Homework 11/26/13 Tuesday

Block F:

• Work on your Room essays due on  Wednesday after the holiday break.

Block A:

• Find a scene from a film that you want to develop into a chapter. See yesterday's post for the website to use to locate a screenplay. Fill out page #3 of the organizer I gave you in class today and bring your response and a printed copy of the screenplay scene with you on Monday.

Block B:

• New AoW due on Wednesday after break
• Read Chapter 4 of Strength in What Remains. Note your questions, observations and connections as you read.

Block C and E:

• Today (or yesterday) we watched a documentary on Frederick Douglass. If you were not here, please watch the film over the long weekend and take notes on what you see. You can watch the film here. 

Monday 11/25: Homework

Block A:

Tonight I want you to take a look at the two websites I showed you in class today. The first one features a really great writing opportunity, especially if you hope to one day publish your work. Check out:

Stage of Life

Next, as part of a dialogue project that we will be starting tomorrow, I would like you to spend some time at this fabulous screenplay warehouse. Search through the zillions of scripts on file here, and see if you can find one of your favorites. Remember, the goal is to find a screenplay for a film that you love and a film that you have access to, as you will need to watch the scene in order to complete this project. Narrow down your film selection and find a scene that you think contains particularly great dialogue. Bring in your ideas, and I will show you some models tomorrow! It will be AWESOME!

Block B:

1. Your AoW on teens and e-cigarettes is due tomorrow. Please be sure to follow ALL of the directions!

2. Read and annotate Chapter 3 in Strength. Focus your reading of the language Deo uses to describe the SETTING.

Block C:

 A great MANY of you did not complete the assignment on "The Yellow Wallpaper" that was due today. Because we will not meet again until after the holiday, it would behoove you to turn in your missing work before Wednesday, as I will not be accepting the "Yellow Wallpaper" responses after the holiday break. 

• Please continue to read your independent reading book and have a great holiday. 

Friday 11/22/12: Homework

Block B:

• Over the weekend, please read Chapter 2 in Strength in What Remains. Make notes of your observations, questions and connections and bring your notes with you to class. 
• Read your independent reading book as well!

Block C and E:

Check out this woman,
"creeping about behind that pattern.
..I don't like it one bit!"

We finished "The Yellow Wallpaper" today! I was so happy to be a part of such an enthusiastic discussion. You did a nice job reading closely and thinking analytically. Over the weekend, I would like you to consider the story, as well as the other non-fiction texts we looked at in class, including "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper,'" as well as the article about Mitchell's "Rest Cure." Please write a three paragraph response, using the following recipe:

• Your first paragraph is a summary of the short story.
• Your second paragraph is a reaction to the story.  “I think...” “I wonder...” “I notice...”
• Your third paragraph explores connections to the story.  What in your schema  (background knowledge) relates to the story?

Block F:

Today you worked independently to develop your ideas and support the essay you will be writing over the next week or so. This weekend, continue to map out your ideas and develop your argument. When we return to class on Tuesday, I will be giving you some writing guidelines and we will be drafting your responses.

Thursday 11/21: Homework

Block E:
Great discussion today folks! You all  made lots of great observations!

• Finish reading and annotating "The Yellow Wallpaper" for tomorrow. We will do some in-class writing about the story.

Block F:

• Work on your mind maps/outlines/organizers for your essay plan. Bring your work tomorrow as I will be giving you a grade for the progress you have made thus far. 

Block A:

Thanks to Emma, Marcos, and Nadia for performing "Sure Thing" for us in class today! Excellent job!

• This weekend, write your own version!  Using the play as a model to capture another dialogue that is perpetually restarted until the desired results are achieved.  

Wednesday 11/20: homework

Block f: 

Begin your work on your mind map. Gather evidence for the essay you will be writing next week. 

We will be having a Socratic seminar tomorrow. 

Block A: 

Tonight, please read the one act play I distributed today. We will be acting it out in class tomorrow! 

We will also be working with the mobile lab to finish the dialogue you wrote with your partner tomorrow as well. 

Block B:

1. Finish reading Chapter 1 in Strength in What Remains.

2. AoW due on Tuesday. 

3. Read your independent reading book.

Block C:

Great discussion today! 

Finish reading and annotating "The Yellow Wallpaper" for class on Friday. 

Tuesday November 19: Homework

Block A:
Today we worked on adding beats and tags into the dialogue we've been writing with a partner. Tomorrow we will finish the scenes in class. Tonight, as part of our effort to hear good dialogue, I'd like you to eavesdrop on a conversation between two people you do not know. Put yourself in a place where you can listen to your surroundings and record what you hear from real people. Sit at a booth at a coffee shop or a restaurant, hang out on your front porch and listen to people walking by, drop into a barber shop and listen. You get the idea!

Block B:
1. Bring in any used novels that you would like to donate to our reading library.
2. Complete the Article of the Week reading response that we started in class today.
3. Study your vocabulary words for tomorrow's quiz. Use the Vocabulary.com site I showed you in class to help prepare! You can find our list here.

Block C 
1. Today we started reading the short story titled  "The Yellow Wallpaper." Please read and annotate from the section we starred on page 648 to the page break (stars) on 650 for our next class.

Block E: 

1. Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" pages 649 (stars) to 650 (stars) for our next class.

Monday November 18: Homework

Block C and E:

Today you explored a thematic connection you made in an in-class essay! Hooray! I will be taking a look at how you did and we will be talking about your responses tomorrow.

Tonight, please read your independent reading book and be sure to bring your True Diary text back to class tomorrow.

Block F:

For Wednesday, prepare your notes on the end of Room for our final Socratic seminar--we will focus on what the novel teaches us about the process of growing up. I will ask you to consider the elements of a bildungsroman, so be prepared to examine the criteria we've noted about the genre. I will also ask you to consider the other texts we've read thus far this semester in your discussion, so prepare in advance.

Friday November 15: Homework

Block E: 
Complete your Theme Triangles for the in-class essay you will write on Monday. Be sure to find lots of good support (quotes, examples) from the three texts you will be writing about. Bring your triangle organizers to class on Monday!

Read your independent reading book as well.

Block F:
Finish reading  Room  over the weekend. Be sure to annotate and gather notes and quotes as you read.

Block A:
 Read "The Secret to Not Getting Stuck" this weekend. Examine sections with dialogue and annotate the text as you read. We will do an activity on Tuesday when we return to class.

Block B: 
Work on the 5 AoWs I gave you to read this week. Be sure to follow the directions on the instruction sheet and mark up each text as you determine its central argument.

Read your independent reading book as well.

Thursday November 15th: Homework

Block A:

• Read and annotate the packet on dialogue that I gave you in class today. Be prepared for a reading check in class tomorrow. 

Block B:

• Work on the 5 AoW articles that I assigned in class today. Follow the steps for completing the work on the sheet of instructions. All reading and annotations are due on Tuesday.
• Continue to work on the Vocabulary stories we started writing in groups today--you will have some additional time to finish them in class tomorrow.
• Read your independent reading book.

Block C:

• Work on completing your Theme Triangles this weekend. Your charts should have lots of evidence and examples that you can use for support when you write your theme essays in class on Monday. Be sure to cite the sources and page numbers of the texts you use. Bring your completed triangles to class with you on Monday!!

Wednesday 11/13: Homework

Block B:

• Study vocabulary words for our activity tomorrow. 
• Read your independent reading book and find an example of a subordinating conjunction.

Block C: 

• Work on your theme triangles at home tonight. Develop a third connection and find evidence to support your ideas. 

Block E:

• Develop a theme for your triangle project which we will start when we meet next. 
• Read your independent reading book. 

Block F: 

• Prepare your notes and quotes for our Socratic seminar on Friday. 
• Keep reading Room. Remember our goal is to finish the novel by Monday. 

Tuesday November 12: Homework

Block E: 

Today we learned what the difference is between a THEME and a TOPIC. 

1. Read and ANNOTATE the chapter from I am Malala. 
2. Check out this news story about Malala and be ready to talk about it tomorrow. 
3. Use your notes to develop a THEME that you see between the work of Alexie and the work of Malala. Remember, a theme is not just a word--it is a sentence that captures the central message of a text. 

Block F:

You posed some great questions about the novel today. Our goal is to finish the book by Monday. We will have a Socratic Seminar tomorrow on the section of the text you read over the long weekend. Be sure to bring your notes and annotations to class tomorrow.

Tonight, I'd like you to read the two blog entries listed below. They are from an author and blogger named Allie Brosh. She has been living with depression and she has a very compelling way of exploring the challenges that people face. Read the two blog entries and write a  SPA paragraph to answer the following question for homework:

Adventures in Depression from Hyperbole and a Half

Depression Part 2 from Hyperbole and a Half

How do Allie Brosh's blog entries help us to understand Ma's perspective? 

Use details from both the novel and the blog to support your ideas. 

Block A: 

Make an entry in your Smash Book tonight. Choose a topic and find an artifact to attach. 

Thursday 11/7/13: Homework

Block F: 
Over the long weekend, please read Room through page 280 (the "After" section). Please use whatever reading organizer that works best for you to keep track of important quotations, observations and developments. I will be collecting your reading notes for credit towards the next Socratic Seminar we have. Use the following question to guide your reading:

How does the world shift for Ma, and how does it shift for Jack once they leave Room?

Block A: 

• Read and annotate the short story "The Puppies" over the weekend and complete a reading response for Tuesday. 
• Prepare for our Reader's Theater exercise on Tuesday! Hooray!

Block B:

You survived your first round of one-pagers! You all did a great job preparing for class today and for those of your who were called to read, nice work! 

• This weekend, please write a 2 paragraph reflection on today's class. Write the first paragraph on some specific ideas that resonated with you. Be specific about what you heard. I've included the notes from the board to help you with this part. Write the second paragraph about the process we followed today--the preparation, the app of opportunity, the listening, and your participation.
• Also, take some time to study the first 20 vocabulary words we've learned. We will be playing a few more games before your next assessment. 

Block C:

• Today we learned the difference between a topic and a theme. Your job this weekend is to develop a theme that is evident in both Malala's story and the work of Sherman Alexie. Use the notes from class to develop your theme.
• Read  and annotate the chapter from I am Malala. Use the chapter to inform your decisions around the theme you develop. 

Wednesday 11/6/13: homework

Block A: 

Tomorrow we will be writing scenarios from multiple perspectives. Tonight, think about what kind of story you want to tell tomorrow. Bring your ideas to class.

Block B:

Bring your completed one pager on "Hell-Heaven" to class. Have it printed and ready at the start of class. If you do not have a printer, email a copy to the copy center ahead of time at copy.center@hudson.k12.ma.us

Block C: 

Today we watched a remarkable story about Malala. You can watch it again here if you would like.

Tonight, please fill out the organizer I gave you in class today, as we will be starting your theme triangle projects tomorrow.

Block E:

 Today we watched a remarkable story about Malala. You can watch it again here if you would like.

Tonight, please fill out the organizer I gave you in class today, as we will be starting your theme triangle projects when you return to class. 

Tuesday November 5,2013: Homework

Block C:
Here are the notes from today's discussion:

• We will be starting our final projects tomorrow. Please bring your Big Ideas chart to class.
• Read your independent reading book and log your progress.

Block E:

Here are the notes from class today:

• We will be starting our final projects tomorrow. Please bring your Big Ideas chart to class.
• Read your independent reading book and log your progress.

Block F:

• We had two lively Socratic seminars today on the first two sections of Room. Tonight, please write a 1-2 paragraph reflection on what you heard in class today. What did you hear? What resonated with you? How did you feel about the activity? Evaluate your level of participation.

Monday November 4 2013: Homework

Block E:

• Type a Reading Response (follow the recipe) on Smoke Signals. Print and bring to class on Tuesday.
• Read your independent reading book.

Block F:

• Finish reading Room (up to page 174) for tomorrow. Fill in your SignPost maps prior to our Socratic seminar on the first two sections tomorrow.

Block A:

• Read "How to Be a Writer" for class on Wednesday. Write a Readers Response and print it out before class on Wednesday.

Block B: 

• Final Drafts due at the start of class on Wednesday. Print your essay before you arrive to class and attach the rubric to your work. Save your work to your Google Drive so that you can submit to TURNITIN.com on Wednesday. Our class ID is 7245115. The password is ILOVEENGLISH.
• Prepare your notes on "Hell-Heaven." We will be writing a one-pager in class on Wednesday.

Friday November 1st: Homework

Block A Creative Writing

• Prepare for sharing day on Monday. 
• Read your independent reading book

Block B Honors English 11

• Finish reading and annotating "Hell-Heaven." Complete the Reading Notes handout for class on Monday.
• Revise your Alexie essay. Final drafts due on Wednesday. We will be using Turnitin.com--I'll give you the password to join the class on Monday.
• Study the first 20 vocabulary words--we will do some activities this week before your assessment to ensure that you've mastered all of them!

Block C English 11

• Write a Reading Response on Smoke Signals using the "recipe" on the yellow handout. Type it, print it, and bring it to class on Tuesday.