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 weeks in the term, scroll all the way down!

November 3-7, 2014: Welcome to Term 2!

  • This term you will learn...
  • ...to differentiate informational writing from argumentative writing.
  • ...to practice both.
  • ...how to use commas correctly.
  • ...a little about Greek mythology.
  • ...to read and understand epic poetry.
  • ...more word cells!
  • ...to close read, annotate, and analyze more complicated text.
  • ...how to acknowledge and rebut a counterclaim.
  • ...to use QAR to generate a claim of your own.
  • ...to read.
  • ...to write.
  • ...to repeat.
  • Word!

Monday, November 3: A Day
Tuesday, November 4: A Day

  • First Day of Second Term
  • Poem o' the Day: "November for Beginners" by Rita Dove
  • New Books & Reading Schedule -- Sign up now!
  • Jane Eyre: Background Info & Chapter 1
  • ARGUMENTATION
  • Writing Notebook: Halloween Horror
  • Did you solve the case correctly? Whatever you guessed last time, play the lawyer and make a case for that guess. Try to make your argument convincing enough to get the jury to believe you? Fill the page!
  • 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.
  • Counterclaims: Can you definitively say why certain people are NOT guilty?
  • INFORMATIONAL WRITING Prep.
  • Poe Finale: Analyze an argument by looking at the facts
  • MPT (pp. 181-190)
  • Biographical Info: The Facts/Timeline of Poe's Death (pp. 181-183)
  • HOMEWORK: Using information from the (video) biography and these texts, outline an informational essay about Edgar Allan Poe.
  • Make three informational claims about Edgar Allan Poe that you can support with biographical evidence from the film and text. Fill in the notes/outline with the appropriate information. Due next time!

Wednesday, November 5: A Day (Writing Lab)
Thursday, November 6: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Like Coins, November" by Elizabeth Klise Von Zerneck
  • Turn in Jane Eyre Chapters 1-3 Quiz
  • Honors English: Jane Eyre StudySync Assignment #1 (20 minutes)
  • ...and...
  • Utah Compose Assignment: Using your Poe Outline and Movie Notes, write an informational essay about Edgar Allan Poe. This is a TIMED informational essay, and you will receive whatever score Utah Compose assigns to you PROVIDING you have addressed the question and not copied material from other sources. Don't be a Bubba! You have 50 minutes! Go!


Friday, November 7: A Day

  • Jane Eyre: Chapters 4/5 Quiz
  • Writing Notebook:
  • -flect-/-flex- = bend; -re- = back/again; -pre- = before
  • Last week you wrote a First Term REflection: That was your chance to slough off your old skin (like Juliet sometimes does around this time of year).
    Today, you are going to write a PREflection, where you can stretch out those fresh new legs (all 8 of 'em!) and PREFLECT ("bend before" to look) on the coming term. What do you expect? What will you do differently? What are you looking forward to? Discuss your expectations.
  • Fill the page with your preflections!
  • Poem o' the Day: "In the God's Dreams" by James Laughlin
  • Meet the Olympians: Mythology Grid
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -clud- / -fin-
  • 9th Grade Word Cell o' the Week: -pend- (-pens-)
  • Optional Homework: Honors English Offer: Revise your Utah Compose essay about Poe for a better score.
  • Complete/submit handout by next time.
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


November 10-14, 2014

Monday, November 10: B Day

  • Optional Homework: Honors English Offer: Revise your Utah Compose essay about Poe for a better score.
  • Complete/submit handout by next time.
  • So...you gonna do it?
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!

Tuesday, November 11: A Day
Wednesday, November 12: B Day

  • Turn in Optional Homework if you want. (See above.)
  • Jane Eyre: Quiz and/or discussion of Chapters 6 & 7
  • Writing Notebook: The many faces of Christianity. Brocklehurst is always described with dark imagery; Helen Burns is always described with light imagery. What is the significance of this?
  • Finish Mythology Video
  • Hang onto the Mythology Grid!
  • Writing Notebook: If you were the god or goddess of something, what would it be and why? Describe your symbol, weapon/gadget. What special power would you have? Who would pray to you for help and protection? Discuss. Also discuss which of these characters from mythology you would like to learn more about and why. (Fill the Page!)
  • Poem o' the Day: "Gee, You're So Beautiful That It's Starting to Rain" by Richard Brautigan
  • Grammar Punk: Intro + Let the games begin!
  • How to Make a Word Pool
  • Practice Sentences
  • Close Read & SOAPSTone: "Did This Really Happen?"
  • Note: The copy you were given in class has tons of room in the margins for your commentary. There is a reason for that. Fill that space with your annotations, comments, questions, and arguments. Defend your generation...if you dare.
  • Also, "Interesting," "Wow!" and "I disagree" do not qualify as thoughtful commentary. Underlining and/or highlighting are meaningless if you don't write WHY they are significant in the margins. Lots of unexplained question marks don't provide "evidence of a close reading." Cute clouds and artwork are nice...but they do not count as thoughtful commentary. Speculating on whether or not Thompson is actually reading your comments does not illustrate that you read the article carefully.
  • Want full credit? Make it like these! And these!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Thursday, November 13: A Day
Friday, November 14: B Day

  • Jane Eyre: Chapters 8 & 9 Quiz/Discussion Questions
  • Chapter 8: "If all the world hated you...and let it dash its hoof at my chest--"
  • Identify a passage of foreshadowing in Chapter 8.
  • How does the tone change from the beginning to the end of Chapter 8?
  • Chapter 9: Gateshead & Lowood -- What is the symbolic meaning of each?
  • Contrast Helen's views on death with Jane's.
  • Who is Mary Ann Wilson?
  • Jane has had two significant religious figures in her life. Identify each and explain the effect each has had on her view of religion.
  • Did you cry at the end of Chapter 9?
  • Poem o' the Day: "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon
  • "Where I'm From" Notes & Models
  • Literal vs. Non-literal Activity
  • (Sample & Template)
  • Speaking of Literal...
  • How 'bout a few more of these?
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -con- + variants
    (-co-/-com-/-cor-/-col-)
  • 9th Grade Word Cells o' the Week: -aqua- & -hydro- (water)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!



November 17-21, 2014: Research Week

Monday, November 17: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, November 18: B Day (Writing Lab)


Wednesday, November 19: A Day (Media Center)
Thursday, November 20: B Day (Media Center)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Forgotten Planet" by Doug Dorph
  • Mythology Research: Continue learning about your assigned topic.
  • Library Research Worksheet



    • Friday, November 21: A Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "The Poet" by Tom Wayman
  • Remember that Mythology Grid? Get it out for a sec. It is to become part of the notes you take on this...
  • ...Intro to The Odyssey -- "Epic and Myth" (MPT, pp. 639-646)
  • Two-coulmn Notes: Heading+Question / Summary
  • As we read this introduction, consider how the information might apply to your own assigned research topic, about which you have filled out a Library Research Worksheet and a Computer Lab Research Worksheet. Could something in this text help you develop the informational essay you will write this term?
  • Writing Notebook: What does it require for someone to be a hero? What qualities does a hero possess? Tell the story of a heroic act you have witnessed and explain why you thought it was heroic. Can anyone be a hero, or does it require something outside of our control (like size or strength)? Who is your hero? Why? Define and discuss heroes. Fill the page!
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -pel- / -puls- & -tract-
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment



November 24-28, 2014

Monday, November 25: B Day

  • "Bless Their Hearts" by Richard Newman
  • "Thanksgiving Magic" by Rowena Bastin Bennett
  • Review those passages pp. (pp. 149-150 & pp. 182-184) in Jane Eyre for tomorrow!
  • You can use the copies and any notes you have written on them when you take the test tomorrow!


Tuesday, November 26: A Day


Wednesday, November 26: Thanksgiving Recess
Thursday, November 27: Thanksgiving Recess
Friday, November 28: Thanksgiving Recess

  • "Yam" by Bruce Guernsey
  • "Butter" by Elizabeth Alexander



December 1-5, 2014

Monday, December 1: B Day


Tuesday, December 2: A Day (Writing Lab)
Wednesday, December 3: B Day (Writing Lab)


Thursday, December 4: A Day
Friday, December 5: B Day

  • Turn in finished Literal vs. Non-literal Activity
  • Jane Eyre: Chapters 22 & 23 Quiz
  • The Odyssey: Homer's Prayer to the Muse (MPT, p. 651)
  • Poem o' the Day: Calypso, The Sweet Nymph (pp. 651-654)
    Notice: The Odyssey is epic poetry, composed in verse to be shared by word of mouth; therefore, it may periodically serve as our Poem o' the Day during the time we study it. (I'll need about ten readers today!)
  • Writing Notebook: SOAPSTone "Calypso" by Suzanne Vega (MPT, p. 665): Listen to the song (lyrics on page 655). Answer these questions: How does the song help you understand the character's feelings? What does it tell you that the song was inspired by a story that is more than 3000 years old? What timeless themes are addressed?
  • "I am Laertes' Son, The Lotus Eaters" (pp. 655-659)
  • WN: On the next blank page in your Writing Notebook, put the heading Homeric Similes. You will return to this page frequently in the next few days. First, read the instructions on page 688 (MPT) and discuss the assignment called "Practice 2," which includes explaining one of the Homeric similes in the text. Today, write one (1) of your own. More to come!
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -ex- / -e- / -ec- & -re-
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Jane Eyre: Stay on the Reading Schedule!



December 8-12, 2014

Monday, December 8: A Day
Tuesday, December 9: B Day

  • Jane Eyre: Quiz on Chapters 24 & 25
  • Writing Notebook: Add another one to your Homeric Similes from The Odyssey of [Your Name]. (That's two total, so far.)
  • Poem o' the Day: "The Cyclops in the Ocean" by Nikki Giovanni (MPT, p. 672)
  • Define Epithet (MPT, p. 715)
  • Review Quiz (Open-book): "I am Laertes' Son" & "The Lotus Eaters"
  • The Odyssey: The Cyclops (MPT, pp. 660-670)
  • Assignment: Passage Summary
  • WN (new page, today's date): Epithets: Read page 715 in The Massive Purple Text. Fill a page in your Writing Notebook with suitable descriptive epithets for people you know, including yourself.
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Week: -ama- / -ami- (love, also -phil-) & -junct- (join)
  • Homework: Jane Eyre, Chapters 26 & 27



Wednesday, December 10: A Day
Thursday, December 11: B Day

  • Jane Eyre: Quiz on Chapters 26 & 27 (You write it: five questions!)
  • Poem o' the Day: "Fragment 3: Come, Come, Thou Bleak December Wind"
    by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • Review those Research Outlines: Are you making claims (conclusions) that show synthesis of information, not just restating facts from the texts?
  • Checklist: Research Paper Requirements
  • Bring all research materials next time. It is our last time in the lab before the final drafts are due.
  • Writing Notebook: Add one more Homeric Simile from The Odyssey of [Your Name]
  • Writing Notebook: Add one more Homeric Epithet from The Odyssey of [Your Name]
  • Writing Notebook: Grammar Punk -- Comma Rules 1, 2, & 4
  • The Odyssey: The Enchantress Circe & The Land of the Dead (MPT, pp. 673-677)
  • Homework: Jane Eyre, Chapters 28 & 29


Friday, December 12: A Day (Writing Lab)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Snow" by David Berman
  • Okay, today is the day! Final drafts of research papers are due next week! By the end of the period, you will be turning in a paper that looks kind of like these. (The question you will answer is different, but the basic idea is still the same.) While this is an informational (as opposed to an argumentative) essay, it still must contain and develop claims that synthesize your understanding of your myth, so your reasoning is a very important aspect of this assignment. Be sure to make it clear!
  • Write Research Paper in Word.
  • Include Parenthetical Documentation. (Here's a more complete explanation.)
  • Print one copy (from Word).
  • Utah Compose: Submit your first draft to Utah Compose ONE TIME! This is not a final draft, but it should be complete.
  • Take an Editor's Checklist and have a parent review the draft with you.
  • You have until next Wednesday night to submit your final draft to Utah Compose.
  • Research Paper Final Draft due on Utah Compose by December 17th @ 11:59 P.M.
  • Return the completed Editor's Checklist on Thursday, December 18th.
  • Homework: Jane Eyre, Chapters 30 & 31


December 15-19, 2014

Monday, December 15: B Day

  • Research Paper Final Draft due on Utah Compose by December 17th @ 11:59 P.M.
  • Return the completed Editor's Checklist on Thursday, December 18th.


Tuesday, December 16: A Day
Wednesday, December 17: B Day

  • Jane Eyre: Quiz on Chapters 30 & 31 (In place of a quiz, this...)
  • Writing Notebook: "A Woman's Place" -- The tension between Jane and Rochester often arises from the fact that she sees herself as his equal, which was a scandalous idea at that time. The gender rolls and expectations in Jane Eyre are very different from those of today. Or are they? What do you think? Are men and women treated as equals in today’s world? Should they be? Discuss. Fill the page!
  • Poem o' the Day: "December Notes" by Nancy McCleery
  • The Odyssey: The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis & The Cattle of the Sun God (MPT, pp. 678-686)
  • WN -- Sketch Scylla and Charybdis based on the description provided in the text.
  • WN -- Grammar Punk: Comma Rules 3 & 5
  • Second Term Word Cells & Last Page of Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -ten- / -tain- / -tin-
  • Word Cells o' the Week: -fid-
  • The rest of the word cells for the term are number-related, and you probably know them from math and science classes. The completed Term 2 Word Cells Assignment is due on January 9, 2015. Use your prefix/suffix list and this Big List o' Word Cells to get it done by then!
  • Homework:
  • Submit Final Draft of Research Paper to Utah Compose & Turn in Editor's Checklist next time! (Do NOT print the paper from Utah Compose.)
  • Jane Eyre, Chapters 32 & 33


Thursday, December 18: A Day
Friday, December 19: B Day

  • Turn in Editor's Checklist with signatures and scores today!
  • Jane Eyre Test #2: Multiple-choice
  • Writing Notebook: The Year in Review (2014) -- Think of what you were like on the first day of this year. How have things changed? What were the highlights and lowlights of 2014? Fill a page or two reviewing your year.
  • Poem o' the Day: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
  • The Odyssey: How much? (Only time will tell....)
  • "Coming Home," p. 690
  • The Meeting of Father and Son, pp. 691-694
  • An Act of Mercy & Hope
  • "Cranes" by Hwong Sunwon (MPT, pp. 222-227)
  • Make one for Kate.
  • Homework:
  • Finish Jane Eyre
  • Extra Credit Opportunity
  • Enjoy the break!


Poem o' the Vacation: "December Substitute" by Kenn Nesbitt

December 29, 2014 - January 2, 2015

Monday, December 29, 2014


Tuesday, December 30, 2014:


Wednesday, December 31, 2014: New Year's Eve!


Thursday, January 1, 2015: Happy New Year!
Friday, January 2: Last Day of the Break!




January 5-9, 2015

Monday, January 5: A Day (Writing Lab)
Tuesday, January 6: B Day (Writing Lab)

  • Welcome Back!
  • Poem o' the Day: "Ithaca" by C. P. Cavafy (MPT, p. 711)
  • Here's how it looks in the original Greek.
  • Here's a fabulous and inspirational cartoon version!
  • (Check out this video!)
  • Close read! (Sample to getcha started!)
  • This kind of textual synthesis is what you will be doing next month on the SAGE writing assessment! Now let's go to the writing lab and practice!
  • Utah Compose: You have 45 minutes to complete this Argumentative Writing Practice Essay (with Texts): Compare "Ithaka" to "George Gray."
  • Homework: Jane Eyre Synthesis Essay (due January 13th)
  • The final "exam" on the novel will not be an objective, multiple-choice test. You will write an argumentative essay in which you support a position using evidence from multiple texts, one of which is the novel you have finished reading by now. (It's similar to what we did today in class.) The essay question and the texts will be handed out at the end of the period, and you will have a week to complete a final draft. If you received lower scores than you would have liked on the first two tests on the novel, this is your chance to make up for them with a great piece of writing.)
  • Don't forget: Word Cells Term 2 Assignment due January 9/12!


Wednesday, January 7: A Day
Thursday, January 8: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou
  • (Here is the poet reciting the poem.)
  • Writing Notebook: (Textual Prompt: 11 Lessons from Jane Eyre)
  • Read the text and then choose one of the lessons you agree with. Fill the page discussing how it has/might/will apply to your own life.
  • (This might give you some ideas for that Synthesis Essay due next week!)
  • Hey, while we got these notebooks open...
  • Writing Notebook: Review/Complete Homeric Similes and Epithets. A full page of each, por favor!
  • Grammar Punk: Comma Rules 6 & 7
  • The Odyssey
  • The Beggar and the Faithful Dog, pp 694-695
  • Summary: The Epic Continues
  • The Test of the Great Bow, pp. 698-702
  • Homework: You need to show me that you can read epic poetry on your own. Close read the passage that we did not read as a class. Answer the multiple-choice questions. Write a well-supported response to the essay question. Bring it back next time! You can do this!
  • Word Cells Term 2 Assignment due next time!



Friday, January 9: A Day

  • Turn in the following:
  • Word Cells: Literal Definitions Assignment
  • (Homework) Odyssey Close Read + Questions + Short Essay
  • The Odyssey: Let's finish this!
  • Death at the Palace, pp. 703-705
  • Odysseus and Penelope, pp. 706-709
  • Poem o' the Day: Same as Monday!
  • Writing Notebook: Explain the Ithaca metaphor. What does Ithaca mean to you? What is your Ithaca? Fill the page!
  • Hey, while we got these notebooks open...Score 'em!.
  • The Odyssey Movie & Study Guide
  • Homework: Jane Eyre Synthesis Essay due January 13th.



January 12-16, 2015

Monday, January 12: B Day

  • Jane Eyre Synthesis Essay due tomorrow (on Utah Compose)!


Tuesday, January 13: A Day
Wednesday, January 14: B Day

  • Poem o' the Day: "Numbers" by Mary Cornish
  • The Odyssey Movie & Study Guide
  • Can we study for the Semester Exam?
  • Well, you can review the concepts it will cover:
  • Close reading
  • Summarizing
  • Elements of Argumentative Writing: claim, textual evidence, reasoning (warrants), counterclaim/rebuttal
  • Proper use of commas: Grammar Punk Comma Rules 1-7
  • Word Cells: Term 2 List
  • Homeric Similes


Thursday, January 15: A Day
Friday, January 16: B Day
Last Day of the Semester


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

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