December 10/11

English 1 -- Today in class, students began giving the book talks for which they have been preparing for several weeks now. After today's scheduled book talks were finished, students in 2nd block made "book reports" -- on index cards, they drew images that represented important things from their books and wrote messages about their books that would entice others to read them. Students in B day classes (7th and 8th blocks) will finish up teaching the poems they were assigned last class.

English 1 Homework
Students who still have book talks to present, keep preparing
Begin typing or neatly writing the poems for your portfolios

English 2 -- Today students took their tests over Julius Caesar. Since the test took the vast majority of the class period for most students, any time that was left after completing the tests was devoted to preparing for book talks which will begin next class period.

English 2 Homework
Prepare for book talks -- they begin next class period!

December 7/8

English 1 -- Today students read from their library books in class for the last time this semester. Book talks will begin next class. Today in class, students also read the last 4 poems that they will read from their textbooks this semester. They were "I Never Saw a Moor" and "'Hope' Is the Thing with Feathers", both by Emily Dickinson; a prose poem called "The Puppy"; and "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. Students also recevied the last terms they will be responsible for including in their Poetry Terms Journal for their poetry portfolios, which will be turned in the class period before the final next week.

English 1 Homework
Read your books and prepare for book talks

English 2 -- Today students finished up study of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by seeing the end of the film and answering some critical thinking exit questions. Students also received the essay question they will see on their test. They were each given a notecard on which they were required to write the thesis of their essay and two quotes from the play that support their thesis. These notecards are to be used on the essay portion of the test on Wednesday.

English 2 Homework
Study for test next class
Finish Study Questions and Quote Notes
Read book and prepare for book talk

December 4/5

English 1 -- Today in class, students read their library books for 20 minutes. Those students who have already finished reading their books began working on elements of their book talks. Next, students read and discussed two poems -- "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Students were also given the requirements for their Poetry Portfolios, which they will be working on over the next two weeks and will turn in at the end of the semester.

English 1 Homework
Continue reading book for book talk

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their library books for 20 minutes. Those students wo have already finished reading their books began working on elements of their book talks. Next, students read Act Four Scene 1 of Julius Caesar, which showed the complete transformation of Mark Antony's character in the play. Then students watched Act Four and Act Five of the Julius Caesar film. Next class, students will review the play, and receive the topic for the essay they will write for the test.

English 2 Homework
Continue reading book for book talk

December 2/3

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for 20 minutes from their library books, and then journaled in their writer's notebooks about is going on in their reading. Students then prepared for reading Shakespeare's sonnets by reviewing a few terms learned earlier in the year while reading Romeo and Juliet. After reading and discussing sonnets number 18 and 130, students ended class by starting to write sonnets of their own. This is probably the most difficult poem the students are assigned, but hopefully they will gain a new respect for those poets, like Shakespeare, who made sonnet-writing an artform.

English 1 Homework
Finish your sonnets
Continue to read your library books and/or prepare for your book talk

English 2 -- During this class period, students read for 20 minutes from their library books and journaled in their writer's notebooks about what they have read so far. We then finished reading Act Three of Julius Caesar and watched the rest of Act Three in the film. After the movie, students worked on an activity in which they examined the changes in Antony's personality in the play.

English 2 Homework
1st block -- finish the Act Three Antony wkst.
4th block -- you will receive the worksheet for homework next class
Both blocks, continue to read your books and/or prepare for your book talk

November 26/ December 1

English 1 -- Today in class, students read the very famous poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. After reading and discussing this work, students also read "I Walked a Mile" by Robert Browning Hamilton. To end class, students created their own poems modeled after Hamilton's poem.

English 1 Homework
Finish your personifying emotions poem if you didn't do so in class
Read your library books -- we will begin book talks in 1 week!

English 2 -- Today in class, students began reading Act Three, Scene II of Julius Caesar. We saw the commoners' reaction to Brutus's explanation of Caesar's murder, and then we saw how they all changed their tune after Antony's famous speech. We then stopped in the middle of the scene to analyze the parallel structure, antithesis, and repetition in both Brutus and Antony's speeches. These important elements are what make so many great speeches throughout history memorable.

English 2 Homework
Read your library books -- we will begin book talks at the end of next week!

November 24/25, 2008

So my trip to the National Council of Teachers of English convention -- which was held in San Antonio this past weekend -- was very fun and beneficial to my teaching practices. I got tons of new ideas for teaching various genres and skills in my classroom, and I also came home with over 50 new books for our classroom library! I don't think there are many things in life more wonderful than boxes full of free books...but that's just me!

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for the first 20 minutes from their library books. They were also warned that they would only have 3 more class periods of reading time since we are starting book talks on December 10th. After reading and receiving the book talk requirements, students read two poems by Shel Silverstein, and wrote their own poems answering the question: "What can a rose see (on or near the ground) that a tree can't see (way up in the air)? Next students read "in Just-" by E.E. Cummings and talked about the fresh images that Cummings used in his poem about springtime.

English 1 Homework
Read your library book, especially if you are not very far along in it -- you will only have a total of an hour of reading time in class before we begin book talks!

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their library books for the first 20 minutes, and they were also warned that they would only have 3 more class periods of reading time before we begin book talks on December 12th. After reading and receiving the requirements for the book talk, we finished up the rest of Act Three, Scene I of Julius Caesar. Now that Caesar is dead, we are beginning to see what the reprecussions for the faction will be for the murder they committed. Their main problem goes by the name of Mark Antony, who is about to go through a major transformation. Today, we saw a glimpse of him going from the shy best friend of Caesar to the angry, revenge seeking public speaker (to be seen in Scene II).

English 2 Homework
Final drafts of both newspaper pieces due next class.
Read your library books, especially if you aren't very far along in them -- you only have a total of an hour left to read in class!

November 18/19, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students read their library books for the first 20 minutes. Afterward, we read two short poems by two famous American poets -- "Fog" by Carl Sandberg and "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. After reading, discussing, and answering questions about the two poems, students worked on creating a poem that was modeled after their favorite of the two poems. Both poems provided students with great examples of personification and implied metaphor, which are both terms in their Poetry Terms Journal. These examples will be a required item in the poetry portfolios that students will be turning in for part of their final grade at the end of the semester.

English 1 Homework
Finish your imitation poem of either "Fog" or "Fire and Ice".
Instructions are at the bottom of the worksheet you received in class today.

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their library books for the first 20 minutes. Afterward, we began reading Act Three Scene I of Julius Caesar, where we finally learned the fate of Caesar and saw the conspirators' reaction to the murder they committed. Today students were also introduced to the Roman Newspaper Project that they will be working on from now until Thanksgiving. Each student will write an article and a supplementary piece for a newspaper that could have been in print during the time of Julius Caesar. Students received an assignment sheet for the project that explains all the requirements and even gives some topic ideas for their pieces.

English 2 Homework
Rough drafts of both newspaper pieces are due next Monday (Nov. 24th) at the beginning of class, and the final drafts will be due next Wednesday (Nov. 26th). Don't wait until the last minute to get started!

November 14/17, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students read their library books for the first 20 minutes. Many people realized that they have less than a month to finish their books before we begin giving book talks (which means that you probably need to start reading your books for more than just the 20 minutes we have in class).
After reading, we talked about figures of speech, and how the three most popular forms of figurative language that are found in poetry are the simile, the metaphor, and instances of personification (which actually a metaphor too). Students recorded the definitions of these three words on their poetry terms journal, and then we read two poems -- "I Wandered Lonley as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth and "Seven Ages of Man" by William Shakespeare -- which both contain examples of the three terms we learned. Last, students began working on their 5 senses poem, which they will finish for homework.

English 1 Homework
Finish your 5 senses poem. This is how to do it:
First, think of a setting that you can vividly imagine in your mind (the beach, the mountains, a busy city street, a country cabin, etc.)
Next, write an 11 line poem describing that setting in the following format:

• Lines 1 & 2 begin with "I hear..."
• Lines 3 & 4 begin with "I see..."
• Lines 5 & 6 begin with "I smell.."
• Lines 7 & 8 begin with "I taste..."
• Lines 9 & 10 begin with "I touch..."
• Line 11 begins with "I feel..." **this line should describe an emotion
• Go back and add 1 simile, 1 metaphor, and 1 instance of personification to the poem

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their library books for the first 20 minutes. Then we finally finished Act Two! At this point, Brutus and his faction of conspirators against Caesar have perfected their plan (though Brutus still isn't sleeping any better at night), and Caesar has agreed to go to the Capitol (or actually he's been conned into going by Decius's strategic flattery and appeal to Caesar's pride). If only Caesar had listened to the soothsayer...because the Ides of March are now upon us. We will see what happens in Act Three next class.

English 2 Homework

Pick up the pace on reading your library book. Many of you are probably only reading the book for the 20 minutes each class period, and you only have about three weeks before we begin book talks.

November 12/13, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for the first 20 minutes of class from their library books and then wrote a journal in their writer's notebooks about the contents of their books so far. After reading, we began our poetry unit by reading a catalog poem by St. Louis born and raised poet, Naomi Shihab Nye, and another free verse poem by great American poet, Walt Whitman.

English 1 Homework
Write a catalog poem modeled after "Daily" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Remember to bring your textbooks and library books next class

English 2 -- Today in class students read their library books for the first 20 minutes the period. Next, they learned about parallel structure which is a grammatical skill that many sophomores have issues with in their writing. After practicing writing parallel sentences and recognizing and correcting unparallel sentences, we began reading Act Two, Scene II of Julius Caesar.

English 2 Homework
Remember to bring your library books to class

November 10/11, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for 20 minutes from their personal choice books. After reading, students got into their TKAM Newspaper groups to assemble and put the finishing touches on their newspapers. When each group was finally finished, we ended class by passing the newspapers around the room so that each group had an opportunity to check out others' final products.

English 1 Homework
Remember to bring your textbook from now on. We will be beginning our poetry unit.
Please bring your TKAM book to turn in if you have not done so already.

English 2 -- Today in class, students read for 20 minutes from their personal choice books. After reading, they journaled in their writing notebooks about what they have read in their books so far. We also continued reading Act Two, Scene I of Julius Caesar, which details the conspirators' plan to assassinate Caesar.

English 2 Homework
Remember to bring your library books and textbooks to class

November 6/7, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students read for the first 20 minutes from their chosen reading books that were checked out last class period from the library. After reading, Mockingbird Newspaper groups got together to do peer revising and editing of their writing pieces. They also worked on formatting their papers so that all pieces from all group members will fit on the space provided. Next week, the groups will finish the project in class.

English 1 Homework
Type all pieces for your portion of the newspaper. This includes your article, your obituary/editorial, your advertisement (unless you are designing and drawing it yourself), and your fourth choice piece (unless you are drawing the comic strip by hand).

English 2 -- Today in class, students read for the first 20 minutes from their chosen library books. After reading, I showed Act One of the Julius Caesar film. We finished up class by beginning Act Two, Scene I, which shows Cassius, Brutus, and the rest of the faction against Caesar making specific plans for assassinating the leader on the ides of March.

English 2 Homework
1st block, remember to bring your textbooks back to class in addtion to your personal reading books. 4th block, remember to bring your choice reading books as well.

Parents: Thanks so much to those of you who voted YES on Prop T. Since the proposition passed, next year the district will be able to reinstate many of the cuts that were made to our budget this year, including textbooks, professional development, and tutoring services!

November 3/5th, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class students took a trip to the library where they chose their own books to read in class. From now until the end of the semester, students will read silently for the first 20 minutes of every class. As part of their final exam at semester's end, they will be giving book talk presentations about their personal choice books.

After the visit to the library, students were given an opportunity to get together with their newspaper groups to share the rough drafts they created for both their article and their advertisement. After group time, I showed students examples of an obituary and an editorial piece from the St. Louis Post Dispatch as models for the other writing pieces they will be creating for their newspapers.

English 1 Homework
Create a rough draft of your editorial/obituary
and a rough draft of your fourth "choice" piece (this is either the block of classified ads, the advice column, the comic strip, or the "Hometown Face" interview)
**For those of you who neglected to complete your homework from last class, this means that you need to have a rough draft of all 4 pieces ready for next class.

English 2 -- Today in class, students read their personal choice books for the first 20 minutes. After that, we recapped Act I Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, which we finished last class, and continued our reading of the play with Act I Scene 3. We also discussed the classes' opinions of Brutus and Caesar, and which man was more sincere in his actions (Brutus being concerned maintaining the Roman Republic or Caesar refusing the crown 3 times).

English 2 Homework
Complete the Act 1 worksheet by filling in the ovals with each character's opinion of Caesar and completing the two questions at the bottom of the page. Remember that your Quote Notes will help out a lot with this sheet.

Remember, no school tomorrow! Remind your parents to vote and keep Proposition T in mind!

October 30/31, 2008

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (and for us Lutherans, happy Reformation Day as well)

English 1 -- Today in class students took their test over To Kill a Mockingbird. After the test, students were split into groups to begin working on their Maycomb Newspaper projects. For this activity, each student is personally responsible for creating 1 article, 1 editorial or obituary (their choice), 1 advertisement, and 1 of the following: advice column, hometown face interview, classified ad block, or comic strip. That means each student will create 4 pieces total to contribute to their group's newpaper. We will be working on this project for homework and during class for the next week or so.

English 1 Homework
Rough draft of article
Rough draft of advertisement

English 2 -- During this class meeting, classes went to the library to choose their own books for personal reading so that we can read these books for the first 20 minutes of each class for the next 4-5 weeks of class. At the end of this time period, students will give book talk presentations to tell about the book they read. After the trip to the library, students returned to read the rest of Act One, Scene II of Julius Caesar. Through this scene, we were able to begin to get a sense of Brutus and Cassius's true personalities and motivations for disliking Caesar's growing power. Next class we will continue with the play.

English 2 Homework
Make sure to bring your personal reading book to class!

October 28/29, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students turned in their last review packet for chapters 27 through 31 of TKAM. After going over the packet, we played two rounds of TKAM review Jeopardy in preparation for the test over the novel next class. Students were also encouraged to think about events and characters in the novel that would make good newspaper articles, in order to get ideas for the Maycomb newspaper project we will begin next class after we take the test.

English 1 Homework
STUDY for TKAM test next class period

English 2 -- Today in class, students viewed a film called "The Shakespeare Conspiracy". This film features a group of scholars and historians who propose that William Shakespeare was merely the pen-name for Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. Since we are now reading Julius Caesar, students are getting their second high school experience with Shakespeare's work -- I believe it is also important that they learn more than one version of the possible existence of the playwright. After the video, we read a bit more of Act One, Scene 2 of the play. Next class, we will be going to the library to chose books for personal reading and moving on with Julius Caesar.

English 2 Homework
NONE

October 22/23, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class students took their reading check quiz over chapters 24 through 26. After discussing the chapters, students read chapter 27 to themselves, and I read chapter 28 aloud to the class. For the remainder of class, 2nd block finished watching the trial scene of the movie since the altered schedule last week only allowed us time to watch part of it. In 7th and 8th blocks, however, we were able to update our character blocks, and students were able to begin working on the two review packets they were assigned for homework. Next class period, we will FINISH THE NOVEL! Participation Question - How many times was Tom Robinson shot? Leave the answer in a comment on this posting.

English 1 Homework
complete review packets for chapters 17-21 and chapters 22-26
2nd block - finish reading the last few pages of chapter 28 - very important!

English 2 -- Today in class, students worked with groups to compile information on various minority groups featured in several short stories. First, students were assigned to groups, and asked to read a short non-fiction piece about a particular minority group in the United States. After reading independently, students joined their group members to create a "placemat" on which they each wrote their personal notes on the story in their own sections, and then wrote all the information they had in common in a circle section in the middle of their "placemat". To end class, each group presented to the class both a short summary of the story they read and the common information they all learned from the piece. Next class we will begin Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Participation Question: Which American minority group did you read about in class? Leave your answer in a comment on this post.

English 2 Homework
Make sure you have the Soldier's Dilemma questions completed for next class.

October 20/21, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students started by taking their reading check quizzes over chapters 20 through 22. After discussing the quizzes, we discussed the traditional mockingbirds of TKAM (Boo Radley and Tom Robinson), and then discussed the possibility of Mayella Ewell being considered a mockingbird as well, based upon the life she was forced to lead by her father and her place in society (on the social ladder, with which students are familiar). Students were asked to express their opinion on the issue by writing a paragraph supporting their point of view, and we also debated the issue in class. After the Mayella Debate, we read chapter 23 aloud in class, and students received the review packet for chapters 12-16.

English 1 Homework
Read chapters 24, 25, and 26
Finish review packet for chapters 12-16, if not completed in class

English 2 -- Today in class, students turned in the personal narratives that they have been working on for the past few weeks. Then we watched a film called A Place at the Table, which shows eight teenagers telling how and why their ancestors came to the United States, and revealing hardships they all endured at the hands of prejudices that existed (and still exist) in American society. After the film, students answered questions regarding the film, and made comparisons between characters in the movie and characters in the short stories they have read in class. After the film, we began preparing for Julius Caesar with an activity called "A Soldier's Dilemma" which we will continue discussing next class. We will begin reading Shakespeare's play this week.

English 2 Homework
Finish questions over the film, if not completed in class
Finish "A Soldier's Dilemma" questions, if not completed in class.

October 15/16, 2008

So the schedule has been all switched around the past two days because of PLAN/PSAT testing, but tomorrow will finally be back to normal. So whether you are in 1st and 2nd block, and had this class yesterday, or in 4th block and had class at the normal time today, or in 7th and 8th block and will have my class tomorrow, this is what's going on:

English 1 -- During this class period, students took a quiz over chapters 17 through 19. Once we finished the quiz and discussed the chapters, we watched the trial scene of the film version of TKAM. While we will not watch the entire movie in class, seeing the trial scene helps students understand the gravity of Tom Robinson's case and the emotion involved with the situation from many characters.

Homework
Read chapters 20 through 22 of TKAM

Chapter 20

1. Who cheers Dill up with his Coca Cola that he pretends is whiskey?
2. Why is the Judge furious with Link Deas?
3. What one institution does Atticus say we have in our country that considers all men equal?

Chapter 21

1. How does Atticus find out that the children are at the trial?
2. What is the jury's verdict?
3. How do we know that the African American community thinks highly of Atticus after the trial?

Chapter 22

1. Why does Miss Maudie allow Jem to eat from the big cake instead of making him a small one like Scout and Dill?
2. How, according to Miss Maudie, did Judge Taylor help Tom?
3. What does Dill say he's going to be when he grows up?

English 2 -- During this class period, students watched a film called The Shadow of Hate. The film tells the stories of minority individuals who endured discrimination in the United States because of their race, religion, ethnicity, etc. Since 4th block was longer than the 45 minutes we have for 2nd block, 4th block also did a revision exercise that helped with the cohesion of their paragraphs and the fluency of their sentences.

English 2 Homework

Personal Narratives due next class. Must be typed in 12 point font, Times New Roma, double spaced, 1" margins. Please include the correct MLA heading as well.

October 13/14, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students took 2 short quizzes: the reading check quiz over chapters 14 through 16 of TKAM and an open-note quiz over the Scottsboro Boys case that they learned about last class. After taking the quizzes and discussing the chapters read for homework, students learned about the social classes of the southern USA during the time of TKAM by filling out a 5-rung social ladder. After filling in the traits and characters that belong in each catagory, students received the review packet for chapters 6 through 11, which they begun working on and will have time to finish next class period. We also got most of the way through the reading of chapter 17 in class. The chapters we are reading right now are some of the most important and most suspenseful of the entire novel; next class period we will see these chapters come to life in the TKAM movie.

English 1 Homework
Read chapters 18 and 19 (finish chapter 17 if not finished in class)

Chapter 18

1. Who is Mayella intimidated by when she is testifying?
2. Why does Atticus ask Mayella if Tom chokes and hit her?
3. Who does Scout say has spotted them sitting in the balcony?

Chapter 19

1. Who does Tom Robinson work for?
2. What does Tom say Mayella does to him?
3. According to Tom, who did Mr. Ewell direct his anger toward?

English 2 -- Today in class, students wrote in their Writer's Notebooks about either their best birthday memory or their worst birthday memory in preparation for the short story we read called "Eleven". After reading the story, students experimented with writing in different voices by writing an extension of "Eleven" from the point of view of the narrator's parents, trying to explain to her why she had been discriminated against by her teacher. After the writing assignment, students engaged in a peer response activity called PQP (praise, question, polish) during which they both gave and received advice on how to improve the personal narratives that will be due next week. Next class we will be doing some conferencing, revising, and editing of the narratives in order to get them ready for submission for a grade.

English 2 Homework

Make changes suggested by your responder on your narrative

Finish the "Eleven" writing assignment if not yet finished

October 9/10, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students took their reading check quiz over chapters 12 and 13 of TKAM. After discussing the two chapters, students viewed a powerpoint presentation about the Scottsboro Boys Case, the real life court case that took place in Alabama in the 1930s. This case, in which 9 African American young men were wrongly accused of raping two low-class white young women, is most likely the case after which Tom Robinson's trial is modeled in Harper Lee's novel. After viewing and taking notes over Scottsboro Boys information, over which students will have a quiz next class, students filled in a review packet over chapters 1-5 of the novel. Next class we will complete a review of chapters 6-11. These packets will serve as handy study guides for the test at the end of the novel, and they should be pretty easily earned points for students who have been keeping up with their reading homework.

English 1 Homework
Read chapters 14-16 of TKAM

chapter 14

1. What do Scout and Jem find under Scout's bed? Why is this surprising?
2. How does Jem break the "kid code"?
3. What does Dill tell Scout about his mother and her new husband? Why does Scout not understand this?

chapter 15

1. Why does Atticus go to the jail in town?
2. According to Atticus, how does Scout get Mr. Cunningham to "walk around in my shoes"?

chapter 16

1. Where do the children sit during the trial? How is this fitting with the rest of the events of the novel?
2. With whom do the children sit during the trial?
3. Who is the white man who lives among the black people?

English 2 -- Today in class, students wrote in their Writer's Notebooks about two different groups cultures, or communities to which they belong. Next, we read "The First Day" by Edward P. Jones, which is a short story about a young girl's first day of kindergarten, a day when she encounters her first lesson on the different communities people of the same race, ethnicity, religion, and even family can belong to. After reading the story, students created an extended Venn Diagram through which they made comparisons and found similarities among several other short stories we have read in class. To end class, students learned about and experimented with different ways to make their writing more powerful, through techniques such as vivid verbs, verbal phrases, similes, and metaphors.

English 2 Homework

reevaluate the verbs in your personal narrative. Be sure to add vivid verbs, similes, metaphors, and verbal phrases to your story before next class.

October 7/8, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class, students turned in the personal narratives that they have worked so hard on for the past few weeks. But before we dismissed the narratives, students had to rewrite their narratives...from the point of view of the person who made their decision for them. So parents, most of your students stepped into your shoes for a little while today -- it was their job to attempt to get inside the heads of the authority figures in their lives and figure out why those tough, sometimes unpopular decisions are made. Next we read chapter 11 of TKAM, and worked on filling out "character blocks" for some of the main characters. These blocks are a tool to aid students in keeping track of who's who in the novel, which will help them on the test as well.

English 1 Homework
Read chapters 12&13 of TKAM
Finish the reverse point of view of your narrative

Chapter 12

1. Who is Zeebo?
2. Why do the children feel that Calpurnia leads a double life after they go to church with her?
3. How did Cal learn to read?

Chapter 13

1. Who comes to stay with Scout and Jem?
2. Why does Scout feel it wouldn't make much of a difference if Uncle Jimmy?
3. What does Atticus try to talk to the children about? What is their reaction?

English 2 -- Today in class, students reviewed and discussed the stories they read on Friday during my absence, "Everyday Use" and "Two Kinds". After reviewing the questions students completed for homework, we engaged in a fun dialogue activity in which students wrote fictional conversations between two animals. During this activity students also learned the two rules for creating writing dialogue. Next, students learned about the four elements of fiction while creating fictional scenarios using plot, setting, character, and theme.

English 2 Homework
add dialogue to personal narratives

October 3/6, 2008

Sorry this post is so late, but since I was gone from school on Friday, I seem to have forgotten to keep everyone updated.

English 1 -- In this class period, students took a reading check quiz over chapters 7-9 of TKAM. After finishing and discussing the quiz, students read chapter 10 in class. When finished reading, students traded their personal narratives with another classmate in order to participate in a peer response activity called PQP (Praise, Question, Polish). Once the responses were complete, students were given presented with a 5 step systematic revision for their narratives that would put the finishing touchs on the papers, which are due next class period (Tuesday for 2nd block & Wednesday for 7th and 8th blocks). The five steps of revision are:

1. Circle all "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). Eliminate half of those that are used as the primary verb in the sentence (not used as a helping verb for an action)
2. Draw a wavy line under words that are often repeated. Find synonyms for half.
3. Place brackets [ ] around the first four words of every sentence. Make sure you use a variety of sentence beginnings.
4. Count and label the number of words in each sentence. Make sure you have a good mix of short and long sentences.
5. Mark out and "dead" words (good, rather, quite, nice, sort of, kind of, quite)

Personal narratives should be double spaced, typed in Times New Roman 12 point font, with 1" or 1.25" margins. The title should be centered, but not bolded, underlined, italicized, etc. The heading (also double spaced) should appear in the top left-hand corner and read as follows:

Your Name

Mrs. Krysl

English 1 - block __

7/8 October 2008

English 1 Homework

Finish personal narratives

No reading assignment in TKAM

English 2 -- In this class meeting, students finished reading and answering questions for the story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. Next, they read the story "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, and answered the questions after the story in the book. Once all reading and answering of questions was finished, students began writing the first draft of their personal narratives which are on the topic of a time/situation in which students have learned an important lesson. Since I was gone from school on Friday and not able to discuss the stories with the students, we will discuss and review both stories in the next class meeting. Thanks to all my English 2 students for behaving so wonderfully for the substitute on Friday -- I appreciated it, and you made me proud!

English 2 Homework

rough draft of personal narrative due next class

finish questions for both "Everyday Use" and "Two Kinds"

October 1/2, 2008

English 1 -- Today in class students took a reading check quiz over their homework, which was to read chpaters 2-4 of To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM). Students will be taking these quizzes at the beginning of nearly every class period as we read the novel -- this is my way of holding them accountable for their homework. I have already warned students that even though each quiz is only worth 5 points, those points will add up quickly and could seriously damage their grades if they do not do the reading outside of class.

After taking and discussing the quiz, students read chapter 5 to themselves and I read chapter 6 aloud. We then put the books away for the class period and worked a bit with the personal narratives. This time, students worked on an activity called "explode a moment" or "creating a snapshot" of their stories using words. Their jobs are to take an important moment that occurs during their story and slow it down, make it dramatic, and add tons of details to give readers a clear mental image of what is going on. This activity, along with the dialogue that students added for last class period, both help students develop characteristics of great writing.

English 1 Homework
read chapters 7-9 of TKAM (that means stop when you get to chapter 10)
add your "exploded moment" or "snapshot with words" to your narrative
**A few students have said they are having trouble following the novel and/or staying focused during reading. Here are a few guiding questions for those readers -- these questions will not be worth any points, but they should help with reading comprehension:
Chapter 7

1. What was weird about Jem's pants when he went back to get them on the Radley fence?
2. What items do Jem and Scout find in the knot hole?
3. What does Nathan Radley do to the knot hole

Chapter 8

1. Who dies in the winter?
2. Why does Scout think the world is ending?
3. What event(s) cause(s) Jem to finall y reveal all that has happened to him in regards to Boo Radley?

Chapter 9

1. What reason does Atticus give for not saying the "n-word"?
2. Why does Atticus say he's defending Tom Robinson?
3. Where does the family go for Christmas? What happens there between Scout and Francis?

English 2 -- Today in class students gave mini-presentations of their memory maps that they created last class. Next, students prepared for the story we were going to read in class by writing in their Writer's Notebooks about either a family heirloom they have inherited/hope to inherit one day, or about an argument/fight they have had with a sibling. This helped them focus for the story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, which is about a conflict between two very different siblings over family heirlooms. We will finish this story next class, when we will also exlore some aspects of good writing as we begin putting pen to paper on the personal narratives.

English 2 Homework
NONE (lucky you)!

September 29/30

English 1 -- In today's class, we began reading To Kill a Mockingbird! Students started the class by recording in our Writer's Notebooks about their family histories and family traditions -- this could be anything from "my grandparents came from England" to "my grandma makes some mean hot tamales and now I'm learning how to make them." Next, students answered some opinion questions that got them thinking about controversial topics that will be raised in the novel. After discussing student responses, I told the students a little bit about the author of the novel, Harper Lee. I explained how Lee said that authors should write about what they know, and how she practiced what she preached in her novel by using characters and events from her own childhood. If students are interested, I even have a book in my classroom library called I Am Scout, which is a biography of Harper Lee that outlines all the ways in which her real life is mirrored in Scout's life. In chapter one, which was read aloud in class, we met several characters, including Scout, Jem, Dill, Atticus, Calpurnia, Miss Stephanie Crawford, and the Radley family. Participation Question: What is Calpurnia's role in relation to the Finch family?

English 1 Homework
Read chapters 2-4 (up to page 42)
Be ready for a reading check quiz at the beginning of next class

English 2 -- In today's class, students turned in their maps and questions from "It Can't Be Helped," and we went over their answers to the questions. We then read another short story by Malcolm X, called "Hair". After students answered critical thinking questions over the story, they began idea-gathering for their upcoming personal narratives through a memory map. By drawing a stylized map of a place where they spent (or are spending) much of their childhood and adolescence, students are able to jog their memories about important events and situations that would make great subjects for their personal stories. Participation question: What did Malcolm do to his hair?

English 2 Homework
Finish memory maps
Make sure you come to class with an idea for your personal narrative

September 25/26

English 1 -- In today's class students took their BIG SCARY TEST over Romeo and Juliet. After finishing the test, they turned in the remainder of their work for the play, including their study packets and their last Verona Persona entry. In the near future, students will be choosing their best/favorite two entries to type up and contribute to a class Verona Persona Book. To end class, students created funny, fictitious conversation between a horse and a bear who met each other on a country road. This activity was a fun, easy way to learn how to correctly format and incorporate dialogue into their writing. On Monday we will begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird! Participation Question: What was the moral of your horse and bear conversation?

English 1 Homework
Using the two dialogue rules we learned today (each new speaker gets a new paragraph, and punctuation goes both inside the last quotation marks and at the end of the sentence), add dialogue to your personal narratives. I will check them next class to make sure they are formatted correctly. My suggestion at this point would be to go ahead and type your current draft of the story, so that as we make more changes to them (and we will be making several more), you don't have to keep rewriting it over and over in order to make the additions.

English 2 -- In class today, we started our short story unit with "It Can't Be Helped" by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. The story provides an anecdote of Jeanne's childhood experience of deportation from her home in Ocean Park, California, to Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp during World War II. In this story, students learned that at the same time that Hitler was rounding up Jewish people and sending them to concentration camps in Europe, the US was rounding up roughly 120,000 Japanese American citizens -- many of whom had never even been to Japan and none of whom were involved with the Pearl Harbor attack -- and forcing them away from their homes and into internment camps. Of course, we discussed similarities and differences between the holocaust and the Japanese internment in order to make sure students knew that the US government did not support or believe in any of Hilter's beliefs or practices during his reign. After the story, students mapped out the Wakatsuki's path of deportation and illustrated the map with pictures symbolizing events and places along their journey. Participation Question: What family heirloom did Jeanne's mother smash on the floor in order to avoid selling it?

English 2 Homework
Finish the map and questions over "It Can't Be Helped" if you did not do so in class today.

September 23/24. 2008

English 1 -- In today's class we finally reached the end of Romeo and Juliet! Our hard work of the last six weeks came to a close as we finished Act V and watched most of the rest of the movie. For their homework over the long weekend, students also received points for writing a two page rough draft of their personal narratives. Next class (Thursday for 2nd block and Friday for 7th and 8th blocks), we will have our test over all five acts of the play. We will also finish up the rest of the movie, and do a fun activity to learn about adding dialogue to our writing. Participation Question: How do both Montague and Capulet plan to honor Romeo and Juliet (hint - something for all of Verona to see)?

English 1 homework
STUDY for the Romeo and Juliet test
Finish filling out study packet
Verona Persona piece 4 - should have begun in class; address the topics of Romeo and Juliet's ultimate fate, whether you think the Capulets and Montagues will keep the peace they promise, and what you think about the Friar's punishment (or lack thereof)

English 2 -- Today students were finally able to be rid of the research papers they have been working on for the last month. However, before turning in their final papers, each student gave a 1-2 minute presentation to share important information about the holocaust-related topics on which they are now experts after all that research. After presentations, we found out the fates of the rest of our butterfly children. Of the 48 butterflies who originally hung from the ceiling, only 18 remain - the rest of the kids perished at the hands of the Nazis, and are now surrounding the tombstone on the chalkboard. To end class, we went over the answers to the holocaust test taken last week. I'm incredibly happy to report that not one English 2 student failed the test!
Participation Question: How did Adolf Hilter die?

English 2 Homework
No assignments, but remember to bring your textbooks to class on Thursday. Students who were not issued one when you picked up your schedule this summer, I will check one out to you in class.

High Stakes Day

English 1 -- At the beginning of class today, students took a reading check quiz for Act IV of Romeo and Juliet, which was the homework they were given last time. While students took the quiz, I also took completion points for Act IV questions in the study packet. After the quiz, we dove right into Act V, thus traveling closer to the end of the play and closer to the demise of our two favorite teenage spouses. And though Act IV showed us many turns in the plot, we still have plenty more twists where that came from before all is said and done. We will be finishing up both the play and the movie next week (on Tuesday for 2nd block and Wednesday for 7th and 8th), and taking a test over the whole thing after that (Thursday and Friday of next week).

English 1 Homework
Finish writing your rough draft for your personal narrative. Remember to make it as much like a story as possible -- lots of description, imagery, active verbs, etc. Your goal is to add entertainment value and drama!


English 2 -- Today was test day over our holocaust unit. After finishing the test, students did a systematic revision of their research papers, including:
-getting rid of "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been)
-finding synonyms for often-repeated words
-making sure they used a variety of sentence beginnings
-making sure they used a good mix of short and long sentences
-eliminating "dead" words like good, very, nice, rather, quite, sort of, kind of
Students also had the option of having an individual paper conference with me to get advice for improvement before turning in the final copy next Tuesday.

English 2 Homework
Finish research papers -- they are due at the beginning of next class period (9-23). Make sure to include internal citation and a correctly formatted works cited page.
Also, be prepared to get up and teach the class a bit about your topic next class -- these "presentations" will be brief, only a minute or two, and can include anything you wish -- statistics, a summary, pictures, etc.

Nearing the end...

Nope, not of the school year, but of the first six-week grading period, and of the current units of study for both English 1 & 2. For those of you who don't know, the grading period ends this Friday, so you will be receiving progress reports in the mail sometime in the next couple weeks. Students, if you are reading this, and you leave me a comment on here letting me know you stopped by (that means leave me your name and a nice hello), it might just be worth a few participation points....

English 1 -- During this class meeting, we finished up Act Three of Romeo and Juliet. This Act is known as the climax of the play, where we have the loss of two important characters (Mercutio and Tybalt) in scene one, and we find that Romeo is sentenced to exile, or banishment, from Verona. As if this isn't bad enough, in the last scenes of the Act, we learn that in an effort to cheer her up after her cousin Tybalt's death, Juliet's parents have moved up her impending marriage to Paris...it is now going to take place in three days! Wait, doesn't Juliet already have a husband? Yup, that's right, so for her and the rest of the characters in the play, it's all downhill from here!

We also worked a little bit with our newly-assigned personal narratives. To recap, the prompt for the paper is to write about a time when someone made a decision for you, and you had no say in the matter. Student's came into class ready to put their chosen topics in writing, which they did...in only 25 words. No more, no less, and without using "be" verbs. It was a tough little task, I know, but it's a good way to learn that in writing, our words have to pack a punch, so we need to use them wisely!

English 1 Homework:
Read Act Four of Romeo and Juliet in your textbook. Fill out Act Four questions in your study packet, and be ready for a reading check quiz next class. Also, make sure you have any writing on your personal narratives with you next time we meet.


English 2 -- During this class meeting, students brought with them a rough draft of their body paragraphs. Introductions and conclusions were still allowed to be a little shaky since we just learned the correct format for them today in class, but those students who had the rest participated in the all-important peer reader response activity. Students traded their papers with classmates to get friendly criticism and suggestions on their progress so far. Next class each student will have a personal conference with me to discuss their current drafts.

Today in class we also watched a video called The Wave, which is based on the true story of one California high school in 1967 that got caught up in a Nazi-like frenzy at the forming of a student group. Since I have had many students ask how the Germans could have let Hitler rule them and let the Holocaust happen, I hope this video gave them a little insight into how it could have possibly been done.

Last but certainly not least, next class (Thursday) we have a TEST over Night and the three Connections pieces we read. Don't forget to study the Night chapter question sheets I have handed back...they will help tremendously!

English 2 Homework
STUDY for the test on Thursday!
Bring all research paper materials next class as well, since you will be having individual paper conferences with me.

That's all for now!

-Mrs. K

Welcome!

Hello all!

I'm so glad to finally get this up and running! I am looking forward to all of my students and their parents being able to use this blog as a great additional resource for my English classes. The plan is to post homework, upcoming assignments, and other interesting tidbits about my English I and II classes every day (actually every other day in order to correlate with block scheduling). So students, every night when you are on the computer checking your email, Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, etc., make sure you drop by this site too, so you can check on your homework assignments and see what I had to say about our recent classes. Also, if you happen to be absent, I will upload assignment files on this page so you can print them out at home and never miss a beat in class. And parents, this place is for you too! Feel free to check up on your students and find out what we are doing in class on a daily basis!