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."