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Davis School District

November 1-4, 2011: Welcome to Term 2!

Monday, October 31: No School (for Students)
Tuesday, November 1: B Day

    • Poem o' the Day: "The Road Not Taken" (MPT, p. 315)
    • All this goes in the Writintg Notebook:
    • Quickwrite (p. 314): Think of a time you made a significant choice in your life. Now imagine you had made a different choice. How would your life be different? (Identify the choice and write three sentences in response.)
    • Copy the poem into your Writing Notebook.
    • Answer questions 1, 4, & 5 on page 318.
    • Tone: Insert an adjective (to describe the tone of the poem) into line 16 before the word sigh: "I shall be telling this with a __________ sigh...."
    • WN: Reflection/Preflection -- The first term is over. How did it go? What are your plans and goals for the second term? Discuss. Explain. Elaborate. Pontificate. (100+)
    • Grammar Punk: Comma Rule #3
      Use commas to separate non-essential interrupting elements in a sentence.
    • Article of the Week: Homework. Do not write the reflection! We'll do that part next time.



Wednesday, November 2: A Day (SOM: Ryan Merrell)
Thursday, November 3: B Day

    • Welcome to the Second Term!
    • Poem o' the Day: "Gee, You're So Beautiful That It's Starting to Rain" by Richard Brautigan
    • Turn in AoW and write the reflection in Writing Notebook
    • Grammar Punk: Comma Rule #4
      #4 Use commas to separate items in a series.
    • Maintain Parallel Structure with items in a series!
    • Let's practice a bit, shall we?
    • Book Reviews: Same Outline Forms, Greater Expectations
      • Update Goodreads Shelves by Friday!
      • The book you will read first this term better be there!
      • Complete the Outline and post the review as soon as you finish reading!
    • Due date: Book Review #1 posted to Goodreads by December 9th!
    • Intro to Word Study (2nd Term): "The Miracle of Language" by Richard Lederer (Close Read/Discuss)


Friday, November 4: A Day

November 7-11, 2011

Monday, November 7: B Day

Tuesday, November 8: A Day
Wednesday, November 9: B Day

    • Poem o' the Day: "Snow" by David Berman
    • Parallel Sturcture: Check/Score Homework
    • Writing Notebooks have been scored, and there are a few issues that need to be addressed:
      • Label/Date EVERYTHING!
      • A couple spaces between entries!
      • Responses must be complete sentences, so you know what you were responding to.
      • Legibility!
    • Copy these into your Writing Notebook in your neatest handwriting:
      "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
    • "The five boxing wizards jump quickly."
    • "My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit."
    • "Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack."
    • AoW: Handwriting (Close read it!)

    • Reflection #1 -- Describe your handwriting? Do you think it is a reflection of your abilities or intelligence? Is handwriting important in a world in which keyboards and keypads seem to be the predominant forms of text generation? What good does it do to have legible or very fancy handwriting? Is handwriting a lost art? Discuss handwriting.
    • Grammar Punk: Comma Rule #6
      Use commas (and quotation marks) to set off a speaker’s exact words (direct quotation) from the rest of a sentence.
    • Word Cells o' the Day: -form- / -morph-
    • Morphology: How Words Are Put Together (Morphemes)
    • Neo-log-o-lus-ion: Creating New Words & Making Sense of Unfamiliar Ones
    • Neologolusion: Using your lists of prefixes/suffixes and your Word Cells, create three (3) new words and their dictionary definitions (the front side of the worksheet!) Due next time!



Thursday, November 10: A Day
Friday, November 11: B Day


November 14-18, 2011

Monday, November 14: A Day
Tuesday, November 15: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: Found Poem
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -graph- (-gram-) / -dict-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page.)
  • Begin TKAM (Reference this site for help!)
  • Pay special attention to Characterization!
  • Chapter 1 (in class w/careful attention to historical detail)
  • Writing Notebook: Fill a page in your notebook with quotes, drawings, and summaries to help you remember and understand Chapter 1.
  • Homework: Read Chapters 2 & 3
  • (Thompson will read Chapter 3 aloud during Intervention time on Wednesday.)
  • (16)

Wednesday, November 16: A Day
Thursday, November 17: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Bad Day" by Kay Ryan
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -chron- / -pre- / -post-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page.)
  • Reading Quiz: Review the good stuff
  • Copy these into your Writing Notebook and watch for evidence to support these themes as you read TKAM:
    • Education is not limited to the classroom.
    • Prejudice is responsible for much injustice.
    • Courage is doing what you think is right even when the odds of succeeding are against you.
    • People often distrust what they do not understand.
  • TKAM: Chapters 4-6
  • (8/8/8)
    • Grammar Punk: Comma Rule Review

Friday, November 18: A Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Hand Shadows" by Mary Cornish
  • Writing Notebook (200+): Respond to these prompts about the reading you did since last time:
    • When Miss Maudie shows her disgust with "foot-washing Baptists," is she putting down all Baptists, or is she attacking a particular point of view towards religion? Explain your answer.
    • Explain Miss Maudie's statement: "...sometimes the Bible in the hands of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of -- oh, your father." (What does this say about how she views Atticus?)
    • Paraphrase what Atticus says about the Radleys' right to privacy. (What Mr. Radley did was his own business....) Do you agree? Why or why not?
  • Summarize the paragraph at the beginning of Chapter 6 that begins "Mr. Avery boarded across the street...."
  • Chapters 7 in class (6)
  • Read Chapter 8 by Tuesday, November 22
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -bene- / -mal- / -phil-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page.)
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Review (Begin)-- Review Chapter 7. Copy seven sentences from the chapter, one that illustrates each of the seven comma rules.



November 21-25, 2011

Monday, November 21: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Hand Shadows" by Mary Cornish
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -bene- / -mal- / -phil-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page.)
  • Writing Notebook (200+): Respond to these prompts about the reading you did since last time:
    • When Miss Maudie shows her disgust with "foot-washing Baptists," is she putting down all Baptists, or is she attacking a particular point of view towards religion? Explain your answer.
    • Explain Miss Maudie's statement: "...sometimes the Bible in the hands of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of -- oh, your father." (What does this say about how she views Atticus?)
    • Summarize/Review the paragraph at the beginning of Chapter 6 that begins "Mr. Avery boarded across the street...."
  • Read Chapter 7 on your own (in class: 15 minutes)
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Review (Begin)-- Review Chapters 7 & 8. Copy seven sentences from the chapters, one that illustrates each of the seven comma rules.
  • Read Chapter 8 (aloud)
  • TKAM Quiz: Chapters 1-8
  • B-Day Homework: Read Chapters 9 & 10 by November 28.


Tuesday, November 22: A Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Thanksgiving" by Mac Hammond
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -fer- / -port- / -lat-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page. Turn it in!)
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Review (Finish)-- Review Chapters 7 & 8. Copy seven sentences from the chapters, one that illustrates each of the seven comma rules. (#2 is difficult!)
  • TKAM Quiz: Chapters 1-8
  • Legal Segregation/Separate but Equal: Group Close Reading & WN Reflection (100+)
  • Chapter 9 in class
  • 10 & 11 by next time!
  • (14/10/13)

Wednesday, November 23

  • Thanksgiving Recess: No School

Thursday, November 24

  • Thanksgiving Recess: No School

Friday, November 25

  • Thanksgiving Recess: No School



November 28 - December 2, 2011

Monday, November 28: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Thanksgiving" by Mac Hammond
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -fer- / -port- / -lat-
  • (Do another new word on the Neologulsion page. Turn it in!)
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Review (Finish)-- Review Chapters 7 & 8. Copy seven sentences from the chapter, one that illustrates each of the seven comma rules. (You probably will not find an example of Comma Rule #2, and that is okay. If you do, let me know!)
  • Legal Segregation/Separate but Equal: Close Reading & WN Reflection
  • Quiz: Chapters 9 & 10
  • Chapter 11 in class (if time)

Tuesday, November 29: A Day (Computer Lab)
Wednesday, November 30: B Day (Computer Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
  • TKAM Part 1 Comprehension Quiz (Common Assessment)
  • Wiki: Put your best Neologolusion on your wiki page in the proper format.
  • Goodreads: Update your shelf, make sure I can see your reviews, post your term review by December 9th. (See: I do them too!)
  • Utah Write -- Choose one of these themes from TKAM and write an essay explaining how the novel develops that theme:
    • Education is not limited to the classroom.
    • Prejudice is responsible for much injustice.
    • Courage is doing what you think is right even when the odds of succeeding are against you.
    • People often distrust what they do not understand.
  • One draft! Print it w/score on it! Turn in!
  • Reading Assignment: Chapters 12/13/14 by next time!
  • (12/8/9)


Thursday, December 1: A Day (Gone With the Wind)
Friday, December 2: B Day (School Closed)

  • The school schedule was disrupted by Mother Nature, but the reading schedule remains rigid.
  • TKAM: Read Chapters 15-17 by Monday, and if there are previous chapters that you still have not read, use this extra day to catch up.
  • (11/10/12)



December 5-9, 2011

Monday, December 5: A Day
Tuesday, December 6: B Day

  • Poems o' the Day: "The Wind" by Robert Louis Stevenson
    "Who Has Seen the Wind" by Christina Rossetti
  • Writing Notebook: Describe your experience with wind from last Thursday and Friday. (100+)
  • TKAM: Quiz/Discussion: Chapters 12/13/14/15/16/17
  • Chapter 15: Drawing Conclusions
  • For much of Chapter 15, Scout is not fully aware of what is going on. As always, she reports what she observes, but she is too young to draw conclusions about what those observations mean. She knows WHAT is happening from moment to moment (and she reports it in great detail), but she doesn't know WHY it is happening. She can't see below the surface of the events, so she doesn't know how much danger she walks into when she visits Atticus that night at the jail. There is a lot going on between the lines and in the minds of the characters that Scout doesn't pick up on, but you (as a careful reader) should. To illustrate your understanding, you are going to...well, illustrate your understanding by drawing a comic strip of the events at the jail. Using traditional speech balloons, you will have the characters speak actual lines from the text, as Scout reported them. Using thought bubbles, you will write what the characters are THINKING as the scene unfolds. (Those are the things Scout doesn't get.) Your finished cartoon should show that you understood the whole story and all the implications even though Scout did not. Here is a small sample.
  • AoW: "An Occurrence in Scottsboro Alabama" -- Show evidence of a close reading.
  • Three items for next time:
  • Cartoon of the jail scene (Chapter 15) will be turned in.
  • AoW: Evidence of a Close Read ("Scottsboro Boys") will be turned in.
  • Quiz on Chapters 12-17 & 18-20 by next time! (Catch up!)
  • (11/11/6)

Wednesday, December 7: A (PT Conferences)
Thursday, December 8: B

  • Turn in Cartoons!
  • TKAM Quiz: Chapters 12-20
  • Poem o' the Day: "Scottsboro" by Langston Hughes
  • Writing Notebook: (AoW Reglection) Consider how the case of the "Scottsboro Boys" is like the one unfolding in TKAM. What common elements do both share? Why would Ruby Bates and/or Mayella Ewell accuse innocent men? Discuss the issues that lead to such situations. (100+)
  • Edit the punctuation and capitalization in Ruby Bates's letter to clarify her meaning. Turn in AoW and the edited letter.
  • GP: Comma Rule Review -- Quiz next time!
  • Chapters 21-24
  • (5/6/10/11)


Friday, December 9: A

  • Writing Notebook: Using information from Chapters 22-24 (which I am sure you have completed reading by now, right?), compare* Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie. Find at least one quote from each character to illustrate their similarities and differences. (*Compare means to show both similaries and differences.)
  • Poem o' the Day: TKAM Poetic Perspectives (handout)
  • Writing Notebook: Choose one of the poems on the handout to analyze. (Use this format. In case you have forgotten, here are definitions of the terms.) What aspect of the novel does this poem address?
  • Comma Quiz: Grammar Punk Rules 1-7 (Common Assessment)
  • Chapters 25- 28
  • (4/6/6/12)



December 12-16, 2011

Monday, December 12: B

  • Writing Notebook: Using information from Chapters 22-24 (which I am sure you have completed reading by now, right?), compare* Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie. Find at least one quote from each character to illustrate their similarities and differences. (*Compare means to show both similaries and differences.)
  • Poem o' the Day: TKAM Poetic Perspectives (handout)
  • Writing Notebook: Choose one of the poems on the handout to analyze. (Use this format. In case you have forgotten, here are definitions of the terms.) What aspect of the novel does this poem address?
  • Comma Quiz: Grammar Punk Rules 1-7 (Common Assessment)
  • Chapters 25- 28
  • (4/6/6/12)


Tuesday, December 13: A
Wednesday, December 14: B

  • Poem o' the Day: "For My Daughter" by David Ignatow
  • Chapters 29-31
  • (4/6/5)
  • Writing Notebook: "Mockingbirds"
    Reread Scout's conversation with Miss Maudie in Chapter 10. Copy Miss Maudie's statement that begins, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music..." and ends with "...a sin to kill a mockingbird." Then, using Miss Maudie's explanation, identify three (3) of these characters who could be seen as "mockingbirds" in the novel and write a paragraph explaining why. Refer to incidents in the novel to support your argument: Tom Robinson, Arthur Radley, Dill Harris, Mayella Ewell, Helen Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, Atticus Finch, (any others?)
  • Theme Essay Revisions: Use the rubric and suggestions to revise your first draft. Refer to the coded comments I wrote on your first draft for advice specific to your writing, but make sure that you read over all the expectations, too.
  • Comma Quiz: Review the Results and Make Your Choice
    If you want to accept your score and have it entered into your grade, give me back the scantron page. If you want an opportunity to improve the grade, analyze each question you missed and figure out which comma rule(s) you failed to consider before you selected your answer. Write up your analysis of each missed question, including why you selected the wrong answer, which comma rule you ignored, and which answer is the correct response and why. Staple your scantron to the error analysis and turn it in next time.
    Here's the test!


Thursday, December 15: A (Computer Lab 202)
Friday, December 16: B (Computer Lab 202)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Forgotten Planet" by Doug Dorph
  • DRSL: Communication & Literacy
  • What it means, how we do it, what it includes, why it matters
  • The Rubric & The Revision
  • Utah Write: Revise Theme Essays
  • Objective: 30 from Utah Write, A from Thompson
  • Double the length. Make sure you follow all the revision suggestions and add at least three new examples from various chapters in the last half of the book.
  • Print second draft (with score); staple on top of first draft; turn in.



December 19-23, 2011

Monday, December 19: A
Tuesday, December 20: B

  • Poem o' the Day: "The Poetry of Bad Weather" by Debora Greger
  • MPT (pp. 52-60): "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote (aka Dill)
  • Writing Notebook: What stylistic similarities do you see between this and To Kill a Mockingbird? If you think of the narrator as Dill, what insight do you gain into that character? Why would he enjoy summers in Maycomb so much?
  • TKAM Theme Essay: Peer Revision Using The Rubric
    • Pair up with someone else who has a completed 2nd draft.
    • Read your partner's paper all the way through.
    • Now close read that person's paper.
    • Write your questions, compliments, and inner dialogue in the margins.
    • Compare the paper to the Communication Rubric and the Standard Essay Format on which it will be graded.
    • Put exclamation marks by the attention getter:
      • No marks = no effort to capture attention
      • ! = an introduction, but it's not terribly captivating
      • !! = pretty good "hook," but not clearly tied to thesis
      • !!! = very solid attention getter that works and is tied to thesis
      • !!!! = the most captivating attention getter ever
    • Underline the CLEARLY STATED THESIS. If there isn't one, indicate that. If it's kinda there/kinda not, make a note to clarify it.
    • Are there at least six (6) body paragraphs, each with a different specific example from the novel? If not, make a note on the paper.
    • Is there a conclusion paragraph? Does it restate the thesis without introducing new material? Does it end with a memorable "clincher" statement? If not, make a note on the paper.
  • Final Final Draft (third version/highest possible score on Utah Write & all requirements on rubric addressed) due January 4/5. All drafts (with teacher/peer/parent comments) must be turned in with the final draft to show progress and illustrate complete understanding of the novel, includuing supporting evidence from throughout the novel.
  • Leave all drafts and peer revisions with me today! This is only homework for those who have not turned in the second draft of the essay, and the only reason you would work on this over the holidays is if you are not caught up or if you haven't finished reading the book.


Wednesday, December 21

  • Winter Recess: Um...not yet
  • 8-Period Schedule (35-minute classes)
  • Poem o' the Day: "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore
  • Writing Notebook -- 2011: Year in Review
    Write 200+ words about your experiences in 2011. Was it a good year? Why or why not? What are you hoping for in 2012?
  • Grammar Punk: Roll the Bones!
  • Have a restful break!
  • See you next year!

Thursday, December 22
Friday, December 23

  • Winter Recess



January 2-6, 2012

Monday, January 2: No School

  • Last Day of Break! Argh!


Tuesday, January 3: A
Friday, January 6: B (Sub.)

  • WN: Happy New Year! Writing Notebooks have been scored. Go to the next blank page. Write today's date and the title "Happy New Year!" at the top. Write 100+ words about your hopes for the new year and any "resolutions" you have What do you resolve to do differently (or better or more), and how will this improve your life?
  • Now go to the next blank page in your Writing Notebook!
  • Poem o' the Day: "January" by John Updike
  • WN: Copy this short poem (exactly as it is written, with lines and spacing as in the original) into your Writing Notebook. (Neat handwriting please!)
  • Close read the poem, marking the following poetic elements:
    • Metaphors
    • Personification (or maybe it's cat-ification)
    • Imagery (identify which senses the images appeal to)
    • Alliteration
  • Also answer these questions as part of your close reading:
    • What do you know about the narrator?
    • What is the point of view?
    • What is the narrator's tone?
    • What mood is created in the reader?
  • Finally, on a separate sheet of paper, write a January poem of your own that includes imagery and metaphor. (Turn it in!)
  • Word Cells Review Assignment: Write a podcast about the "word cell" you are assigned.
  • 1) Get your Word Cells: Prefixes, Suffixes & a dictionary.
  • 2) Review these two introductory podcasts:
  • 3) Listen to (read) a couple examples to get in the rhythm:
  • 3) Imitating the pattern in these podcasts, write one of your own for your assigned word cell. Use as many words that include the cell as possible, and explain the literal meaning of each of those words as you go. Your purpose is to teach your classmates the assigned word cell. Turn in written work when complete. (No later than January 9/10.)
  • Extra credit: Record your podcast (in your own voice) as an MP3 file that I can play for the class. Bring me a copy of the MP3.
  • Resources
  • Word Cells o' the Day (so far): You'll be assigned one of these.
  • These word cells will appear on the Term Test next week! Study them!
  • : -log- / -ology
  • -form- / -morph-
  • -graph- (-gram-) / -dict-
  • -chron- / -pre- / -post-
  • -bene- / -mal- / -phil-
  • -fer- / -port- / -lat-
  • Textbook References
  • MPT p. 42 -- derivation (etymology)
  • p. 182 -- word maps
  • p. 192 -- useful roots (word bank activity)
  • p. 373 -- Word Ancestors (word maps)
  • p. 515 -- Prefixes and Root Words
  • p. 916 -- The History of English
  • p. 1042-3 -- Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes



Wednesday, January 4: B (Computer Lab 202)
Thursday, January 5: A (Computer Lab 202)

  • Final Final Draft
  • Using comments from peer editors/parents, revise for the last time. Remember: This is not only your term project but also your test on TKAM. It will be worth approximately 20% of your term grade. This is not an assignment you can afford to take lightly. Your ultimate goal is a score of 30 from Utah Write and a content grade of A from me. You have had a lot of time to think about this and work on it during class. No excuses.
  • Enter it in Utah Write for a final "score".
  • Print the scored final draft.
  • Self-score your own final draft using the other side of the Communication Rubric we used in peer revisions, include comments about what you think you did well and where you think you could still improve the essay.
  • Make no mistake: The final grade will come from me, but I want to see what you say about your own work.
  • Staple it on top of all other drafts with the rubric attached.
  • Turn in.



January 9-13, 2012

Monday, January 9: A
Tuesday, January 10: B

  • Poem o' the Day: "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens
  • Last Call for Term Papers! (all drafts with rubric)
  • Term Test: Common Assessment
  • Last Call for Book Reviews on Goodreads
  • Writing Notebook: Look back in your Writing Notebook to September 22/23 of last year. Select one of the topics you have not already written about and write 150+ words on it.
  • Grade Conferences (?)

Wednesday, January 11: A
Thursday, January 12: B

  • Shakespeare Intro: Mirimax Biography
  • Writing Notebook: While watching the video, write some "study guide" questions about Shakespeare's life and times that I could use to test your understanding. Your questions should not test trivial facts like dates of birth and wife's name. Write "How?" and "Why?" questions that require students to draw conclusions about the facts they absorb. For example: Why was it especially difficult to be an actor in Shakespeare's time? (No, you don't have to write the answers, but you need to know the answers.)
  • Poem o' the Day: The Prologue from Romeo and Juliet
  • Begin a Close Reading of The Prologue (Mark your confusion.)
    (Do not lose this handout! We'll finish it next term!)
  • Last Day of the Semester: Extra Credit due now!
  • See you next semester!

Friday, January 13: No School for Students

  • Enjoy your long weekend! We're halfway done!

"Did I miss anything?" This is the most annoying question students who have been absent can ask. My usual sarcastic reply is something like this: "Oh, heck no! We knew you were gone, so we just sat around all day and looked at each other. You don't really think I'm going to assign work on a day you're not here, do you?" So, in order to keep everyone (students and their parents) apprised of what exactly is going on each day in class, I am going to put it here. Check back often!

We have made every reasonable attempt to insure that our web pages are educationally sound and do not contain links to any questionable material or anything that can be deemed in violation of the DSD Acceptable Use Policy. We have also made every effort to insure that our web pages are free of personality, character, or any other small uniqueness that students might enjoy.
This page is maintained according to the DSD Internet Publishing Guidelines by FFJH Webmasters.
©2012 Michael Thompson - All rights reserved.
*<%^)