English 1

Today in class, students wrote about a time when someone made a decision for them in which they had no choice and their opinion did not matter. We have all had these situations in life in which we felt helpless and/or dissatisfied, just as Juliet feels in Romeo and Juliet when her parents want her to marry Paris. Next students read scenes 3 and 4 of Act 2 of the play, during which the Friar agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, and the Nurse helps the two lovers make plans to meet for their wedding. To end class, students got a glimpse at the questions they will be answering for their second Verona Persona entry on our class wiki at www.mrskrysl.wetpaint.com

Homework

• Post your Verona Persona entry for Act 2 on the wiki. Remember, 5th block posts under Verona Persona, and 8th block posts under Verona Persona 2. Read all instructions and questions for the post.

English 2

During this class period, students completed their last discussion sheet over chapters 7-9 of Night. After discussion of the book was complete, students learned about Elie Weisel's life after his experiences in the Holocaust, including the fact that he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Next students read, discussed, and analyzed a poem written by survivor Sonia Schreiber Weitz called "My Black Messiah". To end class, students made folder organizers for their research papers, and we listened the biographies of a few of our "butterfly children".

Homework

• Come to class with 3 sources for your research paper topic.

English 1

Today in class, students turned in their Romeo and Juliet costume assignments. As always, I was impressed and entertained by many of the students' costume creations. Next students read Act Two Scene 2 -- the famous balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet agree to marry each other merely hours after they first meet. After reading the famous scene, students interpreted and wrote about the metaphors Romeo uses to compare Juliet's beauty to things in nature. Students worked on the very importatnt skill of using lead-ins and lead-outs to smoothly incorporate quotes into their literary analysis.

Participation Questions
1. What are two things in nature that Romeo associates with Juliet's beauty?

Homework

NONE! Enjoy your homework-free night!

English 2

Today in class, students in 1st and 2nd blocks completed an interactive, informational webquest on the Holocaust. After the webquest, they began gather sources for their Holocaust research papers. Many students were able to find lots of information on their topics by exploring the webquest site, so they already have one of their three required sources out of the way. Since 4th block did the webquest and research last class, today they watched and listened to Lolle Boettcher's holocaust presentation that I was able to record on my FlipCam on Wednesday. This presentation is also a great source of information for many students' research topics.

Homework

• Finish Night (chapters 7,8, and 9) -- we will complete the discussion sheet in class
• Come to next class with 3 sources for your research paper

English 1

Today in class, students turned in their Queen Mab depictions that they created for homework. Next, they located examples of various literary terms found in Act One of Romeo and Juliet. We then watched Act One of the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet. To end class, students started on their costume assignment and read the Prologue and Scene 1 of Act Two. Next class students begin with Act Two Scene 2 which contains the famous balcony scene.

Homework

• Complete the costume assignment by following these criteria:

1. Draw costumes for 4 characters -- 2 must be Romeo and Juliet, then draw 1 additional Montague and 1 additional Capulet.

2. Must use some distinguishing factor to tell members of the two families apart

3. Include a symbol for each character that resembles either their personality or their role in the play

4. Must be colored and neat -- remember the best ones will become magnets on display

English 2

Today in class, students turned in their Chapter 5 notesheet for Night. Students in 1st and 2nd block viewed a presentation about events leading to the holocaust by guest speaker Lolle Boettcher (4th block will view the presentation next class). Students in 4th block went to the computer lab to complete a webquest on the holocaust and begin finding information for their research papers (students in 1st and 2nd block will go to the computer lab next class).

Homework

• Read chapter 6 of Night (begins around page 84) and complete notesheet.

English 1

Today in class, students turned in their Perfect Mate: Parent Forms that their moms and/or dads completed for homework. We also checked out some Verona Persona posts on the class wiki so that we could decide what was a good (worth full points) post and what kind of post still needed some work (worth half points). Next, students began an assignment in which they create their own depiction/drawing of Queen Mab since Shakespeare paints such vivid pictures of her with his words in Act One Scene 4. To end class, students read Act One Scene 5, during which Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time and change the course of their lives forever.

Participation Questions (leave answers in the form of a comment)

1. Which character gave the Queen Mab speech?

2. Why are the events of Act One Scene 5 both good and bad for Romeo and Juliet?

(Hint: "My only love sprung from my only hate")

Homework

Finish your Queen Mab drawing