General English
Welcome to the 2011 summer school English page. Here you will find all the information you need to be successful in earning a half a credit in English. Throughout the condensed three week course, we will be discussing the clash of cultures and the roles of women while reading Nervous Conditions, a novel that takes place in post-colonial Rhodesia (now, Zimbabwe). A research paper, a creative writing assignment, and daily journals and readings will all be required components of the course. It is imperative that if you encounter any difficulties completing the assignments you contact me immediately, as something is due weekly in class.
Assignments
Chapter Questions |
Journals |
Course documents and resources
Vocabulary Ch. 1Assimilation
Posthumously Maize Insolent Vehemently Cumbersome Vocabulary Ch. 2Lucrative
Hindrance Obstinately Inundated Maliciously Affably Vocabulary Ch. 3Autonomous
Delirium Cloistered Fickle Immutable Vocabulary Ch. 4Sustenance
Morose Ominous Conifers Descant Vocabulary Ch. 5Inconspicuous
Aghast Frivolous Metamorphosis Gallantly Vocabulary Ch. 6Banalities
Insipidity Solace Tangential Undulating Vocabulary Ch. 7Debonair
Petulant Erstwhile Acculated Demurred Impervious Magnanimously Chapter Eight VocabularyMeticulous
Pervasive Lamenting Implacable Dilapidated Chapter Nine & Ten VocabularyTransmuting
Fervent Prestigious Precocious Precarious Audacity Sinister Adamant Hallowed Idiosynchrasies
Assignment on African empiresAssignment on Colonialism in RhodesiaAfrican Poetry AssignmentReading: Zimbabwe a Land DividedReading and Assignment "The Circuit"Political Cartoons |
Interview with Tsitsi DangarembgaRead the interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga and summarize it in at least two paragraphs. The summary should be in the activities section of your notebook.
Poem Analysis #1ZIMBABWEAN DRUMS
The drums are calling old man, and they are louder by the day. They are calling you to judgement and now's the time to pay for the wrongs you've done your country and the trust betrayed. So hear those drums swelling, hear well and be afraid. You came to power on waves of hope that you would make your mark, in a land that shone in African like diamonds in the dark. In simple faith the people put their trust in your care, and were repaid by the Fifth Brigade and the CIO and fear. twenty eight years of motorcades and lavish trips abroad a nations heritage is lost through patronage and fraud. The Chiefs grow fat while people starve and famine stalks our homes. On idle farms the weeds grow rank and cover cattle bones. the youth are taught your slogans but even as they sing the drums of change are beating for the truth is seeping in. The demagogue has feet of clay and lies will not sustain the shattered land that once seemed free and will be so again. Too late to blame the drought, the Brits, the whites, the MDC. For all know where the finger points with cold finality. So hear the drums, old man, and listen to them well, They foretell of your end days and they have much to tell. for he who sows the seeds of hate will reap the grapes of wrath, so tremble in your bed at night, at the end of your sorry path. Unknown Task: Find at least five examples of figurative language. Explain the impact this has on the poem as a whole. What is the message of the poem? Current EventsFor the first week of the current events assignment, students will be responsible for completing the daily reading along with the accompanying questions at www.izzit.org. For the vocabulary, five words can be chosen, as there will typically be more than five words given.
For the second week of the current events assignment, students are responsible for completing a current events handout on the same topic (the topic is of your choosing, but can include things like war, taxes, environmental concerns, etc). The topic CANNOT be just a local issue. Each day, the source of the information must be taken from a different news outlet (CNN, Rachael Maddow, FOX News, Wall Street Journal, US NEWS, Time, etc). For the final week of the current events assignment, students are responsible for creating a prezi on all the information gathered on the topic of choice. The prezei must include pictures, a works cited list, and a solution to the problem. |