Today, Zach completed the final revision of his persuasive essay. He included quotes and fixed run-ons and fragments as needed. Next, he began writing his next assignment, a creative writing prompt where he will write from the perspective of one of the secondary characters in 1984.

Today we completed 1984.

Today we began by reviewing verb tenses and Zach completed an activity where he had to make sure the verb tenses matched in compound sentences. We also reviewed active and passive voice. Next, we read from part 3 of 1984 and discussed how the voice shifts from a reliable to an unreliable narrator and what effect this has on the reader. Lastly, Zach drafted the conclusion to his persuasive essay.

Today, Zach continued working on the body of his persuasive essay. Next, we read from 1984 and Zach began outlining his next assignment: a creative writing story where he will write a diary from the perspective of one of the characters in 1984.

Zach continued to take his research and notes and turn them into coherent body paragraphs. We also continued to research certain subtopics of his arguments for evidence to use in his claims.

Zach and I continued to read and discuss the second part of 1984. We discussed war and how it affects society as it related to the revolutionary manifesto covered within the excerpt.

To begin we went over the different forms and tenses of a verb. Then, Zach practiced utilizing and identifying them. Next, Zach focused on taking his research and notes for his persuasive topic and turning them into coherent and well-written body paragraphs. Lastly, Zach continued to add to his annotated notes from 1984. Zach discussed the climax of the novel and Zach made predictions about it's ending. We also discussed the differences and motivations of the two main characters and applied their ways of surviving to the world today.

Today, we began by going over fragment and run-on sentences. Zach practiced correcting and identifying each. Next, we continued working on his persuasive speech topic. Zach took his annotated research and made three main points to cover in the body of the speech, and then put it into outline format adding his research and arguments into the correct areas. Zach also found more evidence from current affairs to include in his speech. Next, we continued to work on his comparison assignment of 1984 vs. today. We continued to read into part 2 and discussed the plot elements at play in the book, and discussed the development of the main characters.

Today, we read from 1984 and discussed different literary devices seen, including synecdoche, irony, satire, allusion, and metaphor. We analyzed FDR's Free Freedom's Speech as it was parodied by Orwell in his four institutions of the Oceania government. Furthermore, we read a NY Times Op-ed article about alternative facts, and compared that with the double-think and rewriting of history found in the book. Next, we continue to research and brainstorm Zach's persuasive speech topic, reading articles on "God Bless America" in politics, and Trumps "Religious Freedom" executive action. Zach used this research to draft arguments and ideas to use in his persuasive project.

Today we began by answering a persuasive topic questionnaire to help Zach vet his persuasive topic idea by looking closely at the assumptions and biases of his chosen audience. Next, we looked at the four different types of sentences, and Zach practiced identifying them. Next, we read from 1984 and Zach continued to take notes from Part 1. We then read a short story from Bertolt Brecht, a German writer from the Nazi era, called "If Sharks Were Men." Zach compared and contrasted the two authors' purposes and writing styles with the historical contexts in which they wrote. Next, we returned to the persuasive topic project and watched a TED talk from Harvard professor Noah Feldman called "Politics and Religion are Technologies." I asked Zach to relate this talk to the arguments he is making in his persuasive topic, which is on why religion and politics should be separate. Lastly, Zach wrote a quick ethical, emotional, and logical argument for his claim.