We watched the 1931 film "Frankenstein." Students completed a worksheet that demonstrated their comprehension of the movie, as well as their ability to think deeply about the story's themes.
Please remember that your persuasive essays are due on Wednesday!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 28
Today, we talked about the three types of poems: narrative, lyric, and dramatic. Students completed a packet on this.
Students got their tests back from "Julius Caesar."
Students got their tests back from "Julius Caesar."
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 27
Today, we had a test on "Julius Caesar." I'll grade them tonight and students will probably get them back tomorrow or the next day.
After the test, I told students about our persuasive essay assignment. They will write a 5 paragraph persuasive essay on the topic: "Was Brutus a hero or a villain?"
Students are required to do pre-writing on this. The pre-writing and the final version of the paper will be due on Wednesday, November 3.
After the test, I told students about our persuasive essay assignment. They will write a 5 paragraph persuasive essay on the topic: "Was Brutus a hero or a villain?"
Students are required to do pre-writing on this. The pre-writing and the final version of the paper will be due on Wednesday, November 3.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 26
Today, we reviewed for our test on "Julius Caesar." Tomorrow, we will have a test on the play, and all of the students will do well on it.
For the review, I passed a worksheet out to students. After that, we played a Jeopardy game. I was the host of the game and I was extremely fair in all of my judgments. A great time was had by some of the students. Mostly, we learned a lot.
For the review, I passed a worksheet out to students. After that, we played a Jeopardy game. I was the host of the game and I was extremely fair in all of my judgments. A great time was had by some of the students. Mostly, we learned a lot.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 25
Today, we finished Julius Caesar, with the reading of Act Five. We also had a quiz on Act Five of the play.
Here is the schedule for the week:
Monday- In class, we will finish reading Julius Caesar, with Act Five. We will likely have a quiz on this.
Tuesday- Review of Julius Caesar. We will play a review game in class and I will give out a review worksheet. These will help tremendously on the test. Students can also study the “NoFear” Shakespeare website or the Sparknotes website for extra help, if needed.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar
Wednesday- Test on Julius Caesar. I will also assign a topic for a persuasive essay, which students will work on independently. This essay will be due next week.
Thursday- Focus on the author’s purpose. Writers write things for different reasons; to persuade, to inform, and to entertain are the most common reasons. Today we will discuss how to determine the author’s purpose.
Friday- In anticipation of Halloween, we will watch the 1931 film Frankenstein. We will tie one of the themes films—scientific discovery and responsibility—into current events. Students will have to complete a worksheet on the film, as well as write several paragraphs answering questions about its main ideas.
Here is the schedule for the week:
Monday- In class, we will finish reading Julius Caesar, with Act Five. We will likely have a quiz on this.
Tuesday- Review of Julius Caesar. We will play a review game in class and I will give out a review worksheet. These will help tremendously on the test. Students can also study the “NoFear” Shakespeare website or the Sparknotes website for extra help, if needed.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar
Wednesday- Test on Julius Caesar. I will also assign a topic for a persuasive essay, which students will work on independently. This essay will be due next week.
Thursday- Focus on the author’s purpose. Writers write things for different reasons; to persuade, to inform, and to entertain are the most common reasons. Today we will discuss how to determine the author’s purpose.
Friday- In anticipation of Halloween, we will watch the 1931 film Frankenstein. We will tie one of the themes films—scientific discovery and responsibility—into current events. Students will have to complete a worksheet on the film, as well as write several paragraphs answering questions about its main ideas.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 22
Today we read Act IV of "Julius Caesar", which describes the increasing tension of Rome and the civil war. After Caesar died, Rome broke into a civil war; Brutus, Cassius, and the conspirators were on one side, and Antony, Lepidus, and Octavius (the triumvirs) were on the other side.
Students also took a quiz on Act IV. If you missed class today, make sure that you make up that quiz.
On Monday, we will finish our reading of this play.
Students also took a quiz on Act IV. If you missed class today, make sure that you make up that quiz.
On Monday, we will finish our reading of this play.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 21
We took a much needed break from Shakespeare today. Instead, students took a benchmark test.
Benchmark tests are tests that we take every couple of weeks in English class in order to see that students are progressing in their skills and mastery of the English language. While they are not used for grades, they provide valuable information to the teacher about what skills the students need and what skills have already been mastered.
If you missed class, please see me about making up this benchmark test.
Tomorrow, we will resume our reading of Julius Caesar.
Benchmark tests are tests that we take every couple of weeks in English class in order to see that students are progressing in their skills and mastery of the English language. While they are not used for grades, they provide valuable information to the teacher about what skills the students need and what skills have already been mastered.
If you missed class, please see me about making up this benchmark test.
Tomorrow, we will resume our reading of Julius Caesar.
Wednesday, October 20
Today, we read Act Three of "Julius Caesar." Caesar finally dies, and Mark Antony gives his brilliant speech in front of the Roman citizens. We also had a quiz on Act Three and did the worksheets from the packet.
If you missed today's class, you should read Act Three in your textbook or on the "No Fear Shakespeare" website. Complete the worksheets, and see me about making up the quiz.
If you missed today's class, you should read Act Three in your textbook or on the "No Fear Shakespeare" website. Complete the worksheets, and see me about making up the quiz.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 19
Mr. Graci was in school today. Yay!
Mr. Graci showed a brief PowerPoint about Julius Caesar. It introduced who Caesar was and it also talked about the concept of the "tragic hero." Caesar's tragic flaw was his vanity (or pride).
Mr. Graci showed a clip from a History channel documentary about Caesar. It really helped to bring Caesar to life for the students. There were a couple of really memorable examples of his vanity.
We listened to the audio CD of Julius Caesar, Act Two. Mr. Graci stopped the CD to highlight some of the most important bits.
After we read Act Two, there was an 8 question quiz on it.
Tomorrow, we'll move on to Act Three, which will be so exciting. Caesar will die! Brutus and Marc Antony will deliver their speeches in front of the crowd!!
Mr. Graci showed a brief PowerPoint about Julius Caesar. It introduced who Caesar was and it also talked about the concept of the "tragic hero." Caesar's tragic flaw was his vanity (or pride).
Mr. Graci showed a clip from a History channel documentary about Caesar. It really helped to bring Caesar to life for the students. There were a couple of really memorable examples of his vanity.
We listened to the audio CD of Julius Caesar, Act Two. Mr. Graci stopped the CD to highlight some of the most important bits.
After we read Act Two, there was an 8 question quiz on it.
Tomorrow, we'll move on to Act Three, which will be so exciting. Caesar will die! Brutus and Marc Antony will deliver their speeches in front of the crowd!!
Monday, October 18
Mr. Graci was absent today.
All this week, we are focusing on Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. We will be covering an act per day and finishing the play with Act V on Friday.
I have an audio version of the play that students will listen to as they read along. After reading, students have several worksheets to complete on the play. These worksheets will aid their understanding. After each Act, we will have a short multiple choice quiz on the act. So there are a lot of grades this week!
If your child is experiencing difficulty understanding the play, please direct them to the “Sparknotes” website that I introduced in class. They should know the address (or they can google “Sparknotes”). The website provides modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays that students can read over to aid their comprehension.
Here’s the schedule:
Monday- Act One
Tuesday- Act Two
Wednesday- Act Three
Thursday- Act Four
Friday- Act Five
All this week, we are focusing on Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. We will be covering an act per day and finishing the play with Act V on Friday.
I have an audio version of the play that students will listen to as they read along. After reading, students have several worksheets to complete on the play. These worksheets will aid their understanding. After each Act, we will have a short multiple choice quiz on the act. So there are a lot of grades this week!
If your child is experiencing difficulty understanding the play, please direct them to the “Sparknotes” website that I introduced in class. They should know the address (or they can google “Sparknotes”). The website provides modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays that students can read over to aid their comprehension.
Here’s the schedule:
Monday- Act One
Tuesday- Act Two
Wednesday- Act Three
Thursday- Act Four
Friday- Act Five
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday, October 15
Students watched about another hour of "Julius Caesar" today. We didn't finish watching the movie, and we won't, because it's not necessary. The point of the movie was so students could get a better idea of the story's plot and get some help in visualizing the scene.
Students had to hand in all of their worksheets related to the "Julius Caesar" movie.
We'll start reading the actual play "Julius Caesar" in class on Monday.
Students had to hand in all of their worksheets related to the "Julius Caesar" movie.
We'll start reading the actual play "Julius Caesar" in class on Monday.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday, October 14
Today, we watched the first half of the "Julius Caesar" film (1970).
Prior to watching, students completed an anticipation guide that consisted of a series of statements related to the story. The statements were things like "it it sometimes acceptable to betray your friends", and students had to agree or disagree with the statements.
As students watched the film, they had to complete questions on a worksheet. The worksheet was meant to help guide them through the difficulties of Shakespeare's language and help them understand the plot of the story.
Tomorrow, we'll finish the movie.
Prior to watching, students completed an anticipation guide that consisted of a series of statements related to the story. The statements were things like "it it sometimes acceptable to betray your friends", and students had to agree or disagree with the statements.
As students watched the film, they had to complete questions on a worksheet. The worksheet was meant to help guide them through the difficulties of Shakespeare's language and help them understand the plot of the story.
Tomorrow, we'll finish the movie.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12
I hope that all of the students had a safe and productive four day weekend. Now it’s back to work.
We’re starting a reading of Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. Shakespeare can be extremely difficult for students, so I am doing my best to help them understand the language and the setting of the play. Another good resource is the SparkNotes website:
www.sparknotes.com
At this website, students can read versions of Shakespeare’s plays in modern English, so it will be easier to understand.
Here’s the week’s schedule:
T- Discussion of Shakespeare’s language, background to the play
W- Most 10th graders will take the PSAT; those who do not (or students in my later classes) will read “The Demon Lover” by Elizabeth Bowen as a filler activity
Th- Students will complete an anticipation guide on Julius Caesar; we will begin watching a film version of the play (this will hopefully aid them when we finally start reading the play, next week)
F- Finish the film version of the play; writing activity
We’re starting a reading of Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. Shakespeare can be extremely difficult for students, so I am doing my best to help them understand the language and the setting of the play. Another good resource is the SparkNotes website:
www.sparknotes.com
At this website, students can read versions of Shakespeare’s plays in modern English, so it will be easier to understand.
Here’s the week’s schedule:
T- Discussion of Shakespeare’s language, background to the play
W- Most 10th graders will take the PSAT; those who do not (or students in my later classes) will read “The Demon Lover” by Elizabeth Bowen as a filler activity
Th- Students will complete an anticipation guide on Julius Caesar; we will begin watching a film version of the play (this will hopefully aid them when we finally start reading the play, next week)
F- Finish the film version of the play; writing activity
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday, October 7
Today, we began our discussion of William Shakespeare. We had a short introductory PowerPoint on William Shakespeare. Students then took a quiz on Shakespeare.
Finally, we ended with a packet of worksheets to help students learn how to read Shakespeare's language.
Have a great four day weekend, everyone!
Finally, we ended with a packet of worksheets to help students learn how to read Shakespeare's language.
Have a great four day weekend, everyone!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wednesday, October 6
Today we had a test on fiction! The test was a series of questions on plot, POV, character, setting, etc.
After the test, we started discussing our new unit. For the next two weeks or so, we'll be reading Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." AWESOME!! I can't wait.
After the test, we started discussing our new unit. For the next two weeks or so, we'll be reading Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." AWESOME!! I can't wait.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, October 4
We focused on point of view. I taught the three most common POV's to students: 1st person, 3rd person limited, and omniscient.
Students then had to complete a writing assignment that would demonstrate their understanding of the different POV's.
Students then had to complete a writing assignment that would demonstrate their understanding of the different POV's.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, October 1
Today we had a class discussion on the short story "Harrison Bergeron."
We also did a group activity where students were assigned different "handicaps" and asked to complete an assignment. This was done to make students think about what it would be like to live in the time of the story, where citizens were given handicaps in an effort to make everyone "equal."
We also did a group activity where students were assigned different "handicaps" and asked to complete an assignment. This was done to make students think about what it would be like to live in the time of the story, where citizens were given handicaps in an effort to make everyone "equal."
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