Friday, January 31, 2014

Day 108!

Friday!

We get to start a new unit of literature today! (Can I get a "whoop whoop"?!) It's time to move on to the Civil War.

Instead of me standing in front of you chatting it up about how interesting this time period was, I thought we would take a different route for our background information this time!

You will randomly select groups and will be assigned a set of pages to read from the book. The section that we will be reading focuses on the background information and the connection to the essential questions.

As a group, you will be in charge of teaching the rest of the class about your section. After you read, you will need to collaborate and make a presentation to show the class (get creative: use iMovie, Prezi, Layar, etc.). Your presentation should highlight and summarize the important information in your section. You should also prepare a notes documents for your classmates (the format of this is up to you).

Group 1: Historical Background 462-465
Group 2: How does literature shape or reflect society? 466-469
Group 3: What is the relationship between literature and place? 470-471
Group 4: What makes American literature American? 472-473

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Day 107!

Happy Thursday!!!

Today is everyone's favorite day of the week! It's a reading day!!! You will have the first 25 minutes of class to really get into your books.

For the remainder of class, we will group up and discuss some of the elements of your books. It is going to BE SO FUN! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Day 107!

Good morning first hour! I apologize that I will not be with you today, but I should be available via chat if you have questions.

The first thing I would like for you to do today is to  grade yourselves and your story partners based on preparedness, contributions to the story, quality of work, focus on task, and cooperation with group members. Fill out the form below to assign a grade to you and your partner. Be sure to provide specific examples of why you believe you each deserve the assigned grades and be HONEST about the grade. If you were in a group of 3, please fill out all three sections of the form (grade every person in the group, including yourself). There are grading scales and directions on the form.

After that, we will get back to our favorite part of English III: vocabulary practice! Our words for this week are:

stoic
verbose
egregious
complacent
fastidious
quagmire

Since I am not here, I would like you to work with a partner to gather notes for each of the six words. You can work quietly together to complete the notes. Remember, each word entry needs:

  • the word
  • part of speech
  • definition in your own words
  • example sentence
  • fun way to remember it
Please be prepared to discuss the words tomorrow at the beginning of class! 

You will have whatever time is remaining to free read! NO computers while you are reading! Use your time wisely; the end of the quarter is just over a month away, so you should be making steady progress through your books! 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Day 106!

Top of the morning to you!
Today we will start by grading our partners based on their preparedness, contributions to the story, quality of work, focus on task, and cooperation with group members. Fill out the form below to assign a grade to you and your partner. Be sure to provide specific examples of why you believe you each deserve the assigned grades and be HONEST about the grade.

After that, we will get back to our favorite part of English III: vocabulary practice! Our words for this week are:

stoic
verbose
egregious
complacent
fastidious
quagmire

This week, I will let you pick your groups! Remember, each presentation should include:

  • the word
  • part of speech
  • definition in your own words
  • example sentence
  • fun way to remember it
  • visual representation
You will have whatever time is remaining to free read! 


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Day 105!

Happy Tuesday!

Today will be your revision day! All of the peer editing should be completed by now. First, we will start by handing back our peer comments to the authors. Then, you will have time to make some changes to your stories. Remember, you are to take the comments into consideration and to make some fairly major changes to your story. I should be able to tell the difference between your rough drafts and final drafts! Remember to make a copy of your rough draft to create your final draft. I should be able to access both and see the differences!

Once you are comfortable with the changes you have made, please submit your final draft using the form below. You will also need to get with your partner and staple the following things together (in this order from first to last)

  1.  Gothic Elements Chart (1 for each partner)
  2.  Story planning map 
  3.  Peer editing response forms from other groups (at least 2 green sheets)
  4. One copy of the rubric
If you finish early, you should be free reading. Tomorrow, please bring your free reading books! 


Monday, January 27, 2014

Day 104!

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your extra rest this morning!

Today, you will continue to work on peer editing and revising each other's stories. Remember these are the steps to follow:

Phase 1: Reading and evaluating content (green sheet)
Phase 2: Evaluating grammar and conventions (comment on Google Doc)
Phase 3: Assigning a grade based on rubric with reasoning (comment on Google Doc)

Once you are done, you and your partner should begin revising your stories. I'm looking for more than just minor changes!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Day 103!

Happy Friday!

Today, we will be peer revising and editing our stories!

We will spend the first couple of minutes discussing what makes good feedback and what does not, and then you will have the rest of the time to edit.

While you are reading, please answer the questions on the Peer Response sheet. Also,  pay attention to their grammar and conventions!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Day 102!

Happy Thursday! I hope you enjoyed your extra sleep this morning--thanks cold weather!

You will have today's class period to FINISH writing your rough drafts--these are due at the end of class today!

Tomorrow, we will group up to read and review each others' stories!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Day 101!

Happy early out day (Wednesday)!

Today is your last full work day on your gothic stories! Remember, your rough drafts are due tomorrow at the beginning of the period! Use your time wisely!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Day 100!!!!!

You made it to 100! Only 80 days of school to go!

Today, you will continue your work on your gothic stories. You should be making steady progress and should have about 2 pages (or more done) by the end of class today!

Happy writing!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Day 99!

Happy Monday! AND happy 99th day of school!

Today will be a work day for your Original Gothic Stories. You should about 1-2 pages into your story today. I would suggest that you read through your stories frequently as you write them with your partners to make sure that all names, places, and information are consistent and make sense!

See you soon!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Day 97!

Happy late start Friday!

Today, you will be working in your groups on your stories! You should be finishing up with your story maps and beginning to write the first part the story!

Remember that there was a Reading Workshop question due yesterday! Turn it in if you have not already done so!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Day 97!

Happy Thursday! I hope you are so excited to be here today...I know I am!

Today should be the start of some fun! We get to talk about your final project for the Gothic literature unit! Whoop whoop!

We will spend some time talking about the requirements for your Original Gothic Stories, and we will go over the Rubric.

Then, we will get to work! You will have the opportunity to select your partner, as long as you are productive each day during class. Should your partner selection become a problem, you will be asked to work alone (which would be a lot more work...so be smart).


Oh! Remember that your Reading Workshop questions are due by 3:15 today!

See you soon!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Day 96!

We are inching closer and closer to 100 days y'all! (That felt weird to type).

Today is the day! The day of our authors quiz! Get pumped!

After you take the quiz, you will have the rest of the hour to read your free reading book and work on your Reading Workshop question that is due by the end of the day tomorrow! 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Day 95!

Happy Tuesday!

Today we will begin by taking a few minutes to finish up any of the Literary Analysis or Reading Check questions that you did not finish yesterday.

Then, we will talk through the questions and the story.

You will have whatever time is remaining to free read your books! There is a new question posted on the Reading Workshop Blog that will be due by the end of the school day on Thursday! 

Remember, we will be taking our author's quiz tomorrow! You should know who wrote what story, and important background information about their lives. Check through your notes! These are the authors on the quiz:

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Joyce Carol Oates
  • William Faulkner
  • Flannery O'Connor

Monday, January 13, 2014

Day 94!

Happy Monday!

1st and 6th hour: Today we will finish reading "The Life You Save May be Your Own". As you read, please answer the Reading Check and Literary Analysis Questions that are in the margins of your books.

4th hour, you will begin the period by doing some research with a partner about our new author, Flannery O'Connor. Click HERE to see the notes sheet. Make a copy of it, then with a partner, do some research to fill it out. After you have finished that, please begin reading her story "The Life You Save May Be Your Own". It begins on page 1013 of your books.

Tomorrow, please bring your free reading books with you!

Don't forget, we will be taking an authors quiz this week! Looks like Wednesday is going to be our day.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Day 93!

Happy Friday!

Today we will start with some research on Flannery O'Connor, and then we will talk about her life.

After that, we will begin reading her story (the last story of our Gothic Literature Unit!) "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"!

Don't forget to compile your author notes to prepare for the AUTHORS QUIZ we will take next week!


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Day 92!

Good Thursday to you all!

Today we will start by discussing the work that you did yesterday on Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily".

THEN, we will move on to our next author Flannery O'Connor. We will do some research on her just as we did with William Faulkner. Click HERE to access the notes sheet!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Day 91!

Happy Wednesday to you all!

1st and 4th periods, I am sorry that I will not be able to see you today! First period, you will be in Mrs. Johnson's room, and fourth period, you will go to Mr. Gilson's room. All the links that you will need to complete your work for the day are linked into your directions.

1st period: You will finish reading "A Rose for Emily" individually. We left off at Part III, which is page 821 in your text books. Or, you can use this "A Rose for Emily" Online version to finish reading the story. As you read, continue to fill out your ambiguity charts and your Gothic Elements chart (that's the one that you've had for a long time with all the Gothic stories on it). Once you have finished reading, answer the following questions:

  1. Miss Emily's family's position in Jefferson changes greatly over time, how does Miss Emily seem to feel about this change?
  2. What conflict, suggested by the term noblesse oblige, do the townspeople have with Miss Emily?
  3. Why do people begin to refer to Miss Emily as "Poor Emily"?
  4. What does Miss Emily get from the druggist? What problem do the townspeople notice shortly after that purchase? Speculate: what do you think she did with her purchase?
  5. What does Miss Emily order from the jeweler?
  6. What does the story say about Homer Barron and his relationship with Emily? What probably happened to him and why?
  7. How is this story an example of Souther Gothic literature? What elements make it "gothic"?
  8. In what ways does this story comment on discrepancies between society's ideas of class, privilege, and respectability and the darker sides of human nature?
4th period: You will begin reading our first Southern Gothic literature piece, "A Rose for Emily" today. You will do this individually. The story starts on page 817 of your books, but you can use this "A Rose for Emily" Online version as well since you will not be in the room. As you read,  take notice of how people in the town view Miss Emily and her family, also pay attention to parts of the story that Faulkner purposely makes ambiguous. As you do this,  fill out this Ambiguity Chart (don't worry-"ambiguous" is defined on that document). Once you have finished reading, fill out the elements of this story on your Gothic Elements chart (this you should have from last semester). Then, answer the 8 questions listed above. 

Materials you will need to complete this: 
  • "A Rose for Emily" (linked above)
    • If the link above does NOT work, try THIS ONE
  • Ambiguity chart (1st hour: got this yesterday; 4th hour: linked above)
  • Gothic elements chart (should have from last semester)
  • Google doc to answer questions

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Day 90!

Welcome back from your long weekend! I hope you all enjoyed the extra day and two hours off...thanks Polar Vortex!

Today, we will spend a few minutes recapping what we discussed on Friday, and then we will jump right in to our next story "A Rose for Emily"!

"A Rose for Emily" can be found on page 817 of your books. As we are reading, notice details that reveal other people's perceptions of Miss Emily and her family. Doing so will help you consider the question "How does literature shape or reflect society?"

Also, as we are reading, pay attention to parts of the story that Faulkner purposely leaves ambiguous. We will talk about the potential interpretations of these sections of the story.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Day 89!

Happy Friday! Whew, it has been a LONG week. :)

We will finish up talking about some background information about Southern Gothic literature first thing today, and then we will move on to our next author, William Faulkner! We will spend some time researching as we have done in the past using this notes sheet click ----> HERE to access the notes sheet! Make a copy of the document and do some research with a partner to fill it out. We will get back together after about 15-20 minutes to discuss what we have found.

THEN, we will move on to our next story, "A Rose for Emily". Yay!!

"A Rose for Emily" can be found on page 817 of your books. As we are reading, notice details that reveal other people's perceptions of Miss Emily and her family. Doing so will help you consider the question "How does literature shape or reflect society?"

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Day 88!

Welcome back! I hope that you all had a great break and that you are so excited to be back! I know I am!

Today we will start by getting a new seating chart! Yay!

After that, we will take a look at your semester essays. I was fairly impressed with most of your work, so good job out of you guys!

Then, we will spend some time with our new vocabulary words!

Our first words for the semester are:

clandestine
ardent
pinnacle
query
construe

Remember, when you are creating your word presentation, you need to include:

  • the word
  • part of speech
  • definition in YOUR OWN WORDS
  • example sentence (should provide context clues)
  • visual representation that can be projected for the class to take notes
  • a way to remember the word


If we get some time after that, we will move on to Southern Gothic literature and our next author, William Faulkner!