Update: 5/1/10

Hey guys, next class will be our last "serious" class, where we will take a vocabulary test and practice verbal exam.

Please review the vocabulary from this semester. You can still turn in your missing assignments for points.

In regards to the points system, the top scoring student will have the opportunity to tell me what beverage they would like. (Maybe something nice, everyone else is going to get juice :P)

As for the food, I have no idea what you guys want. We'll try to figure that out next class.

No links today because Kevin says my links are bad.

Update: 4/24/2010

Hey guys,

Next week we're going to be writing a review of Pastwatch, so please fill a page of brainstormed ideas to put on your review.

The vocab list is short this week, since you guys have the brainstorm assignment (write down points you want to address in the paper)

Remember assignments are 5 points. If you have not done the previous essay assignment, you can still turn it in!

debacle

debilitate

tumultuous

And as always,

links to interesting videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXigfZGqsLM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED FOR THE FOLLOWING

It's an episode of Fringe that involves a time traveling man. It's kind of scary at parts.

You don't need to have watched the rest of the series to understand this episode.

4/17/10

Hey guys, here's the vocab for next week

sporatic

vacillate

whimsical

flag

jaded

ingenuous

subterfuge

surreptitious

please define these words for a quiz next class

As always, read your books! Next class we're going to start a points system to determine what prizes to hand out at the end of the year.

here's the youtube link of the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dZr5Obmp_c

and anther one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRLfTL-bG94

4/10/10 update

hey guys. here are the words from chapter 6 of pastwatch. please be prepared for a quiz on them next week. we also may be trying out a point system next class to reward those who actually do the homework. points will culminate to an end of the year prize, the highest points earner will get the best prize, which may be some bojangles or something.

straits

to be plagued

Andulusia

Iberia

corsair

gunwale

to be daunted by
burly

forecastle

league (measurement term)

respite

plausible

formidable

obligatory

as always, read the book! also, we're going to have another practice exam soon.

3/27/10 Update

Hey guys, we pretty much spent all class period yesterday going over vocabulary, so PLEASE read your books and be prepared to write a summary! I know a lot of you will be on spring break this week, so at least take some time out to read the book. The main purpose isn't just for you to understand the material, it's also to train you guys to increase your reading speed without sacrificing comprehension. We will go over reading strategies soon, because on the SAT, the reading portion has extremely long passages.

The vocabulary for this week is: (this set of words is fairly common)

ambiguous

ambivalent

apathetic

capricious

equivocal

erratic

impetuous

impetus

please define these words for next week!

Remember. Read your books!!

here's an interesting link to finish off the post

interesting trick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju5sF3YUseU

and a nice mashup (if you haven't heard of it yet) United States of Pop 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNzrwh2Z2hQ

3/20/10 Update

Hey guys here is the vocab list for next week:

belie

debunk

dubious

duplicitous

fabricate

fallacy

mendacious

specious

please have these defined for next class, and read Pastwatch!

here's a link to a cool video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8

UPDATE for next week?

Here are some vocabulary from the first few chapters of Pastwatch.

Caravel

to skewer

barb

impious

implicit/explicit

Cipangu

insufferable

idyll, idyllic

cryptic

reverberations

factotum

cursory

solicitor - American and British meanings

journeyman