Animal Farm Extra Credit

For those of you who picked up a copy of Animal Farm by George Orwell to read over spring break, here's some helpful information:

Click here for a powerpoint with background information, character descriptions, and more! Scroll down for a few video clips to help as well.

Click here for an interesting comparison of Russian Revolution leaders to the characters in the novel (don't worry, you can still find insights even if you aren't familiar with your Russian history).

Go sit outside, enjoy your freedom, and get lost in the world of the animals.

Mar. 25th - Mar. 29th

Weekly Quotes:

“Do not judge the doer by the doings he has done, but rather by deeds he’ll do; his doings unbegun.”

–Robert Ruben (HJH student, and fan of thoughtful tongue twisters)

"There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness and this is neither. This season is about becoming."

Shauna Niequist

March 18th - March 22nd

FYI: If you attended the school play you may write a one page double spaced reflection or critique and receive extra credit.

The end of the term is approaching!  Please note that the last day late work or extra credit will be accepted for this term is on Friday, March 22^nd.

Weekly Quotes:

“There’s nothing more intimate in life than simply being understood… And understanding someone else. "
— Brad Meltzer, The Inner Circle

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.”

-Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Research... that's right, search, re-search, and search some more

It's that time of the year.... research is on!  We will be having a lot of tutorials and helpful instructions in class to make the process as clear and painless as possible, so be sure to have good attendance for great understanding.  You have chosen a speech to research and now is the time to get to know it well!  Below are audio links to your speech. Continue scrolling down for video of speeches.

Here's what to do:

1. Please listen and read along.  Mark what stands out to you, and write questions and observations in the margins of your speech.

2. After listening, re-read your speech again and mark up other observations.

The Speeches:

• Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"  1775
• Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour"  1940
• Mother Teresa's Noble Prize Lecture  1979
• Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of the Morning" Inaugural Poem  1993

Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" 1775

Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" 1940 PART I Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" 1940 PART 2 Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" 1940 PART 3

Mother Teresa's Nobel Prize acceptance speech video - click here

Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of the Morning" Inaugural Poem 1993

Feb. 25th - Feb. 28th

FYI: Our 9^th graders have a great opportunity to see Odyssey Dance’s productions of Romeo and Juliet.  We will be studying Shakespeare later this year, and this is a great way to be introduced to the timeless stories of Shakespeare. Students must have a C- or better on all their classes by Wed. Feb. 27^th  in order to qualify.  Tickets are $10, but if this is not possible, this will not prohibit students from attending.  The field trip will be Friday, March. 8^th.

Parent teacher conferences are Wed. Feb. 27^th and Thu. Feb. 28^th from 3:30 – 7:00

Weekly Quotes:

“Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness.”-Ruta Sepetys

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.”
― Lloyd Alexander

Feb. 18th - Feb. 22nd

"Your mind is not a cage. It’s a garden. And it requires cultivating."

—  Libba Bray  

"They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything." — Joseph Heller, 

Feb. 11th - Feb. 15th

Weekly Quote:

“Names have power.” Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief