Friday, September 30, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 16

Collected “The Interlopers” packet (questions 1 – 29)

Vocabulary test – Lesson Two vocabulary words (amalgamate, demented…)

After you turn in your test, grab your graded assignments from the counter

Next, number a paper 1 – 20 and complete the possessives work on the monitors

Notes on plurals and introduction to possessives

Graded today’s vocabulary tests

Using our “5 things” sentence structure, took notes on "doer, doing, done to"…

Homework:

Bring Literature book next week.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 15

Effort trumps talent.

Effort grows connections in your brain which make you smarter.  (Carol Dweck)

Checked homework: back page this week’s vocabulary handout (Exercise 2)

WARMUP:  Using your literary terms handout for definitions, look through “The Interlopers” and write down an example of each of the following: irony, conflict, and omniscient narration

Discussed feuds and fights – including Huck Finn’s thoughts – and how feuds resemble rivalries – wrote definitions in our notes

Completed page 8 in Plural Rules packet (#1-20) – reviewed answers

Began open-book test packet on “The Interlopers” due tomorrow (questions 1 – 29) and studying for tomorrow’s vocabulary test

Homework:

Finish open-book test packet on “The Interlopers” due tomorrow (questions 1 – 29)

Study for Friday’s vocabulary test: Lesson Two vocabulary words (amalgamate, demented…)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 14

"Everybody is a genius.  But, if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."   Albert Einstein

WARMUP: Complete Exercise 1 on the back page this week’s vocabulary handout – we’ll do exercise 2 for homework.

Reviewed pronunciations and phonetic spelling of this week's vocabulary words

Checked our understanding of noun plurals by making 20 guesses – then reviewed answers

Reviewed omniscient narration (pg. 233)

Previewed “The Interlopers” (read bits of beginning, middle, end; looked at illustrations; made predictions)

Read “The Interlopers” by Saki – pgs. 232 – 240.

Homework:

Complete Exercise 2 on the back page this week’s vocabulary handout.

Study for Friday’s vocabulary test: Lesson Two vocabulary words (amalgamate, demented…)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 13

If you did not yet pick up this week’s vocabulary words on the center table yesterday, do so now.

Check grades.

Day 2 of 2 - Library Orientation

Finish Works Cited/Bibliography assignment (from Library Orientation) – see Mrs. Blunt in library for details (turn it in to the Mrs. Blunt).

Homework:

Study for Friday’s vocabulary test: Lesson Two vocabulary words (amalgamate, demented…)

Monday, September 26, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 12

Did you remember to forget your textbook today?

Pick up this week’s vocabulary words on the center table.

After attendance, Day 1 of 2 - Library Orientation

Began work on Works Cited/Bibliography assignment (from Library Orientation) – see Mrs. Blunt in library for details

Homework:

Study for Friday’s vocabulary test: Lesson Two vocabulary words (amalgamate, demented…)

Friday, September 23, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 14

Took vocabulary test (affixes: prefixes and suffixes)

After you turn in your test and using your irony notes, create an example of 2 of the 3 types of irony. You may create sentences or cartoons.

Read 3 short plays scenes on IRONY – discussed

Review 2 sentence patterns – “Updike” and “5 things”

Follow up with yesterday’s plotline papers - introduced “Explode a Moment” writing whereby we wrote about a single moment (one off our recent list of 25) as if we were filming it in slow-motion. We included thoughts, sights, smells, dialogue…should be one side of a sheet of paper minimum. COLLECTED

Homework:

Do NOT bring Literature book Monday.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 13

Staple your paper to your chart before I collect your homework: Typed personal plotline paper (labeled 1-25) stapled to our handwritten plotlines

WARMUP: Write an example of each of the following (use your Literary Terms packet if you need help): 1. Metaphor 2. Simile 3. Personification

Wrote our sample sentences on whiteboards – reviewed definitions - metaphor, simile, personification

Identified metaphor, simile, personification in 7 examples from “The Most Dangerous Game”

Tomorrow’s test format explained – see Latin/Greek prefixes and suffixes

Graded capitalization tests

Again, using our Literary Terms packet page 4, we highlighted the important points for the 3 kinds of irony…we then completed work on the three different kinds of IRONY and reviewed answers

Studied for tomorrow’s Latin/Greek affix (prefix and suffix) test

Homework:

Study Latin/Greek affix packet for Friday’s affix test. Know all 6 affixes on handout and at least one word from the handout that uses each affix.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 12

Checked homework: personal plotline with 25 points, labeled with numbers

While I check your homework, get 2 pieces of paper….number one of them 1-20 in preparation for your capitalization test – save the other for your warmup activity.

Completed work on CONFLICT

Next sentence type introduced – “5-things sentence” – get notes from classmate…(chose five items from the room then wrote them into a sentence by forming a relationship or connection between the items…) then we chose 5 words from this week’s prefix/suffix list and tried the same thing

Read excerpt from Zen Shorts (“The Farmer’s Luck”) by Jon J. Muth – discussed the connections between this story and our personal plotlines

Worked on rough draft of paper due tomorrow - use your personal plotlines as a guide to write a story about an inanimate object that experiences highs and lows in the same order, but not the same events.

Homework:

Typed draft of your personal plotline/inanimate object story STAPLED to your plotline (from today) – do NOT include your detailed list of events

Study Latin/Greek affix packet for Friday’s affix test. Know all 6 affixes on handout and at least one word from the handout that uses each affix.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 11

Capitalization practice (test tomorrow)

Practice “Updike” sentences – thematic – hysterical or puzzled

Handed out this week’s Latin/Greek affix sheet (prefixes and suffixes) – this will be your vocabulary sheet for this week’s test on Friday

BEGIN HOMEWORK: Discussed how to create a personal plotline that includes 25 highs and lows of our own lives over the last few years (finish for homework) – number the plotline (graph) and make a numbered key for your reference.

Homework:

Study for capitalization test

Create a personal plotline that includes 25 highs and lows from your life

1.      List your 25 points, chronologically

2.      On a separate paper (or neatly on the same), map the same 25 points (showing the highs and lows, graphically)

Study Latin/Greek affix packet for Friday’s affix test. Know all 6 affixes on handout and at least one word from the handout that uses each affix.

Monday, September 19, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 10

Continued with capitalization work – reviewed answers - announced Capitalization test date – Wednesday

Graded “Most Dangerous Game” take-home tests from Friday

Follow up on John Updike sentences – show student examples then inferred what the author was saying. Literal vs. suggested

Wrote down a series of prefixes and thought of words that used them: 1. a-, ab-, abs- 2. a-, an- 3. acr-, acro- 4.  alt-, alti- 5.  ambi- 6.  ant-, anti-

Create another “Updike” sentence...inferred what the author meant to say

Listened to Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

Homework:

Study for Wednesday's capitalization test - using our Writer's Choice books or the internet

Study for Friday’s vocabulary test (prefixes and suffixes).

Friday, September 16, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 9

Collect homework: packet of open-book questions on “The Most Dangerous Game”

Took first vocabulary test (lesson 1 words)

When you finish your vocabulary test, write down 5 POSITIVE THINGS that the cyborg could learn if we inputted the story “The Most Dangerous Game” into his memory.

Read “Television” by Roald Dahl

Sentence structure mimicking - watched Ted Williams from 1960, then read John Updike's take on the final homerun.

Homework:

Bring Literature book Monday

Thursday, September 15, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 8

Check homework: 3 made up sentences; 3 different points of view (re: “The Most Dangerous Game”)

WARMUP: At your tables, using the dry erase boards, have each person at your table write 1 fill-in-the-blank sentence that requires the blank to be filled in with 1 of this week’s vocabulary words – do NOT INCLUDE THE ANSWER. Write the answers on a separate paper.

Completed Point of View handout – adding third-person narrator to the Point of View section of our Literary Terms handout (page 2):

3rd-person OBJECTIVE point of view = The writer is a third-person spectator who describes the action but does not tell the reader that the characters think or feel.

Began packet of open-book questions on “The Most Dangerous Game” - due tomorrow

Homework:

Finish MDG packet for tomorrow

Study for vocabulary test on Friday (20 fill-in-the-blank sentences – you provide the correct vocabulary word for each sentence)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 7

Create an outline about any of the information in “The Most Dangerous Game” remembering yesterday’s outlining rule: If there’s a “I”, there’s a “II”…

Complete the following:

Because “The Most Dangerous Game” ended with…

I predict…

Show grade sheet and how to read it

Complete PLOT handout (on monitors and with each other) – COLLECTED – write out the details for each of the 6 plot points for The Most Dangerous Game…starting with exposition, ending with resolution (see your notes for details)

Using your Literary Terms handout (page 2) – read the “Point of View” paragraph noting the 3 different kinds of narrators – then make up one sentence for the story “The Most Dangerous Game” using each of the 3 kinds of narrators – HOMEWORK: TO BE CHECKED TOMORROW IN CLASS

Homework:

See above

Study for vocabulary test on Friday (20 fill-in-the-blank sentences – you provide the correct vocabulary word for each sentence)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 6

Checked homework: Vocabulary sentences #1-13 = Exercise II –Sentence Completion (or a pink sheet)

WARMUP: At your desk, correct the capitalization errors in #1, 2, 3 on monitors

Review outlining and capitalization rules - practice

Hand out Literary Terms packet

Finished reading “The Most Dangerous Game” in Literature book p. 23 – end (or finish for homework)

Homework:

Study for vocabulary test on Friday (20 fill-in-the-blank sentences – you provide the correct vocabulary word for each sentence)

Monday, September 12, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 5

Before today’s warmup, go to locker and get your Literature book (the purple one).

WARMUP: Pick up a copy of this week’s vocabulary words (on center table) – fill-in-the-blank test will be this Friday – then complete “Lesson One” - Exercise I – Words in Context” on the back of the handout and reviewed the answers

Listened to “The Parable of the Pebbles”

With a partner, we wrote from the point of view of a deer on opening day of hunting, imagining its inner conflict. Shared a few on the Elmo

60 second PREVIEW of “The Most Dangerous Game” – formed first impressions of short story

Began reading “The Most Dangerous Game” in Literature book pgs. 16 - 24

Began writing 3 predictions from the story using the following format: “Because the story says…I predict…” (COLLECTED)

Homework:

Finish Vocabulary packet: #1-13 = Exercise II –Sentence Completion; Exercise – Inference

Study for vocabulary test on Friday (20 fill-in-the-blank sentences – you provide the correct vocabulary word for each sentence)

Friday, September 9, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 4

Collect homework: signed Contact Information Sheet (or a pink sheet)

Name one of your favorite books or films and draw a plotline for it that includes the 6 major plot points that we took notes on yesterday.

Go to locker and write your name on the inside cover of both textbooks.

Introduction to Book Pass – individually previewed many novels from school library

Silent sustained reading – books of our choice

Homework:

Bring Literature book (the purple one) next week.

Remind parents to send me a brief email from their preferred email address with student name in the Subject line (if they haven’t already done so).

Thursday, September 8, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 3

Look at yesterday’s capitalization sentences (p. 163)…pretend that you need to teach capitalization to a visitor from another country. Write down 3 capitalization rules for them that help them understand these 16 sentences.

Checked yesterday’s comma class work (p. 163) for accuracy. In order to learn by trial and error, not trial and success, hopefully everyone got at least one wrong so that they will have learned something today

Review answers to yesterday’s capitalization; also complete 1-10 of next sentences

Read “The Cursed Prince” story.

Introduce Good Bystander shutdown phrases

Took notes on plotlines and the 5 kinds of conflict (get these from a classmate)

As a table, write up an example of each of the 7 types of conflict - COLLECTED

Given what you’ll see today in the cyborg bonus footage video, each half table group is to write up an ability for the cyborg as well as a past and a future that makes sense with the bonus footage - COLLECTED

Homework:

Signed Contact Information Sheet due Friday.

Remind parents to send me a brief email from their preferred email address with student name in the Subject line.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

1^st trimester – Day 2

Read over a copy of “Syllabus - English 9 – Trimester A” – have page 3 signed for homework. Discussed pink sheets and homework binder and blog

Watched several Cyber bullying and Power of Bystanders videos – discussed Silent Observer program at RFC

Listed 3 things that we would never buy no matter what - then exchanged papers and wrote a commercial that persuaded the person to buy the very thing he said he would never buy.

Discussed contractions (and a challenge to name a contraction whose apostrophe stood in for 3 letters)

Worked on Capitalization – 16 sentences

Homework:

Signed Contact Information Sheet due Friday.

Remind parents to send me a brief email from their preferred email address with student name in the Subject line.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

ENGLISH – 1^st trimester – Day 1

Found our assigned seats and tables

While being introduced to teacher,  we listed 10 things we noticed in the room - CONTEST for one-of-a-kind observations

Watched Cyborg video

In our table groups, we listed 10 abilities for the cyborg. We chose our favorite ability of the 10 and then created both a back-story (past) and a future for the chosen ability. Some classes illustrated their ideas.

Read introductory letter Click here to read introduction letter from Mr. Van Bragt.

Tornado, Fire, and Code Red drills explained

Shared table work with the rest of the class by explaining the ability we chose as well as the past and future stories about that ability.

View Cyborg Bonus Footage below:

Homework:

Parents send SIMPLE email with student name in subject line and parent name and relationship to student in body of email. Send to tvanbragt@rockfordschools.org

Go to classroom blog and watch bonus cyborg footage... http://mrvanbragtonline.blogspot.com/

Deliver teacher introductory letter to parents.