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January 21-25, 2013: Welcome to Third Term!

Monday, January 21: MLK Holiday (Human Rights Day)
Tuesday, January 22: 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 write an argument that addresses counterclaims.
  • ...how to use semicolons and colons correctly.
  • ...how to write and present a podcast.
  • ...40 new word cells.
  • ...how to identify parallel structure in poetry and prose.
  • ...how to maintain parallel structure in your own writing.
  • ...connotation and denotation of words.
  • ...to read.
  • ...to write.
  • ...to repeat.
  • ...and, as always, some surprises!


Wednesday, January 23: A Day
Thursday, January 24: B Day


Friday, January 25: A Day (Writing Lab)

  • (Late-start day due to icy roads: short classes)
  • Great Expectations: Quiz on Chapters 2 & 3
  • Voices of Spoon River



January 28 - February 1, 2013

Monday, January 28: B Day (Writing Lab)


Tuesday, January 29: A Day
Wednesday, January 30: B Day


Thursday, January 31: A Day (Writing Lab)
Friday, February 1: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz -- Chapters 7 & 8
  • Voices of Spoon River
  • Need a hint?
  • Homework:
  • Read Chapters 9-12 & Complete (both sides) of "Naming of Names" worksheet



February 4-8, 2013

Monday, February 4: A Day
Tuesday, February 5: B Day

  • Turn in the completed "Naming of Names" worksheet (both sides).
  • Reading Quiz: GE Chapters 9-12
  • Writing Notebook:
  • First, write an appropriate chapter title for each of the chapters from 7-12, all of which you should have read by now. Under each chapter title, write a short summary of what happened in the chapter. Next, identify and copy a short passage from this section that you like and say why. Finally, what are your questions at this point in the reading?
  • Fill a page and a half! (or so)
  • (Also in the Writing Notebook) Grammar Punk Comma Review (Rules 1-7)
  • Write one sentence that illustrates each comma rule. Topic: Great Expectations
  • Examples:
  • Comma Rule #1: Pip is an orphan, and he is raised by his sister.
  • Comma Rule #2: Miss Havisham is a grim, unahppy, and strangely-dressed old woman.
  • Comma Rule #3: Joe, who is a "Hercules in strength and weakness," is Pip's first friend and protector.
  • Comma Rule #4: Mr. Pumblechook turns around in a spasmodic dance, rushes out the door, expectorates violently, and makes several hideous faces.
  • Comma Rule #5: Although she is very pretty, Estella is quite insulting.
  • Comma Rule #6: Joe often said, "Ever the best of friends, ain't we, Pip?"
  • Comma Rule #7: Pip lies to his sister about what happened at Miss Havisham's, believing it is the only way he can get back at her for her constant nagging and abuse.
  • Word Cells Term 3 Pretest
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #2
  • -fic- / -fact- / -fect-
  • -bio-
  • -vert- / -vers-
  • -sent- / sens-
  • R&J Passages for Memorization: Look up your assigned passage in the Massive Purple Text and fill in the top part of this form. Your job will be 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. For now, just fill in the top part of this form and turn it in.


Wednesday, February 6: A Day
Thursday, February 7: B Day

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 13-16
  • (+ discussion)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #3
  • -in-
  • -cip- / -cept-
  • -ven-
  • -ced- / -cess-
  • 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?


Friday, February 8: A Day

  • Great Expectations: Chapters 17 & 18 Discussion
  • "The Code of a Gentleman" + Assignment (due next time!)
  • 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
  • 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
  • Close Reading of the Prologue & Translate the Prologue
  • (E-notes may help!)
  • Why is Shakespeare Hard?
  • Three Ways to Stage the Prologue
  • R&J Passages: Analyze (close read) your assigned passage. 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. Also, you will later memorize a section of your assigned passage to recite aloud for the class. But more on that later. For now, just do the analysis and the paraphrasing. (This website might help.)
  • Homework: Read GE Chapter 19 and complete the Manners Worksheet!



February 11-15, 2013

Monday, Februrary 11: B Day

  • Great Expectations: Chapters 17 & 18 Discussion
  • "The Code of a Gentleman" + Assignment (due next time!)
  • 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
  • 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
  • Close Reading of the Prologue & Translate the Prologue
  • (E-notes may help!)
  • Why is Shakespeare Hard?
  • Three Ways to Stage the Prologue
  • R&J Passages: Analyze (close read) your assigned passage. 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. Also, you will later memorize a section of your assigned passage to recite aloud for the class. But more on that later. For now, just do the analysis and the paraphrasing. (This website might help.)
  • Homework: Read GE Chapter 19 and complete the Manners Worksheet!


Tuesday, February 12: A Day
Wednesday, February 13: B Day

  • Great Expectations Part 1 Test
  • 20 minutes to translate the Prologue and your assigned passage from Romeo & Juliet.
  • 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
    Listen, follow along, and see if you get it.
  • Glossary of Common Elizabethan Terms
  • Shakespearean Insult Generator & More Shakespearean Insults


Thursday, February 14: A Day
Friday, February 15: B Day

  • Great Expectations: Chapters 20-22 Quiz
  • Grammar Punk: Semicolon Rule #1 (on back of quiz)
  • Writing Notebook: Who is your Valentine? Does s/he know? Discuss young love.
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #4
  • -grad- / -gress-
  • -trans-
  • -inter-
  • -magn- / -macro-
  • Study Guide Handouts: Keep 'em Together!
  • Reading: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scenes 3, 4
  • Review: Act I, Scene 4 (Queen Mab)
  • Video: One Way Queen Mab Could be Presented (Stage)



February 18-22, 2013

Monday, Februrary 18: Day of Presidents (No School)



Tuesday, February 19: A Day (1st period shortened...again!)
Wednesday, February 20: B Day

  • GE Reading Quiz: Chapters 23-26
  • Grammar Punk: Semicolon Rule #2 (on back of quiz)
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #5
  • -ped- / -pod-
  • -sub-
  • -super-
  • -circum-
  • Review: Act I, Scene 4 (Queen Mab)
  • Video: Two More Ways Queen Mab Could be Presented (Movies: '68 & '96)
  • Discussion Question: Which one did you like the best? Why?
  • Act I: Scene 5 (They meet!)
  • 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
  • (1st Period did not have time to finish this.)


Thursday, February 21: A Day (Writing Lab)
Friday, February 22: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • GE Reading Quiz: Chapters 27-29
  • Romeo and Juliet: Act II, Scenes 1 & 2 (The Balcony Scene)
  • Study Sync Assignment
  • Written Responses due February 25th
  • Reviews must be completed between February 26 and March 2!



February 25 - March 1, 2013

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

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 30-33
  • 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
  • "Lecture": Finish 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)?
    • 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?)
    • Irony: Verbal, Situational, Dramatic
  • The Balcony Scene: Video
  • Homework: Chapters 34-36 in GE

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

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 34-36 (maybe...)
  • 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
  • Read Romeo and Juliet -- Act II, Scenes 3, 4, 5, 6
  • Homework: Memorize 12-16 lines of your assigned passage. (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.) Presentations will take place on or about March 12/13.


Friday, March 1: A Day

  • Great Expectations Test on Part II (Through Chapter 39)
  • Extra Credit Op: Any of the Word Cells that have not been assigned are up for grabs. If you want to do another podcast/lesson for extra credit, see me.
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #8
  • -syn- / -sym-
  • -hypo-
  • -hyper-
  • -script- / -scrib-
  • Act III, Scene 1 + Video (The Death of Mercutio)
  • Romeo and Juliet: Finish Act III -- Scenes 2, 3, 4 ,5
  • 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
  • Homework: Close Reading / Stage Directions for Act III, Scene 4
  • All students will be given a copy of Scene 4 to write on. 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.
    • 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 things do the audience know that the characters do not?
  • Read Chapters 40-42 in GE.




March 4-8, 2013

Monday, March 4: B Day

  • Great Expectations Test on Part II (Through Chapter 39)
  • Extra Credit Op: Any of the Word Cells that have not been assigned are up for grabs. If you want to do another podcast/lesson for extra credit, see me.
  • Word Cells Presentations: Set #8
  • -syn- / -sym-
  • -hypo-
  • -hyper-
  • -script- / -scrib-
  • Act III, Scene 1 + Video (The Death of Mercutio)
  • Romeo and Juliet: Finish Act III -- Scenes 2 (1st Period only)
  • 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
  • Homework: Close Reading / Stage Directions for Act III, Scene 4
  • All students will be given a copy of Scene 4 to write on. 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.
    • 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 things do the audience know that the characters do not?
  • Read Chapters 40-42 in GE.



Tuesday, March 5: A/B Day

  • Homework due now: Director's Close Read Assignment (Samples)
  • Romeo and Juliet: Finish Act III -- Scenes 2, 3, 4 ,5
  • Read Chapters 43 & 44 in GE.

Wednesday, March 6: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, March 7: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 43 & 44 (Turn in.)
  • Utah Write: StudySync isn't cooperating, so we are going to move the final draft of the Romeo and Juliet essay to Utah Write. You can check your reviews in StudySync, but the rewrite in Utah Write should be from scratch. Do not copy and paste anything! You should include new information from the play that we have covered since last time. Read the Utah Write topic carefully and write a response that will earn you a high score. Here are some tips for addressing this topic.
  • Read Chapters 45-47 in GE.


Friday, March 8: A Day



March 11-15, 2013

Monday, March 11: B Day


Tuesday, March 12: A Day
Wednesday, March 13: B Day

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 48-51
  • Finish Romeo and Juliet: Act V (Table Read)
  • Finish Romeo and Juliet Study Guide (& Vocabulary of Drama)
  • 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
  • Read Chapters 52-54 in GE.


Thursday, March 14: A Day
Friday, March 15: B Day

  • Presentations of Memorized Passages/Review Romeo and Juliet
  • Turn in Romeo and Juliet Packet
  • Romeo and Juliet Test
  • Time Remaining? Complete any unfinished Writing Notebook entries!
  • Homework: Read Chapters 55-57 in GE.



March 18-22, 2013

Monday, March 18: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, March 19: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Great Expectations Reading Quiz: Chapters 55-57
  • Term Paper Assignment: Characterization in Great Expectations
    Great Expectations is a world populated by interesting and entertaining characters. Part of the reason they seem so "real" is because Dickens describes them so richly and completely: the good, the bad, the annoying, the humorous, the noble, the despicable. (Sometimes many of those characteristics are found within a single character.) Write an essay in which you use (brief) examples from the text to argue this claim: The idiosyncracies of Dickens's characters make them both amusing and memorable.
  • idiosyncrasy (noun) a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual
  • Sample Annotated Paragraph: If your essay contains a good introduction, four body paragraphs that do all the things this sample does, and a conclusion, you'll get an A (27-30) in Utah Write and from me. You have until Wednesday at 11:59 P.M. to submit your final draft.
  • Finish Great Expectations (Chapters 58 & 59).


Wednesday, March 20: A Day
Thursday, March 21: B Day

  • Last Day of Third Term: Turn in Extra Credit Now!
  • Term Test = Great Expectations Test: Part III + Word Cells
  • Writing Notebook: Third Term Reflection + Final Score
  • Reduced R&J


Friday, March 22: Make up for snow day on Jan. 11


To see previous weeks, scroll all the way down.
"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.

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