Comma Test

Tuesday 16 December 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 17 December 2014 for Period 7

Students took their comma test and had time to begin reading their homework. Most students finished reading the homework in class.

Homework: Read John F. Kennedy's "The New Frontier" (644-646) and the excerpt from Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics (696-704).

Open-Book Quizzes and Final Comma Review

15 December 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and 16 December 2014 for Period 7

Open-Book Quiz 1: Joan Didion's "Georgia O'Keefe"

Open-Book Quiz 2: Alex Chadwick's "Earhart Redux" and Steve Geitschier's "In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle"

Students received back their graded comma exercises and their comma practice test with a key for them to self-grade and use as an additional study tool.

Students also received a test practice sheet for the table portion of the upcoming nonfiction test.

Homework: Finish preparing for the comma test. Remember the online comma quiz links you can find on the right-hand side of this blog.

Mr. Stone Out Sick

Mr. Stone was out sick last Thursday and Friday. He's back this week.

Comma Exercises Graded and Biographical Essay

Wednesday 10 December 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 11 December 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Students had time to review.

Quizzes: A White House Diary and Arthur Ashe Remembered

Students exchanged their comma exercises with a classmate and graded them using a key projected on a screen at the front of the classroom.

Students received their papers back and had a chance to see their scores. The papers were submitted to the teacher to be recorded.

Homework: Read Joan Didion's Georgia O'Keefe.

More Comma Exercises, a Diary Excerpt, and a Rememberance

Tuesday 9 December 2014 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 10 December for Period 7

Students finished Exercises 7-13 using the classroom set of Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar (Gold Level) books (479-491).

Homework: Read the excerpt from Lady Bird Johnson's A White House Diary and John McPhee's "Arthur Ashe Remembered" (674-684).

Comma Exercises and a Reflective Essay

Monday 8 December 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 9 December 2014 for Period 7

Students began working on Exercises 7-13 in a classroom set of Prentice Hall's Writing and Grammar (Gold Level).

Homework: Read Rudolfo Anaya's "A Celebration of Grandfathers" (662-668).

The Persuasive Essay & More on Commas

Thursday 4 December 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 5 December 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Students had ten minutes to review at the beginning of the period. Mr. Stone emphasized the need to think of the text as an essay as opposed to a story.

Quiz: Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer"

Mr. Stone shared from a letter he was sending his mother about the class's discussion of Singer's "The Washwoman."

Short Lecture: The Three Appeals of Persuasion

Rhetorical Analysis: "On Summer"

Mr. Stone went over more on the comma rules.

Homework: None (Banquet weekend) Have a great time!

The Narrative Essay & Commas as Separators

Devotional Text: Luke 1:26-28

Quiz: Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman" (650-655)

Short Lecture: Narrative Essay

Short Discussion: Thesis in "The Washwoman"

Mr. Stone began reading through the comma rules packet with the class, explaining each grammatical construction and providing extra examples. Mr. Stone emphasized how commas function as separators, not joiners. He defined comma splice.

Homework: Read Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer" (656-661).

Description, Observation, & Grading of Comma Pretest

Devotional Text: Isaiah 9:6

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

Students received a table of common nonfiction genres with definitions and another without the definitions. The definition of these terms will be evaluated on the nonfiction test given before Christmas break. Students may find the table without definitions useful as they study for the portion of the test where they will need to be able to classify nonfiction genres by primary intention/form of discourse.

Students also received a packet on the five rules/principles of commas.

Mr. Stone reviewed the introductory material on observation and description in the text(635) and students took notes on the definition of description and on description techniques--naming, detailing, and comparing. Mr. Stone explained the writing adage: "Be concrete and specific" by using an example from his recent writing.

The class finished correcting their comma pretests. Two separate scores will be recorded, one showing how many commas the student properly inserted and another showing how many times the correctly identify which rule/principle supported the use of a comma in the given instance.

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

Introduction to Nonfiction and Comma Pretest

Devotional: David Stone's "The First Day of Advent on a Bus"

The class read the two page introduction to nonfiction in their textbook (630-631) and Mr. Stone gave some additional introductory comments.

Mr. Stone reminded students to review the reading check questions and the questions at the end of the passage in preparation for a quiz over the passage. He encouraged them to read the piece twice since it is only four pages long.

Pretest: Students completed a pretest over comma usage and rules (principles).

Students who finished their pretest early were able to begin reading their homework.

Once all the students were finished with the pretest, the class began correcting them.

Homework: Read Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View" (636-640).

Setting, Point of View, and Theme Test

Tuesday 18 November 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 19 November 2014

Students have the entire period to complete the test.

No homework

An Explicit Theme in Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

In class, Mr. Stone has discussed several implied/implicit themes from Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) that they may choose to discuss in the up-coming test. Students should also consider an explicit theme of the movie: "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life." These words are printed on a lobby wall at Life magazine where Walter Mitty works in the film. Sean O'Connell gives Walter Mitty a wallet with these words engraved in them. The words appear on the runway as Walter departs for Greenland. Near the end of the movie, Walter asks Ted Hendricks what is the motto of the company.

If you chose to use this explicit theme on the test, be sure to describe these instances and discuss how they are connected to one of the film's main story line's and its outcome.

Last Test Review for Setting, Point of View and Theme Test

Monday 17 November 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 18 November 2014

Students completed their T-charts about the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). Each student's T-chart needs to list a minimum of five strengths of the film/aspects the student likes about the film and five weaknesses of the film/aspects of the film the student dislikes. Students highlighted in purple the heading of the column that they were choosing to argue and highlighted in blue four supporting points in that they had written in that column. They highlighted one point from the opposing column in blue that they were to label "concession."

Students took a mock test of the point-of-view portion of their up-coming test. Mr. Stone went over the correct answers and modeled the analysis he did to determine the correct answers.

Mr. Stone briefly reviewed the topics and format of the up-coming test. He emphasized the importance of preparing for the function of setting and theme portions of the test by practicing writing out their paragraph responses before the test. He modeled a response for each.

Homework: Finish studying for the test.

End of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Viewing and Test Review

Students finished viewing Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) and began reviewing for the Short Story Test 2: Setting Point of View and Theme.

Mr. Stone distributed and went over a review sheet for the upcoming test. Students should study the Quizlet stacks Mr. Stone made for Titles and Authors, Setting Details and Elements and Titles, and Vocabulary.

In addition, students should be able to list the five elements of setting:
1. geographical location
2. historical period
3. time of day
4. weather
5. cultural milieu

Students should practice writing out their paragraph responses to the question on the function of setting and the question on a theme/moral in the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Students had time to complete a T-chart as part of the prewriting for their upcoming film review paper.

Homework: Finish T-chart if not finished in class and study for the upcoming test.

Test for Periods 2, 5, & 6 will be on Tuesday 18 November 2014 and for Period 7 on Wednesday 19 November 2014.

More Viewing of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Students continued to view the 2013 film version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and take notes for their film review.

Homework: Continue studying for next week's test over Setting, Point of View, and Theme. A list of selected vocabulary words has been added to Quizlet. Study these words and the names of the authors and titles posted yesterday.

Viewing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Journal Entry: In an entry titled "Second Quarter Book Choice," identify the author and title of the biography/autobiography you selected for your second quarter book report. Explain why you chose the book and what you have learned in your first twenty or more minutes of reading the book.

Viewing: Students began watching Ben Stiller's 2013 version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty loosely based on James Thurber's short story. Mr. Stone asked them to write down some notes as they viewed. Students will be writing a review of the film.

Homework: Begin studying for the test over Setting, Point of View and Theme by studying the Quizlet set containing the names of the authors and titles in the unit.

Note: The test will be taken by Periods 2, 5, & 6 on Tuesday, November 18th and by Period 7 on Wednesday, November 19th. A review sheet will be distributed to students on Wednesday, November 12th.

Library: 2nd Quarter Book Selection

English I met in the library today to select an autobiography/biography to read for their second quarter book report. Students are expected to bring the book they selected to their first English class next week.

Homework: Read at least twenty minutes in your biography/autobiography.

Note: Student will be expected to read the book as outside reading during the next month. Outside reading means it is done outside of the normal class and homework time.

What Makes a Good Fillm?

Thursday 5 November 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 7 November 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Journal Entry: What makes a good film?

Mr. Stone presented information on how to participate in an academic discussion.

Class Discussion: What makes a good film?

No homework

Thursday the class will meet in the library for selection of an autobiography or biography to read for the second quarter book report.

Submission of Prewriting and Rough Draft of Book Report

Tuesday 4 November 2014 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 5 November 2014 for Period 7

Students reviewed James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" for the first ten minutes of class before taking a quiz.

Students submitted seven pieces of prewriting and the rough draft of their first quarter book report.

The class discussed "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

No Homework

Housekeeping & Drafting Time

Mr. Stone passed out grade reports and students received back a number of recently graded assignments. They were directed to compare the scores on the assignments to their grade report to make sure there were no clerical errors.

Students were given opportunity to discuss any discrepancies with Mr. Stone.

Students had the majority of the class period to work on typing their rough draft of their book report. They were also encouraged to finish reading James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" if they had not done so previously (346-352).

Homework: Finish typing the seven-paragraph rough draft of the book report and be prepared for a quiz over "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (346-352).

Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"

Thursday 30 October 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 31 October for Periods 1 & 7

Student's listened to a recording of Basil Rathbone reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."

Mr. Stone discussed how the story was an example of a gothic story.

Student began reading James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (346-352).

Homework: Begin typing your seven-paragraph book report.

Prewriting the Book Report's Introduction and Conclusion

The class sang "Lord of My Life" to begin class.

Mr. Stone distributed prewriting sheets for the introduction and conclusion of the book report and discussed them with the class.

Mr. Stone checked on the the prewriting tables of students he was unable to check during the previous class period.

Homework: Type out the a rough draft of your book report's introduction. Format the page in MLA format.

Finishing Prewriting Body Paragraphs

Poem: "Did I Miss Anything"

Mr. Stone circulated through the room checking student's completion of the first two prewriting tables and assessing if students were understanding the difference between concrete details and commentary.

Students spent the class period working on completing the remaining two prewriting tables.

Homework: Finish the last two of the four prewriting tables.

Determining Your Claim & Developing Your Supporting Argument

Monday 27 October 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 28 October 2014 for Period 7

Devotional Text: Galations 5:22-23

Students returned their journal to the cabinet if they had taken it home to complete the two summary paragraph entries for the book report (BR1SP1 and BR1SP2).

Determining Your Claim from Your T-Chart
Mr. Stone presented a colored diagram of the book report essay on the board. Ultimately, a student is recommending whether his/her audience should read the book the student has read. Such a recommendation would be considered a claim of policy. The writer is answering the question: What should we do?

To determine whether the student will recommend the book, the student needs to determine whether the book he/she has read is good or bad. Such a determination makes a claim of value, answering one of two questions: How good is it? or How bad is it?

Mr. Stone directed students to use the T-chart they completed for homework to help them answer these questions. Students were to have listed a minimum of five strengths of the book/five aspects the reader liked and at least five weaknesses of the book/five aspects the reader disliked. Which list turned out longer? Which list was easier to make? Usually, the list you made longer and often with less effort indicates the viewpoint the student should chose to take.

Mr. Stone directed students to highlight in purple (the color used in this course to indicate thesis) the heading at the top of the column of the T-Chart that named the perspective they were choosing. Then, Mr. Stone asked the students to highlight in blue (the color used to represent topic sentences) the strongest four points they had listed in the column they had chosen. To determine which four to highlight, students should think about whether they can easily come up with three examples to illustrate this point. If they can't, they should pick a different supporting point.

Developing Your Supporting Argument

Once students had highlighted their T-Chart, they moved to completing the expository body paragraph prewriting charts.

For "Essay Topic," Mr. Stone directed students to write the title of the book they read for the report.

For "Your Viewpoint of the General Topic," Mr. Stone directed students to write two things: a word indicating the student's claim of value (e.g. great, good, mediocre, bad, horrible), and after a slash, a phrase indicating the student's claim of policy (recommend to read, recommend to avoid, etc.) Students should put the same answer for these two prompts at the top of each of the four body paragraph prewriting sheets provided.

Mr. Stone asked students to highlight purple the essay topic and their viewpoint of the general topic.


For "Subtopic," students consulted their blue highlighting on their T-chart. Each prewriting chart should address a different subtopic (e.g. suspense, character, plot, setting, descriptive details, etc.)

For "Your Viewpoint of the Subtopic," students need to express how that subtopic contributes to the quality of the novel, e.g.

Conrad Richter skillfully shapes the readers perceptions by changing the focus of which character's thoughts and feelings he presents while maintaining a third-person point-of-view.


Homework: Complete two of the four body paragraph prewriting sheets.

Book Report Summary Paragraphs and Prewriting T-Chart

Devotional: Singing "Lord of My Life"

Plot Summary Paragraphs
Students had the class period to write a two paragraph summary of the book they read for their first quarter book report. Each of the summary paragraphs should be between eight and ten sentences long. Mr. Stone suggested students might think of the book they read as a two-hour movie. Think of your first paragraph as describing the first hour of the movie and your second paragraph as describing the second hour of the movie.

Another way to approach summarizing the book a student wrote would be to write a one sentence summary of each chapter. If the book contains more than twenty chapters, attempt to combine what happened in some of chapters into one sentence.

The goal of a summary is to present the main events/points of the book in a condensed length.

If a student's book is divided into major divisions greater than two, a student may discuss with Mr. Stone the option of writing a larger number of smaller paragraphs. A student needs to get approval for writing a summary that is not written in the expected two paragraphs.

T-Chart
Students need to complete the T-chart Mr. Stone distributed in class to help them determine their dominant opinion/judgement of the book the read. They should list at least five strengths of the book/aspects they liked about the book and five weaknesses of the book/aspects they disliked about the book.

Once the student has completed the T-chart, they should review their lists to help them to determine whether the thesis of their report will be positive or negative. Is the student recommending other students read the book or suggesting that they should avoid it? If a student has a longer list of strengths/likes, then he/she is likely to want to recommend the book to others. If a student has a longer list of weaknesses/dislikes, then he/she suggest to his classmates that they find a different book to read.

Students should also review each aspect they list on their t-chart to determine if they can think of three examples to use to support how that aspect is a strength or weakness of the book. If the student cannot think of at least three examples for an aspect, then that aspect would not make a good subtopic or supporting point in their paper.

Homework: Complete any parts of the two summary paragraphs and the t-chart not completed in class.

Introduction to Expository Writing and Overview of Book Report Requirements

Wednesday 22 October for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 23 October 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Devotional: Singing "Lord of My Life"

Mr. Stone announced that the class would be putting their flash fiction stories aside for a few days to allow them to rest before students worked on revising them.

Mr. Stone presented an introductory lecture on the Jane Schaffer approach to expository paragraph writing and went over the general requirements for the first quarter book report.

Homework: Bring the book you read for your first quarter book report to the next class.

MLA Format

Students sang "Lord of My Life" for devotions.

Mr. Stone instructed students on how to format their flash fiction story in the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.

Students used classroom computers to practice the formatting.

Mr. Stone reviewed the following features:

Page margins: one inch on all sides

Font: 12 point legible font whose regular and italic forms are clearly distinctive, e.g. Times New Roman

Heading: student first and last name (first line), teacher title and first and last name (second line), course name (third line), date in international date format (fourth line)

Title: Capitalize first letter of first word and all of the following nouns and verbs. The title should be kept in the same regular 12 pt font as the rest of the paper. It should not be bolded, italicized, underlined, or placed in quotation marks.

Indentations: The text at the beginning of each new paragraph should be indented to a half-inch tab.

Spacing: The entire document should be double-spaced. Be careful to make sure that the spacing after paragraphs is set for zero. No additional space should occur before or after a paragraph. The entire document should be double-spaced.

Header: A plain header should appear at the top of each page of the paper. The page number should be inserted in the top right-hand position just before a right-justified tab. The student's last name should appear just to the left of the page number with one space separating the student's last name and the page number.


Homework: Revise your flash fiction story so it follows MLA format. (If you have not yet revised your rough draft to be sure it includes direct dialogue, be sure it does.) Bring a fresh printout of your story to class.

Dialogue

Monday 20 October 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 21 October 2014 for Period 7

Devotional Song: "Lord of My Life"

Mr. Stone began teaching the class a song that he regularly sings with his own children and that he has taught previous classes to sing. He used the song to discuss rhyme scheme and direct and indirect quotations and dialogue.

He read through most of a handout on dialogue that he distributed at the beginning of class.

Homework: Finish reading any portion of the dialogue handout not completed during class time. Read over the flash fiction option you have decided to revise and make sure that it includes at least one use of direct dialogue. If it does not contain at least one example of direct dialogue, then revise the story to include one.

Bring to class a fresh printout of the flash fiction story you have selected and revised if necessary.

Selecting a Flash Fiction Option

Thursday 16 October 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 17 October 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Students shared their two flash fiction options with two classmates. Students signed each story they read and starred the option they would recommend their classmate select to revise next week.

No homework this weekend because of the Loma Linda Community Fair. Have a great weekend!

Drafting Two Flash Fiction Options

Wednesday 15 October 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 16 october 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Students were expected to arrive to class with a rough draft of their first flash fiction option (400-500 words).

Each student was given access to a computer and the following instructions:

1. Type your flash fiction option 1 draft. (If you already typed it home, you do not need to type it again.)

2. Send your draft of your flash fiction option 1 to dstone@lla.org. with your period # and last name followed by first name and option # in the subject line, e.g.

To: dstone@lla.org
Re: P6 Lum, Josh Option 1

3. Begin writing your second flash fiction story.
(You will be choosing between your two rough drafts during the next class period.)

4. Send draft of option 2 to Mr. Stone. Be sure to label it option 2, e.g.

To: dstone@lla.org
Re: P6 Lum, Josh Option 2


Come to class tomorrow with hard copies of both your drafts.

Homework: Complete any of the four steps above not finished during class time.

Flash Fiction

Tuesday 14 October 2014 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 15 October 2014 for Period 7

Devotional Text: Proverbs 16:3

Students viewed "How To Write Flash Fiction," and discussed four writing prompts:

Betrayal

Missed opportunity

Eyes that can't see

A bottle of _______________________

Students need to write a flash fiction story (a short short-story) that is between 400 and 500 words.

They may write on any topic as long it is appropriate for reading in our classroom. Keep it kosher.

Mr. Stone reminded students that their stories will be submitted to Turnitin.com, a plagiarism checker. They should not copy or borrow any part of another person's story.



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

Setting, Point of View and Theme

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Analyzing James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis"

Wednesday 1 October 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 2 October 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Quiz: James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis"

Journal Entry: "Blame"

Do you blame the narrator for Doodle's death? Explain why or why not. (Students may look back at their books for supporting details.)
Extra credit for students who write this journal entry in cursive. The entry needs to be at least twelve lines long.

Students worked in small groups to analyze one of the major elements of the story: characters, plot, setting, point of view, or theme.

Each student needed to record his/her answers on the story analysis sheet he/she received from the teacher.

Students will share their findings during the next class period.

Homework: Read Cynthia Rylant's "Checkouts" (282-285). There will be a quiz at the beginning of the next period.

Point of View

Tuesday 30 September 2014 for Periods 2, 5 and 6 and Wednesday 1 October 2014 for Period 7


Students graded a classmates vocabulary homework at the beginning of class.

Mr. Stone read through examples of first-person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient and second-person narration, noting the differences.

Students took additional notes on "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" and new notes on "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth."

Homework: Read "The Scarlet Ibis" (554+).

Point of View in Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs"

Student had ten minutes to review Arthur C. Clarke's "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth" before they had a quiz.

Journal Entry: "Blind"

After reading a little introductory material about Rumer Godden's life and the physical and cultural geography of England, Mr. Stone read Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs" to the class while they listened with their head's down on their desk, allowing them to experience the story's emphasis on placing the reader as a character in the story through its second person point of view.

Students also received a handout with illustrations of major types of point of view and two vocabulary worksheets. (Period two received two single-sided sheets for the vocabulary and Periods Five, Six, and Seven received one double-sided sheet.)

Homework: Complete the two vocabulary pages (and the journal entry if not completed during class time).

Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story"

Periods 5 & 6 Thursday 25 September 2014 and Friday 26 September 2014

In class students discussed character, plot, setting, and humor in Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story."

Homework: Read Arthur C. Clarke's "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth . . . ."

Plot and Character Test

Periods 5 & 6 on Wednesday 24 September 2014 and Periods 2 & 7 on Thursday September 2014

Students took the plot and character test.

Homework: Read Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story" (596-602).

Setting in Leslie Marmon Silko's "The Man to Send Rain Clouds"

Mr. Stone announced the Character and Plot test was postponed a day.

Students took notes on setting and its function in stories. The following terms were defined/explained:

geographical location
historical period
time of day
weather
cultural milieu
mood
symbol


Mr. Stone read Leslie Marmon Silko's "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" out loud to the students (590-595) and had them take notes on its setting and characters.

Homework: Continue to study for the Character and Plot test.

Plot and Character Test Postponed

Since the periods on Tuesday, September 23rd were shorter, Mr. Stone decided to postpone the Plot and Character Test one day.
Periods 5 & 6 will take the test on Wednesday, September 24th and Periods 2 & 7 will take the test on Thursday September, 25th.

Thursday Reading Time

Students will have all of their fifty-minute class period on Thursday to read a portion of the novel they have selected for their first quarter book report.

They should bring their signed parent approval form to class.

They should also be sure they have their three-ring binder with their English notes chronologically organized.

Mr. Stone will be checking notebooks while students read.

Test Review: Plot and Character

Mr. Stone distributed a review sheet for the Plot and Character Test and explained how the test would be formatted.

The class discussed direct and indirect characterization using the students analysis of Kamila Shamsie's "Your Dead, Our Dead."

Students turned in their highlighted copies of Shamsie's story and their list of examples of characterization for their assigned character.

They also turned in vocabulary worksheets for "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird" and "One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts."

Homework: Select your book to read for the first quarter book report and get the parent approval form signed for Thursday. Begin studying for the Plot and Character test.

One Ordinatry Day, With Peanuts

Monday 15 September for Periods 5, 6, & 7 and Tuesday 16 September for Period 2

Journal Entry: "Mind Games"

Describe a time you "played with someone else's mind. How did it make you feel? And/or describe a time someone "played" with your mind. How did it make you feel. If you can not think of a personal experience like either of these, then write about how the protagonist in "One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts" plays with people. Write a minimum of twelve lines.

Quiz: "One Ordinary Day with Peanuts"

Handouts: Build Vocabulary worksheets for "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird" and "One Ordinary Day, With Peantus." Students also received a parent approval form for their selection of a book for the first quarter book report.

Mr. Stone went over the spelling strategies and discussed the prefix "dis-" and how to use related words to determine the meaning of some unfamiliar words.

Homework: Finish the parts of the vocabulary worksheets not completed in class and select a book for the first quarter book report. Students will be given fifty minutes of reading time on Thursday.

Characterization in "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Thursday, 11 September 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 12 September 2013 for Periods 2 & 7

After prayer, students took a quiz over Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead."

Students then took a notes over characterization and discussed the conflicts in Shamsie's story.

Students were divided in to six groups and analyzed Shamsie's use of direct and indirect characterization in her story.

Homework: Read Shirley Jackson's "One Ordinary Day with Peanuts" (420-430). Finish the characterization analysis if not completed during class.

Remembering 9/11

Journal Entry: What does 9/11 mean to you? Explain. Write a minimum of twelve sentences.

Mr. Stone asked the class about how their lives had been affected by 9/11 and shared some of his own experiences from that day.

The class began discussing Kamila Shamsie's "Your Dead, Our Dead."

The students returned to the groups they formed last class period and continued working on the tables they started yesterday analyzing the characters from either "The Red-headed League" or "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird."

Homework: Re-read/review "Your Dead, Our Dead."

"Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird" and More on Characters

Devotional Thought: Jabari Asim's "The Talk"

Quiz: Toni Cade Bambara's "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird"

Notes: Students continued to take notes on literary terms relating to character:

dynamic character
static character
hero/heroine
main character
major character
minor character


The class discussed the course's essential question(What is it?) and genus differentia definitions.

Group Activity: Working in groups of 3-5, students chose to either analyze the characters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-headed League" or Toni Cade Bambara's "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird." They were to make a chart including the following columns:

character names
description
traits
flat/round
static/dynamic
major/minor

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

Grading Update

The grades for the summer reading test have now been posted for all four periods.

The Red-headed League: Character & Vocabulary

Sentence Work #5

Devotional Thought: Jason McCall's "Roll Call For Michael Brown"

Mr. Stone prayed for he and his students to see others as Christ sees them.

Writer Reading: Mr. Stone shared his latest column from the Press Enterprise: "Poetry Called Present."

Note Taking: Students took more short story notes. The notes today included the following terms related to character:

narrative
narrator
character
protagonist
antagonist
character trait
round character
flat character

Vocabulary: The class discussed spelling with prefixes, the root -spect-, and completed a worksheet with words connected to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-headed League." Students who did not complete the worksheet during class time should submit it at the beginning of the next class.

Homework: Read Toni Cade Bambara's "Blues Ain't No Mockin' Bird" (570-576).

Grading Update

Mr. Stone and/or his student workers have graded the summer reading test for Periods 7 and 6. Those scores have been entered into PowerSchool. Mr. Stone has taken the tests for Periods 2 and 5 home with him over the weekend. Their scores will be posted by Monday. Period 7 got to see their graded tests on Friday, September 5. Periods 2, 5 and 6 will get to see their graded tests on Monday, September 8th.

Period 7 Study Hall

Due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, Period 7 had one more period than the other English I periods this week. They had a study hall on Friday. Their quiz over "The Red-head League" will be on Tuesday. (All other periods have their quiz on Monday.)

Summer Reading Test

Thursday 4 September 2014 for Periods 7, 5 & 6 and Friday 4 September 2014 for Period 2

After prayer, students took the summer reading test (matching and multiple-choice questions).

Reading: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-headed League" (96-116)

Homework: Finish Reading "The Red-headed League." There will be a quiz over the reading.

Study Time for Summer Reading Test

Wednesday 3 September 2014 for Periods 5, 6 & 7 and Thursday 4 September 2014 for Period 2

Mr. Stone introduced students to Quizlet.com. Students appeared to enjoy studying the characters, setting, and symbols through the flashcards and multiple game and test options on the Quizlet site. This material will be tested through matching sections on the actual test.

Students should look for the following sets on Quizlet:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Characters

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Setting

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Symbols

The sets should say created by EnglishStone.

Students should not study through quizlet alone. They need to study the short answer questions from the review sheet. These questions will be multiple choice questions on the actual test.

Homework: Study for Summer Reading Test

Note: Period Two's summer reading test was moved to Friday to give the students from that section equal class study time.

Period Seven has an extra English period this week and will have a study hall on Friday.

Summer Reading Review

Journal Entry: Hotel Ending

Jamie Ford leaves several questions for the reader at the end of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. State at least one (e.g. Will Henry and Keiko get married?) and provide an answer/description/sequel scene. You need to write a minimum of twelve sentences.

Sentence Work:

Mr. Stone went over the correct answers for the review sheet for the test over Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Students would benefit from using Quizlet to study for the test. Mr. Stone has made to flash card sets:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Characters

and

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Setting

Homework: Study for the summer reading test over Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

Multiple Plots in The Interlopers

Thursday 28 August 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 29 August 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Devotional Text: Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.


Sentence Work #3: Questions (Interrogatives)

Homework Collected:

Mr. Stone used nearly thirty manipulative plot sheets on the front board to discuss the multiple plots in Saki's "The Interlopers."

No additional homework assigned over the holiday weekend.

Students who have not finished reading Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet should finish the book this weekend. The test will be next Thursday. Mr. Stone will go over the review sheet on Tuesday.

Analyzing Sequence in a Story & Vocabulary

Wednesday 27 August 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 28 August 2014 for Periods 2 & 7

Sentence Work #2: Subject Understood

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 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 major parts of a plot line labeled.

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

Homework: Complete vocabulary worksheets for “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Interlopers.

First Notes: Parts of a Story, Conflict & Plot

Tuesday 26 August 2014 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 27 August 2014 for Periods 7

Devotional Text: 1 Corinthians 14:40 “But all things should be done decently and in order.”

Sentence Work #1: Simple subject and predicate



Write a sentence using a specific noun and a precise verb.

Journal Entry: Did you enjoy reading Jaimie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?
(If you haven’t read it, explain why?) Title this entry "Hotel."

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.


Homework: Read Saki's "The Interlopers" (304-310)

Syllabus

(Monday 25 August 2014 for Periods 2, 5, and 6 and Tuesday 26 August for Period 7)

Devotional Text: Philippians 1:3-6

Students received a composition book to use as a journal. Mr. Stone directed them to write their first and last names on the cover. He encouraged them to personalize the spine (and the cover if they would like) so that it is easier to distinguish their journal from their classmates.

Quiz: "The Most Dangerous Game"

Mr. Stone distributed copies of the course syllabus and read it through with the class, elaborating on parts.

Homework: Get one parent/guardian to read the syllabus and complete the signature page. Bring the syllabus signature page back to submit at the beginning of the next class.

(Note: Period 5 still needs to take "The Most Dangerous Game" quiz.

First Day

(Thursday, August 21 for Period 2. Friday, August 22 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 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: Finish reading "The Most Dangerous Game" and review for a quiz over the story.

The quiz will be on Monday for Periods 2, 5 and 6 and on Tuesday for Period 7.

Students should begin studying for the summer reading test that will be given on Thursday September 4th using the review sheet provided in class. Student will turn in the completed review sheet at the time of the test.

Welcome!

Tomorrow begins the first day of the 2013-2014 school year--the first day of high school for most of you in English I. If I don't see you in class Thursday, I should see you in class on Friday.

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

Freshmen will be tested over Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on Thursday, September 4, 2014.

Introduction to Poetry and Chapter 8 Corrected

Devotional text: Psalms 77:13-15

Students swapped Vocabulary Energizer books with a classmate and corrected the classmate's Chapter 8 using answers provided by the teacher.

Mr. Stone began the class's discussion of poetry with Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry." Collins completed an MA and PhD in Romantic Poetry from University of California Riverside. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. "Introduction to Poetry" contrasts approaches to reading poetry.

Turning their attention to the English I Poetry Review handout, Mr. Stone used the life and writing of Natalie Diaz to discuss the concept of "speaker."

Students looked at a Bible to understand the primary difference between prose and verse: the line.

Mr. Stone went over the definition of "stanza" and the names for stanzas, noting techniques for remembering the number of lines each type contains by the meaning of the first part of each stanza name. Many of the stanza names relate to Spanish.

Mr. Stone used his own poem, "Feed Me Poems," to demonstrate five different types of stanzas.

Homework: Study for the Chapter 7 Vocabulary Energizers Test using the text and/or Mr. Stone's Quizlet stack.

Vocabulary Tests

Chapter 7
Wednesday 14 May 2014 for Periods 5 & 6
Thursday 15 May 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Chapter 8
Thursday 15 May 2014 for Periods 5 & 6
Friday 16 May 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Research Report Submitted

Devotional text: Romans 8:28

Students had the period to complete any last minute adjustments to their reports and submit their hard copies inthe following order:

Rough draft with highlighting (on top)
Peer critique sheet
Revised draft with editing marks
Peer editing sheet
Final draft (on top)

Students must also submit their paper to Turnitin.

Homework: Complete Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 8.

Chapter 6 Quizlet Cards

Click here for Chapter 6 Quizlet cards.

Vocabulary Energizers 6 & 7

Monday 5 May 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 6 & 6 and Tuesday 6 May for Period 7

Students had fifteen minutes to review before they took a test over Chapter 6 of Vocabulary Energizers. After the test, students completed the exercises for Chapter 7 and turned them in to the teacher.

Homework: Prepare research report for peer critique. Make sure you have completed your works cited page and included all of your parenthetical citations.

Vocabulary Energziers Chapters 5 & 6

Monday 28 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday 29 April 2014 for Period 7

Mr. Stone discussed the remaining major tasks for the semester.

Students were given time to complete Vocabulary Energizers Chapters 5 and 6. They were submitted at the end of the period.

Homework: Begin studying Chapter 5 words and Puddn'head Wilson characters on Quizlet.

Chapter 4 Vocabulary Test

Thursday 24 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 25 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students received fifteen to twenty minutes to review. After they took the test over Chapter 4 of Vocabulary Energizers, they had some time to start Chapter 5.

Homework: Complete Chapter 5 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Theme Comments & Vocabulary

Wednesday 23 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 24 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, and 7

Mr. Stone showed examples of well written theme comments and of poorly written theme comments.

Students had time to revise their comments if necessary and to review their vocabulary.

Homework: Study for the Chapter 4 vocabulary test. The test will include the current fifteen words, ten words selected from the first three chapters, and five questions about the stories of the origins of the current fifteen words. An extra credit question will be asked.

Theme Comments on Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Tuesday 22 April 2014 for Periods 2,5, & 6 and Wednesday 23 April 2014 for Periods 1 & 7

Devotional Text: Amos 9:7

Vocabulary
Students had an opportunity to complete Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 4 if they had not already. Chapter 4 should have been submitted for grading before the end of the period. (There will be a test over Chapter 4 on Thursday for Periods 5 & 6 and on Friday for Periods 1, 2, & 7.)

Theme Topics
Mr. Stone listed the following topics on the board from Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson that came up from the class's previous discussion of the conflicts in the novel:

genetics v. environment/nature v. nurture

slavery

race

social status

honor

identity

betrayal

theft/stealing

gambling

parent-child relationships

reputation

money

law

finger printing/palmistry/forensics

Theme Comments
Students were given an identity (P5-2 is the student in Period 5 who is second alphabetically by last name in the period.) and assigned two chapters from the novel.

The assignment is post two comments on Mr. Stone Blog. Post each comment under the entry with the corresponding topic word, e.g. a description of Mark Twain's comment on older parents with two sentences of the student's explanation of what that passage is saying about parent-child relationships would get posted as a comment under "Parent-Child Relationships in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson."


Each of the student's two comments should contain the following elements:

the chapter number

a descriptive summary/short quotation of the passage that contains an example of the selected topic

two or more sentences explaining how/what the example illustrates a generalization about the selected topic

the students blog ID


Homework: Prepare two theme comments and post them on the blog. Be sure and pick to post anonymous.Be sure and copy your post before attempting to post it in case it doesn't go through so that you don't have to type again. If it doesn't go through, sign in to Google using your Google account information or one of the other methods listed in the drop down screen. If you had to sign-in to Google, you will still need to chose to post as anonymous.

Finger Printing/Palmistry/Forensics in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

The word forensics comes from the Latin forensis, which means "to the forum." The forum in ancient Rome was surrounded by numerous important government buildings. The forum was an open space for gathering and debate. Today the adjective form of the word means of or pertaining to courts of law or public debate or discussion. The noun form of the word refers to the art of formal debate. Some schools have forensic teams.

Forensic science refers to the application of scientific methods to the investigation of legal problems.

In Puddn'head Wilson, the lawyer David Wilson dabbles in finger printing and palmistry.

What do the characters actions using these forensic methods say about life? The use of finger printing and palmistry may say something more about some of the other topics covered by the novel, i.e. identity or the law, than they do about themselves.

Law in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

A number of characters in the novel are professionally involved with the law as a lawyer or judge. Other characters interact with the official legal system as witnesses, defendants, or a convicted criminal. What doe these incidents say about the legal system as a whole or its role in our lives?

Money in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Characters in Puddn'head Wilson earn money, steal money, gamble money, desire to inherit money, etc. What do the incidents involving money in the novel say about the role of money in our lives?

Reputation in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

One's reputation is his/her standing in the community. For clarification of this word, see Dictionary.com's entry on reputation. Look particularly at the paragraph under "synonyms" that differentiates reputation from character.

Twain describes Dawson Landing's citizens concern with their own individual reputation and the reputation of others. What insight(s) do the narrator's comments, the characters actions, or their speech reveal to readers?

Parent-Child Relationships in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

The novel begins with a mother's desperate attempt to save her child, but Roxy is not the only parent figure in the novel. "Tom" has multiple parent-child relationships. What are the similarities and differences between these parental-child relationships? What about the narrator's comments about parents and children?

Gambling in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Risking the loss of something important by taking a chance whether in a game involving money or in life with one's actions or speech is gambling. "Tom" gambles with money through games. How else might "Tom" gamble? Who else gambles in the novel?

Theft or Stealing in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Taking others property without permission is stealing. "Roxy" steals. "Tom" steals. Was Roxy's swapping of the children "stealing"? Does anyone else steal? What do the examples of stealing in this novel say about the effect of stealing on the perpetrators, the victims, and/or the community as a whole?

Betrayal in Puddn'head Wilson

Betrayal is an incident of disloyalty. Describe an incident when a character has failed to guard, maintain, or fulfill another character(s) trust in them. What does the outcome of this example say about betrayal?

Identity in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Identity is the characteristics by which a person or others perceive belonging or separation from others. What does this novel reveal about how people perceive their own individual identity? What does it reveal how people perceive the identity of others? What are the consequences of identity?

Honor in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Honor is connected to reputation, but it worth separating out as a separate concept. The duel in Puddn'head Wilson is an event particularly associated with the concept of honor. (For more information about dueling and honor, check out this Smithsonian article.)

What do the duel and other events in Puddn'head Wilson reveal about honor?

Social Status in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

What factors are involved in the social status of characters in Puddn'head Wilson? (wealth, gender, politics, education, race) What does the novel's treatment of characters say about social status? Which characters have a change in their social status? What is Twain saying about social status?

Race in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Race in its sense of a classification of humans can be problematic. What does Twain's novel say about the way that humans were classified in nineteenth-century America? What impact does the society's labeling/classifying of humans have on the characters in the novel? What might this say about the social construct of race?

Slavery in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

Puddn'head Wilson is noted as a satire on slavery. What does this novel say about systematic forced labor? (specifically,about the factors in America that defined who would be a slave)Roxy's swapping of her child for her master's child is central to the plot of the novel. What does the results of this action mean for the characters in the novel? How does this choice effect the larger society?

Genetics v. Environment in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

What does Twain's novel say about the long-standing debate of nature versus nurture? What part of the novel's characters' traits or actions does the novel attribute to their genetics or the environmental forces affecting them?

Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 3 Test

Thursday 17 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 18 April 2014 for Periods 1 ,2, & 7

Students had fifteen minutes to review before they took a test over Chapter 3 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Homework: Complete Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 4

Chapter 2 Vocabulary Test

Wednesday 16 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 17 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students had ten minutes to review before the test.

Students took the test over Chapter 2 of Vocabulary Energizers. The class graded the test before leaving.

Homework: Study for the Chapter 3 vocabulary test. Remember that it will cover the 15 new words from Chapter 3 and five randomly selected words from the previous chapters. Five questions will cover the origin stories from words in Chapter 3. The extra credit question will come ask about a prefix or suffix from Chapter 3.

Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 3 Exercises

Tuesday 15 April 2014 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 16 April 2014 for Periods 1 & 7

Students completed exercises for Chapter 3 of Vocabulary Energizers in class. Their scores were recorded during the class period.

The test for Chapter 2 will contain twenty-five questions and an extra credit question. All fifteen words from Chapter 2 will be on the test as well as five words from the previous chapters. There will be five questions about the stories behind the words' origins. The extra credit question will be about one of the prefixes, roots, or suffixes presented in Chapter 2.

Homework: Study for the test over Chapter 2.

(There will be a test over Chapter 3 during the last class period of the week. Time will be given for studying after the test over Chapter 2.)

Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 2 & Pudd'nhead Wilson Notes

Monday 14 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 15 April 2014 for Period 7

Mr. Stone shared a draft of his latest poem for devotions.

The class graded the exercises of Chapter 2 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Students discussed and took notes on the setting and conflicts in Mark Twain's novel Pudd'nhead Wilson.

Homework: Study the fifteen vocabulary words of Chapter 2 and review the fifteen words of Chapter 1. Be sure and bring your vocabulary book with you tomorrow. We will complete Chapter 3 in class.

Vocabulary Energizers Test #1

Thursday 10 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 11 April 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Test: Vocabulary Energizers, Chapter 1

Homework: Complete exercises for Vocabulary Energizers, Chapter 2

Use Quizlet to Review for Vocab Test

Mr. Stone has set up a set of flash cards on Quizlet that students can use to study for their vocabulary test.

Ch. 1 Vocabulary Exercises Graded

Students swapped their vocabulary with a classmate and graded the exercises for Chapter 1 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Students were given class time to study with a partner the vocabulary words for the test on Thursday for Periods 5 and 6 and on Friday for Periods 1, 2, and 7.

The first vocabulary test will contain fifteen matching questions where the student will need to match each vocabulary word with its corresponding synonym and five questions about the historical stories of the first ten words of the chapter. An extra credit question will be asked either about the historical stories or the root voc.

Homework: Study for the test over Vocabulary Energizers Chapter 1.

Vocabulary Engergizers Chapter 1

Tuesday 8 April 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 9 April 2014 for Periods 1 & 7

Quiz: Final chapters of Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mr. Stone went over the format of the Vocabulary Energizer workbook and explained that the class would cover all of the book's ten chapters before the semester's final exam. The final exam will cover a hundred randomly selected words from the one-hundred-and-fifty words covered in the book.

Each vocabulary quiz following the first one will have not only the fifteen new words presented but five words from previous chapters.

Mr. Stone reminded students that narrative/story helps memory. Reading the stories presented with many of the vocabulary words will help the student to remember the word. Repetition also makes material become more permanently stored in the memory. Students should quiz themselves over the words many times. Making study a game is also a proven method to help a student remember.

Homework: Complete the exercises for Chapter 1 of Vocabulary Energizers.

Students will return to working on the research paper next week.

Finishing Pudd'nhead Wilson

After a quiz over the homework, students continued to listen to Pudd'nhead Wilson.

Homework: Finish reading the novel. Do not read the note from the author.

Be sure and bring your vocabulary book to the next class. See the syllabus for the publication details if you have questions.

Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapters 14-18

Thursday 3 April for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 4 April for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Quiz: Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapters 11-13

Students listen to Chapters 14 and and most of Chapter 15 in class.

Homework: Finish reading Chapter 15 and Chapters 16-18. There will be a quiz over the end of Chapter 15 to Chapter 18 at the beginning of the first class next week.

Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapters 9-13

Wednesday 2 April 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 3 April 2014

Quiz: Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapter 8

Students listened to Chapters 9, 10, and the first part of Chapter 11.

Homework: Finish reading Chapters 11-13. There will be a quiz over Chapters 11-1 at the beginning of the next class period.

Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapters 5-8

Tuesday 1 April 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 2 April 2014 for Periods 1 & 7


Quiz: Pudd'nhead Wilson Chapters 3-4

Students listened to an audio recording of Pudd'nhead Wilson while they followed along in their own printed copies of the text.

Homework: Finish reading through Chapter 8. A Quiz over Chapter eight will be given at the beginning of the next class.

Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson

Monday 31 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 1 April 2014 for Period 7


We're putting our research paper on hold for a week or two. Most students have completed their rough drafts. A few need to catch up. In class, students began listening to the introduction and first chapters of Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson. Students who missed class or have left their copy at school should take advantage of online e-text.

Students will be expected to have finished reading the first four chapters before coming to the second class of this week. A quiz will be given.

Homework: Finish reading any of the first four chapters of Pudd'nhead Wilson not completed in class.

Introduction, Conclusion, and Note Cards and Bib Cards Due

Devotional Text: Philippians 4:4

Students have the class period to finish drafting the introduction and the conclusion of their research paper.

Before the end of the period, students must turn in their introduction, conclusion, their forty note cards,and five bib cards. Students should make sure their name is written on the back of each note card. They should write their period number on the back of the last card so that it is visible when the stack is rubber banded together.

No homework

Have a great spring break!

Drafting the Introduction and Conclusion of the Research Report

Wednesday 19 March 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 20 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Devotional Text: Hebrews 13:1-3

Introduction
Opening Strategies
The introduction for the research paper should be between five and eight sentences in length.

The first three to five sentences should contain an opening strategy

Common Open Strategies                How that Might Work with the Religion Report
Open with an anecdote.                       Retell/summarize a Bible story that relates to your
                                                             paper's topic.

Open with thought-provoking details.    List examples of incidents from the Bible that relate
                                                             to your paper's topic.

Open with a contrast.                          Contrast today with first-century Palestine. For
                                                             example, if your paper is about what was the life
                                                             of woman like in first-century Palestine,
                                                             then you would describe briefly the life of
                                                             contemporary women before asking your
                                                             primary question.

Open with a quotation.                       Use Brainy Quote or Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
                                                             to locate a quotation related to your paper's topic.
                                                             Introduce the person who said the quote, present
                                                             the quote and comment on the quote before
                                                             asking your primary question.

Primary Question
After your opening strategy, continue your introductory paragraph by stating your primary question.

Expository Thesis
Immediately following the primary question, state your thesis. Remember the thesis for this paper is not argumentative/persuasive.

Preview
A preview lists for the reader the subtopics of your paper. Your preview may be a part of your thesis sentence or a separate sentence.

Conclusion

The conclusion for the Religion research report should be three to five sentences long.

Restate the report's thesis.

Reconnect to the opening strategy.

Describe relevance to Bible for a modern reader.

Drafting the Fourth and Fifth Body Paragraphs of the Research Report

Tuesday 18 March 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 19 March 2014 for Periods 1 and 7

Devotional Text: Hebrews 12: 5-6

Students had until the end of the period to submit their second and third body paragraphs.

Mr. Stone emphasized the importance of including parenthetical citations while drafting. He also reviewed the nature of expository commentary, noting that students should not be expressing there personal feelings in this paper. Rather, they should use sentences of commentary to explain how the examples they provide fit the generalization they have made in the paragraph's topic sentence.

Students had most the period to continue drafting using laptop computers in the classroom. Students were expected to have completed the fourth body paragraph during this time.

Homework: Finish the fourth body paragraph if not completed during class time and complete the fifth body paragraph.

Avoiding "Dummy Subjects"

Many student writers ineffectively begin sentences with "dummy subjects," such as "there" or "it." The website Daily Writing Tips provides a good explanation of "dummy subjects."

A professor from John A. Logan College, a community college in Illinois, also provides a helpful handout to assist students in understanding how to revise their sentences to avoid "dummy subjects."

Drafting Second and Third Research Body Paragraphs

Monday 17 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5 and 6 and Tuesday 18 March 2014 for Period 7

Devotional Text: Hebrews 11: 13-16

Student submitted a rough draft of their first body paragraph for their research papers at the beginning of class.

The class used the period to continue drafting using the classroom laptop computers. Students were expected to complete the second body paragraph during class.

Mr. Stone reviewed the difference between a topic sentence, a sentence of concrete detail, a sentence of commentary, and a closing sentence with a color-coded example.

While students were drafting, Mr. Stone worked with students individually reviewing the quality of their thesis and topic sentences.

Homework: Finish the second body paragraph if not yet completed and draft the third body paragraph. Both typed paragraphs should be submitted at the beginning of the next class period.

Integrating a Source Practice #1: A Single Author Print Book

A Single Author Book

Bibliography Card

Note Card

ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS

GOOD

Jill Ker Conway, critically acclaimed author,says, "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time, our imagined future will continue that quest" (176).

*technically acceptable, however, the interrupting appositive construction after "Conway" and before "says" makes the sense choppy with so many commas

BETTER

Critically acclaimed autobiographer Jill Ker Conway says, "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time, our imagined future will continue that quest" (176).

*A smoother grammatical construction can sometimes be created by placing the information before the author's name in a manner that does not create the appositive construction that requires the commas.


BEST

Critically acclaimed autobiographer Jill Ker Conway suggests in When Memory Speaks: Exploring the Art of Autobiography, "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time, our imagined future will continue that quest" (176).

*Names the author
*Creates further context for the reader by naming the title of the source
*lists a credential of the author (an achievement, qualification, or aspect of a person's background that makes him/her particularly suitable for something)which provides the reader with a sense of the source's authority on the subject
*correctly uses a direct quote grammatical construction (a tag verb (e.g., says) immediately followed by a comma, a space, opening quotation marks, the exactly copied words,closed with a second pair of quotation marks)
*indicates the end of the sources "speaking" by the parenthetical in-text citation
*provides the correct information inside the parenthetical citation
*places the period after the parenthetical citation because the citation is considered a part of the sentence


UNACCEPTABLE ANSWERS

POOR

In the book When Memory Speaks: Exploring the Art of Autobiography, Jill Ker Conway tells us, "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time, our imagined future will continue that quest" (176). As an acclaimed author of three books on autobiography three books on autobiography, Conway knows what she is talking about.

*inefficiently provides all the required information, but in more than one sentence


POORER

Jill Ker Conway says that "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time our imagined future will continue that quest" (176).

*fails to provide information about the authority of the source
*incorrectly uses indirect quotation construction (note the use of "that")for a direct quote


POOREST

Jill Ker Conway acknowledges that, "If we see our past as a moral and spiritual journey in time, our imagined future will continue that quest." (When Memory Speaks 176)

*fails to provide information about the authority of the source
*incorrectly mixes indirect and direct quotation constructions (note how the writer uses both "that" and a comma instead of using just one or the other)
*places the period inside the quotation marks instead of after the citation
*puts the wrong information inside the parenthetical citation

More Integrating a Source Practice

Thursday 13 March 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 14 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Devotional Text: Philippians 2:5

Students continued to practice integrating a source using a teacher-provided note card and bibliography card.

Mr. Stone reviewed the pattern for the body paragraphs of the research report:

Topic Sentence
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Closing Sentence/Transitional Sentence

Homework: Draft one body paragraph for the research report. Revise Citation Practice #1 and/or Citation Practice #2 if necessary.

Practicing In-text Citation

Wednesday 12 March 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 13 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students practiced integrating source material into a sentence using MLA in-text citation. Mr. Stone provided sample note and bibliography cards. Students used their style manuals to assist them.

No homework.

Integrating Sources and Composing a Body Paragraph

Students complete an open-book quiz over pp. 108-116 of Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual.

Mr. Stone highlighted aspects of Section 33a: MLA in-text citations (122-130)and distributed the grading rubric for the research report and began reviewing the requirements.

The body paragraphs for the research report have a different ratio of concrete detail to commentary than the earlier essays students have written for the course. Instead of a ratio of one sentence of concrete detail to two or more sentences of commentary (1 CD:2+ CM), the research report will have a ratio of two sentences of concrete to one or more sentences of commentary (2CD:1+ CM).

Each body paragraph will generally have the following pattern:

Topic Sentence
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Concrete Detail
Concrete Detail
Commentary
Closing/Transitional Sentence

Homework: Read pp. 122-130 of Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual.

"Sources Have Feelings Too"

Monday 10 March 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday 11 March 2014 for Period 7

Journal Entry: "Introductions"

Describe a time someone forgot to introduce you. How did you feel? What happened?

OR

Describe a time someone messed up your name when introducing you. How did you feel? What happened?

(Utilize the description techniques we discussed earlier this year: naming, detailing, and comparing. Be sure you answer the basic questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how.)

Mr. Stone shared a haiku deck created by Danelle Taylor-Johnston titled "Introductions: Sources Have Feelings Too." Students took notes on the presentation using the two-column note format. After the presentation, students practiced the concepts presented in the right column of the notes in the left column using their bib cards and note cards.

Homework: Read Sections 30 to 31b in Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual(108-116).

A quiz will be given at the beginning of the next class period.

Editing Devotional

The handwritten prewriting for the rough outline and the typed draft of the outline were collected at the beginning of class.

Copies of the students' revised drafts of their devotionals were returned to them. Students were given a peer editing sheet and directed to peer edit a classmate's devotional.

Homework: Complete a final draft of the devotional. Submit it to TurnItIn.com and bring a printed copy to the next class for grading.

Publishing Opportunity
Students have the opportunity to submit their devotionals for possible publication in the English Department's summer devotional book to be titled The Hand of God. For consideration, devotionals must be between 200-250 words in length. Student may need to revise their devotional in length to meet this criteria.

Students who wish their devotional to be considered for publication need to complete the following three additional steps:

1. Submit your devotional to devotional@lla.org.

2. Complete Entry Release Form/permission form and give to Mr. Stone.

3. Print an extra copy of your devotional and give it to Mr. Stone.

Note Cards

Mr. Stone will be checking next week for students completed note cards. Each student should have made a minimum of forty note cards and five bibliography cards.

Each note card should have the following five elements:

1. Source letter
2. Key word
3. Page number/medium for non-print sources
4. Note (paraphrase, quote, or summary)
5. Student's name (on back)

Each bibliography card should provide the publishing information for the source in MLA format. Use the directory to MLA works cited models in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual to locate the details for specific types of sources (131).

Creating a Rough Outline

Devotional: John 4:48

Mr. Stone provided the following instructions:

1. Be sure your note cards are sorted by key word. You should have a pile for each secondary question.

2. Go through each pile and review the specific details that you have gathered. Write out a generalization about those specific details that could serve as a topic sentence for a paragraph. Complete this process for each of your five secondary questions (and possibly a sixth pile if you made cards related to the key word of your primary question).

3. Once you have written five topic sentences, then look back at your primary question and consider a generalization that would cover your five topic sentences and answer your primary question.

4. Review your statement of the main idea (thesis/the answer to your primary question) and your five topic sentences (your five subtopics). Decide the best order for your subtopics. Number the order.

5.Type out the statement of your main idea (This will be stated at the end of your report's introduction.)followed by the five topic sentences for your body paragraphs in the order you want them in your paper.

Students will turn in two papers at the beginning of class. A sheet showing their handwritten work for steps 2-4 above and a second typed sheet showing step 5.

Homework: Finish making a rough outline. Bring the two papers described above to class.

Transitioning from Note Taking to Drafting/Forming a Central Idea

Devotional Text: John 4:13-14

Students wrote their primary question on a piece of paper and began to consider how they might write a single sentence answer to the question that would serve as the main idea of their research reports.

Mr. Stone wrote student examples on the board and analyzed them with the class.

Researchers often begin with a primary question and then ask the secondary questions necessary to answer the primary question.

As a writer turns from researching to drafting, she/he reconsiders the primary question. To answer this question, usually the writer must consider the specific details found as responses to each secondary question. A generalization about the details found to answer a secondary question becomes a topic sentence. The writer then considers the group of generalizations to form an even broader generalization which will answer the primary question.

Homework: After reviewing the notes you have already taken, write five more note cards to fill in gaps. Each student should come to class having now completed a total of forty note cards.

During the next class period, students will work on creating a sentence outline for their paper by answering in a single sentence each of their secondary questions and then their primary question.

After School Help

Mr. Stone continues to be available Mondays at lunch time and during the optional period after school on Mondays through Thursday. Students who have questions or have low grades should definitely make use of this opportunity.

Assessing Research Progress

Devotional Text Luke 3:3

Mr. Stone distributed six rubber bands to each student. They sorted the thirty note cards they have completed so far (if they are up to date) into piles by the cards keywords/subtopics.

After examining their note card piles and looking back at their primary and secondary research questions, students wrote an entry in their journal titled "Research #2." They were to describe the progress of their research: How many note cards have you completed? How many note cards do you have for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? Do you have notes from at least two different sources for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? How many sources have you located? Do you need more sources? For which subtopics/secondary questions do you need more notes?

Mr. Stone began reading and discussing Section 28: Managing Information; Avoiding Plagiarism (Hacker and Sommers 100-103) and discussed the creation of a working main idea with most periods.

Homework: Complete five more note cards towards the forty note cards required for the assignment.

Note: If you have not used the advanced search function of Google and limited your search to .edu domains, you should definitely explore this approach to finding resources.

Research in the Library

On Thursday, February 27, 2014, all five sections of English I spent a period in the LLA 7-12 Library to allow students access to book sources for their research report.

Homework for Monday, March 3, 2014 (Tuesday for Period 7):

Make as many additional note cards as needed to get you to thirty.

Bib Cards and Note Cards

Monday, February 24, 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday, February 25, 2014 for Period 7

Devotional Text: Luke 9:57-62

Students took notes on bib cards/bibliography cards on the back of the note card handout.

Mr. Stone told students to write publishing information/bibliographic information in MLA format for each relevant source they discover on an index card. Label each new "bib card" the next letter in the alphabet. The first card would be A; the second card would be B, etc. On the back of each bib card, write what makes this source authoritative.

An author's authority is most commonly established by graduate studies in the field under discussion, employment in the field of study for someone other than one's self, or publication by a reputable press (another form of recognition by others).

Self-publication does not establish authority.

There are a number of good sites which over criteria for evaluating websites, such as George Mason University's "Helpful Hints to Help you Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources."

Mr. Stone used examples from a blog entry on tipping hotel housekeepers to discuss what makes information interesting and convincing to readers.

Mr. Stone went over the difference between facts, paraphrases, summaries and quotes.

Students should primarily use small pieces of paraphrased material in their reports. Quoting should be used sparingly and only when the source's authority will particularly add to the paper. For this assignment, Mr. Stone stated that a student should not use more than one quote per page. Each quote should be no longer than two lines.

Mr. Stone began checking bib cards.

Homework: Complete ten note cards. (To start, try to take about five notes from each source.)

Library Days

Students will be going to the library for an orientation, practice and evaluation of using a call number to locate a book, and for time to locate at least one book source for their research report.

Periods 1, 5, 6, & 7 will meet in the library on Wednesday, February 19th and Thursday, February 20th.

Period 2 will meet in the library on Thursday, February 20th and Friday, February 21st.

Evaluating Sources

Tuesday 18 February 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Friday for Periods 1 & 7

Devotional Text: Matthew 11:36-39

Mr. Stone offered students fifty note cards. (He accidentally purchased unruled cards.) Students who wish to have ruled cards may bring their own.

Journal Entry: Research #1
What parts of the research process are working well for you?
What have you learned?
What has given you trouble as you have begun researching?
Write out questions you have at this point.
Your entry needs to be a minimum of twelve lines.

Bubble Sheet
Students completed the final two rows of the research bubble sheet and placed them on the black chair in the front of Mr. Stone's room.

Evaluating Sources
Students began reading Section 27 in A Pocket Style Manual (94-99).

Homework: Finish reading pp. 94-99 of A Pocket Style Manual. There will be a quiz at the beginning of the next class period.

Locating Other Online Sources

Thursday 13 February 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 14 February 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Quiz: Source Categories

Mr. Stone read over Section 26d in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual, 6th ed. He demonstrated how to access the school's database sources, e.g. Ebscohost, from home.

Students had time to search for sources.

No homework was assigned over the Presidents Day long weekend.

More About Search Terms

After singing again "Lord of My Life," Mr. Stone prayed for prayer requests from the class.

Students took out their research "bubble sheets" and made sure they had completed the homework correctly. Mr. Stone went over examples of search term variations on a classroom whiteboard.

Students received a handout on writing a note card. Mr. Stone emphasized the connection between the underlined words in each secondary/subsidiary question on the bubble sheet and the key word listed on a note card.

Fruit Salad Analogy

Mr. Stone compared writing with source material to making a fruit salad. Students want to gather a variety of sources as they would gather a variety of fruit for a salad. Few people are interested in eating unpeeled kiwi or grapefruit. The fruit needs to be prepared--peeled and cut into bite size pieces. Some fruit needs the seeds or pits removed. When writing with source material, writers need to prepare information by paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting only the most select passages.

Keyword Searches in Databases and Search Engines

Mr. Stone went over how to refine keyword searches in databases and search engines (Section 26b in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual). Students should know the use of the following common functions:

quotation marks

AND / +

NOT / -

OR

*

()

Students also read Section 26c on locating books.

Using his laptop and video projector, Mr. Stone demonstrated how to locate the high school's library page. He showed the class how to use the library's online catalog. Stone searched the online catalog using the word "Palestine" for a keyword search, a subject search, and a title search to show the varying number of results that would come from each type of search.

Mr. Stone also showed the links to the A. K. Smiley Library and the San Bernardino Public Library sites so students might search for sources through those systems as well. Students who live in San Bernardino County may use the San Bernardino County Library system. Students who live in Redlands may take advantage of the A. K. Smiley Library. Students who live in Riverside County should look up the Riverside County Public Library system.

Homework: Study the list of "information packages" provided during the last class period for a quiz at the beginning of the next class. Students will need to match specific types of sources with their more general category of sources, e.g. a magazine is a type of periodical.

Research Questions and Search Terms

Tuesday 11 February 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 12 February 2014 for Periods 1 & 7

Students began learning the song "Lord of My Life" for the class devotional time.

After a review of the primary analogies from yesterday's class (research as shopping and databases as cable carriers), Mr. Stone asked seven to ten students to share their primary research question. He provided feedback concerning whether the primary question was appropriately focused for the students' seven-paragraph paper. Topics were listed on the board in three columns: too narrow, too broad, just right. Mr. Stone jokingly compared the categories to the responses of Goldilocks to the three bears.

Mr. Stone then asked for one student to volunteer to have their secondary level questions used to model the selecting of key search terms. First a key word was underlined in the primary question and each secondary question. The student was directed to write each underlined word in the lower search term box. Mr. Stone and students then suggested synonyms to write in the corresponding search term variations box.

Homework: Complete the first four rows of the research bubble sheet if not already completed: primary/main question, secondary/subsidiary questions, search term(s), and search term variations.

Students need to be sure to bring their Pocket Style Manual to class for credit.