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Davis School District

March 19-23, 2007: Fourth Term Begins!

Monday, March 19

• "Quality Teaching Day": No School for Students
  

Tuesday, March 20: Fourth Term Begins!

• Welcome to the Beginning of the End!
• Hall Passes/Reading Contracts/The Pencil Lecture
• Don't forget: Paired Epitaphs due Friday!
• Journal #3: Well, this is it! The beginning of the end of junior high. How does it feel? What are your plans for the final term? (100+ words)
• Fahrenheit 451: The Fireman & The Girl (pp. 3-11)
  

Wednesday, March 21: PNA Survey (Assembly Schedule)

• Fahrenheit 451
  Hello Mildred! (pp.11-21)
  The Dandelion (21-22)
  The Mechanical Hound (pp. 22-28)
  Clarisse's Life: The Society of Fahrenheit 451 (pp.28-31)
• Homework: "What They Learn in Schoool" (Handout & Questions)
  

Thursday, March 22

• Journal #4: Read the cartoon about school. What is the cartoon saying about school? What point is it making. Is this how you perceive school? Why or why not? (100+)
• Turn in/Discuss Homework from Yesterday
• Fahrenheit 451:
  Captain Beatty & The History of the Fire Department (pp.31-35)
  The First Alarm (pp. 35-41)
  Montag's Doubts: Mildred & Her "Family" (pp.41-48)
  Reading Homework: A Visit from Captain Beatty (pp.48-53)
  

Friday, March 23: Paired Epitaphs Due!

• Fahrenheit 451: The Happiness Boys (pp. 53-63)
• Study Guide 1: Review "The Hearth and the Salamander"
• Summary of Beatty's Lecture
  

March 26-30, 2007

Monday, March 26: Computer Lab 138

• Fahrenheit 451: Censorship & F451 Assignment #1
  • Leave this web site open in one window.
  • Open a word processing program as well.
  • Open a new document with two columns..
  • In the first column, complete the Censorship assignment.
  • In the second column, complete F451 Assignment #1.
  • Make sure your name is on the document.
  • Save the document to your own server space.
  • Print.
  • Submit.
• Here's one man's answer to the question of whether or not Beatty's definition of happiness fits our society: "Wake Up, Mildred!"
• Here's another, more recent sample: "We Have Met the Enemy..."
• Homework: Finish reading Part 1 of F451: "The Hearth and the Salamander" (pp.63-68) & Study Guide 2 (side 1)
  

Tuesday, March 27

• Fahrenheit 451:
  Finish Study Guide Through Part 1 (1 & 1/2 pages)
  The Seive and the Sand
  Montag Thinks...and Remembers (pp.71-75)
  Montag's Dilemma (pp.75-77)
• Journal #5: Montag's Dilemma -- Which book would you save? Why? (100+ words)
• Update study guides
  

Wednesday, March 28

• Fahrenheit 451: The Subway (pp. 77-80)
  Faber's Lecture (pp. 80-91)
  Videots
  Journal #6: What's wrong with TV?
  (Shhh! Here's one answer! Here's another!)
• Turn in Study Guide 2

Thursday, March 29: Reading Contracts due!

• Fahrenheit 451: Mildred's Friends and Family (pp. 91-102)
  (Need extra credit? Try this!)
  Silent Reading: Montag's Last Alarm (pp. 102-110)
  &
  Study Guide 3 (Under "Issues to Conisder," only do questions 4, 5, 6, 13)

Friday, March 30

• Fahrenheit 451: "Burning Bright"
  Montag Confronts Beatty (pp.113-121)
• Journal #7: "What's Wrong with TV?" Here's one answer! Here's another! Are you a Mildred? Why or why not? (100+)
• Study Guide 4
• Homework: Finish Fahrenheit 451 over spring break!
  

April 2-6, 2007: Spring Break

Monday, April 2

• Fahrenheit 451: Montag on the Run (pp.121-139)

Tuesday, April 3

• Fahrenheit 451: The River and the Tracks (pp. 139-145)

Wednesday, April 4

• Fahrenheit 451: Granger and the Books (pp. 145-155)

Thursday, April 5

• Fahrenheit 451: Montag Finally Remembers (pp. 155-160)

Friday, April 6

• Fahrenheit 451: Starting Over (pp. 160-165)
  

April 9-13, 2007: Foreign Language Week

Monday, April 9

• Journal # 8: So, how was the break? What did you do? Are you refreshed and ready to return for the final eight weeks of junior high? (100+)
• Fahrenheit 451: Study Guide/Discussion
• Turn in Study Guide
• Answer these discussion questions in your journal:
  

  1. Identify a significant theme in Fahrenheit 451. (Remember a theme is stated as a complete sentence. It is a statement about life that the novel illustrates. It is not a moral or a value judgement. It does not express right or wrong, good or bad. A theme does not give advice or warnings.) 2. Find a passage in the final 44 pages of the book that supports the theme you identified and copy it onto the page. 3. According to Granger (pp. 155-157), what makes a person "important"? (Why is his grandfather important but Mildred is not?) 4. According to Granger (pp. 163-165), what is needed to make books meaningful again? What does his metaphor about the "mirror factory" (p. 164) mean?

  
  

Tuesday, April 10

• F451 Final Exam: Into the Fire
• Take AR Test
  

Wednesday, April 11

• Journal #9: On the next blank page in your journal, list all the advantages of reading. How does it benefit you?
• Final F451 Writing: Why should we read? (Due Friday!)
• Prewriting/Discussion: Here's what you came up with!
• Here's the teacher's answer.
• Here's a seven-year old's answer.
• Here's the answer to a related question.
  

Thursday, April 12

• Foreign Language Plays: Popcorn Compliments of Mrs. Johnson!
  

Friday, April 13

• Journal #10: Are you a triskadecaphobe? Why or why not? Discuss superstition. (100+)
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by E.A. Poe
  

April 16-20, 2007: Poe-try Week

Monday, April 16

• Poe-cabulary
• The Raven: Read it!
• The Raven: "Translate" it! (One stanza each!)
• The Raven Study Questions: Due Wednesday!
  

Tuesday, April 17: Computer Lab 138

• Edgar Allan Poetry Assignment
• This link on Poetic Terms may come in handy!
  

Wednesday, April 18: The Raven Study Questions due!

• Journal #11: Scary Things! What scares you? Is fear the same as worry? Do you like scary movies? Discuss fear. (100+ words)
  "The Tell-Tale Heart"
  "Heavy Metal" (Poe Satire)
• The Raven Study Questions Due!
  

Thursday, April 19

• Poe Biography: Terror of the Soul
  

Friday, April 20

• Finish Video & Turn in Study Guide
  MPT Poe: Informational Text (pp. 183-190)
• Make a Timeline for the events described in "Poe's Final Days" (pp. 184-186)
• "Short Funny Thing"
  

April 23-27, 2007

Monday, April 23

• Journal #1: If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change? Why? Discuss your best and worst qualities. (100+ words)
• Finish MPT Poe: Informational Text (pp. 183-190)
• Assignment: Pages 191 & 192 (Practice for EOL Exam)
  

Tuesday, April 24: 3:00 P.M. -- Poe Video Make-up Session

• Stargirl: Chapters 1 & 2
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #1: hoax, nonconformity, saguaro, balk, paleontologist, orate
• Journal #2: If this school had a show like Hot Seat, which three students would you want to see on it? Why? (100+ words)
• Read Chapters 3-5
  

Wednesday, April 25: Career Fair Field Trip 9:00 - 11:50

• Computer Lab: Point of View Assignment
  

Thursday, April 26: Midterm

• Stargirl: Read through Chapter 6
• Journal #3: Describe an adult other than a parent who has been an advisor to you during a difficult or frustrating time. What qualities are necessary in such an advisor? Discuss. (100+ words)
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 7
• Stargirl Study Question (in journal): "Keep looking at her long enough. One day you might see someone you know." Who? Explain this quotation from page 35.
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 8
• Stargirl Study Question (in journal): "But we also gave something to ourselves." What? Explain this quotation from page 39.
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 9
  

Friday, April 27

• Vocab. Set #1 Quiz
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #2: amorphous, inquisition, spiel, impromptu, raucous, ferocity (Copy into journal.)
  CRT Review: Writing Notes
  Organizational Patterns: Pages 359-363 in Language Text
  Assignment: Exercise 5 & Review A on pages 362-363
  

April 30-May 4, 2007

Monday, April 30

• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Chronological Order
• Journal #4: If, like Stargirl, you decided to change your name to something more descriptive of who and what you are, what would your new name be? Why? Explain. (100+ words)
  Stargirl: Read Chapters 10 & 11
  

Tuesday, May 1: Mrs. Burns in the House!

• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Order of Importance
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 12 - 13
  

Wednesday, May 2

• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Comparison & Contrast
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 14
• Vocabulary Set #2 Quiz
• Read Chapters 15 & 16
  

Thursday, May 3

• Stargirl: Finish Chapter 16 (quickly!)
• Study Question (in journal): "She was the opposite of cool; she held nothing back." Explain this statement from page 78.
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #3: mica, ocotillo, serene (serenity), derelict, rapture, facetious (Copy into journal.)
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 17
• Journal #5: Make a list of the pros and cons of having Stargirl as a friend. Would you want her as a friend? Why or why not? With which of her qualities are you compatible or incompatible? (100+ words)
• "The Way to Start a Day" by Byrd Baylor
  

Friday, May 4

• Stargirl: Read Chapter 18
• Study Question (in journal): If the events of the novel Stargirl (up to page 99) happened at this school, which of the characters in the story would you be? Explain.
• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Cause & Effect
• Weekend Assignment: Observe someone closely (and quietly) for at least 15 minutes. Pay attention to the small details that you wouldn't usually notice in the course of your busy life. Remember what you observe and reflect on how focused observation is different than what we usually do.
  

May 7-11, 2007

Monday, May 7

• Journal #6: What interesting things did you notice in your weekend observation? What conclusions can you draw about the person you observed? Were you sympathetic or critical in your observations? Why?
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 19-21
• Quiz: Vocabulary Set #3
• Assignment: "The Way to_____________" -- While out in the desert with Leo (Chapter 17), Stargirl seems to find special insight and inner peace by "erasing herself" through meditation. Consider a simple activity in which you find peace and insight into Life and the world. Write a non-literal poem describing the way to do that simple activity. Instead of just listing the steps involved, describe the process from the inside. Create metaphors to explain the thoughts and emotions that the activity conjures in you. This fill-in-the-blank outline is only for those who aren't creative enough to come up with all the lines on their own. Don't use it if you don't absolutely need to. Then, by Thursday, create a decorated final draft that is suitable for classroom display. Be creative and artistic!
  

Tuesday, May 8: Computer Lab 138

• UTIPS EOL Test Practice: 9th Grade English CRT Practice Test
• UTIPS Extra Credit Opportunity: Score 75% or higher on....
  Extra Credit 9th Grade English CRT 1
  &
  Extra Credit English CRT 2
  

Wednesday, May 9

• Vocab. Set #4: disparage, festooned, moa, jostling, gander, preamble
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 22
• Journal #7: How many pebbles are in your happy wagon today? Why? Do you have ninth-grade-itis? Are you suffering from schpilkis in your gonechticazoink? Malaise? Ennui? Are you ready for summer? Discuss. (100+ words)
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 23 & 24
• Study Question (p. 126): "I never realized how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence." Is this true? Do we need such attention? Why? What quality has Leo discovered in himself?

Thursday, May 10: "The Way to _________" Poem due!

• Stargirl: Read Chapters 25-26
• Journal # 8: Compare/Contrast Stargirl and Susan. Which character do you like more? Why? (100+ words)
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 27-31
• Vocab. Set #4 Quiz
  

Friday, May 11

• Just Fartin' Around: Fun & Practice with Informational Text
  Here's the article. >>> Here's the CRT practice.
• Don't be absent next week!
  

May 14-18, 2007: CRT Week -- Bring pencils and reading books!

Monday, May 14

• State-Mandated End-of-Level Criterion-Referenced Test
  (Man, that was a mouthful!)
• Assignment for the week: Finish Stargirl
  

Tuesday, May 15

• State-Mandated End-of-Level Criterion-Referenced Test
  (Utah Performance Assessment System for Students: U-PASS)
  

Wednesday, May 16

• State-Mandated End-of-Level Criterion-Referenced Test
  (U-PASS: Think the hyphen is in the wrong place?)
• Finish Stargirl
• 
  

Thursday, May 17

• State-Mandated Criterion-Referenced End-of-Level Test
• Stargirl Study Question (p.170): "...it came to them in small sensations that they were more alone than she was." How? Explain this. (in journal)
• Silent Reading/AR Tests
  

Friday, May 18

• Journal #1: How do you think you did on the CRT EOL? Explain your strengths and weaknesses on such tests. (100 +)
• Stargirl Writing: If Leo had known then what he knows now (15 years after his experience with Stargirl), what, if anything, would he do differently? Explain what he has learned and how he has changed. What lessons would age teach him? Can such lessons be taught to teenagers? Why or why not?
• Stargirl Final Exam: Due Friday, May 25
• 10 days to go...
  

May 21-25, 2007

Monday, May 21

• Journal #2: If you could travel forward or backward in time and observe or change some event outside of your own lifetime, where would you go and what would you do? Discuss your thoughts on time and space. (100+)
• MPT: The Cool Stuff
• "A Sound of Thunder"
  

Tuesday, May 22: Computer Lab 138

• Writing Assignment: Letter to the Future (Final Draft due Thursday!)
• Last Chance for Extra Credit
  The Kardiac Kid: Read the Story and Take the Quiz
  

Wednesday, May 23: Computer Lab 138

• Writing Assignment: Letter to the Future (Final Draft due Thursday!)
• Last Chance for Extra Credit
  The Kardiac Kid: Read the Story and Take the Quiz
• Falcon Finale: 7:00 P.M.
  

Thursday, May 24

• Final Writing Assignment due!
• Journal #3: Read the journal entry you wrote on January 11th. What changed? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Will you miss ninth grade? (100 +)
• MPT: "The Most Dangerous Game"
  

Friday, May 25: Stargirl Project due!

• Finish "The Most Dangerous Game"
• Share Stargirl Projects
  

May 28-June 1, 2007

Monday, May 28: Memorial Day

• The Kardiac Kid: Last Chance for Extra Credit -- Quiz due tomorrow!
  

Tuesday, May 29: Independent Reading Points due!

• MPT: "The Seven Ages of Man": Rewrite the first five lines using your own metaphor. (in journal)
• See the journal you wrote on February 15: George Grey (Don't be one!)
• Journal #4: Using the format we learned while reading Spoon River, write an epitaph for your ninth grade year.
• Sign my yearbook...again....
  

Wednesday, May 30: Ninth Grade Dance (7:00 P.M.)

• The Final Journal: Write a letter to yourself in ten years. Keep the journal until then and read it. Then write me a letter or an e-mail to tell me if things turned out as you planned.
• Final Conference with Thompson: Journals, Grades, Tearful Goodbyes...
  

Thursday, May 31: Lagoon Day

Friday, June 1: Yearbook Day

• Last day...What better day for a (41st) birthday?!
• Sign my yearbook (the real one this time)!
• Have a super summer!
• Stay in touch!