Wednesday, April 21: A Day
Thursday, April 22: B Day (Midterm cutoff date)

• Journal #8: In what ways are you creative? How do you express your creativity? Discuss. (100+)
• DRSL #1: Communication (Notes in WN)
• But do we ever ask why?
• Why should we read and write?
  (Previous responses: 2007 & 2008)
  A seven-year old's response! (Ten years later, this kid was a state finalist for the English Sterling Scholar Award.)
  (Just in case you were wondering: Why Read F451?)
• Why read or write poetry? (Oh oh! Here it comes!)
  "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins
• Handout for Reference: Poetry/Literary Terms (You should know these!) & Poetry Analysis: This shows the questions we answer in our heads when we appreciate a poem. These are the elements that engage us and give the poem its effect. The only reason this form exists is because there are so many people who won't try otherwise. Don't make me use it!
• Speaking of poetry, how are those Epitaphs coming? Work on them in class! Turn in. (This is the creative part of the F451 Test.)
• Example of Paired Epitaphs: Cooney Potter & Fiddler Jones
• Finish Book Talks
  

Friday, April 23: A Day -- Midterm Book Talk Deadline

• In case you were wondering how this year's came out: Why Read and Write?
• Journal #9: First watch the clip of this fellow who has practiced a lot.
  • Creativity + Practice = Excellence
  • Hard work = Talent
  • "Talent is the desire to practice....Kids in school should be separated not by aptitude or intelligence but by how hard they are willing to work." -- Malcolm Gladwell
  • "Practice makes perfect."
  • Which of these quotes do you agree with and why? What do you want to be good at and how often do you practice? Why? Does anyone have to remind you to practice? Do you hope to make a living doing what you practice or is it something you do just for personal satisfaction? (100 +)
• Poem o' the Day: "Did I Miss Anything?"
• Epitaphs of Mildred and Clarisse -- Good Start!
• Choose one and do a final draft. Consider using some of the poetic elements on the reference page. Space and punctuate in the way that best meets the needs of the poem. Consider not only the meaning of the words but also the sound and the "flow" of the lines.
• Surprise me with a Chain Poem.
• 
  

April 26-30, 2010

Monday, April 26: B Day

• In case you were wondering how this year's came out: Why Read and Write?
• Journal #9: First watch the clip of this fellow who has practiced a lot.
  • Creativity + Practice = Excellence
  • Hard work = Talent
  • "Talent is the desire to practice....Kids in school should be separated not by aptitude or intelligence but by how hard they are willing to work." -- Malcolm Gladwell
  • "Practice makes perfect."
  • Which of these quotes do you agree with and why? What do you want to be good at and how often do you practice? Why? Does anyone have to remind you to practice? Do you hope to make a living doing what you practice or is it something you do just for personal satisfaction? (100 +)
• Poem o' the Day: "Did I Miss Anything?"
• Epitaphs of Mildred and Clarisse -- Good Start!
• Choose one and do a final draft. Consider using some of the poetic elements on the reference page. Space and punctuate in the way that best meets the needs of the poem. Consider not only the meaning of the words but also the sound and the "flow" of the lines.
• Surprise me with a Chain Poem.
  (Wow! Look at these examples!)
  

Tuesday, April 27: A Day
Wednesday, April 28: B Day

1. Define communication.
2. Define "text" as it was used in the lecture.
3. Name the three kinds of text and give an example of each.
4. What three things do you do as a "receiver" in the process of communication?
5. What three things do you do as a "sender" in the process of communication?
6. Name five "modes of expression" (or "writing modes") and describe each.

• Journal #10: Write 100+ words about Topic #10 (from the list you made on March 2/3).
• Poem o' the Day: "Gratitude to Old Teachers" by Robert Bly
• Right Brain Workout: "Where I'm From"
• Use powerful sensory imagery to say something about your past
• Make a rough draft using Template #1 & Template #2
• Revise and turn in a poem about yourself that is rich in descriptive imagery.
  Due next time!
• 20 Minutes of CRT Prep: Comma Practice Worksheet
• Review Grammar Punk Comma Rules
• 
  

Thursday, April 29: A Day
Friday, April 30: B Day

• Turn in/Share "Where I'm From" poems
• Poem o' the Day: "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?"
• Score/Correct Communication Quiz
• Score/Correct Comma Practice Worksheet...
• ...and then do another one. (Due next time!)
• NOT Grammar Punk: Word Pools into Poems...and Clouds
• "In the beginning was the Word...."
• Read Chapter 3 of poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Woolridge
• Set aside a place in your Writing Notebook to create your own word pool, a collection of cool, specific, precise, powerful, descriptive, wonderful words!
• Right Brain Workout: Using some of the words in your word pool, write a free verse poem using one of these poem starters.
• Feel free to include any of these poetic elements.
• The Eyeball Story: "Why are you wearing glasses today?"
  (Wanna see something gross?)
  

May 3-7, 2010

Monday, May 3: A Day
Tuesday, May 4: B Day

• Poem o' the Day: "The Hand" by Mary Ruefle...
• ...and how 'bout some of the good ones you wrote last week?
• BTW: Did you want to see what happened to that Wordpool?
• UTIPS Assignment & Extra Credit Opportunity (The top link is the assignment; you have to do that one. The ones marked "Extra Credit" are extra credit...but only until Thursday, May 13th.)
• Score/Correct Comma Practice Worksheet #2
• A Poetic Soul: Stargirl
  • Chapters 1 & 2
  • Vocabulary Set #1: hoax, nonconformity, saguaro, balk, paleontologist, orate
  • Journal #11: If this school had a show like Hot Seat, which three students would you want to see on it? Why? (100+ words)
  • Chapter 3 (aloud), 4 & 5 (silently)
    
  
  

Wednesday, May 5: A Day
Thursday, May 6: B Day

• Poem o' the Day: "Cartoon Physics, part 1" by Nick Flynn
• Chapter 5 Reading Quiz? (only if needed)
• Stargirl Triptych: In Chapter 3, Leo follows Stargirl into the desert. Since Leo is the first-person narrator, we only know what he is thinking during this scene. Let's examine some of the other possible points of view. Select some cool, poetic words from the wordpool we created last week and write a triptych (three short poems) that represents other points of view in the scene: Stargirl, a third-person omniscient narrator, and one of your choice. (For example, you could write one from the point of view of Cinnamon the rat or from the point of view of the person inside the house where Stargirl delivered the "Congratulations!" card. You could even make up a character or include elements from the scene that aren't in the book. Be creative.) Weave this image into each of the poems to give them something in common even though they are all from different points of view: "She was walking directly into the setting sun, now a great orange perched atop the mountain crests" (p.17). Don't use the same words, but make sure each poem refers to that image of the sun over the desert mountains...like Courtney's picture.
• Stargirl: Chapter 6
• Journal #12: 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)
• Chapter 7
• Study Question (in WN): "Keep looking at her long enough. One day you might see someone you know." Who? Copy and explain this quotation from page 35.
• Chapter 8
• Study Question (in WN): "But we also gave something to ourselves." What? Copy and explain this quotation from page 39.
• Chapter 9
• Study Comma Practice Worksheet #1 & Comma Practice Worksheet #2 for the Comma Test next time!
• B Day 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.
  

Friday, May 7: A Day

• Comma Test
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #2: amorphous, inquisition, spiel, impromptu, raucous, ferocity (Copy into notebook.)
• Journal #13: 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: Chapters 10 - 13
• Organizational Patterns: Pages 359-363 in Language Text
• Assignment (Orally): Exercise 5 & Review A on pages 362-363
• A Day 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 10-14, 2010

Monday, May 10: B Day -- Final Book Talks Begin Today!

• Comma Test
• Stargirl Vocabulary Set #2: amorphous, inquisition, spiel, impromptu, raucous, ferocity (Copy into notebook.)
• Journal #13: 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: Chapters 10 - 13
• Organizational Patterns: Pages 359-363 in Language Text
• Assignment (Orally): Exercise 5 & Review A on pages 362-363
• 
  
  

Tuesday, May 11: A Day
Wednesday, May 12: B Day

• Correct/Score Comma Test
• Vocabulary Set #3: mica, ocotillo, serene (serenity), derelict, rapture, facetious (Copy into notebook, and write a free verse poem that uses at least four of these words.)
• Stargirl: Chapters 14- 16
• Study Question (in journal): "She was the opposite of cool; she held nothing back." Explain this statement from page 78.
• Stargirl: Chapter 17
• "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. Using some fresh words from your wordpool, 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 create a decorated final draft that is suitable for classroom display. Be creative and artistic!
• Just Fartin' Around: Fun & Practice with Informational Text
  Here's the article. >>> Here's the CRT practice.
• Don't be absent for the next two sessions!
• 
  
  

Thursday, May 13: A Day (CRT: Lab 202)
Friday, May 14: B Day (CRT: Lab 138)

• Testing, Testing...
  

May 17-21, 2010

Monday, May 17: A Day
Tuesday, May 18: B Day (BfMV)

• 6
• Extra Credit: Shades Night @ LHS (5/18, 7:00 P.M.)
• Read quietly on your own today!
• Stargirl: 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.
• 
  Stargirl: Chapters 19 - 22
• Journal #14: What interesting things did you notice in your weekend observation (from two weekends ago)? What conclusions can you draw about the person you observed? Were you sympathetic or critical in your observations? Why? (100 +)
• 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 19: A Day (Choir Concert -- 7:00 P.M.)
Thursday, May 20: B Day

• 5
• "The Way to __________" Poem due!
• Journal #15: 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 Chapter 26
  Study Question: Compare/Contrast Stargirl and Susan. Which character do you like more? Why?
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 27-29 (on your own)
• Stargirl: Read Chapters 30 & 31 (together)
• Stargirl Study Question (p.170): "...it came to them in small sensations that they were more alone than she was." How? Explain this.
• Finish Stargirl (on your own)
• 
  

Friday, May 21: A Day

• 4
• Finish Stargirl (on your own) if you are not already finished. Take AR test.
• Stargirl Comparative Literature Assignment (Writing Notebook): Look back to the journal you wrote on January 20/21. You copied a poem (from page 315 of the Massive Purple Text) entitled "The Road Not Taken." Read the poem and then answer these questions in a coherent paragraph or two: What similar themes are shared by Stargirl and the poem? Explain and discuss. Which road will you take in life?
• Poetry Assignment Part 1: From the various poems you have submitted in recent weeks, choose one to revise a final time (or write a completely new one). You will turn in a very legible final draft for credit on May 25/26. Analyze your own work using this form. (You received a reference copy back in April.)
• Poetry Assignment Part 2: Find a free verse poem written by someone other than you that you like and understand. Bring a very legible copy of the poem to class on May 25/26.
• You will be reading one or both of these poems aloud in class.
  Here are some pointers! (Listen to the example as well!)
• This means you have TWO THINGS DUE NEXT TIME:
  • 1) A final draft of a poem of your own with an analysis of that poem attached
  • 2) A free verse poem written by someone else that you have read over enough to be able to present it aloud during our Poetry Flood.
• Stargirl Final Exam (due May 27/28): Examples from the Past....
  

May 24-28, 2010

Monday, May 24: B Day

• 4
• Finish Stargirl (on your own) if you are not already finished. Take AR test.
• Stargirl Comparative Literature Assignment (Writing Notebook): Look back to the journal you wrote on January 20/21. You copied a poem (from page 315 of the Massive Purple Text) entitled "The Road Not Taken." Read the poem and then answer these questions in a coherent paragraph or two: What similar themes are shared by Stargirl and the poem? Explain and discuss. Which road will you take in life?
• Poetry Assignment Part 1: From the various poems you have submitted in recent weeks, choose one to revise a final time (or write a completely new one). You will turn in a very legible final draft for credit on May 25/26. Analyze your own work using this form. (You received a reference copy back in April.)
• Poetry Assignment Part 2: Find a free verse poem written by someone other than you that you like and understand. Bring a very legible copy of the poem to class on May 25/26.
• You will be reading one or both of these poems aloud in class.
  Here are some pointers! (Listen to the example as well!)
• This means you have TWO THINGS DUE NEXT TIME:
  • 1) A final draft of a poem of your own with an analysis of that poem attached
  • 2) A free verse poem written by someone else that you have read over enough to be able to present it aloud during our Poetry Flood.
• Stargirl Final Exam (due May 27/28): Examples from the Past....
  

Tuesday, May 25: A Day
Wednesday, May 26: B Day

• 3
• Poetry Flood
  • Turn in your analysis of your own poem.
  • Share poems aloud.
• Burning Questions, Anyone?
• A couple more Stargirl Presentations from the Past
  

Thursday, May 27: A Day
Friday, May 28: B Day -- Final Book Talk Deadline!

• 2: Last Real Day of Class for 9th Graders
• Stargirl Projects
• Happy Anniversary to the Kardiac Kid!
  Last Chance Extra Credit
• Writing Notebook: Copy "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 (or whatever the latest communication technology is by then) to tell me if things turned out as you planned.
• Final Score on Writing Notebooks
• Gathering Our Things: Journals, Poems, etc.
• Final Conference with Thompson: Book Talks, Grades, Tearful Goodbyes...
• Sign my yearbook...again....
  

Poetry Cafe: Friday, May 28th, 6:00 P.M.
Lincoln Elementary School
Extra Credit available for those who attend.

May 31 - June 4, 2010

Monday, May 31: Memorial Day

• No School
• To see previous weeks, scroll all the way down.
• Looking for Summer Reading?
  Join the "Fairfield Falcon Book Group" on Shelfari!

Tuesday, June 1 (44!): A Day
Wednesday, June 2 (9th Grade Dance -7:00 P.M.): B Day

• 1
• Computer Lab: Final Writing Assignment
• Looking for Summer Reading?
  Join the "Fairfield Falcon Book Group" on Shelfari!
• Talent Show Assembly: June 2
  

Thursday, June 3 (Lagoon Day): A Day

• Have fun at Lagoon!
• LHS Graduation: Noon
  

Friday, June 4 (The End): B Day

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