Feb 10, 2026

 Hello! Here's what we're up to today:

• Checking in
• Recapping yesterday
• Eng 8: 
• Ms. C and literary terms
• Allusion and Tone
• Recapping Assignment 3
• Eng 9
• "Freedom"
• Recap of Beyonce's context
• Thoughts on Kendrick Lamar
• Voice at the end of the song
• 1st listen and reaction
• Difficult terms and allusions
• 2nd listen
• Analysis for A3
• Thematic statement
• Symbolism
• Tone
• Eng 8
• "the last great american dynasty"
• 1st listen and reaction
• Difficult terms and allusions
• 2nd listen
• Analysis for A3
• Thematic statement
• Symbolism
• Tone
• Freewrite

Feb 9, 2026

 Hello! Here's what we're up to today:

• Checking in
• Recapping last week
• Heading to the library!
• Reminder that books have due dates and late fees
• Once you've chosen your book, go hang out on the large staircase
• Reviewing Assignment 3
• Literary terms
• Assonance
• Alliteration
• Allusion
• Tone
• How to analyse songs and poems
• Listen to it once, give a first impression
• Scan the text for ideas you don't understand
• Listen to it again, and this time analyse the text for literary terms
• If time, listen to it a final time, and give your opinion
• English 9 - "Freedom" by Beyonce (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
• Background
• Marriage of Jay Z and Beyonce
• Infidelity and Solange
• Lemonade Project - interweaving legacies of slavery with modern relationships
• Grammy's reception
• Lyrics
• Song
• Performance from "Homecoming"
• English 8 - "the last great american dynasty" by Taylor Swift
• A note on censorship
• Rebekah Harkness
• Holiday house
• 
  
  
  
  
• The album "folklore"
• Taylor Swift, sexism, and politics
• 
  
  
  
• Analysis: how might this fit into Assignment 3?

Feb 6, 2026

 Hello! Here's what we're up to today:

• Checking in
• How'd yesterday go?
• Did anyone not complete?
• Reminder: I take a long time to mark things
• Circling back to Assignment 2. I'll come around and check with each of you on:
• Group members
• Names of books
• Timeline to finish the novel
• Timeline to complete the assignment
• Introducing Assignment 3
• Eng 8: Ms. C teaches!
• Literary terms
• Denotation
• Connotation
• Thematic Statement
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Symbolism
• Freewrite

Feb 5, 2026

 Hello! Sorry I can't be there today. Here's what you're up to:

• Take a few minutes to prepare for the in-class paragraph
• Remember: no devices allowed, and no notes
• The only exception is that you may have a copy of the cognitive bias (Eng 9) / logical fallacies sheet (Eng 8), only if there is no handwriting on it. Otherwise, you may have a copy that is between the yellow box and the pencil sharpener.
• Please stagger your desks, and do not talk during the class. If you are done early, please hand it in, and then you may work on other projects, quietly. Remember to write your name.
• Feel free to use paper from the plastic drawers by the telephone
• You may access the dictionaries or thesauruses along the side of the class if you would like

• Here is your prompt for the in-class paragraph (English 9):
• "Write either a persuasive (argument) or narrative (story) paragraph in response to a specific cognitive bias of your choice"
• Here is your prompt for the in-class paragraph (English 8)
• "Write either a persuasive (argument) or narrative (story) paragraph in response to a specific logical fallacy of your choice"

Feb 4, 2026

 Hello! Here's what we're up to today:

• Checking in
• Recapping yesterday's answers for the bracket and Assignment 1
• Determining the "most powerful"
• Intro to narrative writing
• Literary terms
• Plot structure
• Children's book
• Imagery
• Two adjectives per noun
• Student example
• Narrative voice
• 1st or 3rd person?
• Past or present tense?
• Teacher example
• Freewrite - respond to a picture
• Write down your thoughts for a narrative response for Assignment 1
• What do you plan to write tomorrow? Make a plan
• Checking back in on Assignment 2
• What book are you thinking of?
• Who is your partner?

Feb 3, 2026

 Hello! Sorry I couldn't be there today. Here's what you're up to:

• In groups of your choice, finish the bracket of the question: which is the most powerful cognitive bias / logical fallacy? If you'd like, share your result with the class. When I return, I'll be asking each group about your choice.
• Eng 9 (AM) remaining biases:
• Confirmation vs Declinism vs Sunk Cost
• Barnum vs Framing vs Placebo
• Availability vs Belief vs Group Think
• Pessimism vs Spotlight vs Halo
• Eng 9 (PM) remaining biases:
• Confirmation vs Backfire vs Sunk Cost
• Barnum vs In-Group vs Placebo
• Curse of Knowledge vs. Belief vs. Groupthink
• Pessimism vs Spotlight vs. Halo
• Eng 8 (PM) remaining logical fallacies:
• Strawman vs Slippery Slope vs Loaded Question
• Bandwagon vs Begging the Question vs Appeal to Authority
• Emotional Appeal vs Tu Quo Que vs Burden of Proof
• Genetic vs Texas Sharpshooter vs Composition/Division
• Individually, write down your answer for each of these questions (justify each one) from assignment 1. This will help you prepare for Assignment one.
• English 9:
• Which bias is the most powerful?
• Which bias is the weakest?
• Which bias is affecting society the most?
• English 8
• Which logical fallacy is the most powerful?
• Which logical fallacy is the weakest?
• Create your own argument USING a logical fallacy
• If time remains, please turn your attention to Assignment 2 (the independent novel project). Write down these answers, and hold on to your responses, and I'll check in on them:
• What is the name and author of the book you'd like to read?
• Who will you work with?
• When will you both finish reading your book?

Feb 2, 2026

 Hello! Here's what we're up to:

• Checking in
• Respond to TEAMS post
• Recapping last week
• Assignment 2 - do you know your book yet?
• Change of plans: we'll be doing narrative writing on Wednesday
• Recap Assignment 1
• Eng 9: Introduction to cognitive biases
• What is a cognitive bias?
• Introducing "The Bracket"
• Guiding question: which is the most powerful?
• It's up to you to decide what "powerful" means
• Eng 8: Introduction to logical fallacies
• What is a logical fallacy
• Introducing "The Bracket"
• Guiding question: which is the most powerful?
• It's up to you to decide what "powerful" means
• Tomorrow, we'll wrap up the bracket. If I'm not feeling well, I'll ask you to do it on your own