September 11/14, 2009

September 11/14, 2009

1. Quiet reading time. (Preparation time for those presenting their confusing words today or next time.)
Assignment: In your composition book, on the pages for "Books I've Read," write today's date, the name of your book, the author, what the setting is (time and place), who the protagonist and antagonist are, and what the main conflict is.
1. Date 2. Title of Novel 3. Author 4. Setting (time and place) 5. Protagonist 6.
Antagonist 7. Main conflict (the biggest problem).

2. Presentations on Confusing Words -- Bored/Board (if not done last time), and on Break/Brake.

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3. More on colons! Today we'll "edit," comparing sentences that are all based on a model sentence. Right now we're working with using colons to introduce lists. Try it!

How'd They Do It? -- Colons -- Compare the model sentence with each of the following sentences that are ALMOST like it, but NOT QUITE. Find the differences, and think about how they change the sentence. The changes in most of them make the sentence less effective. Why?

Model sentence:
On Saturdays, my cousins and I buy candy from the ice cream truck: sour worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers.
-- Jeff Anderson

1. On Saturdays, my cousins and I buy candy from the ice cream truck; sour worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers.



2. On Saturdays, me and my cousins buy candy from the ice cream truck: sour worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers.


3. On Saturdays, my cousins and I buys candy from the ice cream truck: sour worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers


4. On Saturdays, my cousins and I buy candy from the ice cream truck -- sour worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Snickers.


5. On Saturdays, my cousins and I buy candy from the ice cream truck.

Note on Dashes: The dash does the same job a colon can do. It says to the reader, "Here comes something!" You can use a dash almost any way you want. Colons have more rules, but we want to use only a dash of dashes.

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For next time, think about the candies you enjoy. What kinds do you like? Why? Where do you get them? How? Are there special candies you enjoy at holidays or other special occasions? What else do these questions make you think of? (If you can't eat candies, think about some other category of food you enjoy.)


4. Vocabulary -- Conflict -- What are the types of conflict we talk about in literature?
This teacher provides a great discussion of the importance of conflict, and of the difference between internal and external conflict: http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/area/literature/Terms/conflict.html
See if you can answer the questions in the quiz, but you don't need to send her your score!

The main types of conflict that we study could include
man vs. man Literary example: The Outsiders
man vs. nature Literary example: Hatchet
man vs. society Literary example: Among the Hidden
man vs. the unknown (or the supernatural) Literary Example: Dracula, Frankenstein, War of the Worlds. The Odyssey
man vs. technology Literary example: parts of 2001: A Space Odyssey
man vs. himself Literary example: Words By Heart (deciding whether to forgive)

Copy these main types of conflict into your composition book under vocabulary.

5. The Outsiders

We continued reading The Outsiders.
B1 --from page 11? -- Let me know if this is right, please. to page 15 -- 1/3 of the way down "yelled 'Grease' at us."
B2 --from page 17, top of page to page 27 "Okay, greasers, you've had it."
B4 -- from page 14, top of page (Read on 9/9/09) to page 19 to page 27 "Okay, greasers, you've had it."
A1 -- from page 10 1/2 to page 16, top of page.
A2 -- from page 14 1/4 to page 21, bottom of page
A4 -- from page 12 1/3 to page (Not read today.)

September 4/8, 2009

Have a great Labor Day Weekend, and BE SAFE!

Assignments:
1) Over the weekend, think of fun things you have done with a family member or friend.
These would be events or experiences that you would like to tell other people about.

2) Have a wonderful weekend, and have fun.

3) Be safe!

Today:

1. Quiet Reading Time or work on your confused words presentations.

2. Confusing Words Presentations: a lot, alot (which is NOT a word), allot

Scoring for Confusing Words Presentations:
up to 15 points for mini-poster (This must include the words and illustrations to clearly illustrate the meaning of each of the homophones.)
15 points for other teaching strategy
10 points for quality of presentation
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40 points (extra credit available)

Dates for presentations:
B-Days
Sept. 4: a lot/alot/allot
Sept. 9: bored/board
Sept. 11: brake/break
Sept. 15: desert/dessert
Sept. 17: right/write/rite
Sept. 21: to/too/two
Sept. 23: your/you're
Sept. 25: hear/here
Sept. 29: its/it's
Oct. 1: led/lead

A-Days
Sept. 8: a lot/alot/allot
Sept. 10: bored/board
Sept. 14: brake/break
Sept. 16: desert/dessert
Sept. 18: right/write/rite
Sept. 22: to/too/two
Sept. 24: your/you're
Sept. 28: hear/here
Sept. 30: its/it's
Oct. 2: led/lead


Everyday Editing
Colons: Notice and Imitate
Serial commas let you make lists within sentences! They provide you with the "Power-of-Three" or more to add lists of specific details to your writing.

One of the uses of colons is also to allow you to add details because they can introduce lists. When adding specific details to your writing, you could try using a colon. (Pay attention, though, so you can use it correctly!) Colons emphasize that something important will follow. They can also introduce a complete sentence.

Here is a sentence that uses a colon to introduce a list:

The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and roll of grip tape for my skateboard. -- Carl Hiaasen, Flush (2006)

And more examples:

"Empty your pockets!"

Reluctantly, one by one, Hugo pulled out dozens of objects: screws and nails and bits of metal, gears and crumpled palying cards, tiny pieces of clockworks, cogs and wheels.

-- Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

But the car is quiet for now, as are the noontime streets: gas stations, boundless concrete, brick buildings with plywood windows -- Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics (2005)

Before I do anything else, I need to go back over everything that has happened this summer: the Big Mistake, the old man, the book, the lamp, the telescope, and this box, which started it all.

-- Wendy Mass, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (2006)

I pulled the latch on the mailbox and fanned through the stack of letters: an electricity bill, a New York Times renewal notice, a bank statement, and a Bon Appetit magazine. -- Tracy Mack, Drawing Lessons (2002)

We are going to imitate the first sentence we looked at:

The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and roll of grip tape for my skateboard. -- Carl Hiaasen, Flush (2006)

Here is one imitation:

The TSA employee emptied my backpack: three books, a journal, and 17 pens. -- Jeff Anderson

Now, in your composition book, under writing, copy one of the two sentences above, then imitate the sentence, using this pattern:

_____________ told me to empty my __________: ______________, _____________, and ______________.

Your imitation should be about a different topic.
By the way TSA is Transportation Security Administration. He's at the airport. What do the contents of his backpack reveal about him?

Vocabulary: conflict = the problem

The Outsiders: setting, character, conflict

We continued reading The Outsiders.
B1 --page 11? -- Let me know if this is right, please. to the top of page 15
B2 --page 17, top of page to page 27 "Okay, greasers, you've had it."
B4 -- page 14, top of page (Read on 9/9/09) to page 19 to page
A1 -- page 10 1/2
A2 -- page 14 1/4
A4 -- page 12 1/3

September 19/22, 2008

September 19/22, 2008

Today we'll check out the tableaux created by the students last time for a scene from The Outsiders. Who did the best job of recreating the scene from the book? -- Oops! We didn't get this done because of technical difficulties.

Students are taking a quiz on more homophone pairs. Study it’s/its, led/lead, right/rite/write.
They are also practicing recognizing the different types of conflict:
Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. the Unknown Man vs. Self Man vs. Society

We are reading from The Outsiders.
B1 - to page 71
B2 -- to page 72
B3 -- to page 73
A1 -- to page 73
A2 -- to page 72

For B-Day, today is a day to hand in your reading logs for the week! A-Day classes should have handed in theirs yesterday.

September 19/22, 2008

September 19/22, 2008

Today we'll check out the tableaux created by the students last time for a scene from The Outsiders. Who did the best job of recreating the scene from the book?

Students are taking a quiz on more homophone pairs. Study it’s/its, led/lead, right/rite/write.
They are also practicing recognizing the different types of conflict:
Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. the Unknown Man vs. Self Man vs. Society

We are reading from The Outsiders.
B1 - to page 71
B2 -- to page 72
B3 -- to page 73
A1 -- to page
A2 -- to page

Students created a Journal page on binder paper in their binders, and wrote this entry:
"You are watching from the bushes when Johnny and Pony are attacked by the Socs in the park. (Chapter 4) You are later called to be a witness in the murder trial. What would you say to either condemn or defend Johnny?"

Today is a day to hand in your reading logs for the week!

September 9/10, 2008

September 9/10, 2008
Today students are doing a pretest of their writing skills on MyAccess. If a student is absent today, he or she should arrange to stay after school to complete the test.

We are also reading more of The Outsiders and discussing the meaning of CONFLICT in a story, and learning about various types of conflict.
Students who have not finished their homophone mini-posters should complete those today while we play a game about CONFLICT.
Try these sites for more information about conflict:
Here is some information about four types of conflict.
We talk about five types of conflict:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. the Unknown (supernatural, diety, fate)
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Himself

And here is another teacher's information about conflict.