Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!

:

Enjoy the break! The homework is listed below. See you in 2015!

Block B:

• Finish your "exit" ticket on "The Lives of the Dead." The questions are listed below.  If you did not already turn in your response, you should have it ready to submit when we return to class on Monday.

1. How do the stories and storytelling save the lives of the dead?  

2. How do the stories and storytelling save the lives of the living? 

3. Explain the last line of the book, “…I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy’s life with a story.”  Relate it to the ideas expressed in this chapter and all of the stories of the book combined.


4. Can you relate the ideas in this story to your own life? Explain.

• Study your vocabulary for next week's quiz. You should also begin to review for the "First 40" vocabulary test which you will take at the end of the week.

Block C:

• Read and annotate the story titled "20 Minutes at Rucker Park." Consider the story in relation to The Great Gatsby and be ready for a rich discussion when we return.

Block D:

• Read and annotate "Death by Landscape" by Margaret Atwood. Consider the story in relation to "True Trash" and be ready to do some writing when we return.

Block E:

•  Write a response to Restrepo using the green "Reading Response Recipe" questions. Type your response and bring it to class with to discuss when we return.

Block G:

• Read and annotate the story titled "20 Minutes at Rucker Park." Consider the story in relation to The Great Gatsby and be ready for a rich discussion when we return.

Friday 12/19/2014: HOMEWORK

Block B:

Read and annotate the first half of the last story in the collection titled "The Lives of the Dead."

Block C:

Read and annotate the article by Miller in the Gatsby reading packet I gave you today. 

Study the First 40 words for the big vocab test! 

Block D:

Read and annotate "Death by Landscape" by Margaret Atwood. 

Read your book club book too! 

Have a great holiday! 

Block E:

Study the First 40 words for the big vocab test on Tuesday! 

The First 40!

Here's the list of the FIRST 40 VOCABULARY words that you should have mastered by this  point. You will be taking a comprehensive test on these words in the next week...so STUDY!!

1.     prudent

2.     inevitable (adj. bound to happen)

3.     subtle

4.     compromise

5.     prosperity

6.     reverence

7.     compassion

8.     diligent (adj.—hard working)

9.     benevolent

10.haughty

11.disdain

12.venerable

13.restrained

14.orator

15.abstain

16.resonate

17.juxtapose/juxtaposition

18.asylum

19.wary

20.impetuous

21.foster

22.superficial

23.abate

24.sagacity/sagacious

25.superfluous

26.vindicate

27.reconciliation

28.impute

29.bias

30.discredit

31.capitulate

32.canny

33.aesthetic

34.fortitude

35.brazen

36.emulate

37.conditional

38.boisterous

39.frugal

40.transient

Thursday 12/18/14: Homework

Block C:

1. Gatsby figurative language essays are due tomorrow. Please upload them to Turnitin.com and bring a hard copy with you to turn in to me.
2. Finish your Gatsby character poster for tomorrow.

Block D:

1. Prepare for your first book club meeting tomorrow. Remember, you will need 200 words on your first impression of the novel as an entry ticket.

Block E:

1. Begin reviewing for the comprehensive vocabulary test you will have on Tuesday on the first 40 words we've studied this year!
2. Make sure all of your blue story organizers are complete--I will collect them tomorrow.

Block G:

1. Gatsby figurative language essays are due on Monday. Please upload them to Turnitin.com and bring a hard copy with you to turn in at the start of class.
2. Begin to prepare for the comprehensive vocabulary test you will have on Tuesday on the first 40 words we've studied this year!

Wednesday 12/17/14: homework

Block E:

Begin filling out the blue sheet for "Lives of the Dead." We will finish reading the story together in class tomorrow.

Block G: 

Work on your essay revision due on Monday. 

Character posters are due on Friday. 

Bring your annotated article "A Whole Heap of Ashes" with you to class tomorrow. 

Block B:

Work on the response to "The Ghost Soldiers" that Mr. Lawton gave you in class today. 

Tuesday 12/15/14: Homework

Block G:
1. Study for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow
2. Work on your character emotional chart due on Friday!
3. Gatsby essay revision due on Monday

Block B:
1. Read and annotate the first part of "The Ghost Soldiers" story up to the page break on page 4. Bring your notes to class tomorrow to discuss.

Block C:
1. Work on finishing your character emotional/behavioral chart due on Friday!
2. Gatsby essay revisions due on Friday.

Block D:
1. Locate a passage from "True Trash" that relates to the topic you explored today in your small group." Copy and cite the passage and then and analyze its significance. Consider the questions:

What does the passage SAY? (literally)
What does the passage MEAN (figuratively)
Why does it matter? (Why is the passage significant? How does it support the topic you are exploring?

Monday 12/15/14: Homework

Block B:

• Read and annotate "In the Field" and complete the worksheet that I gave you in class that deals with the "culpability continuum." Who is to blame for the death of Kiowa? 
• Study for the vocabulary quiz that you will have tomorrow!

Block C:

• Locate another passage that uses figurative language to characterize Gatsby in the later chapters of the novel. Do not use dialogue--you are looking for examples of figurative language! Copy down the passage and read it closely, following the steps on the handout I gave you today. Bring your passage and your ideas to class tomorrow so we can discuss!
• Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz.

Block D:

• Review your observations and annotations from Atwood's "True Trash" and determine what you think is the most important WORD, LINE, and IDEA in the text. Bring your ideas to class tomorrow for a rich discussion.
• Locate a copy of your book club text for class on Thursday!

Block E:

• Study for your vocabulary quiz on Wednesday. 
• If you are interested in watching more of the Frontline documentary that I showed in class today, you may find the entire program HERE.
• We will be finishing the final story in the collection titled "Lives of the Dead" when we return to class on Wednesday if you would like to get a head start. 

Friday 12/12/14: Homework

Block D:
1. Read and annotate "True Trash" by Margaret Atwood. Follow the guidelines on the "guided reading" handout as you read. Bring your astute observations to class on Monday.
2. Study your new vocabulary words!


Block E:
1. Finish reading and annotating "The Ghost Soldiers" this weekend. Fill out a blue story organizer as you read. Consider what O'Brien is trying to show us about the nature of revenge in this story.
2. Study your new vocabulary words!


Block G:
This weekend, consider how you feel about Gatsby at the end of the novel. Are you sympathetic? Angry? Sad? Do you think he got what he deserved? Next, select one passage from Chapter 7, 8, or 9 that deals with the way Gatsby is characterized at the end of the novel.  Copy the passage out (use the e-book) and perform a close reading. You know how to do this:

Step 1: LITERAL--What does the text say? What happens here? What is Fitzgerald describing in this passage 

Step 2: FIGURATIVE—What does the text do? What techniques does Fitzgerald use to convey his ideas? What elements of writer’s craft do you see?

Step 3: PURPOSE—What does Fitzgerald mean in this passage? What is his purpose in describing the scene in this way? What effect do the words have on us as readers?

Note--The characterization may have changed significantly from the beginning of the text...we will be able to see this when you finish your character behavior charts next week. 

Bring your close reading passage and response in to class on Tuesday. 

Wednesday 12/10/14: Half Day Homework!

Block C:
1. Finish reading and annotating "A Whole Heap of Ashes."
2. Study your new vocabulary words.

Block D:
Essays on "The Body" are due on Friday at the start of class. Be sure to access the Writing Guide here for help with formatting. 

Block E:
Read and annotate "In the Field" in your story collection. Complete the blue story organizer as you read.

12/9/14: Homework

Block E:
Today in class we watched the second part of the interview with Tim O'Brien and Nate Fick. O'Brien read his story titled "Ambush," which revisits the events in the story "The Man I Killed."
First, return to the interview for a second listen (the reading begins at the 13:44 mark)

Next, respond to the following question in a thoughtful and well-supported paragraph. Bring your response to class tomorrrow.

O’Brien’s daughter asks if he ever killed a man: “‘You keep writing these war stories,’ she said, ‘so I guess you must’ve killed somebody.’ Following this, O’Brien relates two possible scenarios of the death described in “The Man I Killed” to explain “This is why I keep writing war stories.” In your opinion, why does O’Brien keep writing war stories, and why does he tell them in this way? Where does truth reside in this book? Why is O’Brien using lies to get at “the truth”?



Block G:

1. Study for your vocabulary quiz on Thursday. 
2. Read and annotate the article "A Whole Heap of Ashes."

Block B:

1. Complete the blue sheet for "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra-Bong"

2. Read and annotate  "The Man I Killed" in the story collection for class on Thursday. 

Friday 12/5/14: Homework

Block B:

1. Study this week's vocabulary words for a quiz on Monday
2. Read and annotate the first part of "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra-Bong" (stop at the stopsign). Create an illustration that depicts the story thus far. Your illustration should include the setting, the characters, and the changes that underway. ANNOTATE your illustration with language from the text. This means you will need to include QUOTES FROM THE STORY!!!

Doesn't Gatsby look great in this suit?

Block C:

1. Study for this week's vocabulary quiz on Monday. We will meet in the classroom at the start of the block.
2. Read and annotate the article I gave you titled "A Whole Heap of Ashes" for Thursday.

Block D:

1. Develop a working thesis/argument for the essay you will write on "The Body." Use this THESIS GENERATOR TOOL (and model thesis statement) if you find it helpful. I will ask you to share your work in discussion on Monday. 
2. Study vocabulary

Block E:

1. Read and annotate "The Man I Killed" in your story collection. 
2. Study for the vocabulary quiz on Tuesday.

Thursday 12/4/14: Homework

Block D:

Oops! I forgot to collect your responses on the film today! Please bring them tomorrow! 

For tonight, consider what you believe to be the "most valuable idea" in King's "The Body." 

Use the form below to consider why the idea is valuable, where you see it in the text, and how it resonates in the world around you. Do some research and affix an article, a news story, or another textual or cultural connection to the novella and the idea you have identified. See the figure below, which comes from Kelly Gallagher's text Deeper Reading. 

Block E:

See the previous night's post for the assignment which we will review tomorrow when we meet. 

Block G: 

Complete the close reading passage exercise for Chapter 9. Follow the directions on the back of the handout. 

Bring in your Gatsby song connection lyrics. 

Wednesday 12/3/14: Homework

Block G:

• Be sure that you have completed the close reading passage from Chapter 8 (on the handout that I gave you on Monday).

Block B:

• Be sure that you have finished reading and annotating "How to Tell a True War Stor." 

Block C:

• Bring your selected close reading passage from Chapter 9.
• Bring in your selected song lyrics as well.
• Meet in the mini-theater at the start of the block on Friday!

Tuesday 12/2/14: Homework

Block B: 

Read and annotate "How to Tell a True War Story." Complete your blue story organizer. 

Block C:

1. Choose a passage from Chapter 9. Copy it, annotate it, and analyze its purpose in the text by doing a close reading. Consider what the text says, what it means, and why it matters. 

2. Choose a song that illuminates a theme, character, or motif in the novel. Bring in the lyrics with your notes and ideas. 

Block D: 

1. Write a one page response to the film. Explore the deviations from the novel and consider the effect and purpose of the changes made. 

2. Continue to work on developing your argument for a response to "The Body." 

Block E:

 Revisit your blue story organizers thus far. Make sure that are completed thoroughly. 

 In looking at the collection, respond to the following questions:

1. What do you notice thus far in reading this collection of stories? 

2. What observations do you make about O'Brien's writing style? 

3. Develop one question you have about the stories as a wholethus far. 

** also! make a study guide of some sort for your new vocabulary words. 

Monday 12.1.14 How is it DECEMBER already?

Block C:

1. Complete the front side of the Close Reading (Chapter 8) activity that I distributed in class this morning.
2. Read your independent reading book

Block D:

1. Begin developing an argument for an essay that you will write on "The Body."
2. Study your vocabulary words--we will have the quiz this week!

Block E:

1. Finish reading and annotating "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra-Bong"
2. Complete your illustration of the story. It should include the beginning, middle, and end of the story, as well as 3-5 textual references (quotes from the story!)

Block G:

1. Complete the front side of the Close Reading (Chapter 8) activity that I distributed in class this afternoon.
2. Read your independent reading book