Project Gutenberg site. Since it contains the entire collection of short stories, just scroll down until you find Counterparts. Happy Reading!

Project Gutenberg: Dubliners

James Joyce PowerPoint

Here is the PowerPoint presentation that was given in class on Tuesday, September 9th. You will be responsible for all of the information in the presentation. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Seniors: College Essay Due Monday September 8th

As the title of this post indicates, your college essay is due Monday September 8th. In addition to helping you in the library during our second work day, feel free to share your document with me on Google Documents. I can read your essay and give you advice before you hand it in. 

If you do not have my email address, it is cullenc@hempfieldarea.k12.pa.us

Please post any questions that you may have. 

Mr. Cullen

Welcome to Another Great Year!

I hope that you are excited for the new school year as I am! While some of you are returning students (and familiar with my blog), others have never used it. The blog is pretty simple: I post things that we did in class and what is due for the next day (or next week). 

First and foremost, I would like your parents to sign up for the "parent portal"  using the instructions that were mailed to them. The "parent portal" on Skyward will allow your parents to access your current grade and grades for all of the assignments that you have completed. 

Once your parents do this, they can email me through the portal, my blog, or my email address to say that they have done so. Once I receive this email, I will add 2 bonus points to your grade.