Wednesday, August 10

Today was the first day back to school. Welcome, everyone!

Today, in all my classes, we got to know each other.

Students started off by writing about the best thing from this summer. This was due as a classwork grade.

I introduced myself to the students and went over the course syllabus. For homework, students needed to get the syllabus signed at home.

Monday, May 23

We're finishing the school year! Students in my classes have a final exam either Tuesday (Blocks One and Four), or Wednesday (Block Three). The final exam is nothing to stress over, but you should be mentally prepared.

It is:
*Worth the same as any other test
*98 multiple choice questions and one written response
*The multiple choice questions might be about:
-definitions, like "What is diction?" and you would select the correct definition from the choices
-reading comprehension, where you'll first read an excerpt and then answer a question
-grammar, where you'll look at a sentence and identify something about it


Following a brief discussion about the final exam, my classes today participated in something of a social experiment. I gave all students a role playing situation, and the student had to answer the situation individually. After that, students got together into small groups and tried to reach a group consensus on the problem. Here is the situation:


Heart Surgery Exercise

You are surgeons at a large hospital. Your committee must make a very important decision. You have received word that a donor heart is available, and from your list of possible recipients, you find that seven candidates could receive the heart. The committee must choose which patient gets the heart. Because of the importance of this decision, a simple majority vote will not work. You must come to consensus.

Patients:
1. A famous brain surgeon at the height of her career. Single, black woman. 31 years old.
2. A 12 year old musician. Japanese girl.
3. A 40 year old teacher. Hispanic male, two children.
4. A 15 year old pregnant woman. Unmarried, white, no other children.
5. A 35 year old Roman Catholic priest.
6. A 17 year old waitress. White, high school dropout. Helps support her family with her earnings.
7. A 38 year old scientist close to discovering a cure for AIDS. Chinese woman, no children, lesbian.

There is no right or wrong answer. The point of this assignment is to get students to think, and to force them to work together in groups to explain their reasoning.

"Who owns the fish?" solution!

Yesterday in class (Friday, May 20), I distributed a word puzzle to students. In the puzzle, students had to determine which of the 5 people owned the fish.

I told everyone that they could find the solution online and that I would post a link to the solution on this blog. After I posted the link, I discovered a mistake in the solution!

The solution online says that the German owns the fish. This solution is correct for the version of the puzzle online, but the version I gave you is actually a little bit different.

Here is the online version.

Take a look at the fifth line. My handout reads, "The green house owner drinks tea," but the version online reads, "The green house's owner drinks coffee." Obviously, this difference changes the outcome of the puzzle.

The correct answer to the puzzle (for the handout I gave) is that the Dane owns the fish. I'm sorry for the mistake; it must have been very frustrating for those of you who worked hard on this!

Friday, May 20

Students received their grades for the EOCT this morning. I showed students how to read their EOCT report and also how to calculate their final grades. Of course, they can't figure it out totally, since we're still in the 2nd nine weeks, but they can get a good idea. Here's the formula:
(1st Nine Weeks X .475) + (2nd Nine Weeks X .475) + (EOCT X .15) = Final Grade

Following this, we read a non-fiction article about the rapper Lil' Wayne. I think it's good to read something modern and from real life once in a while, so that we can see that our reading skills do have a real use. Students took a quiz on their comprehension of the article.

We also worked on another logic puzzle. If you are interested in seeing the puzzle, click here.
If you are interested in the puzzle's solution, click here.

Thursday, May 19

Today, we read the classic short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" This story is infuriating to many readers because it lacks a true resolution, and the reader is left to determine the ending.

Here is a summary of the story:
A semibarbaric king creates a public arena in which to administer justice by chance. When someone is accused of a crime, the king makes them go to the arena. The man has to open one of two doors. Behind one door is a hungry tiger that will eat him. Behind the other is a beautiful lady suitable to marry.

In this story, the king is trying to punish a young man who dared to love his daughter, the princess. The princess learns which door is which, though, and she signals to her beloved. But does she send him to the lady, or the tiger?

If you were absent in class today, you should read the story on page 31 and write an ending to it. The story is also online at this link.

Turning in textbooks tomorrow. Bring yours or get a $63.55 fine.

Wednesday, May 18

Today, we read one of my very favorite short stories. It's called "The Lottery", and it's by Shirley Jackson. It's about a lottery that's held every year in a small town. It's a tradition for them.

At first, the reader might be bored by the everyday happenings of this small town, and how the author describes, in detail, how they conduct the lottery. But, if the reader pays attention, we can find small clues that something in this small town is very wrong...

After reading the story together, students took a short quiz on the story. Then, we watched a film version of it.

Full text of the story is available online: "The Lottery", by Shirley Jackson
There is also a film version online. Part 1 is here. Part 2 will probably be located in the sidebar to the right.

Students who were excused absent should read the short story and take the quiz.

Tuesday, May 17

Class began with a quiz on the short story "The Most Dangerous Game", which students were supposed to finish for homework last night.

Following this quiz, we watched the 1932 film version of "The Most Dangerous Game."
The video can be found online on YouTube or by clicking this link.

Trivia about the movie: to cut down on production costs, this movie was filmed using the same cameras, lights, and many of the same actors as the classic movie "King Kong." They shot "King Kong" in the daytime and, at night, they shot "The Most Dangerous Game."

If you missed class today, make sure to make up the quiz on "The Most Dangerous Game."

Monday, May 16

Good morning!

All this week in class, we'll be taking care of the loose ends. There are some important things that we never really covered in here, and I want to get to them before the year is out.

First up, the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." I know we've already covered fiction, but this story is culturally significant. If you are part of our culture, there are certain stories and ideas that you should be familiar with. This story, "The Most Dangerous Game", is one of them. The story is about a famous hunter who gets ship-wrecked on a faraway island. On that island, there lives a strange man who hunts the world's most dangerous animal. This story is an adventure story, and it's very good.

The full text is available online: "The Most Dangerous Game"

Tomorrow, we will have a quiz on this story, so be familiar with the important parts of it.

Friday, May 13

We spent all day in the computer lab, working on our film projects. These film projects will be due Wednesday, May 18, along with any other late or missing work. If you need instruction on how to complete the different parts of the assignment, see the blog posts for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.

NO LATE OR MISSING WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED BEYOND THIS DATE, as I am only human and need time to grade these assignments.

Thursday, May 12

We continued working on the film project today. Students work on three parts: the Production Notes, the Screenplay, and the Outline. This project will be due on Wednesday, May 18.


SCREENPLAY

A screenplay is a written script for a movie. It is written much like a play. It has the dialogue of the characters, set notes, and stage directions. A screenplay differs from a play in that a screenplay contains information about where the camera will be looking and doing.

For example, a screenplay might be written like:

Arthur: (mad) How dare you fail me in 9th grade English?
Mr. Graci: (moving towards his desk) I didn’t fail you. You failed yourself.
(Arthur moves toward Mr. Graci, raising his clenched hands. Mr. Graci backs into the corner.)
(the camera zooms in on Arthur’s face)
Arthur: You—you change my grade right now or you’ll regret it!!

For good examples of how to write in this style, look at the screenplay for “Visit to a Small Planet” in your textbook.

Now, think of the story you are making into a movie. Think of the most exciting or interesting scene. Your assignment is to write a two page excerpt of that scene, in screenplay format.

OUTLINE

An outline of what your movie is about. Tell the basic plot. Mention the setting, characters, and conflict. Describe what the major themes of your movie will be. This should be about a page in length, minimum, and give me a good overall idea of what your movie would be like.

PRODUCTION NOTES

Think about the story you’re filming. What sort of costumes will your characters wear? What kind of sets will you need to build?

A set is a stage set-up that you can film. It makes it seem as if you are at some certain location. For example, if I was making a movie about Dracula in his castle, I might not actually go film at a castle or build a whole castle. That would be expensive. I might just construct a small set that looks like some of the rooms that would be in a castle, and use those to film.

Go into detail about the locations and sets that will be needed. Go into detail about the costumes that will be needed for the main characters. Use pictures if you can—from the Internet or magazines or, if you are a good enough artist, draw something.

For example, if I were doing this project, I might do it on “Cask of Amontillado.” Since it takes place during Mardi Gras, I guess the characters might be dressed in a festive way, for a party. Example:

“I imagine Fortunato would wear Mardi Gras beads. Instead of the normal green or yellow beads, he would have dark red beads, to symbolize the life he is taking from Montresor.


Since people wear costumes during Mardi Gras, Fortunato would wear one in my movie, too. Because he is seeking revenge on Montresor, I might choose an ironic kind of costume or mask for him. Maybe he could paint his face like a skeleton.



















I think the dark colors and the scary makeup will demonstrate Fortunato’s vengeful, twisted nature.”



See? Just like that. You do it like that, for your own story.

Wednesday, May 11

First, congratulations and thanks to the students for their performance on the EOCT. You all did your best. Thank you for your cooperation in successful testing. We'll have the results in a few weeks, and they'll be on your report cards.

Today, students are working on their "Movie Projects" (as I discussed yesterday). Students have to imagine that they are adapting one of the stories we read into a film, and write a proposal for the film that they could send to potential investors.

Of the seven required components, students will work on four today: the cover letter, the soundtrack, the poster, and the storyboard. Below are some notes on each part.

Cover Letter

HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER

A “cover letter” is a letter that you write and attach to other documents. It is called a “cover letter” because it will go on top of your other documents. A cover letter introduces you and explains your purpose in contacting the person. Cover letters are commonly included when applying for jobs. In this case, you are writing a cover letter to introduce yourself and explain your project (the film you are seeking to produce).

There are different formats for writing letters. I will teach you to write a letter in block style, because that is the simplest and easiest. When you write a letter in block format, you don’t indent anything. Everything goes against the left margin. If you know a different letter style, you may want to use your preferred style. Make sure it looks good, though! Also, take care to maintain a professional tone. Don’t be too casual or use slang.

There are several main parts to a letter:

the header: contains the addresses of the sender and the recipient, the date, and a greeting. For the purposes of this letter, you will be sending it to:
William McKinley
Director of New Film Acquisition
Buena Vista Entertainment
Burbank, CA 91501

the introduction: This is a brief first paragraph (usually 1-3 sentences would be fine) where you introduce who you are and the purpose of your letter

the body: Go into more detail. Describe specific reasons why your movie would be successful. Who’s your target audience? (Who would see the movie? Teens? Families?) If you have any qualifications or skills that would impress the reader, include those here. Usually a paragraph would do, but you could write more if you really need it.

the closer: A final brief paragraph that thanks the reader for their time and tells them what your next step will be (will you be calling them in the future? Should they contact you?)

valediction: This is where, at the very end, you write something like “Sincerely”, “Regards”, or “Cordially yours”, leave a couple spaces, and sign your letter.

Here is a sample cover letter. You can find more examples online.

Soundtrack

MUSIC NOTES

Music often adds to the excitement and drama of a movie. Think of the story you will be filming. What parts of the story are most emotional? What parts would benefit from a musical accompaniment? Think about what kind of music you will use to enhance your movie. In this paper, you will tell me what sort of music your movie will use.

Some people might prefer to use a score (instrumental music, usually by a symphony—think the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies). Others might prefer to feature a soundtrack (songs by popular artists—think of how the Karate Kid used “Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber).

If you are using a score, tell me what scenes would be enhanced by the score. Tell me what sort of mood you are attempting to create. If you are using a soundtrack, tell me the specific artist and songs that you plan to use, what scenes they will be in, and why you chose those songs. (You might want to create a chart to do this.) In either case, you should have describe the music for a minimum of at least 3-4 different scenes in the movie, so I can get a good idea of the type of mood you’re going for.

Of course, if you’re a musician, you might write original music and record it for this project.

Poster

MOVIE POSTER

In order to attract audiences to see your movie, you must design a movie poster. Be creative. You can use any kinds of art supplies or technology you want to complete this assignment.

Even if you do not have all of the necessary materials today, I expect everyone to at least come up with a rough sketch of what their finished poster will look like.

Here are some past student ideas:
• Use a poster board and draw/paint the pictures
• Use pictures from the Internet and a graphic program to design a poster
• Use the website glogger.com to make an interactive poster and send me the address
• Take photos of friends in costumes and use for your poster

For examples of posters, look online at a site like this.

Storyboard

Once a concept or script is written for a film or animation, the next step is to make a storyboard. A storyboard visually tells the story of an animation panel by panel, kind of like a comic book.

Why make a storyboard?
Creating a storyboard will help you plan your movie out shot by shot. You can make changes to your storyboard before you start filming, instead of changing your mind later. You will also be able to talk about your film and show your storyboard to other people to get feedback on your ideas.
How do I make a storyboard?
Most commonly, storyboards are drawn in pen or pencil. If you don't like to draw you can also take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer to make your storyboards. Keep in mind that your drawings don't have to be fancy! In fact, you want to spend just a few minutes drawing each frame. Use basic shapes, stick figures, and simple backgrounds. If you draw your storyboard frames on index cards, you can rearrange them to move parts of the the story around.
You do not need to be a great artist to do this, although artistic ability will help. You need to make a storyboard of your most exciting scene from the movie. It should be a minimum of six panels. Your panels should also show your costume choices and setting. Underneath your drawings, you should write a short description of what is happening in the scene and why you chose to draw it that way.

For more information on storyboarding, check out this site.

Tuesday, May 10

We started class by looking at a recent news story concerning Detroit. 47% of people living in Detroit are illiterate! This is the reason that we work so hard in school. Here's a link to article we looked at:

Nearly Half of Detroit's Adults are Functionally Illiterate

Students spent the bulk of today (60 minutes) finishing their EOCT's from yesterday. Students who were absent one or both days will have the opportunity to make up their tests on the designated make-up days.

Finally, we discussed an upcoming project in here: The Film Project. Students are going to imagine that they are the producers of a film version of a story we read in class. They will put together a formal proposal to send off to potential investors. This proposal will include many different documents, such as a cover letter, script excerpt, and a movie poster. Students received a handout on the project's requirements. We will be working on this in class Wednesday and Thursday, and we will go to the computer lab Friday to type or research.

Here are some more details about the project that can be found on the handout:

YOUR MOVIE PROPOSAL

Literature is subjective. This means that literature can mean different things to different people. For example, I might read a story and think a certain way about it, but you may read the same story and feel entirely differently. I think this is one of the great qualities of literature and art.

For example, think about Romeo and Juliet and all the different versions of it. We’ve:
• Read Shakespeare’s version (which wasn’t even the original version!),
• listened to an audio production
• watched two film versions (a 1968 classic version and a 1997 modernized version)
• looked at the modernized No Fear version, and
• read a comic book version of it.

There are so many different versions because different people have their own ideas about what is great about the story.

We are about to start a major project in here. For this project, you will imagine that you are a movie director and that you want to make a movie based upon something we’ve read in class. You don’t have enough money to finance your movie, though. You will create a proposal that you could send to potential investors in your movie. Try to make your proposal as professional looking and interesting as possible. You are not actually making a movie. You are just writing a proposal for a movie.

Here is a list of the things we read in class that I think would make for good movies. You can choose from this list, or pick any other story from our textbook. Try to choose something that has a strong plot that you can make an exciting movie about.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, p.63
“The Cask of Amontillado”, p.95
“My Delicate Heart Condition”, p.104
“The Scarlet Ibis”, p.154
“La Puerta”, p.166
“The Gift of the Magi”, p.173
“The Necklace”, p.190
“A Taste of Snow”, p.284
“Next!”, p.340
“Lord Randal”, p.384
“The Erl-king”, p.395
“A Marriage Proposal”, p.413
“Romeo and Juliet”, p.482
Homer’s “Odyssey”, p.599

Take some time to think of what story you could make into an interesting film.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Your role: Imagine that are producing a film version of one of our stories.

Your task: You want to write a convincing proposal that will attract investors to finance your film. Your film may make artistic changes to the story if you’d like, but it must remain mostly faithful to the major themes and conflicts of the story. Remember, if your proposal is not neat and professional, people will not invest any cash money in your film.

Requirements: (checklist for your convenience)

Cover letter: A letter to the movie company that “sells” your movie. Tell me why your movie will be a success. You need to convince the company that your movie is a smart investment and explain who your target audience is. Must be in proper letter format.
Outline: An outline of what your movie is about. Tell the basic plot. Mention the setting, characters, and conflict. Describe what the major themes of your movie will be.
Production Notes: How much money will you need for this movie? Be realistic. Describe the sets that will need to be built. Describe the costumes that your characters will wear. Include pictures or draw things so your investor will get a clear idea of what you are planning.
Music Notes: What kind of music will you use in your movie? Will you use an instrumental score, or a soundtrack with popular songs? Tell me what type of music your movie will use and what scenes will be enhanced by music.
Screenplay: Write an excerpt from your original screenplay. This excerpt should be from the most important scene. It should include stage and sound directions. This excerpt should be two pages typed, minimum.
Storyboard: A storyboard is a graphic organizer that shows how your movie will play, moment by moment. Your storyboard should be at least six panels long and demonstrate your costuming, setting, and camera choices.
Movie Poster: The movie poster should be visually interesting and have the ability to attract customers to see the movie.
Neatness: Your entire proposal should be neat and professional. It should look good!

The above guidelines are minimum suggestions only. Feel free to get creative and go beyond the requirements. If this were a real life situation, you would use anything you could imagine to help you secure financing for your film. For example, maybe you want to write and record original music for the movie, film a trailer, or use a digital camera and costumes to make a realistic poster advertising your film.

You will be given class time to work on this. You will be instructed on how to create each of the above documents, and I encourage you to ask questions. Please remember, my art supplies are limited, so arrange to bring in anything you may need.

Monday, May 9

Students will take the End-of-Course test today and tomorrow. It is a two part examination and worth 15% of their final grade. If students have been working all year, they should be confident that they will pass. Now is the time to prove what you can do!

Wednesday, May 4

Our focus remains on drama. Today, we examined screenplays. We analyzed how a written play or screenplay is changed when performed or filmed. We did this by looking closely at a scene from the film "Dead Poet's Society."

First, we read a scene from the script for "Dead Poet's Society." Students played different parts. After that, students completed a worksheet based upon the script. After that, we watched the corresponding clip from the movie. Students thought about how the film differed from the written script. Students completed yet another worksheet about the filmed version.

The film clip we used in class today can be found on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQtmGcdSDAI

The remainder of our class was spent preparing for the End-of-Course-Test, which will be given on Monday and Tuesday. This exam makes up 15% of your overall grade, and you have already been taught the skills for successfully passing, so please come prepared. Also, remember the USA Test Prep website:

http://www.usatestprep.com

This website has practice tests, drills, games, and instructional videos to help you prepare. Last week, we went to the computer lab and you set up a login ID and password. Hopefully, you remember this. If you don't, email me and I will try to get you the information to let you create a new account. I will try to check my email over the long break.

Additional study resources for the EOCT:
Study Guide

Sample Test

Have a great long weekend!!

Tuesday, May 3

Continuing our look at drama, we read the play "A Marriage Proposal" by Anton Chekov (the famous Russian playwright from the late 19th century). It's a short, but very funny, play about three people in a small Russian village. It's on page 413 of the textbook.

If you were absent from today's class, read this play and complete the "Reading Check" and "For Study and Discussion" questions.

Remember that you have an essay about "Romeo and Juliet" due tomorrow and that your EOCT is coming up on Monday. To study for the EOCT, you may want to visit the USA Test Prep website. Remember the user ID and password that you created in class last week!

http://www.usatestprep.com

Monday, May 2

First, I needed to address the major news of the day: the capture of Osama bin Laden. We watched a small portion of President Obama's speech on the subject. Students interested in the entire thing can watch it at a number of different websites, but here's a link:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2011/05/01/sot.obama.bin.laden.dead.cnn?hpt=T2

We began class by looking at a series of paintings assembled by John Boydell. In the 18th century, he assembled a group of artists and released a folio of prints depicting Shakespeare's most famous plays. For more on John Boydell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boydell

We are finishing our unit on "Romeo and Juliet." Students today will take an exam on the play. Hopefully, they studied using the resources I mentioned in my last blog.

After the test, the students read a comic book version of "Romeo and Juliet." They did this so they can learn how different ideas must be adapted to suit different media. This is one of the reasons that we also watched two movie versions and listened to an audio production of the play.

Finally, students wrote an essay about which version of "Romeo and Juliet" they liked best, and why that version was superior to the other versions. This essay will be due on Wednesday.

Friday, April 29

In class today, we finished watching the 1997 version of "Romeo and Juliet."

In class on Monday, students will take an exam on the play. There are a number of good resources available to help them study:

*the worksheet packets on "Romeo and Juliet", which should be completed and can be turned in on Monday for bonus points on the test;
*the No Fear Shakespeare website;
*the SparkNotes website;
*the play itself, as found in our textbook;
*my presentations on "Why Study Shakespeare?" and "Types of Drama", both viewable online.

There are so many resources available to you; take advantage of them. Also, you could probably find movie versions online, on YouTube. With all this available, I'm sure that everyone will do great on the test.

Thursday, April 28

Our focus today was on the different types of drama. Just like there are different kinds of movies (horror, comedy, romance, science fiction, etc), there are different kinds of plays. The different kinds of drama we learned about are comedies, tragedies, and history plays.

I made a presentation for the class on this. Students took notes. After that, we had an open note quiz on this concept. If you were absent or would just like to look at the notes again, they are online:
http://prezi.com/1l5jqjag_uij/types-of-drama/

Following this, we began watching 1997's "Romeo and Juliet." We will finish watching this tomorrow.

If you were absent today, make sure you get the notes and take the quiz.

Wednesday, April 27

We've got our End of Course Test coming up! The End of Course Test will be May 9-10. So it's about two weeks away. Remember, this is worth 15% of your final grade.

In order to prepare for the EOCT, we went to the computer lab and used the website
http://www.usatestprep.com

This is a fantastic website to which the school subscribes. Students can create their own login and take practice tests for the EOCT. The practice tests are not just in English, but in other subjects, too. There are also educational games that students can play.

If you were absent today, I would like you to go to the website above, create your account, and take a practice test. Actually, here are the exact directions I gave the class:

1. Go to the website http://www.usatestprep.com
2. In the upper right corner, click on the link for “Member Login”
3. Create a new account. Make your name something recognizable, something that uses a unique combination of your first and last name. I cannot tell you what the school ID or Activation Code are, on this blog, but email me and I will tell you these codes.
4. Login to your new account. On your main page, under “Student Resources”, click on “Take a Benchmark Test.”
5. When it asks for a “Benchmark Test Code”, enter “SAHOLOCOFA”. Choose your block and begin the exam. It’s 40 questions long.
6. After you finish the exam, click on “Grade my Test Now” to see your results.
7. Use the rest of your time to explore the website. It has games to help you learn. It has study materials and exercises for English and for other courses.

Tuesday, April 27

We finished the "Romeo and Juliet" play today. Students followed along in the book as we listened to the audio production of Act Five. Students also completed the worksheet packet. We'll have a test on "Romeo and Juliet" next Monday. The worksheet packet will serve as a good review for the test. The "No Fear Shakespeare" website is also a good resource to use.

If you were absent today, finish reading the play. Complete the worksheet packet.

Thursday, April 21

We will start class out by giving students some time to work on activities. They will work on the worksheet packet for the play and a daily log activity that incorporates elements of writing, grammar, and vocabulary.

Today, we are reading Act Four of "Romeo and Juliet." Following the reading of Act Four, students will complete a worksheet about Act Four of the play. This worksheet packet will be helpful for you! After you complete it, you can use it to study for the test. Most of my questions come from the sheets.

Tuesday, we will finish the play by reading Act Five. For homework over the long break, students should read Act Five of the "No Fear Shakespeare" version of the play. It will make Tuesday's reading much easier.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/

If you missed class today, make sure you read Act Four of the play and you complete the appropriate worksheet in the packet. Also, complete the daily log activity.

Wednesday, April 20

Today, we are finishing Act Two of "Romeo and Juliet", which we couldn't finish yesterday, and starting Act Three. Following the reading, students will complete a worksheet about the play. This worksheet packet will be helpful for you! After you complete it, you can use it to study for the test. Most of my questions come from the sheets.

Tomorrow, we will read Act Four. For homework tonight, students should read Act Three of the "No Fear Shakespeare" version of the play. It will make tomorrow's reading much easier.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/

If you missed class today, make sure you read Act Three of the play and you complete the appropriate worksheet in the packet.

Tuesday, April 19

Today, we are reading Act Two of "Romeo and Juliet." Following the reading of Act Two, students will complete a worksheet about Act One of the play. This worksheet packet will be helpful for you! After you complete it, you can use it to study for the test. Most of my questions come from the sheets.

Tomorrow, we will read Act Three. For homework tonight, students should read Act Three of the "No Fear Shakespeare" version of the play. It will make tomorrow's reading much easier.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/

If you missed class today, make sure you read Act Two of the play and you complete the appropriate worksheet in the packet.

Monday, April 18

We are starting the reading of "Romeo and Juliet" today. I have a fantastic audio recording of the play, read by professional actors. Students will listen to the play as they follow along in their textbooks. They will receive a grade for class participation during the reading of "Romeo and Juliet."

Today, we are reading Act One. Following the reading of Act One, students will complete a worksheet about Act One of the play.

Tomorrow, we will read Act Two. For homework tonight, students should read Act Two of the "No Fear Shakespeare" version of the play. It will make tomorrow's reading much easier.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/

If you missed class today, make sure you read Act One of the play and you complete the appropriate worksheet.

Thursday, April 14 and Friday April, 15

On these two days, students will be watching Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version of "Romeo and Juliet." This is considered the classic film version and closely follows the text of the play.

Students will also have a worksheet to complete. The front side of the worksheet is an anticipation guide, meant to be completed prior to watching the film. The back side is a series of comprehension questions based upon the events in the movie.

If you missed either of these days, you need to get the worksheet and complete it. You can probably find the video of this movie online, OR I am willing to provide you with a copy of it for viewing at home.

On Monday, we will start reading the actual play "Romeo and Juliet" from the textbook. On Monday, we will read Act One. In preparation for this, you should read Act One of the "No Fear Shakespeare" version (the modern text):
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/
Remember to read ALL of Act One. There are five scenes to Act One. DO NOT just read Scene One. Read all five scenes of Act One.

Wednesday, April 13

We talked about the idea of "star-crossed lovers" today. "Star-crossed lovers" are two characters in a story who fall in love with each other but are fated to be apart from one another. Examples of star-crossed lovers are Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose (from Titanic), or Anakin Skywalker and Padme (Star Wars). The idea of "star-crossed lovers" is a popular archetype that we see in many stories.

I showed a PowerPoint presentation about archetypes and star-crossed lovers.

Students then formed into groups of 2-3. Each group was responsible for writing and presenting a short skit to class. The skits were designed to get the students involved in the major themes of "Romeo and Juliet." Students had three choices about what type of skit to present:

1. Imagine that you are members of a street gang. When you’re walking downtown, you find a member of a rival gang. How would you greet them? What would happen? Act out this situation. 3 people
2. Imagine that you are deeply in love with a member of the opposite sex, and that person doesn’t want anything to do with you. How would you try to talk to them? How would they resist you? Act out this situation. 2 people
3. Imagine that you are deeply in love with your boyfriend or girlfriend, and your parents don’t approve of the relationship. In fact, your parents forbid you from seeing that person. Act out this situation. 2-3 people

Tuesday, April 12

We focused on Shakespeare's language today. Because Shakespeare wrote over 400 years ago, his version of English was much different from the way we speak today. This makes his plays difficult to understand (but not impossible).

To help, I introduced the website "No Fear Shakespeare" to students. This website has modern versions of the play side by side with the original. I advise all my students to READ THE NO FEAR VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE the night before we read that part in class. It will make it easier for you to understand the play.

I also designed a packet of worksheets for students to complete that will help them in understanding Shakespeare's language.

If you were absent today, get the packet of worksheets and complete it.

Monday, April 11

We're starting our unit on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" today. All this week, I'll be providing background to the play and getting students ready to read it. We'll start the actual reading next week.

I’ll give a short presentation on Shakespeare. (You can view this presentation at http://prezi.com/4iqxureacf8l/why-study-shakespeare/)

We will then read an introduction about Shakespeare from our textbook, pages 478-481. We’ll watch a video called “Why Shakespeare?” It’s a documentary by the National Endowment for the Arts, all about how studying and performing Shakespeare has changed people’s lives, from Tom Hanks to a fifteen year old boy living in San Francisco.

Finally, we'll have a short quiz on what we learned today.

If you missed today's class, take a look at the presentation. Read the textbook pages. Learn all about Shakespeare. Then, see me so you can take the quiz.

Friday, April 8

We'll finish our unit on non-fiction today by looking at autobiographies.

First, though, students needed to get the benchmark diagnostic exam out of the way. The benchmark exam is a useful way for me to measure student progress throughout the semester. Hopefully, I will see that students are making steady progress towards our EOCT goals. We took the benchmark at the beginning of class.

After that, students read the autobiographical essay "A Whole Nation and a People", about a Greek man who learns to appreciate his culture. It's on page 273. Students answered the "Reading Check" and "Study and Discussion" questions at the end.

Then students wrote their own autobiographies for me. I'd like one page minimum.

If you were absent today, make up the work with "A Whole Nation and a People." Do the questions. Write the autobiography. You can't really make up the diagnostic test, you know.

Thursday, April 7

We focused on biography today, as a continuation of our unit on non-fiction.

We started by reading the short biography "My Mother, Rachel West", on page 249. Students answered the "Reading Check" questions and looked up the vocabulary words "swaggering" and "bereaved" from the story.

After that, we watched some short biographical videos about the famous aviator, Howard Hughes (from the website biography.com). Students took notes on the videos and wrote a short biography about Hughes.

Next, students voted on a video to watch from biography.com. Students took notes on the selected video and wrote a biography about the person.

If you were absent today, do the work related to "My Mother, Rachel West." Get access to a computer and go to biography.com. Write a biography about one of the people on the site after viewing some videos about them.

Wednesday, April 6

Today, we read a series of articles and students wrote a personal response to the articles.

The articles were about FaceBook, and how some people think that FaceBook is causing children (and all people, really) to be more narcissistic. "Narcissistic" means self-centered, vain, arrogant. The word comes from a Greek myth about the man Narcissus.

The Myth of Narcissus

We read several articles and opinion pieces about this topic.
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter: Good or Bad for Kids' Brain?
Tween Tribune: Is the Problem Facebook or You?
Video: Are social networking sites making us more narcissistic?

Students who missed school today should read and view the above videos and articles. Then they should write a response to the articles. The topic is: Are social networking sites good or bad for teens? Your response should include an introduction and conclusion, and a bunch of body paragraphs in the middle that each focus on a reason why they are good or bad.

Tuesday, April 5

We continued our look at non-fiction today. We talked about the four reasons for reading and writing non-fiction (and everything, really): to entertain, to explain, to inform, and to entertain.

Students completed a Daily Log activity in which they worked on vocabulary, grammar, and writing.

Following the Daily Log, we looked at a series of short excerpts from different types of videos and articles. Students had to identify what the purpose and tone of each excerpt on a worksheet.

Students who turned in Odyssey essays yesterday received them back today with my suggestions for improvements. Please start working on your revisions. If you haven't yet turned in an essay, make sure you do so.

Students who were absent for today's class should do the Daily Log and as much of the "Analyzing Literature" worksheet as possible.

Monday, April 4

Good morning! Welcome back after our Spring Break! I hope it was restful and everyone is ready to finish out the school year.

Today, we'll begin a short unit on non-fiction. It should take us about a week or so. We'll be looking at non-fiction, which is articles and stories about real life happenings. Today, our focus is on biography, autobiography, and memoir.

We started class off with a Daily Log, continued by taking some notes from a PowerPoint, and ended by reading "A Taste of Snow" by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. It's on page 284 of your textbook.

Of course, essays on Homer's Odyssey are due today as well.

If you missed class today, do the Daily Log (it's in the big blue binder at the front of the room), get the notes, read the short story and do the "Reading Check" questions.

Friday, March 25

Students finished watching the film version of Homer's Odyssey today.

Students will complete a worksheet as they watch the movie. The worksheet is basically a fill-in-the-blank summary of the movie's story. The worksheet was due at the end of class today.

Students should also continue to consider their upcoming essays on the Odyssey. This essay is due upon their return from Spring Break, but I am willing to look at any essay early and give tips or advice on how to improve it.

Thursday, March 24

Students watched a film version of Homer's Odyssey today. This will actually take two days, because the film is nearly three hours long.

Students will complete a worksheet as they watch the movie. The worksheet is basically a fill-in-the-blank summary of the movie's story.

Students should also continue to consider their upcoming essays on the Odyssey. This essay is due upon their return from Spring Break, but I am willing to look at any essay early and give tips or advice on how to improve it.

Wednesday, March 23

Students took a test on epic poetry today. I was interested to see student's reading skills, so I gave them an excerpt from Homer's Iliad (an epic poem that we haven't read before in class), and asked them to answer a series of multiple choice questions about it.

After the test, students had time to work on their essays. I was available for 1-on-1help for any student who needed it.

Tomorrow and Friday, we will be watching a film version of the Odyssey, made in 1997.

Tuesday, March 22

We accomplished three things in class today:
*We finished reading Homer's Odyssey. The final sections were on pages 651-3.
*Students completed a daily log activity. This activity had parts of grammar, vocabulary, and writing.
*Students began work on their essays. I did a progress check for a daily grade. Students needed to complete, at minimum, an organizational pre-write and find supporting evidence and quotations from the text.

Monday, March 21

We continued our reading of Homer's Odyssey. We read “Penelope”, “The Challenge”, and “Odysseus’ Revenge” (p.641-650).

We also discussed a writing assignment based upon the story. Basically, students will choose a character from the story and write about them, using quotes and evidence from the book to back up their ideas.

If you were absent today, you should make up the reading and find out about the requirements for the essay.

Friday, March 18

We started today off by having a short quiz on part one of Homer's Odyssey. As we used the CPS remotes to take the quiz, students learned of their scores immediately following the quiz.

After that, we cast parts and read a bunch of Part Two:
"Father and Son", "Argos", and "The Suitors" (page 631-640)

In today's reading, Odysseus returns home to Ithaca after 20 years away. He meets his son and his dog, Argos. Argos still recognizes Odysseus, even after 20 years. I felt that, in this way, the story relates to a recent story coming out of Japan after the tsunami:

Dog Will Not Abandon His Companion

It's so touching...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday, March 17

Today is the last of part one of the Odyssey. In today's adventure, Odysseus visits the land of Helios, the sun god. This adventure is from 624-629.

We also reviewed for the quiz tomorrow. Students should know the various adventures of Odysseus: the land of the Ciccones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the Cattle of the Sun God.

We discussed "epithets." Students defined the term epithet and found epithets from the book. This work is in the class binder.

Students who missed school today should prepare for the quiz, read the required section, do the "Reading Check" questions, and complete the epithet work.

BONUS POINTS: Students can read the poem "The Lotus Eaters", on page 656. It's by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's about Odysseus' adventure in the land of the Lotus Eaters. Read the poem and paraphrase (summarize) it in everyday language.

Students who need a review for the quiz: I found a good summary of the Odyssey online.
http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/
When you go to this site, you can choose between a short version or a detailed version. When you read the summary, please remember that our textbook does not have the whole story. We are only reading excerpts in class. For the quiz, you should focus on Books 9-12 of this summary.

Wednesday, March 16

What does it mean to be stuck between a rock and a hard place? "Between a rock and a hard place" is an English idiom that means you are in a difficult situation with no easy way out. This expression actually comes from Homer's "Odyssey". It comes from the story "Scylla and Charybdis", which we are reading today in class.

We continued our reading of Homer's "Odyssey" today. We read the adventures involving "The Sirens" (p.617-620) and "Scylla and Charybdis" (p621-624).

We also talked about some common mistakes that people make when writing. Today, in the day of text messages and the Internet, there are many common mistakes, such as substituting the letter "u" for the word "you" or forgetting to capitalize words or use correct punctuation.

To emphasize this point, I shared with the students a funny blog where the author pokes fun of these mistakes:
The Alot is Better than You at Everything

Tuesday, March 15

We continued our reading of "The Odyssey" today. We finished the adventure with the Cyclops, which took us up to page 616 in the textbook. Students did the "Reading Check" questions on page 616.

We also watched a short video clip of Odysseus fighting the Cyclops, taken from a 1997 TV movie.

Students who need to make up today's work should make sure they've read up to page 616. They should also do the "Reading Check" and "Study and Discussion" questions.

Monday, March 14

Today we started our reading of "The Odyssey", by Homer. We'll be reading from "The Odyssey" all this week. We'll finish it next week.

"The Odyssey" is an epic poem about the great hero Odysseus and his journey home after the Trojan War. It’s an extremely long poem, over 400 pages long, so we’ll only be reading parts of it in class, out of our textbook. Please pay attention, as we will have a quiz on Friday and a writing assignment next week, both based upon this reading.

First we reviewed the background to "The Odyssey" (the Judgment of Paris and the Trojan War), which we covered last Wednesday. Following this, we read the following part:

“I Am Odysseus”, “The Lotus Eaters”, “The Cyclops” (pages 599-607, up to line 247)

Wednesday, March 9

Today, we got all the background information on the Odyssey.

We read a play called "The Judgment of Paris". Students played parts in the play. This play is the story of the Golden Apple of Discord, which eventually caused the 10 year Trojan War. Full text of this play can be found online at:
http://trickledownolympus.blogspot.com/2008/03/judgment-of-paris-sample-play.html

We also watched two YouTube videos that described the happenings of the Trojan War and how clever Odysseus figured out a way to win the war. These videos can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K6_ovmilgw (Part One)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSNnz-SXiCQ&feature=related (Part Two)
Or, to find the videos, you can just type "Ulysses and the Trojan horse" into YouTube's search bar.

Finally, we did some work on Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes.
This activity can be found online at:
http://www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/vocabulary.cfm?str=vocabulary&num=1&act=1
Or just type "prefixes say plenty" into Google's search bar and click on the first result. It should be "TV 411- Prefixes Say Plenty."

Tuesday, March 8

Students took a test on poetry today. This is probably the final grade for this marking period, which ends tomorrow.

After the poetry test, we discussed Greek and Latin prefixes. If students can learn these prefixes, they will increase their vocabulary dramatically. Students did some work using the worksheet on Greek and Latin prefixes.

We also read about Homer's Odyssey in the textbook, p. 590-593.

Monday, March 7

We're gearing up for our Poetry test!

Today, we conducted a Jeopardy! style review of poetry. This will help students to understand what they do and don't know, so they can study for the exam tomorrow.

Also, I presented some notes on "epic poetry." We will be starting a short unit on Homer's Odyssey. It's an epic poem about the great warrior Odysseus and his ten year journey to return home after the Trojan war.

Friday, March 4

Unfortunately, I had to take a sick day today to deal with a medical problem.

Students in my class today watched the classic 1931 film "Frankenstein." Even though this film is a bit old, its themes are still very relevant today. "Frankenstein" explores ideas about the ethics of scientific experimentation and how we should treat people who are different. On top of that, it's an amazing movie.

Students had a worksheet to fill out as they watched the movie. The worksheet had a series of questions about the film.

Thursday, March 3

Students took a third diagnostic exam today. The point of these exams, given at four week intervals, is to see if students are progressing in the required skills.

After the benchmark exam, Blocks 1 & 3 wrote five paragraph essays about "What I Like to Do in My Free Time."

Block 4 read poetry from their poetry book projects and completed an activity about word choice.

Wednesday, March 2

Today is a student work day. Students will be in the computer lab all block, working on their poetry books.

Students should remember:
*poetry books are due on March 3.
*each poem should be accompanied by some design or picture.
*the requirements for each poem (for example, the metaphor or internal rhyme) should be underlined so I can easily give credit for it.

Tomorrow we will have another benchmark exam.

Tuesday, March 1

This is a student work day. Students will complete a variety of activities.
1. Grammar Worksheet—On this worksheet, there are two sentences. For each of the sentences, students need to answer a series of multiple choice questions identifying things like the parts of speech, sentence parts, etc.
2. Poetry Scavenger Hunt—Students were given a sheet with a list of poetry vocabulary words on it, like narrative poem or metaphor. Students needed to hunt through their textbook for examples of that term and write it on a sheet of paper. This is a good review of poetry terms.
3. Poetry Book—Students were given time to work on poems for their poetry books.

POETRY SCAVENGER HUNT REQUIREMENTS
Find 15 things minimum!

You know what a scavenger hunt is, right? It’s where people are challenged to search for various things on a list of items. Since we’re currently doing poetry, let’s have a scavenger hunt for poetry things as a way to review everything we’ve learned.

Below is a list of 25 terms and poetry techniques. You are to go through your textbook, find examples of these different things, and write down the examples on a separate sheet of paper. You also may need to explain the example. At the end of the block, turn this paper in to the teacher.

For example, maybe you decided to look for “personification.” You find a good example of personification in the poem “Moon Tiger” (p. 324). On your paper, you should write:

Personification “Moon Tiger”, by Denise Levertov (p.324)
In this poem, Levertov compares the moon to a tiger. It prowls sleekly around the room. When the moonlight comes through the blinds, it looks like stripes.

Here’s the list of items!!

Personification
Figurative language
Imagery
Metaphor
Simile
Synecdoche
Hyperbole
Symbolism
Alliteration
End rhyme
Rhyme scheme
Refrain
Internal rhyme
Assonance
Consonance
Diction
Lyric poem
Narrative Poem
Dramatic Poem
Sonnet
Ballad
Haiku
Limerick
Concrete/shape poem
Free verse

Monday, February 28

Today, we discussed the concepts of "tone" and "the speaker", as they relate to poetry.
Tone is defined as the “author’s attitude towards his or her subject.” The speaker is the person who is speaking in the poem. Please note that the speaker is not always the author.

We read three poems in class: “The Face in the Mirror” by Robert Frost, “The Cloud” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, and “At Wodward’s Gardens” by Robert Frost. If you missed this day of class, you should make up this work by reading those poems and answering the "Study and Discussion" questions that follow.

Friday, February 25

At this point, we've covered all the important information about poetry. For the next few days, we'll be reading some different poetry and reviewing what we know. We'll have a poetry test next Friday.

Today, students completed a worksheet on the poem "The Lake", by Ted Hughes. They used the knowledge gained from the last two weeks to answer questions about the figurative language, sound devices and type of poem.

We also discussed the "Poetry Book" project. For this project, students will create a book of poetry on a particular theme. They will need to write 7 original poems and collect them into a book. We will go to the computer lab on Wednesday to type these poems up, and the completed project will be due on Thursday, March 3.

Thursday, February 24

We reviewed sound devices today. Sound devices are all the ways that poets attempt to make poetry more musical, and include alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, etc.

We had a quiz on the poem "Jazz Fantasia." It was a 12 question quiz, mostly multiple choice.

Following that, students completed a daily log. The daily log activity consists of a variety of tasks involving grammar, vocabulary, and journal writing.

After this, students completed a packet of worksheets. The worksheets were all about lyric, narrative, and dramatic poems.

Finally, there was an extra credit project. Just like "Jazz Fantasia" attempted to capture the rhythms and music of jazz, I challenged my students to write a poem about their chosen style of music that represents that style.

Wednesday, February 23

Today we focused on the sound elements of poetry. Poetry is very musical, and poets use many different techniques to make poetry even more musical. Students learned many definitions today, like alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, refrain, etc.

After this, we read poetry in the book that had musical qualities. We read "Jazz Fantasia", by Carl Sandburg, and "Next!", by Ogden Nash. Students who need to make today up should get the notes and do the "Reading Check" questions on those two poems.

February 22, 2011

I returned Fiction Song projects and Grammar tests from last week to students. We discussed these assignments and the ways in which students can do better.

Our main focus today was on the sonnet, as a form of poetry. Student learned what sonnets are and the characteristics of sonnets. They also read "Sonnet 55", by William Shakespeare. Students completed a set of questions on the poem. Certain of my classes also had quizzes on this sonnet.

Thursday, February 17

More learning stations today. There were three different learning stations. Yesterday, we did book work in all three stations. Today, I tried to mix it up by having different types of activities. Here is what we did in each station:

Station #1: Today we’re focusing on figurative language. Remember, figurative language means similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, and hyperbole (exaggeration).

In this learning station, you will read several examples of poems that use figurative language. Follow the steps below. You can work with other students on this. Do your work on the same sheet of paper from the other stations.

1. Choose two of the following poems:
“The Day is Done”, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow p. 319
“I’ll Tell You How the Sun Rose”, by Emily Dickinson p. 321
“Moon Tiger”, by Denise Levertov p. 324
“Silver”, by Walter de la Mare p. 326
“Mending Wall”, by Robert Frost p. 329
2. For the poems you chose, find as many examples of figurative language as you can. Write the quote from the poem down and identify what type of figurative language it is.
3. Do the “For Study and Discussion” questions for the two poems you chose.

Station #2: Students completed a worksheet on figurative language.

Station #3: Students took a multiple choice test on grammar.

Wednesday, February 16

We tried something different today: learning stations. I had several different stations around the room. Students would stay in each station for about 25 minutes, and then move onto the next station. Each station had a specific goal.

Today, the main focus of our class was the examination of three different types of poetry: lyric, narrative, and dramatic. Here's what the students did in each learning station:

LEARNING STATION #1

Today, we’re focusing on poetry divided by subject/topic. There are three different types we’re looking at today: narrative, lyric, and dramatic poems.

In this station, you will focus on narrative poems. Use your textbook and follow the steps below:
1. What is a narrative poem? Use your textbook and write down a definition of narrative poem.
2. There are three examples of narrative poems in your textbook. Choose one of them and answer the “For Study and Discussion” questions.
“Lord Randal”, by an unknown author p385
“All in green went my love riding”, by e.e. cummings p.386
“The Castle”, by Edwin Muir p. 389
3. How is this poem a good example of narrative poetry? What is the story of this poem? Write a sentence or two explaining.

LEARNING STATION #2

Today, we’re focusing on poetry divided by subject/topic. There are three different types we’re looking at today: narrative, lyric, and dramatic poems.

In this station, you will focus on lyric poems. Use your textbook and follow the steps below:
1. What is a lyric poem? What was a lyric poem originally (in Greek times)?
2. There are six examples of lyric poems in your book. Choose two of them and answer the “For Study and Discussion” questions.
“John Anderson My Jo”, by Robert Burns p.374
“O Mistress Mine”, by William Shakespeare p.376
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, by William Wordsworth p.377
“Loveliest of Trees”, by A.E. Housman p. 379
“Desert Places”, by Robert Frost p. 380
“Recessional”, by Rudyard Kipling p.381
3. How are your two poems good examples of lyric poetry? What emotions do the poems express? Write a sentence or two explaining.

LEARNING STATION #3

Today, we’re focusing on poetry divided by subject/topic. There are three different types we’re looking at today: narrative, lyric, and dramatic poems.

In this station, you will focus on dramatic poems. Use your textbook and follow the steps below:
1. What is a dramatic poem? Use your book and write down the definition.
2. There are three examples of dramatic poems in the book. Choose one and answer the “For Study and Discussion” questions.
“The Seven Ages of Man”, by William Shakespeare p.391
“Uphill”, by Christina Rossetti p.394
“The Erl-King”, by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe p.395
3. How was your poem a good example of dramatic poetry? Who was speaking in the poem? Write a sentence or two explaining.
4. Read the dramatic poem aloud with a fellow student. Each student should pick a part from the poem, and read with emphasis and emotion. Act as if you’re really having a conversation with the other person.

Tuesday, February 15

Today, students spent all block in the computer lab. They finished their Fiction Song projects.

Monday, February 14

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today we started our unit on poetry. There are different ways to classify poetry. One way to classify poetry is by the number of words or syllables. We looked at four different kinds of word/syllable count poems: haiku, tanka, cinquain, and limerick. At the end of class, students chose two of these forms and wrote poems that fit those forms.

Also, guidance stopped by class today to talk about class registration for next Fall.

The Fiction Song projects are due in class tomorrow. We'll go to the computer lab tomorrow and it will be due at the end of class. Don't forget!!

Friday, February 11

Students spent all block today in the computer lab, working on our Fiction song projects.

Thursday, February 10

Students worked in the computer lab all block, on their "Fiction Song" projects.

Wednesday, February 9

For the past three weeks or so, we've been examining fiction in our class. We've looked at all the elements of fiction (such as plot, character, setting, and point of view) and we read short stories.

Today, student have a chance to demonstrate their knowledge on a test. On the fiction unit test, students will read a variety of fiction documents and answer questions about them, such as:
-What type of conflict is in this story?
-In what point of view is this story told?

After the fiction test, students had time to work on their fiction song projects. We will go to the computer lab Thursday and Friday so that students may type these projects. The fiction song project will be due on Tuesday, February 15.

Tuesday, February 8

We started class by discussing the possibility that a giant asteroid may collide with Earth in 2036. Part of English class is being able to read and understand articles on a variety of topics, and I felt this was a good everyday use of those skills.
http://www.670kboi.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=113&itemid=29630815

We also completed a grammar worksheet. On this worksheet, students were given a sentence and asked to demonstrate different skills, such as identifying the parts of speech, correcting the sentence, and diagramming the sentence.

We conducted a review for our Fiction test tomorrow. This review can be found online:
http://www.jeopardylabs.com/play/elements-of-fiction14

Finally, we discussed our upcoming "Fiction Song" project. For this project, students will choose songs that tell stories. These songs can be by popular artists that the student likes, or they could be the sample songs I provided. After looking at the lyrics of these songs, students will identify the literary elements (such as plot, theme, characters, etc). The student will produce several different papers and projects discussing the literary elements of the songs. We will go to the computer lab on Thursday and Friday to type this up, and it will be due on Monday.

Monday, February 7

We're getting ready for our fiction test (Wednesday)! Today, students read the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" independently and answered a series of 23 questions on the story. We did this independently so that students could assess their skills in reading and understanding, so they would know if they were ready for Wednesday's test.

It's a great short story about the relationship and rivalry that develops between two brothers living in Florida.

It's available for reading online:
http://209.184.141.5/westwood/academ/depts/dpteng/l-coker/virtualenglish/englsih%20i/english%20ia/scarlet_ibis.htm

Friday, February 4

Today, we read "The Cask of Amontillado." Students completed the remainder of the worksheet on the story and turned it in.

Students also took notes on "Setting."

Fiction test on Wednesday.

Thursday, February 3

A lot of testing today!

Students started class by taking the benchmark exam. This was the same benchmark exam taken on January 6. We will periodically give this test to check the progress of student learning.

As students were taking this exam, they were called out of the room, one by one, by one of our RESA specialists. Outside the room, each student took an oral reading exam. They were timed as they read a passage.

Finally, students completed a pre-reading worksheet on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". We will read this short story in class tomorrow.

Our focus today was on theme. Theme is the main idea of a literary work.

Students examined the theme of a poem, "Bears", and then we discussed the theme of "The Necklace" (from Monday).

Students then read the short story "The Gift of the Magi" and answered some questions on the story:
1. What are the 5 stages of the story's plot?
2. Choose one of the two main characters. Is this character round, flat, static, or dynamic. What is his or her personality? What is some evidence from the story that shows this personality?
3. What POV is this written in?
4. What is ironic about this story?
5. What is the theme of the story?

Tuesday, February 1

Blocks 1 & 3: We worked all block on writing. Specifically, we focused on the skills of writing sentences with variety and organization. We did:
* bell activity where students looked up different strategies for rewriting sentences, in their textbooks
* a SMARTBoard activity where students practiced rearranging sentences into organized paragraphs
* front and backside of a worksheet on paragraph writing.

Everyone worked hard! It was a great day!

Block 4: We worked on Mrs. Morris's writing activity and reading cards all block. See her about work that you need to make up.

Monday, January 31

Our focus today was on irony. Irony is when you expect one thing, but the reality turns out to be the opposite. We watched a couple film clips that served as good examples of irony.

We then read a short story entitled "The Necklace." The story has a surprise ending that is an example of irony.

Following this, students took an open book quiz on the short story.

Friday, January 28

Students worked on point of view today. They wrote short stories that were five paragraphs in length, with each paragraph written from a different point of view. In doing this, students demonstrated their comprehension of point of view.

We also did a worksheet on grammar. This worksheet focused on the sentence parts (subject, verb, direct object, indirect object, etc.)

Thursday, January 27

Today, students did group work on the story "My Delicate Heart Condition." In groups, students read the story and answered a series of questions concerning the plot, characters, and point of view.

Following that, they conducted literature response groups, where each student wrote a paragraph response to the story and the other students took turns responding.

Block Four: Activities were the same as above, but students also continued work on Mrs. Morris's writing activity.

Wednesday, January 26

Blocks One and Three: Students started class by doing a Daily Log. The Daily Log (attached) included activities in grammar, vocabulary, and paragraph writing.

Following this, I presented a PowerPoint about point of view. Students learned the different points of view that stories are written in. Following this, students took a short quiz that demonstrated their understanding of point of view.

Finally, students completed a worksheet on dictionary skills. They had to look up a variety of information in the dictionary.

Block Four: I presented a PowerPoint about point of view. Students learned the different points of view that stories are written in. Following this, students took a short quiz that demonstrated their understanding of point of view.

Following this, Mrs. Morris conducted a writing activity with the class.

Tuesday, January 25

We started class with some grammar work. Students completed the second side of the grammar worksheet we started yesterday.

We continued focusing on "character" in literature. We read the story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", about an everyday man whose mundane life causes him to frequently daydream about more exciting things. For example, he daydreams that he is a world famous surgeon or an airplane pilot during WWII.

We watched a film clip from the movie version of this story. It was really funny. We then discussed the differences and similarities between the two, and speculated why there were differences.

Monday, January 24

We started the class out by working on some Daily Grammar. In this activity, students are given a sentence, such as "their team will practice after school". They then must demonstrate their ability in a series of ways, such as identifying sentence parts, identifying clauses and sentence type, and diagramming the sentence.

Following this, I discussed character with the students. We defined many literary words related to character (such as static, dynamic, protagonist, antagonist, etc). We watched several film clips and read some story excerpts and talked about the characters in them, using the vocabulary we learned today.

Finally, students wrote thesis statements about the characters in the clips and wrote a paragraph about them.

Friday, January 21

1st Block: We discussed what puns are and took a look at the website http://www.punoftheday.com. I then shifted the focus to symbolism. Students defined symbolism and we talked about how symbols are used in short stories. This transitions into the story "La Puerta", a short story about a man living in Mexico who has big dreams of moving to the US to earn more money. Finally, students finished with a writing activity where they demonstrated their knowledge of the five stages of plot.

3rd Block: Since we read the short story "La Puerta" yesterday, students completed the writing activity about the five stages of plot. Students in this block also went to the computer lab for the GRASPS test.

4th Block: We discussed what puns are and took a look at the website http://www.punoftheday.com. I then shifted the focus to symbolism. Students defined symbolism and we talked about how symbols are used in short stories. This transitions into the story "La Puerta", a short story about a man living in Mexico who has big dreams of moving to the US to earn more money. Finally, students finished with a writing activity conducted by Mrs. Morris.

Thursday, January 20

It was a pretty hectic day today, due to the sudden mandate that I take my 1st and 4th block classes to the computer lab for a standardized test.

1st and 4th Blocks: I was required to take my classes to the computer lab, so that the students may take a GRASPS test. The GRASPS test is a type of standardized test that checks the student's abilities in reading and math. This test took about 40-45 minutes, so it ate up a big chunk of class.

With the rest of the time, the 1st block students worked on a grammar worksheet, where they identified the parts of speech in a series of sentences. The 4th block class finished Mrs. Morris's writing activity from yesterday, and they also worked on a diagnostic reading activity.

3rd Block: We began class to working on a grammar worksheet, where students identified the parts of speech in a series of sentences. After that, we read the short story "La Puerta" and examined the plot of the story. Students completed a worksheet on the plot, where they had to identify the different stages of the story's plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).

Wednesday, January 19

We completed a bell activity that used the book. The bell activity was all about plot. Students had to look up the definition of plot and answer some questions.

I then presented a PowerPoint on plot, and students took notes. Following the PowerPoint, students demonstrated their understanding through an open note quiz.

We also worked on writing. We discussed the different types of writing prompts-- expository, narrative, and persuasive--and discussed the ways that students can identify and answer each prompt type.

Tuesday, January 18

We discussed variation in the English language. The English language changes, depending on the time and the place. For example, modern day American English sounds much different from British English spoken in the early 1900's (or even modern British English, actually).

We looked at some international versions of Harry Potter books and discussed why the publisher might feel they need to change the cover for different countries.

Finally, we went to the computer lab so that students could research British English and determine what different British words mean in American English. Some examples of British English words would be rubbish, peckish, or queue.

Thursday, January 13

Today in class, the students finished introducing themselves to the class. We've been using PowerPoints presentations to do this. Each student made a PowerPoint where they spoke about their hobbies, goals, cultural background, and family.

After that, the students worked on writing. My 1st and 3rd block classes wrote on a topic: "Think about a career that you wouldn't consider choosing. Write to explain about a career that seems undesirable to you." Students had about 45 minutes to write on the prompt and then I took it up. I will look at this assignment as a way of diagnosing student writing abilities and seeing what they need to work on.

My 4th block class had already written on this topic, so we presented a short mini-lesson on writing prompts and how to answer writing prompts.

Wednesday, January 12

We started class with a Daily English Log. This is a bell activity that students will do in order to develop a wide variety of skills. It contains activities on grammar, journal writing, and vocabulary.

Following this, students presented their PowerPoints to the class. They were graded according to the rubric I passed out yesterday.

Tuesday, January 11

Today, classes went to the computer lab to work on their PowerPoint presentations. Each student has to design a presentation to introduce themselves to the class.

Friday, January 7, 2011

I started class out by introducing an upcoming project. This Monday, all students will visit the computer lab. At the computer lab, each student will design a PowerPoint presentation introducing themselves. We will present these presentations to the class on Tuesday.

I discussed my expectations for the assignment and showed the students a sample PowerPoint about me.

After that, students had a choice between two activities:
1) Reviewing the diagnostic exam from yesterday
2) A writing activity. This writing activity was meant to diagnose students' writing abilities.

It's been a great first week and I look forward to seeing all the presentations next week!

Thursday, January 6

Today in class, we learned about "learning styles." People learn in different ways, and, as a teacher, it is helpful for me to learn the learning styles of the students. For this reason, the students took a "learning styles inventory" today, where they could learn what type of learning they are (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, musical, etc.).

We also took a benchmark exam. By looking at this benchmark exam, I can see what students know from the very beginning of the year. That way, I can really focus on teaching the needed skills. If students showed strong abilities in one area or another, I wouldn't need to focus on those areas so much.

It was another great class day with my wonderful students!

January 5, 2010- First Day Back!

Today's the first day of school! It's exciting to be back. It's going to be a great semester.

In my 9th grade English classes, I handed out a copy of my class syllabus. Students will take this home, get it signed, and return it for a 100 tomorrow.

We played a round of "Get to Know You Bingo", where students introduced themselves to other students and learned about each other. This "Bingo" worksheet was turned in at the class's end for a grade.

Tomorrow, students will take a benchmark test in my class. This test is designed to see what skills students have. This way, I can modify my teaching to teach them the skills they need. I'll test them several times this way throughout the semester. It's nothing to be stressed about!