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Class Notebook Wiki
Put a Book on Trial
Book Review/Test Outline
Grammar Punk
Thompson's Textbook
Word Cells
Word Cells Biglist
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April 4-8, 2016: Fourth Term Begins!

For this final term, you will learn....
  • ...more word cells...lots more!
  • ...how to torture a confession out of a poem.
  • ...Poetry Out Loud: More poems o' the day! (Your turn!)
  • ...connotation vs. denotation of words.
  • ...advanced strategies for close reading literary and informational text.
  • ...writing in various genres for a multitude of purposes: memoirs, letters, analysis, argumentation, exposition.
  • ...Voice/Word Choice.
  • ...what the SAGE has in store: April 15
  • ...more cartoon analysis.
  • ...the Argument Clinic:

April 4-8, 2016

Monday, April 4: B Day

  • Finish The Odyssey:
  • Turn in: Map/Folk Epic + Passage Analysis/Homeric Similes + Mythology Grid + Study Questions
  • Welcome to the beginning of the end!
  • Hall Passes, Handouts, and Return to Routines


Tuesday, April 5: A Day (Writing Lab - Last Compose Practice Essay)
Wednesday, April 6: B Day (Writing Lab - Last Compose Practice Essay)

  • One Hour: At the end of next week, you will be taking the end-of-year writing exam. (Yes, I KNOW it isn't really the end of the year, but this is entirely outside of my control.) The exam requires you to write two essays: one argumentative and one informational. You will have approximately one hour to write each one. The textual evidence in your essays will come from the articles that are provided with the prompt. I have no idea what the prompt will be, and on the day of the test, I will not be able to provide any guidance during the writing. Today is our last chance to review how this is gonna work.
  • Word Cells List #1 Assignment
    (Turn in finished assignment and take quiz next Monday/Tuesday!)
  • Homework: Study Word Cells Set #1 + Finish List #1 Assignment.


Thursday, April 7: A Day
Friday, April 8: B Day

  • Finish The Odyssey:
  • Turn in: Map/Folk Epic + Passage Analysis/Homeric Similes + Mythology Grid + Study Questions
  • Poem o' the Day: "Gee, You're So Beautiful That It's Starting to Rain" by Richard Brautigan
  • Poetry Out Loud Assignments: You will be assigned a poem that you will read aloud at some point during this term. By the time that happens, you will become an expert on every nuance of the poem -- no simile will escape you, and no descriptive image will go undissected. Also, you will practice reading the poem aloud mutliple times, so you master the pronunciation of all the words and the rhythm of all the lines. When you read it, you will command the attention of everyone in the room, and we will be completely blown away by your presence and performance. For a minute, we will forget we are in a classroom doing an assignment, and we will be swept away to the world of your poem. Study the poem carefully and bring it back next time!



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

April 11-15, 2016

Monday, April 11: A Day
Tuesday, April 12: B Day


Wednesday, April 13: A Day
Thursday, April 14: B Day


Friday, April 15: A Day (SAGE Writing)

  • Testing...1...2...3...Testing...



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

April 18-22, 2016

Poem o' the Week: "A Student's Prayer"

Monday, April 18: B Day -- (SAGE Writing)
Tuesday, April 19: A Day --(SAGE Writing)
Wednesday, April 20: B Day -- (SAGE Writing)

  • Testing...1...2...3...Testing...



Thursday, April 21: A Day
Friday, April 22: B Day



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

April 25-29, 2016

Monday, April 25: A Day
Tuesday, April 26: B Day

  • Quiz on Word Cells Set #4
  • Word Cells List #5 Assignment (Quiz: _______)
  • Journal # __
  • Speaking of Poetry: Notice how many of the elements of poetry make their way into other kinds of writing...
  • ..."A Sound of Thunder" (pp. 499-509, ) MPT
  • Honors Students: Pay careful attention to Bradbury's style! Hint hint!)


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



Friday, April 29: A Day (SAGE Language Arts)

  • Testing...1...2...3...Testing...



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

May 2-6, 2016

Monday, May 2: B Day (SAGE Language Arts)
Tuesday, May 3: A Day (SAGE Language Arts)
Wednesday, May 4: B Day (SAGE Language Arts)

  • Testing...1...2...3...Testing...


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



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

May 9-13, 2016

Monday, May 9: A Day
Tuesday, May 10: B Day


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


Friday, May 13: A Day

  • 8
  • Poetry Out Loud
  • "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand
  • "God Says Yes to Me" by Kaylin Haught
  • GIANT WORD CELLS TEST
  • Grammar Punk Review: Semicolon Rule 3
  • Stargirl: Continue the Order of Operations to .... ?
  • B-Day Classes: Start at Chapter 17
  • A-Day Classes: Start at Chapter 16
  • More Poetry Out Loud: "The Way to Start a Day" by Byrd Baylor
  • While out in the desert with Leo (Chapter 17), Stargirl seems to find special insight and inner peace by "erasing herself" through meditation. Consider an activity you are especially familiar with in which you find peace and insight into Life and the world. Write a non-literal poem describing the way to do that 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. You may create a decorated final draft that is suitable for classroom display. Here's an example. Here's another. Be creative!



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

May 16-20, 2016

Monday, May 16: B Day

  • 7
  • Poetry Out Loud
  • "The Poetry of Bad Weather" by Debra Greger
  • Poem o' the Day: "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver
  • Neil's Solo: Think of the state of mind one must be in to perform a task this well. Imagine the thousands of hours of thought and practice that went into it. Then consider how he has to put all that aside for the eight minutes in which it all coalesces. He can't stop to think about each of the basic mechanics that make up his craft; he has to "get in the zone" where it all comes together without thinking. Your "The Way to _________" poem should focus on this zone, this state of mind, not on the literal how-to instructions of the activity you describe.
  • Speaking of music...
  • Life Soundtrack: Final Draft (with Intro & Conclusion) due on Wiki by May 25th @ 6:00 P.M.
  • (Return First Drafts; models)
  • Grammar Punk Review: Colons + Final Paragraph Assignment
  • Stargirl: Continue the Order of Operations to .... ?
  • And what about those final projects?
  • Cards, Rocks, Serenades
  • Homework: Log in to the class wiki from home. Visit your page. Get it ready for your Life Soundtrack.
    You do remember how, right?


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

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

  • 5
  • Poetry Out Loud: "The Psalm of Life"
  • Stargirl Order of Operations
  • How's it coming? You 'bout done?



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

May 23-27, 2016

Monday, May 23: A Day
Tuesday, May 24: B Day

  • 4
  • Life Soundtrack Final Draft (with Intro & Conclusion) was due yesterday. Many of you did not include an introduction or a conclusion. You have until tomorrow to do so. Let me know when you would like it rescored.
    • Introduction—Explanation of yourself (one paragraph): This is basically a brief autobiography, and it will serve as your introduction. Introductions are important because they give the reader a frame of reference. Who are you? Where have you been and where are you going in life? What do you think this Life Soundtrack says about you?
    • Conclusion—Final remarks and reflection on the soundtrack as a whole (one paragraph): This is your conclusion. Thank your reader for listening and offer any final reflections upon this project as a whole: What does it tell people about you? Is it truthful? What do you want listeners of your Life Soundtrack to think about? What did you learn about yourself while putting this together?
  • Finish if you can: Stargirl Order of Operations
  • Show me your notebook when you are finished!
  • Journal # __: Earlier in the year (Jan 22nd or so), you wrote a letter to yourself. Go read that letter to see how things have changed. Now write back to the person you were then. What would you like to tell that younger version of youself? (Fill the page!)



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

  • 3
  • Finish: Stargirl Order of Operations
  • Journal # __ - The Final Entry: Last time you wrote to a past you. This time you will write to the future. 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.
  • Copy this on the last page:
    Thompson's Words of Wisdom as You Head to High School
    Life is Short: Don't be a George Gray!
    Be Nice: We're all in this together, and nobody gets out alive!
  • When all of the above is finished, show the notebooks to me for a score.
  • Then take 'em home.
  • Hide 'em somewhere safe.
  • You'll be glad you did.



Friday, May 27: A Day

  • Serenades, Anyone?


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

May 30 - June 3, 2016

Monday, May 30: Memorial Day

  • No School


Tuesday, May 31: B Day [Writing Lab ?]

  • "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost (MPT, p. 315)
    • 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.)
    • Answer questions 1 - 5 on page 318.
    • Tone: Copy line 16, but insert an adjective that describes your interpretation of the tone of the poem:
      "I shall be telling this with a __________ sigh...."
    • Here's a cartoon that illustrates two possible readings.
    • Explain your choice: What did you see in the text of the poem that indicates that tone?


Wednesday, June 1: A Day (50) [Writing Lab ?]
Thursday, June 2: B Day [Writing Lab ?]

  • Serenades, Anyone?
  • Letters.....


Friday, June 3: A/B Day

  • School's Out for Summer!
  • What are you still doing here?
    Go enjoy your summer!
  • "Will you remember me?"
  • You know where to find me. Stay in touch.


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