Devotional Writing and Prewriting for 2nd Qtr Book Report

Quiz: pp. 711-718

Loma Linda Academy will be publishing a devotional book written by students this spring. Mr. Stone listed several suggested approaches:

Devotional

"The Hand of God"--Tell the story of a time you believe God worked in your life. Describe his intervention.

Mr. Stone noted examples of this story in contemporary Seventh-day Adventist publications, such as the Adventist Review, Insight, Guide Magazine, and Primary Treasure. He also noted Guideposts as a popular American publisher which feature such stories in such magazines as Guideposts, Mysterious Ways, and Angels on Earth. These devotional stories are historically rooted in the providence tales popular in Europe and America in the seventeenth century.

"Favorite Verse"--Tell the story of how and why a specific verse of the Bible became meaningful to you.

"Words of Wisdom"--Expound on the meaning and application of a proverb from the Bible.

Students need to write a rough draft of devotional in their journal. This devotional should be at least one-and-a-half pages long, single spaced.

Prewriting for 2nd Quarter Book Report

Students need to write two separate entries in their journal. The first entry should summarize in a paragraph of ten sentences the first half of the biography/autobiography they read. The second entry should summarize in another paragraph of ten sentences the second half of the biography/autobiography they read.

Students need to complete five lines of each of the four required prewriting tables. They need to fill out the topic (the the name of the person who is the subject of the book), the subtopic (the area of the book they are critiquing), and the three concrete detail cells (Describe the example passage from the book and list the page number on which is found).

Mr. Stone suggested the following possibilities for subtopics:

memorable stories/anecdotes
significant events in the subject's life
character traits
lessons learned
the historical context of the major events in the person's life
the primary geographical locations described in the book
the author's point of view on the person
the writer's style

Homework: Work on any of the work above so that you will be finished with these assignments by the end of the next class.

Act V: A Tragic Conclusion

Tuesday 17 December 2013 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 18 2013 for Periods 1 & 7

Students finished reading aloud the concluding act of Romeo and Juliet, Act V.

Mr. Stone defined tragedy and motive.

Students took an open-book quiz over Joan Didion's "Georgia O'Keefe."

Homework: Read pp. 711-718.

Romeo & Juliet Act IV and Joan Didion's "Georgia O'Keefe"

In class, students finished the end of Act III and read all of Act IV of Romeo and Juliet.

The following literary terms were discussed: soliloquy, aside, monologue, dramatic irony, and suspense.

Most periods were able to read most or all of the homework before they left.

Homework: Read Joan Didion's biographical essay "Georgia O'Keefe" (685-690).

Act III

Students read the majority of Act III during their last period (12 December 2013 for periods 5 & 6 and 13 December 2013 for periods 1, 2, & 7).

Homework: Submit first quarter book report to turnitin.com if not done earlier.

Turnitin and Finishing Act II

Wednesday 11 December 2013 for Period 5 & 6 and Thursday 12 December 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7

Students submitted the final hard copy of their first quarter book reports at the beginning of class.

Mr. Stone discussed Turnitin.com with the class and provided the class ID and password.

Note: Each period has a separate ID and password. Do not use the codes for another period.



Students finished reading aloud Act II of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Homework: Create a Turnitin.com account and submit the final draft of your first quarter book report for analysis.

Peer Editing and Creating Final Draft of First Quarter Book Report

Tuesday 10 December 2013 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 11 December 2013 for Periods 1 & 7

Mr. Stone has waited to have students edit their film essays and first quarter book reports until they had completed the unit on commas and sentence combining.

After an open-book quiz over Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer," students received back the revised draft of their first quarter book reports and were given a peer editing sheet. They swapped papers with a student of their choice and edited each other's papers.

Homework: Create a final draft of the first quarter book report. Bring the revised draft with the peer editor's marks, the completed peer editing sheet, and the final draft to class.

The class will finish Act II of Romeo and Juliet during the next class period.

Act II of Romeo and Juliet

Monday 9 December 2013 and Tuesday 10 December 2013

Students read aloud Act II of Romeo and Juliet through scene iv.

Homework: Read Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer" (656+). There will be a quiz at the beginning of the next class.

Finishing Act One of Romeo and Juliet

Thursday 5 December 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 Friday 6 December 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7

Quiz: Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman"

Students finished reading aloud Act One of Romeo and Juliet.

No homework due to the banquet. If a student has time, they may review Act One of Romeo and Juliet or finish reading his/her second quarter book report book.

Beginning Act One of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View"

Wednesday 4 December 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 5 December 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Quiz: Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View"

Mr. Stone described the sonnet (fourteen line, rhymed, iambic pentameter lines) and blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter lines) forms (unrhymed used in Act One of Romeo and Juliet. He also introduced oral reading strategies for reading blank verse (avoiding sing-song, pausing for punctuation, and reading through the end of unpunctuated line endings).

Utilizing the cast assignments from the last class period, students read scenes i and ii of Act One and part of scene iii.

Students are receiving behavior and participation points for during the periods when the class is reading the play. Students receive ten points for maintaining appropriate audience and cast member behaviors:

--remaining silent while other actors read their lines

--following the script to read assigned lines at appropriate times

--reading lines at an appropriate pace, volume, and clarity

Homework: Read Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman" (650-655). A quiz will be given at the beginning of the next class period.

Theatercraft Mini-Test & Romeo & Juliet Casting

Tuesday 3 December 2013 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 4 December for Periods 1 & 7

Students took theatercraft mini-test. (This test is worth forty-three points as opposed to the typical tests one hundred points.)

After the test, students began reading the homework, the first nonfiction selection in the nonfiction unit.

During the last part of the class period, Mr. Stone had all of the male students "audition" by reading a selected number of Romeo's lines and the females "audition" by reading a selected number of Juliet's lines.

During the next class period students will begin reading William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet in class.

Homework: Read pp. 631-640, introductory material on nonfiction and Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View."

There will be a quiz over "Single Room, Earth View" at the beginning of the next class period.

Introduction to Dramatic Theater

Students viewed a short documentary of the history of theatercraft and completed a study guide using a written summary/transcript of the documentary.

Homework: Review study guide for a multiple-choice test over theatercraft.

Writing Terms Test

November 21 for Periods 5 & 6 and November 22 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students complete a matching test over writing terms.

After the test, students read in their selected autobiography/biography or work on homework for another class.

No homework over the break;however, it would be wise to get the autobiography/biography read. It will need to be completed by December 16th.

More Sentence Combining and Writing Terms Review

Quiz: three forms of sentence combining--remaining separate, joined with a conjunctive adverb, joined with a coordinating conjunction

Students received a printed copy of the study guide for the test over writing terms which included terms 21-40:

21. generalization-a statement saying what is true about most of the items in a group

22. prewriting-the first stage of the writing process involving the selection of topic, the gathering, focusing, and organizing of information in consideration of the writer’s audience and purpose.

23. drafting-the second stage of the writing process when the writer first attempts to write the composition in its desired form

24. revising-the third stage of the writing process when a writer makes changes to a composition’s content, organization, sentence structures, or style

25. editing-the fourth stage of the writing process when a writer or a critic makes changes to a composition’s spelling, grammar, or format.

26. publishing-the fifth stage of the writing process when a writer shares his/her composition in its finished form

27. collect-the first stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer gathers more information than they need in his/her final product

28. order-the second stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer organizes his/her information

29. develop-the third stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer drafts their writing including concrete details and commentary

30. clarify-the fourth stage in the writing process as described by Donald Murray when a writer examines and changes their composition to make clear its meaning for the reader

31. preview-a list of supporting topics or points provided as part of a thesis or in a separate sentence immediately following; a type of forecasting statement

32. funnel-shaped introduction-an opening paragraph that provides context for the reader, narrows the topic, and ends in a thesis, optionally a preview

33. transitional sentence-a type of sentence that makes a connection between one topic, subtopic, or purpose to another; often positioned as the first or final sentence of a paragraph

34. closing sentence-the final sentence of a paragraph that often states/restates the main idea of the paragraph

35. topic-the subject matter discussed in a piece of writing

36. narrowed/focused topic-a specific part or angle of a subject that can be adequately discussed in the writer’s chosen size of composition

37. viewpoint-the writer’s perspective or opinion on the topic

38. concrete detail-a specific piece of information used by the writer to support a paragraph’s topic sentence; a description of a sensation of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, or motion

39. commentary-a writer’s words which explain or analyze a concrete detail and connect to the paragraph’s topic sentence

40. chunk-a term coined by Jane Schaffer to describe a unit of concrete detail(s) and commentary; the number wanted of each vary in light of the writer’s audience

Mr. Stone told the students they should expect the test over writing terms to contain matching, multiple-choice, and/or true-or-false questions.

Homework: Study for the test over writing terms.

Sentence Combining and Basic Terms of Paragraphs and Compositions.

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the previous periods homework. Selected students volunteered to write their answers on the board for the class's discussion.

Mr. Stone reviewed the first portion of Chapter 3 of the Prentice Hall Grammar and Writing text (Gold Edition). Time was spent on methods for creating smoother, more effective sentences by combining sentences using compound elements. Students completed Exercise 2 (p. 18).

Below is the first portion of the terms to be covered on the test during the last class period before Thanksgiving:

1. Sentence-a combination of words that expresses a complete thought and that contains a subject and a predicate
2. Subject-the part of a sentence which represents the person or thing of which something is said, primarily expressed as a noun or pronoun
3. Predicate-the part of a sentence which represents what is said of a person or a thing, primarily expresses an action or state of being through a verb
4. Paragraph-a group of sentences on one topic whose separation is indicated through an indention or line break
5. Composition-a multi-paragraph piece of writing organized for a single purpose or around a main idea
6. Topic sentence-a group of words that states the main idea of a paragraph, containing a subject and a predicate. The subject of this sentence typically states the matter being discussed in the paragraph. The predicate of this sentence typically states what is being said in the paragraph.
7. Implied main idea-the central topic of paragraph inferred through the paragraph’s sentences without being directly stated.
8. Facts-statements that can be verified
9. Example-one of a number, intended to show the quality, or style or nature of the topic under discussion; also called an illustration, or instance.
10. Details- specifics in writing
11. Unity-all of the parts relate to a single key idea
12. Thesis statement-a sentence expressing the main idea of an essay that contains the composition’s focused topic and viewpoint or opinion on that topic.
13. Coherence-the order and connections of writing that provide understanding to the reader
14. Transitional word or phrase-shows relationship, movement, or change; common types include comparison, contrast, development, time, location, and importance.
15. Introduction-the opening part of a piece of writing that presents the topic and shows the purpose of the writer and his/her viewpoint; this portion of the composition is typically one paragraph in smaller pieces of writing, but may cover multiple paragraphs in a larger piece; introductions often attempt to orient the reader and/or attract his/her attention.
16. Lead-an attention-getting introductory sentence.
17. Body-the middle or main part of piece of writing or speech that develop the main idea/opinion expressed in the introduction
18. Topical paragraph-a group of sentences centered around a single subject or idea
19. Functional paragraph-a group of sentences which serve a specific purpose; e.g., to create emphasis, to indicate dialogue, or to make a transition.
20. Paragraph blocks-a group of multi-sentence units in writing/paragraphs that share a common topic sentence and act as a unit while develop separate subtopics.

Comma Test

Students had ten minutes to review before taking their comma test.

After finishing the comma test, they began reading Chapter 3 from the Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar book, gold level (classroom set).

Homework: Complete clause combining assignment distributed in class.

More Comma Practice

Thursday 14 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 15 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7.

Mr. Stone went over the answers to the first comma practice test at the beginning of the period. Students then completed the second comma practice test and reviewed its answers before the end of the period.

Homework: Review the comma handout, and graded comma practice tests in preparation for the comma test to be taken at the beginning of next week.

More Comma Exercises and a Practice Test

13 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and 14 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students received back the graded exercises that they completed yesterday.

Mr. Stone went over the directions for completing Exercise 11 (Interrupting Parenthetical Elements), Exercise 12 (Interrupting Nonessential Elements), and Exercise 13 (Conventional Commas), covering the principles/rules for conventional commas. (Commas separate the names of geographic locations, like elements of dates, parts of an address when written in prose, every third digit in large numbers, surnames from any following titles, speech tags from quoted dialogue. Commas are also used to conventionally used to indicate omitted words in elliptical sentence structures.)

Students received a the first of two practice tests.

Homework: Complete the first comma practice test.


Note: Students will correct the first practice test in class during the next class period, take and correct a second practice test, and take the actual comma test during the first English class of next week.


An extra credit point is being offered for students who bring a printout showing they have completed one of the comma practice quiz/exercise links found on the right-hand side of this blog.

Four Comma Exercises

Students completed four comma exercises from the classroom set of Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar (Gold Level):

Exercise 7, p. 479

Exercise 8, p. 481

Exercise 9, p. 482

Exercise 10, p. 484

Students showed Mr. Stone the autobiography/biography they selected for the second quarter book report. (Students who did not show Mr. Stone their selection should show it to him as soon as possible. They will lose one point per day that they are late.)

Homework: Spend twenty minutes practicing commas using the online comma quiz/exercise links located to the right on this blog.

Note: Write your name in a comment to this blog posting for an extra credit point.

Book Report Revised Draft Submitted; Comma Principles Introduced

Students were given the first ten minutes of class to print out their revised drafts and submit them.

Mr. Stone then distributed a handout defining the four underlining principles of commas: series, coordinate, introductory, and interrupting.

Some of the periods also discussed the other conventional uses of commas.

Mr. Stone emphasized the dangers of attempting to punctuate by feeling and urged students to punctuate by principle.

Homework: Select a biography/autobiography for the second quarter book report and read it for twenty minutes. (Student had the opportunity in a class period in the library to select a book.)

In-Text Citations

Consult Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) for help on the basics of in-text parenthetical citations.

Peer Critique of Book Report and Revised Draft

Wednesday 6 November 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 8 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7

Students completed a peer critique in class.

Mr. Stone informed students they would be studying commas next week and should expect a test on Monday, November 18th if in Periods 1, 2, 5, and 6 or Tuesday, 19th if in Period 7.

A test over writing concepts will be given the last class period before Thanksgiving break.

Homework for Monday (Tuesday for Period 7): Complete revised draft of book report.

Thursday in the Library

Mr. Stone's classes will meet in the new library to select a biography/autobiography to read for their second quarter book reports.

Thursday is an early dismissal day.

Drafting of First Quarter Book Report

Tuesday 5 November 2013 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 6 November 2013 for Periods 1 & 7

After a devotional text from the Psalms, Mr. Stone reviewed the expected seven paragraph structure for the book report:

Introduction

Summary paragraph 1

Summary paragraph 2

Analytical/expository body paragraph 1

Analytical/expository body paragraph 2

Analytical/expository body paragraph 3

Conclusion

Students had more than forty minutes of class time to work on drafting their book report using the prewriting materials they had completed earlier: two paragraphs summarizing the book read, four body paragraph prewriting tables, the introduction prewriting sheet, and the conclusion prewriting sheet.

Homework: Finish typing a rough draft of the book report.

First Quarter Housekeeping & Book Report Intro & Conclusion

Monday 4 November 2013 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 5 November 2013 for Period 7

Students distributed recently corrected papers and received a print out of their first quarter grade and given the opportunity to identify any errors in data entry or question the grading of any recent assignments.

Mr. Stone reviewed the last test, focusing on the two short answer (in this case, paragraph length) questions. He described the most common short-comings in students' response to the questions as well as described how students might write stronger responses on future tests. He specifically discussed the importance of the opening sentence. He warned students about using a series of overly simplistic sentences and demonstrated how such ideas should be combined into a more effective/sophisticated sentence.

As Mr. Stone segued/transitioned into how to write the introduction for the book report, he drew a connection to the types of opening lines that would not be desirable starts to a book report, e.g. The book I chose . . ., The topic of my book report is . . ., I'm going to talk about the book . . ."

Mr. Stone described three opening strategy options for beginning the report: a question, a quotation, an if then statement. He noted these were only three of many different possible successful opening strategies for beginning a report or essay and encouraged students to search the Internet for other options if they did not wish to use one of the three demonstrated.

Mr. Stone went over both the introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets that were distributed.

Homework: Complete introduction and conclusion prewriting sheets for the book report.

Flash Fiction Readings

To ease students' anxiety and practice fluently reading, the class simultaneously read their flash fiction stories facing the front of the room.

Mr. Stone randomly called on students to read their story to the rest of the class. Students were directed to stand at the podium, announce the title of their story, read their story, and acknowledge the class's applause before returning to their seats.

The class was encouraged to greet each reader with applause and to applaud upon their completion of reading.

Homework: None!

Prewriting 1st Qtr Book Report

Mr. Stone shared his recent poem "We Came to Count the Cypress" for a devotional thought tied to the story of the Good Samaritan.

Students turned in the two summary paragraphs of the first quarter book report selection.

Students were directed to take out their T-charts and first prewriting table for the book report. They were directed to number the four aspects on the T-chart they are choosing to use in their paper.

Mr. Stone circulated through the classroom to check for the completion of the students' T-charts. Each T-chart should have a total minimum of ten aspects listed. The T-chart helps the student determine his/her viewpoint on the book. For example, if the student had seven aspects listed on the likes/strengths side and three on the dislike/weakness side, then the student is likely to recommend the book. If another student had four aspects listed on the likes/strengths side and six on the dislikes/weaknesses side, then that student is likely to not recommend the book.

Mr. Stone also checked for the completion of the first prewriting table.

Students were expected to complete another table and half to two tables during class time and to finish the last of the four tables for homework.

Homework: Complete any of the four body paragraph prewriting tables not completed during class time.

Revised Draft Due; Establishing Book Report Viewpoint

Thursday 24 October 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 25 October 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7

Mr. Stone reviewed the Jane Schaffer approach to expository writing with the students through a PowerPoint presentation.

Students submitted the film essay prewriting, rough draft, peer critique sheet, and revised draft stapled together with the prewriting on the bottom and the revised draft on the top.

Mr. Stone informed student that the film essay would be set aside for several weeks while they worked on their book report and reviewed some skills for editing.

Students discussed with Mr. Stone potential subtopics for their book report: characters, plot, setting, point of view, or theme. Students began a T-chart to help them determine their viewpoint of their book report selections.

Homework: Finish the T-chart of strengths(likes) and weaknesses (dislikes) of your book report selection and complete one body paragraph prewriting chart.

Peer Critique of Film Analysis

Mr. Stone reviewed the assignments which should be completed at the point:

1 introduction prewriting table for the film essay (15 points)
3 analytical body paragraph prewriting tables for the film essay(60 points)
1 five-paragraph rough draft of the film essay (15 points)
2 summary paragraphs (counts as prewriting) for the first quarter book report (20 points)

Mr. Stone went over the directions for the peer critique.
Students swapped rough drafts with a classmate and critiqued their papers.

Homework: Complete revised draft. Students should make any adjustments as needed in response to the peer critique as well as re-examine the quality of their commentary to make sure it aligns with the viewpoint of the paragraph's topic sentence.

Film Analysis Conclusion & Book Report Summary

For Periods 2, 5 & 6 on Tuesday 22 October 2013 and Periods 1 & 7 on Wednesday 23 October 2013 (Mr. Stone was out Tuesday.)

Students worked on writing a conclusion for their film analysis paper and were to begin writing a two-paragraph summary of the book they have read for their first quarter book report.

Homework: Finish any work not completed in class. Your typed film analysis essay should now contain an introduction, three body paragraphs , and a conclusion. You should have completed a two-paragraph summary of the book you selected for your first quarter book report.

Drafting an Introduction and Three Body Paragraphs

Students used laptop computers from the department's COW (Computers On Wheels)cart to work on typing rough drafts of their film essay's introduction and three body paragraphs from their completed prewriting tables.

Mr. Stone discussed with students the life skill of managing data. He listed thumb drives/USB drives, Google Drive, and Internet E-mail accounts as options students might use to keep their data accessible to them both at home and at school. He emphasized the need to delete your documents from public computers such as the classroom laptops to prevent plagiarism or other misuse of their data.

Homework: Finish drafting the introduction and three body paragraphs. Be sure to have your document accessible when you come to class.

Writing a Funnel-Shaped Introduction

Mr. Stone distributed a handout on writing a funnel-shaped introduction and read it through with the class, answering any questions the students raised. Students then worked on completing the introduction prewriting table.

Information from the film needed to complete this table includes:

Director: Norman McLeod

Title of Film: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Production Date: 1947

Film Genre: Classic Comedy

Screenplay Source: James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"



Students should consult the cast list handout for the names of actors starring in the film. Students should list between three to five of the major characters from the film.

Students had time to work on their prewriting tables.

Homework: Students should finish for their first period of next week the four body paragraph prewriting tables and the introduction prewriting table.

Prewriting Tables

Wednesday 16 October 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 17 October 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Mr. Stone used prewriting tables from student volunteers as examples. He provided example thesis sentences and topic sentences. He explained previews.

The class discussed comic techniques.

Homework: Work on completing the three remaining body paragraph prewriting tables. (Students will have forty minutes of the next class period to finish the tables).

The Writing Process & The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Film

Students finished viewing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Mr. Stone gave notes on the writing process and basic essay terms. He emphasized the need to collect more information during the prewriting.

Students received the first of four prewriting tables. They will end up using information from three of the tables in their final essay on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The students are making a claim of judgment about the film.

Mr. Stone worked with students to determine their opinion of the film by completing a T-chart. They reviewed a list of subtopics of the film and placed each topic into the like or dislike column.

Before the period ended Mr. Stone worked with students to complete the top of the first prewriting table. The topic of their paper is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Students should specify their viewpoint in terms of positive/negative, like/dislike, recommend viewing the film/recommend avoiding the film.
The student should select from the subtopic list which subtopic they wish to discuss. They should attempt to express their viewpoint of this subtopic.

The three concrete details requested in the table should be descriptions of scenes from the movie that support their viewpoint of the selected subtopic.

For each concrete detail (example), a student should provide two (or more) sentences of commentary (analysis). The commentary explains how the concrete detail/example demonstrates the viewpoint of the student writer on the subtopic chosen.

The first prewriting table is due at the beginning of class tomorrow.

Homework: Complete first prewriting table.

More of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Wednesday 9 October 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 10 October 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students continued viewing the Danny Kaye version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, beginning right after Walter Mitty left the pet department and ending at his wedding ceremony.

Homework: Finish preparing for the setting, point of view and theme test.

Viewing Walter Mitty

Students began viewing the Danny Kaye version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in class today in preparation for writing a film critique.

Homework: Continue studying for the Setting, Point of View, and Theme Test and reading your first quarter book report selection.

Test Review: Setting, Point of View and Theme

Mr. Stone distributed a test review sheet and made two corrections to the author-title section. The test will be the last English period of this week.

Students will be viewing a video version of James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" during the next two periods.

Homework: Study for the Setting, Point of View and Theme Test and continue reading your first quarter book report book.

Summer Reading Test

Most transfer students who were supposed to take the summer reading test last week failed to request the test.

Mr. Stone is making the test a take-home open-book test due by Monday, October 14th. Students who took the summary reading test earlier in the semester do not have to write this essay test.

Students should write a five-paragraph essay using one of the following prompts:


What is the relationship between land and literature in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

What lessons do the experiences of Henry in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet have for Americans as a whole today or for you individually?

Using characters from the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, argue what makes an American an American?

Are the current responses of many Americans to Muslims today in response to 9/11 similar to the responses of Americans to the Japanese in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Use the responses of characters from The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as examples of American responses to Japanese after the bombing of 9/11.

Did Henry make the best choices in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?


Essay Structure

The Introduction: Paragraph One

The first paragraph of the essay should include the author title of the summer reading book, a two to three sentence summary of the book, the question selected, and a thesis sentence expressing the student's response to the question in a single sentence.

The introduction should be a paragraph of five to seven sentences.

The Body: Paragraphs Two, Three, and Four

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence stating the supporting point being discussed in the paragraph.
Each body paragraph should contain three examples of the supporting point from the novel. (The page number where the example can be found in the text should be listed inside parentheses at the end of the quoted/summarized sentences describing the examples.) Two or more sentences of analysis/explanation should follow each example.

At minimum each body paragraph will contain ten sentences.

The Conclusion: Paragraph Five

The first sentence of the conclusion should restate the essays thesis. An additional two to three sentences should summarize the essay's argument.

Setting, Point of View & Theme Test Review

Students should continue studying for next week's test using the "Setting, Point of View & Theme Test Review" link found in the right-hand column of this blog under the heading of "Short Stories."

Students will be quizzed over James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" at the beginning of next week.

Setting and Theme in "The Necklace"

After a devotional reading from the book of James, students took a quiz over Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace."

Students discussed the setting and point of view in Maupassant's "The Necklace" and in Rivera's "The Harvest" and took notes.

The class discussed the implied themes of "The Necklace."

Mr. Stone shared his latest poem that related to "The Invalid's Story."

Homework: Read "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (347-352).

Theme

With the beginning of October, Mr. Stone has chosen book of James for class devotions.

Quiz: Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story"

Students took notes on setting and point of view in Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story." Students also took notes on the fifth and final basic element of a short story--theme.

Mr. Stone read aloud Tomas Rivera's "The Harvest" and discussed with the class the story's themes.

Homework: Read "The Necklace" (p. 608+).

Stinky Cheese

After a final reading from Proverbs, students took a quiz over "Sonata for Bicycle and Harp."

Students received two crackers and a piece of Limburger cheese. Students wrote a half page in their journals under the title "Limburger," describing the appearance, taste, and smell of the cheese. Limburger cheese plays a significant role in tonight's homework

Mr. Stone read the class an encyclopedia entry about Limburger cheese. Students did not need to eat the cheese to complete the assignment.

Students took notes on the setting in "Sonata for Bicycle and Harp."

Homework: Read Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story" (597-602).

Next Test: Setting, Point of View & Theme

Periods 5 & 6 will take their next test on Thursday, October 9, 2013. Periods 1, 2, & 7 will take their next test on Friday, October 10, 2013.

Students should be preparing daily until the test by reviewing the stories read, selected vocabulary, and notes taken.

Summer Reading Test for Late Students and Retake Opportunity

The second test over Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet for late registering students/retake opportunity for those who scored below seventy percent on the first test over Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet has been postponed until Thursday, October 3, 2013.

The test will be essay format.

Below are potential questions:

What is the relationship between land and literature in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

What lessons do the experiences of Henry in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet have for Americans as a whole today or for you individually?

Using characters from the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, argue what makes an American an American?

Are the current responses of many Americans to Muslims today in response to 9/11 similar to the responses of Americans to the Japanese in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Use the responses of characters from The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as examples of American responses to Japanese after the bombing of 9/11.

Did Henry make the best choices in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

Point of View and Setting in "You Need to Go Upstairs"

Thursday 26 September 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 27 September 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7


After a devotional text from Proverbs and prayer, students took a quiz over Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs."

Students created notes out of a class discussion of the elements of setting in "You Need to Go Upstairs" and their function in the story (creating conflict, creating mood, and/or acting as a symbol).

The class read a series of short stories retelling the same story from different points of view: first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, and second person. Students discussed with the teacher the differences between the four examples and examined the entries for narrator, mood, and tone from their text's handbook of literary terms.

Students took a quiz over point of view, mood, and tone.

Homework: Read "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle" (541-548).

Symbol in Setting & "The Man to Send Rain Clouds"

Wednesday 25 September 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 26 September 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7


After the reading of a devotional text and prayer, students took a quiz over "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."

Students received two three ounce cups: one with grape juice and the other with corn meal. The class discussed how grape juice is a common Christian symbol for Christ's blood. Mr. Stone explained how corn is significant in a number of Native American cultures. He highlighted aspects of the Navajo origin story.

Students were asked to taste the grape juice and corn meal separately and then to mix the two together. They were directed to watch how they interacted and two taste them together. The class discussed how interaction of these two elements might symbolize the interaction between two cultures.

(In light of the possibility of food allergies, the activity was optional.)

The class worked together to create notes on setting in "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."

Students worked on a vocabulary worksheet.

Homework: Finish the vocabulary worksheet if not completed in class. Read Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs."

Elements of Setting

Tuesday 24 September 2013 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 25 September 2013 for Periods 1 & 7

Mr. Stone continues his September theme of wisdom for devotions by sharing another text from Proverbs.

Journal Entry: 1st Quarter Book Selection

What has happened so far in the book you are reading? Write at least a half-page.

Students took notes on the basic elements and functions of setting in narratives.

The class discussed examples from the stories they have already read this school year.

Journal Entry: Burial

How would you like to be buried?

(This may sound morbid. It is intended to help students to connect to the story assigned for homework that deals with disputes over how an elderly man's remains should be treated.)

Homework: Read "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" (590-595).

Reading Time: 1st Qtr Book Report Selection

Monday 23 September 2013 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 24 September 2013 for Period 7

Students submitted the final drafts of their flash fiction stories at the beginning of class with all of their earlier drafts and comments.

Parent approval forms were collected and students had the remainder of the period to read.

Homework: Read your first quarter book report selection for at least twenty more minutes.

Note: A substitute covered for Mr. Stone on Monday while he attended an accreditation training session off-campus.

MLA Format

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab/OWL provide an excellent resource on MLA format.

First Quarter Book Report Book Selection

Students should bring the book they have selected for the first quarter book report to class on Monday along with the signed form from their parents. A copy of the form can be found to the right on this blog under the heading of "Book Report."

Student will have the fifty minute classroom for silent sustained reading. They will be awarded ten points for their behavior and participation. Students who do not stay on task or who talk during the reading time will lose points.

Dialogue and Editing Flash Fiction

After a devotion paralleling Jesus' parable of the lost coin, Mr. Stone distributed a handout on dialogue and discussed it with the class.

Students were given time to peer edit a partner's flash fiction story for MLA format, capitalization, end marks, and spelling.

Homework: Prepare a final draft of the flash fiction story in response to the peer edit.

Bring to the next class the following items in order:

any handwritten notes, drafts, or outlines

typed rough draft with peer critic marks
(comments by three separate classmates in three different colors, three praises and three suggestions from each)

revised draft with editing marks

final draft


Be sure these items are stapled together in order with the final draft on top.

Mr. Stone will set up Turnitin.com accounts with students next week.

Peer Critiquing Flash Fiction

After devotional text and prayer, Mr. Stone shared from his experiences at creative writing workshops and discussed the importance of providing both praise and suggestions to a fellow writer's work.

Students used Mr. Stone's flash fiction grading rubric and the tips from the last class period's video to guide them in their critique.

Students needed to get three other students to critique their piece of flash fiction. Each peer critic needed to provide three specific praises and three suggestions for improving the piece. Each critic was to write in a different color.

Homework: Revise rough draft of flash fiction piece using peer critics advice. (Remember that not all advice should be taken. Ultimately the quality of the writing is determined by the writer's choices.)

Do not forget to bring to the next class your rough draft with critics' marks and signatures for credit.

How to Write Flash Fiction

Monday 16 September 2013 for Periods 5 & 6, Tuesday 17 September 2013 for Periods 1 & 2, and Wednesday 18 September 2013 for Period 7

Devotional Text: Proverbs 16:3

Students viewed "How To Write Flash Fiction," reviewed the grading rubric for the assignment, and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the video in contrast.

Mr. Stone demonstrated the basics of MLA document format.

Students were given four prompts, plus the option to write an original story from their own ideas. They had time to begin drafting in class.

Homework: Complete a typed rough draft of a flash fiction piece 400-500 words long.

Character and Plot Test

Thursday 12 September 2013 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 13 September 2013 for Periods 1, 2 & 7

After prayer, students took the Character and Plot Test.

Students read Sholeh Wolpé's "My Brother at the Canadian Border."

Mr. Stone said students should read samples of flash fiction from the blog for homework; however, he changed his mind.

No Homework!

Remembering September 11

Devotional Text: Proverbs 11:1

The class discussed Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead," noting the stories use of British English, geographical and historical setting, central conflicts, and themes.

Students shared their memories of the earliest national crisis they could remember.

Mr. Stone distributed a hard copy of the review sheet and discussed the format of the test.

Homework: Study for the Character and Plot Test

Character & Plot Test Review

Students may begin studying for the Character and Plot Test using the study guide link listed under "Short Stories" on the right-hand side of this blog. A revised version of the review sheet will be posted on Wednesday. (Look for it to say 2013 version.) Mr. Stone will go through the test review in class the day before the test.

Students should add Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead" to the list of authors and titles. They will be responsible for the content of Shamsie's story as well.

Vocabulary for this test will be limited those listed on the three vocabulary sheets completed so far in class.

Students should also be able to list the five basic elements of a short story: character, plot, setting, point of view, and theme.

More on Character

Devotional Text: Proverbs 10:1

Quiz: "The Scarlet Ibis"

Students completed a literary analysis worksheet using quotes from "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird" to practice identifying the use of direct versus indirect characterization. Immediate feedback was provided.

Students took more notes on character: flat characters, round characters, static characters, dynamic characters, and a trait.

Students also received a list of common character traits.

Time was given to finish vocabulary worksheets began last week.

Mr. Stone announced a test over plot and character (Periods 5 & 6 on Thursday and Periods 1, 2, & 7 on Friday).

Homework: Read Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Character

Devotional Text: Proverbs 9:8-9

Quizzes: "The Red-headed League" and "Blues Ain't No Mockin'bird"

Students took notes on character and definition.

Homework: Read "The Scarlet Ibis" (554-564).

The Red-headed League

Thursday 5 September 2013 for periods 5, 6, & 7 and Friday 6 September 2013 for periods 1 & 2

Devotional text: Proverbs 5:1-2

Mr. Stone reviewed with students the information he covered with parents during Back to School Night.

Students had time to finish reading the last half of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-headed League" (107-116).

Mr. Stone checked students notebooks. They received five points for having a three-ringed binder and five additional points for having each of the following items in order in their binder: short story genre sheet (green), Cornell-style notes, The Most Dangerous Game Analyzing the Sequence of Events worksheet, "The Most Dangerous Game" plot line.

Homework: Read "Blues Ain't No Mockin'bird" (570-576).

Note: there will be a quiz over "The Red-headed League" and "Blues Ain't No Mockin'bird" at the beginning of the first class next week.

Building Vocabulary

Wednesday 4 September 2013 for periods 7, 5 & 6 and Thursday 5 September 2013 for periods 1 & 2

Devotional Text: Proverbs 4:7

Quiz: "One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts"

Mr. Stone over-viewed the format of vocabulary worksheets for the class and discussed three spelling strategies, prefixes, roots, suffixes, and infixes.

Students studied the Latin root -dol- and determined the meaning of multiple words using their understanding of the root meaning "pain" and context clues in the sentence.

Students also practiced using their understanding of the meaning of familiar words to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Students were to complete three worksheets covering selected words from "The Most Dangerous Game," "The Interlopers," and "One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts."


Homework: Read the first half of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-headed League" (97-106).

Conflict & Plot in "The Interlopers"

Tuesday 3 September 2013 for periods 2, 5, 6 & 7 and Wednesday 4 September 2013 for period 1

Devotional text: Proverbs 3:5-6

Students worked with Mr. Stone to label and arrange nearly thirty sheets of paper across the front board to illustrate the overlapping plot lines of the human v. human and human v. nature conflicts in Saki's "The Interlopers." Students drew and labeled the two plot lines on their own paper using a black pen for the human v. human plot line and green for the human v. nature plot line.

Journal Entry: Mind Games

Describe a time when for entertainment you played tricks on others or when others played tricks on you.

Homework: Read Shirley Jackson's "One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts" (420-430).

Summer Reading Test

All five sections of English I took a test over Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Students who missed the test today should immediately make arrangements upon their return to school with Mr. Stone to make-up the test. Late registrants, who did not have the summer to read the book, will be tested over the book in one month.

Students in periods one, two and seven were directed to read Saki's "The Interlopers." There will be a quiz over "The Interlopers" for these periods at the beginning of class on Friday.

There is no homework over the Labor Day weekend.

Analyzing Sequence in a Story and Drawing a Plot Line

Devotional Text & Prayer:

"A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

Quiz: "The Interlopers"

Students identified the the three major types of conflict in Saki's "The Interlopers" and the one major type of conflict in Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game."

They worked in groups to determine the order of ten events from "The Most Dangerous Game" and then on a separate sheet of paper, drew a plot line with the six six major parts of a plot line labeled. They then wrote the letter of each of the given ten events on the plot line in the proper sequence and location.

If time allowed at the end of the class period,the class shared their favorite hobby/pastime.

Homework for Periods 5 & 6: Study for the summer reading test.

Homework for Periods 1, 2, & 7: No homework over the Labor Day weekend

First Notes: Parts of a Story, Conflict & Plot

Tuesday 27 August 2013 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 28 August 2012 for Periods 1 & 7

Devotional Text: Philippians 1:6

Study Skills are a part of Loma Linda Academy's Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs).

Mr. Stone discussed the importance of Organization. Keep like items in the same place. Students should keep all of their English I papers in either a three-ring binder devoted to the class or in a general three-ring binder that has a divider that is clearly labeled English I. Mr. Stone will check to make sure students have set up a binder for English I late next week.

Students practiced a form of the Cornell Method of Note Taking. Each page is divided into two columns. The lefthand column equals one-third of the width of the page and the righthand column equals two-thirds of the width of the page. Initial notes are taken in the right column. Later, students use the lefthand column to analyze or annotate the notes previously taken.

Mr. Stone lectured on five basic parts of a story, definitions of conflict (external and internal), specific types of conflict, and elements of a plot line.

Students received a handout listing the major elements of the short story genre.


Mr. Stone discussed the remaining elements of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet study guide: theme, point of view, genre, and symbol.

Homework for Periods 5 & 6: Read Saki's "The Interlopers."

Homework for Periods 1, 2, & 7: Finish studying for the summer reading test over Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Summer Reading Review: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Monday 26 August 2013 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 27 August 2013 for Period 7

After prayer Mr. Stone reviewed a portion of the syllabus and collected the signature sheet from students. Students should have had their parents/guardians read the English I syllabus and sign it over the weekend. To allow for parents being out of town, students may turn in the signature sheet by Thursday for full credit.

Students received a hard copy of the review sheet for the summer reading, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Mr. Stone noted one error in the copy that he passed out in class: Ethel Chen is Henry's wife and not his mother. (This error has been corrected on the version available in the right-hand column of this blog.)

Journal Entry #1: Did you like or dislike Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet? Explain why. (Students who have not finished reading the book should write about why they have not read the book.)

Homework: Finish the journal entry if not completed in class and study for the test summer reading test to be taken on Thursday.

Following the rule of thumb for assigning homework--two minutes per grade level achieved--ninth-grade students should spend about twenty minutes a night studying for English I.

First Day: "The Most Dangerous Game"

(Thursday, August 22 for Periods 1 & 2. Friday, August 23 for Periods 5,6, & 7.)

As students entered, they selected their own seats in the room, printing their names on a sticky note for the seating chart.

Class began with a reading of John 1:1 and prayer:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."

Students received a hard copy of the class syllabus. Both students and parents need to review the syllabus, sign it, and return it at the beginning of the second class period. (If a parent is out of town, full credit for this assignment will be available until next Thursday, August 29th.)

Students listened to a dramatic recording of "The Most Dangerous Game" with most following along in their textbooks. Mr. Stone informed students that they should bring their "big green literature book" to class every day unless directed otherwise. Students who have not yet purchased the Vocabulary Energizers text or the research handbook should acquire those in the next couple of weeks.

Students need a composition notebook for journaling in this class.

Homework: Both students and parents should read the syllabus, sign the last page, and return it to Mr. Stone at the beginning of the next class period.

Students should begin studying for the Summer Reading test that will be next Thursday.

Welcome!

Tomorrow begins the first day of the 2012-2013 school year--the first day of high school for most of you in English I.

I look forward to meeting you and getting started. We will begin with short stories. Bring your big green literature book to class. I will let you know when you need to bring the other texts. If you don't have your book yet, you will get by with out it, but it will be better for you to have it. Consider borrowing a classmate's from another section.

As I pray for our first day together, I'm remembering Jeremiah 29:11:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"


I'm also claiming the promise of my favorite text, Philippians 1:6:

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."


Welcome, again, to the high school of Loma Linda Academy.

Summer Reading Test: Thursday, August 29, 2013

Freshmen will be tested over Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on Thursday, August 29, 2013.

English I Grades Completed

The English I semester grades currently posted on PowerSchool are the semester grades submitted for Spring Semester 2013.

Students who received a zero for the final draft of the research report either failed to submit their report to Turnitin.com or committed plagiarism. Students who failed to submit their research paper to Turnitin.com should submit to receive the score their papers earned. E-mail Mr. Stone (dstone@lla.org) once you have submitted and he will review your similarity report to see if you receive credit for your work. This third and final opportunity to follow instructions will expire on June 21, 2013.

If you are aware that you plagiarized while writing your paper, it would be better to keep the zero than to run the risk of getting a negative discipline record.

A grade change will be submitted if your research report score significantly improves your grade. If you received a zero due to plagiarism, you will receive a notice in the mail.

Have a great summer!

Mr. Stone

No Credit for Research Report

Students who have not submitted their research report to Turnitin.com have received a zero for their score for that assignment. Students who have submitted their papers to Turnitin.com currently have a blank. A score will be placed in next week when the grading is completed.

Turnitin.com is taking late submissions for this assignment. Mr. Stone will check again on Monday to see if students have submitted. (That will be more than a week past the deadline.) Parents will then be called if a paper has not been submitted and an additional twenty-four hour extension will be given before the score permanently becomes a zero.

Saying you have forgotten your password is not an acceptable excuse. Turnitin.com like the majority of web-based programs has a system for helping users who have lost their passwords.

Contact Mr. Stone (dstone@lla.org) if you have questions.

Tests

Mr. Stone settled on the test given at the end of this week will only cover poetry. The final exam will only cover vocabulary.

Neither test will cover research concepts.

Poetry Terms

Mr. Stone discussed more than half of the terms on the poetry review sheet and read numerous poems from the text as examples.

Homework: Write a cinquain and begin reviewing for the test over poetry at the end of this week.

Currently, Mr. Stone has scheduled for the test at the end of the week to have questions over research as well; however, he is seriously considering making that test only over poetry and including 25 research questions on the test given during the final exam period which will be a cumulative review of the 150 vocabulary words from Vocabulary Energizers.

Cinquain

A cinquain is the name of a five-line stanza as well as a poetic form created by Adelaide Crapsey with influences from the Japanese haiku and tanka. Her creation is known as the American cinquain.

Crapsey created a syllabic verse form with a pattern of 2/4/6/8/2 syllables.

Others have adapted the form to be based on the number of words or parts of speech. In the word-based pattern, the cinquain has a pattern of 1/2/3/4/1 word(s) per line.

In the parts-of-speech-based pattern, the cinquain has a pattern of a noun/two adjectives/three words ending with -ing/a phrase/and another noun that is synonymous with the noun on the first line.

Students may follow any of these three patterns or attempt to combine the three together for extra credit.

The grading scale breaks down as follows:

____ [2] Line 1—2 syllables/1 word/noun

____ [4] Line 2—4 syllables/2 words/2 adjectives

____ [6] Line 3—6 syllables/3 words/3 words ending in –ing

____ [8] Line 4—8 syllables/4 words/a phrase

____ [2] Line 5—2 syllables/1 word/another word for the noun

____ [8] Makes sense

____ [5] Typed with proper heading

____ [5] extra credit for combining all three patterns

____ total out of 35points

Submit Research Report to Turnitin

The hard copy that students submit in class will be used for grading; however, an electronic copy must be submitted to Turnitin.com for the student to receive a passing score. The submission must be completed by this Friday, May 24, 2013. Multiple days are given to allow students more than adequate time to compensate for any computer issues. Students should begin attempting to submit either on Monday or Tuesday.

Haiku

A haiku is a traditional Japanese poem of three lines with a set number of syllables: 5/7/5.

The poem should contain a seasonal reference: typical weather, description of representative stage of plant life or animal behavior, holiday, etc.

The poem contains a sense of contrast or tension between two elements.

The poem should capture a moment or a sense of the transient/passing sense of life.

Be sure your haiku is typed in MLA format: double-spacing, proper heading, header, specific title.

You may center the lines of your haiku or keep them left-justified. Please break typical MLA format and place an extra double-spaced return between your title and the poem to assure the reader sees the title and poem as separate.

Research Papers Submitted--Haiku Due Next

Monday 20 May 2013 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 21 May 2013 for Period 7

Students submitted the complete rough draft of the research report with highlighting, the peer critique sheet, the revised draft with editing marks, and the peer edit sheet stapled together as one set.

In a separate pile, students submitted the final draft of their research report.

During class time students completed the exercises for Chapter Ten of Vocabulary Energizers.

Students received a printed handout of the poetry review sheet already available on the blog.

Homework: Finish the haiku begun long ago if not completed.

Peer Edit of Revised Draft

Thursday for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students used the peer edit sheet provided by the instructor to guide them in editing the revised draft of a classmate's research report.

Homework: Complete the final draft of the research paper.

Typical Functions of Expository Commentary

*connect the specific concrete detail to the generalization of the paragraph's topic sentence.

-show the similarity between two or more concrete details

-contrast the difference between two or more concrete details

-show the similarity between an unfamiliar concrete detail from a source and another example that is a familiar part of the readers experience (draw an analogy)

-describe the significance /importance of the concrete detail

Peer Critique of Research Report

Wednesday 15 May 2013 for Periods 5 & 6/Thursday 16 May 2013 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students received a copy of the summer reading list for 2013.

Mr. Stone checked for completion of the rough draft of their research report. The report should now contain seven paragraphs: introduction, five body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Students peer critique a classmate's paper.

Homework: Complete a revised draft of the research report. Be sure to bring your peer-critiqued rough draft with markings, your peer critique sheet, and a clean printout of your revised draft to class.

Two Further Introduction Suggestions

Begin your paper by mentioning Biblical examples relevant to the paper’s topic. For example if your talking about military, consider describing the Roman soldiers who would have been involved in the slaughter of children at the time of Jesus' birth, the story of the Centurion who comes to Jesus, and the soldiers involved in the crucifixion. Then pose the question of what was the military of first century Palestine like. State your thesis and provide a preview listing the subtopics your paper will address.

Begin with a description of the topic today. For example, if your talking about clothing in first century Palestine, describe the dress of contemporary Palestinians for several sentences before posing the question of what was the clothing of first century Palestinians like. Then state your thesis that generalizes what the clothing was like. Follow this with a preview statement listing your subtopics in the order they will be addressed.

Writing the Conclusion to the Research Report

Students submitted the introduction to their research report at the beginning of class and then completed Chapter 9 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Mr. Stone recorded the scores for Chapter 8 Vocabulary Energizer exercises and worked on providing feedback to the students rough drafts of paragraphs four and five of the body of the research report.

Homework: Write a rough draft of the conclusion to the research report.

Begin with single sentence restating the paper’s thesis.

In two to three sentences, reconnected to the opening strategy used in the introduction.

In a sentence or two, state at least one way the information presented in the paper is relevant to a contemporary reader of the Bible.

Provide a strong sense of closure.

Writing the Introduction to the Research Report

On Monday, Mr. Stone will supervising a senior class field trip. Students will submit a copy of the fourth and fifth body paragraphs of their research report to the substitute.

They will complete Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 8 in class. They need to submit their book to the substitute before leaving class.

For homework, students will write a rough draft of the introduction for their research report. As the peer critique sheet for the research report indicates, students should begin their introduction with three to five sentences of an opening strategy. If a student needs ideas for an opening strategy, they should consider the options listed on MIT's Resources for Writers'website. Mr. Stone recommends beginning with a quotation, beginning with an interesting fact or statistic, or beginning with a definition. If you choose to begin with a definition, please use a definition from specialized dictionary or an expert in the field under discussion. Do not begin by quoting Webster's Dictionary.

Following the introductory strategy, students should state their primary research question and then state their thesis in response. Including a preview as a separate sentence would be helpful.

Examples of Integrating Sources and Third Body Paragraph

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the second body paragraph of the research report at the beginning of class. Students who did not include parenthetical citations as directed lost two points of the eleven possible points.

Students received their graded exercises for Chapter 7 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Mr. Stone reviewed integrating source material with three examples.





Homework: Complete a typed rough draft of the third body paragraph of the research report. Be sure to include parenthetical citations.

Ch. 7 Vocabulary Exercises & Research Report Body Paragraph Two

Students completed Chapter 7 of Vocabulary Energizers in class.

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the rough draft of the first body paragraph of the research report. Each body paragraph for this report should have a minimum of eleven sentences: a topic sentence, three three-sentence chunks (two sentences of concrete detail to one sentence of commentary), and a closing/transitional sentence.

Homework: Students should complete their second body paragraph for homework.

Mr. Stone emphasized that these rough draft paragraphs should be typed and include parenthetical citations. (It is easier to deal with the citations while you are handling the note cards for the drafting.)

Ch. 6 Vocab Quiz and Integrating Sources

Students had ten minutes to review for the vocabulary quiz at the beginning of the period.

After the quiz, Mr. Stone distributed the grading rubric for the research report and the peer critique sheet for the students to acquaint themselves with the specifics of the assignment.

Mr. Stone read through pages 110 to 112 in Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual, elaborating with personal commentary and examples.

Mr. Stone requires students to have at least one direct quotation in their research report. No more than one direct quotation (of two or fewer lines) should be used per page of the report. Students should primarily paraphrase borrowed material.

The class examined ellipsis marks, brackets, and long quotations. Long quotations are not permitted for the current assignment.

Homework: Write a body paragraph of your research paper. Remember that it needs to contain a minimum of eleven sentences--a topic sentence, three three-sentence chunks (supporting ideas with a ration of two sentences of concrete details to one sentence of commentary), and a closing/transitional sentence.

Mr. Stone emphasized the change in ratio due to the expository nature of this research report.

Forming Topic Sentences

On Wednesday/Thursday students began writing topic sentences for each of their body paragraphs of their research reports on first-century Palestine topics.

Mr. Stone directed students to make sure their primary questions were stated at the top of their homework from the previous period.

Students were to re-sort their note cards into piles by the key word at the top of each card.

After reviewing the cards in each pile, they were directed to write a topic sentence which generalized the concept to be presented in that paragraph.

Homework: Finish writing topic sentences and study Chapter 6 of Vocabulary Engergizers for the quiz at the beginning of the next period.

Forming a Thesis, Organizing Your Evidence, & Avoiding Plagiarism

Students submit their forty (minimum) note cards.

Mr. Stone gave credit to students who brought their copy of Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual (Fifth Edition).
He read and discussed pp. 104-109 and pp. 120-122 of Hacker's manual.

Mr. Stone stated that a genus differentia definition classifies the item and describes how it is different from itmes in the same class or family.

Homework:

1. Turn your primary question into a thesis statement. Since this is a factual report, the students' thesis will be a generalization of facts as opposed to an argumentative claim.

2. Arrange your subtopics into a meaningful order.

Chapter 6 Vocabulary Exercises & Notecard Review

Devotional Text: John 15:4-5

Students completed the exercises in Chapter 6 of David Popkin's Vocabulary Energizers.

Mr. Stone directed students to review their note cards.

1. Sort note cards by keyword. (The keyword from each of the student's five secondary research questions. A student may have more than five secondary questions--no more than two extra, but not less than five.

2. Check to make sure you have at least four note cards per secondary question.

3. Check to make sure you have note cards from at least two different sources for each question.

3. Check to make sure you have a total of at least forty note cards.

Homework: Complete any additional note cards needed to meet the minimum requirements described above.

First Bib Card and Note Card

After Mr. Stone shard another poem and prayed, he walked through the students' desks to make sure the students were beginning with an approved source. Students used their copy of Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual to identify the type of source for which they were writing a bib card. He continued to circulate through the room to answer questions and approve the students' first bib card as they finished. Students then began to work on their first note cards. Ideally, students completed five note cards during the period.

Homework: Study the words from Chapter 4 of Vocabulary Energizers and review the previous chapters' words. Remember that the extra credit questions will come from the word origin stories of the current chapter's words (Ch. 4).

Students will take their vocabulary quiz at the beginning of the next class and then continue taking notes. Students should have fifteen note cards completed by the beginning of class on Monday (Tuesday for period seven).

On Monday, students will complete the exercises for Chapter 5 of Vocabulary Energizers in class. Students who are going on the choir trip were given a photocopy of Chapter 5 to complete. They were discouraged from taking their vocabulary book on tour.

Tuesday: How to Make a Bibliography Card and a Note Card

Mr. Stone shared the poem he wrote the night before on the bombing in Boston: "Just When We Thought We Were Finished."

Bubble Sheet

After prayer, Mr. Stone reviewed how to complete the "bubble sheet," including primary question, secondary questions, key terms, key word variations, information form/package, and information location. He emphasized the bubble sheet should be seen as a dynamic tool that the students revise as their thinking progresses during their research.

Bibliography Cards
Mr. Stone demonstrated how to use Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual to create a bibliography card (aka bib card). He encouraged students to keep the Pocket Style Manual on their one side (open to p. 127 for the list of MLA bibliographic forms), a 3x5 card directly in front of them, and their source on their other side.

1. Determine the type of source from the list of forms (Start looking on p. 127.)

2. Look back and forth between the source and the Pocket Style Manual while writing the bib card. Make sure each item is in the correct order and properly punctuated.

3. Assign the bib card a letter, e.g. the first source would be A, the second B, etc.

4. Write your name and class period on the back of each bib card.

To avoid unnecessary revision of work, students should be sure and get their first bib card checked by the teacher before they take notes from that source or create additional bib cards.


Note Cards

Mr. Stone encouraged students to consult their Note Card handout as they completed their first few note cards.

Each note card will contain the page/media form, key word, source letter, the note, and an optional personal response.


(A picture will soon be inserted here.)

Homework: Locate your last three sources for a total of ten potential sources for your research paper.

Google Advanced Search

Conducting a general search through Google is a very poor way to conduct academic research. A more successful search for quality sources may be made using Google Advanced Search.

Type your selected search words into the "all these words" text box under the heading "Find Pages With . . . " and type ".edu" in the "site or domain" text box under "Then Narrow Your Results By . . . ."

This will limit your search to university websites.

Students should always be cautiously avoiding sexually explicit material. Turning on the SafeSearch option will help to minimize such unwanted material.


I would suggest typing "first century Palestine" (without the quotes) and your topic search term and/or a more specific or alternate search term in the "all these words" box. (Don't forget to select .edu in the site or domain box.)

Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 4

Students began class by writing a journal entry titled "Research Journal 1." They were directed to write for five minutes in response to two prompts: What I've learned about . . . , and What I need to learn is . . . . (Note: Students in Period 7 may completed this by the end of tomorrow's class period.)

Students had the class period to complete the exercises in Chapter 4 of Vocabulary Energizers.


Mr. Stone continued checking on students progress at gathering sources.

For Tuesday, April 16th, students should bring three more sources. (That should bring there number of sources up to seven; they need a total of ten.)

Students should bring their completed bubble sheet (primary question, secondary questions, key search terms, etc.) to class tomorrow.

They should e-mail Mr. Stone (dstone@lla.org) links to any web sources for his approval.


Tomorrow Mr. Stone will review how to make a bibliographic card and how to make a note card. Students should have at least one complete source with them, so they will be able to practice these skills.

Peer Edit & Final Draft

Wednesday, March 20th for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday, March 21st for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students viewed the conclusion of Great Expectations and peer-edited a classmate's theme essay.

Homework: Prepare a final draft of the theme essay. Submit an electronic copy to turnitin.com and submit a hard copy to Mr. Stone in class tomorrow.


If a student switched periods at the semester, then he/she needs to add a class on his/her turnitin.com account for the period in which they are currently enrolled.

Students who switched classes at the semester, should see the blog posting below for his/her new period's code and password.

Period 1

5665976

movie

Period 2

5666001

essay

Period 5

5664392

secret

Period 6

5665760

life

Period 7

5661089

walter

Peer Critiquing Theme Essay

After a devotional text and prayer, students received a peer critique sheet and swapped papers with a classmate. Students used classroom pack of highlighters and pens to mark their peers' papers and complete the peer critique sheet.

Homework: Complete a revised draft of the theme essay taking into account the suggestions of the peer critic. The revised draft should be typed in MLA format and include a work cited page and in-text parenthetical citations.

Great Expectations Bibliographic Information

Here is the information for your work cited entry for your essay on a theme in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations:

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. 1867 Edition. Project Gutenberg . Loma Linda Academy. Photocopy. 3 volumes. January 2013.

Do not forget to use a hanging indent.

Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 1 & Drafting Theme Essay

After a devotional text from Proverbs and prayer, Mr. Stone explained the format of the vocabulary book and reviewed the pronunciation of the fifteen words for Chapter 1.

Students had the class period to complete Chapter 1 of Vocabulary Energizers while Mr. Stone finished discussing each student's outline one-on-one.

Homework: Write out a rough draft of your theme essay using your outline.

Introduction

Be sure to include the author's name, the title of the book, and its genre. In one to two sentences summarize the book's story. In another sentence or two list some of the thematic topics of the book. State the your paper's thesis. (Be sure your thesis is not a moral--no telling the reader how to behave or what type of person they should be. Let the thesis sentence position indicate that it is the thesis; do not write, "My thesis is . . . ." Your thesis should be the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, unless you are providing a preview. If you provide a preview, it may be the next to last sentence.) A preview sentence tells the reader the order of the supporting points that will be presented in the body of the paper. In this paper, use the author's name and use a verb such as "reveals," "shows," or "illustrates." For example, "Dickens reveals this idea of _______________ through _____________________, _____________________, and _____________________.

Body Paragraphs

This essay should have three body paragraphs. (Three is a common minimum number of body paragraphs. Two paragraphs typically provides a reader the sense of inadequate support. Three allows begins to allow the writer to show more than one perspective if they choose while still weighting more paragraphs towards the viewpoint he/she is arguing.)

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that includes the topic word from the thesis (Usually in the subject of the sentence). The key words from the viewpoint of the thesis or synonyms for them should either be used in the topic sentence's predicate and/or in at the commentary sentences of each body paragraph.

Each body paragraph should contain three concrete details (examples from the book). These sentence should end with a parenthetical citation indicating the volume number and page number of the location of the detail.

Each body paragraph should contain two or more sentences of commentary for each concrete detail.

Each body paragraph will be at least ten sentences long:

topic sentence
concrete detail 1
commentary
commentary
concrete detail 2
commentary
commentary
concrete detail 3
commentary
commentary


Conclusion

Begin the concluding paragraph with a restatement of the paper's thesis. (A restatement is not complete repetition of the same exact words in the same order. A restatement communicates the same idea using synonymous words. Not all of the words in the restated thesis need to be changed, but the significant words of the viewpoint should be restated.)
The ideas presented in the thesis sentence of the introduction and the restated thesis in the conclusion should match.

Additional sentences in the conclusion may note the similarities, differences,or exceptions in the examples presented in the paper.

The concluding paper should end with a strong sense of closure. This may be achieved by quoting a famous expression about the idea discussed in the paper and indicating whether the novel agrees or disagrees with it. Consider the following examples:

The action in Dickens' Great Expectations confirms the old adage, "Things are not always what they seem."

The outcome of the character's choices in Dickens' Great Expectations reaffirms a reader's belief in "what goes around comes around."


The idea of love in Dickens' Great Expectations pushes against romantic stereotypes.

After finishing Dickens' Great Expectations, readers may reconsider the wisdom of the popular expression, "Begin with the end in mind."


Format

Remember to type your paper using MLA format.

End of Last Week

abc

Outlining

Mr. Stone shared Proverbs 12:1 for a devotional text.

Students continued viewing Great Expectations while Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the third prewriting table for their theme essay.

Mr. Stone used a student's prewriting table to demonstrate how to outline.
He emphasized the importance of students making sure their paper had a clear line of argument. Repeat the central thematic topic word in each supporting body paragraph's topic sentence.

Make sure your supporting concrete details are organized in a consistent logical order.



Homework: Write an outline of the your paper's line of argument.

I. Introduction
A. Context
B. Thesis
II. Topic Sentence of Body Paragraph 1
A. Supporting Concrete Detail 1
B. Supporting Concrete Detail 2
C. Supporting Concrete Detail 3
III. Topic Sentence of Body Paragraph 2
A. Supporting Concrete Detail 1
B. Supporting Concrete Detail 2
C. Supporting Concrete Detail 3
IV. Topic Sentence of Body Paragraph 3
A. Supporting Concrete Detail 1
B. Supporting Concrete Detail 2
C. Supporting Concrete Detail 3
V. Conclusion
A. Restated Thesis
B. Closing Comments

Although citations are not typical in outlines, Mr. Stone wants students to include them in this outline for each supporting detail to provide practice to the student and to make the outline a practical tool during drafting.

Since this essay is to be based only on the student's reading of Great Expectations, there will only be one source used in the paper. Citations will need to include both a volume number and a page number separated by a colon since the students used a three volume edition of Great Expectations.

For example a citation showing information from volume one, page twenty-three (I:23).

Prewriting Table 2 & More Viewing

Mr. Stone shared his poem on the time change and prayed.

Students continued viewing a contemporary movie version of Great Expectations while Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the second prewriting table.

Homework: Complete the third prewriting table.

Prewriting Tables and Viewing of Great Expectations

While students begin viewing the first episode of a recent Masterpiece Theater production of Great Expectations, Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the first prewriting table for the five-paragraph essay on a major idea/theme in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Homework: Complete a second prewriting table.

Great Expectations Test 2

Students responded to questions on plot and subplot, setting, the title and irony, and theme.

When students finished their test, they were directed to begin working on the first of the prewriting tables for the body paragraphs of their five-paragraph essay on a major idea/theme in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

They were reminded to include page numbers for each concrete detail.

Homework: Complete the first prewriting table.

Tomorrow Mr. Stone will check for the completion of each student's prewriting table while they watch the first portion of a recent movie version of Great Expectations.

Great Expectations: End of Test Review, Continuing Theme Essay Prewriting

After sharing a text from Proverbs 5, Mr. Stone finished reviewing by discussing the setting of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Mr. Stone then distributed three prewriting tables to each student and began discussion on how to prewrite the body paragraphs of the upcoming essay on a theme from Great Expectations.

Students are writing a five-paragraph essay in response to the following prompt.

Stated as a question: What Insight into life does Charles Dicken’s novel Great Expectations reveal?

Stated in a declarative sentence: Describe a central idea/theme revealed in Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations.

(Mr. Stone discussed how sometimes prompts are presented as questions and other times as declarative sentences.)


Thematic topics in Great Expectations
Friendship
Wealth/financial gain/money
Love
Revenge
Work
Jealousy
Marriage
Manipulation/use of others
Abuse
Crime
Punishment
Expectations
Social Class
Relationship
Parents


Likely Order of Thinking for Writing Five-Paragraph Essay on a Central Idea/Theme
1. Determine thematic topic of interest.
2. Make a list of examples/Cd, from the novel
3. Consider what these examples reveal about life.
4. Select your viewpoint
5. Develop CD + CM
6. Organize your ideas
7. Draft body
8. Consider your introduction
9. Draft introduction
10. Consider conclusion
11. Draft conclusion


Homework: Finish preparing for part two of the Great Expectations test.

Great Expectations Review: Plot and Subplot, Title and Irony, and Theme

Mr. Stone shared a text from Proverbs for devotions.

In class, he reviewed a life skill, a couple of test skills, and a study skill.

Mr. Stone reminded students that interpreting narratives/stories is a skill used daily in life. Understanding the relationships between plots, discerning themes and recognizing irony are useful not only in reading, but in making sense of our own personal experiences.

As the class reviewed potential test questions, Mr. Stone shared the test skill of breaking a short answer/essay question prompt into parts. He emphasized the importance of reading a prompt thoroughly, identifying the key words of the prompt (He'll be providing a list of common test terms.), being aware that the order of the steps to thinking through a prompt may be different from the order the material will be presented in the written response.

Mr. Stone encouraged students to prepare practice responses as a way of studying for the test. He suggested students share their responses with a classmate and critique each other's response for thoroughness and accuracy of information.

Homework: Continue to study for the second test over Great Expectations: plot and subplot, title and irony, theme, and setting.

Last Two Periods of Last Week

Mr. Stone was out sick for a day last week.

On the third class period of the week, students played games to review for the first test over Great Expectations.

On the fourth class period of the week, students took the first test over Great Expectations. A second test will be given during the first week of March.

More Work on Theme

Mr. Stone shared a poem on prayer for his devotional thought.

Students reviewed their homework and marked in preparation for sharing their ideas with classmates. Students circled their selection of thematic topic, numbered their examples from the novel's primary plot and subplots, and underlined their thematic statement(s) on the story's insight in to life on the selected topic.

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the initial prewriting for the essay on theme/major idea in Great Expectations.

Students shared with the class from their homework.

Mr. Stone distributed a sample essay of writing about a theme/idea in literature. Most sections had time to read it and discuss it.

Homework: Continue to study for the first part of the Great Expectations test to be taken during the last class period of this week. The second part of the test will be given during the first class period of next week.

Great Expectations Review: Plot, Subplot, & Theme

After prayer, Mr. Stone reviewed the basic parts of a story:

1. characters
2. plot
3. setting
4. point of view
5. theme

Parts of Setting
1. geographical location
2. historical period
3. time of day
4. weather
5. cultural milieu

Types of Conflict
1. human v. human
2. human v. self
3. human v. society
4. human v. nature
5. human v. God/gods
6. human v. fate
7. human v. machine
8. human v. the unknown

Parts of a Plot
1. exposition
2. narrative hook/initial complications
3. rising actions/complications
4. climax
5. falling action
6. resolution

Mr. Stone emphasized the difference between a topic in a story (a thematic topic)and the story's theme (insight into life).

The class used a list of subplots in Great Expectations from the Internet to facilitate a conversation about the various conflicts and thematic topics in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Pip's Conflicts in Great Expectations
(listed in no particular order)
Pip v. self-perceptions/expectations
Pip v. British social class expectations
Pip v. Orlick
Pip v. Drummle
Pip v. Joe
Pip v. Mrs. Joe
Pip v. Trabb's boy
Pip v. Magwitch
Pip v. the pale young gentleman/Herbert
Pip v. the Pockets
Pip v. Estella



Other Characters' Conflicts in Great Expectations
Mrs. Joe v. Joe
Mrs. Joe v. Pip
Mrs. Joe v. Orlick
Mrs. Joe v. Pumblechook
Miss Havisham v. society (specifically men)
Miss Havisham v. the Pockets
Miss Havisham v. Arthur
Herbert v. Mrs. Pocket
Herbert v. society
Magwitch v. Compeyson
Magwitch v. society
Molly v. Magwitch's other woman
Drummle v. his classmates
Drummle v. Estella
Wemmick v. Jaggers
Wopsle v. society
Wemmick v. society

Clearly, there are many more.


Thematic Topics in Great Expectations
wealth/financial gain
social status/class
love
marriage
hate
revenge
jealousy
bullying/abuse
use of others
eccentric individuals
friendship
expectations

Determining Theme
1. Identify the major conflicts in the story.
2. Consider what the results of the central conflicts say about life/one of the story's thematic topics.
3. Look at the story's title as an indicator of what is central to the story.
4. Identify the story's subplots.
5. Consider what the results of the subplots say about life/one of the story's thematic topics.
6. Identify how the characters grow and/or change.
7. Consider what the growth or change of characters says about life/one of the story's thematic topics.


Homework: Write a half a page (single-spaced if handwritten, double-spaced if typed) about one of the thematic topics of Great Expecations. Describe the subplots that go with this thematic topic. Describe the similarities and differences in the outcomes of these subplots. Describe what these stories/subplots reveal about life/write out a thematic statement (what this story says about the way life is regarding the specific thematic topic you have selected.).

Great Expectations Review Part One

Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 58-59 Quiz

Students received a review sheet for their up-coming test over Great Expectations. (The Test will be at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.)

Mr. Stone discussed the first two pages of the review sheet: author, genre, publishing history, point of view title, plot, and subplots, and characters.

Homework: Study the novel's characters and publishing history.

Great Expectations Chapters 56 to the End

Quiz: Chapters 54-55

Students read and listened to Chapters 56 and 57 in class.

Homework: Finish the novel.

Great Expectations Chapters 53-55

Tuesday, February 19th for Periods 2, 5, 6, & 7. Wednesday, February 20th for Period 1.

Students read/listened to all of Great Expectations Chapter 53 and the first part of Chapter 54 in class.

Homework: Finish reading Chapter 54 and read all of Chapter 55.

Great Expectations 45-52

Day Three
Students wrote a dialectical for Great Expectations Chapters 45-46.

They read/listened to Chapters 47-48.

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 49-50.


Day Four
Students wrote a half-page journal entry making predictions of how the novel would end. The entry should be headed "GE 50+ Predictions."

They read/listened to Chapters 51-52.

No homework was assigned since it is a holiday weekend.

Great Expectations 41-46

Students wrote a dialectical in response to Chapters 41 and 42 of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

They listened to Chapters 43-44.

Homework: Read Chapters 45-46.

Minimum Day: Great Expectations Ch. 40-42

No Quiz

In class, students read and listen to Great Expectations Chapter 40.

Homework: Read Ch. 41-42


(This will be the schedule of assignments for the seventh period's class on Tuesday, February 12, 2013.)

February 4-7, 2013

Day One
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 24-25

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapter 26

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 27-28

Day Two
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 27-28

In class students wrote a half-page journal entry making predictions about what would happen to various characters based on their reading of the first twenty-eight chapters of the novel.

Students also selected five words from their reading so far for which they did not know the definition. They looked up these words using a personal electronic device/a traditional dictionary from the classroom set and wrote out the definition.

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 29-30

Day Three
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 29-30

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 31-32

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 33-35

Day Four
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 33-35

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 36-37

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 38-39