Tuesday 15 December 2015

English 8

Today was the last day to work on your PowerPoint presentations for Independent Novel Studies. Presentations are on Thursday!

Reminders:
  • Presentations for Independent Novel Studies: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015

English 9

Today we finished watching Big Fish; we will complete activities for this tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • Story Presentations: tomorrow, Dec. 16, 2015

English 10

Today we looked over our grammar worksheets on homophones and spelling because you will have an open-book grammar quiz tomorrow. We also watched a plot synopsis of The Scarlet Letter, since it is referenced in Speak. We also read up to page 137 and completed questions.

Reminders:
  • Speak questions (116-137): tomorrow, Dec. 16, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz: tomorrow, Dec. 16, 2015

Monday 14 December 2015

English 8

Last week, students worked on presentations for their Independent Novel Studies; the last class allotted for this will be tomorrow. Today, we worked on subjects and predicates, poetic terms (notes), and sudents wrote an acrostic poem. If you didn't finish it in class, it is due tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • Acrostic poem: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015
  • Independent Novel Study Presentations: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015

English 9

I'm sorry I was away last week; here is an update for English 9.

We've been working on commonly confused words in grammar; we have also been working on an oral story mini-unit. Students spent last week and today finishing up their project on First Nation oral stories. Students submitted their Powerpoints to my dropbox already. If you want to add on to your project, you can submit a second version to me before Thursday.

Reminders:
  • First Nation Story Project: Thursday, Dec. 16, 2015

English 10

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the blog as often as normal; here is an update as to where we are in English 10.

We've been working on suffixes/prefixes and spelling in grammar. We've read up to page 116 in Speak and have been working on questions as we go. We also tried our first practice Provincial Exam last week (just the reading comprehension part), and went over the answers as a class. Last week, I also assigned a free verse poem, that needs to be a minimum of 20 lines. This is due Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015.

Reminders:
  • Speak questions (p. 96-116):due tomorrow
  • Poem: due tomorrow

Tuesday 8 December 2015

English 10

Today we worked on homophones and reviewed the introduction to Speak. We then read up to page 46 and completed study questions.

Reminders:
  • Speak Study questions (p.24-46): due next class

English 8

Students were given time to continue working on their literary paragraphs. We then did a cut&paste activity with the vocabulary from The Giver. Don't forget to review your chapter questions for the test tomorrow!

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Tomorrow, Dec. 9, 2015
  • The Giver literary paragraphs: Friday, Dec. 11, 2015

English 9

Today we talked about characteristics of First Nation myths and legends, and watched a couple video examples of 'Creation' myths. Then students started working on an assignment in which they have to analyze a First Nation Myth and present it to the class.

Reminders:
  • Create your own myth: OVERDUE
  • "AMSND" Caption booklets: due Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015

Monday 7 December 2015

English 10

Today we worked on suffixes and prefixes, and started our new novel unit. Students filled out pre-reading questions for the novel Speak, we read up to page 24, and completed study questions.

Reminders:
  • Speak Study Questions (p.2-24): due tomorrow

English 9

Today we started a mini-unit on myths and folklore. Students took notes on the main characteristics of myths and we read the Greek myth "The Flood"; students answered corresponding questions for this. At the end of class, students were assigned to write their own short myth, explaining a phenomenon of their choosing.

Reminders:
  • Create your own Myth (one paragraph minimum): due Tuesday, December 8, 2015

English 8

Silent Reading and grammar.
Today we started writing a literary paragraph for The Giver. We brainstormed ideas on the board and students filled out a plan before getting started on their rough copies. We will continue this tomorrow. We also went over a Crossword we started last class.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015

Thursday 3 December 2015

English 10

We started off class with some notes on Shakespearean tragedy. If you were not here, please get the notes off someone - it will appear on Friday's test. Students also wrote a quiz on Acts 4-5 of "Romeo an Juliet", and we watched the Baz Lurhman version of the play as a final review.

Reminders:
  • "Romeo and Juliet" projects due today
  • "Romeo and Juliet" Test: Friday, Deceber 4, 2015

English 9

Today we spent the first half of the period working on caption booklets in the library (I'll give one more class to work on this), and students wrote a final test on "A Midsummer Night's Dream" during the second half of class.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

English 8

Today we finished reading and discussing the Novel The Giver, and then proceeded to watch the movie. We will continue it next class. Don't forget that The Giver projects are due Friday!You can use the library at lunch or during homework club.

Reminders:
  • The Giver projects: due Friday, Dec. 4, 2015

Tuesday 1 December 2015

English 9

We spent the entire block in the library working on Caption Booklets for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". We will continue this next class.

Reminders:
  • "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Test: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2015

English 8

Today students silent read Chapter 20 in The Giver and we spent the rest of the block in the library working on our projects for The Giver. 

Reminders:
  • Projects for The Giver: Friday, Dec. 5, 2015
  • Finish Chapter 20 if you didn't in class

English 10

Today we finished watching the movie "Romeo and Juliet" and did some Provincial Exam Practice. I handed students back their compositions they did a few weeks ago, and we looked at ways to improve our writing (description, vocabulary, considering our audience, etc). I then allotted time for the rest of class to write a composition with the topic: "The toughest struggle in life is with ourselves".

Reminders:
  • Acts 4/5 Quiz: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2015
  • "Romeo and Juliet" project: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2015
  • "Romeo and Juliet" Test: Friday, Dec. 5, 2015

Monday 30 November 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar.
Students worked on questions and vocabulary for Chapters 15-17 in The Giver, and we proceeded to read Chapters 18-19.

Reminders:
  • Questions and Vocabulary booklet (chapters 15-17): due tomorrow, Dec. 1, 2015

English 9

Silent Reading and grammar.
Today we worked on questions for Act 5 of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and finished watching the movie. Students also started working on a practice test, and we went over things to know for the test.

Reminders:
  • Practice test: due tomorrow!
  • "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Test": Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015

English 10

Today we worked on questions for the final scene of "Romeo and Juliet" and went to the library to finish the "Romeo and Juliet" projects.

Reminders:
  • "R&J" Acts 4-5 Quiz: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
  • "R&J" Project: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
  • "R&J" Final Test: Friday, Dec. 4, 2015

Friday 27 November 2015

English 10

Today we read the final scene of "Romeo and Juliet" ; it is very important to read this scene if you were not here!!!

Reminders:
  • Questions (Act 4, scene 5-Act 5, scene 2): Monday, November 30, 2015 - students finished these in class

English 8

Today we finished the movie "Pleasantville" and students made a Venn diagram comparing the Utopia in "Peasantville" to the Utopia in The Giver. Students then silent read Chapter 17 in The Giver.

Reminders:
  • Read Chapter 17 of The Giver if you did not finish it in class.

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
Today we looked at the story of "Pyramus and Thisbe" and watched a claymation video adaptation. We then finished reading  the final scene in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Reminders:
  • "AMSND" Test: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015

Wednesday 25 November 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
Today we finished reading Act IV, worked on questions and watched the scenes in the movie. Students then took notes on Shakespearean Comedies. If you were not here for this, please get the notes off another student, as it will be a question on the upcoming test next week.

For the second half of class, we started a caption booklet project and worked in the library.

Reminders:
  • Act IV questions (scenes i-ii): Friday, Nov. 27, 2015
  • "A Midsummer Night's Dream" test: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015

English 10

Today we had a quiz on "Romeo and Juliet" (Acts II&III), finished Act IV, and read the first scene of Act V. I then gave more time to work on the 'Character Snapshot' assignment.

During the second half of class, we started a final project for "Romeo and Juliet" and spent the period in the lab working on this.

Reminders:
  • 'Character Snapshot' Assignment: Friday, November 27, 2015

Tuesday 24 November 2015

English 10

Today we read Act IV, scenes i-iv  of "Romeo and Juliet", worked on questions and watched the movie; we read up to the point where Juliet drinks the poison... suspense! We also started working on a 'Character Sbnapshot' assignment, which we'll continue tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • Act IV, scene i-iv questions: tomorrow, Nov. 25, 2015
  • Quiz (Acts II-III): tomorrow, Nov. 25, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.

Today we finished Act III, scene ii of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and started Act IV, scene i. We're almost at the end!!!

Reminders:
  • Act III, scene ii questions: tomorrow, Nov. 25, 2015

English 8

Today we had a quiz on The Giver, worked on questions and read Chapters 15 and 16.

Reminders:
  • Character Webs: OVERDUE!
  • The Giver questions (Chapters 13-14): Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015

Monday 23 November 2015

English 10

Today we finished a worksheet on homonyms and also finished Act III in "Romeo and Juliet". You will have a quiz on Wednesday (Nov. 25) on Acts II and III, so make sure to look over your questions/worksheets!

Reminders:

  • Act III, scene vi questions: due tomorrow, Nov. 24, 2015
  • Quiz - Acts II and III: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar.
We worked on character webs for 4 characters from The Giver. Students had to find 4 character traits for each character and explain them; at least one quote is needed for each character. We also read Chapter 14 in the novel.

Reminders:

  • Character Webs: due tomorrow, Nov. 24, 2015
  • The Giver quiz: Tomorrow, Nov. 24, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
Today we started reading Act III, scene ii of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Since it was a long scene, we didn't finished it and watched one of the scene on the movie.

Reminders:

  • Character webs due today!

Friday 20 November 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
Today we read Act III, scene (i) in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", worked on questions, and finished working on the Character Web.

Reminders:
  • Character Web: Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar.
 Today we worked on questions for Chapters 11-12 in The Giver, worked on a drawing for the Annex Room and read Chapter 13.

Reminders:
  • Questions and Annex room drawing: due Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

English 10

Today we read Act III, scenes iii - iv in "Romeo and Juliet" and worked on questions. I'm sorry about the technological problems during the movie!

Reminders:
  • Act III, scenes ii-iv questions: due Monday, Nov. 23, 2015

Wednesday 18 November 2015

English 10

Today we worked on questions for Act III, scene i and read scene ii. We also watched a zombie movie version of "Romeo and Juliet" called "Warm Bodies", and completed a comparison worksheet/paragraph.

Reminders:
  • "Warm Bodies" worksheet: due Friday, Nov. 19, 2015

English 9

This morning, we had HACE 9 for the first half of the period. During the second period, we read Act II, Scene ii of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", worked on questions and started a Character Web.

Reminders:
  • AMSND questions (Act II, scene ii): due Friday, Nov. 21, 2015

Tuesday 17 November 2015

English 8

Today we had an open-book grammar quiz and read Chapters 9-10 in The Giver.

Reminders:
  • The Giver questions (Chpt 7-8): Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015

English 9

Today we had an open-book grammar quiz, finished Act II, scene i of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", worked on questions, and watched the scene on the movie version of the play.

Reminders:
  • "A Midsummer Night's Dream" questions (Act2, scene1): due Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015

English 10

Today we finished Act Two reading "Romeo and Juliet" and watching the movie. We then read one of the most tragic scenes in the play - Act Three, Scene One.

Reminders:
  • "R&J" questions (Act II, scenes iii-vi): due tomorrow, November 18, 2015

Monday 16 November 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
I went through a summary of Act One, Scene i of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" since many students were away on Friday. We then finished Act I,  and started Act II; we also worked on questions and watched the rest of Act I of the movie.

Reminders:
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015

English 8

Silent reading
We finished a worksheet on commas that was started on Friday - don't forget to bring your notes tomorrow for the grammar quiz! We also worked on questions for Chapters 5-6 of The Giver, and read Chapters 7 and 8.

Reminders:
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015
  • Independent Novel Study Title pages: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015
  • The Giver - Chpt 5-6 questions: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015

English 10

We started off class with a quiz on Act One of "Romeo and Juliet", and then proceeded to read Act II, scenes iii-iv. To finish we watched, the first half of Act II of the movie.

Reminders:
  • No homework!

Friday 13 November 2015

English 10

"Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Today we read Act 2, the prologue, scene i and scene ii of "Romeo and Juliet" (the famous balcony scene). We also worked on questions and finished working on the 'black-out' poetry assignment.

Reminders:
  • "R&J" quiz (Act 1): Monday, Nov. 16, 2015
  • Black-out Poetry Assignment: Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

English 9

Thank you so much to my readers today!!!

Today we read Act I, Scene ii of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", worked on corresponding questions, and watched the first scene of the movie version of the play.

Reminders:
  • Act I, Scene i questions: due Monday, Nov.16, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015

English 8

Today we worked on our title pages for the Independent Novel study and read Chapter 6 in The Giver. Thank you for working so well!

Reminders:
  • Independent Novel Study Title Page: due Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz (punctuation): Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015

Thursday 12 November 2015

English 9

Students wrote a test on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for the first period of class.

After that, we went to the library to get copies of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; we then read a comic strip about Shakespeare's life and completed a corresponding worksheet. We also watched the first 20 minutes of "Shakespeare in Love" to understand the 'Elizabethan' times.

Reminders:
  • TERM END: TODAY!

English 10

Today we worked on semi-colons and colons. We then finished reading Act One in "Romeo and Juliet" and worked on questions. After that, we watched an animation of 'Queen Mab' (from Mercutio's speech) and the first act of the movie version of the play. For the last bit of class, students worked on a black-out poetry assignment.

Reminders:
  • Act One (scenes two-five) questions: due tomorrow, Nov. 13, 2015

Tuesday 10 November 2015

English 8

Today we read Chapters 4 and 5 in The Giver, and worked on questions and vocabulary. We also went to the library to take some career quizzes; the purpose of this was to see the potential job assignments of students if they were a character in The Giver. At the end of class, we worked on the Independent Novel Study book cover.

Reminders:
  • End of Term: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015

Monday 9 November 2015

English 10

Students wrote an in-class synthesis essay during Friday's class.

Today we looked at a sample from the Shakespearean Star Wars play, and evaluated its authenticity. We then read Act One, Scenes One and Two of "Romeo and Juliet" and worked on questions.

Reminders:
  • "R&J" Scene One questions: due next class
  • Nov. 12, 2015: LAST DAY to hand in assignments for Term 1

English 9

On Friday's class, we started a test review for the Boy in the Striped Pajamas and worked on literary paragraphs. The paragraphs were due today.

Today we finished the test review and read a BBC article about the Rwandan genocide in the 1990's. Students then had to write a journal response, using the article to comment on the last line of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas: "Of course this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day in age."

Reminders:
  • BSP projects: OVERDUE
  • Literary paragraphs: due today!
  • BSP Test: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015
  • Nov. 12, 2015: LAST DAY to hand in assignments from Term 1

English 8

On Friday's class, we started the novel The Giver. So far, we've read up to Chapter  4 and worked on questions for Chapter 1.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Chapter 1 questions: due tomorrow, Nov. 10, 2015

Thursday 5 November 2015

English 10

We started an introduction to Shakespeare in the first portion of the class - students took notes, we watched a clip from Shakespeare in Love, and we went to the library to get copies of "Romeo and Juliet". I then gave students half an hour to study/work in their essay plans.

During the second part of the class, students wrote a Sightlines 10 Test.

Reminders:
  • Sightlines Projects due today!
  • In-class synthesis essay: Tomorrow, Nov. 6, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
Today we started a literary paragraph for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Students were given a list of topics; as a class, we brainstormed ideas and examples to use for the paragraph. We then drafted the topic sentences for each of the choices so that students could start their plans for the paragraph. Students worked incredibly well on this! We will continue working on it tomorrow.

We also did a comparison chart, contrasting the movie and film versions of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. For the second half of class, we worked in the lab on the BSP final projects. This was the LAST class given to work on it, and they will be due tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • BSP Project: Friday, Nov. 6, 2015
  • BSP Test: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015

Wednesday 4 November 2015

English 9

On Tuesday's class, we finished the Boy in the Striped Pajamas movie and worked on the last set of chapter questions, which were assigned for homework.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 18-20 questions: due Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

English 10

On Tuesday's class, we looked at the literary synthesis essay format. Students were given a package of information for essay writing and started making a plan for the Short Story essay.

Reminders:
  • Sightlines Test: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
  • Sightlines project: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
  • In-class synthesis essay: Friday, Nov. 6, 2015

English 8

Today we worked on the Outsiders Newsletter project and had a final test on the novel. Thanks to those who already finished!

Reminders:
  • Outsiders Newsletters: due Friday, Nov. 6, 2015
  • Word Search/Crossword: Friday, Nov. 6, 2015

Monday 2 November 2015

English 8

We started off class with a quiz on the final Chapters of The Outsiders. Students then worked on a crossword puzzle. There will be a vocabulary section on the final test, so review the list of vocabulary words on the back of the worksheet.

We then watched the last 15 minutes of The  Outsiders movie, and started to complete a review booklet.

Reminders:
  • 1st page of The Outsiders review booklet: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015
  • Outsiders Test: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015

English 9

Silent Reading and grammar.
Students were assigned to read the end of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas over the weekend. We discussed the end of the novel, and worked on questions for Chapters 15-17. We then started watching the movie.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 15-17 questions: due tomorrow, Nov. 3, 2015

English 10

Today we finished watching the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" and students completed the characterization worksheet. I did not receive all of them, so please hand them in!

We then spent one last period in the library working on the Sightlines 10 final projects. The project is due Thursday. I also gave students a handout for terms and texts that will be on their upcoming test this Thursday.

Reminders:
  • Sightlines Test: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
  • Sightlines Project: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

Friday 30 October 2015

English 10

For the many students that were away, we spent the period in the library working on the Sightlines final project.

Have a happy Halloween!

Reminders:
  • Sightlines project: due Thursday, Nov. 4, 2015

English 9

In the spirit of Halloween, we watched a Simpsons parody; we then read Chapter 18 in BSP and spent the rest of the period in the lab working on the BSP final project.

Reminders:
  • Finish reading the end of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for Monday

English 8

Have a great Halloween! For those of you who weren't here, we spent the entire period watching The Outsiders movie.

Reminders:
  • Outsiders Quiz (Chapters 9-12): Monday, Nov. 2, 2015
  • Outsiders Test: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015

Thursday 29 October 2015

English 8

Hurrah! We finished The Outsiders!

Today we read the last two chapters of The Outsiders and worked on the last set of chapter questions. We also started watching the first 15 minutes of the movie, which we will continue tomorrow.

Students worked on their 'Newsletter' assignments during the second half of the class.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 10-12 questions: Friday, Oct. 30, 2015
  • Outsiders Quiz (Chapters 9-12): Monday, Nov. 2, 2015
  • Outsiders Test: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015

Wednesday 28 October 2015

English 9

During the first half of class, we worked in the library on a final assignment for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 

During the second half of class, we read up to Chapter 18 in the novel and worked on the "Life at Out-With" assignment.

Reminders:
  • "Life at Out-With" drawings: Friday, Oct. 30, 2015

English 10

During the first half of today's block, we watched the movie "Little Miss Sunshine"; students are completing a character analysis chart as we go through the movie. The movie ties in well with out 'Nonconformist' theme.

During the second half of class, we worked in the library on the Sightlines final project.

Reminders:
  • Marks have been updates; please check in for missing assignments!
  • We will have more library time on Friday; please bring any necessary materials for your project

Tuesday 27 October 2015

English 10

We started off with a worksheet on punctuation. We then read, discussed, and worked on questions for the poems "Warren Pryor" and "Nonconformist".  Both poems share a similar theme of being influenced by others in society. To reflect on that theme, students wrote their first 'practice' original composition for the Provincial Exam. The topic  was: "People are influenced by a variety of sources".

Reminders:
  • Bring any materials you made need for the Sightlines Final Project for tomorrow's class!

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
We read and discussed Chapter 14 in BSP, worked on questions, and started a creative assignment. For the creative assignment, students needed to draw both Bruno and Schmuel's perspective of "Life at Out-With". We will continue this next class.

Reminders:
  • BSP Chapter 13/14 questions: due tomorrow, Oct. 28, 2015

English 8

We started off the day with a quiz on The Outsiders. We then proceeded to finish Chapter 10, and work on rough copies for the 'advice column' component of the newsletter assignment.


Reminders:
  • The Outsiders 'Advice Column' rough copy: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015

Monday 26 October 2015

English 10

We started off today with a worksheet on apostrophes, and went over it as a class. We then finished the last five minutes of the movie "My Left Foot" and went over the worksheet together. After that, we discussed conventions for "How To" instructions and watched the satire "How To Start a Movement" on Ted Talks. We then read "How To Act If You Do Not Want To Be Called On" (p. 46 in Sightlines 10). Students then worked on a corresponding worksheet.

To finish off class, I went over the structure of the English 10 Provincial Exam; we then went over the writing rubric for the original composition, and looked at five actual examples. Students then graded the pieces of writing and we went over the 'real' marks that were given. The purpose is to understand the expectations for the written portion of the exam.

Reminders:
  • "How To" worksheet: due Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar (punctuation).

We started off with a group activity in which students completed a chart comparing the father son relationships in "Life is Beautiful" and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We then discussed Chapters 11 and 12 in teh novel, and worked on questions. We also started reading Chapter 13.

Reminders:
  • Finish Chapter 13: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015
  • Chapters 11/12 questions: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (punctuation)

Today we read through Chapter 9 and started Chapter 10 in The Outsiders; we also completed corresponding questions and vocabulary.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 7-9 questions and vocabulary: due Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015
  • The Outsiders quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

Thursday 22 October 2015

English 8

Today we started a Newspaper project for The Outsiders and students typed up their "Trial by Fire" articles. We then read Chapters 7 and started Chapter 8, which is to be finished for homework. Students also worked on a crossword puzzle and completed chapter questions.

Reminders:
  • Read Chapter 8 for next class
  • Chapter 7/8 questions due : Monday, Oct 26, 2015
  • The Outsiders Quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

English 10

I was away mentoring yesterday, but I hope all went well!

Students wrote a grammar quiz, read an excerpt from Christy Brown's memoire "My Left Foot" in Sightlines (and completed a corresponding worksheet),  and watched the movie version of the story.

Reminders:
  • "My Left Foot" worksheet: due Monday, Oct. 26, 2015
  • "This is a Test" title page: due Monday, Oct. 26, 2015

English 9

Yesterday students wrote a quiz on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and watched the movie "Life is Beautiful". We will do a comparison between the movie and BSP next week.

Reminders:
  • Read Chapter 12 in BSP

Tuesday 20 October 2015

English 8

Today we had an open-book grammar quiz,  worked on a news article (based the events in Chapter 6 of The Outsiders), and started Chapter 7.

Reminders:
  • Greasers and Soc collage: due today!
  • News article - rough copy: due Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015

English 9

Today we had an open-book grammar quiz and read Chapter 10 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We also discussed the swastika/star of David origins, talked about the history of Eva Braun, and watched "10 Facts about WW2". Students were assigned questions, and independent reading for Chapter 11.

Reminders:
  • Bruno's letter to grandmother due!
  • Read Chapter 11 for next class
  • Chapter 9/10- questions: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2105

English 10

Today we finished "This is a Test", worked on questions and a title page assignment.Thank you to those students who finished them!

Reminders:
  • Grammar quiz: tomorrow, Oct. 21, 2015
  • "This is a Test" title page: Monday, Oct. 26, 2015

Monday 19 October 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar.
We spent the majority of class working on a writing assignment for Chapter 8. The assignment is to write a letter from Bruno to his grandmother explaining his experiences at Out-With. Thanks for working so well! We finished off class by reading Chapter 9.

Reminders:
  • Bruno's Letter: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz (capitals and apostrophes): Oct. 20, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar.

Today we discussed the significance of Chapter 5 in The Outsiders and some of the symbolism. We analyzed the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost, and watched a scene from the movie "Gone With The Wind" to understand Johnny's concept of the 'heroic southern gentleman'. We also completed corresponding questions and started Chapter 6.

Reminders:
  • Greaser/Soc collage: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
  • Chapter 5 questions: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
  • Finish reading Chapter 6: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz (capitals and apostrophes): Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015

English 10

Today we watched the 'Dancers of Damalahamid' at the Performing Arts Theatre.

Reminders:
  • Character paragraphs due today!!!
  • Open-book Grammar Quiz: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015

Friday 16 October 2015

English 10

Many were absent today, so we didn't get through a lot of content, but for those who weren't here, this is what you missed:

I gave students more time to work on the character paragraphs that we started last class. This will be due Monday. We also watched a TED TALKS by Cameron Russel, as it relates to a few of the texts we just read about body image and media. We also started reading the play "This is a Test" in Sightlines 10 (we read p. 8-15 only and will continue it next class).

Reminders:
  • Character paragraphs: Monday, Oct.19, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar (apostrophes)
Today we worked on questions for Chapter 6 and 7 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, we watched a Disney Anti-Nazi Propaganda clip, and read Chapter 8.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 6/7 questions: due Monday, Oct. 19, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz (apostrophes/capitals): Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (apostrophes)
We spent a good chunk of time getting photos taken today. We also went over Chapter questions and started reading Chapter 5 in The Outsiders. 

Reminders:
  • Greasers vs Socs Collage: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
  • Open-Book Grammar Quiz (capitals/apostrophes): Tuesday. Oct. 20, 2015

Thursday 15 October 2015

English 9

Thanks again for helping setting up chairs this afternoon!

Today students took notes on apostrophes, and completed Chapter 4/5 questions for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I also showed personal pictures of Eastern Europe and Auschwitz to help students understand some of the imagery and the description of the context in the novel. We then watched a short clip from the movie "Anne Frank" to help understand some of the events during the Holocaust. We finished class by reading up to Chapter 8.

Reminders:
  • Literary paragraphs were due today!
  • Chapter 4/5 questions: due Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

English 10

Have a nice long afternoon!

Today we started a literary character paragraph based on one of the characters in our Sightlines 10 unit. I went through the process of planning a paragraph, and went through the proper paragraph structure. After that, we watched the ending to a version of the movie "Oedipus", which we read last class. To finish off class, we read "I'm not My Brother; I'm Me" and "My Body is My Own Business" in Sightlines 10, and worked on corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • "My Brother"/"My Body" questions: due tomorrow, Oct. 16, 2015
  • Literary character paragraph: Monday, Oct. 19, 2015

Wednesday 14 October 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (capitalization)
Today we went over the 'Greaser' character worksheet, read Chapter 4 in The Outsiders and continued with corresponding questions/vocabulary. For the second part of class, we worked on a collage with images that represent old and modern stereotypes of both Greasers and Socs. We will continue this next class.

Reminders:
  • The Outsiders Chapter 4 questions: due Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

Tuesday 13 October 2015

English 10

Today we finished a worksheet on run-on sentences and corrected it as a class. We also read the poem "Envy" in the Sightlines textbook and completed a Venn diagram comparing "The Face in the Pool" and the poem. Furthermore, we read a version of Sophocles's play "Oedipus"; we discussed the definition of the 'Tragic Hero', some main themes in the story and the Freudian theory of "The Oedipus Complex". Students completed corresponding questions for the story.

Reminders:
  • "Oedipus" questions: due Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (apostrophes)
Today we read Chapter 3 in The Outsiders and worked on corresponding questions. We also continued working on a 'Greaser' character worksheet, which we will go over together tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • Chapters 2 and 3 questions: due tomorrow, Oct. 14, 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar (capitalization)
Today we read Chapters 4 and 5 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and answered corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 4 questions: due Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015
  • Literary paragraphs: due Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015

Friday 9 October 2015

English 8

Have fun this weekend!

Today we worked on apostrophes, a character worksheet for 'The Greasers' and we started reading Chapter 2 in The Outsiders. 

Reminders:
  • Have your progress reports signed!

English 9

Have a great long weekend!

Since yesterday, students wrote a final test on short stories, worked on literary paragraphs,  and read Chapters 1-3 in The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. Students also worked on corresponding questions for the chapters.

Reminders:
  • Progress reports went out today! Make sure to hand in any missing assignments!
  • Literary paragraphs (plan, rough copy and good copy): due Thursday October 15, 2015

English 10

Have a great weekend!

Since yesterday, students wrote a final test on Animal Farm; we also read and discussed the story "The Bicycle". Furtheremore, we read and discussed the myth "The Face in the Pool" today. Along with this, we discussed the theme of narcissism and watched a short video called "ABC: The rise of Narcissism" (pertaining to the growth of social media). There were corresponding questions to complete for both these stories.

Reminders:
  • Progress reports went out today! Make sure to hand in any missing assignments.

Tuesday 6 October 2015

English 9

Silent reading and grammar editing.
Today I handed out an outline of things to study for the short story test on Thursday, and I went over the plot analysis for "The Bridge Builder". We also got copies of our next novel study The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. For the rest of class, we discussed some background information for the novel, including the causes of WW2, fascism, the rise of Hitler, anti-semitism, and the Holocaust. We finished the class with John Green's "Crash Course on WW2".

Reminders:
  • Short Story Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

English 8

Silent Reading
Open-book quiz on Parts of Speech
During the rest of class, students took some notes on Irony (for the test tomorrow); we also took out The Outsiders books from the library, and watched a Crash Course clip on the 60's to explain the context of the novel.

Reminders:
  • Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct.7, 2015
  • Character paragraph: Friday, Oct. 9, 2015

English 10

We started off class working on run-on sentences. We then read and discussed the story "Borders" by Thomas King. We also discussed the history of Aboriginal people in Canada to help us understand the political themes in the story. I showed some video clips explaining Residential Schools, and a clip of the NFB documentary "You are on Indian Land". Students then completed questions and a characterization worksheet. We will finish the booklet next class.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Monday 5 October 2015

English 8

Silent reading and grammar (parts of speech)
Today students had a bit more time to work on their character paragraphs; This will be due Wednesday. After that, we went through the short story review booklet that we started last week, and played a Jeopardy review game.

Reminders:
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2105
  • Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct.7, 2015
  • Character paragraph: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2105

English 9

Silent Reading and grammar (capital letters)
Today we had plot analysis quiz on "Armageddon". Students that were not here for the entire movie can stream it on their own timein the library, and finish completing the quiz at lunch or after school. After the quiz, students started drafting out a plan for a literary paragraph.

Reminders:
  • Short Story Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

English 10

Today we reviewed sentence structure and correcting run-on sentences. We also read the story "Lather Then Nothing Else" in Sightlines 10. We discussed the historical context of the story and students completed questions and a character worksheet. We also watched a current video about revolutionaries in Colombia, as it relates to the political history of the story.

Reminders:
  • "Lather Then Nothing Else" worksheet
  • Animal Farm Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Friday 2 October 2015

English 10

Today we finished the "Animal Farm" movie and completed an allegory chart; the chart will be useful for the upcoming test next week. We then read the story "Terrible Things" by Eve Bunting and discussed its symbolism to the Holocaust. I also showed personal pictures of Poland and Auschwitz to add to our discussions. Students handed in corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • Propaganda project: due today!
  • Animal Farm Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

English 8

Silent Reading and Grammar (Adjectives)
We finished working on the character paragraphs that we started yesterday, and we started a review booklet for the Short Story test.

Reminders:
  • Sightlines Collage: due today
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" analysis: due today
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2105
  • Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct.7, 2015

English 9

Have a great weekend!

We finished watching the movie "Armageddon" and discussed some of the main parts of plot - there will be a quiz on Monday.

Reminders:
  • Satire Projects: due today!
  • Short Story Test: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Thursday 1 October 2015

English 8

Good luck at the volleyball tournament tomorrow!

We started class with silent reading and a worksheet on Parts of Speech. We then went over "The Monkey's Paw" questions. After that, I introduced the format for literary paragraphs and students drafted out a plan for a character paragraph based on one of the stories we read in Sightlines. We will continue this tomorrow.

For the rest of class, we watched a the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox" as a finale to the short story unit. Students then started a plot analysis worksheet for this.

Reminders:
  • Short Story Collages: Friday, Oct. 2, 2015
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" plot analysis: Friday, Oct. 2, 2105
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015
  • Short Story Test: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015

Wednesday 30 September 2015

English 9

I'm sorry I wasn't here today; I hope you enjoyed the class!

Students read the story "The Bridge Builder" and completed a worksheet for the story. As an end to our Short Story Unit, students are required to complete a full plot analysis for the movie "Armageddon"; students started the movie today and will write a plot analysis quiz Friday.

Reminders:
  • Satire Project: Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

English 10

Today we spent the first half hour working on the propaganda projects in the library and started watching the "Animal Farm" movie. Students then participated int eh Terry Fox run.

Reminders:
  • Propaganda project: due Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

Tuesday 29 September 2015

English 10

Today we worked on grammar and went over the Animal Farm Commandments Chart; then we spent the rest of the period in the lab working on Propaganda projects.

Reminders:
  • Propaganda projects: Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

English 9

After silent reading, and completing some exercises on capitalization, we read and discussed the excerpts "What Happened During the Ice Storm" and "Think Like a Weightlifter, Think Like a Woman". If you didn't finish the questions during class, they are for homework.

Reminders:
  • "What Happened During the Ice Storm" and "Think Like a Weightlifter, Think Like a Woman" Questions: due Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015
  • Satire Project: due Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

English 8

Today we did some silent reading, completed a worksheet on conjunctions, and spent the rest of the period in the library working on the Short Story Collages.

Reminders:
  • Short Story Collages: due Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

Friday 25 September 2015

English 9

Have a great long weekend!

Students continued to work on their Short Story Satire project in the library today. This was our class class time to work on it.

Reminders:
  • Satire Project: Friday, Oct. 2, 2015

English 8

Have a great long weekend!

We started today with silent reading and a worksheet on interjections. I then did a lesson on foreshadowing; we watched a couple examples from movie clips, students took notes, and we evaluated a short fictional paragraph to pick out signs of foreshadowing. We then read "The Monkey's Paw" as a class. Thanks to my readers! Students then worked on corresponding questions and we watched a Simpsons adaptation of "The Monkey's Paw".

Reminders:
  • "Monkey's Paw" questions: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015

English 10

Have a great long weekend!!!

Today we had an open-book grammar quiz. I then showed a couple of examples of propaganda: some Mao Zedong propaganda items from China, a political campaign ad, and an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. We discussed the subliminal messages communicated to audience members. After that, we finished the final Chapter of Animal Farm and worked on questions.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm Chapter 9-10 questions and Commandments Chart: due Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015

Thursday 24 September 2015

English 8

We started off the day with silent reading, notes on interjections and a song on coordinating conjunctions. After that, we finished going through the Point of View worksheet. We then discussed some pre-reading questions for the story "The Hockey Sweater", and discussed the significance that sport teams have on our identity. I also gave students a little background on French/English language politics. We then read the story, went through the plot analysis and watched the corresponding N.F.B. film.

During the second half of class, we worked in the library on a final project collage for the Short Story Unit.

Reminders:
  • "The Hockey Sweater" worksheet: due Friday, September 25, 2015 

Wednesday 23 September 2015

English 10

We're almost done Animal Farm!!!

We started off the day with silent reading and chapter questions. Students then took notes on Russia's involvement in WW2, as it relates to event in Animal Farm. We also watched a "Crash Course" on the subject. We finished off the first block by reading Chapter 9.

During the second half of the class, students worked in the lab on an Animal Farm propaganda project. I will schedule more time for this project.

Reminders:
  • Open-book grammar quiz was pushed back: it's now on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015
  • Chapter 8 questions: Friday, Sept. 25, 2015

English 9

We started off the day in the library working on a satire writing assignment that parallels some of the stories we read in Sightlines 9. I'm excited to see how they turn out!

After the break, students had silent reading and then wrote an open-book grammar quiz on Parts of Speech. After that, we read the play "The Open Window", worked on corresponding questions and watched the short film adaptation of the play.

Reminders:
  • Finish questions for "The Open Window"

Tuesday 22 September 2015

English 8

We started the day with silent reading and notes on conjunctions. We then worked on questions for the story "Catch", which we read yesterday. After that, we practiced analyzing images. Students had to analyze one image from Sightlines, and another image of their choice from National Geographic. To finish class, we went over different types of point of view.

Reminders:
  • Letter to Ms. Jones: DUE TODAY!
  • "Catch" questions:  Thursday September 24, 2015
  • Image analysis worksheet: Thursday, September 24, 2015

English 9

We started off the day with silent reading and Parts of Speech practice (don't forget about the quiz tomorrow!). I then showed personal pictures of Third World countries to parallel the setting of the story "The Blue Bead", and to reinforce its theme of poverty. After that, we went over questions for the story. We then looked at two short excerpts - "Sacred Rac" and "Sentry" and discussed their social commentaries. Students worked on a corresponding worksheet.

Reminders:
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Wednesday, September 23, 2015
  • Questions for "Sacred Rac" and "Sentry": Wednesday, September 23, 2015

English 10

Today we worked on verbs using the active and passive voice. We also had a quiz on Animal Farm (Chapters 1-5). We proceeded to work on questions for Chapters 6 and 7 and started reading
Chapter 8.

Reminders
  • Chapter 6/7 questions: due Wednesday, September 23, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz: Wednesday, September 23, 2015


Monday 21 September 2015

English 9

We started off class today with silent reading and Parts of Speech practice. We then went over the plot analysis for the story "Interlopers". After that, we read the story "The Blue Bead" and worked on corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • "Blue Bead" questions: Tuesday, September 22, 2015

English 8

We started off class today with silent reading and a worksheet on Parts of Speech. After that, we finished discussing "The Tell-Tale Heart"; students took notes on 'unreliable narrators' and completed corresponding questions, which we went over together. After that, we read the story "Catch".

Reminders:
  • Letter to Ms. Jones (plan, rough copy and good copy): due Tuesday, September 22, 2015
  • "Tell-Tale Heart" questions: due Tuesday, September 22, 2015

English 10

Today, we started off with a worksheet on Subjects and Predicates. After that, I went through a Powerpoint explaining the history of the feud between Trotsky and Stalin, as it parallels Snowball and Napoleon in Animal Farm. We also watched a couple biography videos reinforcing our understanding of their role in the Russian Revolution. We ended class by reading Chapter 6 and starting Chapter 7.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm Quiz (Chapters 1-5): Tuesday, September 22, 2015
  • Finish Chapter 7 in Animal Farm: Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Friday 18 September 2015

English 10

Today we worked on verb tenses and finished going through a PowerPoint on story terms. After that, we read Chapters 4 and 5 in Animal Farm and worked on corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm questions (Chapter 4/5): due Monday, Sept. 21, 2015

English 9

Today we started off with silent reading and Parts of Speech practice. Students then filled out a plot analysis worksheet based on the Pixar short films we watched during yesterday's class. We went over the answers together. After that, we read, discussed, and worked on questions for the story "The Interlopers".

Reminders:
  • Questions for "The Interlopers": due Monday, Sept 21, 2015

English 8

We started off today with silent reading and students worked on their 'Thank You Ma'am' letters. After that, we had a mini-lesson on Edgar Allen Poe; I showed a Prezi outlining his life and works, and we watched a Simpsons parody of his poem "The Raven". We finished off class by reading his story "Tell-Tale Heart".

Reminders:
  • Thank You Ma'am Letters (plan, rough copy and good copy): due Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015

Thursday 17 September 2015

English 9

Great debate today!

We started off class with Parts of Speech practice and finished reading the story "Once Upon a Time". I then went over details of the Apartheid and Nelson Mandela, as it relates to the story. Students continued to work on questions and we went over them as a class. We also went to the library to pick Independent Novel Study books.

After the break, we read an article on the Oscar Pistorius trial. We discussed disadvantages of 'protecting' ourselves by keeping firearms in the house and how it could potentially harm us (this theme strongly relates to the story "Once Upon a Time"). To further this argument, we had an organized class-wide debate on the subject.

To finish off class, we watched four short animated films; we didn't get around to do their story analysis, so we will finish it next class.

Reminders:
  • "Once Upon a Time" questions: due tomorrow, Sept. 18, 2015

English 10

We started off the day with a worksheet on adjectives and adverbs. We then went over the events that started the Russian Revolution and discussed some of its parallels with Animal Farm. After that, we read Chapter 2 and 3 and worked on questions.

After the break, we discussed animal stereotypes; we read an article on Pig intelligence, and then students brainstormed various stereotypes for animals represented in media. Orwell chose certain animals to represent particular people, and we will learn more about this as we continue the story. We finished off class with more notes on 'story terms' and watched the "Ironic" video.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm Chapter 2-3 questions due: tomorrow, Sept. 18, 2015

Wednesday 16 September 2015

English 8

Great job getting through your first ever double block day!

We started off the day with a lesson on adverbs. Students then completed questions for the story "Thank You Ma'am" and started to write a 'Thank you' letter based on the events of the story. We will work more on this next class. We also went to the library to pick our novels for the 'Independent Novel Study' projects.

After the break, students did a bit of silent reading. After that, we watched 4 Pixar short films; students then had to get together in groups and write down the setting, theme and types of conflict for each film. We finished off class with some notes on characters and a round of Mad Libs.

Reminders:

  • 'Thank You Ma'am' questions: due Friday, Sept. 18, 2015

Tuesday 15 September 2015

English 10

Thanks for the great participation on reviewing story terms!

We started off the day with a worksheet on plural nouns. After that, we reviewed the chart we started yesterday on 'types of government' and read Chapter 1 of Animal Farm. Students then worked on questions and we finished of class with a game reviewing story terms.

Reminders:
  • Animal Farm Chapter 1 questions: due Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015

English 8

Thank you so much to my volunteer readers today!!!

We started off the day with notes on adjectives, then worked on questions and a character sketch for the story "The Street That Got Mislaid". After that, we listened to the story "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes and read an article about a teenager in juvenile detention. Students were then split into groups and had to fill out a chart on motivations and stereotypes of criminals.

Reminders:
  • "The Street That Got Mislaid" worksheet: due tomorrow!

English 9

We started off the day with more Parts of Speech practice and a FIRE DRILL (great job by the way)! We also finished discussing the story "Gore"; Students completed some questions and a character sketch for the story. We then started "Once Upon a Time" in Sightlines 9.

Reminders:
  • "Gore" questions and character sketch worksheet: due Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015

Monday 14 September 2015

English 10

Don't forget to finish the chart on 'Types of Government'!

Since Friday, we've completed some exercises on nouns. We also finished reading and discussing "Harrison Bergeron"; along with this, students completed a set of questions and wrote a paragraph pertaining to the story. We also watched the short film adaptation "2081". Today, we went over pre-reading notes for Animal Farm and discusses pertinent historical information about the novel. Students were also given a chart to fill out information on dictatorship, democracy, communism, and fascism. They spent most of the period in the library researching information for this. 

Reminders:
  • Letters: OVERDUE
  • "Harrison Bergeron" questions: due today
  • 'Types of Government' charts: due tomorrow, Sept.15, 2015

English 9

Welcome back to Week 2!

Since last week, students have completed Parts of Speech exercises, and have studied two short stories. Last week, we discussed "Lamb to the Slaughter" and completed a 'Plot Analysis' worksheet. We also read an article about the rules for housewives in the 1950's to better understand Mary Malony's character. Today, we finished a short film adaptation of the story and students wrote a paragraph explaining which version of the story they preferred and why (story version vs. film version). We then read the story "Gore" from Sightlines 9.

Reminders:

  • Letters/Personal Credos: OVERDUE
  • "Lamb to the Slaughter" questions: due today!
  • Paragraph on "Lamb to the Slaughter": due tomorrow, Sept. 15, 2015

English 8

Thanks for your patience with note-taking today!

During Friday's class and today's class, students took notes on pronouns and verbs. They also took notes on elements of short stories. We discussed and completed questions for "The Veldt", as well as watched the short video adaptation of the story. We finished class today be reading "The Street That Got Mislaid".

Reminders:

  • Thumbprint Profiles: due today!
  • Questions for "The Veldt": due today!

Thursday 10 September 2015

English 9

Don't get nightmares from Roald Dahl's gory story!!!

We started off class with some review notes on parts of speech. We then reviewed the parts of plot in stories. I also shared one of my newer ghost stories with the students. We then read Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter" in the Sightlines 9 textbook.

Reminders:

  • Signed Course Outlines!
  • Letters (rough copy and good copy): due tomorrow, Sept. 11, 2015

English 8

Thanks to those who finished their Thumbprint Profiles already!

We started off class with notes on 'nouns' and then continued working on the Thumbprint Profiles. After that, we went through the main parts of plot in short stories. I finished off class by telling a couple of ghost stories; we will go over their parts of plot tomorrow.

Reminders:

  • Signed Course Outlines!
  • Thumbprint Profiles: due Monday, Sept. 14, 2015

English 10

Thanks for your patience during our notes on story terms!

Students started off class today by working on their letters (which are due tomorrow). We then went through some basic narrative terms. Don't loose these notes; they will be useful for review at the end of the semester. We then started reading Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" as an introduction to Animal Farm. 

Reminders:

  • Letters (plan, rough copy, and good copy): due tomorrow, Sept 11, 2015

Wednesday 9 September 2015

English 8

Great work on your Thumbprint profiles!

We started off class today by reviewing the expectations for the classroom. After that, students worked on a Thumbprint Profile assignment and we went to the library to get Sightlines 8 textbooks. We then finished off class with the game "Two truths, One lie".

Reminders:

  • Sign your course outlines!
  • We will continue working on the Thumbprints tomorrow

English 9

Thanks for working hard on your introductory writing assignments today!

We started off class today with a few review notes on Parts of Speech. Students then worked hard on their first assignment; they have to choice to either write a letter or personal credo. We also went to the library to get textbooks, and played a couple rounds of Mad Libs.

Reminders:

  • Sign your course outlines!  
  • Letters/Credos will be due Friday, Sept. 11, 2015

English 10

Thanks for the great hashtag ideas (#greatgroupwork)!

To start off class today, we reviewed parts of speech by completing a Mad Libs worksheet. After that, we discussed themes and ways we can connect stories through themes. Our goal in this course is to build the capacity to link things thematically. I tried to relate central themes to hashtags and used a couple of examples. Students were then put into groups and had to find as many topics/stories/movies as possible to relate to the following themes: injustice, power, friendship, and heroism.

After that, students worked on their first assignment, a letter to me; we also went to the library to get our Sightlines 10 textbooks and copies of Animal Farm.

Reminders:

  • Letters will be due Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 ( I will give more class time tomorrow)

Tuesday 8 September 2015

English 8

Great job Grade 8's! You survived your first day of High School!

Remember to have your course outlines signed and returned. Also, bring a binder and writing utensils for next class :)


English 9

It was so nice to see you all again; its like you never left!

Remember to have your course outlines signed and returned.

English 10

It was great to meet all of you today! I'm excited to teach this course again!

Make sure to bring a binder and a writing utensil tomorrow :)


Tuesday 16 June 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Final Exam Tomorrow: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
8:45-11:00 a.m.

Monday 15 June 2015

English 11

English 11 Final Projects: due Wednesday, June 17, 2015
We will start presentations at 2:00 p.m.

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Final Exam Tomorrow: Tuesday, June 16, 2015
8:45-11:00 a.m.

Friday 12 June 2015

English 11

Marks are updated! Make sure to check for missing assignments!

We spent the period in the library working on the English 11 final Project.

Reminders:
  • English 11 Final Project: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Review, review, review - that's all we did today! Make sure your poetry brochures are handed in!

Reminders:
  • Final Exam Blocks 3/4: Tuesday, June 16, 2015
  • Final Exam Blocks 7/8: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Thursday 11 June 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

I was so impressed by your respectful behaviour during the presentations today - thank you so much!

We spent the majority of class doing presentations for the Independent Novel Study. Students were also given more time to work on their poetry brochures and their final exam review booklets.

 Reminders: 

  • Poetry brochures due Friday, June 12, 2015
  • Final Exam: Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Wednesday 10 June 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Fantastic presentations today you guys!

We spent the majority of class doing presentations for the Independent Novel Study. We also had the opportunity to see the amazing senior band rehearsal- wow!

Reminders: 
  • Poetry brochures due Friday, June 12, 2015
  • Final Exam: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

English 11

You wrote your last essay of the year today! (unless you have an upcoming Social Studies paper...)

For the first half of class, students spent time planning for their essays on The Crucible. During the second half of class, they wrote their in-class essay.

Reminders:
  • You will be given class time on Friday to work on your English 11 final projects; however, I was not able to get library time. Bring any materials you might need for the project. 
  • Final Projects: Wednesday, June17, 2015

Tuesday 9 June 2015

English 11

Over the past few days, we have looked at various elements of The Crucible. Yesterday, we looked at the McCarthy trials and the parallells with the Salem witch trials. We also watched some videos demonstrating the hysteria of the "Red Scare" and nuclear warfare in the 1950's.

Today, we started off with a quiz on Acts 3 and 4. After that, we looked at Aristotle's definition of a 'tragic hero' and discussed how John Proctor could relate to those characteristics. We also discussed the characters' symbolism in the play.  A the end of class, I gave a bit of time to prepare for the in-class essay.

Reminders:
  • The Crucible in-class essay: Wednesday, June 10, 2015
First period: Time for preparation
Second period: Essay writing

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

Over the past few days, we have been working on our poetry brochures and review for the exam. A review booklet was handed out with key terms, and students have been completing the booklet in groups.

Also, I posted updates marks and wrote down names of students who must attend homework club. Please hand in your missing assignments!

Reminders:
  • Book Presentations Blocks 7/8: TOMORROW, June 10, 2105
  • Book Presentations Blocks 3/4: THURSDAY, June 10, 2015
  • Poetry Brochures: Friday, June 12, 2015

Friday 5 June 2015

English 11

Today, I gave students a hand-out for the English 11 final project (students voted against having a final test). After that, we finished watching the movie "The Crucible". We also went over Act Three questions, and questions for Act Four were distributed. You can finish these for Tuesday, since I forgot to give a due date.

Reminders:
  • Grammar booklets due today
  • Questions for completion marks: I won't be accepting them after Monday, June 8, 2013
  • Act Four questions: Tuesday, June 9, 2015
  • The Crucible Quiz (Acts 3/4) : Tuesday, June 9, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

After Silent reading, we had an open-book quiz on Commonly Confused Words. We then looked at limericks and haikus, and students were given time to write their own.

Reminders:
  • Book Presentations - Blocks 3/4: Thursday, June 11, 2014
  • Book Presentations - Blocks 7/8: Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Thursday 4 June 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Silent Reading and Commonly Confused Words (lead/led; through/threw/thorough/though)

We read and discussed the poems "My Mother, Who Came From China, Where She Never Saw Snow" and "When I Was a Little Girl". There are corresponding questions for the poems, which are to complete for homework.

During the second half of the period, we went to the library and worked on PowerPoints for the Independent Novel Study. Today was the last class given for this; make sure you are ready to present next Wednesday!

Reminders:

  • "I Am" poems due today
  •  Questions for "My Mother, Who Came From China, Where She Never Saw Snow" and "When I Was a Little Girl": due Friday, June 5, 2015
  • Commonly Confused Words Open-Book Quiz: Friday, June 5, 2015
  • Independent Novel Study Presentations: Thursday, June 11, 2015

Wednesday 3 June 2015

English 11

To start off class, I allotted some time to work on the grammar booklets. We then finished reading The Crucible and started watching the movie version of the play.

Reminders:
  • Grammar Booklets: Friday, June 5, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Silent Reading and Commonly Confused Words (lead/led; through/threw/thorough/though)

We read and discussed the poems "My Mother, Who Came From China, Where She Never Saw Snow" and "When I Was a Little Girl". There are corresponding questions for the poems, which are to complete for homework.

During the second half of the period, we went to the library and worked on PowerPoints for the Independent Novel Study. Today was the last class given for this; make sure you are ready to present next Wednesday!

Reminders:
  • "I Am" poems due today
  •  Questions for "My Mother, Who Came From China, Where She Never Saw Snow" and "When I Was a Little Girl": due Friday, June 5, 2015
  • Commonly Confused Words Open-Book Quiz: Friday, June 5, 2015
  • Independent Novel Study Presentations: Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Tuesday 2 June 2015

English 11

We started off class with a quiz on Acts One and Two of The Crucible. We then went over Act Two questions, and went through a Powerpoint review of Act Three. Students had the rest of class to work on Act Three questions.

Reminders:
  • Movie posters due today!
  • Act Three questions: due tomorrow, June 3, 2015
  • Grammar booklets: due Friday, June 5, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

Silent Reading and Commonly Confused Words (council/counsel; lose/loose; passed/past)
We read, analyzed, and discussed the poem "I am an Earthling". Students then worked on corresponding questions; they were then given time to work on their own "I am" poem.

Criteria for "I am" Poem:
1) Pick anything (ex. unicorn/dinosaur/mountain) and write from the perspective of that thing.
2) 12 lines minimum
3) 3 words minimum per line
4) Free Verse (no pattern or rhyme needed; of course, if you want a pattern or rhyme, feel free to include that)

Reminders:
  • "The Earthling" questions: due next class
  • "I am" Poem: due next class

Monday 1 June 2015

English 11

Almost done The Crucible!

Today we went over Act One questions, read Act Three, and started to work on another set of grammar booklets. If you haven't handed in the first grammar booklet, hand it in ASAP!

Reminders:
  • Quiz on Acts One and Two of The Crucible: Tuesday, June 2, 2015
  • Movie posters: due Tuesday, June 2, 2015
  • 2nd Grammar booklet: due Friday, June 5, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

June is here!!!

We started off the day with silent reading, and looked at more Commonly Confused Words (conscience/conscious;two/too/to; then/than). After that, we discussed two poems: "My Guilt" and "It's Different Now", and answered corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • Poem questions due tomorrow, June 2, 2015
  • Blocks 3/4: Acrostic poems were due today!
  • Blocks 7/8: Acrostic poems are due tomorrow, June 2, 2015 (see the criteria on Friday's blog post)

Friday 29 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Only two weeks left of classes! Make sure to check the marks posted for any missing assignments!!!

As usual, we started off the day with silent reading and commonly confused words (allusion/illusion; cite/sight/site; all ready/already). After that, we analyzed the poem "The Child That Walks Backwards" by Lorna Crozier. Lastly, I showed an example of an 'Acrostic Poem',  and then students started working on their own poem.

Criteria for the Acrostic Poem:
1. Write a poem about a hobby
2. Eight lines minimum
3. Three words minimum per line

Reminders:
  • Conflict foldables and vocabulary activities due today!
  • Acrostic Poems: due Monday, June 2, 2015

English 11

Today we discussed the option of having a final test or a final project for the end of the semester. The class voted; as a result, we will be having a final project. I will put together a rubric for the project next week.

We also discussed Act Two and worked on questions. For the rest of class, we worked on the movie poster that was started yesterday.

Reminders:
  • Ac Two questions: due Monday, June 1, 2015
  • Acts One and Two Quiz: Tuesday, June 2, 2015
  • Movie poster: Tuesday, June 2, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Only two weeks left of classes! Make sure to check the marks posted for any missing assignments!!!

As usual, we started off the day with silent reading and commonly confused words (allusion/illusion; cite/sight/site; all ready/already). After that, we analyzed the poem "The Child That Walks Backwards" by Lorna Crozier. Lastly, I showed an example of an 'Acrostic Poem',  and then students started working on their own poem.

Criteria for the Acrostic Poem:
1. Write a poem about a hobby
2. Eight lines minimum
3. Three words minimum per line

Reminders:
  • Conflict foldables and vocabulary activities due today!

Thursday 28 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Today, we worked in the library on the Independent Novel Study Powerpoint projects, went over some more commonly confused words (accept/except; affect/effect; a lot/allot), and finished the conflict foldables. As an introduction to our poetry unit, we went over poetic devices, and played a game where students had to identify the devices in songs.
Reminders:
  • Vocabulary activities due!!!
  • Conflict foldables: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 11

Today, we read Act Two of The Crucible and started a movie poster group project. Because of technical difficulties, we couldn't go through my Act Two Powerpoint and questions, so we will do that next class.

Reminders:
  • The Crucible Act Two questions: Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Yesterday, we worked in the library on the Independent Novel Study Powerpoint projects, went over some more commonly confused words (accept/except; affect/effect; a lot/allot), and finished the conflict foldables. As an introduction to our poetry unit, we went over poetic devices, and played a game where students had to identify the devices in songs.

Reminders:
  • Vocabulary activity: due Friday, May 29, 2015
  • Conflict foldables: due Friday, May 29, 2015

Tuesday 26 May 2015

English 11

Today we went over Act One of The Crucible. We went over the setting, the basic synopsis, the characterization, and some of the themes. We also went over the characterization booklets before they were submitted, and students worked on comprehension questions.

Reminders:
  • Characterization booklets: due today!
  • The Crucible Act One questions: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started of the day with silent reading, then proceeded to look at commonly confused words (its/it's; there/their/they're; where/wear/we're/were). After that, I gave students time to finish a vocabulary cut&paste activity we started last week.

Reminders: 
  • Vocabulary activity: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started of the day with silent reading, then proceeded to look at commonly confused words (its/it's; there/their/they're; where/wear/we're/were). After that, I gave students time to finish a vocabulary cut&paste activity we started last week.

Reminders: 
  • Vocabulary activity: due Thursday, May 28, 2015

Monday 25 May 2015

English 11

I allotted some time for silent reading today to finish Act One of The Crucible. After that, students had time to finish completing the characterization booklet.

Reminders:
  • Finish Act One and the characterization booklet for tomorrow, May 26, 2015

English 8: 7/8 and 3/4

Three more weeks left of regular classes!

We spent the whole period today writing a final test on The Giver.

Reminders:
  • Literary paragraphs due: today!!!

Friday 22 May 2015

English 11

Have fun this weekend!

Today we started Act One of The Crucible. We discussed some of the background, and students also started working on a characterization worksheet booklet.

Reminders:
  • Grammar booklets: due today!
  • Macbeth project: due today!

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

Have a great weekend!

Today we worked on literary paragraphs for The Giver, and did a cut & paste activity with vocabulary.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015
  • The Giver paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

Thursday 21 May 2015

English 11

Two more sleeps until Prom!

The first half of today's class was spent writing a test on Macbeth.

During the second half of class, we went over the questions from the witch documentary that students watched a while ago; the documentary provides some background for our next unit, The Crucible. After that, I went through a Powerpoint and discussed some background information on Arthur Miller, Puritan beliefs, The McCarthy trials, and the Salem witch trials. We then watched 20 minutes of "In Search of History -  The Salem Witch Trials". After that, students had time to work on their grammar booklets.

Reminders:
  • Macbeth Project: due tomorrow, May 22, 2015
  • Grammar booklets: due tomorrow, May 22, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It's Friday tomorrow!

We started off the day with silent reading. I then went over the expectations for the presentation on the Independent Novel Study project, and we spent the rest of the period in the library working on Powerpoint presentations.

After the break, students worked on their literary paragraphs for The Giver. After that, we played a Jeopardy review game and worked on conflict foldables.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015
  • The Giver paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

Wednesday 20 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It was a quiet day today with half of the class gone!

We started off with silent reading. I then went over the expectations for the presentation required for the 'Independent Novel Study' projet, and we spent the rest of the period in the library working on Powerpoints for this. After the break, I gave students time to work on the literary paragraphs for The Giver, and we also made foldables illustrating the different types of conflict in the novel.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015 (STUDY THE VOCABULARY!)
  • Literary paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

Tuesday 19 May 2015

English 8: Block 3/4 and 7/8

Safe travels to those of you that will be away on the band trip!

We started off with silent reading, and went over the last set of chapter questions from The Giver. After that, we discussed the similarities and differences between the novel, The Giver, and the movie. Students also made a chart that was handed in for marks. Lastly, I introduced the structure and the topic for the literary paragraph you will be writing. We spent the rest of class  brainstorming and working on the plan for the paragraph.

Reminders:
  • The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015 (STUDY THE VOCABULARY!)
  • Literary paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

English 11

Welcome back; I hope you had a lovely weekend!

We started off the day going over Act Five questions and the worksheet given out on Friday. I also went over things to study for the upcoming test on Macbeth. After that, we went through a Powerpoint slide describing the traits of Shakespearean Tragedy and the 'Tragic Hero', and discussed how this all relates to Macbeth. If you weren't here, you will need to get these notes for the upcoming test. We then played a Jeopardy review game, and finished off class working on grammar booklets.

Things to review for the Macbeth test:
1. Notes on the history of Shakespeare and Shakespearean plays
2. Notes on poetic devices
3. All act questions
4. Notes on "Chain of Being" theory
5. Notes on tragedy/tragic heroes

Reminders:
  • Macbeth Test: Thursday, May 21, 2015
  • Macbeth project: Friday, May 22, 2015
  • Grammar Booklet (Sentences): Friday, May 22, 2015

Friday 15 May 2015

English 11

Have an amazing long weekend!!!

We started off class by finishing the movie "The Tragedy of Macbeth". After that, we went over the worksheet on Lady Macbeth, and worked on another worksheet for Act Five. I finished off class with a Powerpoint on "The Great Chain of Being", and information about the historical context in which Macbeth was written. We mainly discussed the importance of the theme of 'order vs. chaos' in the play. If you were not here, make sure to get the notes next class; this will be important information to know for the test next week.

Reminders:
  • All Macbeth Act Five questions and worksheet: due Tuesday, May 19, 2015
  • Macbeth Test: Thursday, May 21, 2015
  • Macbeth Project: Friday, May 22, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Have a fantastic long weekend!

We started off the day with silent reading, then worked on questions and  vocabulary from The Giver. After that, we finished watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:
  • The Giver projects: due today!!!
  • Annex Room: due Tuesday, May 19, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Have a fantastic long weekend!

We started off the day with silent reading, then went over questions and worked on vocabulary words from The Giver. After that, we finished watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:
  • The Giver projects: due today!!!

Thursday 14 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Don't forget to finish The Giver!

We started off the day with 20 minutes of silent reading and a small quiz on The Giver. We then proceeded to work on a visual representation of the Annex Room in The Giver, which will be due after the long weekend. We also worked on vocabulary, got a lesson on canoe-building, and started watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:
  • Finish The Giver
  • The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015
  • Annex Room: Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Wednesday 13 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Don't forget to finish The Giver!

We started off the day with silent reading and a small quiz on The Giver. We then proceeded to read Chapters 19 and 20, and work on questions. The questions will be due next class. We also started watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:
  • Finish The Giver
  • Chapter 19/20 questions: due Friday, May 15, 2015
  • The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 11

I hope you enjoyed the dark ending to Macbeth!!!

We started off the day in the library. I introduced a final writing assignment for Macbeth that students began to work on; unfortunately, there is limited time availbale to use the library, so I cannot guarantee more class time to work on this. It will be due next week.

After the first period, students completed a quiz on Act Four, and we finished reading the final scenes of Macbeth. We then proceeded to watch the movie, which we didn't quite finish.

Reminders:
  • Macbeth Test: Thursday May 21, 2015
  • Macbeth Project: Friday, May 22, 2015

Tuesday 12 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It was nice to see all of you again today!

We started of the class with silent reading, and then went over questions from The Giver.. For the majority of class, I gave students time to catch up on missing work, and to finish the Chapter 17/18 booklet. Thanks to the hard-working students that were all caught up! We finished the class by reading Chapter 19.

Reminders:
  • Check the list for missing chapter questions
  • Chapter 17-18 booklets due!
  • Quiz on The Giver : Thursday, May 14, 2015
  • The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 11

I was happy to be back and continue the finale of Macbeth!

Yesterday, I was unfortunately sick, so students watched a documentary called "Witchcraft: Myth and Reality". The documentary discusses pertinent history that will give some insight to the political context in which Macbeth was written, and some background for our upcoming unit, "The Crucible". There were video questions to complete as well.

Today, we discussed the questions for Act Four, and read Act Five, Scenes 1-4. Students then started completing a worksheet on Lady Macbeth's character and the 'sleepwalking' scene. Questions for Scenes 2-4 were distributed as well.

Reminders:
  • Documentary questions due!
  • Act Four Quiz: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
  • 'Lady Macbeth' worksheet: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
  • All Act Five questions: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

It was nice to see all of you again today!

We started of the class with silent reading, and then went over questions from The Giver. I haven't been here for a few days, so I wanted to review some of the details from the book. For the majority of class, I gave students time to catch up on missing work. Thanks to the hard-working students that were all caught up! We finished the class with a bit of vocabulary.

Reminders:
  • Check the list for missing chapter questions
  • Chapter 17-18 booklets due!
  • Quiz on The Giver : Wednesday, May 13, 2015
  • The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

Friday 8 May 2015

English 11

Thank you so much for you patience with my crackling voice! Have a good weekend!

Today, we finished Act Four in Macbeth, and watched the same Act in the movie. We also worked on Act Four questions.

Reminders:
  • Act Four questions: due Monday, May 11, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday. Thank you so much for working so quietly today !

We started off class with silent reading. Students that were away must read up to Chapter 17 in The Giver. After that, students completed Chapters 15/16 questions for the novel, and continued working on the character sketches we started a while ago. We then worked on some vocabulary.

Reminders: 
  • The Giver questions Chapters 11-14: OVERDUE
  • The Giver Character Sketches: due Tuesday, May 12, 2015
  • The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015 (yesterday was the last library time given to work on this)

Tuesday 5 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Great class discussion today!

We started off class with a quiz on The Giver, and then spent a bit more time working on a crossword we had started last week. We then finished the movie "Pleasantville". After that, students were split into groups and developed a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the Utopias in "Pleasantville" and The Giver. We discussed some of our ideas as a class, and the Venn diagram was submitted for marks. After that, we started to read Chapter 14 in The Giver.

Reminders:
  • Crossword/Wordsearch: due tomorrow, May 6, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz on capitalization and apostrophes: tomorrow, May 6, 2015

English 11

Thanks for your hard work today!

We started off class by watching the Macbeth scene in which he sees Banquo's ghost at the feast. After that, we finished reading Act Three, and worked on corresponding questions. At the very end of class, we watched a different version of the same scene, starring Patrick Stewart as Macbeth.

Reminders:
  • Quiz on Acts Two and Three: tomorrow, May 6, 2015
  • Act Three questions: due tomorrow, May 6, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Great brainstorming today!

We started off the class with silent reading. After that, students were split into groups and developed a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the Utopias in "Pleasantville" and The Giver. We discussed some of our ideas as a class, and the Venn diagram was submitted for marks. After that, we read Chapter 14 in The Giver, and worked on questions for Chapters 11-14.

Reminders:
  • Questions for Chapters 11-14: due Thursday, May 7, 2015
  • Open-book grammar quiz on capitalization and apostrophes: Thursday, May 7, 2015

Monday 4 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off class by writing out a response pertaining to our visit from Kevin Chong (this will be for marks). We then continued watching "Pleasantville".

Reminders:
  • The Giver Quiz (Chapters 1-13): tomorrow, May 5, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started off with silent reading today, and finished the movie "Pleasantville". At the end of class, we discussed similar themes in "Pleasantville' and The Giver. We will continue this discussion with an activity next class.

Reminders
  • The Giver, Chapter 13: Tuesday, May 5, 2015
  • I'm still missing some Chapter 9/10 questions...

English 11

We started off the day be reviewing key events from Act three in Macbeth, and continued to read Scenes three and four. We also worked on questions and went over questions from Act Two. Please keep your questions once they have been handed back to you- you may need them for future quizzes...

Reminders:
  • Literary paragraphs: due today!
  • All Act three questions will be due on Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Friday 1 May 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started off class with silent reading. We then discussed Chapters 12 and 13 of The Giver, and the concept of 'sameness'. To parallel the concept of "sameness" and "Utopia", we started watching the movie "Pleasantville".
 

English 11

We started off class by reading Act Three, Scene One of Macbeth. I then gave students time to work on their literary paragraphs. We proceeded to read Act Three, Scene two, and watched the two scenes of the movie version of the play.

Reminders:
  • Literary paragraphs (plan, draft, and good copy): due Monday, May 4, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off class with silent reading and a worksheet on apostrophes. We then started reading Chapter 13 in The Giver and discussed the concept of 'sameness'. To parallel the concept of "sameness" and "Utopia", we started watching the movie "Pleasantville".

Thursday 30 April 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off class with silent reading, and then went over Chapter questions for The Giver. Students also worked on questions for Chapters 9 and 10 of the novel. After that, we read Chapter 11 (Chapter 12 is to be read for homework). For the remainder of class, we worked in the library on the projects for The Giver.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 9/10 questions : due Friday, May 1, 2015
  • Read Chapter 12: read for Friday, May 1 , 2015

English 11

Today we finished Act Two in Macbeth and continued working on questions (which are due tomorrow). We also watched the Polanski version of Macbeth (Act Two only), and students started a literary paragraph - students have the choice to write a paragraph about Macbeth or Lady Macbeth; we will continue this tomorrow.

Reminders:
  • Act Two questions due: Friday, May 1, 2015

Wednesday 29 April 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Thank you for your hard work today!

We started of class with silent reading and a quiz on The Giver. We then worked on our characters sketches for the novel, and proceeded to read Chapter 12.

We spent most of the second block in the library working on the creative projects for The Giver. They are coming along nicely!

Reminders:
  • Early dismissal and report cards issued tomorrow!

Tuesday 28 April 2015

English 11

We started off class with a quiz on Act One of Macbeth. We then went over questions, and continued to read Act Two, Scenes Two and Three of the play. We finished off class by working on corresponding questions.

Reminders:
  • Act Two questions will be due Friday, May 1, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started off class with silent reading and a worksheet on apostrophes. After that, students continued working on vocabulary from The Giver, and we went over Chapter questions. We then read Chapter 10. After that, students had time to either read Chapter 11 or work on corresponding questions. Both are for homework. To finish off class, we started character sketches for the main characters in The Giver.

Reminders:
  • Finish Chapters 9/10 questions and read Chapter 11 for next class (tomorrow, April 29, 2015)

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off the day with silent reading and grammar practice (apostrophes).

We did a simulation activity by orchestrating a 'Ceremony of Twelve' in the classroom. Each student was assigned a number, and randomly assigned a particular job. The purpose of this was to evaluate any emotions/reactions cause by being assigned a job. It was also to show us the lack of 'equality' with job assignments because some jobs are more desirable than others. After the activity, students had a series of response questions about the class 'ceremony' activity.

We continued The Giver and read Chapter 9; Chapter 10 is to be read for homework. To finish class we worked on a Word Search/Crossword.

Reminders:
  • Read Chapter 10 in The Giver for next class (Thursday, April 30, 2015)

Friday 24 April 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Thanks for working hard today! Don't forget that it's a Pro-D day Monday!

We started off class with silent reading and grammar notes on apostrophes. We then finished reading Chapter 7, and 8 in The Giver. After that, we discussed the main highlights in Chapters 5, 6, and 7 (because I was not here yesterday); students then worked on corresponding questions. At the end of class, students worked on a word search/crossword with vocabulary from the novel. We will continue this next class.

Reminders:
  • Report cards will be issued next week

English 11

Thank you to my voluntary readers!

We started off class by continuing to watch Act One of Roman Polanski's "The Tragedy of Macbeth". After that, students worked on questions for Act One, Scenes Four, Five, Six, and Seven. Please finish these for homework.  We then read and discussed Act Two, Scene One.

Reminders: 
  • Act One (Scenes 4-7) questions: due Tuesday, April 28, 2015
  • Act One Quiz: Tuesday, April 28, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It's a long weekend for you guys!

We started off the day with silent reading and grammar practice on apostrophes. We then went over questions for The Giver. Furthermore, we did a simulation activity by orchestrating a 'Ceremony of Twelve' in the classroom. Each student was assigned a number, and randomly assigned a particular job. The purpose of this was to evaluate any emotions/reactions cause by being assigned a job. It was also to show us the lack of 'equality' with job assignments because some jobs are more desirable than others. After the activity, students had a series of response questions about the class 'ceremony' activity.

We continued The Giver by reading Chapter 9, and finished off class by working on vocabulary.

Reminders:
  • Report cards issued next week!

Thursday 23 April 2015

English 11

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

We celebrated Shakespeare's birthday today with cupcakes and a mini-documentary video summarizing his life and times. After that, we continued reading Act One, Scene Three in Macbeth. I then gave students time to work on corresponding questions. Please finish these for homework.

Thanks for the note-taking! We went through a pile of notes on poetry terms and devices. These terms will be essential for our unit on Macbeth and you may be tested on them in the future...

Furthermore, we finished reading Act One and started watching the Roman Polanski's film "The Tragedy of Macbeth".

Reminders:
  • Macbeth questions (Act One, Scenes One-Three ): due tomorrow, April 24, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

I hope you enjoyed working on your projects today! I'm sorry I was away.

Students continued reading Chapters 6 and 7 in The Giver, worked on corresponding questions, and continued working on the 'Exposition Mind Map'. After the break, they started a creative project for The Giver; they have the choice to create a map of the community, a brochure, or an agenda of the Ceremonies. We will continue working on this project next week.

Reminders:
  • 'Exposition Mind Maps' were to be handed in today
  • Chapter 3/4 questions were also to be handed in today

Wednesday 22 April 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Silent Reading
Students worked on questions for The Giver and we spent the rest of the first period in the library working on projects for The Giver - students have the choice to create a map, a brochure, or an agenda of for the 'Ceremonies'.

After the break, students took notes on apostrophes, and we read Chapters 7 and 8 of The Giver. Students had more time to work on questions and a crossword puzzle. We ended class with some vocabulary and Mad Libs.

Reminders:
  • Chapter 7/8 questions were to be completed in class today; if you didn't finish them, complete them for next class.

Tuesday 21 April 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We were very fortunate to have Kevin Chong come speak with our class today about his novel Northern Dancer: The Legendary Horse that inspired a nation. Thank you Kevin for this experience!

Reminders:
  • Read Chapters 4 and 5 of The Giver for next class (Thursday, April 23, 2015)

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Many students were participating in the potluck for Band today, and therefore weren't in class; I hope it went well!

We started off with silent reading and a word search/crossword for The Giver. We then read Chapters 5 and 6 of The Giver, which most students found pretty entertaining. We will finish discussing the chapters next class.

Reminders:
  • Exposition Mind Maps: due Today!
  • For those students who were absent, read Chapters 5 and 6 for next class. 


English 11

Your Lord of the Flies projects are AMAZING!!! I'm so happy to see all the effort that was put into them!

We started off class by watching two video projects from students (which were fantastic). We then went through a a Powerpoint and some notes on Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan conventions. We also looked at a sonnet from Ian Doescher's Shakespearean adaptation of Star Wars. We then started Act one of Macbeth. We got through Scenes 1, 2, and part of Scene 3.

Reminders:
All of the following things were due today:
  • LOF final projects
  • Song analysis questions
  • "Ted Talks" questions
  • Macbeth pre-reading questions