on to GREATer things...

By now, you should be ready to move on to The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This classic novel is set in 1920s America, the decade also known as "The Roaring Twenties"

(which I am sure you remember from your 20th Century History class). :)

To refresh your memory and get you in the spirit of the times, your next assignment requires you to play this game. As your assignment packet said, plan to spend 20-30 minutes exploring this game. Be sure your sound is turned on! Your blog entry #10 in response to your experiences with this game is due on August 24. I will grade the final summer blog (#11, about chapters 1-5) on September 2, so you have an extension on that post.

I would also love to hear how your summer is going! Feel free to post photos of your adventures on your blog - and don't forget to check out your classmates' blogs for updates on their summer experiences, too. Enjoy what's left of your summer!

An English Teacher Like Me

In case I wasn't previously convinced, yesterday confirmed that I am an English geek.

I took my kids to visit a relative with lots of kids and a pool. While they swam and then chased each other around the house, I had the chance to explore her bookshelves! Did I mention that she is a high school English teacher, too?

Oh, she has walls of my favorites - and so many I haven't read! We talked about my first summer book - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - and one of her favorites - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko - which I have never read (or even heard of). And before I left, she gave me two huge (no, GIANT) anthologies of which she had double copies. They might require a suitcase of their own, but they will definitely be returning with me to Morocco. My husband doesn't need his luggage allowance, anyway.

You're Getting the Hang of This!

I am so excited to see that almost everyone has their blogs up! As you know, the awards assembly is tomorrow, so chances are that I won't get around to grading those first blog entries until tomorrow afternoon. But be sure that you all are following each other's blogs. There are 15 students currently enrolled in AP English for next year, so you should have 15 blogs to follow (counting mine but not counting yours). I will email you all a list of email addresses so you can communicate that way as well.

In the meantime, visit blogs and leave comments. And how about making sure you all have a PHOTO of yourself on your blog? You can also post pictures of fun things you do over the course of the summer...just a thought.

One more thing - please find your "dashboard" (control panel) in Blogger and set your language choice to English. Many of you have it set to French, which is confusing to me and really not the best choice for an AP English blog. :)

Happy summertime!

Welcome, Class of 2012

If you are reading this blog, it is probably because you are about to enter your senior year at George Washington Academy and have signed up to take AP English Literature. Welcome!

Please plan to meet with me on Thursday, May 19, during 2nd period in room 008 to receive your assignments for the summer. We have much to do in preparation for next year's AP exam, and we are starting early.