English 2A
The final weeksof the semester in May will be spent in final’s preparation: Reading, discussing, studying, and analyzing the narrative of Unbroken. Study and practice vocabulary ch. 16-20. These are the components of the English 2A Final. The vocabulary portion will be obective and the Unbroken portion will be an essay in response to the story and specific quotations from the story.
Students will begin studying Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand). It is a nonfiction contempory piece and tells the true story of Olypian and WWII veteran and survivor, Louis Zamperini. For many chapters, students will be in charge of their own learning and investigation. For most chapters, students will be responsible for a 3-2-1 activity (creating sentences that share 3 observations, 2 questions, and 1 inference. This allows students to record and recall pertinent events, nuture their sense of curiosity and investigation by asking questions, and making connections to concrete details and either real life events/examples or drawing inferences about textual details. All of these are foundational to higher level thought processing as well as problem solving. These strategies enhance engagement with and commitment to the text. They will be able to demonstrate their knowledge (using these student created findings/resources) to write on the final exam. The final exam will also include new vocabulary words, Ch. 16-20.
Monday April 30th
Students will
April 9-13
Completion of The Writing Project: Success essay, poems, persuasive research, interviews and articles, and list of 50 favorites.
April 2nd-6th
The Help—viewed The Help and compare the contemporary novel to the film version
State assessment preparation: studying and finding logical phallacies (attempts at persuasion and maniupulation used in advertising, speaking, and writing
Writing to improve word choice, fluency, and voice: j.w. #14 As i gazed upon the open water. . .
Write a descriptive paragraph focusing on action verbs, vivid adjectives, word choice, fluencey (through varying sentence beginnings)
Ch. 16 Vocabulary study {buoyant, enervate, incorrigible, inexorable, irrefutable, marred, parochial, partisan, pique, and satirical}
Objectives: skill building to become stronger writers and readers, and to prepare for state assessments and the ACT
Monday March 26th
students will demonstrate their knowledge of words learned by taking a Vocab Test Ch. 11-15 so that they may prepare for the ACT and solidify their learning.
Tuesday March 27th
Students will prepare for state assessments by looking at literary devices and their meanings so that they may feel prepared for the upcoming state assessments in English (April 9th and 11th)
students will also meet with our librarian to learn appropriate data bases for upcoming research.
Wednesday March 28th
Students will learn new words by doing Ch.16 vocabulary wkst so that they can use new words in their writing, speaking, and reading and so they may understand new words in context.
Begin viewing The Help
Thursday March 29th and March 30th
Students will compare and contrast their contemporary novel with the screen version of the story by viewing The Help so that they may further study this piece of literature and period of time to deepen understanding of the issues we discussed in class.
Monday March 5th
Students will broaden then vocabulary understanding by working through Ch. 14 Vocabulary wksts so that they have a better linguistic understanding and are better prepared for the ACT exam. Students will also consider attributes they wish to be know for by writing and exploring what traits they value and why they should be focused on.
Tuesday March 6th
Students will reflect upon the complexity of the one hundred years 1870-1960s when prohibition was legal for black males but restricted by taking an Alabama literacy test so that they have a realistic idea of obstacles faced by those attempting to gain their civil rights. Ch. 14 Vocab wkst due today.
Wednesday March. 7th
Students will discuss the literacy test and look over their results so that they have a better understanding of the obstacles faced by those attempting to gain their civil rights. Students will also further their focus for the future by sharing the writing about what traits they’d like to be known for later.
Thursday March 8th
Students will look to ways to grow and better themselves by writing (prompt #8) about growth and who they want to be someday so that they can look to the future with personal goals in mind.
Students will examine text, narrative, and events by discussing Ch. 24-27 in The Help so that they can continue to process the importance of the events in the book.
Friday March 9th
Students will enhance their word choice and prepare for the vocabulary test by working through Ch. 15 vocabulary study so that they can further their literaryn foundation and word choice in preparation for college and the ACT. {callous, desecrate, evanescent, heed, indigent, paragon, provincial, steadfast, supercilious, and usurp}
Monday Feb 26th----Assign Writing Project
English 2A Writing Project ~ Memory Book
March-April J. Hying
___/60
2. Autobiographical Entry~ Write a poem whose central idea is you (who you are, what you enjoy doing, or who/what you love). Additionally, write a descriptive acrostic poem reflecting how you see yourself. (Mar 14th) ___/15 ___/5
3. Persuasive Essay~ (persuasive) Choose a topic you feel strongly/passionately about, and write a persuasive essay. Use research to provide three examples/support for your position, and cite them correctly within your paper. Work cited required. (Mar 30th) ___/60 (library databases—not google or Wikipedia)
4. Newspaper Articles (with interview)~ Interview a parent and a grandparent about when they were teenagers. For each interview, ask questions and make notes. Use the notes to turn each interview into a newspaper style informative or narrative article. (April 13th) ___/30 ___/30
5. List of 50 favorite things~ Create a list of your 50 favorites (things, activities, people, places, etc.) ___/15
Writing Project Total ___/215 April 16, 2018
Students will explore and execute persuasive writing, research, interviews, narrative, and informative formal writing by working through the assigned writing project so that they solidify their foundational writing skill and are preparing for the years ahead as a writer, student, thinker, and speaker.
Students will also discuss Ch. 21-25 of The Help today and tomorrow.
Tuesday Feb 27th
Students will further their study of theme by working with a partner to consider and write about what they feel the most prominent theme is in The Help that as they move to other questions regarding the text they can approach their inquiry from a foundational perspective.
Wednesday Feb 28th
The Help
Perspective and Point of View
1. Chapters in The Help are written from the perspective of three main characters: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. What would a chapter written from Hilly’s point of view look like/include? What information might the author have shared? Would it change the way readers identify with her? How does her need for control influence her words and actions?
2. Aibileen loses her son, Treelore, when he is just twenty-four years old. The author gives us a glimpse of her agony through Aibileen’s thoughts. “ That was the day my whole world went black” (Stockett 3). How does losing a child change a person’s world? How does it shape the remaining years of a person’s life? Does it impact that person’s ability to love?
3. Aibileen remarks early on that after the loss of her son, “A bitter seed was planted inside a me. And I just didn’t feel so accepting anymore” (3). How does that kind of tragic and intimate loss shape a person’s perception of the world in which they live? Does it provide a different lens from which to view the people around them? Other than bitterness, what feelings does loss lead Aibileen to?
4. How do “social norms” or what is deemed by the majority as socially acceptable supported and enforced by the legal system? How are civil rights upheld or stripped by the society in which one lives? How do the concepts of entitlement and disenfranchisement work in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s? Which characters play into the social norms? Which character are seen rejecting social norms?
5. Discuss the paradoxical nature of the slavery reminiscent situation of black women raising white children. Minny openly shares her thoughts about this odd predicament with her best friend, Aibileen saying, “ How we love they kids when they little. . . And then how they turn out just like they mamas” (150). How might Aibileen respond to that thought since she has raised so many children other than her own?
6. Hilly is a somewhat puzzling character because her treatment of some people is deplorable yet she is described as being a very loving mother. How is she able to so easily dehumanize others? Do you believe the time period in which she lives affects her view? How does the segregation of the town in which she lives give “ the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority” (King). How does this idea support Hilly’s sense of entitlement?
Student will considerer the narrative in terms of point of view/perspective by working through the questions above so that they many prepare to write about The Help
Monday Feb 12th ---Feb 15th and Feb 21st and 23rd
Students will practice the foundations of textual annotation by reading and exploring ch. 20 and 21 of The Help through a 3-2-1 activity so that they can practice interacting with the text.
Students will practice the foundations of textual annotation by reading and exploring ch. 22 and 23 of The Help through a 3-2-1 activity so that they can practice interacting with the text.
Writing-reflection-growth And now let us welcome the New year
Full of things that have never been.
Rainer Maria Rilke
You only live once—but if you work it right, once is enough.
--Joe Lewis
Prompt #1 Describe some things you wish to accomplish in your lifetime. Explore and discuss some goals you have for yourself, both short term and long term.
. . . time is the New Year’s bountiful blessing: three hundred sixty-five bright mornings and starlit evenings; fifty-two promising weeks; twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities; and four splendid seasons. . . a year to be savored. --S. B. Breathnach
Prompt #2 Share some of the things or events you are most looking forward to in the months ahead (or perhaps the year ahead). Describe them in terms of the five senses: what can be seen, tasted, heard, smelled, and felt.
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world. --Robert Louis Stevenson
Prompt #3 Consider and discuss what makes you happy. Where are you? Who are you with? What activities are you participating in?
It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time upon this earth—and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up—that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
--Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Prompt #4 If you had only one day to live, from dawn until the stars fully lit the night sky, what would you do? Fully describe that day—events, atmosphere, who you’d spend time with, etc.
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
--Helen Keller
Prompt #5 Convey the potential of having a positive attitude. Share what pessimism can do to a school, a class, a relationship of any kind.
We will use the students’ observations, questions, and inferences to discuss ch. 20-23 of The Help.
Monday Feb 26th----Assign Writing Project
English 2A Writing Project ~ Memory Book
March-April J. Hying
___/60
2. Autobiographical Entry~ Write a poem whose central idea is you (who you are, what you enjoy doing, or who/what you love). Additionally, write a descriptive acrostic poem reflecting how you see yourself. (Mar 14th) ___/15 ___/5
3. Persuasive Essay~ (persuasive) Choose a topic you feel strongly/passionately about, and write a persuasive essay. Use research to provide three examples/support for your position, and cite them correctly within your paper. Work cited required. (Mar 30th) ___/60 (library databases—not google or Wikipedia)
4. Newspaper Articles (with interview)~ Interview a parent and a grandparent about when they were teenagers. For each interview, ask questions and make notes. Use the notes to turn each interview into a newspaper style informative or narrative article. (April 13th) ___/30 ___/30
5. List of 50 favorite things~ Create a list of your 50 favorites (things, activities, people, places, etc.) ___/15
Writing Project Total ___/215 April 16, 2018
Students will explore and execute persuasive writing, research, interviews, narrative, and informative formal writing by working through the assigned writing project so that they solidify their foundational writing skill and are preparing for the years ahead as a writer, student, thinker, and speaker.
Students will also discuss Ch. 21-25 of The Help today and tomorrow.
Tuesday Feb 27th
Students will further their study of theme by working with a partner to consider and write about what they feel the most prominent theme is in The Help that as they move to other questions regarding the text they can approach their inquiry from a foundational perspective.
And now let us welcome the New year
Full of things that have never been.
Rainer Maria Rilke
You only live once—but if you work it right, once is enough.
--Joe E. Lewis
Prompt #1 Describe some things you wish to accomplish in your lifetime. Explore and discuss some goals you have for yourself, both short term and long term.
. . . time is the New Year’s bountiful blessing: three hundred sixty-five bright mornings and starlit evenings; fifty-two promising weeks; twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities; and four splendid seasons. . . a year to be savored.
--S. B. Breathnach
Prompt #2 Share some of the things or events you are most looking forward to in the months ahead (or perhaps the year ahead). Describe them in terms of the five senses: what can be seen, tasted, heard, smelled, and felt.
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.
--Robert Louis Stevenson
Prompt #3 Consider and discuss what makes you happy. Where are you? Who are you with? What activities are you participating in?
It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time upon this earth—and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up—that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
--Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Prompt #4 If you had only one day to live, from dawn until the stars fully lit the night sky, what would you do? Fully describe that day—events, atmosphere, who you’d spend time with, etc.
Simple Abundance Quotations
Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.
--Woman’s Home Companion, December 1935
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
--Helen Keller
Prompt #5 Convey the potential of having a positive attitude. Share what pessimism can do to a school, a class, a relationship of any kind.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
--Melody Beattie
Prompt# 6 Right here, today, in this very moment, share what and who you’re most thankful for. Be specific as to the reason. Be generous where you spread your gratitude.
Your diamonds are not in the far distant mountains or in yonder seas: they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.
--Russell H. Conwell
Prompt #7 Describe the treasures in your own life. They might be tangible items, or intangibles, like talents, hobbies, or relationships.
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.
Ernest Hemingway
Prompt #8 How do you intend to better yourself? What are some areas in which you would like to strive for improvement? How do you avoid comparing yourself to others?
Monday Jan 29th
Students will delve deeper into the systemic racism of the 1960s by examining The Help Ch. 4-8 and, for each chapter for the chief conflict/obstacle/dilemma so that can potentially problem solve along with each character and understand her decisions.
Students will examine narrative text and anticipate plot by reading The Help Ch. 9-11 and completing a 3-2-1 activity so that they can focus on their own observations, posing/asking questions, and points of inference regarding the narrative.
3—observations; 2 questions; 1 inference Complete sentences
Tuesday Jan 30th
Students will explore the various themes in The Help by creating a theme scheme (theme-event [support], characters motivation) so that they can begin to find and understand the over-arching ideas in this narrative.
Wednesday Jan 31st
Students will go deeper into with their own observations and questions by sharing what they created for Ch. 9-11 by sharing their 3-2-1 activities with the class.
We will discuss the options for junior English classes
Thursday Feb 1st
Students will continue to examine theme by sharing their theme schemes created cooperatively so that theme can be established and studied as we progress forward.
Friday Feb 2nd
Students will further their narrative understanding and broaden their word choice and literary understanding by reading Ch. 14 and 15 of The Help and by learning the new vocabulary words (Ch. 13 wksts) so that they can continue enlightened discussion of the book and the 1960s as well as have new words at their disposal for writing and understanding of literature and non-fiction reading and prepare for the ACT.
Monday Jan 22nd
Students will broaden their word choice for writing and understanding when reading by learning Ch. 12 Vocabulary—due 1/23 (listed below schedule) so that they can prepare for the ACT and expand the tools at their disposal for begin a literate, educated student.
Tuesday Jan 23rd
Students will further explore contemporary fiction and perspectives by discussing Ch. 3-6 of The Help and creating a theme scheme based on their knowledge thus far so that they can improve their understanding of prose, theme, symbolism, and fiction.
Wednesday Jan 24th
Students will explore comtemporary prose and text by reading Ch. 7 and 8 of The Help so that they can prepare for class discussion on point of view, word choice, and theme.
Thursday Jan 25th
Students will delve deeper into the systemic racism of the 1960s by examining The Help Ch. 4-8 and, for each chapter for the chief conflict/obstacle/dilemma so that can potentially problem solve along with each character and understand her decisions.
Friday Jan 26th
Students will examine narrative text and anticipate plot by reading The Help Ch. 9-11 and completing a 3-2-1 activity so that they can focus on their own observations, posing/asking questions, and points of inference regarding the narrative.
3—observations; 2 questions; 1 inference Complete sentences
Vocabulary: amicable, devious, dissonance, efface, garrulous, immutable, ponderous., predecessor, rebuff, and static
Monday Jan 15th
no school
Tuesday Jan 16th
Vocab wksts Ch. 11 due
Students will examine character description and the author’s decision to tell this story from various perspectives by working with a partner to establish this information so that we can analyze point of view, perceptions and perspectives as we read this best seller. (Ch. 2 and 3 of The Help)
Wednesday Jan 17th
Students will connect contemporty examples of attitude that parallel characters in the story by comparing characters to real life figures so that they can bridge understanding and recognize similarities and differences.
Read Ch. 4 of The Help
Thursday Jan 18th
Students will examine Ch. 4 by creating for each Ch. a 3-2-1 activity (make 3 observations, ask two questions, and make one inference) so that they can further examine the newest plot developments of The Help
Friday Jan 19th
Students will further their narrative understanding and broaden their word choice and literary understanding by reading Ch. 5 and 6 of The Help and by learning the new vocabulary words (Ch. 12 wksts-Monday’s assignment) so that they can continue enlightened discussion of the book and the 1960s as well as have new words at their disposal for writing and understanding of literature and non-fiction reading and prepare for the ACT
Monday Jan 8th
Students will work on word choice in their writing by workshopping/sharing the beautiful place description they composed on Friday so that they can focus on their word choice and sentence fluency.
Tuesday Jan 9th
Students will establish positivity for the semester by choosing 5 positive behaviors so that they can establish a positive, focused, supportive learning culture.
Students will focus on contempory fiction by reading Ch. 1 of The Help so that they can begin talking about the narrative and racial relations of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s.
Wednesday Jan 10th
continued discussion regarding Ch. 1 of The Help as well as positive behaviors
Students will broaden the narrative understanding by discussing Ch. 1 of The Help so that they can begin talking about the narrative and racial relations of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Read Ch. 2 of The Help.
Thursday Jan 11th
Students will examine character description and the author’s decision to tell this story from various perspectives by working with a partner to establish this information so that we can analyze point of view, perceptions and perspectives as we read this best seller.
Friday Jan 12th
Students will further their narrative understanding and broaden their word choice and literary understanding by reading Ch. 3 of The Help and by learning the new vocabulary words (Ch. 11 wksts) so that they can continue enlightened discussion of the book and the 1960s as well as have new words at their disposal for writing and understanding of literature and non-fiction reading and prepare for the ACT.
Vocabulary for the week (Ch 11)
aesthetic, catalyst, disparage, ingratiate, insipid, peerless, propriety, virtuoso, vitriolic, and whimsical
*deplorable, baffoon, and debonair, suave
Final’s week has arrived. English 2A final= The Alchemist (writing), To Kill a Mockingbird (writing), and vocabulary Ch. 6-10 (from junior level book).
Monday Dec 12th
Ch. 9 Vocabulary due; The Alchemist discussion of philosophies and perspectives; read p. 61-82
Tuesday Dec 13th
read p. 82-104 of The Alchemist. Pose three questions that have occurred to you thus far in your reading. Also, record the boy’s journey from p. 61-104
Wednesday Dec 14th
Ch. 10 Vocab study; read The Alchemist p.104-110; Who does/has the boy encountered by the end of the reading?
Thursday Dec 14th
The Alchemist questions and observations due; Vocab Ch. 10 due; begin discussion for p. 61-104
Friday Dec 15th
Discussion continued; read p. 110-142 The Alchemist
Note: all activities are in preparation for finals
Monday Dec 4th
Vocab Ch 8 due; read The Alchemist p. 1-33
Tuesday Dec 5th
Discuss p. 1-11; read p. 33-47
Wednesday Dec 6th
Discuss p. 11-33 of The Alchemist—What is the most important conversation have you been privy to thus far? discuss; read p. 47-65
Thursday Dec 7
Discuss p. 47-65 of The Alchemist; read to p. 81
Friday Dec 8th
Vocab Ch 9; read time; inspirational video (10)
Monday Nov 27th
STAR testing in the library
Tuesday Nov 28th
Students will begin to prepare for finals by having final discussions about To Kill a Mockingbird using their notes and conversations so that they can bring all their understanding regarding this novel, its events and characters, together.
Wednesday Nov 29th
Students will begin to prepare for finals by having final discussions about To Kill a Mockingbird using their notes and conversations so that they can bring all their understanding regarding this novel, its events and characters, together.
Thursday Nov 30th
Students will begin to study a journey story by reading The Alchemist so that they can prepare for final semester writing opportunities and assessments.
Friday Dec 1st
Students will improve their vocabulary as well as their understanding of the novel by learning Ch. 8 vocabulary words and sharing their findings regarding characters and events so that they can understand character intent and learn ten new words to use in writing and recognize and understand in their reading.
Monday Nov 20th
Students will broaden their understanding of the justice system and workings of a trial by discussing Ch. 13-21 of TKAM and examing and discussing the following concepts: justice, injustice, prejudice, bigotry, personal perspective, freedom, incarceration, hope, hopelessness, fair trial, trial by a jury of your peers, examination, cross-examination, deliberation, and closing arguements so that they can make their own determinations about the trial of Tom Robinson, his guilt or innocence along with the critical role of Atticus Finch within those legal proceedings. Note: Finish TKAM by Tuesday, November 28th in order to assess knowledge and understanding.
Tuesday Nov 21
Students will deepen their sense of gratitude by writing about who and what they thankful for (including a letter for someone) so that they may continue to develop and strengthen their attitude of gratitude.
Monday Nov 12th
Students will improve their word choice and increase their confidence in sharing their own writing aloud by sharing their findings regarding characters and events so that they can understand character intent and learn ten new words to use in writing and recognize and understand in their reading.
Students will improve their understanding of the characters’ motivation and enhance their word choice by working with a partner to create a timeline of events with potential character motivation for events and sharing their writing marathon pieces so that they can better understand the story and prepare for analysis of text and improve/advance the word choice in their own writing. Students will also be assigned to read Ch. 15 and 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Tuesday Nov 13th
Students will examine/recognize a shift in narrative perspective and focus and delve into character traits/motivation by discussing the shift between Part 1 and Part 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird and by noting character traits to understand depth of character development and character motivation so that they may better understand the narrative arc, the reasons and underlying reasons for novel events, and to better prepare them to analyze and discuss these aspects.
Wednesday Nov 14th
Students will further their literary awareness and learning regarding this work of fiction as well as look at events from a historical perspective that includes prejudice by reading Ch. 17 of TKAM and answering questions about their reading so that they can connect novel events to real events both current and historic in a class discussion in small groups on Thursday.
Thursday Nov 15th
Students will explore and experience the testimonies of the trial by reading Ch. 18-21 of TKAM (class discussion Monday) so that they can discuss the following: justice, injustice, prejudice, bigotry, personal perspective, freedom, incarceration, hope, hopelessness, fair trial, trial by a jury of your peers, examination, cross-examination, deliberation, and closing arguements.
Friday Nov 16th
Students will learn new words and explore literature by completing Ch. 7 Vocabulary study and reading TKAM so that they may progress in the narrative and understand and be able to utilize new words in their writing as well as increase their reading comprehension.
Tuesday Nov 7th
(sub day) ​Students will improve their reading fluency, comprehension by spending time reading through Ch. 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird so that they can improve in those are reading areas as well as character and plot development in this famous novel.
Wednesday Nov 8th
Students will examine persuasive technique used in writing by reading and evaluating their writing and the writing of others (persuasive business letter) so that they can be reflect upon their own writing and better know how to improve in the future. Also, read Ch. 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Thursday Nov 9th Musical Day
Students will improve their understanding of the characters’ motivation and enhance their word choice by working with a partner to create a timeline of events with potential character motivation for events and sharing their writing marathon pieces so that they can better understand the story and prepare for analysis of text and improve/advance the word choice in their own writing
Friday Nov 10th
Students will improve their vocabulary as well as their understanding of the novel by learning Ch. 6 vocabulary words and sharing their findings regarding characters and events so that they can understand character intent and learn ten new words to use in writing and recognize and understand in their reading.
October 30th
Students will demonstrate their ability to understand and convey the use of theme in a novel by giving a guided book talk in small groups and submitting their written paragraphs so that they can practice speaking about an author’s intentions and better understand how theme works throughout a narrative.
October 31st—Fall Writing Marathon
Students will participate in a Fall Writing Marathon by using prompts and sentence starters hung throughout the room to develop creative writing paragraphs (four paragraphs of two pages of hand writing) so that they may work on developing word choice (verb choice and description—adjectives) in their writing. Due Friday, Nov. 3rd
Nov 1st
Students will prepare for class discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird Ch. 1-3 by spending 10 minutes with a partner creating a character with characteristic list for To Kill a Mockingbird so that we can establish protagonists, possible antagonists, and a foundational understanding with which to move forward with reading, discussion, and learning activities.
Nov 2nd
Students will spend time with Ch.4-7 of To Kill a Mockingbird by reading the novel so that they can understand how the narrative progresses and discuss tone, rising action, conflict, and theme, and irony.
Nov 3rd
Students will prepare for their due date and discuss their current understanding of To Kill a Mockinbird by wrapping up their persuasive business letters and discuss Ch. 4-7 of To Kill a Mockingbird—and read Ch. 8-11 over the weekend so that they will be prepared to turn their letters on Tuesday.
Business Letter--- single space within paragraph; double space: between the inside address (who it is to) and the greeting, between the greeting and the letter, between the letter and the closing; 4 spaces between the date and inside address (who it to) and between the closing and your typed name Note: the example below is in 1½ spaces because our pages our designed that way
Harrah’s Hotel and Casino
Kansas City, MO—in Harrah’s Hotel and Casino
March 17, 2012
Bradley and Julie Hying
720 S Newstead Dr
Andover, KS 67002
To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I reside in a small town adjacent to the city of Wichita. Some of our favorite restaurants in that area include The Bonefish Grill and Chester’s Chophouse. A fine dining experience in the Kansas City area, in many instances, exudes excellence; Mike and Charlie’s, of course, is typically no exception.We enjoy traveling to Kansas City and dining out, especially at Mike and Charlie’s, Houston’s, and Ruth’s Chris. These choices have always been a wonderful part of that experience.
While dining at your fine establishment, we have come to anticipate a superior meal with impeccable service. We have shared our opinion with numerous friends, family members, as well as business associates. Often from start to finish we consider our time in one of your luxurious booths a true sensory experience. Partaking in a glass of wine or a mixed drink sets the tone, and what follows has always proven quite pleasurable. We each enjoy a crisp, lightly dressed salad and fresh, warm bread prior to our meal. Time and again I have ordered and enjoyed your Chicken Nunzio, while my husband prefers your filet. Each mouth-watering bite has brought us back to Mike and Charlie’s on numerous occasions, most recently, our ninth wedding anniversary.
This trip to Mike and Charlie’s, to say the least, proved disappointing. The pleasurable experience we had come to expect fell short of excellence. Aside from the fact that our waiter was not knowledgeable about options on the menu, and was condescending to my husband, the meal itself met with neither our expectations nor our satisfaction. Feeling adventurous, we decided to inquire about different dishes and hopefully make a selection based on the recommendation of your wait staff. Since he was unable to make a recommendation, I decided to go with my favorite, the Chicken Nunzio, as did my husband. When our dishes were brought to our table, they served as both a visual and palatable disappointment. The chicken, usually lightly breaded and browned, providing a light, crispy exterior, was soggy, and the chicken within lacked in flavor, a flavor I have come to adore. Also, the texture of the meat seemed rubbery. Whether the chicken was cooked improperly or simply not fresh, (perhaps both) was something we were unable to clearly determine. Needless to say, we left Mike and Charlie’s dissatisfied. It is our hope that these aspects may be remedied so that we may remain enthusiastic patrons of Mike and Charlie’s.
Sincerely,
Julie and Bradley Hying
Monday Oct 23rd
Students will be able to identify persuasive elements by looking at different types of persusion so that can write persuasively with success.
Tuesday Oct 24th
Students will be able to identify persuasive techniques in professional writing by reading Dr. King’s Letters from Birminham Jail so that recognize persuasion and develop their own techniques to write persuasively.
Wednesday Oct 25th
Students will be able to identify persuasive techniques in modeled examples by reading them in class so that can develop their own persuasive writing strategies.
Thursday Oct 26th
Students will be able to write a persuasive business letter by examining and understanding the components of a business letter so that they can draft one themselves. Due Friday, November 3rd
Friday Oct 27th
Students will be able to discuss the first three chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird by reading them and taking notes so that can can establish an understanding and solid foundation to understand this work and the literary elements we will study along with it.
Reminder: Novel Cafe—Monday, October 30th (one paragraph summary, three paragraph demonstrating how the author carries theme throughout the narrative, one paragraph critique)
Bring writing journals Tuesday for a Fall Writing Marathon
Monday-Wednesday Oct 16th-18th
Prepare The Last Lecture paper and questions; review quotations, discuss MLA format; discuss upcoming philanthropic/”communitarian” opportunites; good things students are looking forward to on their extended weekend
Objective: to write a paper connected to a non-fiction text, support assertions with examples and textual quotations; connect philanthropy to being a communitarian; help keep students motivated and engaged to promote positivity and a strong academic semester by sharing good things on the horizon
Monday Oct 9th
good things; vocab ch. 5 due; review social contract and points for last week; Discuss The Last Lecture Ch. 33-38; LL#24 Write a thank you letter to someone
Tuesday Oct 10th
review 6 comma rules in preparation for the ACT; Vocab. Test Ch. 1-5
Wednesday Oct 11th
National Testing Day in the a.m.-advisory time-keynote speaker and wellness fair (all school activities)
Thursday Oct 12th
finish discussing The Last Lecture and give writing assignment due next Wednesday, October 18th; LL questions #1-30 due next Monday, October 17th
Friday Oct 13th
Career Cruising in library with Ms. Ricke (counselor)
Objectives: finalize the study of a non-fiction work in order to write about its author’s merits and what insight was gleaned by the study of his life; write using varied word choice, smooth transistions, and use of text/citation to support assertions; study comma rules in preparation for preACT or preSAT on Wednesday of this week
Monday Oct 2
good things; twenty minutes independent reading to prepare for Novel Cafe and paper; Ch. 5 {copious, dearth, eloquent, jargon, levity, meander, peripheral, substantiate, unobtrusive, vascillate}
Tuesday Oct 3
Workshop j.w. #4 or j.w. #5 (student choice)—share with small group, each member comment on one thing each writer did well;
The Last Lecture discussion Ch. 28-32; read The Last Lecture Ch. 34-40
Wednesday Oct 4
good things; read independent novel to prepare for Novel Cafe and paper; study for vocabulary assessment
Thursday Oct 5
good things
LL # 20 What is your favorite story you have ever read? A favorite that was read to you?
LL#21 Today, what is your big dream?
LL #22 Discuss a compromise you’ve had to make.
LL #23 Are you a complainer or a nonconplainer? How does being around complainers make you feel?
Finish The Last Lecture before class next Wednesday
Friday Oct 6
Ch. 18 Vocab wkst prefixes, suffixes, and root words---ACT Prep
Finish The Last Lecture by next Wednesday
Objectives:
study vocabulary words to prepare for assessment (Oct. 9th), intelligent conversation (practice pronunciation X3) and thoughtful writing
read non-fiction and fiction to increase reading fluency, (The Last Lecture) to understand intrinsic motivation for making good choices and contributions
Monday Sept 25th --no school
Tuesday Sept 26th
Discuss essays; review good writing tips and techniques; review comma rule for compound sentence structure as well as semicolon application; Ch. 4 Vocabulary study due {pronunciation, definition, words in context}
Wednesday Sept 26th
Good things, review Social Contract and establish competition
Time to read independent read in preparation for paper and Novel Cafe in mid-October (tbd)
Thursday Sept 27th
Discuss The Last Lecture Ch. 21-30; Read The Last Lecture Ch. 31-32 aloud; workshop j.w.#4 or 5 (student choice)
Friday Sept 28th
Ch. 5 Vocabulary; read The Last Lecture Ch.33-38
REMINDER: Vocabulary Test Ch 1-5 is next Thursday, October 5th
Objective: Students will spend time with contemporary literature and prepare to write about it and discuss it with others.
Monday Sept 18th
Vocabulary Ch. 3 due; check out independent novel; color book marks
Tuesday Sept 19th
Create an adjective word wall; j.w. #4 Describe a beautiful place. Read The Last Lecture Ch. 25-27
Wednesday Sept 20th
Read independent novel 30 min; read The Last Lecture Ch. 28-30; LL# 17 and LL#18 (located below—just scroll past daily plans)
Thursday Sept 21st
read independent novel; j.w.# 5 Describe an awful place. Make sure to refer to verb and adjective word walls for inspiraton.
Friday Sept 22nd
Ch. 4 Vocab; complete an unfinished assignments and read independent novel
Objective:
Students will enhance writing skills by practicing creative writing and utilizing tips from the board.
Monday Sept. 11th
read The Last Lecture Ch. 17-22
Tuesday Sept. 12th
Questions LL# 15, 15b, and 16
j.w. #2 How much control do you have over how your day goes? Explain
Wednesday Sept. 13th
Bring in the lyrics to your “life song”
share lyrics with group; word choice comparison—Dr. Suess (One Foot Two Foot. . . One Fish Two Fish. . . vs other children’s book authors
Discuss The Last Lecture Ch. 17 and 18
Thursday Sept 14th
j.w. #3 How do these words/lyrics reflect what your life is “all about?”
action verb word wall
discuss The Last Lecture Ch. 19-22
Friday Sept 15th
Vocabulary Ch. 3; read The Last Lecture Ch. 23 an 24
Objective:
Students will search out song lyrics that they determine are their “life song.” They they will write about how the lyrics parallel who they are, who they wish to be, and what is important to them.
Monday Aug 28th
Work with thinking questions, allow groups time to discuss, and create a social contract for the class
How do you want to be treated by teachers? How do you want to be treated by other students? How do your teachers want to be treated by you? How do you want to be treated if a conflict should arise?
Tuesday Aug 29th
Vocabulary Ch 1 due; Summer reading theme essay due
Discuss The Last Lecture Ch. 2 and 3 “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand” (Pausch 17).
LL #4 How do you make decisions? Feeling or logic? A combination? Reserved thinker or risk taker?
Wednesday Aug 30th
Read aloud Ch. 4 and 5
LL #5 In what ways are you fortunate/lucky? LL #6 What aspects do you like/appreciate about your parents?
Thursday Aug 31st
read ch. 6-11 of The Last Lecture
LL # 7 What do you bring to the table? LL #8 Who is your toughest critic? LL#9 Is there someone that is a voice in your head? LL# 10 What is something you don’t know much about that you want to learn more about? LL #11 where is somewhere you would like to visit?
Friday Sept 1
Ch. 2 Vocabulary
finish assignment from Thursday
The Last Lecture Questions
LL#1 What are your childhood dreams?
LL#2 Discuss some of the roles you play in life.
LL#3 Who are the extraordinary people that have influenced your life?
LL#4 Consider how you process information--what is your learning style?
LL #5 In what ways do you feel lucky or fortunate?
LL#6 Discuss the aspects that you like about your own parents.
LL#7 What do you bring to the table? In other words, what are some of your assets/great qualities that others may find valuable?
LL#8 Who is your toughest critic? Put a star by that person’s name if they are also your hero.
LL#9 Is there anyone that is a “voice in your head?”
LL #10 What is something that you know nothing or only a little about that you’d like to learn more about?
LL#11 a. Describe a place you’d like to go someday.
b. Tell me about a person you’d like to meet someday.
LL # 12 What is life all about for you?
LL#13 What characteristic(s) do you possess that may hinder you or your ability to succeed in the future?
LL #14 What is your "brick wall" (obstacle)?
LL#15 What wonderful things have happened in the last year?
LL#16 Discuss if you've had a difficult time telling the truth.
LL#17 What would a perfect day look like for you? (describe from morning until bedtime)
LL#18 How well are you able to assess yourself (behavior, abilities, etc.)?
LL#19 Have you ever had an experience (vacation, etc.) that has vastly exceeded your expectations?
LL#20 What is your favorite story that you've had read to you or one that you read as a young person?
LL#21 Today, what's your big dream? Can it become a reality? How?
LL#22 Discuss a compromise you've had to make.
LL#23 Do you consider yourself a complainer or a non-complainer??? List the complainers in your life. How do they make you feel?
LL#24 Write a thank you letter.
LL#25 Discuss the importance of expressing gratitude.
LL#26 Tell me about an apology you've had to make.
LL#27 Tell me about a smell that reminds you of your childhood.
LL#28 How do you measure your successes in life?
LL#29 Discuss the power of positive thinking.
LL#30 How can you become more a communitarian.
Tuesday Aug 22
STAR testing in the library
Wednesday Aug 23
share j.w. #1
read the intro and Ch. 1 of The Last Lecture
The Last Lecture Questions (LL) #1-4
Thursday Aug 24
remind students of four questions on board
Continue The Last Lecture reading and questions
Friday Aug 25
Ch. 1 Vocabulary study
note: we will have a test every five chapters
Monday Aug 28
4 question—discuss with groups
Create a class social contract
April-May
Students will study the nonfiction book, Unbroken, which shares the life of famous WWII veteran and former Olympian, Louis Zamperini. We will use close reading strategies to study passages as well as many formative assessments to examine the story and its meaning. This book, along with five chapters of vocabulary (16-20) will serve as the learning that will be tested the week of finals. We’ll also take a third and final STAR reading test. Students Writing Projects, assigned in February, were due on April 18th.
Unbroken---English 2A Final Vocabulary
Magnum opus
Avuncular
Obstreperous
Surreptitious
Pseudo (science)
Euthanasia
Sterilize
Cheeky
Incipient
Arch-villain
Laurel
Pundit
Emblazoned
Penultimate
Anodyne
Juggernaut
Superlative
Subjugate
Myopic
Crucible
Fuselage
Posthumous
Sanctum
Torpor
Subversion
Conversant
Clandestine
Cache
Indolence
April 3rd-7th
Finish YOLO Juliet;
March 27-31
The Help Test; The Help in-class essay; State Testing in the library; viewing The Help; Ch. 21 Vocab. wksts; writing project #3 rough draft due : )
March 13th
Writing Project # 2 rough draft due; The Help dicussion Ch. 27-29 using 3-2-1 Activity
March 14th
The Help—read Ch. 30 and 31 What are the stressful aspects of Skeeter’s life? Discuss what those are doing to her?
j.w. # 7 As my wide eyes scanned the horizon. . . typed paragraph due
March 15th
Discussion of The Help—characters and character motivation
March 16th
Discussion of The Help Ch. 32 and 33
March 17th
Ch. 20 Vocabulary
write an “Irish” poem
finish The Help
Monday March 6th
Reminder: rough draft for persuasive (research) essay rough due Monday 3/13
time to work in library with Mrs. Reed
Tuesday March 7th
time to work in library—MLA format and citing
Wednesday March 8th
Ch. 19 Vocabulary due
The Help Ch. 27 discussion; exit ticket: Describe the motivation of one of the characters as the book is published
read Ch. 28 3-2-1 activity
Thursday March 9th
j.w. #7 due---workshop
read The Help Ch. 29 and 30
Objective: students will write persuasively using research to support their assertions
English 2A Writing Project ~ Memory Book
February-April J. Hying
___/60
2. Persuasive Essay~ (persuasive) Choose a topic you feel strongly/passionately about, and write a persuasive essay. Use research to provide three examples/support for your position, and cite them correctly within your paper. Work cited required. (Mar 13th) ___/60
3. Autobiographical Entry~ Write a poem whose central idea is you (who you are, what you enjoy doing, or who/what you love). Additionally, write a descriptive acrostic poem reflecting how you see yourself. (Mar 31st) ___/15 ___/5
4. Newspaper Articles (with interview)~ Interview a parent and a grandparent about when they were teenagers. For each interview, ask questions and make notes. Use the notes to turn each interview into a newspaper style informative or narrative article. (April 14th) ___/30 ___/30
5. List of 50 favorite things~ Create a list of your 50 favorites (things, activities, people, places, etc.) (April 17th) ___/15
Writing Project Total ___/200 April 17, 2015
Monday February 13th
Ch. 17 Vocabulary wksts due
Workshop Ch of The Help written from another perspective—students share in their small groups
Tuesday February 14th
Introduce semester writing project: complete project due on April 21st
Wednesday February 15th
Discuss writing project, read The Help Ch.20 and 21
Thursday February 16th
3-2-1 activity and pair sharing for Ch. 17-21 Exit ticket: what was the most puzzling detail to you in those chapters?
Objective: Students explore perspective and practice sentence fluency and verb choice while writing a chapter of The Help from a unique perspective. Students will develop a character through direct and indirect characterization.
Monday February 6th
Ch. 16 Vocabulary due; discuss Ch. 13 of The Help
Tuesday February 7th
Go over prompts; Discuss ch. 14 in The Help; read Ch. 16
Wednesday February 8th
Discuss Ch. 15 of The Help read Ch. 17 and 18: Continue to consider perspectives
Thursday February 9th
Why is understanding perspective important? Superbowl commercials/advertisements? TV shows? Write a short chapter of The Help from a perspective not offered: Celia Foote, Johnny Foote, Hilly Holbrock, Elizabeth Leefolt, Mrs. Walters, Leroy Jackson,, Pascagoula, Mrs. Phelan,, Lou Anne Templeton,. Kindra Jackson, Yule May Davis. Consider perspective through characterization, direct and indirect. Due Monday, Feb 13th.
Friday February 10th
Ch. 17 Vocabulary wksts and ten original sentences; read Ch 19 of The Help
Objectives:
Students will discuss questions, relate details from fiction and the real world (using text to support their thoughts) and connect aspects of fiction to aspects of real life. Students will compare characterization of the various characters in The Help and connect their understanding of characterization (direct and Indirect) by writing a short chapter for The Help from a perspective that is not offered in the narrative.
Vocabulary {exhort, flamboyant, foible, innocuous, magnanimous, masochist, meticulous, rancor, recrimination, repugnant}
Monday Jan 30
Piano Guys version of Fight Song/Amazing Grace: Students will analyze components of a music video: scenary,harmony, lyrics, intrumentation in order to discuss relevance, inspiration, and meaning; Ch. 15 Vocabulary wkst and sentences due
Tuesday Jan 31
Chapter discussion (9-11) for The Help: read Ch. 12; reintroduce words for tomorrow’s discussion and activity: disenfranchise, civil rights, entitlement, dehumanize, racism, and stereotype
Wednesday Feb 1
Students will use the following questions to analyze concepts from the reading, The Help. They’ll use their our thoughts to draw inferences and use textual and real life examples to support their assertions
The Help
Perspective and Point of View
1. Chapters in The Help are written from the perspective of three main characters: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. What would a chapter written from Hilly’s point of view look like/include? What information might the author have shared? Would it change the way readers identify with her? How does her need for control influence her words and actions?
2. Aibileen loses her son, Treelore, when he is just twenty-four years old. The author gives us a glimpse of her agony through Aibileen’s thoughts. “ That was the day my whole world went black” (Stockett 3). How does losing a child change a person’s world? How does it shape the remaining years of a person’s life? Does it impact that person’s ability to love?
3. Aibileen remarks early on that after the loss of her son, “A bitter seed was planted inside a me. And I just didn’t feel so accepting anymore” (3). How does that kind of tragic and intimate loss shape a person’s perception of the world in which they live? Does it provide a different lens from which to view the people around them? Other than bitterness, what feelings does loss lead Aibileen to?
4. How do “social norms” or what is deemed by the majority as socially acceptable supported and enforced by the legal system? How are civil rights upheld or stripped by the society in which one lives? How do the concepts of entitlement and disenfranchisement work in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s? Which characters play into the social norms? Which character are seen rejecting social norms?
5. Discuss the paradoxical nature of the slavery reminiscent situation of black women raising white children. Minny openly shares her thoughts about this odd predicament with her best friend, Aibileen saying, “ How we love they kids when they little. . . And then how they turn out just like they mamas” (150). How might Aibileen respond to that thought since she has raised so many children other than her own?
6. Hilly is a somewhat puzzling character because her treatment of some people is deplorable yet she is described as being a very loving mother. How is she able to so easily dehumanize others? Do you believe the time period in which she lives affects her view? How does the segregation of the town in which she lives give “ the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority” (King). How does this idea support Hilly’s sense of entitlement?
Thursday Feb 2
Students will share the work they did in groups during class on Wednesday. Students will define and explore characterization both direct and indirect. Also, we will discuss social structure in the 1960s, redeeming qualities of characters and people, and expectations that readers may have.
Friday Feb 3
Ch 16 Vocab. wskts; read Ch. 14 in The Help
Objectives: students will discover new words in order to use them effectively in speaking and writing and to correctly interpret their meaning when encountered in writing; Students will analyze components of a music video: scenary, lyrics, harmony.
Students will discuss questions, relate details from fiction and the real world (using text to support their thoughts) and connect aspects of fiction to aspects of real life. Students will compare characterization of the various characters in The Help.
Vocabulary: {adept, encompass, entrepreneur, eradicate, homogeneous, presumptuous, sordid, standardize, stint, stringent}
Monday Jan 23rdObjectives: students will discover new words in order to use them effectively in speaking and writing and to correctly interpret their meaning when encountered in writing; Students will analyze components of a music video: scenary, harmony, lyrics, intrumentation in order to discuss relevance, inspiration, and meaning
Ch. 14 Vocabulary wkst; Writing Prompt #8; read Ch. 8 of The Help; Exit question: What most intrigues you about the time period of the novel. Create/ask a question that illustrates your thoughts
Tuesday Jan 24th
Discuss and share exit ideas and questions; Discuss Ch. 6 and 7 of The Help; read Ch. 8
Wednesday Jan 25th
Examine words in the “news.” What do these words mean? Define: dehumanize, objectify, potus, downtrodden, refugee, civil rights, entitlement, disenfranchise. Venn diagram { How does these ideas we see today relate to people, events, and cultural “norms” in The Help.} Students will complete a 3-2-1 Activity for Ch. 8 and Ch. 9.
Thursday Jan 26th
Discuss Ch. 8 and 9. Discuss student findings from 3-2-1 activities. Turn to shoulder partner and share the most interesting thing you learned from each chapter. Exit ticket: Make a prediction about the plot of this story.
Friday Jan 27th
Ch. 15 Vocabulary Study {connoisseur, conspiracy, contrite, cursory, distraught, germane, lucid, plight, symmetrical, and verbose}
read Ch. 10 and 11 of the The Help
Objectives: Students will illustrate and compare our contempory issues to those in The Help:
dehumanize, objectify, potus, downtrodden, refugee, civil rights, entitlement, disenfranchise. Venn diagram Students will discover new words in order to use them effectively in speaking and writing, and to correctly interpret their meaning when encountered in reading.
Tuesday Jan 17th
Ch. 13 Vocabulary due
Students will do a 3-2-1 Activity (3 Observations, 2 questions, 1 inference or prediction) for Ch. 4 and 5 of The Help
We will use student findings to discuss Ch. 4 and 5
Wednesday Jan 18th
Discuss Ch. 6 and 7 of The Help and relate findings to the exit questions posted
Thursday Jan 19th
Discuss Ch. 6 of The Help
Friday Jan 20th
Vocabulary Ch. 14 study
time to write for the writing project
Objectives:
students will write using a quotation and writing prompt; students will continue to read The Help; students will examine criteria for semester Writing Project
Monday Jan. 9th
Students will reflect upon and project writing skills and reading skills for the spring semester:
When you consider your writing abilities, what are your strengths? What areas need honing?
{Ideas and Content, organization, sentence fluency, voice development, conventions, word choice}
What are your strengths as a reader? What area need practice or improvement? Where do you spend time reading? Do you prefer to be read to?
Ch. 1 Discussion of The Help. . . Identify characters: Aibileen Clark, Elizabeth Leefolt (Mae Mobley and Raleigh), Hilly Holbrook, Skeeter Phelan, Celia Foote, and Minnie Jackson.
Tuesday Jan 10th
Ch. 2 Activity 3-2-1 (Using action verbs for the verb choice, create 3 observations, ask 2 questions, and make 1 inference or prediction)
partner share findings
Wednesday Jan 11th
Finish Ch 2 (The Help) Discussion; begin chapter 3 together to look at dialect and dialogue; Why are chapters told from various perspectives? Why might an author choose to utilize this technique? Or not to use this technique? Whose perspectives are shared? Whose perspectives are omitted? Why?
Thursday Jan 12th
The Help Ch. 3 3-2-1 submitted for a grade. S.A. prompt # 6; read Ch. 4 of The Help
Friday Jan 13th
Vocabulary Ch. 13 wksts {advocate, antipathy, emancipate, idiosyncrasy, imminent, impede, inclusive, jurisdiction, precarious, and preposterous}; read Ch. 5 of The Help
Objectives: students will write about their short term and long term goals; students will examine concepts presented in a specific work of literature: stereoytyping, bigotry, justice and fairness, the dangers of preconceived notions; students will study vocabulary to help them understand new words to increase their vocabulary
Wednesday Jan. 4-6
Using writing to work on goal setting, developing gratitude and positivity,
Objective: students will set short and long term goals
Simple Abundance Quotations
And now let us welcome the New year
Full of things that have never been.
Rainer Maria Rilke
You only live once—but if you work it right, once is enough.
--Joe E. Lewis
Prompt #1 Describe some things you wish to accomplish in your lifetime. Explore and discuss some goals you have for yourself, both short term and long term.
. . . time is the New Year’s bountiful blessing: three hundred sixty-five bright mornings and starlit evenings; fifty-two promising weeks; twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities; and four splendid seasons. . . a year to be savored.
--S. B. Breathnach
Prompt #2 Share some of the things or events you are most looking forward to in the months ahead (or perhaps the year ahead). Describe them in terms of the five senses: what can be seen, tasted, heard, smelled, and felt.
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.
--Robert Louis Stevenson
Prompt #3 Consider and discuss what makes you happy. Where are you? Who are you with? What activities are you participating in?
It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time upon this earth—and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up—that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
--Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Prompt #4 If you had only one day to live, from dawn until the stars fully lit the night sky, what would you do? Fully describe that day—events, atmosphere, who you’d spend time with, etc.
Simple Abundance Quotations
Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.
--Woman’s Home Companion, December 1935
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
--Helen Keller
Prompt #5 Convey the potential of having a positive attitude. Share what pessimism can do to a school, a class, a relationship of any kind.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
--Melody Beattie
Prompt# 6 Right here, today, in this very moment, share what and who you’re most thankful for. Be specific as to the reason. Be generous where you spread your gratitude.
Your diamonds are not in the far distant mountains or in yonder seas: they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.
--Russell H. Conwell
Prompt #7 Describe the treasures in your own life. They might be tangible items, or intangibles, like talents, hobbies, or relationships.
Complaining about something without offering a solution is just called whining
--anonymous
Prompt #8 How often do you find yourself in this situation? Do you feel that the quotation is accurate—why or why not? Can you observe this in others? If you do, how does it make you feel???
Monday Dec. 12th
Discuss p. 25-35 of The Alchemist; define alchemy and infidel on board
read The Alchemist up to page 65
Alchemist writing #2 : “’. . .The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon’” (Coelho 32). Write a paragraph that explains what you think this quotation means.
For Parts One and Two, do the following reading focus activity---think about and write
3 observations
2 questions
1 inference or prediction
Tuesday Dec 13th
Ch 9 vocabulary wksts due
Ch. 10 Vocabulary wksts
Discuss alchemist writing #2
Wednesday Dec 14th
3-2-1 activities for parts one and two due
read p. 65-123 in The Alchemist
Thursday Dec 15th
Ch. 10 Vocabulary wksts due
Ch. 11 Vocabulary wksts
Friday Dec 16th
finish The Alchemist
Monday Nov. 28th
Discuss and explain persuasive elements from Letter from Birmingham Jail that can be applied to any kind of persuasive writing
Discuss how those elements would be used, specifically, in a business letter format
Tuesday Nov. 29th
Model business letter with two examples of persuasive business letters, one to Eddie Bauer and one to Mike and Charlie’s
highlight persuasive elements in letter
Wednesday Nov. 30th
brainstorm ideas of who one could write a persuasive business letter to
Business letter format and critera---Persuasive Business Letter due Wednedsay, December 9th
Thursday Dec 1st
STAR test in the library
Friday Dec 2nd
Vocabulary Ch. 7
read The Alchemist p. 1-20
Monday Nov. 14th
Ch 5A vocabulary study
finish reading TKAM
Tuesday Nov. 15th
read Martin Luther King Jr. Letters from Birmingham Jail and mark persuasive points and persuasive language
Discussion TKAM
Talk about persuasive writing
Wednesday Nov. 16th
Letter from Birmingham Jail—discuss persuasive elementshu
TKAM Discussion
Thursday Nov. 17th
To Kill a Mockingbird Test
Friday Nov. 18th
Business Letter types—who could you write to? can you write from someone else’s perspective? how can i make my letter persuasive???
prepare for Vocabulary test Ch 1A-5A on Monday
Objective: illustrate persuasive element in writing throught MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail—preparation for persuasive business letter
Monday Nov 7th
finish writing marathon workshop
Tuesday Nov 8th
no school
Wednesday Nov 9th
finish Tuesdays with Morrie
Thursday Nov. 10th T
Discuss ch.17-20
Friday Nov. 11th
AP Government Literacy Test
Discuss upcoming test—To Kill a Mockingbird test on Thursday
Vocabulary Test Ch 1-5A on Nov 21st
October 31st
Halloween Writing Marathon
From prompts/sentence starters posted around my room, choose the ones you like to create two pages of creative (descriptive) writing. You might like one prompt and decide to write a story. -or- You might like four different sentence starters (prompts), and write four descriptive paragraphs. Remember to include:
action verbs, vivid adjectives, variety of word choice—vary sentence beginnings, possibly include alliteration and/or assonance, description that illustrates imagery---possibly personification, metaphor, or simile. Have fun writing!
Tuesday November 1st
finish writing from marathon; peer edit the writing; create a word wall of action verbs; edit verb choice—typed coy due Thursday, Nov. 3rd
read To Kill a Mockingbird Ch. 17 and 18
Wednesday November 2nd
Discuss ch. 12-16 of TKAM; continue to work on improving the writing
Thursday November 3rd
writing due: read Ch. 19 and 20 of TKAM
Reading Focus--character analysis
Tom Rpbinson—Discuss Tom’s personality traits as well as his physical ablilities and limitations. Question: How do Tom’s characteristics (author’s intent) influence your perspective of his guilt or innocences in the court case?
Mayella Ewell---Discuss Mayella’s living circumstances and her emotional well-being. Question: How do Mayella’s environment and her emotional stability influence your perspective of the charges brought forward in this case?
Friday November 4th
Writing Marathon workshop/share time
Monday Oct. 24th
TKAM #3 (to be started now and continued as the narrative progresses)
How do Scout and Jem view their father? As a support, a protector, a friend, a moral guide, a “brick wall” ? How do they perceive their his role in the community? Does their perception shift as they learn his impending court case? Do they understand their father’s view of his own client, of his responsibilites and obligations, and the current system?
Using textual examples, as well as your own thoughts, consider and share your perspective regarding the Finch children and their father. Later we will write more about your pereception of your own parents and your understanding of the roles they play in the world.
Discuss TKAM up to part 2
Tuesday Oct. 25th
Read Ch. 12 and 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Wed Oct. 26th
read Ch. 14, 15, and 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Thursday Oct 27th
Discuss Ch. 12and 13 TKAM
Writing reminders: use action verbs whenever possible, use transition words to begin new paragraphs (create a list together), vary sentence beginnings within paragraphs, comma rule*, use one main idea per paragraph and support it
j.w. #4 (Using the tips above) Write a paragraph in which you describe a foreign place.
Friday Oct. 28th
Ch. 3A Vocab. wksts {coalesce, decadence, exemplary, exuberance, incidental, insolvent, parsimonious, prodigal, surreptitious, writhe}
Objectives: to improve student vocabulary through word study, practice, and reading; to bring a classic story to the lives of students in a relatable way. Ex. this familial relationship and its dynamics can help us to better understand our own families and relationships.
GQ: How do we view the roles our own parents play in life?
Monday Oct 17th
Ch. 2A Vocab due
Discuss Ch. 5 and 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Discuss the world today vs. the world of the story—discuss race relations in the south in the 1930s and compare with today’s world, social injustices, current events and movements
Tuesday Oct !8th
Discuss Ch. 7 and 8 of TKAM
Discuss close reading assignment from last week:
Discuss the role Miss Maudie plays in the narrative and in the life of the protagonist, Scout Finch.
Wednesday Oct 19th
National Testing Day—students will take the ASPIRE (9th) or Pre ACT, Pre SAT, ASVAB (10th)
Thursday and Friday Oct 20th and 21st
no school for students
Monday Oct 10th
Vocab. Test Ch. 1-5
read Ch. 4 and 5 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Tuesday Oct 11th
Discuss To Kill a Mockingbird ch. 1-5: main characters, story line, social implications of a book written in the 1960s about the rural south in the1930s.
Wednesday Oct 12th
pararphrasing activity with printed articles; discuss the importance of being able to paraphrase and seemlessly lead into quotations
Thursday Oct 13th
Friday Oct 14
Ch. 7 Vocabulary wkst {equivocate, fortuitous, impeccable, liaison, predisposed, propensity, reprehensible, sham, solace, solicitous}
Objectives: to help students relate a classic novel and its issues to the years that followed in our culture: to improve student vocabulary
GQ How does Atticus’ perspective of others different from the other residents of Maycomb, Alabama?
Monday Oct 3rd
time to write (The Last Lecture essay)
Tuesday Oct 4th
time to write (The Last Lecture essay)
Ch. 4 and Ch 5 Vocab wksts--due
Discuss upcoming vocabulary test—Test is Friday, October 7th
Wednesday Oct 5th
library time to write and peer edit essays
Thursday Oct 6th
The Last Lecture essays are due.
read Ch. 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Friday Oct 7th
read Ch 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird
Vocabulary Test Ch. 1-5
Objectives: to improve student vocabulary; to introduce a literary classic with many social and cultural issues
Monday Sept 26th
Ch. 4 Vocabulary wksts and sentences due
Discuss LL Questions 25-30
Discuss the last 15 Ch. of The Last Lecture
Begin talking about The Last Lecture essay that will be assigned later this week
Tuesday Sept 27th
Assign The Last Lecture Essay—discuss requirements, quotations, etc.--due Thursday, Oct. 6th
view Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
Wednesday Sept 28th
view Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
Thursday Sept 28th
view Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
Friday Sept 29th
Ch 4 and Ch 5 Vocab wksts---due Tuesday
{berate, estrange, euphoric, impetuous, infallible, maudlin, regress, relinguish, ubiquitous, zenith}
{charlaan, corroborate, disseminate,diverge, dormant, hoist, illicit, irrevocable, precipitate, proliferation}
Objective: to improve and expand student vocabulary and word choice; make real world connections with the story
Guiding Question: Will Randy’s word’s impact a live audience? What did you learn/discover/ realize by reading The Last Lecture?
Monday Sept 19
no school
Tuesday Sept 20
preparation for future research time in library: Mrs. Reed will spend time showing students professional databases to access for credible research and documentation.
Wednesday Sept 21
read The Last Lecture ch. 45-47. Discuss a gratitude list.
Ch. 1 (junior level vocabulary-we will be transitioning to more challenging vocabulary words as the semester progresses as well as next semester)
read The Last Lecture Ch. 48-54
Thursday Sept 22
read The Last Lecture Ch. 55-the end of the book independently
LL Question #26-30
Friday Sept 23
Ch. 4 Vocab wksts
{brevity, clemency, frivolous, heist, lampoon, querulous, reproach, respite, torpor, unscathed}
Write an original sentence for each Ch 4 Vocabulary word.
Objectives: to improve student vocabulary and word choice, to connect a piece of non-fiction writing to the lives of the students—real world connections, to improve student writing through the process of rewriting
Guiding Question: How do the ideas in the story relate to your own childhood dreams?
Monday Sept 26th
Ch. 4 Vocabulary wksts and sentences due
Discuss LL Questions 25-30
Discuss the last 15 Ch. of The Last Lecture
Begin talking about The Last Lecture essay that will be assigned later this week
Tuesday Sept 27th
Assign The Last Lecture Essay—discuss requirements, quotations, etc.--due Tuesday, Oct. 4th
time to write
Wednesday Sept 28th
The Last Lecture Essay ---time to write
Thursday Sept 28th
paraprasing activity with printed article
Friday Sept 29th
Ch 4 and Ch 5 Vocab wksts---due Tuesday
Monday Sept 12
read The Last Lecture ch. 27 and 28
LL question # 17 From start to finish, describe the perfect day.
Tuesday Sept 13th
Look at verb choice and adjective in LL question # 17 (perfect day writing). Mrs. Hying will provide an example paragraph. Then students will rewrite their pargraphs to create better verb and adjective choices.
read The Last Lecture ch. 29 and 30
Wednesday Sept 14th
Share LL #17
read The Last Lecture ch. 31-40
Thursday Sept 15th
j.w. #4 At this point what advice would you offer Randy?
read The Last Lecture ch. 41-44 for Monday—due Monday
LL questions #18-25—due Monday
Friday Sept 16th
Ch. 1 (advanced-junior) vocabulary study {affinity, fledgling, hackneyed, incessant, opulence, proximity, sagacious, supplant, unassailable, voluminous}
The Last Lecture Questions
LL#1 What are your childhood dreams?
LL#2 Discuss some of the roles you play in life.
LL#3 Who are the extraordinary people that have influenced your life?
LL#4 Consider how you process information--what is your learning style?
LL #5 In what ways do you feel lucky or fortunate?
LL#6 Discuss the aspects that you like about your own parents.
LL#7 What do you bring to the table? In other words, what are some of your assets/great qualities that others may find valuable?
LL#8 Who is your toughest critic? Put a star by that person’s name if they are also your hero.
LL#9 Is there anyone that is a “voice in your head?”
LL #10 What is something that you know nothing or only a little about that you’d like to learn more about?
LL#11 a. Describe a place you’d like to go someday.
b. Tell me about a person you’d like to meet someday.
LL # 12 What is life all about for you?
LL#13 What characteristic(s) do you possess that may hinder you or your ability to succeed in the future?
LL #14 What is your "brick wall" (obstacle)?
LL#15 What wonderful things have happened in the last year?
LL#16 Discuss if you've had a difficult time telling the truth.
LL#17 What would a perfect day look like for you? (describe from morning until bedtime)
LL#18 How well are you able to assess yourself (behavior, abilities, etc.)?
LL#19 Have you ever had an experience (vacation, etc.) that has vastly exceeded your expectations?
LL#20 What is your favorite story that you've had read to you or one that you read as a young person?
LL#21 Today, what's your big dream? Can it become a reality? How?
LL#22 Discuss a compromise you've had to make.
LL#23 Do you consider yourself a complainer or a non-complainer??? List the complainers in your life. How do they make you feel?
LL#24 Write a thank you letter.
LL#25 Discuss the importance of expressing gratitude.
LL#26 Tell me about an apology you've had to make.
LL#27 Tell me about a smell that reminds you of your childhood.
LL#28 How do you measure your successes in life?
LL#29 Discuss the power of positive thinking.
LL#30 How can you become more a communitarian.
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