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Davis School District

March 24-28, 2008: Fourth Term Begins!

Monday, March 24: Q.T. Day -- No School for Students

• This is the first assignment that will be scored on this term's grade:
  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.
  (We did this in the computer lab on the last day of third term.)
  

Tuesday, March 25: Fourth Term Begins!

• Welcome to the Beginning of the End!
• Journal #9: 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)
• Hall Passes/Reading Contracts
• Fahrenheit 451:
  Finish Part 1: "The Hearth and the Salamander" (pp.63-68) & Study Guide 2 (side 1)
• Begin Part 2: "The Seive and the Sand"
  Montag Thinks...and Remembers (pp.71-75)
  Montag's Dilemma (pp.75-77)
  

Wednesday, March 26

• Journal #10: Montag's Dilemma -- Which book would you save? Why? (100+)
• Fahrenheit 451:
  The Subway (pp. 77-80)
  Faber's Lecture (pp. 80-91)
  Finish Study Guide 2
• Videots: Handout/Discussion
• Homework: Finish today's reading (pp. 89-91).
  Complete Videots handout, including examples that support your views.
  

Thursday, March 27

• Writing Assignment: What's wrong with TV? due Monday!
  Use the Videots handout and examples to support your thesis.
  (Shhh! Here's one answer! Here's another!)
• 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 28

• Journal #11: Are you a Mildred? Why or why not? (100+)
• Fahrenheit 451: "Burning Bright"
  Montag Confronts Beatty (pp.113-121)
  
• Assignment: From today's reading, choose a sentence that is at least one of these things:
  • Full of powerful imagery
  • Confusing (long, complex, or containing difficult vocabulary)
  • Closely tied to the theme of the story
  • Poetic in some way (metaphor, simile, etc.)
  • Intriguing or interesting for any other reason
    
  Write the sentence in legible handwriting on a (giant-sized) sheet of blank paper. Put a code word or symbol on the back so you can identify it as your own but no else can. Turn it in.
  

March 31 - April 4, 2008

Monday, March 31: "What's Wrong With TV?" Writing Due

• Continue Assignment from Friday:
  • Read and write responses to the sentences chosen by classmates (90 seconds each): This makes me feel..., I like this sentence because..., This sentence suggests..., This reminds me of..., etc.
  • Get your own back and read the comments of your classmates.
  
  
• Fahrenheit 451: Montag on the Run (pp.121-139)
• Study Guide 4
  

Tuesday, April 1

• Journal #12: Reading Quiz & Journal Count for Grading: Summarize pages 124-139 (the homework assignment from last night). Be sure to include the following: Montag crossing the boulevard, his short visit to Mrs. Black's house, his stop at Faber's (and what they see on TV), and his narrow escape. Then, pretend to be me and score your journals honestly, ten points for each one that is complete.
• Fahrenheit 451: The River and the Tracks (pp. 139-145, silently)
• Close Reading: Submit an intriguing sentence from today's reading.
• Homework: Get caught up on all reading and study guides!
  

Wednesday, April 2

• Review yesterday's "close reading" sentences (i.e., review the reading assignment)
• "What's Wrong with TV?" (The answer)
• Fahrenheit 451: Granger and the Books (pp. 145-155)
  Montag Finally Remembers (pp. 155-160)
  

Thursday, April 3: Thompson Computer Lab

• 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
  

Friday, April 4

• Finish Fahrenheit 451 & Study Guide
  Starting Over (pp. 160-165)
• Answer these questions in writing:
  

  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?

April 7-11, 2008

Monday, April 7

• Fahrenheit 451: Final Exam: Into the Fire
• Return all materials from F451 Unit
• Is it true? Will book paper really catch fire at 451 degrees Fahrenheit? (A story)
  

Tuesday, April 8

• Journal #1: 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 last year came up with!
  & Here's yours!
• Here's the teacher's answer.
• Here's a seven-year old's answer.
• Here's the answer to a related question.
  

Wednesday, April 9

• Journal #2: Revenge: Describe a time wanted to get back at someone. Why is revenge such a satisfying endeavor? Do you make the punishment fit the crime, or does your payback include "interest"? Discuss vengeance. (100+ words)
• Poe-cabulary
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by E.A. Poe
  

Thursday, April 10

• Poe Biography: Terror of the Soul
  

Friday, April 11: "Why Should We Read?" due today

• Finish Video & Turn in Study Guide
• MPT Poe: Informational Text (pp. 183-186)
  Make a Timeline for the events described in "Poe's Final Days"; keep it with the biography study guide.
  

April 14-18, 2008: Poe-try Week

Monday, April 14

• The Raven: Read & "Translate"
• Study Questions: Due Thursday!
  

Tuesday, April 15: Computer Lab 137

• Edgar Allan Poetry Assignment
• This link on Poetic Terms may come in handy!
• Hey, got an extra minute? Check these:
  Remember this bad sign? Look! They fixed it!
  Speaking of bad signs, does anyone else see the irony here?
  (There are three ways that sign could have been correctly punctuated. Extra credit for the first person in each class to e-mail me what they are.)
  

Wednesday, April 16: 9th Grade Career Fair (8:30-11:30 A.M.)

• No 2nd or 3rd Periods, 4th shortened
• Journal 2 1/2: What did you think of the Career Fair? What do you know now that you didn't know before you went? Discuss the experience and how you think it will benefit you. (100+)
• 5th & 6th Periods: "The Black Cat" by Poe
  

Thursday, April 17

• Another Bad Sign: Look up in the sky!
• The Raven Study Questions due!
• Present "Translations" of The Raven
• Finish MPT Poe: Informational Text (pp. 187-190)
• Analyzing Informational Text: Test Practice (pp. 191-192)
  

Friday, April 18

• "The Tell-Tale Heart" (Audio Only)
• Parody: "Heavy Metal"
• "Short Funny Thing"
• Thanks to Chyann for this Bad Sign! (Why is it bad?)
  

April 21-25, 2008

Monday, April 21

• Journal #3: If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change? Why? Discuss your best and worst qualities. (100+ words)
• Score/Review Test Practice (MPT, pp. 191-192) from last week: Why are the correct answers correct?
• CRT Concept Review
• Organizational Patterns: Pages 359-363 in Language Text
  Assignment: Exercise 5 & Review A on pages 362-363
• Writing Notes
  

Tuesday, April 22

• Bad Sign compliments of the Jazz
• Journal #4: Proofreading Activity #1 (Conventions)
• Review Main Ideas and Clincher Statements
  

Wednesday, April 23

• Bad Sign: They can't be serious!
• Journal #5: Tell me a story. (100+)
• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Chronological Order
• Unity/Transitions Worksheet (Due tomorrow!)
  

Thursday, April 24: Last Day for Reading Extra Credit

• Turn in/Score Worksheet
• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Order of Importance
• Journal #6: Write a paragraph or two in which you discuss the most important characteristics of a true friend. (100+)
• CRT Practice: Paragraph Structure Quiz (multiple-choice, 1-20)
  

Friday, April 25

• Review (Briefly) Organizational Patterns of Writing: Comparison & Contrast
• Revise Paragraph Structure Quiz: MBT, pp. 346-371
  (Correct mistakes using textbook.)
• The REAL test on Paragraph Structure (Part 1) -- due Tuesday!
  

April 28-May 2, 2008

Monday, April 28

• Stargirl: Chapters 1 & 2
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #1: hoax, nonconformity, saguaro, balk, paleontologist, orate
• Journal #7: If this school had a show like Hot Seat, which three students would you want to see on it? Why? (100+ words)
• Read Chapter 3 (aloud), 4 & 5 (silently)
• The REAL test on Paragraph Structure (Part 2) -- due tomorrow!
  

Tuesday, April 29

• Turn in The REAL test on Paragraph Structure (Parts 1 & 2)
• Reading Quiz on Chapters 4 & 5 (if needed)
• Review Organizational Patterns of Writing: Cause & Effect
• Point of View Assignment
  

Wednesday, April 30

• Stargirl: Read through Chapter 6
• Journal #8: 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.
• Vocab. Set #1 Quiz
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 9
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #2: amorphous, inquisition, spiel, impromptu, raucous, ferocity (Copy into notebook.)
  
  

Thursday, May 1

• Journal #9: 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 - 14
  

Friday, May 2

• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #2 Quiz
• Bad Sign (from an Internet game): It's kind of ironic, too!
• Just Fartin' Around: Fun & Practice with Informational Text
  Here's the article. >>> Here's the CRT practice.
  Don't be absent next week!
  
  

May 5-9, 2008

Monday, May 5: Thompson Computer Lab

• CRT Test
  

Tuesday, May 6: Thompson Computer Lab

• CRT Test
  

Wednesday, May 7: Thompson Computer Lab

• CRT Test
  

Thursday, May 8

• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #3: mica, ocotillo, serene (serenity), derelict, rapture, facetious (Copy into notebook.)
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 15 & 16
• Study Question (in journal): "She was the opposite of cool; she held nothing back." Explain this statement from page 78.
• Stargirl: Read Chapter 17
  Journal #10: 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)
  

Friday, May 9

• "The Way to Start a Day" by Byrd Baylor
• 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! (Due next Thursday!)
• 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.
• Read Chapter 19
• 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 12-16, 2008

Monday, May 12

• Journal #11: 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 20-21
• Quiz: Vocabulary Set #3
• Read Chapter 22 (on your own, silently)
• View Samples of "The Way to _____________" poem (Due Thursday!)
  

Tuesday, May 13

• Journal #12: 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)
• Vocab. Set #4: disparage, festooned, moa, jostling, gander, preamble
• 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?
• Read Chapter 25
  

Wednesday, May 14

• Stargirl: Read Chapter 26
• Journal #1: Compare/Contrast Stargirl and Susan. Which character do you like more? Why? (100+ words)
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 27-30
  

Thursday, May 15: "The Way to_____________" Poem due!

• Stargirl: Read Chapter 31
• Vocab. Set #4 Quiz
• Finish Stargirl
• Stargirl Study Question (p.170): "...it came to them in small sensations that they were more alone than she was." How? Explain this.
• Journal #2a: On page 315 of the Massive Purple Text, there is a poem entitled "The Road Not Taken." In your neatest handwriting, copy the poem into your journal and then answer these questions: What similar themes are shared by Stargirl and the poem? Which road will you take in life?
  

Friday, May 16

• Journal #2b: Read/Discuss "The Road Not Taken"
• Stargirl Final Exam: Due May 23rd
• Samples from last year....
  

May 19-23, 2008

Monday, May 19

• Journal #3: Poem o' the Day -- "Entrance" by Dana Gioia
• MPT: The Cool Stuff
• "The Most Dangerous Game"
  

Tuesday, May 20

• Finish "The Most Dangerous Game"
• Journal #4: Poems of the Day: "Gratitude to Old Teachers" by Robert Bly
• "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand
• "For Poets" by Al Young
  

Wednesday, May 21: Computer Lab

• Final Writing Assignments: Letters to the Future
  

Thursday, May 22: Computer Lab

• Finish Final Writing Assignments: Letters to the Future
• Kardiac Kid: Last Chance Extra Credit
  

Friday, May 23: Stargirl Final Exam due!

• Share Stargirl Projects
  

May 26-30, 2008

Monday, May 26: Memorial Day

• No School
• Last Chance Extra Credit: Quiz due Wednesday!
  

Tuesday, May 27: Independent Reading Points Due!

• MPT: "The Seven Ages of Man": Rewrite the first five lines using your own metaphor. (in journal)
• Journal: Read the journal you wrote on January 18th. What changed? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Will you miss ninth grade? (100+)
• Sign my yearbook...again....
• Review Stargirl Presentations
  

Wednesday, May 28: 9th Grade Dance (7:00 P.M.)

• Last Real Day of Class for 9th Graders
• See your journal from February 22: "George Grey" -- Don't be one!
• 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 29: Lagoon Day

• Happy Anniversary to the Kardiac Kid!
  

Friday, May 30: The End

• Sign My Yearbook...this time the real one!
• School's Out for Summer!