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.