Good Morning.

 

This will be my last post of the school year, so let me start by saying congratulations.  You have completed your Junior year of high school.  It has not been easy for a number of obvious reasons and, I am sure, for some personal reasons as well.  Nevertheless, you have persevered and grown as students and as people.  This is a great accomplishment, and for that, again, I congratulate you.

 

I also want to thank you.  It has been my great pleasure and honor to work with you.  You have opened yourselves up and made yourselves vulnerable.  You have worked through challenges even when you were frustrated or tired or bored or all of those things at the same time.  You have shared your voices and listened to the voices of others.  And you have done all of those things with courtesy, respect, and (usually) a smile on your face.  That is not always easy to do, and for that, again, I thank you.

 

I am excited to see where your journeys take you.  Please remember that you have a voice that nobody in the history of the world will ever be able to duplicate.  Understand the immeasurable value of that.  I will miss you, but I will feel a lot better knowing that the world reflects your beautiful, unique light.  SHINE IT!!!!

 

With gratitude,

 

Mr. Hall 

Good Morning.

 

Today you should be finishing your Gatsby essay and submitting it to turnitin.com.  Remember that turnitin will not accept handwritten essays, so plan ahead.  The submission window will close at midnight.  

 

If you have any questions or issues, email me today, so we can work out solutions.

 

I look forward to reading your thoughtful, creative, original analysis!!!

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning.

 

I hope you are all safe and healthy.

 

Today, you should be working through your Gatsby essay.  Remember that it is due by the end of the day tomorrow and that I will not accept any late submissions.  If you are having any trouble submitting your essay to turnitin.com, please email me so we can work it out.  Do not email your essay to me.

 

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have.  This will be your last grade for the semester, so let's finish strong!!!

 

Have a great day.

Good Morning.

I hope you are all coping and staying well during this incredibly emotional time. Many different forms of protest are continuing and social media debates are exploding. If you are being pulled into these debates, I will encourage you to listen. All year, we have been working on our ability to understand what we read, not just superficially, but down to the causes, truly understanding why people feel the way that they do. Now you have the opportunity to apply the skills you have been developing. Instead of being quick to dismiss or condemn, try to understand. It doesn't mean that you have to agree, but perspectives can bring wisdom to the opinions and beliefs that you formulate. They should still be yours, but they should be allowed to evolve with your experience. Listening, understanding, and thinking will empower your beliefs and ultimately your voice.

 

This week, you should be working on your final Gatsby essay which is due by the end of the day on Wednesday.  Please note that I will not accept late essays, so do not wait until the last minute when technical issues cannot be resolved.  I look forward to reading your thoughtful, creative, original analysis.  Please email me if you have any questions.

 

Stay safe.

 

Mr. Hall

Happy Friday!!

 

IMPORTANT REMINDER - Monday 6/1 will be the last day to submit any makeup work. Please check AERIES to see if you have any missing assignments, and email me if you have any questions. 

 

You should be working on your Gatsby essay, maybe even starting to compose your introductory paragraph. Remember to make your introduction powerful.  It should be introducing your thoughtful, creative, original analysis.  Eliminate vague sentences because they do not drive your analysis forward.

 

Make sure your plan has you ready to submit your essay before the last minute of Wednesday, June 3rd.  I will not accept late essays, nor will I have sympathy for people who experience technical problems at 11:55 on Wednesday night.  This is your final, and I look forward to reading the expression of your ideas!!!

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning.

 

I hope you all have been considering your analysis of one of the prompts for the Gatsby essay.  As your brain fills with ideas, take the time to put them into words on paper.  This brainstorming can take many forms any of which should allow you to see what your idea looks like after it moves from your brain to the page.  Focus on your best ideas.  Then, develop them even more.  Keep asking questions and exploring possible consequences beyond those spelled out in the book.  

 

As your analysis achieves depth, you might want to start considering the way you want to organize your explanation and support.  This framework should really help you stay clear and focused in your writing.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning,

 

Today you should be developing your ideas for the Gatsby essay.  Remember, I opened discussion boards on turnitin.com where you can share ideas with other classmates who might be interested in writing about the same prompt.  Essays are due next Wednesday, June 3rd.  I will not accept any late essays, so please do not wait until the last minute and risk technical or other unforseen issues.

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning!!!

 

I hope you all had a great weekend.

 

The end of the year is coming up quickly, so I want to give you a couple of important dates.

 

Monday, June 1st:  Next Monday will be the last day that I will accept late work.  If you are missing any assignments, please finish them and submit them to one of the Late Work folders on turnitin.com by Monday.

 

Friday, June 5th:  The last day of instruction for this school year will be the end of next week.  We will not have a final exam, but you will be writing an essay for The Great Gatsby, which will be our final assignment of the year.  Look for the details of the Gatsby essay assignment later this morning on the assignments page.

 

So, this week we will focus on writing our essays, beginning with some brainstorming.  When you get the prompts today, start to think about your original ideas, and insights.  We have focused all year on the importance of thoughtful, creative, original analysis to good writing.  Move beyond the obvious.  Push your ideas.  Ask why.  Explore consequence and motivation.  This is the key to writing a good essay.

 

Have a great day!!

 

Mr. Hall

Happy Friday!!!

 

Today you should be finishing up the assignments for Gatsby chapters 7-9.  They are not due until the end of the day on Sunday, but I hope you can finish up today so you can enjoy your 3-day weekend without having to worry about schoolwork.  Please submit the reading questions and the analysis of quotations to their separate folders on turnitin.com.

 

If you have any questions or would like to share ideas, feel free to post to the discussion board on turnitin.com.

 

 I plan to be sitting in my back yard grilling meat all day on Monday, so check in on Tuesday to see how we are going to be moving forward.

 

Have a great weekend!!!

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning!!!

 

As you work through the last three chapters and assignment sheet 3 for The Great Gatsby, keep in mind that I am happy to answer questions or share ideas with you.  You may visit the discussion board on turnitin.com any time.  I check it multiple times every day.  Additionally, I will be on the period 4 board live at 11:00 today.

 

Remember to submit your work to turnitin.com by the end of the day on Sunday.

 

I hope you are enjoying this book.  Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning,

 

I hope you are all doing well.

 

Today, you should be working on reading the final three chapters of The Great Gatsby and completing the assignment sheet which is due on Sunday.  Remember that you may post questions or comments to the Gatsby message board on turnitin.com at any time.  I will be on the period 3 board today at 11:00, and I will check all of the boards regularly.

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning.

 

Today you should be working on the final three chapters of Gatsby.  I posted the assignment sheet yesterday.  Remember, the Gatsby discussion board on turnitin.com is open if you have any questions or would like to share any comments.  I will be on the period 2 board at 11:00 today.

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Good Morning!!!

 

Today we begin reading the final three chapters of The Great Gatsby.  The conflict really picks up in chapter 7, so enjoy.  You will find the assignment sheet for this section of the book posted on the assignments page.  Please submit the reading comprehension questions and the analysis of quotations to their separate folders on turnitin.com by Sunday.

 

If you have questions, feel free to email me or post to the discussion board on turnitin.com.  You may post at any time, but I will be there live at 11:00 on Tuesday (period 2), Wednesday (period 3), and Thursday (period 4).  

 

Have a great day.

 

Mr. Hall

Happy Friday!!!

 

Hopefully, you are finishing up with your work for the middle section of Gatsby (chapters 4-6).  Please submit the reading questions and the quotation responses to separate folders on turnitin.com by Sunday night.

 

Feel free to email me or post to the discussion board on turnitin.com if you have any questions or if you want to share any ideas.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Mr. Hall