The Last Picture Show

I thought I'd post this picture my father sent me. The only movie theatre in my hometown closed down last week. I saw my first movie there in 1968 (The Jungle Book), and attended faithfully almost every Saturday afternoon as a child. When I was really young, my friends and I would either ride our bikes or walk to town (about a mile), see a movie, and then head back home. Admission was 50 cents for kids, and for another 50 cents you could get popcorn and a Coke.

Check this out!

On weekends, I'll try to post things just for fun.
Here's a link to our campus newspaper, The Temple Catalyst.
We're on line for the first time this year.
The only thing posted right now on the site are pictures from last week's scrimmage against Pflugerville Connally, but we should begin posting articles next week.
Once you click on the site, go to the lower left hand portion of the screen and click on the photo gallery.
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/tx/temple/ths/

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to keep up with your reading in To Kill a Mockingbird!

Happy Friday

Here's a link to today's poem:
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/004.html

Here are this week's vocabulary words:

1. PHOBIA: "fear," "dislike," "aversion"
acrophobia (n)
agoraphobia (n)
Anglophobia (n)
claustrophobia (n)
Germanophobia (n)
hydrophobia (n)
monophobia (n)
phobia (n)
photophobia (n)
xenophobia (n)
The form phobe at the end of a word means "one who fears or dislikes."
Russophobe (n)
Also: Francophobe, Anglophobe, Germanophobe, etc.
2. PHIL (PHILO): "loving," "fond of"
philanthropist (n)
philanthropy (n)
philately (n)
philharmonic (adj)
philhellenism (n)
philogyny (n)
philology (n)
philosopher (n)
The form phile at the end of a word means "one who loves or supports."
Anglophile (n)
bibliophile (n)
Francophile (n)

Remember, we discussed today some more instances of benevolence in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Boo leaves the gifts for the children.
We also had an example of courage, when Jim goes back for his pants.

We learned a lot about each other, no?

I hope you had as much fun with the toilet paper game as I did.
Here's a link to Thursday's poem.
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/003.html
Remember, we talked about another instance of the loss of innocence in TKAM, when Scout insults Walter Cunningham's dining habits without realizing she's being rude.
We also talked about the recurring theme of benevolence, when Boo leaves the gum and the Indian Head pennies in the tree for Scout and Jem. Jem suspects it's Boo who left the items for them, but he's not sure, and doesn't mention it to Scout.

Day 2 - you all came back!

Here's a link to today's poem:
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/002.html

Here's today's quote:
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Remember, we discussed two of the themes in To Kill A Mockingbird. Those were "loss of innocence" and "courage".

Poem # 1

Here's a link to our first poem. Remember to reflect on poems and quotes in your journals so you will be able to write a good essay each Friday.
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/001.html

English I Syllabus

2008-2009

Instructor: Richard Tolleson

richard.tolleson@tisd.org

http://mrtsenglishclass.blogspot.com/

Textbooks: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes – Prentice Hall
Language Network – McDougal Littell

The following novels will also be studied in English I:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Poetry is fused with longer works throughout the year.

Vocabulary study will be based on Greek and Latin word parts. Words from the literature will also be studied in context.

Grading:
Major Grades – 50%
Unit tests
Final drafts of major compositions
Major Projects

Daily Grades – 50%
Homework
Quizzes
Class Participation
In-class work

Conduct: All students are expected to follow class rules.
Be seated when the tardy bell rings. Being in the room is not sufficient.
Be courteous to the teacher and all fellow classmates.
Be cooperative, attentive and respectful of other students’ right to learn.
Do not bring drinks or food of any kind into the classroom (including gum and candy)
Bring materials to class every day.
Remain seated in your desk each day until officially dismissed by the teacher.
VIOLATIONS OF CLASS RULES WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDING TO THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN THE T.H.S STUDENT HANDBOOK.
Take care of the books and other materials provided for you. If you lose or destroy a book you will be expected to replace it a the current book price of $50 (novels average $10).

MAKE-UP WORK POLICY
There will be NO late work accepted when a student is present on the day the assignment is made and on the day the assignment is due.
It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements to receive make-up assignments before or after school so as not to take time away from the rest of the class.
All make-up work must be completed and returned to the teacher according to the following:
--Daily assignments – due within three class days.
--Quizzes or Exams – special arrangements must be made and the assignments
must be made up within one week after the student returns to class.
In case of an extended excused absence, special arrangements may be made with the teacher.

Introduction to Mr. T's English Class

Hello everyone.
This is a spot where you can come for information about our class.
While it's not mandatory that you visit here, it might be helpful to look at this from time to time, especially if you have to miss a day. I will post what we do here so that you can stay up to date.
You may also post messages here, but there are a couple of rules:
1. This is a public forum. Anything you say here will be seen by the entire class. Don't be mean or critical! Don't use bad language or threaten anyone. If you violate those rules, I will delete your posts (and depending on the nature of your post, I may have to report the incident to the principal).
2. Have fun. If you have a school-appropriate fun link, video or picture to share, please post it here. Again, everyone can see it, so keep it nice!
See you in class!
Mr. Tolleson