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!
