Editing of Book Report and Film Essay

Students completed ten minutes of vocabulary practice on Membean.

Students then printed out their revised drafts of their book reports and their film essays.  They were to label each at the top with a pencil, "Revised draft."

Mr. Stone gave each student two paper clips to help them organize their papers for the assignments:

Book Report
rough draft (on bottom)
outline (in the middle)
revised draft (on top)

Film Essay
rough draft (on bottom)
peer critique (in the middle)
revised draft (on top)

Homework:  Prepare the final drafts of both your book report and your film essay.  You will be uploading both of these papers from Google Docs to Turnitin.com tomorrow during class time.

Film Essay Critique

Monday 12 December 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday13 December 2016 for Period 7

Students spent ten minutes working on vocabulary skills on Membean.

Students used a critique sheet to evaluate the rough draft of their film essay.

Homework: Complete a revised draft of the film essay making any changes that completing the critique sheet revealed as necessary.

Note:  Period 1, Do NOT complete an outline for the film essay.  We'll do the critique sheet on Wednesday.  Period one has no homework.

More Outlining of Book Report as a Revision Tool

Wednesday 7 December 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 8 December 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Mr. Stone collected the initial outlines from students at the beginning of class.  There initial outlines will be evaluated on well the students followed the instructions regarding MLA format (header, student name, teacher name, class date, title, font style and size, and margins) and their inclusion of the thesis and topic sentences of their book report.  (See instructions from previous period for more details Look down by the homework.)

After students express no knowledge of outlining, Mr. Stone started with the basics and explained how outlining demonstrates the divisions of a whole.  He showed how an outline should not have a Roman numeral one (I) if it does not have a Roman numeral two (II); it should not have letter A if it does not have a B, etc.

He explained how there is not an official MLA format for Outlining.  He noted the difference between sentence and phrase/word outlines.

Mr. Stone has chosen to follow the outlining format that Dr. Sandiford uses with sophomores to better prepare the students for his course.

Mr. Stone directed students on how to revise the outline they started yesterday to fit the format.

He discussed how many titles express the paper's topic and viewpoint.  He created several sample titles by asking selected students the title of the book they were reviewing and the viewpoint of their review, e.g. a negative viewpoint of Kathryn Holmes How It Feels to Fly might be titled "How it Feels to Crash." Students need to develop their own original title for their book report that includes an element of the book's title and the student reviewer's viewpoint.

 Mr. Stone used a sample paragraph from a fifth period student:

The first thing I’d like to address was the somewhat romantic relationship between Sam (the camper) and Andrew (her counselor). I felt it was inappropriate. At one point in the book, Sam and Andrew were partners for a trust exercise. Andrew revealed quite a few personal details about himself, despite this being against the rules for counselors. I understand that Andrew wanted to form a bond with Sam, but in my opinion, that was taking it a step too far. Andrew was not supposed to reveal details about his personal life and I think that’s inappropriate. At another point in the story, Andrew and Sam sneak out of the living quarters late at night to do a partner ballet dance. I think that is both dangerous and stupid. It’s not right for the two of them to be outside, touching one another in a suggestive dance, at obscure hours in the night. Lastly, when trying to come up with a “power statement” to boost self-esteem, Andrew made a point of telling Sam how beautiful she was and how she had a nice body. This just feels wrong to me. I get that he was trying to be nice to her, but this gave the wrong impression and came off as highly flirtatious.  

Her paragraph outlined might look like the following:

II. inappropriate camper-counselor relationship

  A. trust exercises

1. inappropriate sharing

2. beyond bonding

B. Sneaking out

1. suggestive touching

2. obscure hour

C. body description

1. wrong impression

2. highly flirtatious

Homework:  Revise your initial outline to fit the format described in class. We will develop Roman numeral I and Roman numeral V during the next class.  Focus on creating a phrase outline for the body paragraphs of your book report.


As students work on outlining their body paragraphs, they should be sure they have examples from the novel they read/concrete details in each body paragraph and that the two or more sentences of commentary for each concrete detail contains synonyms or key words that connect the example with the claim of quality made in the paragraph's topic sentence.

In the sample paragraph above, "inappropriate" is the writer's claim of quality about the subtopic of "camper-counselor relationship."

The repetition of the quality word "inappropriate" in the commentary and the use of similar quality words "beyond," "suggestive," "obscure," "wrong,"and "highly," connect the examples/concrete details in the paragraph to the claim of quality in the viewpoint of the topic sentence.

Possible Areas of Revision

If students find they need more concrete details or more commentary in their reports, they should make the necessary additions by looking back over the book they read for alternatives.

If they find any of the selected examples/concrete details do not fit, they should switch them out for ones that will work better.

If students find their commentary lacks words that connect to their topic sentences claim, they use the definition and thesaurus functions of Dictionary.com and look up alternatives to use.

Outlining as a Revision Tool

Tuesday 6 December 2016 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 7 December 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

At the beginning of the period, students printed out three items from Google Docs :

1. the book report on a fictional novel (minimum five paragraphs)

2. the film essay (minimum five paragraphs)

3. the banquet reflection journal entry (minimum one-page length)

All of these documents are expected to be in MLA format.

Students then spent ten minutes practicing their vocabulary on Membean.

Mr. Stone reviewed the stages of the writing process on the board and noted that the class had completed the prewriting and drafting stages for the book review and the film review and was currently focusing on the revising stage.  

Revision typically focuses on content and organization. To check if each student has the necessary content in the desired order in their book report, the class used highlighters and a pen/pencil to mark a printout of the rough draft of  their book report.

Students were directed to highlight the following in their book report:

thesis in purple (located in the next to last or last sentence of the introduction)

preview in blue (located in the last sentence of the introduction)

topic sentences in blue (located in the first sentence of each body paragraph)

Students used a pen/pencil to label the following in their book report:

In the thesis, write "topic" over the title of the book the paper is reviewing.

In the thesis, write "claim of policy" over the recommendation they are making/the action they are telling the reader to take.

In the thesis, write "claim of quality" over the words used to indicate the quality of the book that serves as the basis for the recomendation.

For each topic sentence, write "subtopic" over word(s) that state the aspect of the book used to show its quality.

For each topic sentence, write "claim of quality" over the words in the sentence that indicate the degree of merit of that aspect (poor, mediocre, good, excellent, etc.), or in this case the effect on the reader.

Mr. Stone then described how the students could create a formal outline of their book review to help them to determine if they had all the essential components in the correct order.

He encouraged them to write on their rough draft a Roman numeral I next to their thesis, a Roman numeral II next to the topic sentence of body paragraph one, a Roman numeral III next to the topic sentence of body paragraph two, and a Roman numeral IV next to the topic sentence of body paragraph three.  (If students have a fourth supporting subtopic in their paper, they would make that a Roman numeral V, etc.)

Homework:  In a new Google Doc create a formal outline of your book report.  Include only the thesis and topic sentences at this point.  Be sure the document is in MLA format.  For now, title the outline "Book Report Outline."

Vocabulary and Banquet Reflection

Monday 5 December 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday 6 December 2016 for Period 7

Classes on Monday were only forty minutes long due to the late start the day after the S. A. banquet.

Students spent fifteen minutes practicing their vocabulary on Membean.  They had the opportunity to retake the last vocabulary test if they were unhappy with their results.

Mr. Stone asked the students to describe their experience at the banquet over the weekend (or about their weekend in general if they did not attend the banquet) in a one-page or longer journal entry using Google Docs with MLA formatting.  

Homework:  Make sure that both your full book report on a fictional novel and your film essay are both in Google Docs and properly formatted in the MLA style.  

Note:  My document is in Microsoft Word on my home computer will not be an acceptable excuse from this point.

MLA Format on Google Docs

Thursday 1 December 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 2 December 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students spend ten minutes in vocabulary practice and then take a twenty-question vocabulary test.

The instructor then goes over how to create MLA format on Google Docs

.Students follow the instructions to check the format of their own film essay.


No Homework:  Banquet Weekend

Complete Rough Draft of Film Essay

Due on Thursday, December 1st for Periods 5 & 6 and on Friday, December 2nd for Periods 1, 2, & 7.

Prewriting for the conclusion will be collected at the same time.

Drafting First Two Body Paragraphs of Film Essay

Tuesday 29 November 2016 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 30 November 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

Students spent fifteen minutes practicing vocabulary on Membean.

They were to submit a printout of the rough draft of their introduction to the film essay and their completed prewriting sheet for the film essay's introduction.

Students worked on typing the first body paragraph of the film essay in class.

Homework:  Finish typing the first two body paragraphs of the film essay.  Make sure all the paragraphs are kept in the same document.

Writing an Introduction for the Film Essay

Monday 28 November 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 29 November 2016 for Period 7

Students spent fifteen minutes in vocabulary training on Membean.

Mr. Stone went over how to write a funnel-shaped introduction and helped students to use the International Movie Database to complete a prewriting sheet for the introduction to their film essay.

Homework:  Students should finish the prewriting sheet for the introduction if not completed during class time and type out the introduction to the film essay.

Conclusion of Book Review and T-Chart for Film Review

Tuesday 15 November 2016 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 16 November 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

Students spent fifteen minutes in vocabulary training on Membean.

Mr. Stone distributed the conclusion prewriting sheet for the book review and the t-chart for the film essay.  He talked through both sheets with the students.

Homework:  Finish any parts of the conclusion prewriting sheet or the t-chart not completed in class.
Make sure you have your entire rough draft of the book review drafted:  introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Vocabulary & Drafting of Book Report Body Paragraphs 2 & 3

Monday 14 November 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday 16 November 2016 for Period 7

Students spent fifteen minutes in vocabulary training and took a vocabulary test.

Students began working on drafting the second and third body paragraphs of their book reports.

Homework:  Finish drafting the second and third body paragraphs of the book report.


NOTE:  Fifth period did not meet because students were praying for a classmate in critical condition in the hospital.  Some of sixth period students also missed class.

Students who missed class should put in fifteen minutes of vocabulary practice and complete body paragraphs two and three of their book reports.

Biography Book Selection

On Thursday, November 10, 2016 students will go to the library and select a biography for their second book report.  They will have one month to read the book.  It should have a minimum of 200 pages.  The book will need to be approved by Mr. Stone and a parent/guardian.

Election Reflection, Vocabulary Training, & First Body Paragraph of the Book Report

Wednesday 9 November 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 11 November 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students spend fifteen minutes writing a reflection about the recent election that will be scanned and saved with the alumni office for their ten-year reunion. They will receive journal credit for their reflection.

Students were to spend fifteen minutes in practice on Membean.

They submitted the prewriting for the introduction for their book report and the rough draft of the introduction.

Homework:  Write the first body paragraph of your report using one of your four prewriting tables.  Your paragraph should contain a minimum of ten sentences.  Type this paragraph in the same document that you typed your introduction.

Housekeeping & Book Report Introduction

Tuesday 8 November 2016 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 9 November 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

Students received a printout of their first quarter grades and were given the opportunity to check the scores against their own papers to check for any clerical errors.

Quiz:  "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth"

Mr. Stone distributed the prewriting sheet for the book report and went over it with students, asking them to place a check mark next to the ten items they needed to fill out to complete the assignment.

Homework:  Type out a rough draft of the introduction to the book report (5-8 sentences).

Vocabulary Test 5 & The Cask of Amontillado Quiz

Students completed fifteen minutes of vocabulary training on Membean before taking their fifth twenty question vocabulary assessment. (They will have a retake opportunity later in the week).

Students completed an open-text multiple-choice quiz over Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."

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

Finished Viewing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Students finished viewing the Ben Stiller version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty at the end of the week and viewed several of the extra short documentary clips on the DVD regarding the making of the film.  Students were to take notes each period.

Students should have put in a total of 45 minutes minimum of vocabulary training on Membean this week. Fifteen minutes were completed during class time and an additional fifteen minutes should have been completed on two other evenings.  If a student has not put in the minimum of 45 minutes for this week, they should be sure and get that done before Sunday evening.

Homework:  Read Edgar Alan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."

First Day of Viewing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Tuesday 1 November 2016 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 2 November for Periods 1 & 7

Students watched the first forty minutes of Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Students took notes while they viewed.  Students are expected to take a minimum of one page of notes for each day of viewing.

The students are required to discuss the films cinematography (specifically, its use of different types of camera shots) and its adaptation of James Thurber's story into a screenplay.

Students need to chose two other aspects to potentially discuss in their essay.  They may chose from the following:

casting
costume design
lighting
music
sound
special effects (visual effects)
make-up and hairstyles

Homework:  Train for fifteen minutes on Membean.

James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

Students studied their vocabulary for fifteen minutes on Membean.

They submitted their four prewriting tables for their book report.

Mr. Stone read James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" to each class as they followed along on their personal electronic devices.

Homework:  Read over the "Camera shots, moves, and angles" page of the Student Filmmaking website in preparation for your your critical viewing of Ben Stiller's movie version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Vocabulary Test 4 & Book Report Prewriting

Tuesday 25 October 2016 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 26 October 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

Students completed fifteen minutes of vocabulary training on Membean and took their fourth vocabulary test.

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the t-chart and students began working on completing the first of the four body paragraph prewriting tables.

Homework:  Complete the first two of the body paragraph prewriting tables.  Be sure to include page numbers for print books and chapter numbers for electronic books next to each of your concrete details so that you will know what to include in your citation later.

Students Begin Book Report Prewriting

Monday 24 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 and Tuesday 25 October for Period 7

Mr. Stone explained types of persuasive claims to students using an online Prezi presentation and discussed the Jane Schaffer approach to writing using a PowerPoint presentation.

Students then completed a t-chart to help them to determine their viewpoint for their book report.
Mr. Stone directed the students to include a minimum of five strengths and five weaknesses.

After ten minutes or so, Mr. Stone asked the students to consider which side had been easier to complete and/or on which side did they have more points listed.  The easier/longer side of the t-chart is likely the viewpoint the students will take.  Students highlighted on the t-chart the heading of the viewpoint they were chosing to take in purple:  strengths/likes if they are going to recommend the book to readers OR weaknesses/dislikes if they are going to suggest readers avoid the book.

The thesis of the students book report will contain two claims:  a claim of value (Is it a good book?/Is it a bad book?) and a claim of policy (Should a reader read the book?/Should a reader avoid the book?)

Students reviewed the list of points/subtopics they listed under the side of the t-chart they selected and highlighted four they felt they could easily support with three or more examples (concrete details) from the book.

If students didn't finish the t-chart in class, they are to finish it for homework.

Students complete the top part of their first paragraph prewiting table sheet.  They will finish this during the next class period.

Homework:  Complete fifteen minutes of vocabulary training on Membean.  Finish the t-chart for the book report if not finished in class.

First Book Report

Students in periods 1, 2, 5 & 6 will begin working on writing their first book report on Monday, October 24th, and students in period 7 will begin on Tuesday October 25th.

Short Story Test 3

Thursday 20 October 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 21 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students took the third short story test and spent fifteen minutes on Membean in vocabulary training.

Homework:  Finish reading the novel you selected for your book report.  We will begin writing the report in class next week.

Short Story Test Three Preparation

Wednesday 19 October 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 20 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

In class students practiced for the point of view and the characterization portion of test three.  Students also spent time on vocabulary training.

Test Three

Parts One and Two:  Literary Terms

Students will either be asked to match each of the following terms to its definition or be given a multiple-choice question in which the term will be applied to the content of one of the stories they have read for this unit.

Students should review for this portion of the test using their class notes for the applied questions which will be multiple choice and using Quizlet to prepare the matching questions.

antagonist

character

character trait

characterization

climax

conflict

direct characterization

dynamic character

exposition

external conflict

falling action

flat character

hero/heroine

indirect characterization

internal conflict

major character

minor character

narrative hook

plot

protagonist

resolution

rising action

round character

static character

surprise ending

suspense

Part Three: Point of View

Students will be given the same story for times.  Each time told from a different point of view.  They will need to identify the point of view from the following multiple choice options:

A. First Person   B. Second Person   C. Third Person Limited   D. Third Person Omniscient

Students should review the strategies we practiced in class.

Part Four:  Characterization

Students will be given quotations from one of the stories they read for this unit and be asked to match each passage to the technique of characterization it exemplifies. 

Students should review the strategies we practiced in class.

Homework:  Review for Short Story Test 3

Short Story Test 2 (Setting)

Tuesday 18 October 2016 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and Wednesday 19 October 2016 for Periods 1 & 2

Students took Short Story Test 2.

Students who finished before the end of the period had time to complete some Membean vocabulary training.

Homework:  Continue to study for the third short story test.  Put in at least ten minutes of vocabulary training on Membean (even if you practiced during class time).

Last Week to Complete Outside Reading

Students need to have finished reading the novel they selected to read for their book report before their first English class next week (Monday 24 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 25 October 2016 for Period 7).


We will begin writing our book reports in class that day.  We will take more than one week to write the report; however, the first task students will need to do is to summarize the plot of the whole book in two paragraphs (8-10 sentences each).

Vocabulary Test 3

Monday 17 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 18 October 2016 for Period 7


After prayer, students logged in to Membean.com to completed fifteen minutes of vocabulary training.  They then took a twenty question test over words they have studied through that application.  Students will have an opportunity for a retake later in the week.


Mr. Stone reviewed the three parts of the second short story test over setting (See Short Story Test post.) and gave suggestions about which stories and elements would work well for the paragraph question about the function of setting in a story.


Students had time in class to study for the next test.  A students notes work best for the elements of setting.  Quizlet works best for studying the elements of setting from the stories we have read.  Writing out your paragraph response before the test is the best preparation for the function of setting portion of the test. You will have to write out your response on the test without notes.


Homework:  Study for the second short story test.

Meet Your 40 Minute Minimum for Vocabulary Practice on Membean

The majority of students have met their minimum of forty minutes of vocabulary training on Membean this week; however, some students are quite behind.  Be sure and log-on to Membean and make sure you have met the forty-minute minimum of practice time for this week.  

Short Story Unit Test 1

Thursday 13 October 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 14 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students begin the class period by taking the first of three tests to assess their learning from the short story unit.  The first test covers authors and titles, basic elements of a story, the plot line, and identifying quotations.

After the test, students logged onto Membean.com for fifteen minutes of vocabulary.  If time allowed, Mr. Stone encouraged students to begin studying for the second short story test to be taken early next week.

Homework:  Study for the second short story test.

Vocabulary Test 2 Retake Opportunity

Wednesday 12 October 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 13 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students spent fifteen minutes in vocabulary training on Membean.  They were given the opportunity to take a retake of their second vocabulary test.  (Results from retakes will be changed on students grades on Friday, October 15th.)

Students then had time to use their notes, personal electronic devices, or classroom computers to study for the first of the up-coming short story tests.

Homework:  Finish studying for the first short story test.

Vocabulary Test 2

11 October 2016 for Periods 2, 5 & 6 and 12 October 2016 for Periods 1 & 7


After ten minutes of practice time on Membean, students took their second weekly vocabulary test.  They then reviewed the areas to be covered on the short story unit tests with Mr. Stone.


Students had time to work on their eleventh journal entry.


Homework:  Finish the eleventh journal entry if not completed during class and spend time preparing for the first short story unit test.  Spend time reviewing vocabulary if time allows.

Short Story Unit Tests

The students' knowledge and skills from the short story unit will be assessed over three days.

Test One 

Thursday 13 October 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and on Friday 14 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Part One:  Authors & Titles 

This section will be matching.  Use the EnglishStone Quizlet set Short Stories:  Authors and Titles to study.

Part Two:  Basic Parts of a Story 

This section will be short answer.  Students should study the list from their notes and be able to list the five parts.

Part Three:  Parts of a Plot 

This section will require a student to label a plot diagram.  Students should used their notes and the EnglishStone Quizlet set Plot Line to study.  Students may ask Mr. Stone in class for a practice plot sheet as well.

Part Four:  Identifying Quotations  

Students will be given one quotation from each story and be asked to determine which quote comes from which story.  They will need to write the title of story from which the quotation was taken on a line underneath the quotation.  All of the stories' titles will be listed in part one of the test.

Test Two

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

Part One:  Listing Elements of Setting

Students will need to be able to list the five elements of setting included in class notes.

Part Two:  Connecting Elements of Setting and Stories

Students will need to match a specific detail from a story with its corresponding element of setting and the title of the story from which it comes, e.g.

hurricane   matches with weather--"The Scarlet Ibis"

A Quizlet set will be available for studying by October 11th.  Students may begin studying from their notes.

Part Three: The Function of Setting in a Story

Students will be asked to write a paragraph describing the function of one element of setting in one of the stories from this unit.  Name the story they have selected to discuss.  Identify the element of setting they have chosen to discuss.  Describe the specific details in this story for that element.  Identify which role this element plays in the story they have selected (propels the plot, creates mood, or acts as a symbol).  Explain in three to five additional sentences how the detail(s) They have described plays the role they have selected in this story.

Test Three

Thursday 20 October for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 21 October for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Parts One and Two:  Literary Terms

Students will either be asked to match each of the following terms to its definition or be given a multiple-choice question in which the term will be applied to the content of one of the stories they have read for this unit.

We will review the class notes for these terms in class and discuss examples of these terms might appear as a multiple choice question. A Quizlet set will also be available for study by October 17th.

antagonist

character

character trait

characterization

climax

conflict

direct characterization

dynamic character

exposition

external conflict

falling action

flat character

hero/heroine

indirect characterization

internal conflict

major character

minor character

narrative hook

plot

protagonist

resolution

rising action

round character

static character

surprise ending

suspense

Part Three: Point of View

Students will be given the same story for times.  Each time told from a different point of view.  They will need to identify the point of view from the following multiple choice options:

A. First Person   B. Second Person   C. Third Person Limited   D. Third Person Omniscient

We will practice this skill in class in preparation for the test.

Part Four:  Characterization

Students will be given quotations from one of the stories they read for this unit and be asked to match each passage to the technique of characterization it exemplifies.

We will practice this skill in class in preparation for the test.

Vocabulary Test Retake Opportunity & "You Need to Go Upstairs" Analysis

Thursday 6 October 2016 for Period 5 & 6 and Friday 7 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

Students practiced their vocabulary on Membean and had the opportunity to retake their first assessment to improve their score.  Mr. Stone has already posted their scores from the first assessment to PowerSchool.  If a student chose to retake the first test and scored higher, Mr. Stone will replace their score on PowerSchool.  (Changes to PowerSchool may not be updated before Tuesday, October 11th due to the inservice on Monday.)

Mr. Stone discussed the point of view, elements of setting (geographical location, historical period, time of day, weather, and cultural milieu), and characters from Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs" with the students.

Homework:  Complete journal entries for the two remaining stories the class has read so far.  See yesterday's post for directions.

Two More Journal Entries

Wednesday 5 October 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday 6 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

 In class students took  the first ten minutes to practice vocabulary through Membean.

Quiz:  "You Need to Go Upstairs"

Student groups presented analysis of "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle"

Homework:  Complete journal entries for two of the following stories:

"The Scarlet Ibis"
"Blues Ain't No Mockinbird"
"The Man to Send Rain Clouds"
"You Need to Go Upstairs"

Reader-Response Options
--write a mini review (your opinion about whether others would enjoy reading the story and why)

--sketch a scene or character from the story

--write an alternate scene/ending to the story

--make a list of your favorite quotes from the story and explain why they are meaningful to you

--make a list of new words to you and their meanings (minimum of 4 different words)

--create a collage of a scene or character from the story

Analyzing the Elements of Joan Aiken's "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle"

Tuesday 4 October 2016 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday 5 October 2016 for Periods 1 & 7

Students spent the first ten minutes of class practicing their vocabulary on Membean.

After taking a quiz over Joan Aiken's Sonata for Harp and Bicycle," each class split into three groups (character, plot, and setting) and used an analyizing a story sheet to record their findings about one element of the story.  Each group wrote their answers on a whiteboard.  Mr. Stone took a picture of their answers to be discussed during the next class period.

Homework:  Read Rumer Godden's "You Need to Go Upstairs."

First Vocabulary Test & Notes for "The Man to Send Rain Clouds"

Monday 3 October 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 4 October 2016 for Period 7

Students spent the first fifteen minutes of the period reviewing their vocabulary on Membean.

They then took their first twenty-point assessment to be included in the test category of their grade.  Students who are dissatisfied with their results may retake the first vocabulary test during the third or fourth class period of this week, allowing those students a couple of days to study more.

Students then took a quiz over "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" and took notes from the board regarding the story's point of view, setting, conflict, and characters.

Mr. Stone discussed the importance of the cultural milieu in this story and asked students to consider contemporary scenarios that might create a story of cultural conflict.

Homework:  Read Joan Aiken's "Sonata for Harp and Bicycle."

Blues Ain't No Mockinbird

Thursday 29 September 2016 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 30 September 2016 for Periods 1, 2, & 7

After a devotional reading of a text from Proverbs and prayer, students took a quiz over Toni Cade Bambara's "Blues Ain't No Mockinbird."

Students then spent fifteen minutes in practice time on the Membean vocabulary site.

The class then discussed Bambara's story briefly in light of the current Black Lives Matter social movement and in literary terms.

Homework: Read Leslie Marmon Silko's "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."

"The Scarlet Ibis" and "Blues Ain't No Mockinbird"

Devotional Text:  Proverbs 28:13

“No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,

but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

Prayer

Students log-on to Membean vocabulary site and practice for fifteen minutes.

Quiz:  “The Scarlet Ibis”  (Students may use the text on their electronic device as they take the quiz.)

After the quiz , students discuss the story.

Homework: Read Toni Cade Bambara’s “Blues Ain’t NoMockinbird”

Reader Response Journal Entries

Students spent 5 miniutes on the Membean vocabulary program at the beginning of the period.


They had the remainder of the period to work on completing two more reader-response journal entries.  (They should be up to six entries by the end of the period.)


Students who finished early could either start reading the story for homework or put in another five or minutes in Membean to make it to their minimum of ten minutes for the day/forty minutes per week.


Homework:  Read James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis."

Setting up Membean

 Monday 26 September 2016 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday 27 September 2016 for Period 7

At the beginning of class, Mr. Stone went over the priorities for the period.

Students who had not finished their plot poster projects in class last week were given the opportunity to submit it at the beginning of class.

Students used a department Chrome book to set up a membean account:

membean.com/enroll

Mr. Stone provided the necessary token code to each period in class.

Students completed an initial assessment to determine their level and began practicing words.

Students will need to complete a minimum of 40 minutes of practice time on Membean a week.  Twenty minutes will be provided in class each week.

Homework: Complete two more journal entries.  Students should have completed a total of four entries in their journal.

Plot Poster Projects

Periods 5 & 6 on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 and Periods 1, 2, & 7 on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

Students worked in pairs on their plot poster projects which show the interaction of the two major conflicts in Saki's "The Interlopers":  human v. human and humans v. nature.

Mr. Stone distributed a large piece of construction paper, two white sheets of manipulative text, and two pieces of yarn to each pair.

Each pair of students designated one person for the labeler role and one for the cutter role.  The cutter  cut out each of the manipulative texts and the labeler labeled each piece to indicate the order of the events in the story and to indicate to which conflict the event corresponded.

Mr. Stone drew a diagram on the board to show the students how the two plot lines interacted.  Students arranged a purple piece of yarn to represent the human v. human plot line and a green piece of ear to represent the humans v. nature plot line.

Due to the demands of the poster project, the quiz over "One Ordinary Day with Peanuts" was postponed until the next class period.

Homework:  Review "One Ordinary Day with Peanuts."  A quiz over this story will be given at the beginning of the next class period.  Students will spend the remainder of that period working on their poster projects.  Students should be able to finish the project during this second class period devoted to the project; however, if students do not complete their poster project during that class period, they will be able to turn it in at the beginning of the first class period next week.

Making an Accordion-Book Reader-Response Journal

Periods 2, 5, & 6 on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 and Periods 1 & 7 on Wednesday, September 21, 2016


Students read and signed a classmate's ending to Saki's "The Interlopers."


Students then constructed an accordion book out of construction paper and tape to use for a reader-response journal.


Students were given multiple options to respond to each of the stories they have read so far:


"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
"The Five Orange Pips" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"The Rain Came" by Grace Ogot
"Our Dead, Your Dead" by Kamila Shamsie
"The Interlopers" by Saki


Reader-Response Options
-write a mini review (your opinion about whether others would enjoy reading the story and why)


-sketch a scene or character from the story


-write an alternate scene/ending to the story


-make a list of your favorite quotes from the story and explain why they are meaningful to you


- make a list of new words to you and their meanings (minimum of 4 different words)


-create a collage of a scene or character from the story




While students worked on their journal entries (at least one entry needed to be completed by the end of class), Mr. Stone distributed materials for the Interloper plot poster project.


Homework:  Read Shirley Jackson's "One Ordinary Day with Peanuts." Be prepared for a quiz over the story.

Plot and Saki's "The Interlopers"

Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 on Monday, September 19, 2016 and Period 7 on Tuesday, September 20, 2016


Quiz:  Saki's "The Interlopers"


Students took notes on plot and began discussing the plot of Saki's "The Interlopers" with Mr. Stone.


During the next class, students will construct two plot lines representing two of the central conflicts of "The Interlopers."


Mr. Stone reviewed the use and punctuation of tags in writing dialogue in short stories.


Homework:  Students will write an ending/resolution to Saki's "The Interlopers" since the fate of Ulrich and Georg is only implied by Saki.  Students need to write at least one page, single-spaced, handwritten, OR a half page, double-spaced, typed.


Students will share their endings in with one or two classmates at the beginning of the next class.

More Analysis of Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Periods 1, 2, 5, 6, & 7 on Thursday, September 15, 2016


Students took notes on the function of setting, the conflicts, and the characters in Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead."


Students worked in small groups to determine character traits of Ayla and then shared them with the class.




Homework:  Read Saki's "The Interlopers" in preparation for a quiz at the beginning of the next class period.

Continued Analysis of 9/11 Story: "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Periods 5 & 7 on Tuesday 13 September 2016 and Periods 1, 2 & 6 on Wednesday September 2016

Signature sheets from the students syllabi were due at the beginning of class.  (Students who have not yet been able to get a parents signature should submit their completed signature sheet to Mr. Stone as soon as possible.)

Mr. Stone continued to read through Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead" with students while providing historical explanations and analysis of the short story's literary development.

Students continued to take notes on characters in the story.

No Homework was assigned.

Setting Notes & Beginning of Discussion of Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Monday 12 September 2016 for Periods 5, 6, & 7 and Tuesday 13 September 2016 for Periods 1 & 2


Mr. Stone distributed a yellow overview sheet of the short story and directed students to place it at the front of their short story notes in the English section of their three-ring binders.


Mr. Stone also distributed a hardcopy of the course syllabus and told students to take it home and read it and to get their parent(s)/guardian(s) signature(s).


Students took notes on the elements and functions of setting.  They took additional notes on the setting and characters in Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead."


Homework:  Read the course syllabus and get the required signatures. 


(If a parent is unavailable to sign on the evening of the homework, students should get the signature as soon as possible and turn it in to Mr. Stone.)

9/11: Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead"

Over the weekend (9/9-9/11), students should read Kamila Shamsie's "Our Dead, Your Dead," one of seven stories commissioned by the Guardian newspaper on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.  The story provides an international perspective on living with terrorism and the events of 9/11. 

During the last class period before the weekend, Mr. Stone shared his memories of 9/11, related the experience to the San Bernardino shootings of 2015, and discussed the classroom safety plans with the students.

Mr. Stone encouraged students to discuss family emergency/safety plans with their parents/guardians over the weekend.

Two-column Note Taking

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

 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 and began to go into more depth on character, including the following terms:

character
plot
setting
point of view
theme
protagonist
antagonist
static character
dynamic character
round character
flat character

Short Stories: The First Few Class Periods

On the first day of school students listened to a dramatic recording of Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game."  Their first homework assignment was to review this story for a quiz.


At the beginning of the second class period of English I, students took a quiz over "The Most Dangerous Game," and then turned their attention to preparing for the summer reading test.

After the summer reading test, Mr. Stone introduced students to the two-column note taking method.  Students took notes on note taking and on basic parts of a story and character terms.

There was no homework over the Labor Day weekend. 

During the first week of September, students read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Five Orange Pips" and Grace Ogot's "The Rain Came."  They took a quiz over each of these stories.

More on Character: Doyle's "The Five Orange Pips"

Devotional Text:  6:6-8/Proverbs 7:1-3


Students began reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Five Orange Pips."