Twenty-Third Class Period: MLA Format & Tall Tales (Thurs. Periods. 5 & 6; Fri. Periods. 1, 2, & 7)

Journal Prompt for Chapter 21 of The House on Mango Street, "The First Job": Describe the sexual harassment Esperanza experiences at her first job. What do you think Esperanza should have done in response? What would you do if this happened to you? Mr. Stone checked students rough drafts for minimum length. The final drafts of the short stories are to be between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pages long. Mr. Stone has made it clear that going shorter than the minimum length or longer than the maximum length will result in a deduction in the student's score. Mr. Stone will not read more than four pages. Mr. Stone reviewed the Modern Language Association format with the class. After the class briefly discussed tall tales, i.e. Paul Bunyan, students worked on completing a prewriting sheet for writing their own tall tale. Homework: Finish the tall tale prewriting sheet and type out a rough draft of your tall tale for the first period of next week. The student's tall tales should be no longer than a page-and-a-half long.

Dramatic Grade Changes

The first assignment in the writing category is now entering the grade. If a student does poorly on this assignment, his/her grade may go down as much as thirty-five percent. (It may go up dramatically, as well, if a student has done poorly in tests but does well in writing.) It is important to remember that additional assignments will quickly be added to this category and his/her grade can continue to change. Students should consider every assignment important; however, initial assignments in a grade calculated through weighted categories are particularly important. They have a significant impact on a student's grade until more assignments are added to that category.

Twenty-Second Class Period: Dialogue (Wed. Periods 5 & 6; Thurs. Periods 1, 2, & 7)

Students wrote in their journals in response to chapter twenty of The House on Mango Street, "Hips." Describe how Esperanza feels about the changes in her body? Quote from the text to support your answer. and respond to one or more of the following options to fulfill your half-page minimum: --Describe when and how you first found someone else attractive. --Describe the bodily change that most troubled you. --Describe the bodily change that brings you the most pride. --Describe the bodily change to which you are most looking forward. --Describe the bodily changes you have noticed in classmates since last year. Do not use names of other students in your description. Mr. Stone went over the rules for writing dialogue. Students received a handout listing the rules with examples. Homework: Complete rough draft of short story. The draft must be double-spaced typed using a 12-point font. The paper should be in the Modern Language Association Format. There should be one inch margins on all sides. (Be careful. Default settings for many word processing programs is 1.25 inches.) The entire document should be double-spaced. (Be careful. Check to make sure that your word processing program is NOT set to add an extra space after each paragraph.) Your last name and the page number should be right-justified in the header of each page. A heading should be made on the top right of the first page. The heading should be left justified. The heading's first line should be the student's first and last names. The heading's second line should be the teacher's name (Mr. Stone). The heading's third line should be the class for which the paper is written (English I, Period X). The headings fourth line should be the paper's due date written in the international date format (29 September 2011). The paper's title should be centered on the next line. (Remember that this entire paper is double-spaced.) Indentations should be a half an inch.

Twenty-First Class Period: Short Story Prewriting

Journal Entry: The House on Mango Street, Ch. 19, "Chanclas"

What are "cahnclas"? Why are they important to Esperanza? How does this specific story symbolize Esperanza's feelings about her life as a whole?

Students received a worksheet to prompt them in collecting the material and making the decisions necessary to write a short story.

Mr. Stone applied yesterday's lecture by discussing the basic elements of the students writing situation:

Purpose--to narrate/to tell a short story
Audience--Mr. Stone and classmates
Length--2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pages, double-spaced typed.

Homework for the next class period: Complete the short story prewriting sheet, except for theme.

Homework for the final class period of this week: Complete rough draft of short story. This draft should be typed.

Twentieth Class Period: The Writing Process

Journal Entry: THMS Ch. 18, "Rice Sandwich"

Describe how Esperanza is embarrassed. Then answer one of the following:

Have you ever been embarrassed by your lunch? Explain.

OR

Have you ever been embarrassed at school. Explain.


Students passed back graded papers. Afternoon classes received a grade printout. Morning classes will receive a grade printout tomorrow. (Note: Grades are constantly accessible online.)

Mr. Stone lectured on the writing process.

Homework: Memorize the five stages most commonly used to describe the writing process for a quiz tomorrow. (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, presenting)

First Quarter Book Report Canceled

The first quarter book report listed in the syllabus will not be required. English I students first book report will be completed during the second quarter.

Nineteenth Class: Point of View and Setting Test

Students took their point of view and setting test.

No Homework!

Eighteenth Class: Review Game (Per. 5 & 6 9/21; Per. 1, 2, & 7 9/22)

Students responded to chapter seventeen of The House on Mango Street, "The Family of Little Feet."

1. What item(s) could be symbols? (hint: related to their feet)

2. This symbol means slightly different things to different invidivduals or groups. Identify three and explain.

3. What happens to these items (symbols) at the end? Are the girls happy?

4. Which type of the item used symbolically in this chapter would best represent you?


Students completed review sheet and played a review game.

Homework: Prepare for tomorrow's test.

Seventeenth Class: Point of View and Setting Test Review (Per. 2, 5, & 6 on 9/20; Per. 1 & 7 on 9/21)

Students began class by journaling about chapter sixteen of The House on Mango Street, "And Some More." They described the three ways characters in the chapter classify (divide into group/label) clouds. What would be another way to classify clouds?

Students received a hard copy of the Point of View and Setting Test review sheet. Mr. Stone went over sections one to five.

Homework: Students should continue to study for the Point of View and Setting Test. They should complete the review sheet which will be collected at the time of the test.

Note: Nothing needs to be written on the first page of the review sheets, but pages two through six must be completed to receive full credit.

Sixteenth Class: Setting Review

Journal Prompt: THMS 15, Darius and the Clouds

Does Dairus think the cloud is God or a symbol of God? Explain.

Or

Esperanza says, "Still, we take what we can get and make the best of it." What does Esperanza seem to "get in life? What do you think she is making of "it"?


Or

Is Esperanza an optimist, a pessimist or a realist? Explain.


Students worked with the other members of their row to determine the geographic location, historical period, time of day, weather, and cultural milieu for their assigned story. Students began sharing their findings with the rest of the class. The class will finish this discussion tomorrow.

Homework: Continue to prepare for the Point of View and Setting Test. Periods 5 & 6 will take the test on Thursday. Periods 1, 2, & 7 will take the test on Friday.

Check for the study guide listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

Fifteenth Class: The Cask of Amontillado (Per. 5 & 6 on 9/15; Per. 1,2, & 7 on 9/16)

Students wrote in response to chapter fifteen of The House on Mango Street, "Alicia Who Sees Mice."

Mr. Stone gave a dramatic reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" with commentary.

Homework: Begin studying for the Point of View and Setting Test

Fourteenth Class: Test Results & The Invalid's Story (Per. 5 & 6 on 9/14; Per. 1, 2, & 7 on 9/15)

Students described in their journal the differences between strangers' perceptions of Esperanza's neighborhood and her own as depicted in chapter twelve of The House on Mango Street, "Those Who Don't." They also listed their own neighborhoods/cities/towns and their perceptions of how visitor view their own communities. They considered whether these perceptions were similar or different from their own.

After a brief discussion of the recent earthquake and prayer, students took a quiz over Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story."

Students reviewed their last test and completed a vocabulary and a grammar worksheet using excerpts from "The Invalid's Story."

Homework: Read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" (6).

Thirteenth Class: Setting in "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" (Per. 5 & 6 9/12; Per. 1 & 2 9/13; Per. 7 9/ 13)

Students wrote in their journals about Esperanza's mentor, Marin, in The House on Mango Street and about a mentor in their own life.

After Mr. Stone shared 1 Corinthians 11:24, the class took a quiz over "The Man to Send Rain Clouds.

Mr. Stone reviewed the basic parts of a story and the elements of setting. He emphasized the three functions of setting using examples from "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" and "Our Dead, Your Dead."

Students looked up "mood" and "symbol" in their textbook's glossary. Mr. Stone distributed grape juice and cornmeal in small paper cups to illustrate the clashing symbols in "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."

Homework: Read Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story" (596)

Twelfth Class: Your Dead Our Dead--A 9/11 Story

In response to the tenth chapter of The House on Mango Street, students wrote about a time in their lives when they enjoyed an experience like Esperanza's "joy ride." They explained whether they knew the experience was "against the rules" or dangerous and whether they or someone else involved got in trouble.

After Mr. Stone shared the text from Psalms that is the source for "If I Forget Thee, O Earth . . . ," the class took a quiz over the story.

Mr. Stone read aloud "Our Dead, Your Dead" by Kamila Shamsie. This story appeared Tuesday September 6, 2011 in the London newspaper The Guardian's series of 9/11 stories. Mr. Stone e xplained the five parts of setting at their role in the story.

Homework: Read "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" (590+)and review chapter eleven of The House on Mango Street.

Eleventh Class: Gerunds and Participles

Students responded to a journal prompt about chapter nine of The House on Mango Street, "Meme Ortiz."

After discussing the loyal qualities of Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson's dog Hawkeye, Mr. Stone prayed and the class took quizzes over "The Scarlet Ibis" and "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle."

Mr. Stone discussed gerunds and participles with the class. He also highlighted two spelling strategies and the mythological roots of a number of common words. Students worked on completing two grammar and two vocabulary worksheets.

Homework: Read "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth" (486).

Tenth Class: Reading

Students wrote about chapter eight of The House on Mango Street, "Gil's Furniture Bought & Sold."

In class, students read James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis" (554-564).

Homework: Read Joan Aiken's "Sonata for harp and Bicycle" (540-548). There will be a quiz over both stories next class.

Ninth Class: Plot and Character Test (Thursday: Periods 5 & 6; Friday: Periods 1, 2, & 7)

After a prayer, students completed a test over plot and character. They read Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs" after the test. Mr. Stone went over the five basic parts of a story (character, plot, setting, point of view, and theme)and went discussed second-person point of view in more detail.

No homework! Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!