HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! READ GOOD BOOKS! WRITE POEMS! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Week of Monday, June 1, 2009: Friday, June 5, 2009: Please read the packet on Imagery, Imagism, and the poetry of California Nature Poet Gary Snyder. Enjoy! Thursday, June 4, 2009: Benchmark #4 Tomorrow! Grades finalized tomorrow! Have you turned in all work related to absences, etcetera? Wednesday, June 3, 2009: finsih reading your packet on "Marx," an excerpt from SOPHIE's WORLD, plus the article at the back of the packet. Tuesday, June 2, 2009: finish questions #36-50 from today's handout, then re- read each of the poems by Walt Whitman. Pay special attention to his use of expansive lines and lists/catalogues. Monday, June 1, 2009: write 6 haiku! copy them all onto a separate sheet of lined paper and staple them to your "haiku" handout! Week of Monday, May 26th, 2009: Friday, May 29th, 2009: due to "technical difficulties" in the lab today, you may turn in your four (4) revised, edited, and typed poems -- all stapled to their rough drafts and inside the file folder containing all of the poems I've photocopied for you this year -- ON MONDAY! NO FOLDERS TAKEN AFTER MONDAY! 400 Points! You may write 1 extra credit "free verse" poem, as well! Thursday, May 25th, 2009: remember that your four (4) revised, edited, and typed poems are due by the end of the hour in the computer lab tomorrow! 400 points total. Week of Monday, May 18, 2009: Friday, May 22, 2009: Please bring you HOLT HANDBOOK and HOLT LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE ARTS textbooks on Tuesday! Time to turn them in!!! Week of Monday, May 11, 2009: Monday, May 11, 2009: If you took the 25 point hit to your score by not having your performance poem ready when your name was called today, please bring it tomorrow, for a maximum of 175 points. Poetry workshops resume this afternoon from 2:00 - 3:00 pm, for one last week only! Also: if you have a copy of SOPHIE's WORLD, bring it tomorrow! Friday, May 8th, 2009: 200 POINT PERFORMANCE POEMS DUE MONDAY, MAY 11th! Each poem must be under 3 minutes in length, and must include the following literary elements: a refrain (like the chorus of a song), alliteration, simile, metaphor, allusion, internal rhyme, exact end rhyme, half rhyme; BE READY TO PERFORM YOUR PIECE FOR THE CLASS! Monday, May 4th, 2009: DEFICIENCY NOTICES GO OUT EARLY THIS YEAR! HAVE YOU TURNED IN ALL OF YOUR MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS? REMEMBER: OUR QUARTER HAS ALREADY BEEN SHORTENED BY THREE WEEKS, DUE TO TESTING; EVERY ASSIGNMENT MATTERS. ALL MAKEUP WORK DUE TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 5th or Wednesday, May 6th, depending on when you have Language Arts this week: -3 AR Tests! 5 on Fridays Continues This Week! -20 rhyming couplets and 1 triplet a la Mos Def's "Children's Story," 50 points -Sonnet, 100 points -"My heart lives where..." 3 Stanza Free Verse Poem -Grammar (Holt Handbook), pp. 18-19, Exercise 12, #'s 1-10 DUE Thursday or Friday, 4/31/09 or 5/1/09: READ HOLT HANDBOOK pp. 18-19, then DO EXERCISE 12, #1-10 (last textbook grammar lesson this year!); also: finish a 5 point AR book and take a test on it by Thursday or Friday, depending on which day you have Language Arts testing! 5 ON FRIDAYS CONTINUES! WEEK of 4/27/09, 2009: CST TESTING BEGINS Tuesday, April 27 and CONTINUES THROUGH Thursday, May 13th! PLEASE STUDY YOUR BLACK NOTEBOOKS (INCLUDING THE PREFIXES AND ROOTS IN THE BACK) OVER THE WEEKEND, GET LOTS OF REST, and REVIEW YOUR GRAMMAR PRACTICE TESTS!!! WEEK of 4/20/09: Monday, April 20, 2009: READ and take a test on a 5 point AR book by Friday and BEGIN STUDYING your practice grammar test and the corresponding notes in your black notebook for the CST, which begins next Tuesday! Also: nice work at the Poetry Slam! Congratulations on a great performance go out to Lily Rushing, Brinnley Barthels, Diana Rodriguez, Kaitlin Vicini, and judge Zong Moua! Tuesday, April 20, 2009: continue to review your grammar practice test and the corresponding notes in your black notebook for the CST, which begins next Tuesday! 5 point AR test due Friday. Wednesday, April 21, 2009: review your black notebook! Focus especially on terms like CHARACTERIZATION, THEME, METAPHOR, and SYMBOL! WEEK of 4/13/09: WELCOME BACK! Friday, April 17th, 2009: earn extra credit by coming to the poetry workshop and slam tonight from 6:00 - 10:00 pm; it's FREE! Also: find out at least three (3) facts about your family and/or cultural background and WRITE THEM DOWN! Thursday, April 16, 2009: write twenty rhyming couplets (one couplet = 2 lines of poetry) that tell a story (narrative) about a kids who makes a mistake and learns a lesson. If you have Slick Rick's "Children Story" at home, listen to it and follow his rhythm! Wednesday, April 15, 2009: write a sonnet about someone, something, or some activity you love: 14 lines, iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line), set rhyme scheme; use the "worksheet" we created together in class. Due tomorrow. 100 points. Monday, April 13, 2009: do "Compound-Complex Sentences" worksheet, #1-10, and be SURE that you have read a 5 point AR book and taken a test on it by Friday. Poetry workshops ongoing from today until May 22nd after school in Room 10, 2:00 - 3:00. WEEK of 3/30/09: NOTE: TESTING WINDOW MOVED UP TO APRIL 27th! WE'LL FINISH OUR SENTENCE TYPES UNIT -AND- REVIEW BENCHMARK #3 AFTER SPRING BREAK!!!!! Friday, April 3, 2009: Read one 5-10 point AR book during break; also: plan to come to the Sacramento Area Youth Speaks Poetry Slam here at Cal from 6:00 - 9:00 pm on Friday, April 17th!!! Thursday, April 2, 2009: Finish the last two body paragraphs and the conclusion of your essay (one paragraph on JUST the assassination scene in Act III, Scene i of CAESAR, then one paragraph COMPARING AND CONTRASTING the fight scene in Chapter 21 of THE BROTHERS TORRES with that scene from CAESAR; USE you compare/contrast transition words)!); 350 POINTS (50 per paragraph) for COMPLETING the ROUGH DRAFT of the essay ON TIME will be awarded on Friday before grades are finalized for the third quarter...JUST DO YOUR BEST and FINISH ALL EIGHT (8) PARAGRAPHS, then show them in to Ms. Holt during class on Friday...we'll revise and type AFTER BREAK! Wednesday, April 1, 2009: Complete the "Complex Sentences" worksheet, #1-20 and make sure that you have completed a body paragraph on Shakespeare's CHARACTERIZATION of Caesar or Brutus (focus on JUST Shakespeare's character for one paragraph) followed by a paragraph comparing or contrasting Voorhees' CHARACTERIZATION of Steve or Frankie to Shakespeare's work. Tuesday, March 31, 2009: Complete the "Compound Sentences" side of your worksheed, #'s 1-15 AND write the next two body paragraphs of you compare/contrast essay. Try using the following topic sentences, or some variation of these: BODY PARAGRAPH #3: Shakespeare uses the character of Caesar to explore themes of betrayal. THEN FOCUS JUST ON CAESAR! BODY PARAGRAPH #4: Like Shakespeare, Voorhees uses one of his characters, in this case Steve, to explore themes of betrayal. THEN DESCRIBE HOW STEVE IS THE SAME AS AND DIFFERENT FROM CAESAR, using words like "Similarly," or "By contrast." Monday, March 30, 2009: Finish "Simple Sentences" Worksheet, #'s 1-20 AND write the Introduction and First Two Body Paragraphs of Your Comparison/Contrast Essay (95 points total)! WEEK of 3/22/09: TYPED NOVELS (for Extra Credit and/or Writers' Showcase) Extra Credit Deadline Extended to March 27th! BROTHERS TORRES or BIG MOUTH AND UGLY GIRL AR Test (for Extra Credit this quarter) must be turned in by Friday, March 27th or can be used as AR points next quarter! Monday through Friday: this week, we'll be writing the bulk of our comparison/contrast essays in class and doing the following work at home and after school: -SEND MS. HOLT your completed group Power Point presentation (fill in the template we created together in the lab) via e.mail as an attachment or save it from your storage device onto her computer by Tuesday, so that she can edit and respond to it and help you earn ALL 200 points by Friday! The second 200 points depend upon you delivery of the material included in each slide...PRACTICE! -LEARN your lines, gather your costumes and props, and be prepared for dress rehearsal in class on Thursday! -BE READY for dress rehearsal in class Thursday, performance in class Friday (Friday evening performance canceled). WEEK of 3/17/09: Friday, Marcy 20: 1:30 pm in Cal Parking lot for Caesar Field Trip TOMOROW/SATURDAY!; FINISH memorzing your lines; FINISH your Power Point; BE PREPARED to attend rehearsals at 4:00 pm after school next week (talk to me about sports conflicts, and we'll reschedule)! Monday, March 16: -Author Visit Tomorrow (and Wednesday, should our time be cut short by the author's sound check) -Act I, Scene i groups and Act III, Scene i groups meet with Ms. Holt during lunch tomorrow -those in charge of the Power Point should make sure they have Power Point at home or plan to stay in the lab after school on Friday from 2:00 - 3:00 pm! -EVERYONE: continue to work on your lines at home! WEEK of 3/8/09: Friday, March 12, 2009: aim to have HALF of your lines memorized by Monday, when we will read another chapter in our novels and prepare questions for Tuesday's author visit. Thursday, March 11, 2009: memorize your lines for the March 27th performance of "Scenes from Caesar"!!! Wednesday, March 10, 2009: please complete the 15-point "character traits" chart on the back of the handout you were given in class today. Be sure to talk to your parents about that third column! Monday, March 8, 2009: having decided which part you will be playing within your CAESAR group, please HIGHLIGHT all of your lines and begin memorizing them for the performance at 7:00 pm on Friday, March 27th!!! WEEK of 3/2/09: Wednesday, March 4: good job on your writing tests! Please read the letter I sent home with your parents and have your permission slip for THE BROTHERS TORRES signed at home tonight. If you want your own copy of the book to keep, please bring $9.00 in the attached envelope. Monday, March 2: SEVENTH GRADE WRITING TEST TOMORROW! REVIEW YOUR FOLDERS and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE 5-PARAGRAPH OUTLINE MEMORIZED! Also: Usage A-C Due Tomorrow for 300 Points! WEEK of 2/23/09:USAGE A-C DUE MARCH 3rd! Thursday, February 25: -PERIODS 1 and 2 - also: have 5 AR points ready to turn in on Friday. -PERIOD 3 - read "Aristotle" in SOPHIE's WORLD, and be ready to take a brief quiz on ALL of the chapters we've read so far! Tuesday, February 24, 2009: -PERIODS 1-2: for 100 points, please finish your 5-paragraph practice Response to Literature at home. Handwrite it, and try not to give yourself more than 1 hour to complete. -PERIOD 3: read "The Major's Cabin" in SOPHIE's WORLD. Monday, February 23, 2009: FINISH USAGE A-C BY MARCH 3RD! -PERIODS 1-2: memorize your prepositions! -PERIOD 3: memorize your prepositions AND read "Plato" in SOPHIE's WORLD. WEEK of 2/17/09: FINISH USAGE A-C by MARCH 3rd! Friday, February 20, 2009: -PERIODS 1-2: finish your practice persuasive essay at home; hand write it and do not give yourself more than 30 minutes to complete, since we began it together in class! Also: study the list of prepositions in your notebook! -PERIOD 3: finish your timed practice persuasive essay at home; hand write it and do not giveyourself more than 30 minutes to complete. Also: study the list of prepositions in your notebook and read "Athens" in SOPHIE's WORLD. Thursday, February 19, 2009: -PERIODS 1-2: did you turn in 5 AR points today in teh library? If not, they're due tomorrow! Also: show your parents your Academic Talent Search paperwork, and have them fill it out ASAP:)! -PERIOD 3: read "Socrates" in SOPHIE'S WORLD. Wednesday, February 18, 2009: FINISH USAGE A-C by MARCH 3rd! -PERIODS 1-2: library day tomorrow! Bring all due or overdue books to return or renew. Be ready to take an AR test, although it is not due until Friday. -PERIOD 3: library day tomorrow! Bring all due or overdue books to return or renew. Read the chapter titled "Fate" in SOPHIE'S WORLD. Tuesday, February 17, 2009: FINISH USAGE A-C by MARCH 3rd! -PERIODS 1-2: give your parent or guardian the field trip reminder form and have 5 AR points completed by Friday; Usage A-C due March 3rd! -PERIOD 3: read "Democritus" in SOPHIE's WORLD! Also: give your parent or guardian the field trip reminder and have Usage A-D due March 3rd! WEEK of 2/10/09: Thursday, February 12 and Friday, February 13th: -PERIODS 1-3: FINISH USAGE B; also: FINISH the diagrams of SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS on p. 453, Exercise 6, #1-5 (5 points each, for 25 points). Due TUESDAY! -PERIOD 3 ONLY: read "The Natural Philosophers" in SOPHIE's WORLD (10 point reading quiz tomorrow). DUE TUESDAY! Wednesday, February 11: In your HOLT HANDBOOK, please diagram the sentences in Exercise 5, #'s 1-5. ALSO: if you did not already do so in class, complete Exercise 1 on page 76 (#'s 1-10). Tuesday, February 10: Have your Caesar field trip form signed and bring $5 to reserve your ticket for Saturday, March 22nd. Have 5 AR points, Usage A, Punctuation A, and Usage B done by Friday! WEEK of 2/1/09: Friday, February 6th: Finish your practice summary of the article, "The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity," giving yourself no more than 50 minutes to do so! Also: be sure to have turned in your 5 AR points today, or save them until next Friday! Check the website to see that they were recorded on Sunday and, by Friday of next week, finish Cornerstone Punctuation A and Usage B (it's okay if the need to do Punctuation first confused you last week). Wednesday, February 4th: Be sure to have your Cornerstone Grammar Usage B Lessons and Post Test, as well as 5 AR points, done by Friday! NO LIBRARY DAY TOMORROW! GO THERE ON YOUR OWN! Monday, February 2nd: Cornerstone Computerized Grammar: Usage B: All Lessons and Post-Test must be done by Friday! Also: 5 AR points due Friday! WEEK of 1/26/09: Monday, January 26, 2009: Cornerstone Computerized Grammar: Usage A: Lessons 1-11 and Post Test must be done by Friday! Also: please take an AR test on a 5 point book by Friday. Finish the questions on "The Littlest Dragonboy" and on "Roots and Affixes," which you began today in class with the sub. Tuesday, January 27, 2009: if you wish, plan to attend the play on Thursday or Friday at 7:00 pm; keep working on Cornerstone and have your AR test done by Friday! Wednesday, January 28, 2009: in your HOLT HANDBOOK, complete sentence diagram exercise 4, #'s 1-5! Parts of Speech test next week! Friday, January 30, 2009: study for your 100 point Act I test on JULIUS CAESAR! SECOND QUARTER ENDED ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 23rd; PLEASE HAVE YOUR GRADE REPORTS SIGNED and NOTE ANY ERRORS OVER THE WEEKEND; NO MAKEUP WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY, 1/23/09, but CORRECTIONS, of course, WILL BE MADE ON 1/26/09:)! U Week of 1/19/09: Monday, January 19, 2009: please finish your sentence diagrams at home and read your AR book at home! Tuesday, January 20: please finish your sentence diagrams at home and finish your journal entry (freewrite) "On the Inauguration of Barack Obama: Why I Am Proud to Be An American" at home! 20 pts. Wednesday, January 21: make sure you finished all of the questions on Gary Soto's "Mother and Daughter" in class; finish p. 349 in Holt Literature (connotation vs. denotation) at home. Thursday, January 22: 5 AR Points Due Tomorrow! Yes, they're due every Friday, always. No, I won't take them late. Yes, you can make up this week's 5 by getting 10 or more next week. No, you can't get more than 10 in a week. AGAIN: YOU HAVE 5 AR POINTS DUE EVERY FRIDAY, and YOU CAN'T GET MORE THAN 10 IN ANY GIVEN WEEK, SO THAT, EVEN IF YOU READ A 100-POINT BOOK, YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY:)! Week of 1/12/09: Monday, January 12, 2009: Periods 1, 2, and 3: Please finish your AR book and turn in AT LEAST 5 points worth of AR points (taking your test in the library on your own time before Friday IS your homework!) before Friday while we work on Act I, Scenes i - iii in JULIUS CAESAR together in class. BE SURE to pick up any notes you've missed from a classmate!!! Tuesday, January 13, 2009: 5 AR points due Friday; also: please come in during lunch on Tuesday or Thursday, or come to the make-up session on Saturday from 9:00 am - NOON, if you need to make up missed class work! Wednesday, January 14, 2009: please have your 5 AR points ready to turn in on Friday -- go to the library before school, during lunch, or after school to do your AR "homework" test! Thursday, January 15, 2009: complete all 5 sentence diagrams (diagramming adjectives) for Exercise 3 on page 448 of your HOLT HANDBOOK! Friday, January 16, 2009: yes, you had 5 AR points due today, and you will have 5 due next Friday, as well! HOLIDAY BREAK: Period 1 - finish typing your 500-point essay on "The Overcoat" and read up through "The Baroque" in SOPHIE'S WORLD. Period 2 - finish typing your 500-point essay on "The Overcoat" and read all of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Period 3 - finish typing your 500-point essay on "The Overcoat" and read all of A WRINKLE IN TIME. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! HAPPY WRITING AND READING! SEE YOU ALL IN 2009! WEEK of 12/15/08: Monday, December 15, 2008: if you type slowly, please have the first typed draft of your 5 paragraph Response to Literature saved onto a storage device by Friday, when we will be typing and editing our essays in the lab. NOTE: Yosemite attendees have all week to finish their essays. Unless otherwise notified (i.e. there were only two attendees in 3rd period), we will be dividing into two separate work groups for the next four days. Please see the board in class for homework assignments. WEEK of 12/8/08: Monday, December 8, 2008: please review the transition words on page 688 of your Holt Literature book. Tuesday, December 9 - Friday, December 12: finish a 5 point AR book, take a test on it (we have all hour on Thursday in the library), and give me the test by the end of the hour on Friday if you wish to receive credit for this week's AR work! We will be working on our "Overcoat" Response to Literature all week during class. WEEK of 12/1/08: Monday, December 1, 2008: Congratulations, NaNos! You wrote a 15,000 word novella! Wear your pins with pride. And don't forget to READ and TAKE A TEST IN THE LIBRARY ON a 5 point AR book by Friday! Wednesday, December 3, 2008: finish your AR book and take a test in the library by Friday. ALSO: finish writing your paragraph on "The Overcoat" for 50 points! Thursday, December 4, 2008: 5 AR Points Due Tomorrow! Friday, December 5, 2008: re-read your copy of "The Overcoat" from beginning to end. Highlight all descriptions of (1) Akaky Akakievich, (2) the old, new, or stolen overcoats, OR (3) the bureaucratic rules/system/people with authority, such as the P.O.C., in the story! 50 points! WEEK of 11/24/06: Monday, November 24, 2008: Now that you have arrived at page 50 in your novella, you may write out your climax! USe lots of verbs to create movement and excitement! This is the most exciting, or most intense moment, where your character FINALLY gets (or doesn't get) what he or she wants more than anything else in the whole wide world! Write pages 50 and 51, crossing the finish line at the top of page 52, tonight at home! Tuesday, November 25, 2008: You should leave class today having finished the 54th page of your novel and crossed the finish line at the top of page 55. Go home and use what we learned today in class about RESOLUTIONS, or endings, to help you write the last 6 pages of your story. I will put up your goal stickers all the way up to 90% today!!! We will have our "Thank Goodness It's Over" NANOWRIMO party in class on Monday, December 1st, when you will get your finisher or participant certificates and finisher's pins. Your parents may join you in class on that day...they do not need my permission to show up in room 10. We have an open classroom, as long as they get a pass at the front office first! NOTE: If you have not yet created your Author Profile at www.ywp.nanowrimo.org, please know that the website will only exist for six more days. Then it DISAPPEARS! If you want credit for writing a summary of your novel and updating your Author Information page, you must send me a message via Nano Mail at my username: ellenandersonholt. You MAY add classmates as "Writing Buddies," but be aware that I have a Teacher's Lounge password that allows me to monitor any and all activity on this site. So please, use your six days worth of Nano Mail service to support each other in the writing process and to comment on each other's summaries and/or, if you wish to post one, excerpts! Nano Mail is a POSITIVE COMMENT ZONE, where we have a zero tolerance policy for anything that is not constructive and helpful. WEEK of 11/18/08: Monday, November 18, 2008: write pages 31 and 32 of your novella, focusing on the use of details about the setting to create a mood, or tone as you move on to the third, fourth, or perhaps even fifth event from your rising action! NOW is the time to USE those prewriting worksheets! Also: please plan to join us for the Write-in on Saturday, November 22 in the school cafeteria from 9:00 am to NOON! Tuesday, November 19, 2008: finish pages 33 and 34 at home! Wednesday, November 20: finish writing pages 35 adn 36, focusing on the next event from the rising action section of your plot outline; remember: your imagination is in charge! It's okay to let the story take on a life of its own at this point! Thursday, November 21: if you didn't fill your reader in on the details of your antagonist on pages 37 and 38 in class today, be sure to do so tonight. Write pages 39 and 40 tonight at home, being sure to give your character a set-back, or obstacle of some kind, on his or her way to getting (or not getting!) what he or she wants MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD! Friday, November 22: this weekend, create another set-back (complication) for your protagonist...and then another one, because you CANNOT reach your climax until you get to page 50! And you MUST write all the way up to page 50 by Monday! WEEK of 11/10/08: Monday, November 10, 2008: Thank you for reading pages 553-555 in "The Overcoat" and turning in the 40 point questions by the end of the hour. Finish writing pages 15, 16, 17, and 18 in your novella by Wednesday. Just as in "The Overcoat," make sure you've already described the first major even from your "rising action" (see Plot Outline handout). If you are in 2nd period and have not yet received 168 points for you prewriting, you will receive those points on Wednesday, too (last chance). 20% and 30% stickers go up Wednesday!!! Wednesday, November 11, 2008: Write pages 18 and 19 (cross the finish line on page 20!) in your novella at home tonight. Tomorrow, you will have all hour in class to work on pages 20 and 21, due to teacher meetings. Thursday, November 12, 2008: Write pages 20 and 21! Friday, November 13, 2008: Write pages 22 and 23! Saturday, November 14, 2008: Write pages 24 and 25! Sunday, Novemer 15, 2008: Write pages 26 and 27! NOTE: Periods 1 and 3 need to finish their 60 point "How Gogol Uses Setting to Reflect the Tone of His Story" charts in their black notebooks by Monday, November 17!!! WEEK of 11/3/08: Monday, November 3, 2008: cross the finish line at the top of page 4 by following Gogol's lead and using the way your character looks, talks, acts, thinks...and how others act towards him or her to show your reader as much as you can about your protagonist/hero/main character! Details, details, details! Refer to the 23 questions, as well as the "bonus" questions, on your character chart if you get stuck! Tuesday, November 4, 2008: tonight, cross the finish line at the top of page 7. 10% stickers will be awarded tomorrow! Remember to focus on telling your reader (1) who your character is, (2) what he or she wants, and (3) the internal/weakness/bad habit or fear that gets in his or her way and (4) the external conflict with another person that gets in his or her way! Wednesday, November 5, 2008: finish your Details, Details, DETAILS! handout! Thurdsay, November 6, 2008: write pages 7 and 8 of your novella (be sure to cross the finish line on page 9!); use lots of DETAIL and, if you have not done so already, introduce you antagonist! Friday, November 7, 2008: write pages 9 and 10 Saturday, November 8, 2008: write pages 11 and 12 Sunday, November 9, 2008: write pages 13 and 14, crossng the finish line at the top of page 15!!! You should have set up your INCITING INCIDENT by now - - time to get your character moving!!! WEEK of 10/27/08: Monday, October 27, 2008: now that you have completed sections one through four of the Character Questionnaire, please go back and use a separate sheet of paper to complete questions 1-23 for your supporting character and for your antagonist, for an additional 46 points. If you plan to include more than one "supporting character," you must complete questions 1-23 for that character, as well. You WILL receive an additional 23 points of extra credit for creating an extra supporting character. Your answers can be single words or phrases. That's fine! There is no "wrong" answer, but you must complete the questions, or you will be unable to do well on the National Novel Writing Month project that begins on Friday! Tuesday through Thursday, October 27 - October 30, 2008: IMPORTANT: ALL MAKE-UP WORK due to absence or illness is due by the end of lunch on Thursday. Grades are due Friday. No make-up work will be accepted after Friday except for persuasive essays that received a grade of "C" or lower, and were rewritten with extensive revisions. Thursday, October 30, 2008 - have your NANOWRIMO contract signed by your parent or guardian for 50 points; also: finish all 6 plot summary prompts from your "Outlining Your Plot" handout, which we have now worked on in class for two days. Friday, October 31, 2008 - if your name is Kat, Jakotay, Irene, Travis, Shannon, David, Sophie, Andre, or Erika, you can still get 25 of the 50 points by bringing your signed contract back on Monday! NOTE: Because of Friday's shortened day, Library Day has been cancelled, as have the next 5 points for this quarter. Please take your tests on your own time if you wish to turn them in for extra credit this quarter. Otherwise, you may take those tests for next quarter. ALSO: students who received a grade of "C" or lower on the Persuasive Essay may revise and edit their work BY MONDAY to improve their grades. All other make-up work (work not turned in because of absences) must be turned in my Thursday, as well! Friday is the last day of the first quarter!!!!! WEEK of 10/20/08: Monday, October 20, 2008: review the five paragraph outline for the persuasive essay (in your black notebooks), as well as the sample body paragraph (also in your notebook) for a short quiz on the parts of the persuasive essay. Tuesday, October 21, 2008: read "Criticism" and "King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone" on pages 412-430 in HOLT LITERATURE. Then answer questions #1- 10, using complete sentences. Be sure to follow the directions for #6, which involves creating a CHART! Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008: read "Echo and Narcissus," on pp. 203-208 in your HOLT LITERATURE book. Note that this is an example of the type of "origin myth" described in the "Myths" chapter of SOPHIE's WORLD. Be sure to answer questions #1-8, on p. 208, in complete sentences! WEEK of 10/13/08: Monday, October 13, 2008: memorzie and be able to write out, from memory, the five paragraph essay outline! 85 points! Tuesday, October 14, 2008: write the first body paragraph of your persuasive essay at home tonight, using the information you took notes on in class today. Focus on THAT ONE TOPIC! Wednesday, October 15, 2008: study how to write a citation for (1) an online electronic source, (2) a newspaper or magazine article, and (3) a book on page 635 in your Holt Literature book. Also: please be sure to finish writing the SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH of your persuasive essay. We will take a short quiz on the citations, do some internet research, and write the third body paragraph in class tomorrow! Thursday, October 16, 2008: quiz moved to next Wednesday, October 22 (Holt Literature, p. 635); for tomorrow, neatly recopy the introduction and first 3 body paragraphs of your persuasive essay onto a separate sheet of lined paper. NOTE: finish your minimum-5-point AR (library) book and be ready to take the computerized test on it on Friday, October 17th! WEEK of 10/6/08: Monday, October 6, 2008: good job on your test today! Be sure to keep reading your library/AR book for 20 minutes every night, even when there is no formal homework assignment. And please: plan to come with your parent or guardian to Back to School night tomorrow, Tuesday, at 6:00 pm! Tuesday, October 7, 2008: read pages 596-615 in your HOLT LITERATURE book. On pages 599-600, please answer questions #1-6 (in the gold boxes) using complete sentences! Wednesday, October 8, 2008: have your grade report signed and return it to Ms. Holt for 25 points! If you feel behind, be sure to set up a lunchtime or Friday afterschool tutorial! Also: if you didn't get those 6 questions done last night, or still want to get at least half the possible points for the final draft of your typed narrative, BRING THOSE ASSIGNMENTS TOMORROW! WEEK of 9/29/08: Monday, September 29, 2008: write a MINIMUM 7-sentence summary of you favorite book, using ALL FIVE (5) plot terms, and being sure to complete the subjective/opinion statemetn at the end - 30 points Tuesday, September 30, 2008: study EVERYTHING listed on the review sheet for our mid-quarter 100-point, multiple choice test on Thursday. Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - our test has been moved to MONDAY. Continue to study your review sheet. Thursday, October 2, 2008 - tomorrow will be our first library day. Be prepared to pick a book that is worth at least 5 Accelerated Reading points. You will be expected to take a test on this book on our next library day (October 17). Friday, October 3, 2008 - continue to study your review sheet for the 100- point test on Monday. Also review any relevant pages of your notebook. Note to Period 3 only: finish reading pp. 103-114 in James Baldwin's NOTES OF A NATIVE SON. WEEK of 9/22/08: Monday, September 22, 2008 - in your BIG green HOLT LITERATURE book, please read Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" on pages 352-353, then answer questions #1-8 on page 355. IF you are not happy with the current rough draft of your narrative, try using the "Oops!" writing exercise on page 355 to generate a new topic. Tuesday, September 23 and Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - have your rough draft typed onto one of the school computers, or ready to go on a flashdrive, by Thursday. Your homework, then, is to be in the computer lab during lunch or after school until the rough draft is typed and saved under your log-in name. I expect EVERYONE to have a 2-3 page, 1.5 line spaced draft ON THE SCREEN at the beginning of our class period in the computer lab on Thursday. By the end of the hour on Thursday, the 200-point final draft of your autobiographical narrative is DUE! NOTE ABOUT FRIDAY, SEPTEBMER 25, 2008 - Ms. Holt will be in the computer lab from 2:00 - 3:00 pm after school for those who have autobiographical narrative make-up to do! Please be there if you intend to turn in a late narrative and receive ANY credit for it! WEEK of 9/15/08: Monday, September 15, 2008 - complete ALL 16 word maps, using the vocabulary list provided; most of you completed at least half of them in class on Friday...finish up:)! Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - in your HOLT HANDBOOK, page 29: complete Exercise 5, #'s 1-10. Then read Gary Soto's "The Jacket." Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - use concrete details to build up to a real high-point, or climax, in your narrative! If you have a flash drive, you may bring it tomorrow, to save the typed narrative we will be working on in the computer lab. Thursday, September 18, 2008 - nice work typing your rough draft in Microsoft Word today in the computer lab! Today marked the beginning of our journey towards mastery of Writing Standard 1.6: Research and Technology (students iwll be able to create documents by using word-processing skills and publishing programs). WEEK of 9/8/08: Monday, September 8, 2008 - please memorize the five terms related to plot: (1) problem/basic situation, (2) rising action, (3) climax, (4) falling action/denouement, and (5) resolution...THERE WILL BE A QUIZ; also: remember to have ALL of the school supplies listed on your syllabus by Friday! Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - complete words 4 maps for: extraordinary, dissatisfied, discontent, and dissonance (see the vocabulary list provided, on which all of the prefixes, roots, and suffixes are included)! Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - take the night off! Thursday, September 11, 2008 - begin your response to the "show don't tell" freewrite. Remember: you cannot use any of the words from the left hand side of your chart on the right hand side, or on either of the 2-3 pages that follow. Be sure to pick a story about a time when you really showed/conveyed/revealed the character traits, or at least a few of the traits, listed on the left. Continue on the back side, then go on to another piece of paper. Skip lines. DUE MONDAY! WEEK of 9/1/2007: Tuesday, September 2, 2007: -Have your syllabus signed (25 pts.) and have your dayplanner signed in the "Language Arts" section after reviewing its contents with your parent or guardian (another 25 points). Wednesday, September 3, 2007: -Periods 1, 2, and 3 - re-read Julia Alvarez's "Names/Nombres" (handout in your folder)and complete the open book quiz (#s 1-19, attached). Thursday, September 4, 2007: -Periods 1, 2, and 3 - complete word maps for: ethnicity, exotic, heritage, and convoluted -ity = noun ending that means "state of being" (suffix) ex- = out, out of, away from (prefix) her- = from the Latin root hered or heres, meaning heir con- = together, with (prefix) vol = from the Latin rot volvare or volotum, meaning turning Friday, September 5, 2007: -Periods 1, 2, and 3 - re-read "My Name," by Uyen Kanh(handout from 100 SUCCESSFUL HARVARD ADMISSIONS ESSAYS). After re-reading Uyan-Kanh's essay, complete a 2-3 page, 1-sided rough draft, writing on every other line, in which you explain why you feel that your name does (or does not) do a good job of helping people to figure out who you really are (your TRUE identity). Try starting with a line from the free write we did together in class, or with the following sentences: "When people see my name on paper, they might assume that I am... If people really knew me, they would know that I am..." Aim to FILL 2-3 pages. We will work on shaping this into a narrative with a plot, dialogue, and so forth on Monday. Take care of the quantity!