Poetry and WITS

Week #6 September 30-October 4, 2013

Literature: Poetry
Writing focus: diction, connotation, denotation, similes, hyperbole
Vocabulary: Academic - Last 10 of poetry terms list, due: Thursday
                      CP: SAT List 6, Poetry Terms, due: Wednesday
Grammar mastery: participles, vocabulary, literature
Project: "The Pedestrian" map and lyrics - due on Edmodo: TBA
                Academics - map
                CP - map and lyrics

Last week, we finished reading "There Will Come Soft Rains" and "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury.  We also finished viewing and discussing the Ray Bradbury biographical video.  we were able to review the first fifteen poetry terms and looked at some examples.  All these assignments were accomplished in both academic and CP classes, but the CP students did not get to reading "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson; they will read it this week.

This week, we will concentrate on poetry and discuss how writing poetry can be a jumping board towards writing effectively using sound diction. We will have WITS lessons on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Science fiction unit test - Sept. 30
Poetry terms quiz - Oct. 4
CP vocabulary quiz - Oct. 1

"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury, and other stories

Week #5 September 23-27, 2013

Literature: "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (academic and CP)
                    "The Possibility of Evil" and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson (CP only)
Vocabulary: Academic: poetry terms, due: Thursday
                      CP: SAT List 5, due: Wednesday
Grammar mastery: Sentences with vocabulary, literary concept, and grammar concepts, due: Daily
Writing: connotation, denotation, diction
Project: CP - quilt cultural representation, due: Tuesday, Sept. 24

Last week, we finished reading and discussing " A Sound of Thunder (ASOT)," a short story by Ray Bradbury.  We also started and finished reading "There Will Come Soft Rains (TWCSR)," also by the same author (except in one class).  In CP, we also finished reading and discussing "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. You took the summer reading unit test last Monday, Sept. 16 and took a vocabulary quiz in CP on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

This week, we are going to finish discussion on TWCSR and watch a film about Ray Bradbury in both levels.  We will also work on writing using a poem as a model. The CP students will have two additional readings: "The Possibility of Evil" and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. 

Quizzes: Academic - short story quiz, Friday, Sept. 27
               CP - vocabulary quiz, Monday, Sept. 23

"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury,"Everyday Use" by Alice Wakler, and other stories

Week 3 Sept. 9-12, 2013

For week 3, we finished the Beginning of Year test (BOY), had the yearbook photos taken, and took a quiz in both levels (Thursday). 

I collected vocabulary notebooks on Thursday and the "Harrison Bergeron" study guide at all levels.  I also collected the expository outline Monday, 9/9/13.

College prep students received the week 3 vocabulary list and sentence assignments from me on Monday, 9/9/13.  Please prepare for sentence homework collection during week 4.

Academic and College Prep students should prepare for the summer reading tests: You Don't Know Me by David Klass (academic), and East of Eden by John Steinbeck (CP). 


Week 4 Sept. 16-20, 2013

For week 4, the week will begin with the administration of the summer reading tests on Monday. 

I will collect the sentence assignments from the CO students on Monday, 9/16/13.

Academic students will receive a poetry terms list this week.

In both levels, we will finish reading " A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury.  We will annotate and respond to guide questions.

CP students will receive an assignment for "Everyday Use" by Alice walker, and will read two additional short stories at home.  I will announce the titles in class.  

By Friday, students will receive their Edmodo codes and will be expected to sign up for Edmodo and enroll in their respective groups/classes. 

"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut/ Expository V.S. Persuasive

Week 2 Sept. 3-6, 2013

Literature: "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
Reading and writing: Expository articles V.S. Persuasive articles/outline

• CP: sentences with participles and participial phrases

Vocabulary:

• Academic: Literary terms (Due: Thursdays)
• CP: SAT list 2 (Due: Wednesdays)

This week, the CP students took a vocabulary quiz for SAT list 1 on Tuesday, Sept.3, while the academic students took a literary quiz on Friday, Sept. 6. 

The CP students finished reading HB last Friday, Aug. 29, so this week the students worked on the study guide, wrote sentences with participial phrases.  The academic students finished reading HB on Tuesday and worked on the study guide that day as well. Some took the guide home as homework.

On Wednesday and Thursday, both the academic and CP students read expository and persuasive articles and compared and contrasted the two genres of writing. After reading, the students then wrote an outline for an introduction to an expository essay.  The teacher facilitated the class in coming up with their own sample intro outline as a class.  All students will write their own outline; unfinished outline were taken home for homework. 

On Friday, the CP students discussed participles and discussed a participles activity they took home for homework the previous day. 

On Monday, Sept. 9, all students will take the Beginning of Year Assessment (BOY).