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

January 19-23, 2015: Welcome to Third Term!

Monday, January 19: MLK Holiday (Human Rights Day)
Tuesday, January 20: Professional Day

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


Wednesday, January 21: A Day
Thursday, January 22: B Day

  • Turn in the Homework: "Where I'm From" Final Draft
  • New Term, New Semester, New Reading 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), etc.
  • 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.
  • Poem o' the Day: "January" by John Updike
  • Complete and turn in this worksheet, which has these terms on the back.
  • Poetry analysis is a kind of argument.
  • 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!
  • Writing Notebook: Ninth grade is half over. Slightly more than five months from now, you will be finished with junior high school forever. Write a letter to yourself as you will be during the last week of this school year. Ask yourself how your current goals and ambitions for the rest of the year turned out. Remind yourself what you were thinking and feeling today. Fill the page.
  • Littlefoot Cartoon (#1): Is this funny? Why or why not?
  • What background info must one have to "get" this joke?
  • What inferences must the reader make? (Who did the speaker call? What was he doing five minutes before making the call? What textual evidence supports your answer? How?)
  • Homework: Cartoon #1 Analysis


Friday, January 23: A Day (Writing Lab: SAGE Practice)

  • Turn in completed homework assignment!
  • February 2-6 you will take the state writing test, on which you will have to write two essays: one argumentative, one informational. It's a big deal, and I want you to do well. Today we will practice using Utah Compose.
  • Read at least three of the available texts about the topic before you begin. Here's the question: Write a multi-paragraph argumentative essay in response to this question: Does the freedom of speech include the right to mock the religious beliefs of others? Use textual evidence from the attached documents to support your claim. Address and rebut counterclaims. Cite your sources with in-text citations.
  • You have one hour. Go!
  • Done early? Log in to your Wiki and change the name of your page to reflect your new class.
  • Third Term Word Cells: Assignments & Due Dates & Presentation Outline
  • It's official: Mark your calendars and prepare your podcasts!
  • Homework: Cartoon #2 Analysis -- Don't forget!



January 26-30, 2015

Monday, January 26: B Day (Writing Lab: SAGE Practice)

  • Turn in completed homework assignment!
  • February 2-6 you will take the state writing test, on which you will have to write two essays: one argumentative, one informational. It's a big deal, and I want you to do well. Today we will practice using Utah Compose.
  • Read at least three of the available texts about the topic before you begin. Here's the question: Write a multi-paragraph argumentative essay in response to this question: Does the freedom of speech include the right to mock the religious beliefs of others? Use textual evidence from the attached documents to support your claim. Address and rebut counterclaims. Cite your sources with in-text citations.
  • You have one hour. Go!
  • Done early? Log in to your Wiki and change the name of your page to reflect your new class.
  • Third Term Word Cells: Assignments & Due Dates & Presentation Outline
  • It's official: Mark your calendars and prepare your podcasts!
  • Homework: Cartoon #2 Analysis -- Don't forget!


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


Thursday, January 29: A Day (Region Swim -- Sub.)
Friday, January 30: B Day

  • Shakespeare Intro: Miramax Biography
  • Writing Notebook: Movie Notes/Two-Column
  • Writing Notebook: Using your notes as textual evidence, write a short essay that illustrates your understanding and synthesis of the information in the Shakespeare Biography. Respond to this question: Compare and contrast Shakespeare's time to ours. What are the advantages of living in each? Disadvantages? (Two pages!)
  • Assign passages for memorization! Use the remaining time to find your passage in the Massive Purple text and begin analyzing it.
  • Due date for presentations is still along ways off....
  • B-Day
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #2
  • -fic- / -fact- / -fect-
  • -bio-
  • -vert- / -vers-
  • -sent- / sens-


February 2-6, 2015

Monday, February 2: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, February 3: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • SAGE
  • Writing Test


Wednesday, February 4: A Day (Writing Lab: SAGE Test)
Thursday, February 5: B Day (Writing Lab: SAGE Test)

  • SAGE
  • Writing Test


Friday, February 6: A Day

  • New Seats for A-Day, who doesn't know how to treat a sub!
  • A-Day
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #2
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #3
  • 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
  • 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
  • Assignment: 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.
  • Homework: Finish the Prologue Analysis and Passage Analysis of your assigned passage for next time!


February 9-13, 2015

Monday, Februrary 9: B Day

  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #3
  • 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
  • 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
  • Assignment: Using the Massive Purple Text (and 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.
  • Homework: Finish the Prologue Analysis and Passage Analysis of your assigned passage for next time!



Tuesday, February 10: A Day
Wednesday, February 11: B Day

  • Passage Analysis & Prologue Analysis due now!
    (Staple both to the copy of your passage.)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #4
  • -grad- / -gress-
  • -trans-
  • -inter-
  • -magn- / -macro-
  • 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.
  • Close Reading: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 4 (Queen Mab)
  • Video: Two ways Queen Mab Could be Presented


Thursday, February 12: A Day (State Swim - Sub.)
Friday, February 13: B Day (State Swim - Sub.)

  • 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)
  • Assignment: Using the Massive Purple Text and the page references on the worksheet itself, define the terms on the handout.
  • 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.)?
  • What is a dramatic foil? (How is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?)
  • Queen Mab Essay Outline due next time!


February 16-20, 2015

Monday, Februrary 16: Day of Presidents (No School)


Tuesday, February 17: A Day
Wednesday, February 18: B Day


Thursday, February 19: A Day
Friday, February 20: B Day

  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #6
  • -pro-
  • -contra-
  • -path-
  • -mega-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "The harder matched, the greater victory."
    Henry VI, Part 3: Act V, Scene 1
  • Translate Romeo and Juliet's First Meeting into text messages.
  • Analyze the text and outline the essay.
  • Finish by next time!
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • The Balcony Scene Act II: Scenes 1 & 2
  • Passage Analysis: Have at least 14 lines of your assigned passage memorized by March 6/9. (Start and end in logical places; do not start or stop in the middle of a sentence. Check punctuation carefully. Be sure you know what the character is saying.) You may borrow the CDs to practice.
  • Review: 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.)?


February 23-27, 2015

Monday, February 23: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, February 24: B Day (Writing Lab)


Wednesday, February 25: A Day
Thursday, February 26: B Day (PT Conferences)

  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #7
  • -micro-
  • -anti-
  • -phon-
  • -man-
  • 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
  • Grammar Punk: Semicolons
  • Writing Notebook: Semiclon Rule #3
  • Today's Assignment: Acts I & II Review "Quiz"/Worksheet
  • The Balcony Scene: Video (x3)
  • Read R & J -- Act II, Scenes 3 & 4


Friday, February 27: A Day

  • 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:
    "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 II, Scenes 5 & 6
  • Act III, Scene 1
  • Video Review: The Death of Mercutio (x3)
  • 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




March 2-6, 2015

Monday, March 2: B Day

  • 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:
    "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 II, Scenes 5 & 6
  • Act III, Scene 1
  • Video Review: The Death of Mercutio (x3)
  • 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


Tuesday, March 3: A/B Day (ACT at high schools)


Wednesday, March 4: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, March 5: B Day (Writing Lab)


Friday, March 6: A Day

  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #9
  • -son-
  • -a-
  • -ver-
  • -nom- / -onym-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "All things that are
    Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed."
    The Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene 6
  • Romeo and Juliet:Act IV
  • (Video to when Juliet takes the potion)
  • Grammar Punk: Colons
  • Writing Notebook: Colon Rules 1 & 2


March 9-13, 2015

Monday, March 9: B Day

  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #9
  • -son-
  • -a-
  • -ver-
  • -nom- / -onym-
  • Shakespearean Quote o' the Day -- Copy, paraphrase, and give an example to support this quote:
    "All things that are
    Are with more spirit chased than enjoyed."
    The Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene 6
  • Grammar Punk: Colons
  • Writing Notebook: Colon Rules 1 & 2
  • Romeo and Juliet:Act IV
  • (Video to when Juliet takes the potion)


Tuesday, March 10: A Day
Wednesday, March 11: B Day


Thursday, March 12: A Day
Friday, March 13: B Day


March 16-20, 2015

Monday, March 16: A Day
Tuesday, March 17: B Day


Wednesday, March 18: A Day (JT 18) (Writing Lab)
Thursday, March 19: B Day (Writing Lab)


Friday, March 20: A Day


March 23-27, 2015

Monday, March 23: B Day

  • Third Term Word Cells Final Exam
  • Book Test/Review #2: Due now!
  • Also, there will be an in-class assignment related to the book you read.
  • Spoon River Anthology: In-class Assignment
  • 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.
  • (If time permits:) The following two-fers are instrumental in the VOSR. game. Let's review them carefully:
  • Judge Somers & Chase Henry
  • Editor Whedon & Carl Hamblin
  • The Town Marshal & Jack McGuire
  • Ollie McGee & Fletcher McGee
  • Cooney Potter & Fiddler Jones
  • VOSR: Interactive Fiction (Zork, anyone?)


Tuesday, March 24: A Day (VOSR)
Wednesday, March 25: B Day (VOSR)


Thursday, March 26: A Day (VOSR)
Friday, March 27: B Day (VOSR)
This is the last day of the term!

  • Finish the game if you can!
  • Finish this page in the Spoon River Packet.
  • Bring the packet back on April 6th!
  • Have a dandy spring break!


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

Despite the absence of any support from the school district, I have made every reasonable attempt to insure that this website is educationally sound and does not contain direct links to inappropriate material.
©2015 M. Wolfman Thompson - All rights reserved.
*<%^)