Monday, June 10
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Finals Week." It has been a pleasure working with each and every one of you. Thank you for your kindness, dedication, creativity, imagination, and counsel. I will undoubtedly take with me into the world and the rest of my teaching career the many experiences I was able to have here at McNary. Such as "heads up, seven up". Invaluable. I also realize the likelihood that any of you will be reading this is slim. All the same, thanks. See you around. Friday, June 7 Honors English 10 - "It's a Conundrum!" Game: The new old favorite!! Remember the "jeopardy" we played for the short story unit? Well, "IAC" is the refined (and by refined, I mean in the name) version of that. Here's what you should focus on for next week's final test: - Themes in "Mockingbird" (think symbolism and meaning behind characters and events) - Meaningful or revealing details, including who or what each detail pertains to (remember: There is meaning in the words an author chooses to write in a story. Whenever Harper Lee went into detail about anything, it's probably worth remembering. This includes quotes) - TKAM vocab Intro to Creative Writing - I started a prompt today...it started well, then went astray. And YOU GUYS LED IT THERE! (in a good way.) Perhaps not uncharacteristically, today we ended with a class discussion (more like tangential conversation), which was a rather anticlimactic way to spend the last day of class, but perhaps a good representation of life in general: A time and a place for all things---but perhaps not always the time or place you had expected. For next Wednesday, come to class ready to do some honest writing :) Be seeing you! Thursday, June 6 Honors English 10 - Last day of presentations! Thank you: Charlotte Brattain Lauren Hudgins Kaeleigh Dunn Cheyenne Shepherd Joey Moss Nick Wolfert Oscar Vallejo Shelby Williamson Meadow Wheaton Zoe Arnsmeier Eric Jeon Sandy Childress Zoe Baumann Lizzie Stewart Tim Hays Payton Williams Maddy Kelley Good work, folks. Please come to class tomorrow prepared to review for the FINAL next week!! Intro to Creative Writing - "Where I'm From" by Lemon serves as our inspirational poem for today. Follow his "model" of poetry to write your own "Where I'm From" poem. What is he talking about first, and how does this change by the end? What do you notice about his delivery? Wednesday, June 5 Honors English 10 - Thanks to the following presentations today: Kassie Fuller Claire Zielinski Daniela Sanchez Rachelle Austin Carly Scott Rylee Cutchin Alyx Peterson Katherine Patterson Megan Johnson Jillian Rosscup Matthew Conover Jeremy Williams Jasmine Ernest Intro to Creative Writing - Day of letters---write to the seniors! Share something with them that you have learned in your life that you feel would be good parting words. Seniors -- write a letter to me. Tell me what you liked about the class, and what you might have been particularly not fond of..I want to know it all. I invite you to also share anything else with me that you wish to impart. I wish you nothing but the best out there. It's a mighty big world. Tuesday, June 4 Honors English 10 - First set of TKAM final project presentations today! Thanks to: Julia Lewis Cheyenne Shoemaker Xander Sinur Tom Janssen Julia Fegles Taslima Sidhu Justice Wetter-Wynne Nichole Larimer Rachel Morrow Michaela Schmidt Lauren Hento Jael Mosqueda Morgan Raymond Taylor McCoin Ashli Penrose Courtney Lutz Sam Welch Amber Hari Mady Guzman David Henderson We laughed, we cried, we applauded. Looking forward to what is to come. Intro to Creative Writing - Get those spirals cleaned up! here's what you should have: - Blues poem (10) - "Me me me" (10) - You are not special (10) - Manifesto (30) - MLK, Jr. QW (10) - "The World Without" (10) - Henry Rollins Day 1&2 (30 total) - Who in Fiction (20) - Major Event/Inspiration (20) Total points: 150 Today's Write-out: Think of one major event that was particularly inspirational to you or to others. This can be something of your own experience or a well-known event that you only know about. Write either a page of description (sensory) or a page of poetry that illustrates this event. Monday, June 3 Honors English 10 - TKAM project work day #3--make good use of this time! Presentations begin tomorrow; ALL projects must be completed by the start of class. Good luck with all you have to do! I know it isn't easy out there. Be strong. You got this. Intro to Creative Writing - "Who in Fiction?" -- Write-out: Who is your favorite fictional character (book, movie, tv show)? Tell a story or write a poem from that character's perspective. If your character has died, write from their living perspective. SENIORS - Your spirals are due tomorrow, June 4th! Friday, May 31 Honors English 10 - TKAM project work day #2--Also your last day to hand in Character Charts! I have grades posted in class, so have a look and get in what you need to get in. Good luck out there, folks. Intro to Creative Writing - Cadavre exquis! Thursday, May 30 Honors English 10 - ALL RIGHT, LET'S PARTY! TKAM PROJECTS: You received a handout today that describes the four options for your final Mockingbird projects. I won't lay out the options here, but if you were absent today, come to class tomorrow to decide on one option and sign up. Your work days in class are tomorrow (Friday, May 31) and Monday, June 3rd. You also had today, and of course you have the weekend as well. ALL PROJECTS MUST BE FINISHED AND TURNED IN BY TUESDAY, JUNE 4th. This doesn't necessarily mean all presenters and films will be shown/performed on the 4th, but everyone needs to be done just in case. Thanks! Intro to Creative Writing - H. Rollins part deux: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Here's the skinny: There is truth all over this world, but it takes special eyes to see it: Eyes without filters. Henry Rollins sees the world without filters. And he's really angry. He sees that there is plenty to be angry about. And yet, he is kind, courteous, respectful, and honest. Consider these videos to be invitations from Henry (and myself) to see things without a filter. Find something that makes you angry (I mean angry--not as in your best friend forgot to buy you a present for your birthday) and ask yourself, "why does this make me so angry?" And then think about it. And then answer the three questions from yesterday again, this time after seeing today's three videos. Wednesday, May 29 Honors English 10 - Day #2 of the film. Bring your books tomorrow. I will be introducing the projects and you will need the books to start your work. Intro to Creative Writing - Henry Rollins Day! Videos watched: Letter to a Young American Part 1 Letter to a Young American Part 2 Education is the End of Disaster Capitalism After EACH video, answer the following questions in your QWs: 1) Who is Rollins addressing? 2) What is the intended message? 3) What is one thing Rollins said that struck a chord with you? Why? Tuesday, May 28 Honors English 10 - Today and tomorrow I am showing the 1962 film version of TKAM. I hope we can get through the whole thing in two days--if we can't, we can't. But we'll try! On Thursday I'll be introducing the TKAM final project, so please bring your books to class. REMEMBER: If you did not have your graded narratives to hand back to me in class today, please bring them tomorrow. I NEED these scores, so I'd appreciate it! Thanks! Intro to Creative Writing - "Imagine a world without..." HMmm. Imagine a world without something. The more personal the thing that is missing, the more meaningful the statement will be. For instance, imagine a world without guns. Pretend for a moment that cannons and gunpowder were never realized. What would the implications be? Would the world be better or worse? Think about the many ways in which guns have played a role in history, and then think about how guns so easily and indiscriminately put an end to life. Hard question, right? Or is it? Choose something like this to write and reflect on, beginning with "Imagine a world without..." Friday, May 24 Honors English 10 - End of Book Discussion & hand in character charts. There is so much that happens at the end of the book, it is difficult to have a class discussion about all of it, and there were some things unmentioned that I now lament. Here are some: When scout leads Boo home, she configures his arm so that it would seem, to potential onlookers, that it was he who was leading Scout, "as any gentleman would do." This further proves Scout's "with-it-ness" by the end of the book, along with her understanding of why Heck Tate felt like the truth should be concealed regarding Boo Radley's involvement in the death of Bob Ewell ("well, it would be sort of like killing a mockingbird, wouldn't it?") HEY! Please continue to bring your books to class--I will be introducing the novel project next week. Intro to Creative Writing - I have a dream. Familiar with these words? You should be. And if you weren't before but were in class today, now you are. You're welcome. We talked about how Reverent Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech resembled our definition of a MANIFESTO, and talked a bit about our reasoning. Manifestos can take different shapes and sizes--remember, they are public declarations of intent. Thursday, May 23 Honors English 10 - Discussion of chapter 28 today. Many of you have read on already, and some have finished the book. For the sake of classroom sanity and peace, REMEMBER THE VLS. It is no fun to have a story ruined, especially when that story is almost 300 pages long. For those of you who are on track (that is, not ahead--because no one should be behind), please finish the book tonight and have completed character charts to hand in tomorrow. Intro to Creative Writing - MANIFESTOS of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, are scattered throughout history and humanity. Sometimes, these DECLARATIONS go branching out from formerly established societal constructs, other times they seem to rise from the ashes of ideas or revolutions that burned. "MANIFESTO comes from the latin word 'manifest' which means 'to make visible or to reveal'. A manifesto reveals your intent. Most dictionaries define a manifesto as "a public declaration of intent". - from Geoff McDonald's website Your task today was to start your own manifesto. Remember--it must outline what you wish to achieve, what you think must happen in the world for this change to occur, and must be intended for the public's eyes and ears. If you could get up on a soapbox and be guaranteed the undivided attention of the world, what would you say? Wednesday, May 22 Honors English 10 - Quiz#6!! No vocab!! Come in after school to make up quiz #5 (last day is tomorrow), and if you were absent today you have until next Thursday to make up quiz#6. We were able to briefly discuss chapter 27 today--enough to talk about how much we hate Bob Ewell and love Link Deas. HW: Read chapter 28 for sure, and should you choose to, you may finish the book (and should you choose to do so, please remember the VLS). Either way, you will need the book finished by Friday, along with your completed Character Charts. Intro to Creative Writing - So, we Millenials have a way with the world that is totally new. Did you catch how or why this is? Why is "Generation Y" so freakin' fascinating?? On the surface, we are self-centered, narcissistic, overconfident, and lazy. Why do you think that is? (observe your peers, or even yourselves, going about your daily business. What do you notice? How many times do you reach for your phone when it isn't buzzing?) Tuesday, May 21 Honors English 10 - TKAM theme questions issued today. I am really more concerned with how you responded to these prompts--finishing wasn't exactly the point, so don't worry if you didn't get through every point. If you were absent today (there were many of you), please respond to the task below and turn it in next class. Themes in TKAM Write your name at the top of a sheet of paper. Title this "Themes in TKAM". Identify one or two examples from the text that support each of the following themes. Include a direct quote or passage from the text, and write your rationale in 3-4 complete sentences. - Social Inequality in chapters 23 & 26 - Hypocrisy in chapter 24 & 26 - Symbolism in chapter 25 - Forces of Good and Evil in chapters 23, 24, and 26 HW: Read chapter 27 Intro to Creative Writing - Time magazine's latest issue features a young adult on the cover, taking a picture of herself with her Apple smart phone. The featured article is called "The Me Me Me Generation" by Joel Stein, and focuses in on the world's rising generation of influence; The Millenials (born between 1980 and 2000). I read a few passages from the article itself, highlighting the initial points it raises about our generation -- that we are basically self-centered, narcissistic, overconfident, lazy, and entitled individuals. As you might predict, the article shifts (no, it isn't a full-on rant about how horrible young people are these days), which we will take another look at tomorrow, and probably for the rest of the week in some way or another. Although we are technically finished with our poetry unit, there is mention of Walt Whitman, and I could not help but show you part of the poem Stein refers to in the article. It's called Song of Myself. It's rather long, but it's worth a read, should you feel inclined. Also referred to in Stein's article is a high school commencement speech by David McCullough Jr., an english teacher at Wellesley High School. You can view the video here. Finally, a QW: Part 1--What is one (or more) phrase(s) that you picked out from this speech as being important? Why did you think so? Part 2--What is your reaction to this speech? How about your opinion? Monday, May 20 Honors English 10 - We discussed chapters 23 and 24 today, focusing on: - "Having a gun around is an invitation..." - "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute." - The discussion between Jem and Atticus about the Jury - "That was the one thing that made me think, well, this may be a shadow of a beginning." (Refer, also, to Miss Maudie's remarks of a similar nature earlier in chapter 22) Tomorrow we will continue our discussion of chapter 24 (particularly surrounding Mrs. Merriweather and the ladies' luncheon-party). HW: Read chapters 25-26 Intro to Creative Writing - Prison Blues Lyricism in two examples: 1. Furry Lewis' Judge Harsh Blues 2. Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues Your task: Focus on each song's lyrics & rhyme scheme. Write your own blues (what bums you out?), following the rhyme scheme of either example 1 or 2. Friday, May 17 Honors English 10 - Discussion of chapter 22 (along with bits from 21, 20, and the end of 19) today, focusing on: - Dill and Jem, and their tears (why they cried) - The injustice suffered, and by whom (not just Tom) - The gifts given to Atticus & his reaction - The talk with Miss Maudie on the following day (what she says to Jem about Atticus) - What happened between Bob Ewell and Atticus. Weekend HW: Read Ch. 23-24 Intro to Creative Writing - Final presentations today! Closing the unit, we heard from: Liana - "Beauty" Eduardo - "Speed" Makenzie - "Innocence" Topher - "Easy" Rayne - "Love" Thank you all. Have a great weekend. Thursday, May 16 Honors English 10 - Quiz # 5 today! Followed by a discussion of chapters 20-21, primary focus on the Dolphus Raymond & why he feigns drunkenness, Dill's reaction to the trial, Atticus' speech, and the verdict. HM: Read chapter 22 Intro to Creative Writing - "Poets are both clean and warm..." Presenters today: Bobbie - "Numb" Natalia - "Precious" Erica - "Addicted" Danke Schoen! One more day of presentations! Wednesday, May 15 Honors English 10 - Today we had an awesome discussion, mainly surrounding Mayella Ewell--but there are some other important things going on, and tomorrow I'd like to further discuss Tom, and also Dill. Chance, today, brought up feeling of empathy that he had for Dill at the end of chapter 19. I really appreciated this, because I think it is important to consider what Dill is feeling. I felt it, too. We'll cover this more tomorrow, along with the rest of the trial and all other proceedings in chapters 20 and 21. HW: Read chapters 20 and 21 Intro to Creative Writing - Presenters today: Jazlyn - "Fine" Nicole - "Perfect" Megan - "Equal" Marisa - "Worth" Anthony - "Ugly" Thank you! Tuesday, May 14 Honors English 10 - Opened up with QWs: QW 1: Given the events in chapters 17 and 18, would you say Tom Robinson will ultimately be found guilty or not guilty? Explain your reasoning. QW 2: What are your feelings toward Mayella Ewell? What do you think about her behavior in court and about what she says under oath? And Discussion Questions: 1. Yesterday we mentioned in our discussion that already the trial seemed strange, especially given no one called a doctor for Mayella after she was allegedly raped. Ponder this briefly, and then think about the events that unfold with Bob and Mayella Ewell under oath. - What did you find strange about either Bob or Mayella's (or both) demeanor in court? - Anything strange about their responses to Mr. Gilmer and Atticus' questions? 2. Why do you think Atticus asked Mayella if she loved her father? HW: Read chapter 19 Intro to Creative Writing - Today's presenters: Juan - "Blind" Morgan - "Strong" Bethany - "Stupid" Mason - "Lost" Pilar - "Sad" Thank you to today's poets! One thing I love best about this class is how different everyone is in their writing, and it comes out best with poetry. Righteous. I had y'all finish up that QW from yesterday before presentations today. I wanted to have more time with our conversation about it, so we'll continue with it tomorrow before jumping the presentations. Monday, May 13 Honors English 10 - Quiz #4 today! Then we discussed chapter 16 and 17, focusing on: - The breakfast scene in chapter 16 - Relationship between Atticus and Alexandra - The beginning of the trial - Bob Ewell HW: Read chapter 18 Intro to Creative Writing - Presentations today included Sofia - "Bully" Michelle - "Sharp" Robert - "Beautiful" Caroline - "Success" Jaron - "Feeling" Thank you to all of you, and a special thanks to those who were not originally scheduled to present today but did, anyway. You are heroes. Tomorrow: Juan, Morgan, Bethany, Mason, and Marisa. We will open class with where we left off today--with the QW and video--because I think it's interesting enough to take the time. Friday, May 10 Honors English 10 - Discussion questions from Monday and yesterday due today. You may hand them in Discussion of chapter 15 today, starting out with a QW: There are two scenes in chapter 15 involving groups of men congregating at night; one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday. Who is involved on Saturday, and what purpose did you glean from this gathering? How about on Sunday? Discussion points (no written response necessary--just consider): - What Atticus means by saying, "do you really think so?" - Who is Mr. Underwood? - Big focus on the scene in front of the jailhouse: What is happening? What is Scout thinking the whole time, and how is this different from what everyone else is thinking? - Mr. Cunningham's situation, and his interaction with Scout - Interactions between Atticus and Jem & how this evolves WEEKEND HW: Read chapters 16-17 Intro to Creative Writing - Work day today. I passed around a sign-up sheet for next week's presentations, and the slots left are for Monday and Tuesday (those absent today can blame your classmates for leaving you the spots at the beginning of the week). Take advantage of the weekend to finish these! REMEMBER: Extra credit goes to presentations with added creativity and performance value!! (aside from music, this includes props, pictures, costumes, etc.) Thursday, May 9 Honors English 10 - Congratulations to today's test-passers! I'm doing my best to get some links up on this page to the assignments from Monday and today. If it continues to give me grief, I will just type it out here (even though it'll take me approximately eleven hours to do so). Bear with me--it'll (they'll) be up by the time I leave school today, by golly. Group Discussion: Quotation Investigation Ch. 11-14 (Write your responses on a separate sheet of paper and staple together with Monday's group discussion questions) For each quotation... - Identify its speaker and recipient - Write one paragraph describing the purpose of the quote and what implications it has on any/all characters involved (cite specific words from the quote and any other relevant examples from the text) - Number each response accordingly Chapter 11 1) "They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions, but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." 2) "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Chapter 12 1) "Brethren and sisters, we are particularly glad to have company with us this morning. Mister and Miss Finch. You all know their father." 2) "It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike--in the second place, folks don't like to have somebody around knowin' more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not going to change any of them by talkin' right, they've got to want to learn themselves." Chapter 13 1) "Aunty better watch how she talks--scratch most folks in Maycomb and they're kin to us." 2) "I don't want you to remember it. Forget it. (...) Get more like Cousin Joshua everyday, don't I? Do you think I'll end up costing the family five hundred dollars?" Chapter 14 1) "Atticus, it's all right to be soft-hearted, you're an easy man, but you have a daughter to think of. A daughter who's growing up. (...) And don't try to get around it. You've got to face it sooner or later and it might as well be tonight. We don't need her now." 2) "...they just wasn't interested in me. (...) Well, they stayed gone all the time, and when they were home, even, they'd get off in a room by themselves." Intro to Creative Writing - We started off today with a little exercise called The "I Remember" poem (now, as we've discussed, a "poem" is something nebulous, at best), then got right into working on the Adjective Poems to be performed next week. Stoked for those. Wednesday, May 8 Honors English 10 - State testing - congratulations to those of who you finished today, and double-congrats if you passed/exceeded! The numbers you got back on your books today represent two annotation scores out of 4, one for quality and one for quantity. This may not be the only annotation check, so make sure you're keeping up with that. Easy points+helps comprehension=happy student at the end of the year when it comes time for the Final Exam. Remember to read through chapter 14 tonight!! Intro to Creative Writing - I had you guys do some basic poetry exercises today, but the meat of the class is currently being primed for next week & your performances! I'll be devoting more time in class to this endeavor, but not without some warm-ups. Come to class tomorrow prepared to do some reading and writing! Tuesday, May 7 Honors English 10 - State Reading Test, today and tomorrow. Don't forget to bring your copies of TKAM to class tomorrow! REMEMBER: Read through chapter 14 by Thursday. Intro to Creative Writing - Continuing with a focus on Purpose in poetry, we looked at People Equal by James Berry, and I, too, Sing America by Langston Hughes. Both poems can be found here. The QW was broad in possible scope, but it was such a good discussion that it seemed a waste not to incorporate the theme here: QW: What do you think makes us human? What makes us equal? Monday, May 6 Honors English 10 - Mockingbird Fishbowl Day - to be followed by two days of the State Reading Test...you MUST take this test seriously, because you need it for GRADUATION! Yes indeed. More details tomorrow. Group Discussion - Theme in TKAM Part 1 to come...I am having some technical difficulties, guys. I'm just going to type it out, this is ridiculous. Please complete these questions and hand them in by Monday, along with the future assignment from three days from now. 1) "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat in people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." - One of the most prominent themes in this novel is the timeless dichotomy of good and evil. How does this quote address this theme, and what parts of the story so far can you identify that are thematically symbolic? 2) Morals and Education are a constant theme in the book as well. Think of some specific examples in Part 1 of lessons that Jem and Scout learn. Whose wisdom is imparted? What is the context? How does the lesson contribute to the children's personal growth. 3) Investigate these parts of the text-- - "With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus's hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder." - "...all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an' it looked like that gun was a part of him..." How do these two passages contribute to an illustration of irony? What are Jem and Scout's reactions to Atticus in that moment? Describe the scene in which these parts of the text take place. What has happened? What is the lesson of the chapter we learn at the end? (hint: Look for a quote from Miss Maudie) 4) What can we say about Mrs. Dubose? Who is she, and why do you think this important? (She practically gets her own chapter...) Consider the following passage: "...everything's all right now, Jem, everything's all right. You know, she was a great lady." What does Atticus mean by these words? Why did he want Jem to go read to Mrs. Dubose? What is the significance of the camellia? HW: Read chapter 13 Intro to Creative Writing - Random word associations through POETRY! Do you guys realize that you just created poems with both rhythm and rhyme in fifteen minutes? True, you did begin with a set of words that rhyme -- but when you compiled that list, you had no idea that you would be using those words to form a poem. This, I think, is what made it so easy. You also had no pressure to make it meaningful, but BEHOLD! The words you now have splayed out on the page fit together and actually MEAN something. Why? What gave your poem meaning? Think about it. And yes, there IS meaning there, even if you can't see it right away. Words have meaning, no matter what you say or do about it. You created something today. If you're thinking, "it's not enough!" I respond, "I agree!" What's missing? Purpose. Thursday, May 2 Honors English 10 - Did today's discussion of chapter 9 feel difficult to you? I would agree. This was a good example of a weak discussion due to a general lack of responsibility and concern. Class would be so much more enjoyable for everyone if everyone would do the reading and come to class with at least one thing that they could contribute to the conversation. I promise it's true. Help me prove it. Y'all have a great weekend. Weekend HW: Read chapters 10-12 Intro to Creative Writing - So, spirals are due today, and we reviewed what I expect to find in each for this grading period. Most of the points from this 6 weeks will come from your bigger projects, namely, the fictional narrative and the song project. I realize that we didn't get to work in class at all this week on the adjective poems, so we will take the bulk of next week to do so -- complete with presentations. Have a great weekend! See you Monday. Wednesday, May 1 Honors English 10 - Why, hello May. You are here. What does this mean? A few things: You now have 6 (and a half) weeks of being sophomores. It is the dawning of the era of catch-up in the school year, and I anticipate your questions will be along the lines of "what can I do to raise my grade?", to which I say -- This novel is the last thing you will be studying. To ensure that your grade is in shape, keep up on the reading. If you do, you will perform well on the quizzes, you will have a nice, full character chart to turn in, and you will find the final exam (which is a unit test) to be highly manageable. What you should NOT do is save your weekly reading for the weekends and risk a continual stream of failed quizzes. Note, also, the longer you wait to do the chapter readings, the more reading you give yourself in the long run. Why read five chapters at once when you can just commit to an hour or less each night? Something to consider. May I remind you, too, that my extra credit blog is still active. If you've already earned your full 25 points, then you may disregard this portion of the bulletin. Otherwise, you will see more postings soon. HW: Read chapter 9 Intro to Creative Writing - Started out with a follow-up question from yesterday's Def Poetry videos: 1) What do you think each poem means? What about the poems helped direct your thinking or reasoning? Then we discussed your responses, and, per usual, I was amazed by your insight. Next, we took a closer look at Kayo's Who Am I poem, examining his words and listening to the piece again. Let this be Wisdom Unto You: Poetry works best when it can be both seen and heard. Tomorrow we will see other examples of this. We concluded today's class with Part Deux of the QW: 2) How do these poems help to develop or evolve your understanding of poetry? Tuesday, April 30 Honors English 10 - Discussion of chapter 6, focusing on: - Progress of time - shifts in relationships (Jem, Dill, Scout) - Dill and Jem's newest plan to see Boo - the kids' run-in with Nathan Radley - the scene on the street & Jem's lack of pants - the lie Dill told - how Jem found his pants Tomorrow we will discuss chapter 7 and 8. HW: Read chapter 8 Intro to Creative Writing - Today we watched three poets speak their mind in video form. You can find them here: Oscar Brown, Jr. - Children Of Children Dawn Saylor - When I Was 14 Kayo - Who Am I QW (for all three): What are you initial reactions? What questions do you have about the words? What did you not understand about the poem? Monday, April 29 Honors English 10 - Quiz for chapters 5-6 today, followed by a discussion of chapter 5, focusing on: - Miss Maudie Atkinson; how the town perceives her, how the Finch family perceives her, and how she perceives the town & the Finches. - Two quotes; 1. "You are too young to understand it...but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of -- of, of your father." 2. "There are just some kind of men who -- who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results." - Jem and Dill's idea to get Boo Radley to come out by writing a note, the plan for its execution, and how it backfired via a run-in with Atticus. HW: Read chapter 7 (don't forget to annotate! Do this for the sake of class discussion and your own understanding of the text!) Intro to Creative Writing - I handed out your Adjective PoemTask assignment sheets today, and had you add one item: Please send me your poem before you perform next week. This is to ensure that everything is copacetic (a word which here means, "everyone is happy with the state of your poem, and all the words in it contribute to the overall meaning in a non-offensive way"). Then, we briefly discussed meter in poetry and took a look at some examples. Thanks to those of you who contributed to the discussion. Friday, April 26 Honors English 10 - Today we discussed chapter 4 in TKAM, particularly focusing on: - What Scout finds in the tree on the Radley lot - The interaction between Scout and Calpurnia, and what it means for both characters (character chart alert) - The discussion between Atticus and Scout about Calpurnia - The role-playing games with Dill (and his blazing glory) - The events leading up to what Scout experiences on the Radley property (not the gifts in the tree) Those of you who were absent yesterday, come in after school to take the quiz. You have one week to make it up. No re-takes. WEEKEND HW: Read chapters 5 and 6 Intro to Creative Writing - After listening to and watching Ms. Katie Makkai perform her poem Pretty, we took a few minutes to discuss what this word is, and what it means. What kinds of things was Katie addressing in her poem? What different meanings did the word begin to adopt as she spoke of her experiences? This leads us to our next writing assignment: Over the weekend, think of one adjective that you think is particularly versatile (multi-faceted) or interesting. Then brainstorm a list of as many ways you can use this word, and then think about what it means to you personally. Next week you will begin to concoct a poem based on your opinions and emotions tied to this descriptive word. Thursday, April 25 Honors English 10 - After our first TKAM quiz, we didn't have much time to discuss chapter 3. To remedy this, we will discuss both chapters 3 and 4 tomorrow in class. Come prepared! HW: Read chapter 4 Intro to Creative Writing - In our continued shares of The Answering Poems today, we heard some exceptional insight on a subjects like life, death, innocence, intelligence...the heavies. Tomorrow is a new day, and with a new day comes new possibilities. We will be doing something different. something....very different. See you tomorrow! Wednesday, April 24 Honors English 10 - Discussion of chapter 2 today, implementing my idea of a random name generator. My reasons behind using such a thing is to get more of you guys to share in class (I have a sneaking suspicion that if I don't use one, many of you would be perfectly content to sit and not say anything for the rest of the school year). As this is a honors class, and the bulk of this unit is class discussion, it is my expectation that you will contribute your proverbial two cents once in a while. If more of you start raising your hands, I'll put the RNG to rest. Deal? HW: Read Chapter 3 Intro to Creative Writing - The Answering Poem: Have you ever felt the urge to answer those weird questions of life in the form of a short poem? You HAVE?? Perfect! This is your chance, because that is exactly what we are doing today. We will do one as a class, then one as individuals. Then, you will share your Answering Poem and see how accurately the others in class can question it. Get down, get creative - - - Tuesday, April 23 Honors English 10 - Today I handed out a Character List for you to fill out as you continue to read. We followed with a discussion of the chapter 1 reading. Tomorrow I have a surprise for you guys - and it isn't a quiz! Bring your book to class everyday. HW: Read chapter 2 Intro to Creative Writing - Finished up the song presentations today (with the exception of three). You guys are totally rad! I thank you for your honesty, humility, and humor. I am honored to have you as my students. Tomorrow we shall be commencing with the poetry unit with a writing/show & tell activity. Prepare to get creative! Monday, April 22 Honors English 10 - Welcome to the Novel Unit! We started in on Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird today with a little bit of background and a vocab list (start studying this now) that shows what you can expect to see on the quizzes. Your homework for this unit is to read about one chapter every night - this really isn't too much - and be prepared for a discussion/possible quiz on each chapter for the following day. I will also be making sure that you are annotating your texts, so if you do not have your own copy in which to do so you are expected to make your annotations on sticky notes. HW: Read chapter 1 Intro to Creative Writing - I thought this might be the last day of our song presentations, but it looks as though we'll need tomorrow as well. I won't be accepting anything after tomorrow!!! If you haven't been in class, tomorrow would be a good day to come and present. If there are other extenuating circumstances that have prevented your attendance, I expect you to contact me about them. Otherwise, all basic rules apply to everyone. Friday, April 19 Honors English 10 - Big day today, folks! Last day in class to work on DWAs (you'll have through next week to finish up, but it'll have to be on your own time). If you haven't already purchased your own copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, do so this weekend! On Monday you'll have the option to check a copy out from the school library, but in that case you will need to supply yourself with sticky notes for daily annotation. Intro to Creative Writing - Thank you, presenters. I'm really happy I decided to do this project with you guys, because everyday I am deeply moved by what you have to share. Now, if you could only remember to send me your lyrics and other materials! Thursday, April 18 Honors English 10 - Continued drafting for the District Writing Assessment. Tomorrow is the final day to work on this in class, and final drafts are due by the end of the period (final drafts will be accepted through next week but you may not work on these in class after tomorrow). Also, keep bringing in those non-perishable food items for extra credit! Those are due tomorrow! Intro to Creative Writing - Thank you to today's presenters - you guys rock. All of you guys, the whole class. And I do mean you as people, not the songs you choose (but those are neat, too). I appreciate tremendously your willingness to share and your respect for others as they share. Just awesome. You brighten my day & give me hope for the future, which is something I do not consider lightly. The world needs good people like you, so spread the love. Cheers. I'm super pumped about presentations to come! Tomorrow: Caroline Marissa Rayne Makenzie (?) Erica (?) Don't forget to send me your lyrics, folks - even those of you presenting Monday. The earlier I have those, the better. Wednesday, April 17 Honors English 10 - Continued drafting for the District Writing Assessment. REMEMBER: Bring in some canned/boxed food for the food drive and receive extra credit! You shall receive one point per non-perishable food item you bring in, and may receive up to 5 points total. Intro to Creative Writing - I hope you guys enjoyed the poetry in class yesterday! Included were works from a couple of my favorites, so I was very glad to hear the lesson went well. If you were absent, here's what was covered: Modern Declaration by Edna St. Vincent Millay 1) What does it mean to declare something? 2) How do we know this poem is a declaration? 3) What is being declared, and why do you think Millay calls it "modern"? Meeting And Passing by Robert Frost 1) What do you notice about how this poem begins and ends? 2) What do you think Frost meant by the line, "as if we drew the figure of our being less than two but more than one as yet"? 3) What do you think this poem is about? The Heart Of The Woman by William Butler Yeats 1) What is the first thing you notice about how this poem looks? 2) What happens in each stanza? 3) Who is "He" in stanza 1? Who is being referred to by "his" in stanza 3? Students presented today include Jazlyn, Bobbie, Juan, and Marisa. Tomorrow we will start with Megan, and move into the rest of you on the schedule (Jaron, Eduardo, Brandon, Mason, and Natalia). I am subtracting points from presentations if you are not ready to present on your scheduled day. For everyone - if you have your materials ready, please send them or turn them in even it seems too early to do so. I want lyrics AT LEAST 24 hours before you present. Monday, April 15 Honors English 10 - After a brief review of the Scottsboro video and QW, we started in on the district writing task. You have the rest of the week for this, so take your time but make good use of it, too. Oh, yes - - and come to class. (!!!) __ (!!!) Intro to Creative Writing - 2 out of 5 presenters designated for today. Shame!! Although, this worked well for those of you who have yet to turn a few things in. Tomorrow you will be reading three poems and writing responses to each of them in your QWs. The authors of these poems won't be there, but address them directly, as in a letter. Be honest and true in your responses, because you will be sharing them in class. I look forward to hearing about how this goes! Happy Reading, and see you Wednesday! Friday, April 12 Honors English 10 - We learned a little bit about Jim Crow, "who" he was, "what" it was, and how it influenced American society and popular culture. The racial prejudice that ran rampant in this country during the Jim Crow days play a vital role in the themes of To Kill A Mockingbird, the novel written by Harper Lee that we will begin the week after next. Then I showed a video about the story about the Scottsboro Boys, as told by Professor Carol Anderson of Emory University, followed by three questions: 1. How many times were the Scottsboro boys tried and convicted? 2. What were the Alabama Supreme Court rulings? What were the U.S. Supreme Court rulings? 3. What are your reactions? What did you find particularly interesting? We will get to your responses on Monday. Next Tuesday through Friday you will be taking the District Writing Exam. Intro to Creative Writing - Practice responding to Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car". How do you interpret the lyrics? How do you think Chapman feels about her life? When we begin presentations next week, I want you to follow the example I gave today of the comment slips. Here's an example of how it should look: Dear (name of presenter), I really enjoyed your song because.... / I really appreciated your essay because.... / I feel the same way because.... / I think it is interesting that.... Sincerely, (your name) Please keep comments positive, or neutral. And reflect honestly - this is to learn more of and from each other. Negativity between classmates not welcome. Thursday, April 11 Honors English 10 - Today we finished up a discussion on A Class Divided. I hope that this video helped to place discrimination into perspective for you. Would you be able to provide an accurate description of discrimination if you passed it in the hallway at school? Out on the street? In your kitchen at home? On TV? What is a minority that you know of? How about a majority? How do these interact, in your eyes? Claire Z. gave me the idea to show everyone a video about Dr. Seuss' Sneetches today. Again, we encounter discrimination and prejudice. How is the behavior of Sneetches similar to that of the human beings in A Class Divided? QW: What does the Sneetch video remind you of in this world? How? What makes them change their feelings by the end? What is your reaction to this development? Could this work for the human race? Why or why not? Intro to Creative Writing - Starting our song projects today, I handed out the project guidelines. Here's what you do: Choose a song that is significant to you in some way (because it has a special memory attached / because it represents you / because it is inspirational to you, etc.), and not just because you like it or think it's cool. Then, in a minimum of one page, handwritten, show us why. Include: - Why you selected this song / what it means to you - Your favorite part of the song, and why (particular lyrics) - Where you were when you first heard the song and when it became significant - How the song represents who you are As well as: 1. Treat this as a QW in your spiral notebooks, titled "name of song" by Artist of Song. 2. Hand in your lyrics, typed or handwritten, at least 24 hours prior to the date of your presentation. 3. Have your song ready on presentation day (see Tanabe for the sign-up sheet; all presentations next week), either on an iPod or a CD. If you need to send it as an mp3, you may, but let me know. Postscript: Your song needs to be school-appropriate. And you know what this means. Yes, you do. Wednesday, April 10 Honors English 10 - Heads up, folks! District writing exam is next week. Unfortunate, I know. But there is little I am able to do about it...except give you encouragement by saying the week after next is when we shall begin reading Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird!! This week serves as a contextual introduction to the book, in terms of both society and individual people involved. We finished watching A Class Divided today (video link over in the right-hand column). You wrote down a quick-write at the end of class, which I will want to discuss tomorrow before we continue into a study of the next item of the lesson. QW: What did you think of Ms. Elliott's experiment? Were you surprised by the results? Why or why not? How does the video show how people in general become prejudiced? What are your experiences with discrimination? Intro to Creative Writing - NARRATIVE UNIT DONE!! Onward into POETRY!! You guys have some great things to share today. I am impressed and now doubly excited to begin this unit. Tomorrow I will show you an example of what I expect of you for your next project. ps - If you still need to finish your narratives, after school is the time to do it. I'll be here until about 3:15. Tuesday, April 9 Honors English 10 - First of all, if you have not finished your personal narrative, please come in after school THIS WEEK until it is complete. Today, we watched part 1 of A Class Divided, a film about the "brown eye/blue eye" social experiment. In part one we saw Jane Elliot, a third grade teacher, perform the exercise in her elementary school class. Tomorrow, we will watch part two, in which the experiment goes outside school walls. Intro to Creative Writing - Final work day in Effect! Make good use of this time to work on your writing. Tomorrow, we move on. Stories turned in to me after tomorrow will be docked points. Final Draft Format: - single spaced - neatly handwritten in blue or black ink only, and please write in print, that is to say, not cursive. - name and date in the upper right corner - title centered on the top line Monday, April 8 Honors English 10 - FINAL DAY to work on personal narratives IN CLASS. You may continue to come in after school until it is finished. The sooner the better - we're (kind of) starting in on a shiny, new unit this week. Thank you all for your hard work. Intro to Creative Writing - Peer review of finished drafts. The purpose of this task is to get a new set of eyes to read your work. This can be super refreshing and helpful, especially after spending so long writing it. Sometimes it's healthy to feel like you want your writing to burn - this means it is time to let someone else read it. Remember, the comments your peers make on your narrative is NOT your grade, only suggestions. I will be grading these on my own, unbiased by your peer reviews. Friday, April 5 Honors English 10 - Continued work on final drafts. Due date extended to the end of class on Monday. Make good use of the time you have left. Have a great weekend! Intro to Creative Writing - Time to pick up the pace, O Students. We WILL begin peer editing on Monday, and any drafts that are not complete by the beginning of class on Monday will have 10 points taken from the final grade. You have had far too long to work on these narratives to be without a finished draft at this point. Hang in there with me just a couple more days. I know it's a challenge, but it will be worth it if you allow yourselves to push on through. Here's what you need for Monday: Complete the following tasks on your draft: 1. Put a box around the first word of every sentence. Why? You should have a variety of sentence starters. Vary them if you notice redundancy. 2. Read your paper again, looking only for the words "it", "thing", and "stuff". Circle them and take them out when you're editing. Why? Be specific so your reader knows what you're saying. If you say "spaghetti" in one sentence and then "it" in the next, that's okay, but you need to use "spaghetti" again or a synonym after that to maintain clarity. 3. Repeat step 2, looking for the words "really" and "very". What other weak word choices have you made? Why? These words are weak and overused. What can you say instead? Grab a thesaurus if necessary. 4. Circle second-person voice (you know this already), and be certain your chronological point-of-view is consistent. Why? If your tense starts in past and ends in present, it needs to make sense. Same goes for if you are jumping around in time. This is an awesome effect, if you make it work, for example, in the form of flashbacks. Whatever you do, be consistent. 5. Put a star in the margins where you've written in transitions. Why? Transitions are words/phrases (beyond simply starting new paragraphs - although that sometimes works) that guide your reader smoothly from one moment to the next. If you don't see many, consider where your reader might have trouble following your train of thought. Lastly, read through your story again. If there are parts you don't love, change them. If a paragraph or two is messy, recopy or rewrite. The more you read through your work, the more you'll notice that can use fine tuning and revision. Thursday, April 4 I was absent today. Ms. Stefani informed me of your good work, so I thank you. And thank you, also, for your kind words. Honors English 10 - Taking a look at the Final Draft Format, you worked on writing these. Intro to Creative Writing - Thank you, to those of you who were in class today, for starting your revisions and working so well. A vast improvement from yesterday's off-taskness. Kudos. Wednesday, April 3 Honors English 10 - Peer editing, red light/green light-style. Get another few editing sets of eyes on your draft. This process is enormously helpful when writing! The more fellow students you have edit your work, the better equipped you'll be to begin your final drafts. Comprende? The Deadline for final drafts is the end of class on Friday. IF you KNOW this will be an issue, come in after school to work. I will accept final drafts through next week, but we will no longer be working on the narratives in class. Make good use of the time you have. Intro to Creative Writing - CONFERENCE TIME. Come to me on your own, or be summoned back - your choice! I want to know where you are in your stories. If you need help, I am here. If you don't, awesome. But I still want to see and hear about your work. Projected deadline: Next Tuesday, April 9th, by the end of class. Take advantage of the time you have left, because it is running out! Tuesday, April 2 Honors English 10 - Independent work day today: Continue to revise your narrative drafts. When finished with revisions, start to self-edit and rewrite to have a clean draft ready for peer editing tomorrow and through the rest of the week. Final drafts due Friday. Intro to Creative Writing - I showed the class some "grade A" examples of what the scoring rubric states for your narratives. I will post a link here for the rubric later today. Other than that, today was a work period. NOTE: I seriously need to see ALL of you guys before this week is up, so if you don't start signing up or just coming back to conference with me, I will start going down the class list! I just want to check in, folks. It's nothing to stress about. Friday, March 22 Honors English 10 - Today we briefly talked about revision, since about half of you were ready to begin this process. I just wanted to introduce the subject today, as we will begin revising the drafts more heavily upon our return from Spring Break. I will be here until 3:15-3:30 after school if you wish to spend a little extra time on your drafts/revisions before the break. Intro to Creative Writing - Continued work day & conferencing. Exit card: What is your story's... - character(s) - (names & who they are) - setting - (where and when) - conflict - (what happened) When we return from Spring Break, I hope we can begin to finish up our drafting process and start revisions and peer editing, while continuing to conference. Have a great break, everyone... Thursday, March 21 Honors English 10 - Today was a work day, my thought being for you to take advantage of the whole period before we begin revisions tomorrow. You may also come in after school to work on your drafts if you wish (as you know, you may not take these home!) Intro to Creative Writing - Also a work day for my creative writing students, plus conferences. Of the stories I have been able to see, I am enjoying. I look forward to seeing more! (Remember, you are only drafting at this point - don't think too much about producing a perfect piece of writing - it ain't gonna happen! We will be revising next week. Right now, I just want to see that you are working with some solid ideas, and that you are allowing your situations to tell the story while you focus on showing the details. Wednesday, March 20 Honors English 10 - After reading an example of student writing and another from a textbook, today was devoted to working on your narrative drafts. Remember that this assignment is strictly to be worked on in class, so you must make up for lost time in class as well, or after school. Basically, COME TO CLASS!! It's important for this unit. Intro to Creative Writing - Work day and conferencing today. What I expect when we meet: - specific questions about story/writing - narratives so far includes clear setting, character(s), and conflict We will be working on drafting for the rest of the week. Tuesday, March 19 Honors English 10 - I introduced the narrative assignment guidelines today. There are two documents, both of which you can look over here: - Narrative Essay Characteristics - Intro & Conclusion So, today we worked on our intro paragraphs - including me. I had an example of my own to show you, but it needs revision. I will work along with you in class. Speaking of which, this is an IN-CLASS assignment. This means every piece must be completed in class, which makes attendance this week particularly vital to your writing experience. Come to class! If you are ill or have an otherwise unbreakable engagement with the tooth doctor or someone of that ilk, come to class prepared to work!!! You may also come in after school to work, but you must work on it here. Intro to Creative Writing - Today was a work period, developing the first paragraphs of our fictional narratives. I had guidelines written on my computer, but will have handouts of this for you tomorrow. We will also begin individual conferences at this time, so come prepared to show your work to me, along with any questions you have about your writing/story so far. This is an IN-CLASS assignment, meaning you work on it here, in class - not at home, and, unless you have been absent, not after school. If you have been absent, come to class prepared to work. Since we are spending a significant amount of time on this, it will be worth a significant part of your grade. Monday, March 18 Honors English 10 - From your completed Plot Charts from last week, we transferred that information into a T-chart - left column holding the notes you made from the plot chart, and right column with more space to fit your expanded, elaborated ideas for each of the six sections from the plot chart. If you were absent today, please make this T-chart at home. On a sheet of paper, draw lines to make three distinct section on both sides of the page, for a total of six rows (the six sections of your plot chart). In your right hand column I expect to see, in paragraph form, your extended thoughts and details that relate to the ideas you have in your left hand column. The right column should have specific details. I'd like to see as much writing here as possible - the purpose is to get as many detailed ideas down as you can so that you have options later when you actually begin composing your draft. Intro to Creative Writing - NEW SEATING CHART!! I'll have the chart up at the beginning of class for the next couple of days just to get things cemented. Those who were here today saw an example of setting, character, and conflict in a passage from Ray Bradbury's story Kaleidoscope. You then helped me rethink a passage of my own creation, and did a great job. Your assignment is to write a paragraph of your own, incorporating setting, character, and conflict. Use specific description - these paragraphs will be the foundation for the fictional narrative you'll be writing. Come to class tomorrow with a completed paragraph draft to work with. Thursday, March 14 Honors English 10 - I read a couple examples of student food narratives in class today, just to sort of solidify what a final product looks like, here. This is not to say that your narratives must resemble the examples. We will discuss narrative procedure and format more next week. Please have your plot chart, complete with labels and descriptions, finished by Monday's class. We will be using these as foundations for the day's exercise. REMINDER: Today is the last day I am accepting any missing work/revisions. Missing work will be graded down because it is late, but it behooves you to turn it in. Your grade will thank you. Also, remember the EXTRA CREDIT BLOG. It's easy pointage, folks...if you need it, DO IT!! Intro to Creative Writing - I had you take some notes today on the different forms of literary conflict: Man vs. Man - An external conflict involving a person's struggle with another person. Man vs. Society - A struggle between a person and a man-made institution, such as government or religion. Man vs. Nature - An external struggle positioning a person against an animal or force of nature, such as a storm. Man vs. Self - An internal struggle with oneself; a character must overcome their own nature or make a choice between two or more paths (good and evil, logic and emotion, etc...). Next week we will start writing rough drafts of the fictional narratives. I will have assignment guidelines on Monday. I have your notebooks for the weekend, so please just come to class next week prepared to brainstorm and write. Have a great weekend - - Wednesday, March 13 Honors English 10 - Joel Stein's article in TIME magazine was a major hit today. You can find it here. Just as wonderful is Mark Leyner's article, which you can find here. Please read both articles and, after each, complete the following Quick-Write: What do you notice about the author's tone? What does he do that works well for you as the reader? Which phrases stand out, and why? As always, be specific and use examples from the text. For tomorrow, have your food experience lists ready to rock. Intro to Creative Writing - Today y'all shared some more of your responses to Bunting's conflict exercise from yesterday, and, taking what you've come up with, got into groups to give some feedback to one another. Please refer to this document for the activity. The section of writing at the bottom describes your QW for today. Looking at your conflict response from yesterday, write a brief response to numbers 1-4, and then do the QW either at the bottom of the page or on a new page. Tuesday. March 12 Honors English 10 - Great study hall today, folks. Thank you. Starting tomorrow, we will be addressing your food-related experience lists so please come prepared. If you were absent today, refer to this document. The assignment is to create a similar list (you need not have seven items, as mine has, but at least two) of your own food or drink related experiences. One of these experiences will turn into a prompt for your personal narrative. Intro to Creative Writing - Finishing up Sandy Asher's article (complete with exercises), we shared some responses to letter C of said exercises (please refer to yesterday's post for a link to the article), and then moved along to a blog post from Joe Bunting called "Characterization is Worthless", which focuses on how creating conflict before brainstorming your characters is actually a better way to go when writing a story. We'll put it to the test; last week we did a fair amount of characterization. Let's see if creating the conflict before the character allows for earlier blossoms. Monday, March 11 Honors English 10 - Today is day 1 of the District Reading Assessment. Those of you who finished today must treat tomorrow's class as a study hall; bring a book, homework, whatever, as long as you are not distracting other students. Before proceeding with the exam tomorrow, I will be handing back graded QWs and character classifications & be giving you an example of what I expect from assignments requiring literary analysis. Intro to Creative Writing - We did not get as far as I expected we would today, but no big deal. We spent some good time with Sandy Asher and committed to her exercises at the end of her article. You can find the article here. Please do the exercises A, B, & C; write as much as you can, but I would rather you take your time with fewer examples given than only write a couple sentences for all of them. Get the picture? Tomorrow, we'll continue to share our ideas and make a quick transition to our next piece of engagement, which I trust will be of interest to all. If you have any questions/concerns about your notebook grades, please come see me. I graded all of these in one fell swoop, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are any minor miscalculations or other erroneous details. Come see me and I will be glad to explain myself. REMEMBER: This Thursday is the last day to turn in any late/missing work. Friday, March 8 Honors English 10 - UNIT TEST PART DEUX! Intro to Creative Writing - Today we got through a few more character context pieces. I'm afraid that's where we will have to stop, though, because next week's agenda is full! We will, however, finish the article we started reading today by Sandy Asher on Monday. And as you know, I'm taking your notebooks home this weekend for grading. You can expect to have them back on Monday. I'll also have grades printed for you at that time. Next Thursday is the final day to turn in late work. Thursday, March 7 Honors English 10 - UNIT TEST TODAY! REMINDER: You have until next Thursday (3/14) to hand in late work. Points will be deducted based on lateness, and though lateness due to absences will be considered, I expect absent work to be turned in the next day you are back in class. Capiche? Also, remember the blog!! Take advantage of extra credit, folks. It's easy pointage. Intro to Creative Writing - I decided to take today's class time to give everyone the opportunity to finish the character context questions, which you all did, so thank you :) I appreciate those of you who are so willing to share your work. Remember that this class is very informal and should be considered more like a daily writing clinic. This means that we come here to learn from one another - but in order for this to work well, we must be comfortable with sharing. I promise to give you many opportunities for this, so please take advantage of the time! My goal is to show you how enjoyable and rewarding writing can be. But, as with all rewarding things, input is everything. Tomorrow we will continue with sharing our character context vignettes. I want to hear one from every person in class. Afterwards, we will read an article by Sandy Asher called Show Don't Tell about writing stories, which - you guessed it! - we will begin doing next week. So, continue to get to know your character, because they are about to star in their very own stories. (How do they wash their hands? How do they hold their pencils when they write? What's their favorite color? Why? Think about the most random questions you would ask someone, and ask your characters!) Wednesday, March 6 Honors English 10 - UNIT TEST REVIEW JEOPARDY! Quick Writes DUE tomorrow in class; you should have four total, including the three questions from Nacirema yesterday counting as one. THE SHORT STORY UNIT TEST STARTS TOMORROW. Be studying your: - literary Terms - vocabulary - author notes - the stories themselves Intro to Creative Writing - Two Definitions for your notes; 1. Round Character - A complex, multi-dimensional character 2. Flat Character - A simple, undeveloped, easily stereotyped character. We are working on developing our Round Characters. Today, I gave three different contexts as a write-out for your characters. I asked that you create a vignette for each context, writing as much of a page as possible, about your character in each. Contexts: 1. Your character is stopped on the side of the road next to a marsh to inspect a map when another car pulls up and a stranger gets out. 2. Your character comes home to the sound of the phone ringing. 3. Your character has just landed in a warm, foreign country and a person from his/her past is waiting with a piece of paper in their hands. I'm taking found poems through the end of the week. Jaron pointed out that nowhere on this bulletin are the instructions, so here you go: Take a newspaper (doesn't matter how old) and find sentences from various articles that you like or that you find particularly interesting in some way, and put them together to make a poem. Sounds crazy, but a lot of times the poems end up making sense in weird or funny ways. Then type it up. Like I said, I'm taking them through the end of this week. NOTE: There aren't very many assignments to grade for this class within a 6 week period, so if you are checking your grades online, you can expect to see very little change until the end of the grading period(s). So don't worry too much if your grade is low - if you're doing your work, you'll be fine. Tuesday, March 5 Honors English 10 - Lottery Questions DUE TODAY. If you did not hand them in during class, please do so by the end of the school day for credit. We read the nonfictional "The Body Ritual Among The Nacirema" in class today (REMEMBER THE VLS), exploring the anthropology of Horace Miner. If you were absent today, you can read it here, and I expect to see your "Lottery" questions turned in first thing tomorrow. Today's QW: 1. In plain English, what are some Nacireman practices or rituals? 2. Which of these are strange to you? 3. Which are remarkably similar to ours? Speaking of tomorrow - we will have our UNIT TEST REVIEW in JEOPARDY form, so study up! ALSO DUE TOMORROW: ALL QUICK-WRITES! You should have a total of 4 (including the Nacirema QW from today). Intro to Creative Writing - Be thinking about your character today as you leave school, as you walk/drive/ride home, as you go about the rest of your day, whatever it is you tend to do. Imagine seeing your character in the same places you are, either as someone with you, or just as someone you are observing from some distance. What are they doing as you go about your business? What are they thinking about? Where are they going & why? Bottom line: Who are your characters as people? Today you came up with their names. Think about why you chose those names. What do those names say about your person? Do they have a nickname? How did it originate? Be thinking about this stuff as you eat, as your shower, as you walk around doing nothing in particular, as you watch TV. Imagine them in the same place as you all of the time. What are they doing? Monday, March 4 Honors English 10 - Carried on with a class discussion of everyone's QW responses and questions to The Lottery (for the story, refer to Friday, March 1). We finished the period with a series of questions about the story that we'll discuss tomorrow. Both halves of the room were assigned four questions from which each person was to select 2 questions to answer in writing, due tomorrow. If you were absent, please select two questions to answer in writing. You can find the questions here. REMINDERS: The UNIT TEST is happening this Thursday and Friday. This is a fairly lengthy test, so you can expect to find pretty much everything from your notes about all of the short stories somewhere in there. This includes vocabulary and literary terms. Intro to Creative Writing - Today we started thinking about characterization. Throughout this week we will focus on developing a character, and tomorrow I will offer some specific definitions that will help this process. REMINDERS: I will be collecting your spirals at the end of this week. Make sure you have all your work completed in those. I will be making a checklist for you. Friday, March 1 Honors English 10 - Finished up our discussion of A Rose For Emily started on our next and final piece of fiction, Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. We completed two Quick Writes, one before and one after reading the story. If you were absent, please complete Part 1 before you read, and Part 2 directly after finishing. Part 1 - Describe a ritual unique to your family, community, or group of friends. How did the ritual originate, and why do you engage in it? Are there rituals that groups of people follow that you find particularly odd? Part 2 - (skip a line below your last entry) Write down your immediate reaction - thoughts, questions - to the the conclusion of the story. Intro to Creative Writing - To those of you who had your final vignettes finished, thank you. You will receive full credit. Please note that if you are absent you are expected to find out what you missed, which you can do on this page. If you do not have access to a computer, you've got to let me know. I don't want anyone falling behind! Help me help you! Thursday, Feb. 28 Honors English 10 - We discussed A Rose For Emily and turned a bit green in the process (it's going to be OK, go read something by Dave Barry if you need cheering up), and started our Faulkner Fishbowl discussions, which we will continue with tomorrow and follow up with sharing your groups' thoughts. If you were absent, please complete the discussion questions (second page of linked document) to turn in tomorrow. Intro to Creative Writing - Day 4 of vignette practice! We went over how to peer edit, looking specifically for descriptive phrases/sentences. With two great student examples, you should all have a good idea of what to pinpoint and revise in your vignettes. Final drafts due tomorrow at the beginning of class - we will spend the class sharing our work with everyone so make sure your copies are nice and tidy. You can type these, but you certainly don't have to; cleanly handwritten in blue or black ink is the least of what I expect. Wednesday, Feb. 27 Honors English 10 - Today we not only finished the Daily Visual Vocab presentations, but we topped off the period with the end of Faulkner's story. REMEMBER THE VLS. Tomorrow we will be discussing A Rose For Emily at length, and you will be participating in a fishbowl-style group discussion about the whole story. REMINDERS: I still need to collect the Character Classification assignment from a number of you. Please have these in by the end of the week. Intro to Creative Writing - Today, selecting one "topic" from Monday's vignette notes (from either the five memories or five sensory descriptions), everyone started to draft their own vignette. Guidelines for final draft: 200-300 words written in blue or black ink The whole period was given to brainstorming ideas and starting the vignettes. If you were not in class today, please come prepared tomorrow to work. The rest of the class will be given some time for composition, but then we will begin peer editing. Vignettes are due in class on Friday. Tuesday, Feb. 26 Honors English 10 - Our continued examination and active reading of William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily reveals some unsettling things. Miss Emily is a strange cookie. What will come next? REMINDERS: Next Thursday and Friday are our Unit Exam days. Keep this in mind and be studying your notes. I have created separate links to all the stories we've covered on the right, underneath the list of vocab. Refer to these as you study up. Intro to Creative Writing - Continuing our studies of vignettes, we read four more today and took notes. These will help to build your own ideas for when you write your own vignettes at the end of the week. Monday, Feb. 25 Honors English 10 - Today we started reading William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily. If you were absent today, we are approaching this story a little differently - with active reading, aka annotation! We will be focusing on A Rose For Emily for the next few days. Character classifications will be accepted through tomorrow. Round Character - a complex, multi-dimensional character Flat Character - a simple, undeveloped, often easily stereotyped character Dynamic Character - a character who undergoes significant change (in insights, personality) during a story - note: a character is not dynamic due to mood changes or death (physical change) Static Character - a character who does not undergo significant change throughout the course of a story Determine whether each character (listed below) is round or flat, and static or dynamic. Identify a pairing for each. example: The Wind Man is a flat character because he is simple, with one purpose and behavior, which is to blow. He is a dynamic character because in his story, he goes from feeling unwanted and bothersome to feeling accepted in a new role (wind-powered energy). All of your character classifications should follow this model of description. - The Elephant's Child - Jim Smiley (Jumping Frog) - Phoenix Jackson (A Worn Path) - The guest/traveler (Ambitious Guest) - The father (Ambitious Guest) Intro to Creative Writing - Today we started our week-long exploration into studying, and eventually writing, vignettes (vignette - a short, descriptive scene that focuses on one moment or gives an intense impression about a character, an idea, a setting, or an object; it does not aim to tell a story, but rather gives a "snapshot" of one aspect of a story). QW: 1 - List 5 intense moments from your life, times that you remember vividly. Record the moments in short phrases that you understand (for example, "Driving in the Fall with Jane"). 2 - List 5 sensory experiences (one for each of the five senses) that you have some sort of connection with (for example, "crickets in summer" or "an old leather coat") Tomorrow we will continue to look at a few different vignettes and have the opportunity to reflect on each. Last week I wanted you guys to forget about thinking in your freewrites...this week, bring your thinking caps. Friday, Feb. 22 Honors English 10 - Well, we got through the vocab quiz in 1st period...but worry not, my 2nd period Sophomores! We will quiz on Monday. You have two extra study days. No need to thank me. Also Due Monday is the Character classification assignment, if you didn't hand it in today. These are due at the beginning of%2 |
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Statesman Journal OPB News The Oregonian Things to look for when you read the news: Sensationalism Facts vs. Opinions Investigative Journalism Objective Journalism A Class Divided Scottsboro Boys STORY LINKS: The Lottery A Rose For Emily The Ambitious Guest A Worn Path August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County The Elephant's Child |
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