Fifty-First Class Period: Act One of Romeo & Juliet

Students began reading Act One of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. They received a graphic organizer showing the relationships between the characters in the plays two major families: the Montagues and the Capulets.

Homework: Complete prewriting for two body paragraphs of your book report.

Choose one of the following subtopics for each paragraph:

1) a major character trait that the biographer/autobiographer emphasizes

2) memorable anecdotes (short illustrative stories)

3) praise/criticize the biographer/autobiographer's choices for which events to include or exclude from the book or for how thoroughly the biographer/autobiographer chose to cover certain events

4) discuss photos included in the work


Your prewriting for each body paragraph should include a minimum of ten sentences:

Topic sentence (subtopic + viewpoint)

Concrete Detail 1

Two or more sentences of commentary about the first concrete detail

Concrete Detail 2

Two or more sentences of commentary about the second concrete detail

Concrete Detail 3

Two or more sentences of commentary about the third concreted detail

Fiftieth Class Period: Theatercraft Test & Casting of Romeo & Juliet

Students took a multiple-choice test over the history of theatercraft.

The teacher in consultation with the class cast students for in-class reading/speaking roles.

After the writing of the second quarter book report was described, the teacher read Carol Ann Duffy's "Christmas Truce."

Homework: Write a summary of the biography/autobiography you read for your second quarter book report. Divide your summary into two paragraphs. Each paragraph should be ten sentences. Be clear to state when in the person's life the story included in his/her autobiography/biography begins and ends (birth to death, first job to presidency, etc.).

Forty-Ninth Class Period: Introduction to Dramatic Theater

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

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

Forty-Eighth Class Period: Nonfiction Unit Test

After taking the nonfiction unit test, students had time to read their selected biographies/autobiographies for their second quarter book reports or to work on homework for another class.

Officially there is no homework for this class over the Thanksgiving break; however, if a student has not made significant progress on reading his/her selected biography/autobiography, they should consider reading it over the break. Students need to be finished reading by November 27th.

Forty-Seventh Class Period: Nonfiction Test Preparation

Devotion: "The Lost Coin" (Luke 15)

Mr. Stone reviewed the six parts of the nonfiction test:

1) author-title (matching)

2) title-genre (matching)

3) literary terms (matching)

4) career writing (short answer)

5) identifying quotes (matching)

6) classifying common nonfiction genres (Fill in the blanks in a table)

Students received their graded comma retests, their first comma tests (previously viewed) , and their short story unit tests (previously viewed) to analyze the types of questions for which the students need to study more or differently.

The tests were recollected.

Students whose scores on the comma retests were higher than the first test will have their higher score replace their previous score.

Mr. Stone discussed the basic pattern of humor (preparation, anticipation, and punch line) and viewed a video clip from Ellen.

Homework: Finish preparing for the nonfiction test.

Forty-Sixth Class: Visual Literature

Mr. Stone discussed694- the controversial use of the terms graphic novel, visual literature, and sequential art.

Students read the excerpt from Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" (694-705).

Homework: Continue studying for the nonfiction unit test.

Forty-Fifth Class Period: Veterans Day Poem & Analyzing Nonfiction Prose

Quiz: Alex Chadwick's "Earhart Redux" (transcript of a radio interview) and Steve Gietschier's "In These Girls, Hope Is a Muse" (book review) and the book jacket copy for Madeleine Blais's In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle (711-718).

Students viewed an excerpt from Colin Halloran's lecture at UConn Avery Point in which he reads his poem "Morning Commute" (Facebook).

Prayer

Students created a color-coded key for their analysis of Steve Gietschier's book review "In These Girls, Hope Is a Muse" and discussed the construction of the review with Mr. Stone.

Mr. Stone distributed a list of nonfiction terms previously provided in a different format for students to use to study for the upcoming nonfiction test.

Homework: Study for the nonfiction test which will be taken the last class period before Thanksgiving break.

Second Quarter Book Report Book

Students should finish reading their second quarter book report books by November 27th, so they will be ready to begin writing the report.

Students who checked out their selected books from a library should renew the book for more time.

Nonfiction Unit Test

Mr. Stone reminded students that their nonfiction unit test will given during the last English I class period of next week.

Students should study authors and titles, titles and genres, the definitions of nonfiction literary terms, and the classification of nonfiction genre chart.

Students should also learn at least two ways one of their parents writes in his/her workplace.

Forty-Fourth Class Period: Comma Test Retake

All students took a second comma test. If a student's score is higher than his/her previous score it will replace their previous score. If a student's score is lower than his/her previous score than his/her previous score will remain.

After the test, students had time to review Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View" (636-640) and then took a quiz over it.

Homework: Read Alex Chadwick's "Earhart Redux" (710-714) and Steve Gietschier's "In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle" (715-718).

Forty-Third Class Period: Final Draft of Film Essay Due

(Wednesday for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday for Periods 1, 2, & 7)

Students submitted the final draft of their film analysis essays.

In class, student will read Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer" and took a quiz over it.

Students then read Sally Ride's "Single Room, Earth View" (636-640).

Homework: Review for comma test retake.

Clarification for Period Two

The quiz over "The Washwoman" for Period Two will be on Friday. Just have your final draft of your film essay ready for Thursday.

Sorry for any confusion.

Forty-Second Class Period: Peer Edit of Film Essay

(Tuesday for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday for Periods 1 & 7)

Quiz: Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman"

Peer edit film essay.

Mr. Stone has the revised drafts form most of the students in Periods 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7. He will redistribute those to students at the beginning of class. Students in Period 1 or students who did not submit their revised draft when it was previously due should bring the revised draft of their film analysis essay to class.

Homework: Revise film analysis essay.

Works Cited Entries for Film Analysis/Review Essay

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Dir. Norman Z. McLeod. Perf. Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Ann Rutherford, and The Goldwyn Girls. Samuel Goldwyn, 1947. Videocassette.

Thurber, John. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: Gold Level.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. 347-352. Print.

Remember these need to be double-spaced on your works cited page with hanging indents.

Forty-First Class Period: Comma Review & Reflective Essay

(Monday for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday for Period 7)

Quiz: Rudolfo Anaya's "A Celebration of Grandfathers"

Review Comma Test

The class will examine the reflective essay "A Celebration of Grandfathers" for its diction, comma use, paragraph construction (concrete details & commentary), use of anecdotes, and tone (attitude of writer toward the topic).

Homework: Read Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman."

A Look Ahead: November 5-9, 2012

First Class Period of the Week
(Monday for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday for Period 7)

Quiz: Rudolfo Anaya's "A Celebration of Grandfathers"

Review Comma Test

The class will examine "A Celebration of Grandfathers" for its diction, comma use, paragraph construction (concrete details & commentary), use of anecdotes, and tone (attitude of writer toward the topic).

Homework: Read Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman."


Second Class Period of the Week
(Tuesday for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Wednesday for Periods 1 & 7)

Quiz: Isaac Bashevis Singer's "The Washwoman"

Peer edit film essay.

Mr. Stone has the revised drafts form most of the students in Periods 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7. He will redistribute those to students at the beginning of class. Students in Period 1 or students who did not submit their revised draft when it was previously due should bring the revised draft of their film analysis essay to class.

Homework: Revise film analysis essay.

Third Class Period of the Week
(Wednesday for Periods 5 & 6 and Thursday for Periods 1, 2, & 7)

Final draft of film analysis essay due.

In class, student will read Lorraine Hansberry's "On Summer" and discuss "On Summer" and "The Washwoman as time allows.

Fourth Class Period of the Week
(Thursday for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday for Periods 1, 2, & 7)

All students will have a retest of comma skills.

If a student scores higher on this test than on the previous test, then his/her previous test score will be replaced with the higher test score. If a student scores lower on this test than on the previous test, then his/her previous test score will remain the same.

The class will continue to discuss the three essays they have read this week if further discussion is needed.

Homework: Read Alex Chadwick "Earhart Redux" (Radio Program Transcript) and Steve Gietschier's "In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle" (Book Review).

More details for the week ahead will come later.