Wink...Wink! Daily Assignments Title Graphic
Grades/Homework
Utah Compose
StudySync
Thompson's Textbook
Put a Book on Trial
Book Review Outline
Grammar Punk
Class Notebook Wiki
Word Cells
Word Cells Biglist
 To see all the weeks in the term, scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN!

August 25-29, 2014: Welcome Back!
Term 1: "Why?" and "How to..."

  • This term you will learn WHY...
  • ...literacy matters. (Communication)
  • ...people read and write outside of school. (Purpose + Audience = Genre)
  • This term you will learn HOW TO...
  • ...ask questions.
  • ...have a conversation.
  • ...develop an argument: evidence, warrant, conclusion.
  • ...put a book on trial.
  • ...write a simple argumentative essay.
  • ...close read and annotate text.
  • ...figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word by recognizing its "cells.".
  • ...classify words according to their parts of speech.
  • ...accept responsibility.
  • ...work in a group.
  • ...analyze the elements of fiction in various texts.

So, let's get started!
Monday, August 25: A Day
Tuesday, August 26: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Invitation" by Shel Silverstein
  • So, what're we in for?
  • Textual Evidence #1: Letters from Last Year
  • Textual Evidence #2: Disclosure & Reading Schedule
  • Textual Evidence #3: Ask me some questions to clarify.
  • Homework 1: Finish this and write your argumentative paragraph.
  • Homework 2: Discuss everything we talked about today with your parents; have one of them sign the form; pay the lab fee (next week) if you haven't already done so; bring it all back.


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

  • Turn in assignments from last time!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Did I miss anything?" by Tom Wayman
  • Website Review: Look around for a few minutes.
  • Hall Passes: You get one per term. Use it wisely.
  • Three-ring Binder: You need one for this class here next time.
  • Writing Notebooks: Select one! Write now! Right now!
    Turn to the third page in your notebook and write for ten minutes. Introduce yourself! How is ninth grade different than eighth grade? What did your do over the summer? How was the first week of school? What you write about is not as important as the fact that you write a coherent and complete reflection, story, or description. (You could be creative: Imagine that you are 75 years old, and you have discovered the notebook in a box with nostalgic collectibles. You open it, wondering what you may have written during the first week of ninth grade, all those years ago. Surprise! It is a letter addressed to you...from the younger you! Write that letter to remind yourself what your life was like during this first week of ninth grade. Imagine how cool it will be to find it 60 years from now. What will you want to remember?)
  • The basic rule for Writing Notebook entries can be found here.
  • WN: The Finer Details
    Copy this quotation on the first page of your WN:
    "You learn to write by writing. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis."
    --William Zinsser
Writing Notebook Guidelines:
Copy these under the quote on the first page.
  • Put each entry on a new page.
  • Date every entry in this format: August 27, 2014
    (Spelling, spacing, and punctuation all count!)
  • Never remove any pages from your writing notebook, even after they have been scored.
  • Writing Notebooks are to remain in the classroom at all times!
  • Begin Treasure Island: Here's the reading schedule!
  • Reading & Study Guide pages due next time!
  • Use actual quotations from the text to answer study questions whenever possible.


Friday, August 29: A Day

  • Seating Chart: Choose a seat to call your own.
  • Poem o' the Day: "The Hand" by Mary Ruefle
  • Argumentative Paragraph Self-Assessment: One more shot at it!
  • Treasure Island
  • What's your pirate name?
  • Reading Review (Chapters 1 & 2): Questions/Observations?
  • What do you notice?
  • How's the vocabulary? Did you need the list?
  • Did any of the study guide questions stump you? Can you support all your assertions with quotes from the text?
  • Writing Notebook: Re-read pages 20-21 in Treasure Island, where Black Dog enters the inn. Jim, our narrator, describes his exchange with this "pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand." Rewrite part of the exchange from Black Dog's point of view. (How would he describe the scene differently than Jim does? Consider his motives, especially the ones he does not state openly.) You will be writing in the first-person voice of Black Dog, and you can tell about what he is thinking as he talks to Jim.
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule. (Your turn!)

September 1-5, 2014

Monday, September 1: Labor Day

  • No School: Labor Day Holiday
  • Poem o' the Day: "What Work Is" by Philip Levine


Tuesday, September 2: B Day

  • There is no Honors English class on B Day, but I hope you are all practicing your pirate-speak!
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.


Wednesday, September 3: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, September 4: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Computer Lab: Welcome to Our Home Away from Home!
  • Seating Chart
  • SRI
  • Poem o' the Day: "Writer Waiting" by Shel Silverstein
  • Treasure Island Study Guide Chapters 3 & 4
    • You did pick one up last time, right?
  • StudySync Setup: Login just like you did last year and join the class. If you weren't a student here last year, come see me!
  • StudySync Assignment: Treasure Island
  • Read Chapter 8: Yes, I know it is a couple chapters from where we are, but it is short, and it won't hurt to read it twice.
  • In StudySync, write a response to this prompt: Jim decides that Long John Silver is not the cutthroat pirate he has been warned about. What causes Jim to trust Silver? Do you agree with his assessment? Using direct quotations from the text, write a character sketch of Silver that supports your opinion, explaining why you agree or disagree with Jim Hawkins. You may also use information and quotations from the previous chapters in the text to support your position. (Suggested length: 400-600 words; 3-4 paragraphs)
  • When you have submitted your essay, you will be required to evaluate the work of two of your classmates. Essays due at the end of the period today!
  • Evaluations of two classmates' work due September next week!
  • Note (9/4): Everyone in this class has been successfully added to the StudySync program. If you still can't log in, see me.
  • BLASTS: Still a weekly requirement on StudySync! (Do not put them off because they expire after a couple weeks, and then you won't be able to make them up. It pays to check back frequently to see what is being said about your responses. Even during weeks we do not come to the computer lab, you are responsible to complete all blasts that appear in the class assignment list. Completion of a Blast includes reading the material carefully, posting a THOUGHTFUL 140-character response (claim) about the subject matter, and responding to at least three others with your own WELL SUPPORTED follow-up responses. Make it a habit! Come to the computer lab during Intervention period to do this, and you will never have to worry about it at home.
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.

Friday, September 5: A Day

  • Review Treasure Island Study Guides 1/2 & 3/4
  • Ask your (QAR) questions.
  • Writing Task/Essay for Part I of Treasure Island:
    This is the StudySync question you have until Monday to respond to (re-do) and submit: Jim decides that Long John Silver is not the cutthroat pirate he has been warned about. What causes Jim to trust Silver? Do you agree with his assessment? Using direct quotations from the text, write a character sketch of Silver that supports your opinion, explaining why you agree or disagree with Jim Hawkins. Our in-class writing task for the first section of the novel is this:
  • Write a coherent claim that responds to this multi-part question. Consider what a claim should do and be, and make sure yours does those things:
    Jim comes to trust Silver because..., which I think is....
  • What textual evidence must you offer to support this claim?
  • Share, check, turn in.
  • StudySync Essay due Monday!
  • After Monday, review two others!
  • Close Reading & Annotation: What does it mean?
  • Do YOU actually close read stuff, Thompson?
  • Poem o' the Day: "Writing" by Howard Nemerov
  • Now close read the Poem o' the Day.
  • Writing Notebook: Handwriting (Write now!)
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.

September 8-12, 2014

Monday, September 8: B Day

  • We don't meet on B Days, but I'll use this space to remind you of some of the things you'll be up to this week:
  • StudySync Assignment due this evening by 6:00!
  • (We started it last Wednesday in the writing lab.)
  • Treasure Island (Chapter 8)
  • ESSAY: Write a response to this prompt: Jim decides that Long John Silver is not the cutthroat pirate he has been warned about. What causes Jim to trust Silver? Do you agree with his assessment? Using direct quotations from the text, write a character sketch of Silver that supports your opinion, explaining why you agree or disagree with Jim Hawkins. You may also use information and quotations from the previous chapters in the text to support your position. (Suggested length: 400-600 words; 3-4 paragraphs)
  • EVALUATIONS: When you have submitted your essay, evaluate the work of two of your classmates by following these instrucions: Evaluate this student's essay with the following considerations in mind: Did the student address the prompt completely? Does the response actually answer the question that is asked, or does the writer discuss unrelated material? Is the answer to the question stated clearly, somewhere near the beginning of the essay? Is the essay just a plot summary? Does it include appropriate quotations that actually support the claim? Does it explain how the quotations support the claim? Address these and other things you notice about the essay in a polite note to the writer. Include your suggestions for improvement as well as the specific areas where you believe the writer has done very well. Do NOT address whether or not you personally agree with the writer's response, but rather try to evaluate the effectiveness of the response. Does it do everything a good piece of academic writing should do? As you are writing the note, imagine that you are the teacher, trying to give encouragement as well as constructive criticism. (Suggested length of note: 100-200 words)
  • You may begin doing this after 6:00 P.M. today!
    Evaluations due Friday, Sept. 12th.
  • BLASTS: Still a weekly requirement on StudySync! (Do not put them off because they expire after a couple weeks, and then you won't be able to make them up. It pays to check back frequently to see what is being said about your responses. Even during weeks we do not come to the computer lab, you are responsible to complete all blasts that appear in the class assignment list. Completion of a Blast includes reading the material carefully, posting a THOUGHTFUL 140-character response (claim) about the subject matter, and responding to at least three others with your own WELL SUPPORTED follow-up responses. Make it a habit! Come to the computer lab during Intervention period to do this, and you will never have to worry about it at home. From here on out, you are responsible to respond to all the new ones that appear (usually two per week).


Tuesday, September 9: A Day
Wednesday, September 10: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Do you have any advice for those of us just starting out?" by Ron Koertge
  • Writing Notebook: How was your weekend? How were the first two weeks of ninth grade? How's life? What do you think of your classes so far? Your teachers? Are you having fun or are you hating every minute? Fill the page!
  • StudySync
  • Blast Tracker (Handout) -- You were assigned to do a couple on your own by now, but these are the first ASSIGNED Blasts:
    • Futurescape (due Sept. 22)
    • Millions Are Misunderstood (due Sept. 22)
    • Recipe for Disaster (due Sept. 22)
    • Create with Care (due Sept. 22)
  • Reminders:
    • Evaluate two classmates' essays by Friday!
    • From this day forward, respond to all Blasts (usually two per week).
  • Writing Rubric (Handout): How were those Treasure Island essays scored?
  • Close Reading Review: Close read one of the assinged Handwriting articles.
  • Remember that poem you close read last time? Is it something like this?
  • Share/Discuss
  • SOAPSTone your assigned article + analyze this cartoon.
  • Revisit the Good ol' Days: Remember these? And paper like this?
  • On that paper,
  • Homework: Do this and this to whichever of these you were assigned in class. Then on a paper like this, in writing like this, write an arguable claim of your own about cursive/handwriting; use the texts you have read to support it; show your reasoning (warrants); address/rebut counterclaims. Your writing will be scored using this. Due next time!
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.


Thursday, September 11: A Day
Friday, September 12: B Day




September 15-19, 2014

Monday, September 15: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, September 16: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas
  • Argumentative Paragraph Analysis: Some suggestions based on the paragraphs you turned in last Friday!
  • StudySync Assignment
  • Review the reviews you received on your first essay.
  • Write an essay in response to the StudySync assignment called
    Treasure Island Part II
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.
  • New Blasts: "Better, Faster, Stronger," "Ready, Aim, Fire," & "Mood Monitor"
  • (That makes seven so far!)


Wednesday, September 17: A Day
Thursday, September 18: B Day


Friday, September 19: A Day

  • Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arrrr! Matey!
  • Pirates and Pronouns: Follow up from last time!
  • Avast! Every student will read hizzer sentence aloud.
  • Shiver me timbers! Treasure Island (Part 4): Changing Narrators -- What's with that?
  • Yo-ho-ho! Word Cells o' the Week: -gram-/-graph-, -scrib-/script-, -dict-,
    -string- / -strict- / -strain-
  • Ahoy! Neologolusion: Creating New Words & Making Sense of Unfamiliar Ones
  • Using your lists of prefixes/suffixes and two of the Word Cells we learned today, create two new words and their dictionary definitions. Fill in ALL the blanks! The front of the handout is now finished!
  • By the Powers! Writing Notebook: Are you a "shopper" or are you one of those people who barely tolerates shopping? What do you shop for and with whom do you go? Is shopping joyful or torturous for you. Tell a story that illustrates your feelings about shopping. Fill the page!
  • Poem o' the Day: "At the Galleria Shopping Mall" by Tony Hoagland
  • SOAPSTone Practice (Finish for next time!)
  • Don't Forget: Read and review two (2) of your classmates' essays. Follow the instructions within StudySync.
  • For all intents and purpuses, this is midterm. Your Writing Notebooks will be scored soon and scores for the StudySync essays and reviews will go in this weekend. Just sayin'....



September 22-26, 2014

Monday, September 22: B Day


Tuesday, September 23: A Day
Wednesday, September 24: B Day (Midterm)


Thursday, September 25: A Day (Writing Lab)
Friday, September 26: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Turn in SOAPSTone Assignment & Genre SOAPSTones.
  • Treasure Island Quiz? Always a possibility!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Cartoon Physics, Part 1" by Nick Flynn
  • Wiki Setup: Honors Tags & Genre List
  • Start here!
  • Follow instructions carefully! (You do as I do.)
  • Once your wiki page is ready, do some Internet research about schooners like the Hispaniola. ON YOUR OWN WIKI PAGE, write some kind of informational text that presents your findings in an engaging or entertaining way. (Note: For the first time this year, this is NOT an argumentative essay.)
  • Your purpose is to present information that will help readers understand all the ship-speak that occurs in Treasure Island. (See page 149 for a sample.)
  • You need to cite your sources and include a basic Works Cited section that includes links to the articles, diagrams, maps, etc., that you use in your search.
  • Make sure you save it ON YOUR OWN WIKI PAGE.
  • SRI -- Again...sorry.
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.



September 29-October 3, 2014

Monday, September 29: A Day
Tuesday, September 30: B Day

  • Treasure Island: Reading Quiz/Discussion
  • Literary Devices: It's time to start reviewing these in terms of this term's novel!
  • Word Cells o' the Week: -chron-, -pre-, -post-,
    -tact-/-tang-, -terra-/-terr-
  • Neologolusion: Creating New Words & Making Sense of Unfamiliar Ones
    • Using your lists of prefixes/suffixes and the Word Cells we've learned so far, create a new word and its dictionary definition. Fill in ALL the blanks!
  • Writing Notebook
  • A) Finish that Genre List!
  • B) Copy the Poem o' the Day: "Alexander Throckmorton" by Edgar Lee Masters
  • C) Fill the page: What does it mean to be "young" or "old"? Is it a matter of attitude or an actual physical state? Have you ever known a very young old person or a very old youngster? Tell a story!
  • Choose one of the texts from these assignments to analyze using the elements of SOAPSTone:
    SOAPSTone Assignment & Genre SOAPSTones.
  • Finish as Homework: Write a SOAPSTone Analysis that includes a brief introduction (including a summary of the text), an analysis of each SOAPSTone element, and a brief conclusion. When you are done, it should look more like an essay than a fill-in-the-blank activity.
  • This model illustrates how each section might be addressed.


Wednesday, October 1: A Day
Thursday, October 2: B Day

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:45 - 7:15)
  • Poem o' the Day: "October" by Don Thompson (no relation)
  • Treasure Island: Part V Writing Task:
    Chapter 26 (Israel Hands) is considered one of the most intense and engaging chapters in the novel because so much happens in such a short span of pages. How does Robert Louis Stevenson's STYLE contribute to the reader's enjoyment? (The Literary Devices handout might come in handy.) Use textual references to support your claim. Your essay will be scored using the usual rubric.
  • Grammar Punk Rock: Parts of Speech Review
  • Adjectives & Adverbs (modifiers)
  • Verbs
  • Writing Notebook: Finish that Genre List
  • (Don't confuse a genre of text with a method for publishing text, e.g., adventure fiction vs. blog.)
  • Continue with the Reading Schedule.
  • (Be thinking about a book of your choice that you can read in the weeks between when we finish Treasure Island and the end of the term.)

Friday, October 3: A Day



October 6-10, 2014

Monday, October 6: B Day

  • New Blasts
    • "Potato, Potahto"
    • "Keep Your Head in the Game"
    • "Be Careful What You Say"
  • All of these expire on October 20, 2014.

Tuesday, October 7: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, October 8: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "In School-days" by John Greenleaf Whittier
  • Term Paper: Treasure Island
  • Support or refute this statement: Long John Silver is not a typical pirate.
  • (More specific instructions were provided on a handout in the lab.)
  • Suggestions from Lab
  • Final Draft (printed) due Monday, October 13th
  • Finish the novel for next time! There will be a content test!

Thursday, October 9: A Day
Friday, October 10: B Day

  • New Seats: My Choice!
  • Treasure Island: Objective Test
  • Writing Notebook: Halloween is coming! Thrill us! Chill us! Tell a scary story. This is NARRATIVE WRITING, not argumentative or informational. Have characters and a plot. Use dialogue. Maybe some gruesome description. Creativity helps, but maybe it is a story that actually happened to you. One way or another, tell us a story. And, as always, FILL THE PAGE!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe
  • Word Cells o' the Week: -fer-, -port, -lat-, -mort-
  • Neologolusion: Creating New Words & Making Sense of Unfamiliar Ones
    • Using your lists of prefixes/suffixes and the Word Cells we've learned so far, create a new word and its dictionary definition. Fill in ALL the blanks!
  • Sign up: Read a book of your choice (that you haven't read before) between now and October 24th.
  • Homework: Term Paper due Monday! Best work only!
  • Here are the suggestions from the lab.


October 13-17, 2014

Monday, October 13: A Day
Tuesday, October 14: B Day

  • Term Paper due now!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Annabel Lee" (Check this out!)
  • Poem o' the Day from Last Time: "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe
  • Writing Notebook: Are you a vengeful person? Have you ever sought revenge on someone who wronged you? Tell the story. If not, why not? What experiences could lead someone to seek revenge? How could an obsession with vengeance lead to tragedy? Is revenge ever necessary or good? Consider all the dangers and advantages of getting even. Fill the page!
  • Massive Purple Text: Narrator and Voice (pp. 148-149)
  • STYLE (Review MPT 496-7)
  • (Might wanna take some notes here!)
  • "The Cask of Amontillado" (pp. 172-181)
  • Homework: Style Analysis: Due to a 15-minute lockdown drill, we didn't have time to work on this in class, so you only have to do the front side (diction) for next time.
  • New Blasts: These will be the last ones for the first term.
    • "Powerful Phrase"
    • "A Terrifying Comeback"
    • "Fish Food for Thought"
    • All first term blasts and the assignment sheet are due on October 23rd.

Wednesday, October 15: A Day

  • Finish Style Analysis / "The Tell-Tale Heart" Are the same stylistic elements at work here?
  • Poem o' the Day & Close Read/Analysis Assignment: The Raven
  • Read, Listen, and Translate!
  • Paraphrase your assigned section.
  • Should be written in the first person -- I, me, myself – as though you are the narrator
  • Should include all the details: setting, description, quotations, what happened, etc.
  • Does not include any rhyme or repetition
  • (Finish this part for next time! You will be sharing them aloud.)


Thursday, October 16: Fall Recess
Friday, October 17: Fall Recess

  • No School



October 20-24, 2014

Monday, October 20: B Day

  • Blasts are due Thursday!


Tuesday, October 21: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, October 22: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Revision vs. Editing
  • Things about your term paper you might consider revising:
  • Finish it: Intro, at least three body paragraphs with two pieces of textual evidence in each, a paragraph to address the counterclaims, conclusion.
  • Organize it.
  • Don't be a Bubba!
    • Don't announce yourself: "I am going to tell you...," "I have to write about...," "Thompson is forcing us to write...."
    • Don't make it more about you than about the topic: Third-person, avoid "I" and "me".
  • Write sentences that are actually sentences! (Do you know how to tell?)
  • Submit Term Papers to Utah Compose ONCE! (USID # x 2)
  • Then do this.
  • REVISE and resubmit the paper to get the best score you can.
  • Final Due Date: Saturday @ Noon


Thursday, October 23: A Day
Friday, October 24: B Day



October 27-31, 2014

Monday, October 27: A Day
Tuesday, October 28: B Day

  • Poe-m o' the Day: "A Dream Within a Dream" by E. A. Poe
  • Term Test
  • Writing Notebook (Finish/Score): First Term Reflection -- How did it go? What were the highlights and lowlights? Were there unexpected things that happened, or did it go about as you thought it would? Fill the page!
  • When you finish, fill out the self-assessment/score paper and turn in.
  • Informational Text Studies: Biography of Poe (Video)


Wednesday, October 29: A Day
Thursday, October 30: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Halloween" by Mac Hammond
  • INFORMATIONAL WRITING
  • Finish Poe Bio (Video) Notes
  • ARGUMENTATION WRITING
  • Halloween Horror
  • Can you solve the case without jumping to conclusions?
  • Claim: Who killed the ghost?
  • Evidence: Why do you think so?
  • Reasoning (Warrants): How does the available evidence support your claim? No guessing or illogical conclusions! You have to have a connection between your claim and your evidence.
  • Writing Notebook: Take a guess. One sentence.
  • See you next term!


Friday, October 31: Professional Day
(No School for Students)


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 ensure that this website is educationally sound and does not contain direct links to inappropriate material.
©2014 M. Wolfman Thompson - All rights reserved.
*<%^)