Monthly Archives: June 2017

Rotten Reviews: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Posted on June 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

“A hoary-headed and toothless baboon.”

Thomas Carlyle, Collected Works 1871

“Belongs to a class of gentlemen with whom we have no patience whatever–the mystics for mysticism’s sake. The best answer to his twaddle is cui bono?–a very little Latin phrase very generally mistranslated and misunderstood–cui bono? to whom is it a benefit. If not to Mr. Emerson generally, then surely to no man.

Edgar Allan Poe, in a chapter of autobiography 1842

Excerpted from: Bernard, Andre, and Bill Henderson, eds. Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections. Wainscott, NY: Pushcart Press, 1998.

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The Weekly Text, June 9, 2017: Five Homophone Worksheet on the Verbs Accept and Except

Posted on June 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

If you deal with student writing, I’ll hazard a guess that you’ve seen in it more than once confusion between the transitive (mostly) and intransitive (so used in some instances) verb accept and the multi-purpose–it serves as both a transitive and intransitive verb, as well as a preposition and a conjunction–word except.

So, for this week’s Text, I offer these five homophone worksheets on accept and except. The first three of them are ten cloze blanks each, then the final two each contain five cloze blanks. If one wanted to make more of these, it wouldn’t be hard, via the miracle of copy and paste, to turn the first three worksheets into six.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, The Weekly Text, Worksheets

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Rotten Reviews: Euripides

Posted on June 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

“A cliche anthologist…and maker of ragamuffin manikins.”

Aristophanes, The Thesmophoriazausae 411 B.C.

Excerpted from: Bernard, Andre, and Bill Henderson, eds. Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections. Wainscott, NY: Pushcart Press, 1998.

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Cultural Literacy: Je Ne Sais Quoi

Posted on June 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

Occasionally, if a few minutes remain in a period after a lesson, I’ll pull out a short exercise to keep students busy. Often, these are things like this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the french noun je ne sais quoi. I tell kids that while this isn’t something they will be tested on–and what a dismal standard for assessing the importance of knowledge that is!–but rather something they will need for cocktail party chatter when they become successful professionals.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

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Richard Hofstadter on Intellectual and Academic Freedom

Posted on June 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

“A university’s essential character is that of being a center of free inquiry and criticism—a thing not to be sacrificed for anything else.”

Richard Hofstadter in His Commencement Address at Columbia University (1968)

Excerpted from: Howe, Randy, ed. The Quotable Teacher. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2003.

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Cultural Literacy: Fiorello LaGuardia

Posted on June 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

If you teach in New York City–or somewhere else, and want to introduce students to one of the most dedicated and selfless public servants in the 20th century–you might find this Cultural Literacy worksheet on Fiorello LaGuardia useful.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Posted in Independent Practice, New York City, Social Sciences, Worksheets

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George Bernard Shaw on Youth

Posted on June 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

“Youth is a wonderful thing. What a shame to waste it on children.”

George Bernard Shaw

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Portable Curmudgeon. New York: Plume, 1992.

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Cultural Literacy: Checks and Balances

Posted on June 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

It’s as good a time as any, I guess, to post this Cultural Literacy worksheet on checks and balances. I do so in hope of the survival of our republic from those who would subvert it.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Rotten Reviews: The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan by James T. Farrell

Posted on June 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

“Unfortunately, the author’s interest in attempting to shock his readers appears to be greater than his interest in an accurate characterization of the young men around whom this story is developed.”

American Journal of Sociology

“A case history, true for this boy Studs Lonigan, but not completely valid as the recreation of a social stratum which it also would seem to aim at being.”

New York Times Book Review

Excerpted from: Bernard, Andre, and Bill Henderson, eds. Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections. Wainscott, NY: Pushcart Press, 1998.

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A Short Exercise on the Greek Word Root Alg/o

Posted on June 6, 2017 | Leave a comment

Here is a short exercise on the Greek Word root alg/o–it means pain–which can help students get settled after the transition between classes. This is also a vocabulary-building endeavor; I like to think these worksheets also–passively–assist students in developing pattern recognition in language.

Nonetheless, this is another medical root that will show up in words in the healthcare professions, if you have students headed in that direction.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

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