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August 22-26, 2016: Welcome Back!
Term 1: "Why?" and "How to..."

Monday, August 22
Tuesday, August 23

• This term you will learn HOW TO...
• ...ask questions.
• ...keep an amazingly organized English Notebook.
• ...write on demand every day for a variety of purposes.
• ...write a text-based informational essay.
• ...close read and annotate text.
• ...deduce the meaning of an unfamiliar word by recognizing its "cells.".
• ...define and classify words according to their parts of speech.
• ...recognize & define various ACT vocabulary words.
• ...accept responsibility.
• ...analyze the elements of fiction in various texts.

So, let's get started!
Wednesday, August 24: A Day
Thursday, August 25: B Day

• Objective Test on Summer Reading: The Yearling
• Poem o' the Day: "Invitation" by Shel Silverstein
• "In the beginning was the Word...."
• Suffixes that refer to people: -ant / -ar / -ard / -arian / -ee / -ent / -er / -ess / -eur / -ier/yer / -or / -ist
• Samples: servant, liar, wizard, librarian, payee, resident, painter, countess, chauffeur, cashier, lawyer, doctor, biologist
• Are you the kind of student who...?
• Finish at home for next time!
• So, what are we in for?
• Letters from the Past...
• Details, Disclosures, Didgeridoos
• If possible, have a 1½” three-ring binder (for this class only) with you next Thursday/Friday (September 1/2).
• Homework: Close Read/Annotate this article. Then write a one-page reflection. Did reading The Yearling make you smarter and nicer like the article claims? If so, how? If not, why not? Do you think it is the literature itself that causes these effects, or is it the willingness of the reader to be improved by reading? What is the most powerful experience you have ever had with literature? Fill the page!
• Also, finish the assignment we started in class today.
  

Friday, August 26: A Day

• Seating Chart: Choose a place to call your own.
• Poem o' the Day: "Did I Miss Anything?" by Tom Wayman (This puts the Tone in SOAPSTone.)
• Here's why you need that 1½” three-ring binder by next week!
• Turn in homework: "Why do we read literature?"
• BTW: What does it mean to close read & annotate a text? (Models)
• Do YOU actually close read stuff, Thompson?
• Introduction: How does Thompson do business?
  • Website Review: Look around for a few minutes.
  • Hall Passes: You get one per term. Use it wisely.
  • Want to keep the ogre happy? Don't say or do any of these things.
• ACT Prep: English Practice Set #1 (in class, timed)
• Homework: Get a binder for next week! Sign off on the disclosure on MyDSD.
• Have a good weekend!
  

August 29-September 2, 2016

Monday, August 29: B Day

• Poem o' the Day: "Sea Fever" by John Masefield
• 
  

Tuesday, August 30: A Day (Writing Lab 202)
Wednesday, August 31: B Day

• Poem o' the Day: "Do you have any advice for those of us just starting out?" by Ron Koertge
• Poem o' the Day: "Writer Waiting" by Shel Silverstein
• Welcome to the Computer Lab: Our Home Away from Home!
• Seating Chart
• SRI #1
• Log in (using the same info you used to log on to the computer) and begin the test.
• You are allowed to skip three questions.
• Here's your first argumentative essay topic!
• You will submit it to Utah Compose!
• Final Due Date: Saturday, September 3 @ 11:59 P.M.
• (Revise it up to 30 times to achieve the best possible score.)
• 
  

Thursday, September 1: B Day
Friday, September 2: A Day

• Three-ring Binder (in class today!): Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions
• Journal Entry #1:
• 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 may be called upon to share parts of this entry aloud. Fill the page!
• Word Study
  • Discuss Vocabulary List #1
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• Reading Assignment & Schedule
• Start Reading!
• Reading/Literature
  • Literary Concepts to Watch For: Handout
  • Ticket Out: Write a theme found in The Yearling.
  • (Make sure it is stated as a theme!)
• Homework: Finish the Baseline Essay and submit to Utah Compose by Saturday night!
• Stay on the Reading Schedule!

September 5-9, 2016

Monday, September 5: Labor Day [237]

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

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

• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• Reading/Literature: Intro to Parables -- Study Questions/Issues to Consider (Side 1 only)
• Reading Assignment & Schedule -- Objective Test next time! (Finish reading!)
• What does it mean to close read & annotate a text? (Models)
• Do YOU actually close read stuff, Thompson?
• Poem o' the Day: "Writing" by Howard Nemerov
• Close read and annotate it. (Models)
• (Is yours something like this?)
• Journal #2: Handwriting (Write Now!)
• Honors Vocabulary List #1: Finish definitions!

Thursday, September 8: A Day
Friday, September 9: B Day (P&T)

• Turn in close read of the poem from last time.
• Objective Test on The Pearl
• Journal #3: Write an original modern parable that illustrates a message or moral you think people need to understand.
• Word Study: Use Honors Vocabulary List #1 to complete the quiz.
• (This first one is just a sample to show you what they are like.)
• Close Reading & Handwriting, Continued....
• Review: Close Read an assinged Handwriting article for information.
• Summarize your article.
• On this paper, SOAPSTone your article in cursive. (Use these if you need to.)
• In the remaining space, write an arguable claim of your own about cursive handwriting.
• 
  
  
  

September 12-16, 2016

Monday, September 12: A Day [237]
Tuesday, September 13: B Day

• The Pearl: Characters, Setting, Imagery, Symbolism, Theme
• 45-60 minutes: Answer the questions on Side 2 of the Worksheet + Essay Responses (Turn in.)
• Reading/Literature: SOAPSTone Review
• Analyze this cartoon by answering all the questions on the worksheet.
• Argumentative Paragraph Review (on back).

Wednesday, September 14: A Day
Thursday, September 15: B Day

• Journal #4: There are approximately 1,025,000 words in the English language. If you are an average native English speaker, you will only ever use about 30,000 of them. But maybe you are not average! How big is your vocabulary? Do you like knowing the meanings of long, fancy words? Do you use them when you speak and write, or are you basically monosyllabic, expressing most of your thoughts with low grunting noises? What do you notice about people and the way they use words? How does it influence the way you approach them? Do you think a large vocabulary is a sign of intelligence? Why or why not? Discuss words! Fill the page!
• Word Study: Intro to Word Cells
• Ever had pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?
• Do you have sesquipedalian predilections?
• Podcast on Morphology (Listening + Quiz)
• Podcast on Etymology (Listening + Quiz)
• Cells o' the Week: Start your lists!
• -log- / -ology-
• -form- / -morph-
• -chrom-
• Resources: Prefix/Suffix Lists
• 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!
• 
  

Friday, September 16: A Day

• Grammar and Conventions: ACT Prep: English Set #2
• Journal #5: Does competition bring out the best or the worst in people? What is it that makes use want to win so badly, even at the most trivial tasks? Competition is supposed to be healthy, but where do you draw the line? Explain your responses. Give examples. Fill the page!
• A Separate Peace: Intro
• Background & Pre-reading Questions
• Read Chapter 1 (together)
• Identifying & Analyzing Literary Elements (Complete this as you read the novel.)
• Read Chapter 2 (for next time)
• Poem o' the Day: "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas
• Identify the claim this poem makes.
• Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  

September 19-23, 2016

Monday, September 19: B Day [233]

• Avast!
• Shiver me timbers!
• Composition: On September 30, you will be developing a claim about cursive handwriting (maybe like this). To support your claim, you may use any/all of the articles we have looked at in class, as well as the information on this website. You should review it. Maybe outline your thoughts... Just sayin'...
• 
  

Tuesday, September 20: A Day
Wednesday, September 21: B Day (Midterm)

• Review The Pearl Worksheet + Essay Responses
• Here is an annotated example.
• [Here is an annotated model from Treasure Island.]
• How would you score on the pre-AP rubric?
• Shall we try another one on A Separate Peace?
• Use textual evidence and sound reasoning to show how clothing is used as a symbol in Chapter 2. What does clothing represent in this chapter? Explain.
• Poem o' the Day: "The Grammar Lesson" by Steve Kowit
• Pretest 1 & 2
• Diagnostic/Application: Not just a test to see if you can identify and define.
• Journal #6: What do you know about the parts of speech? Can you name them all? How'd you do on that pretest? At what point in school do you remember hearing about verbs and nouns for the first time? Why do you think it is important enough that schools keep trying to "teach" them to you? How might it benefit you to know them? Or will it? Is trying to teach grammar a waste of time? Discuss your background with grammar. Fill the page!
• Vocabulary Assignment #2 (due next time!)
• Homework: Stay on the Reading Schedule!

Thursday, September 22: A Day [8:21 A.M. -- Autumnal Equinox]
Friday, September 23: B Day

• Vocabulary Assignment #2 due now! (Quiz!)
• Grammar/Conventions: Parts of Speech Review
• Poem o' the Day: "Alexander Throckmorton" by Edgar Lee Masters
• Journal #1: Copy the poem onto the next blank page.
• SOAPSTone it.
• Summarize the poem.
• Paraphrase the poem.
• (Do you know the difference?)
• Now Fill the Page: You know you're an adult when _______________. Consider what it means to be "young" or "old." Do these words represent a physical state of being or an attitude? Have you ever known a very young old person or a very old young person?
• English Binder [Organization] Check/Return & Store Assignments: Does yours have all the stuff mine does...in the same places?
• Word Study: Neologolusion -- Put the definition of your new word from last week in the first spot on this handout.
• Word Cells o' the Week: -gram-/-graph-, -scrib-/script-, -dict-,
  -string- / -strict- / -strain-
• Using your lists of prefixes/suffixes and two of the Word Cells we learned today, create a new word and its dictionary definition. Fill in ALL the blanks! We now have one more to go on the front side.
• Homework: Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  

September 26-30, 2016

Monday, September 26: A Day [232]
Tuesday, September 27: B Day [Disturbed]

• Poem o' the Day: "At the Galleria Shopping Mall" by Tony Hoagland
• SOAPSTone it!
• Discuss!
• Review: A Separate Peace, Chapters 4 & 5
• Passive/Active Constructions: Using Language to Escape Responsibility
• The RACE Strategy for Writing Constructed Responses
• RACE explanation (literary example)
• Journal #2: RACE Strategy
• Grammar / Conventions: PoS Review
• Nouns: common, proper, concrete, abstract, countable, collective, compound, possessive, and gerunds
• Homework: Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  

Wednesday, September 28: A Day
Thursday, September 29: B Day [PT Conferences]

• Poem o' the Day: "To Help the Monkey Cross the River" by Thomas Lux
• Journal #3: Reread the last two paragraphs of Chapter 6, paying careful attention to the metaphors and war imagery that run through Gene's description of various sports. Using language that suggests war and battle, write an account of a specific sporting event that you saw or participated in. Fill the page!
• Word Cells o' the Week: -chron-, -pre-, -post-, -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!
• Literary Elements in A Separate Peace
• Grammar / Conventions: PoS Review
• Pronouns: personal, reflexive, demonstrative, interogative, indefinite, and possessive
  (Common Pronoun Problems) & A little big quiz!
• Composition: There is much recent debate over whether or not schools should continue to teach cursive handwriting as they once did. Typing and texting are now much more common than longhand, and some cursive critics argue that time in school would be better spent teaching students to master those skills instead of requiring them to practice writing letters that, while attractive and flowery, serve little purpose in the modern world. Others, however, claim that the discipline and fine-motor-skill development of learning cursive is a valuable and necessary way to spend time in school. Using textual evidence from any/all of the sources (and this website), write a multi-paragraph argumentative essay in response to this question: Should schools teach cursive handwriting to students? Why or why not?
• Organize it according to the Academic Essay Format.
• Homework: Outline your essay before you arrive in class next time! And stay on the Reading Schedule!

Friday, September 30: A Day (Writing Lab 202)

• Computer Lab Assignment:
• Using the outline you finished since last time, write an essay response to the question and submit it once to Utah Compose before the bell rings. Get 25 or better.
• Resource 1: These articles are from the classroom packet.
• Resource 2: These articles are helful, too.
• Suggestions for Improvement:
• Revise; don't just edit.
• Follow the Academic Essay Format.
• Treat each (claim) paragraph in your essay like a separate R.A.C.E. response.
• 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".
• After you have done all these things, go in to your latest scored draft and carefully look at all the suggestions Utah Compose gives you. Make changes accordingly and submit a final draft for scoring.
• Vocabulary List #3
• Homework: Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  
  

October 3-7, 2016

Monday, October 3: B Day [230]

• Here's a bunch of stuff we haven't got around to yet...but we will....
• Reading/Literature -- Genre Studies: SOAPSTones & Study Questions
• Genre List: An Abecedarian Adventure
• Wiki Setup: Start Here!
• ACT Prep: English Set #3
• Poem o' the Day: "In School-days" by John Greenleaf Whittier
• Stay on the Reading Schedule!
  

Tuesday, October 4: A Day
Wednesday, October 5: B Day

• Poem o' the Day: "October" by Don Thompson (no relation)
• Grammar Punk Rock: PoS Review
• Adjectives & Adverbs (modifiers)
• Verbs
• Word Study
• Word Cells o' the Week: -bene-, -mal-, -phil-
• 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!
• STYLE: Diction in "The Tell-Tale Heart"
• Write three (3) R.A.C.E. responses.
• (Don't do all 13 questions!)
• Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  

Thursday, October 6: A Day
Friday, October 7: B Day

• Vocabulary List #3 due (+ quiz)
• (3) R.A.C.E. responses + Diction Dissection Discusssion
• STYLE
• POEm o' the Day: "Alone"
• Narrator and Voice
• "The Cask of Amontillado": Style Analysis: Analyze the style of this Poe story.
• (Work together!)
• Stay on the Reading Schedule!
• 
  

October 10-14, 2016

Monday, October 10: A Day [226]
Tuesday, October 11: B Day

• "The Cask of Amontillado": Style Analysis: Finish analyzing the style of this Poe story.
• One R.A.C.E. response + quiz
• Journal #4: 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!
• OR (I can't remember if we did a journal on Friday!)
• Terror of the Soul: Poe Biography
• Informational Writing Notes w/ Poe Bio notes
• Extra Credit Option: Enter a short story (750-2000 words) in the school Reflections Contest.
• Extra credit will never make up more than 3% of a grade, so don't expect it to raise your B- to a straight-A on the last day of the term!
• Stay on the Reading Schedule! (Finish the novel by Friday!)
• 
  

Wednesday, October 12: A Day
Thursday, October 13: B Day

• Journal #5: Are you ready for the end of the first term? What do you have to make up or finish? What grade are you working for, and how hard are you working? (What are your parents' expectations?) Do you do homework? Is it overwhelming?
• Finish Terror of the Soul: Poe Biography
• Informational Writing Notes w/ Poe Bio notes
• Poem o' the Day & Close Read/Analysis Assignment: The Raven
• Read, Listen, and Translate!
• Ask your questions now!
• Style Analysis: What stylistic simimlarities do you see between "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Raven"?
• 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.)
• Finish Paraphrasing/Summarizing "The Raven"
• Stay on the Reading Schedule! (Text next time!)
• 
  

Friday, October 14: A Day

• Objective Test on A Separate Peace
• Term Writing Assignment (Discuss)
• Finish Close Read/Analysis Assignment: The Raven
• Journal #6: Describe your Halloween costume. Why is it appropriate for you? Or is it? Explain. Discuss. Pontificate. Elaborate. Wax philosophic. Fill the Page!
• (Not dressing up? PRETEND you are!)
• Word Cells o' the Week: -rupt-, -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!
  • Homework (if it isn't finished in class): Now that we have finished all the First Term Word Cells, you have until October 18/19 to finish the rest of the entries on your Neologoluation page. They will be collected and scored on that day!
• 
  

October 17-21, 2016

Monday, October 17: B Day [225]

• Reminders:
• Neologolusion for the First Term Word Cells due tomorrow!
• Term Writing Assignment due one week from today!
• Make it a good one!
• Extra Credit due October 27th!
• (Enter a short story in the Literature category of the Reflections Contest)
• 
  

Tuesday, October 18: A Day [Beowulf Between Lunches]
Wednesday, October 19: B Day

• Turn in finished Neologolusion page for the First Term Word Cells!
• POEm o' the Day:
• "A Dream Within a Dream"
• Grammar/Conventions
• Grammar Punk Rock: Finish Parts of Speech Review & Slay the Jabberwock!
• About Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections!
• Beowulf [Between Lunches]
• Journal #7: Review the performance we just watched. Describe briefly what you saw performed. Evaluate the quality of the performance and the effect it had on you. Fill the page!
• (Turn in journals!)
• 
  

Thursday, October 20: Fall Recess
Friday, October 21: Fall Recess

• Enjoy!
• 
  

October 24-28, 2016

Monday, October 24: A Day [Lab 138 -- Counselor Survey] [224]
Tuesday, October 25: B Day

• Term Writing Assignment due @ 6:00 P.M.
• Wiki Setup: Start here! (All together! Don't go ahead and don't fall behind!)
• Honors Vocabulary List #4 (Use the web to define the words. Write your sentences on your wiki page!)
• POEm o' the Day: "To One in Paradise"
• Tie up all the loose ends!
• Term Test Next Time: What might you study?
• First Term Word Cells
• Elements of Literature
• Parts of Speech
• SOAPSTone
• Elements of Argumentation

Wednesday, October 26: A Day
Thursday, October 27: B Day

• Turn in Hall Pass for extra credit.
• Term Test
• Journal #1: First Term Reflection -- At the end of this week, your first term of high school will be behind you. How do you feel about that? 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? Are you ready for the term to end? Wht did you learn during the last 10 weeks? Do you like 9th grade? Why or why not? Fill the page!
• Poem o' the Day: "Halloween" by Mac Hammond
• Halloween Horror: Critical Thinking/Inquiry/Argumentation Exercise
• Vocab: Means, Motive, Opprtunity, sometimes M.O., Narrative (for jury)
• See you next term!

Friday, October 28: A Day
(Yes, the term ends on an A Day! Can you believe it?!)

• Poe-m o' the Day: "The Bells" (another interpretation)
• Journal #2: Second Term Pre-flection
• English Binder Check: Everything in its place!
• Review Thesis Statements for A Separate Peace Essays
• Halloween Horror: Make your case! Turn it in!
• Have fun trick-or-treating, but watch out for the Butterfingers!
•