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 To see all the weeks in the term, scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN!

October 29-November 2, 2018: Welcome to Term 2!

Monday, October 29: Professional Day (No School for Students/Visit URS @ 9:00 A.M.)

  • This term you will learn...
  • ...to differentiate informational writing from argumentative writing.
  • ...to practice both.
  • ...how to acknowledge and rebut a counterclaim.
  • ...how to elaborate, not embellish.
  • ...to close read, annotate, and analyze more complicated text.
  • ...to use QAR to generate a claim of your own.
  • ...how to use commas correctly.
  • ...to read and understand epic poetry.
  • ...a bit about Greek mythology.
  • ...to analyze, appreciate, and author poetic epitaphs.
  • ...to close read "Interactive Fiction" to solve a mystery.
  • ...more word cells!
  • ...to read.
  • ...to write.
  • ...to repeat.
  • Word!

Tuesday, October 30: A Day
Wednesday, October 31: B Day (All Hallows' Eve)

  • Poem o' the Day: "Halloween" by Mac Hammond
  • New Hall Passes
  • Journal #2 Second Term Pre-flection [Get it? PREflection, not REflection: -flect-/-flex- = bend; -re- = back/again; -pre- = before -- "bend before" to look on the coming term.]
  • Since the second term begins today, write a PRE-flection (looking before) of your expectations for the next two months. Based on the lessons you learned last term, what are you going to do differently this term? Remember that the second term includes two long holiday breaks. (The term ends on January 10, 2019! Think of it!) Do you have any big plans for those breaks? What books will you be reading independently this term? Are you planning to do more homework? Less homework? Are you going to have fun? Are you going to make me keep asking all these questions, or can’t you just write for a page about the future on your own? Honestly! Fill the page!
  • Goal Setting: In your journal, on the page after your reflection & preflection, set three goals for the second term, phrased as "I will" statements:
    • Academic: a school goal
    • Social: a goal about your interactions with peers
    • Personal: a goal to improve something in your family or life
  • Halloween Horror: Critical Thinking/Inquiry/Argumentation Exercise
  • Vocab: Means, Motive, Opprtunity, sometimes M.O., Narrative (for jury)
  • Have fun trick-or-treating, but watch out for the Butterfingers!
  • Make your case: Write a narrative for the jury explaining who killed the ghost and what evidence proves it. Explain HOW that evidence supports your claim. A winning case will include the perpetrator’s means, motive, and opportunity and will address these questions: How did the ghost come into possession of the poisoned candy bar? How could the killer be reasonably sure s/he would kill the ghost and not some other random person? How did the killer’s costume play a role in the murder? Address counterarguments and conclude appropriately. Turn in!
  • Homework: Background Reading on Women's Roles in Victorian England


Thursday, November 1: A Day (All Saints' Day)
Friday, November 2: B Day (All Souls' Day)

  • Turn in your Halloween Horror case write-up!
  • Poems o' the Day
  • "Like Coins, November" by Elizabeth Klise Von Zerneck
  • "November for Beginners" by Rita Dove
  • New Novels (Reading Schedule)
  • Jane Eyre (a bildungsroman)
  • What makes a "classic"...so torturous?
    [length, depth, vocabulary, the formality factor, "boring," "nothing happens," voice is often inaccessible to modern readers, old, unrelatable]
  • I won't ask you to like it, but you must try to get past the natural teenage desire to criticize for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the literature.
  • Literal vs. Non-literal Activity (Literal Side Only: Yellow Handout -- (Ten minutes, tops!)
  • Word Study
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Day: -clud- / -fin-
  • 9th Grade Word Cell o' the Week: -pend- (-pens-)
  • Honors: Vocabulary List #3 (Mark the words you already know.) -- This is NOT homework!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!
  • Homework: Read Chapters 2 & 3 and complete the study questions for those chapters!
  • Still wondering who killed the ghost? The "correct" answer will be found somewhere on the main page, but to get to the bottom of things, you might need to look around! ;-)


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

November 5-9, 2018

Monday, November 5: A Day
Tuesday, November 6: B Day

  • Jane Eyre (Reading Schedule)
  • Review Chapters 1-3
  • Study Questions: The difference between "What happened?" and Pre-AP-caliber reading
  • Sample "Quiz" on Chapter 2
  • And now for something completely different: Meet the Olympians
  • Journal #3 : 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, what is your background with Greek mythology? Did you study it in elementary school? Have you read the Percy Jackson books? Did you like Disney's Hercules? Clash of the Titans? Jason and the Argonauts? Troy? (Fill the Page!)
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule & complete the open-book quiz for Chapters 4 and 5.


Wednesday, November 7: A Day [Computer Lab 202]
Thursday, November 8: B Day [Computer Lab 202]


Friday, November 9: A Day



Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

November 12-16, 2018

Monday, November 12: B Day


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

  • Vocabulary List #3 Quiz
  • Jane Eyre: Chapter 9 [Constructed Response]
  • Finish Introduction to The Odyssey Textual Analysis
  • Journal #4: What does it require for someone to be a hero? The qualities of the Ancient Greek Hero included physical strength, intelligence, guile, bravery, loyalty, closeness to the gods, and leadership. What's your opinion? 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!
  • The Odyssey Begins....
  • Invocation to the Muse Assignment (SBV, p. 371)
  • Homework: Eight Different Translations: Follow the instructions; answer the questions!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Thursday, November 15: A Day
Friday, November 16: B Day

  • Write your own "translation" of the Invocation to the Muse, staple it atop the homework, and turn it in!
  • Review Vocab. Quiz #3 / Begin Vocab. List #4
  • Look at this: Trojan War Review
  • Literature Handout: Title Each Book in the Odyssey (Don't lose this!)
  • Journal #5: Homeric Epithets from the Odyssey of [YOU]
  • Fill the bottom half of the handout with appropriate epithets (nicknames) for people you know!
  • The Odyssey: Books 1-4 (Short Summaries) [aloud]
  • Book V (Summary) "Calypso, The Sweet Nymph" -- Examine a page or two of the actual text.
  • "Calypso"by Suzanne Vega (Caveat Web Surfer: Classical Paintings Rated PG-13): Listen to the song. (Here are the lyrics.) SOAPSTone it in your head: How is Suzanne Vega's version different than Homer's version?
  • Check off Calypso's island on your map!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

November 19-23, 2018

Monday, November 19: A Day [Computer Lab 202]
Tuesday, November 20: B Day [Computer Lab 202]


Wednesday, November 21: Thanksgiving Recess
Thursday, November 22: Thanksgiving Recess
Friday, November 23: Thanksgiving Recess


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

November 26-30, 2018

Monday, November 26: A Day
Tuesday, November 27: B Day


Wednesday, November 28: A Day
Thursday, November 29: B Day


Friday, November 30: A Day [Metallica]

  • Jane Eyre: Review/Discuss Quiz...and try another one for Chapter 23!
  • [Open-book Quiz]: Write a one-page constructed response for one of these prompts:
    Chapter 24: Rochester wants to dress Jane in jewels and fancy clothing. Explain the irony. (Be sure to reference Celine Varens from Chapter 15.)
    Chapter 25: Identify and explain the elements/events that foreshadow trouble with the wedding.
  • Journal #1: The Apostrophe Rant: "What's in a Name?" (NOT an apostrophe!)
  • Holiday Cards: Apostrophe Catastrophes
  • How to Make Your Last Name Plural
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

December 3-7, 2018

Monday, December 3: B Day

  • Jane Eyre: Review/Discuss Quiz...and try another one for Chapter 23!
  • [Open-book Quiz]: Write a one-page constructed response for one of these prompts:
    Chapter 24: Rochester wants to dress Jane in jewels and fancy clothing. Explain the irony. (Be sure to reference Celine Varens from Chapter 15.)
    Chapter 25: Identify and explain the elements/events that foreshadow trouble with the wedding.
  • Journal #1: The Apostrophe Rant: "What's in a Name?" (NOT an apostrophe!)
  • Holiday Cards: Apostrophe Catastrophes
  • How to Make Your Last Name Plural
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Tuesday, December 4: A Day [Computer Lab 202]
Wednesday, December 5: B Day [Computer Lab 202]


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


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

December 10-14, 2018

Monday, December 10: A Day
Tuesday, December 11: B Day

  • Journal #2: If you were going to direct one "book" or episode in a TV series of The Odyssey, which episode would you most want to put on film? Why? Who would play the parts? (Get a firm picture in your mind before watching the movie.) How would you portray the action and/or emotion. Would it require CGI? What would the background music be? Explain.
  • The Odyssey: A Chronological Review
  • Vocabulary List #4 Review/Quiz (from Nov. 16th)
  • Vocabulary List #5 Assignment
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


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

  • Journal #3: The Year in Review (2018)
  • What were the personal, educational, and world highlights and lowlights of 2018? Explain and analyze the most important and memorable happenings since January 1. When you look back on this year from the future, what will you say about how 2018 impacted your life as a whole? What were the turning points and big realizations that will make the most difference in your life? Fill a page or two reviewing your year. How have YOU changed? [This is a double-length journal entry, worth twice the usual points.]
  • The Odyssey: A Chronological Review
  • Word Study
  • Second Term Word Cells & Literal Definitions Assignment
  • Word Cells o' the Week:& -junct-
  • (Final Handout) -fid- & -ten- / -tain- / -tin-
  • The rest of the word cells for the term are number-related (-uni- / -mono- / -sol- / -bi- & -di- / -tri- / -poly-), and you probably know them from math and science classes.
  • Use your prefix/suffix list and this Big List o' Word Cells to get it done by the end of the week!
  • Stay on the Reading Schedule!


Friday, December 14: A Day


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

December 17-21, 2018

Monday, December 17: B Day



Tuesday, December 18: A Day [Computer Lab 202]
Wednesday, December 19: B Day [Computer Lab 202] -- P.M. Assembly

  • Jane Eyre Test
  • Grammar/Conventions: Comma Tutorial
  • Review these five important comma rules.
  • Revise the Jane Eyre Synthesis Essay or Odyssey/Modern EpicTerm Paper, including at least one use of each comma rule.
  • Complete the Revision Checklist, print final draft, staple on top of both rough drafts & checklist, turn in!
  • If you choose to revise the Heroic Cycle/Modern Epic essay, you must now address this question:
    How do both The Odyssey of Homer and a modern epic of your choice illustrate the elements of the heroic cycle?
  • Think you'll need some extra credit this term?
  • Here's how to get it.
  • Poem o' the Day: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost


Thursday, December 20: A Day [Early-out Schedule]


Friday, December 21: Winter Recess


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

December 24-28, 2018

December 24-28


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions

December 31, 2018 - January 4, 2019

Monday, December 31, 2018


Tuesday, January 1: Last Day of the Break!


Wednesday, January 2: B Day



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

  • Continue/Finish the movie and the Tone/Mood Assignment from last time. Turn it in!
  • Welcome to Spoon River: Travel back a century in time by talking to some of the the sleepers on The Hill: Elsa Wertman, Hamilton Greene, Richard Bone, Rutherford McDowell, Hortense Robbins, Anne Rutledge, Hannah Armstrong, Knowlt Hoheimer
  • Journal #5: The End of the Beginning -- Go back in your collection of scored journals and read and reflect on the entries from October 28/31. What do you know now that you wish you had known then? Did your pre-flection/goalsetting pay off? The end (of the semester) is near. Are you ready? Why or why not? Is it the same feeling you always have at the end of the term, or is this one more hopeful? Less hopeful? When you look back on this entry later, what do you hope you will be able to say? Finish this entry with a note to your future self: What do you want to know about the time between now and the end of the year that would help you succeed in school and life?
  • (Staple/Turn in Journals)
  • Term Test


Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions
  • Spoon River Review: Familiarize yourself with the relationships between the characters in these epitaphs before you play the game.
  • Judge Somers & Chase Henry
  • Editor Whedon & Carl Hamblin
  • The Town Marshal & Jack McGuire
  • Ollie McGee & Fletcher McGee
  • Cooney Potter & Fiddler Jones

    • January 7-11, 2019

    Monday, January 7: A Day [Computer Lab 202]
    Tuesday, January 8: B Day [Computer Lab 202: VOSR]


    Wednesday, January 9: A Day [Computer Lab 202: VOSR]
    Thursday, January 10: B Day [Computer Lab 202]

  • Finish Voices of Spoon River
    • Do you need a hint?
      Do you need another hint?
    • Are you too cool to play this Interactive Fiction game? Then do this:
    • Compare these poems using a Venn Diagram: "The End" by Mark Strand & "George Gray" by Edgar Lee Masters
    • On a separate sheet of paper, write a one-paragraph comparison of "George Gray" and "The End," much like what we did with "Ithaka" and "George Gray," except this one has to be even better.
    • Academic Writing Checklist: Complete the checklist and LABEL your paragraph as indicated.
    • Staple/Turn in.

    Friday, January 11: Professional Day [No School for Students]



    Sections of English Binder: Journal, Word Study, Composition, Reading/Literature, Grammar/Conventions
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    A: Yes.
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