Wednesday, Dec. 10

We had Kelly and Evelyn's project today and then looked at Tips for Original Composition.

After that, we practised with an old e-exam.

There are links on the side for the e-exam page and the Tips for Original Composition.

Dec. 8

• exam prep
• projects

Next class: one more project and more exam prep

Dec. 4

• cross-grade today
• novel projects due next class (Monday)

Dec. 2

We worked on our projects some more today. They are due Dec. 8.

Next class: Making Connections cross-grade.

Nov. 26

AR

We looked at conflict in stories today, discussing the difference between internal and external conflict.

Lit Circles

What we are doing leading up to exams:

• Nov. 28 - conclusions in lit circles, planning for making connections, working on lit circle projects
• Dec. 2 - more prep for making connections, work on lit circle projects
• Dec. 4 - Making Connections cross-grade
• Dec. 8 - projects due
• Dec. 10 - Review
• Dec. 12 - Exams

Nov. 24

• AR
• Journal Response - genre

Day 5 Journal Response

• Genre
  What genre is your book?
  Perhaps it is historical fiction, realistic fiction, horror, mystery, fantasy, detective, …
  Using what you know about your book so far, what are some of the characteristics of this particular genre?
  What genre of book do you typically choose? Why do you like it?

• Self-Assessment

Nov. 20

Day 4 Journal Response

Literary Devices

• allusion
• foreshadowing
• flashback
• imagery
• irony
• metaphor

 Be sure to have the definitions for these literary devices in your glossaries.

Try to find one literary device the author has used. How is it effective/ineffective?

Take one image from the novel and use descriptive words to try to make it come alive in our minds.

Example:

Walking through the fair, I was entraced by the almost sickeningly sweet scent of cotton candy. It mingled with the salty, buttery taste of the popcorn I was munching on, and my feet followed the rhythm of my chewing. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Nov. 18

• Journal Response

Day 3 Journal Response

Think about the various characters in your book (not just the protagonist). Is there one that you really dislike? Are there any you really like? Whom would you like to meet in real life? Is there anyone you’d like to have as a friend? Imagine a conversation you would have with one of these characters and write it out as a dialogue. If you prefer, write it out as text messages/iMessages/FB messages.

Example:

In my book, I Will Fear No Evil, I really dislike Joan’s granddaughters. They are very greedy and selfish. I quite like Joe, Eunice’s husband. He is an artist who only thinks about artwork. He isn’t interested in money or material things, just art and beauty. He accepts people for who they are. I would love to meet him in real life. I don’t think we’d be friends, but maybe I’d be friends with his wife, Gigi. She’s a caring individual who likes to have fun. I can imagine us out at a restaurant together.

Me: Gigi, what do you like about your marriage to Joe?

Gigi: I’m fond of his dedication to his art.

Me: What about all the regular stuff like washing dishes and buying groceries?

Gigi: Joe doesn’t really think about that stuff, which is annoying at times. I love him for who he is, though.

…. (Add about 4 more lines.)

• Lit Circles
• AR

Nov. 14

Lit Circles

• discussions
• journal response (setting)
• peer evaluation

Next class: focus is on other characters in the novel. Do you have a favourite character other than the protagonist?

Nov. 12

• silent reading time
• lit circle time: discussion questions, vocabulary, journal response and discussion, self-assessment of lit circle participation

Journal response:

The protagonist is _____________________. I can/cannot identify with this character because .... (Write a few sentences.)

Next class:

• silent reading time
• lit circle time with peer assessment of participation

Journal response for next class:

Discuss the setting of the novel. Is there anything familiar about the setting? Does it remind you of something you've experienced/read/watched? Do you think the novel would be okay in a different setting, or is the setting important to the development of the plot? Imagine a completely opposite setting. Describe it. What would change about the plot in this alternate setting?

Nov. 6

Lit Circles!

We got into groups for lit circles and independent novel study:

• Bunheads (3)
• Forest of Hands and Teeth (3)
• Number the Stars (2)
• War Between the Classes (2)
• Nancy Drew (1)
• Natchez Burning (1)

In our groups, we made plans for next day's activities and planned out our reading schedules.

Roles people are taking on:

Director/Questioner

Summarizer

Vocabulary Builder

For next class, be sure to have read what you have planned to read and to do the extra task you need to complete.

For independent novel study students, be sure to log what you're reading, summarize, write personal connections, and keep a vocabulary builder sheet.

Nov. 4

Focus of Class: Making Connections

• expectations for making connections/synthesis paper
• sample paper
• rubric
• group work: update Venn diagram then start working on an outline for a making connections paper (one outline per group)

See attached documents on side.

Oct. 31

On Wednesday, we watched "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" on YouTube. For homework, we were to complete a Venn diagram indicating similarities and differences between "Hobnail" and "Sleepy Hollow."

Sleepy Hollow video


On Friday, we looked at doppelgangers by watching "Shatterday" (a Twilight Zone episode).

Next class: be sure to bring your Venn diagrams!

Oct. 27

1. We read for AR and took AR quizzes.

2. We went over what we did last day:

• discussed “Who are you?”
• read “Barbie Doll”
• HW was to answer questions

“Barbie Doll”
speaker = narrator (in this case limited omniscient); audience: society
setting/situation: the woman’s life from birth to death, modern day, probably North America (toys are clues)
theme = main message, written as a statement: Society makes people insecure; women are pressured to fit others’ ideas about what they should be like.
Structural pattern: poem written in free verse (no rhyme/rhythm)
images: wee lipsticks the colour of cherry candy (appeal to sense of smell, taste, sight) – remind us of childhood because of the candy – childhood=innocence; dolls that did pee-pee – peeing is natural, reminds us of our common natures
figurative language – hyperbole (exaggeration): “cut off her nose and legs” shows disdain speaker has for plastic surgery; “fat nose on thick legs” emphasizes how women tend to have body image disorders that become the main focus of their lives
symbols: pink and white nightie: sleep – the final sleep (death); pink is girlie; all the toys mentioned in the first stanza represent childhood and innocence

3. Add the following terms to your glossary:

• imagery
• setting
• speaker
• suspense
• symbol
• theme

HW: Write in the definitions using an on-line guide to literary terms.

4. Discussion of suspense and irony in “The Collection” from last day

5. Read “Hobnail,” making note of:

• characters
• setting
• suspense
• irony
• symbol

Next day: viewing “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Oct. 16, 2014

• AR
• Last book talks
• Discussion of exam - try some practice exams at home!

Next class

• Reading comprehension and character sketch

Oct. 7

• AR
• book talks with peer editing
• little discussion of previous day's story
• results of reading test
• poem: "The Highwayman" - a ghost story of sorts, gothic romance; exploration of irony in the poem
• See the video: "The Highwayman"

Next day:

• more book talks
• reading for character and irony ("Lamb to the Slaughter")
• glossary work
• AR

Next week:

• STAR
• cross-grade character sketch and reading comprehension

Oct. 1

• AR
• Bucket Lists - reading
• author spotlight: Edgar Allan Poe
• stories: "Eleanora" and "The Lover"
• Which was more of a horror story? What were the similarities?

Next day:

• reading comprehension and writing

Sept. 29

• AR
• made bucket lists in groups
• intro to horror/gothic fiction

Homework:

• daily reading
• finish your goal-setting by the end of the week

Book Talks Schedule

Oct. 7

1. Evelyn
2. Danica
3. Kelly

Oct. 9

1. Marianna
2. Jessie
3. Vanessa

Oct. 14

1. Monica
2. Mica
3. Alexa

Oct. 16

1. Lily
2. Chiara
3. Angelica
4. Jennifer

Sept. 23, 2014

We did our original compositions today.

Most of you turned in your character sketches.

STAR assessment next class

Sept. 19

AR and character sketch work ("I've Got Gloria").

peer marking of group character sketches

Original comp next class: "Each stage of life brings new challenges."

Sept. 17, 2014

• AR
• finishing group character sketches
• Book Talks handout - pick a book by next class
• "I've Got Gloria" - Read and be ready for a character sketch for next class.

Interested in improving your sentence structure? Go here: Grammar Bytes. Find Power Points, handouts, interactive exercises, and more!

For next class:

• have "I've Got Gloria" read so you are ready for a character sketch
• have your book talk book selected

Sept. 15, 2014

• AR
• working on character sketches of June in "Two Kinds"

Homework:

Read for twenty minutes each day.

Sept. 11, 2014

• AR
• how to write a character sketch/literary paragraph
• "Two Kinds" - Is June (Jing-Mei) static or dynamic? What are three characteristics of June? Highlight the evidence in the story that supports your choice of adjectives.
• Start writing a character sketch (group work).

Homework:

• Read for twenty minutes each day.

September 9, 2014

We went over common issues in Original Comp writing:

• structural (sentence fragments and run-ons, especially comma splices)
• mechanical (spelling, capitalization, punctuation)
• tense changes
• using 2nd person (you)
• writing out of one's realm of experience

We then read a short story by Amy Tan: "Two Kinds," trying to determine whether the protagonist, June (Jing-Mei), is static/dynamic and coming up with three adjectives to describe her character.

We were interrupted somewhat today for photos.

Need the story?  Find it here: Two Kinds PDF text

Next class, be prepared to work on a character sketch of June (group work),