Monday, September 17, 2012

Today, We discussed the letter you wrote (briefly) and they were handed back. I then went over "The Little Business Man" questions with you. Some of you are having trouble understanding kinds of points of view, dymanic and static characters, and types of conflict. You must review your terminology handout to do this one correctly.
I then gave you a handout on personality traits (we also discussed what "antonym" means) and then we created a chart (Name of character/personality trait (from the list)/evidence (from the story: p. and Paragraph). I explained that usually, the goal is to come up with three personality traits for each character and three pieces of evidence for each trait.
I then gave you today's assignment which is as follows:
Using one of these characters (Uncle Henry, Aunt Helen, or Luke), create a personality chart giving three personality traits with three pieces of evidence each.
These are due for tomorrow.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Today, you will write a good copy of your business letter (this was assigned yesterday).

These must be completed by the end of class so that I can review them on the weekend and decide what to do with them for Monday.

Remind them also to check their portfolios as the answers to “The Little Business Man have been returned to them.

If you weren’t here and didn’t do these questions, come up to me for an alternate set of questions to complete.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Today,you wrote your in-class essay for the novel unit. Tomorrow, you will write your unit exam on novels (comprehension: M.C.).

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Today, we reviewed essay writing. I have pasted the notes below:

·         Essay questions consist of topic words (like “adversity”, or “hardship”) which you must address in the paper

·         You are also expected to tell us the author’s opinion about the topic – NOT yours

·         The first step is to identify the key words

·         The 2^nd step is to chart the story in relation to the topics given

·         3^rd step is to look at the question again and see if it is answerable (answer it writing a thesis statement: Start with “sometimes” but then cross it out).

·         Using the chart, plan out the order of your body paragraphs (label them) keeping in mind that you can move them later to be sequential

·         For your title, use the key words in the essay question

·         Make sure your title is bolded and centred with all words over three letters capitalized (as well as the first word)

·        

·         If typing, italicize major works (novels, textbooks, movies, plays, Shakespeare)

·         If writing by hand, underline major works

·         Make sure your title is in the same font as your paper (12 point, Times New Roman)

·         Don’t underline ANYTHING ON YOUR PAPER IF YOU ARE TYPING!!!!!

·         Double space your whole essay with no extra padding around paragraphs or titles

·         Indent new paragraphs

Introductory Paragraph

Sentence One: Attention getter about TOPIC. (anecdote, quote explained, opinion you plan to challenge, little known striking fact, general statement about human nature, definition)

Sentence Two: Attention getter continued (explain connection to topic)

Everyone in this world has connected with others at one point or another. Obviously, the fact that we are here means we were connected to another through the ambilical cord.

Sentence Three: Introduce the text (genre, author, title, overview of the work as a whole).

In the allegorical novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, we are introduced to animals attempting to successfully run a farm without human involvement.

Sentence four, five and six: Summary of the text as it will relate to supporting your thesis.

Sentence four: Two boys attempt to take on the leadership role but the one who does has the majority of support.

Sentence five: The boys on the island all long for safety and security due to their young ages and inability to lead themselves.

Sentence six: One boy in particular has the knowledge to help the others, but isn’t always respected for this due to his disabilities; in the end, this leads to a catastrophic outcome.

Sentence seven: Thesis (an arguable opinion about the topic). You could also include the main points here if you want.

Through the boys’ experiences, we can ascertain that personal connections are very important.

Everyone in this world has connected with others at one point or another. Obviously, the fact that we are here means we were connected to another through the umbilical cord. In the allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, by George Orwell, we are introduced to a group of boys attempting to successfully survive without adults on an isolated island. Two boys attempt to take on the leadership role but the one who does has the majority of support. The boys on the island all long for safety and security due to their young ages and inability to lead themselves without adults to ensure the rules are being followed. One boy in particular has the knowledge to help the others, but isn’t always respected for this due to his disabilities; in the end, this leads to a catastrophic outcome. Through the boys’ experiences, we can ascertain that personal connections are very important to our survival.

.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Today, you worked on your major assignments.

Monday, April 16 to Friday, April 20, 2012

I am away this week. You will be working on your major assignment. For details on expectations and dates, see the blogger from Friday, April 13.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Today, we finished watching To Kill a Mockingbird. You then worked on your major assignments. I have decided to cut your major assignment in the following ways:
Layered activities C: It was 60 points. I am shortening it to 30 points.
Layered activities B: It was 20 points. I am shortening it to 10 points.
This should take a bit of the load off.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Today, you were given your major unit assignment which has a number of steps to it.
If you were not here, this is in your portfolio.
The due dates for the various assignments are Monday, April 23, for any assigment which must be presented, and Wednesday, April 25 for those assignments which are written.
We then began watching the film To Kill a Mockingbird.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Today, you were assigned the questions and readings for over the holidays. You are to read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and answer questions up to and including chapter 14 (you can answer them all if you choose, but these will be the ones we will discuss the day we get back. The rest will be completed over the course of the unit).

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Today, you were to work on questions for the novel To Kill a Mockingbird (as many of you haven't finished up to chapter 14). If you were finished with these questions, you were to move on to the rest of the questions.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Today, you were to discuss the answers you had for questions for chapters 1 to 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird (which you were to have read over the holidays).

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Today, we finished fixing a mistake on the exam we wrote yesterday, marked the exam, and then I introduced the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. We talked about prejudice, point of view, the importance of setting in the story, what autobiographical means, and the racial/economic situation in Alabama during the 1930s. You are to have chapter one read by tomorrow so we can discuss it.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Today, you wrote your poetry unit exam. You also signed out the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This will be your holiday reading.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Today, we discussed the poetry unit exam you will write tomorrow. Here are some of the specifics I mentioned that you need to know:
Any terms, rhyme schemes, or rhyme patterns found in your "Everything You Need to Know About Poetry... " booklet.
The steps on how to actively read a poem in a NON TEST SITUATION:
what do do the first time (examine title, count stanzas and lines, do end rhyme scheme, highlight punctuation and read)
what to do the second time (highlight unfamiliar words, look up meanings and put them on the page, highlight figurative language)
what to do the third time (paraphrase passages, summarize the work at the bottom, determine who the speaker is from the evidence presented in the poem)

You will also be asked to outline the seven sentence introductory paragraph as you have had it presented to you in class. These notes are present in earlier blogs, but I will list them in an abridged form for you here
Sentence 1: Attention getter
Sentence 2: explain how attention getter ties to topic
Sentence 3: Introduction of text (author, genre, overview)
Sentence 4: summary of text as it pertains to one of your main points
Sentence 5: Summary of text as it pertains to another one of your main points
Sentence 6: Summary of text as it pertains to another one of your main points
Sentence 7: Thesis

This test will have three poems that you will have to read actively (but with your eye on the clock so you can fit this in!)

March 23, 2012

Today, we finished watching the presentations. I then had the students pull out literary assignment 2. We went over a number of the statements looking for literary devices. Their homework is to finish this off, locating literary devices in the sentences we didn't hit on. In addiiton to this, I explained what apostrophe means in the FIGURATIVE sense (to talk to someing that is not there like it is). One of the students brought up the example of getting yelled at by a parent, having them leave the room and then talking as if they were still there (telling them what you REALLY want to say). This is indeed an example of apostrophe (apostrophize, apostrophizing).

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Today, we started to watch the student presentations of their poetry/lyric analysis. This will take two days to complete.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Today, you worked on your poetry analysis presentation. We will start to see them tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Today, those who came worked on their poetry analysis assignment. We will change the presentation dates to Thursday and Friday. The rest of the dates will stay the same.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Today, you were given the whole class time to work on your poetry analysis assignment which you will have to present on March 21 and 22. I will be giving you tomorrow to work on it also. The goal is to have it done in rough fashion today so we can reveiw it tomorrow to ensure you have everything for your presentation. The following are dates you should know and they are finalized (so, if you are missing days, you'll know what you missed). We will review terms on Friday, discussing those sentences I gave you at the start to figure out what literary devices are present. We will go through another poetry reading and discuss how to best answer multiple choice questions on Monday, so you are better prepared for this type of exam. Then, on Tuesday, you will write your Poetry reading Comprehension Multiple choice exam and then take out the novel To Kill a Mockingbird as it will be the novel we will do for your novel study.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Today, we reviewed poetry analysis. You then formed your groups for your major assignment, chose your lyrics and told me, found the lyrics, and then properly formatted them and printed them out. You then started to create a biography of the band/writer or teh lyrics so you can share it with us as part of your presentation. For Monday, be sure to bring in poster paper so you can lay your poem out and start your poetry analysis.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Today, I handed out your major assignment for this unit and discussed it. I then gave a lecture on how to read a poem, using the poem "Did I Miss Anything?" as the basis for the exemplar students created. Students MUST HAVE their four highlighters for this unit as all will indeed be used and are needed.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Today, I gave a more formal introduction to the poetry unit. We discussed the purpose of poetry as well as the history. You then paired up and began work on a worksheet in which you had to identify various figurative devices (I didn't expect this to be complete today, nor is it homework. We will return to it later. In fact, if you save it in your portfolio it will be easily accessible).

Monday, March 12, 2012

Today, I introduced the poetry unit. You were given a handout entitled "The Least You should know about poetry" and one entitled "Introduction to Poetry." You are to answer the questions on this latter sheet using the booklet as an aid.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Today, you wrote out your essay. This was due at the end of class and should be marked by the end of next week. We will start the poetry unit on Monday.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Today, you wrote your outline for your short story unit exam critical/analytical essay. This is NOT a take home essay. The outline was to be done IN CLASS today and the essay must be written IN CLASS tomorrow. If you were absent today, you will still have to write the essay in class tomorrow (unless a parent called in for you and the absense was recorded as "excused" prior to class, of course).

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Today, you wrote your short story unit comprehension exam.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Today (Block 4) we discussed capitalization, which was one of the areas of concern to appear on your essays. We then did an exercise to hopefully assist you in understanding the rules better.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Today, we discussed some of the problems you are having with essay writing. I have pasted the notes below. As an overview, the unit exam (comprehension multiple choice) has been moved to Wednesday, and the in-class essay (which is normally a secured, one day exam) has been extended to two days (Thursday and Friday) but must be done in class (it is NOT a take home).

Essay Concerns
· Titles must be about the topic NOT the story.
o “The Little Business Man” Essay (WRONG)
o The Importance of Quick Thinking (RIGHT)
· The introductory paragraph must have an attention getter about topic NOT story.
· The paper MUST BE double-spaced!
· Papers MUST Be written on one side only
· Must be written in dark blue or black ink (NOT PENCIL!)
· Indent new paragraphs, except the first one
· Make sure you put quotation marks around every reference to the short story
· When you use a name (ie: Sam Carter), Use the full name on first reference, then only the last name thereafter (except if mentioned in the conclusion).
· When writing out numbers, they are to be spelled out up to and including ninety-nine.
o Eg: Luke, a 12-year- old boy (WRONG)
o Luke, a twelve-year-old boy (CORRECT)
· Avoid using “You” in an essay!!!!!!!! (it can turn the reader off if not used correctly).
· …Change the "you" to "one" or use "him/he or her/she" to vary the pronouns. Or, if personal, use “I” (see Fit to Print Pages 188-189 & 199-202)
· Be sure to refer to the pronoun of a person as “who” not “that” or “which”
· An exclamation mark is for an extreme emotion (excitement!!!!). Avoid using it in an essay because, well, most of what you have to say is NOT that exciting (yes, I jest… sort of).
· Do not use “In my opinion”, or “I believe” in your essay. You can cut these words out and the sentence will still work.
o Eg: In my opinion, homework should be outlawed. (WRONG)
o Homework should be outlawed. (CORRECT)
· We need to work on capitals and comma usage

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Today, you marked the answers for "The Possibility of Evil." Any time left over was for studying your terminology.
·

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

English 10: Block One
Today, you were to finish up your questions on the short story “The Possibility of Evil” from yesterday.
You were then given the handout “How to Use Capitalization correctly” which was read as a class.
You then had to answer the questions and hand them in

English 10: Block Two
No class today due to an early dismissal. Be sure to get your questions on the short story "The possibility of Evil" completed for tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Today, you were given questions to answer on the short story "The Possibility of Evil.”
You were to answer these questions using the computer and to do so on your own.
If you finished early, you were to study your terminology (you have already been provided with a list, which is on blue paper and in the form of questions).

If you have me in the fourth block class, you may not have enough computers to do the assignment on one. If this is the case, remember that you must write in dark blue or black ink (not pencil) and only write on one side of the page.

I am inserting the questions here for those who are absent.

“The Possibility of Evil”: Questions

1. How many paragraphs are in this short story (be sure to number them in pencil for future reference)? Which two appear to start differently in formatting than the rest? How are they different?
2. What is Miss Strangeworth’s first name? How old is she?

3. What is the most time that Miss Strangeworth has ever spent outside of her town?

4. What evidence, from the grocery store, does the author give to prove that Miss Strangeworth is well known in her town?

5. What did Miss Strangeworth think that Mrs. Harper could use to help out with her aging process? Define what you think the product is or is used for.

6. What didn’t Miss Strangeworth like what about Miss. Chandler?

7. Describe the paper that Miss Strangeworth used to write her letters on. How does it contrast with Miss Strangeworth’s usual stationary? Why does she have to have two types?

8. Summarize Miss Strangeworth’s suggestion (letter) to Mrs. Foster.

9. Read the story over. This time, highlight all the examples of foreshadowing that you can find. Write down two examples of foreshadowing that the author used to hint that Miss Strangeworth’s character might not be all that normal.

10. What is the setting of this short story (include general location as well as specific)?
11. List and explain all of the conflicts present in this story (look at each character mentioned in order to do this).
12. What is the point of view of this story?
13. What is the theme? Give proof of your theme
14. Why does Miss Strangeworth send letters to people?
15. Create a chart like the one below. Place in the names of three characters (other than Miss Strangeworth). Try to provide three characteristics and three examples/proof for each of your conclusions.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Today, you were given the handout “Lesson : Getting the Essential Information”.
As a class, you read this actively (which is what this reading is all about)
When finished, you were given the short story “The Possibility of Evil.”
While you started reading this actively today, you would not have finished the task. You will get more time to read it tomorrow but, if you are a slower reader, you may want to work on it a bit tonight.

Friday, February 24, 2012

This was an odd group due to the assembly. In both classes, however, the same assignments were given (one lost out on independent novel reading time and on marking).
· You were given your “Jezebel Jessie” assignment back (with the exception of three of you) as you didn't follow the instructions. Check out what I highlighted, fix it, and resubmit.
You were given the handout worksheet/explanation on active/passive voice and an exercise to complete.
You were given a hand out exercise on weak verbs and strong verbs.
These were to be completed and handed in (by Monday if you were in the last block)
If you were not here, they are in your file folder.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Today, you handed in “Skating Party” questions from yesterday (into the “in” box). You were then given the handout entitled “Answering Multiple Choice Questions Successfully”.
· The purpose of this reading is to prepare you further to engage in multiple choice exams (so you needed to pay attention as that is also what you worked on today)
You were then given the handout reading “Jezebel Jessie” which you needed to read actively (paraphrasing, highlighting 5ws and key points, looking up and defining unknown words)
You were then given the multiple choice questions to answer
These were to be done by the end of class.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Today, you were given questions to answer on the short story "The Skating Party". This consisted of two handouts: one with the questions and a definition of characterization; the other with two character maps on them. These need to all be completed for tomorrow (the maps are explained in the questions).
If you were not here, I have pasted the questions below. You can answer them all at home EXCEPT 5.

“The Skating Party”: Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer these questions fully with a partner. Be sure to put both names in the header and type them in.


1. Who is the narrator of this story?

2. Who told the narrator how their place got its name?

3. Discuss how and why Uncle Nathan might be very similar to the stone man.

4. During the discussion of the removal of the stone man, Uncle Nathan is asked if he would have chosen wheat or stones. What does he say?

5. Using the two-sided Character Map, map out the two sisters as far as their traits are concerned (one character on one side; one character on the other side). Be sure to consider such things as dress, mannerism, speech, attitudes, peculiarities, and treatment of others.

6. Based on the information you collected on the character maps, which character do you “like” the best? Why?

7. Explain the irony of the ending of the story.

8. With your partner, discuss whether Uncle Nathan made the right choice. Use evidence from the story to support your point of view (write a well evidenced paragraph to support your paired decision).

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Today, you were given time to catch up on the reading you were to have completed on the weekend, to study terminology, or to finish your essay (which was to be handed in at the beginning of class). I have some concerns about homework. Reading (such as the short story assignment) is generally homework, as many students read at different speeds. It would be unfair to force students to sit for a half an hour while others play catchup. As such, I explained at the beginning of this course that you will be expected to read a minimum of two hours a week outside of class. This means class readings as well as your independent novel. Keep this in mind as to not do your readings will affect your mark.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Today you were to hand in your essay. You were then to read the short story "The Skating Party." you are to have this actively read for Tuesday.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Today, you will start writing your first critical/analytical essay. You will be given the question and will have today and tomorrow to work on it (in class). You can use your notes, short story, and Fit to Print text. In other words, you can use anything at your disposal EXCEPT peers or other people.
In addition, keep in mind that, in a formal essay such as this, you are not to use the pronouns "I" or "you" but can use any of the others (pages 188 and 189 of Fit to Print will explain pronouns and how to use them if you are confused).
If you were not here, you will have to do it tomorrow (it is NOT a take home assignment).

Monday February 13, 2012

Today, you wrote a pre-text reading comprehension exam so that I can gain some understanding about your levels as far as multiple choice exams are concerned. You were then given the reading "The Introduction: Getting off to a Good Start" which you are to have actively read for tomorrow's class.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Today, I handed out a sheet explaining the layout of a critical/analytical essay. It is on coloured paper (blue) to indicate that it is important and needs to stay in your binder throughout this course. We then discussed it in full, focusing on the introduction.
I also spent time reviewing the differences between topic, theme and premise.
Finally, I gave you a handout of terminology that you need to learn for this term (though much of it should be familiar). I am giving to you in a question/answer format so that you can get someone to help you study (they aske the questions, you answer).
I also want you to reread "The Little Business Man" for Monday . IF YOU WERE NOT HERE, ALL NOTES FROM THIS CLASS ARE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO.

Thursday, February 10, 2012

Today, we went over essay layout expections and what is expected in each paragraph. I then gave you an essay question and we worked on how to arrive at an answer using a simple charting format. As these were notes, I recommend making arrangements with another student to get photocopies (I did stick some notes in your portfolio, but they lack the benefit of the discussion).

Thursday, February 10, 2012

Today, we went over essay layout expections and what is expected in each paragraph. I then gave you an essay question and we worked on how to arrive at an answer using a simple charting format. As these were notes, I recommend making arrangements with another student to get photocopies.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Today, we discussed your answers for "The Little Business Man." The only one that we didn't discuss in depth was your plotline, which you must hand in.
For tomorrow, you must write a good paragraph answering the following:

Why did Morley Callaghan write this story (what message was he trying to get through to us)?

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Today, you wrote your first journal. I then had you all pair up and get on a computer. You had to sign in to Novel, save a Microsoft Word page, create a header, and then answer questions for the short story "The Little Business Man". These needed to be completed fully (flipping the question into the statement and answering them). We will discuss these tomorrow.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Today, you handed in your reading "The Little Business Man" so I could check to make sure you are reading actively. I then had you do a short story activity using a Pixar short and questions. If you were not here, ask a friend to fill you in.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Today, You were given the handout "Reading Strategies: The Short Story" which we read over as a class. You were then given the short story "The Little Businessman" to read over this weekend following the instructions provided in the handout.

Monday, February 1, 2012

Today, you were to hand in your letters of introduction. I then gave you a quiz on the course outline to see if you were paying attention. From here, I introduced the short story/essay unit. I handed out a booklet entitled "The History of the Short Story" which we read through actively as a class (paraphrase/highlight/define).

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Welcome to this class. Today, you are getting a course outline which includes a list of necessary supplies. I expect that you will have these by Tuesday, February 6. This gives you the long weekend to acquire them. I have also listed them here for quick reference:
Hilroy Exercise book, 32 pages (comes in packs of four with various colours
Pens (blue and black only)
pencils
Binder with dividers
Loose leaf paper
Highlighters (get a pack with four colours) THESE ARE A MUST
Flash drive (memory stick, USB, jump drive)
I also expect you to have an independent novel chosen from the list I have given you.
Your assignment for today is to write me a letter of introduction. I have provided you with one from myself to help you figure out what would be a good response. This is due for tomorrow.