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 To see all the weeks in the term, scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN...
...and carefully read what you find!

January 20-24, 2014: Welcome to Third Term!

Monday, January 20: MLK Holiday (Human Rights Day)
Tuesday, January 21: Professional Day

  • No School for Students
  • This term you will learn...
  • ...the academic vocabulary of poetry and drama.
  • ...how to read and write poetic epitaphs.
  • ...how to close read "Interactive Fiction" to solve a mystery.
  • ...how to make sense of Shakespeare.
  • ...the elements of tragedy.
  • ...how to use semicolons correctly.
  • ...how to write and present a podcast.
  • ...40 new word cells.
  • ...to read.
  • ...to write.
  • ...to repeat.
  • ...and, as always, some surprises!


Wednesday, January 22: A Day
Thursday, January 23: B Day

  • Third Term Begins: The Magic of Poetry & The Nightmare of Changing Schedules
  • New Term, New Semester, New Schedules, New Classmates, New Seats, New Hall Passes, New Poems, New Shakespearean Tragedy, New Voices, New Arguments...
  • Find these: Seat, Writing Notebooks, Word Cells (from last term)
  • Third Term Word Cells: Assignments & Due Dates & Presentation Outline
  • You should still have lists from first and second terms as well as all the prefixes and suffixes.
  • Use the Word Cell Archive and/or The Big List to write your podcast.
  • When you know your assigned Word Cell, put your name on the Word Cell Presentation Outline and turn it back in. (This is to accommodate the numerous schedule changes currently taking place. You will get it back when schedules settle down.)
  • Poem o' the Day: Oh, we got lots of 'em!
  • 'Member that one called "January" we did a couple weeks ago?
    Let's start there...
  • Poetry analysis is a kind of argument.
  • Homework Assignment: On a separate paper, write a thoughtful and complete revision of your argumentative paragraph, making sure it includes everything we talked about in class. This assignment will be collected and scored next time. Don't forget!
  • "Where I'm From" Activity (started on November 12/13, 2013):
    Since we're talking poetry, it's time for the non-literal side of this worksheet.
  • Writing Notebook: Ninth grade is half over. Slightly more than five months from now, you will be finished with junior high school forever. What are your thoughts on that? Also, what would you like to accomplish between now and then? What would you like to do so that you never have to look back on the ninth-grade experience with regret? Fill the page.
  • Littlefoot Cartoon: Is this funny? Why or why not? What do you have to understand in order to "get it"?
  • Don't forget: You have homework!


Friday, January 24: A Day



January 27-31, 2014

Monday, January 27: B Day


Tuesday, January 28: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, January 29: B Day (Writing Lab)


Thursday, January 30: A Day (Writing Lab)
Friday, January 31: B Day (Writing Lab) -- Sub.
Davis Reads entries due today!


February 3-7, 2014

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

  • Third Term Word Cells (Handout: Don't lose it!)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #1
  • Add these to your Third Term Word Cells:
  • Spoon River Packet: Due today! (20 minutes to finish up)
  • Spoon River Review worksheet with answers
  • Purkapile Epitaphs with answers
  • Writing Notebook: So, what did you think of the Voices of Spoon River game? Provide some adjectives that describe your feelings, and then give some examples from your gameplay experience that develop those feelings. If you played the game successfully, what did you have to know in order to do so? What did you learn about the game in the course of playing it? Did you cooperate with others, or are you a person who likes to handle such challenges on your own? Did knowing something about the epitaphs help you play the game, or do you think you could have performed just as well without knowing about them? Do you think this kind of game can also be genuinely educational, or is it just a fun way to waste a couple days of class time? Explain, discuss, analyze your experience with this game. Fill the page!
  • Spoon River Anthology: The Rhodes Affair
  • Comma Review (Rules 1-7): Read each of these epitaphs and write a sentence that describes the character and illustrates the appropriate rule. Write a brief description of each character. Explain what part the character played in "The Rhodes Affair," and include the character's voice (tone). How does the character feel about his/her life? How do you feel about the character?
  • Comma Rule #1: Clarence Fawcett
  • Comma Rule #2: Mrs. George Reece
  • Comma Rule #3: Jack McGuire
  • Comma Rule #4: Nicholas Bindle
  • Comma Rule #5: Henry Phipps
  • Comma Rule #6: Ralph Rhodes
  • Comma Rule #7: Thomas Rhodes
  • Sample sentences using the epitaph of Eugene Carman:
  • Comma Rule #1: Eugene Carman worked for 14 years in a store owned by Thomas Rhodes, and he is a bitter man because of it.
  • Comma Rule #2: Carman is a frustrated, angry, and resentful because he feels like he was taken advantage of.
  • Comma Rule #3: Carman, because Rhodes was influential in the church, had to attend services twice a week to keep up appearances with his boss.
  • Comma Rule #4: He is overcome by rage, resentment, and bitterness.
  • Comma Rule #5: Because he spent so much of his life as "Rhodes' slave," he starts screaming at his reflection.
  • Comma Rule #6: He yelled at himself, "You cowardly dog! You rotten pauper!"
  • Comma Rule #7: This causes him to have a brain aneurysm, which kills him.


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


Friday, February 7: A Day

  • Turn in Homework: Ithaka/George Gray Comparison w/ Elements of Argument (Writing)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #3
  • Shakespeare Intro: Miramax 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 be Right There questions that test trivial facts like dates of birth and wife's name. Instead, write some Think & Search and Author & Me questions: "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?
  • Homework: Using this web site as a resource, close read your assigned passage of Shakespeare. Your job is to become the expert on your assigned part, so that when we encounter that passage in our study of the play, YOU can help us understand it.
    • Look for end punctuation marks (. ? !) and drawn lines to divide the passage into sentences (not lines).
    • Circle words you do not recognize, including words that you know but that seem to be used in an unfamiliar way.
    • Try to "translate" your passage into language a modern teenager would use.
    • Come next time with a list of at least three (3) specific questions about your passage.
      ("I don't get it" is not a specific question.)


February 10-14, 2014

Monday, Februrary 10: B Day

  • Turn in Homework: Ithaka/George Gray Comparison w/ Elements of Argument (Writing)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #3
  • Shakespeare Intro: Miramax 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 be Right There questions that test trivial facts like dates of birth and wife's name. Instead, write some Think & Search and Author & Me questions: "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?
  • Homework: Using this web site as a resource, close read your assigned passage of Shakespeare. Your job is to become the expert on your assigned part, so that when we encounter that passage in our study of the play, YOU can help us understand it.
    • Look for end punctuation marks (. ? !) and drawn lines to divide the passage into sentences (not lines).
    • Circle words you do not recognize, including words that you know but that seem to be used in an unfamiliar way.
    • Try to "translate" your passage into language a modern teenager would use.
    • Come next time with a list of at least three (3) specific questions about your passage.
      ("I don't get it" is not a specific question.)


Tuesday, February 11: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, February 12: B Day (Writing Lab)


Thursday, February 13: A Day
Friday, February 14: B Day

  • Passage Analysis due now!
    (Staple to the close read of your passage.)
  • Reminder: You have until Saturday afternoon to revise your Ithaka/George Gray Comparison as many as ten times to get a better score on Utah Write.
    Here are some hints!
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #4
  • -grad- / -gress-
  • -trans-
  • -inter-
  • -magn- / -macro-
  • Writing Notebook: Who is your Valentine? Does that person know s/he is your Valentine? (Does anyone else know?) What are your thoughts on teen romance? Romeo and Juliet are about your age, and they fall in love and get married within only a couple days of their first meeting. Do you think this kind of "love at first sight" is something that can actually happen? Fill the page!
  • Vocabulary of Drama (R&J)
    Don't lose this handout! It'll be due when we finish Romeo and Juliet!
  • The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
  • The Prologue Assignment with Close Read
  • (E-notes may help!)
  • Why is Shakespeare Hard?
  • Audio/Visual: Three Ways to Stage the Prologue
  • Writing Notebook: During the time we are studying Romeo and Juliet, the Poem o' the Day will be replaced by the Shakespearean Quotes o' the Day. Your assignment is to copy the quotation exactly as it is written (including punctuation, line spacing, and source), and then paraphrase it and give an example from your own experience that supports the statement. Yes, you still have to fill the page! Here we go:
  • Shakespearean Quotes o' the Day -- Copy and discuss these quotes:

    "If all the year were playing holidays,
    To sport would be as tedious as to work."
    -- Henry IV, Part 2: Act II, Scene 1

    Example: I think this quotation means that if your whole life is a vacation (playing holidays), even playing (sport) gets boring (tedious). I see this in my own life at the end of summer, when I've been out of school for more than two months. I actually look forward to going back because I get bored when I don't have anything I HAVE to do. For example, .... (Now fill the page.)....

    "O, it is excellent
    To have a giant's strength,
    but it is tyrannous
    To use it like a giant."
    --Measure for Measure: Act II, Scene 2


February 17-21, 2014

Monday, Februrary 17: Day of Presidents (No School)


Tuesday, February 18: A Day
Wednesday, February 19: B Day (P-T Conferences)

  • Turn in The Prologue Assignment with Close Read
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #5
  • -ped- / -pod-
  • -sub-
  • -super-
  • -circum-
  • WN: Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "The sweetest honey
    Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
    And in the taste confounds the appetite."
    --Romeo and Juliet: Act II, Scene 6
  • Reading: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scenes 1, 2, 3
    Listen, follow along, and see if you get it.
  • "Lecture": Fill in the appropriate lines on the Vocabulary of Drama handout.
    • How to Read Shakespeare (MPT, 781-2)
    • Why are some words given stress marks on the -èd ending
      (banishèd, punishèd, upturnèd)?
    • What is a dramatic foil? (How is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?)
  • Homework: Shotgun Cartoon / Writing about Quote


Thursday, February 20: A Day
Friday, February 21: B Day

  • Turn in Homework
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #6
  • -pro-
  • -contra-
  • -path-
  • -mega-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "Talkers are no good doers: be assured
    We go to use our hands and not our tongues."
    Richard III, Act I, Scene 3
  • Reading: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 4 (Queen Mab)
  • Video: Three ways Queen Mab Could be Presented
  • Discussion Question: Which one did you like the best? Why?
  • Vocabulary of Drama:
  • What is a dramatic foil? (How is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?)
  • Curiosity: Why are some words given stress marks on the -èd ending
    (banishèd, punishèd, upturnèd)?
  • Act I: Scene 5 (Romeo sees Juliet for the first time!)


February 24-28, 2014

Monday, February 24: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, February 25: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Essay Assignment: Analyzing the Queen Mab Speech
  • Format: Argumentative Essay (600+ words; fewer than 75 of them from text)
  • Prompt: Analyze Mercutio's Queen Mab speech. What is the significance of the images and what do they imply about Mercutio? What is the purpose of the Queen Mab speech?
  • Stimulus Materials: Reggie's Artwork, Emily's Artwork, E-Notes, No Fear Shakespeare
  • Write Like This: All-together-now draft due at the end of the period.
  • Submit whatever you have completed to Utah Write at the end of the period.
  • Revisions (up to 25) due by Saturday, March 1 @ 6:00 P.M.
  • Remember these suggestions!
  • Next Time: Term Reading Assignment
    If there is a book you WANT to read before the end of March, bring a copy! Otherwise you will be assigned one!


Wednesday, February 26: A Day
Thursday, February 27: B Day


Friday, February 28: A Day

  • Reading Book Check: Last Chance!
  • Have your self-selected book here or be assigned one!
  • Read the book and fill in this outline by March 20th.
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #8
  • -syn- / -sym-
  • -hypo-
  • -hyper-
  • -script- / -scrib-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "Pleasure and action make the hours seem short."
    Othello, Act II, Scene 3
  • Vocabulary of Drama: How to Read Shakespeare (MPT, 781-2)
  • Why are some words given stress marks on the -èd ending
    (banishèd, punishèd, upturnèd)?
  • Why does Shakespeare seem to be apostrophe crazy (fall'st, speak'st, o'er, e'er, 'Tis, etc.)?
  • (New) Video Review: Capulet's Party to Balcony Scene
  • Read R & J -- Act II, Scenes 3, 4, (Comprehension Quiz) 5, 6
  • Act III, Scene 1
  • Homework:
    Final Draft of Queen Mab Essay due on Utah Write Saturday, March 1 @ 6:00 P.M.




March 3-7, 2014

Monday, March 3: B Day

  • Reading Book Check: Last Chance!
  • Have your self-selected book here or be assigned one!
  • Read the book and fill in this outline by March 20th.
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #8
  • -syn- / -sym-
  • -hypo-
  • -hyper-
  • -script- / -scrib-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "Pleasure and action make the hours seem short."
    Othello, Act II, Scene 3
  • Vocabulary of Drama: How to Read Shakespeare (MPT, 781-2)
  • Why are some words given stress marks on the -èd ending
    (banishèd, punishèd, upturnèd)?
  • Why does Shakespeare seem to be apostrophe crazy (fall'st, speak'st, o'er, e'er, 'Tis, etc.)?
  • (New) Video Review: Capulet's Party to Balcony Scene
  • Read R & J -- Act II, Scenes 3, 4, (Comprehension Quiz) 5, 6
  • Homework:
    Final Draft of Queen Mab Essay was due on Utah Write Saturday, March 1 @ 6:00 P.M.
    Did you turn it in???


Tuesday, March 4: A/B Day (ACT at high schools)

  • SAGE Training Day (No Intervention)
  • Expectations of Sage: Practice Test
  • 1) Informational Writing Based on Reading Passages
  • Cite Sources in text
  • 2) Argumentative Essay on Assigned Topic
  • Yes, you will be writing two full-length essays on the SAGE exam (in May) to illustrate that you have learned the content of the course.
  • SRI Make-up?


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

  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "O sir, to willful men
    The injuries that they themselves procure
    Must be their schoolmasters."
    King Lear, Act II, Scene 4
  • Romeo and Juliet: Act III, Scene 1
  • Video Review: The Death of Mercutio
  • Now it's your turn to play the parts!
  • Act III -- Scenes 2 & 3
  • Assignment (Homework): Director's Close Read & Stage Directions for Act III, Scene 4
    • Pretend that YOU are the director of this scene.
    • Write the following on your copy of the text:
    • Mark your confusion & check with the translation to clarify.
    • In the right margin, paraphrase the dialogue.
    • Casting: If you were the director, who would be playing these parts?
    • In the left margin, write specific stage directions for each line of dialogue. (What is the character doing while he speaks his lines?)
    • At the bottom, explain the dramatic irony: What does the audience know that the characters do not?
  • Samples


Friday, March 7: A Day


March 10-14, 2014

Monday, March 10: B Day


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


Thursday, March 13: A Day (Recarpeting Class: Writing Lab)
Friday, March 14: B Day (Writing Lab)


March 17-21, 2014

Monday, March 17: A Day
Tuesday, March 18: B Day (JT 17)

  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice."
     Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3
  • Presentations of Memorized Passages/Review Romeo and Juliet
  • Test on Romeo and Juliet
  • You may use your finished Vocabulary of Drama handout.
  • Reduced R&J


Wednesday, March 19: A Day -- Reading Assignment due!
Thursday, March 20: B Day (The Giver Panel - 7:00 P.M.)


Friday, March 21: A Day (Writing Lab)


March 24-28, 2014

Monday, March 24: B Day (Writing Lab)


Tuesday, March 25: A Day (The Giver Discussion - 7:00 P.M.)
Wednesday, March 26: B Day
This is the last day of the term!

  • Third Term Word Cells Final Exam
  • Writing Notebook: ..."What Happened to Winston?" (argument)
  • Poem o' the Day: "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost
  • Writing Notebook (Third Term Reflection): How does this well known poem relate to the end of this term? Was this term a "gold" one for you? Why or why not? What has changed since you wrote the first entry of the term? Fill the page!


Thursday, March 27: A Day

  • Final Grade Conferences & Foreign Language Plays


Friday, March 28: Professional Day

  • What a strange way to end the term...on an A Day.
  • So, B Day will lead off next term!


Q: "Did I miss anything?"
A: Yes.
^ Scroll up to find it. ^

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©2014 M. Wolfman Thompson - All rights reserved.
*<%^)