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November 5-9, 2012: Welcome to Term 2!

Monday, November 5: No School (for Students)

  • Professional Development/DESK Day


Tuesday, November 6: A Day
Wednesday, November 7: B Day

  • First Day of Second Term: Choices and Consequences
  • Poem o' the Day: "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes
  • Writing Notebook: Second Term Preflection
    Last time you wrote a REflection on the first term. Today you will write a PREflection on the second term: Look ahead. Where do you hope this term will take you? What are your expectations? How will things be different come the middle of January? (100+)
  • Term Paper Comments & Suggestions
  • Meet Bubba!
  • AoW Close Reading & Annotation: What was Jim Crow?
  • Hand out Books & Reading Schedule: Begin TKAM
  • Chapter 1 (2 & 3 for next time)
  • Themes
    • 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.


Thursday, November 8: ADay
Friday, November 9: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "November Night" by Adelaide Crapsey
  • TKAM: Quiz on Chapters 2 & 3
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -clud- / -fin-
  • 9th Grade Word Cell o' the Week: -pend- (-pens-)
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks!
    (Don't lose this handout!)
  • StudySync:View the discussion before responding to the Writing Notebook prompt.
  • Writing Notebook: Watch the StudySync "discussion." Consider Atticus’s advice to Scout about trying to see things from another person’s point of view. How might this apply to different characters in the excerpt? Write at least 200 words about what it means to try and “walk around in the skin” of another character.
  • Discuss the Reading: Use Thompson's old notebook pix to review. Ask questions. Check for understanding: What's a cootie? Is Scout black? Why didn't Burrus Ewell beat up Little Chuck Little (even though he is twice Little Chuck's size)? Remember: Scout only reports what she sees and hears, and a lot of times she doesn't understand it all...but a careful reader (that's you!) will make inferences and draw conclusions that Scout can't. You should always be reading between the lines! That's where this book is at its finest! (And funniest!)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule: Chapter 4 (Knothole Treasures)
  • A-day: Read through Chapter 6 by Monday.
  • B-day: Read through Chapter 7 by Tuesday.


November 12-16, 2012

Monday, November 12: A Day
Tuesday, November 13: BDay

  • Poem o' the Day: "Gee, You're So Beautiful That It's Starting to Rain" by Richard Brautigan
  • Reading Quiz: Are you gonna make me do this? (You did.)
  • Discuss the Reading: Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7
  • Use Thompson's old notebook pix to review. Ask questions. Describe Mr. Avery's "performance." Keep reading between the lines.
  • Writing Notebook: Select a scene from what we have read so far. Rewrite it from the point of view of a different character in the scene. (Climb into that character's skin....)
  • Routine #3: Grammar Punk -- Intro & Comma Rule #1
  • Let's Roll the Bones!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule:
  • A-day: Chapters 7 & 8 by next time
  • B-day: Chapters 8, 9, & 10 by next time



Wednesday, November 14: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, November 15: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "The Poet" by Tom Wayman
  • Close Reading: StudySync Blasts will be checked and scored weekly from now on. (Watch how easy it is for me to do that.) You must respond to every one and review 3 each week. No late work accepted. You've been warned.
  • StudySync Assignment for Chapter 8 of TKAM: Write (Today! Now!)
  • Do not do reviews until Friday! (Finish three by Thanksgiving!)
  • Final Draft of "Where I'm From" Poem (saved in Word):
  • Submit to Davis Reads for a shot at fortune and glory!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule:
  • A-day: Chapters 9, 10, & 11 by next time
  • B-day: Chapters 11, 12, 13, & 14 by next time
  • Homework:
  • Bring me a printed copy of the final draft of your "Where I'm From" poem (next time)
    &
    Sometime between the 16th and the 20th of November, review at least three of your classmates' Chapter 8 essays on StudySync. Give useful suggestions and specific commentary to help them improve their arguments. Also, present counterclaims that they may need to address in the final drafts.

Friday, November 16: A Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Hand Shadows" by Mary Cornish
  • Turn in "Where I'm From" poems...
  • ...and (in Writing Notebook) now write one from the point of view of a character in TKAM. These will be shared.
  • TKAM: Reading Quiz on Part 1
  • Discuss the Reading: Chapters 9, 10, & 11
  • Use Thompson's old notebook pix to review. Ask questions. What is "real courage"? What important life lessons has Scout learned since the beginning of the book? How does Atticus teach those lessons?
  • Routine #2: Word Cells o' the Day: -con- + variants
    (-co-/-com-/-cor-/-col-)
  • 9th Grade Word Cells o' the Week: -aqua- & -hydro- (water)
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks! (We're on #2.)
  • Do we have time for quick round of Grammar Punk? (Comma Rule #1)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule:
  • A-day: Chapters 12, 13, & 14 by next time


November 19-23, 2012

Monday, November 19: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Thanksgiving" by Mac Hammond
  • TKAM: Reading Quiz on Part 1
  • TKAM: Chapter 15 in class
  • 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
  • Do we have time for quick round of Grammar Punk? (Comma Rule #1)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule


Tuesday, November 20: A Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Thanksgiving" by Mac Hammond
  • Routine #3: Grammar Punk -- Comma Rules #2 & #4
  • TKAM: Chapter 15 in class
  • 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.
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule


  • Wednesday, November 21
    Thursday, November 22: Thanksgiving Day
    Friday, November 23

  • Thanksgiving Recess: No School
  • "Like Coins, November" by Elizabeth Klise Von Zerneck


November 26-30, 2012

Monday, November 26: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Hand Shadows" by Mary Cornish
  • Routine #2: Word Cells o' the Day: -con- + variants
    (-co-/-com-/-cor-/-col-)
  • 9th Grade Word Cells o' the Week: -aqua- & -hydro- (water)
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks! (We're on #2.)
  • Routine #3: Grammar Punk -- Comma Rules #2 & #4
  • TKAM: Read Chapter 21 + Reading Quiz (?)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule


Tuesday, November 27: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, November 28: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Reading Quiz: Are you keeping up?
  • Poem o' the Day: "Snow" by David Berman
  • AoW: StudySync Blasts -- If you haven't already, get caught up!
  • Utah Write (TKAM Theme Argument): Just like Atticus presents an air-tight argument to the jury in Maycomb, you will present an air-tight argument about one of the themes the novel illustrates. You will state your theme as a CLAIM, which you will WARRANT by explaining how your specific EVIDENCE (summaries and quotations) supports it. Choose one of these themes:
    • 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.
  • Remember these suggestions from last term in light of these from last year. No Bubbas!
  • Write the essay in Word and get it as close as possible to "final draft" form before you copy and paste it into Utah Write. (Shoot for a score of 27+ on first submission.)
  • Provide as many specific examples as possible. Clearly and completely WARRANT each.
    (In other words, write a lot!)
  • Resubmit the essay as many as 25 times by Friday to achieve a score you can live with.
  • That's the score you're going to get...and midterm is close....


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


December 3-7, 2012

Monday, December 3: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, December 4: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: TkaM Found Poem
  • Student Surveys: Log in to your school e-mail. Instructions have been mailed to you.
  • StudySync: Profiles in Courage (Comparing Definitions) -- Write and submit the response today in class. Details will follow.
  • Grammar Punk -- Comma Rule #3 (Falcon Forum)
  • Use commas to separate non-essential interrupting elements in a sentence.
  • Example: The pool, usually crystal clear, was murky this morning.
  • Write a sentence that illustrates this comma rule and meets the following dice requirements: IL 4 adjective topic: Atticus Finch
  • Post your completed sentence to the Falcon Forum.
  • (Login is your name, first and last, and whatever password you set up.)
  • TKAM Reading Schedule: Chapters 27 & 28 for next time


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


Friday, December 7: A Day (Library)


December 10-14, 2012

Monday, December 10: B Day (Library) -- Midterm


Tuesday, December 11: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, December 12: B (Writing Lab) -- PT Conf.


Thursday, December 13: A (Library -- 1/2)
Friday, December 14: B (Library -- 1/2)


December 17-21, 2012

Monday, December 17: A Day
Tuesday, December 18: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "December Notes" by Nancy McCleery
  • Writing Notebook: Something horrible happened last Friday. What are your thoughts?
  • Letters About Literature: This is an assignment. Entry forms were handed out in class. I will mail all the entries in at once, but you have to make sure your letter meets ALL the specifications in the instructions, and your entry form must be properly and completely filled out. You will turn it in to me on or before January 7, 2013.
  • Word Cell o' the Day: -re-
  • Word Cell o' the Week: -junct- (join)
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks! (We're on #5.)
  • Outline an argumentative essay about your assigned topic in mythology.
    (Like this!)
    (These themes might help.)
  • Begin The Odyssey: Assign Texts (Take 'em home! Leave 'em there!)
  • Homework: Read pp. 640-646: "Epic and Myth -- Intro to The Odyssey"
  • Assignment Schedule: This might be helpful as the end of the term approaches.


Wednesday, December 19: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, December 20: B Day (Writing Lab)


Friday, December 21: A Day (Assembly Schedule)



December 31, 2012 - January 4, 2013

Monday, December 31, 2012: New Year's Eve


Tuesday, January 1, 2013: New Year's Day

  • Hey, we made it!


Wednesday, January 2: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
  • (B Day) Writing Notebook: "Happy New Year!" Write that at the top of the next blank page, then fill the page with 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? If you are not one for resolutions, write some predictions about where you will be a year from now.
  • The Trojan War: Background Info
  • Read/Review as much of The Odyssey as time allows.
  • Homework: Stay on Assignment Schedule
  • Read to p. 686 (MPT) for next time.
  • Finish all the steps in the research process.


Thursday, January 3: A Day
Friday, January 4: B Day

  • Research Paper & Completed Packet due today!
  • (A Day) Writing Notebook: "Happy New Year!" Write that at the top of the next blank page, then fill the page with 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? If you are not one for resolutions, write some predictions about where you will be a year from now. Oh, and you could also write about your holiday highlights.
  • Poem o' the Day: "January" by John Updike
    • Writing Notebook: On the front of the next blank page, copy this short poem exactly as it is written, with lines and spacing as in the original.
    • Close read the poem, labeling the following poetic elements: Metaphors, Personification (or maybe it's cat-ification), Imagery (identify which senses the images appeal to), Alliteration
    • As part of your close reading, SOAPSTone the poem. Identify the following:
  • Speaker
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Subject
  • TONE
  • Finally, on the back of the page, write a "January poem" of your own that includes imagery and metaphor.
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -ten- / -tain- / -tin-
  • Word Cells o' the Week: -fid-
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks! (We're on #6.)
  • Concepts in Epic Poetry: Homeric Similes (MPT, p. 688)
  • Writing Notebook: On the next blank page, make a heading called "Homeric Similes from The Odyssey of [Your Name]". Write a Homeric Simile of your own. More to come.... (We'll add more next time!)
  • Reading Quiz: The Odyssey, Part 1
  • Odyssey: Stay on Assignment Schedule


January 7-11, 2013

Monday, January 7: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, January 8: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Letters About Literature due Today! Make sure your final draft meets all entry requirements and turn it in with your entry coupon!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Bad Day" by Kay Ryan
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Rules #6 & 7
  • StudySync: (How are those Blasts coming? Got that worksheet all filled out?)
  • The Odyssey -- Log in. Review the passage. Watch the "discussion." Write your response to the prompt during class.
  • January 9-13, review at least three (3) of your classmates' essays with thoughtful comments and constructive suggestions.
    Do not do the reviews in class today!
  • Odyssey: Stay on Assignment Schedule


Wednesday, January 9: A Day
Thursday, January 10: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens
  • Concepts in Epic Poetry
  • Review Homeric Similes: Add a couple more to your list. (See examples.)
  • Epithets (MPT, p. 715)
  • On the back of the page where you wrote your Homeric Similes, make a heading called "Epithets from The Odyssey of [Your Name]". Write suitable descriptive epithets for ten people you know, including yourself.
  • Odyssey: Review "The Test of the Great Bow," "Death at the Palace," and finish it. (Read aloud.)
  • Word Cells o' the Day (Numbers): -uni- / -mono- / -sol- / -bi- & -di- / -tri- / -poly- /
  • Word Cell o' the Week: -dom- (rule)
  • Neologolusion: One new word a week for seven weeks! (Last one!) Turn it in (complete!) next time!
  • Study your entire list of Word Cells for next week's Semester Exam!


Friday, January 11: A Day (School Cancelled)

  • "Snow Day" by Billy Collins
  • Periods 1 & 3: Neologolusion page for this term due next time! Have it done!
    Study your entire list of Word Cells for next week's Semester Exam!
  • StudySync (Odyssey) Reviews are due tomorrow! Don't forget!
  • Extra Credit due Monday!


January 14-18, 2013

Monday, January 14: B Day (Extra Credit due Today!)

  • "Snow Day" by Billy Collins
  • Study your entire list of Word Cells for next week's Semester Exam!
  • The Odyssey Movie & Study Guide


Tuesday, January 15: A Day
Wednesday, January 16: B Day


Thursday, January 17: A Day
Friday, January 18: B Day
Last Day of the Semester

  • Poem o' the Day: "Ithaca" by C. P. Cavafy (MPT, p. 711)
  • (Check out this video!)
  • Writing Notebook: What does Ithaca mean to you?
  • Semester Exam
  • Finish The Odyssey Movie & Study Guide
  • See you next semester!


"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!

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.
©2013 M. Wolfman Thompson - All rights reserved.
*<%^)