It's been a long time!

Hi folks,

Sorry about the delay in the blog posts.

We are in the midst of Lord of the Flies, and boy are those kids savage. Poor Simon. Please be aware that you should be taking notes as you read and as we discuss the novel in class. Anything discussed in class is fair game for a test.

Here is a glossary.

Most of the difficult vocabulary is there, and there is a pronunciation guide to boot.

I hope to post again before the holidays, but let it be known that we'll be testing on this book soon.

November

Don't forget, 5th and 7th period folks need to bring an outline of their Of Mice and Men essay on Friday/Monday.

Don't forget to use the P.E.E. technique to craft each body paragraph.

Point
Evidence
Explanation

Extra Credit Question #3

Again, you can email it to me or bring it in to class on Tuesday/Wednesday (10/21,22)

What's the deal with the water snake that appears in chapter 1 (Steinbeck 7) and again in Chapter 6 (99)? Why would Steinbeck chose this imagery to begin and end the book? What is the significance of the heron that comes down and snatches the little snake at the end of the book? What (or who) do you think these animals could represent, symbolically? Read the passages and give it a shot. 5 points for a well-reasoned answer.

Thursday/Monday 10/16,20

Alright, so we didn't have the quiz on Tuesday/Wednesday, but that doesn't mean that there won't be a quiz in store later this week.

Chapter 4 and the study guide for that chapter will be your homework for Thursday/Monday.

Let's try another shot at an extra credit opportunity (since there was such a paltry response for the last one). And guess what? To make things convenient, this time you can email your response to me. How's that for technological advancement? My email address is on the right side of the page. Please include your real name and class period; pUnkSk8trdood at gmail.com means nothing to me.

NOTE: Period SIX folks, if you are reading this before Wednesday, you can still do the Extra Credit question from the previous post. Periods FIVE and SEVEN, you've lost your opportunity for that one; try the new one below.

The question (5 pts. possible):

Please explain how the following quote from our good friend Crooks reflects one of the main themes of the book, The American Dream:

"I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head . . . Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land." (Steinbeck 74).

How does Crooks feel about the reality of the American Dream? Where do you think his attitude about this comes from? Do you think he is being realistic, considering his situation and perspective? What about George and Lennie and their dream? Do you think Crooks is right about George's dream? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Again, your response can be by email, or you can bring it in, written, to class.

Thursday 10/9 and Monday 10/14

Lookout, ranch hands! There may be a quiz a' blowin' in on Tuesday (A) and Wednesday (B). If the boss decides to harvest your knowledge, he might ask ya to know chapters one through three. Ya also might want to be familiar with the vocabulary we've been studyin'.

Thursday/Monday:
Discuss chapters 1-2 study guides.
Chapter three and the study guide for said chapter will be your homework.

Quote to ponder:

• "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog." --Candy (Steinbeck 61 [in the hardcover edition])
  
• Why does Candy feel this way? Why might this notion be significant for other characters in the novel? Hint: consider the possibility that Candy's dog might be symbolic.
  
• 5 pts. Extra Credit for anyone who comes in on Tuesday/Wednesday with a well-thought-out, written answer.
  

Friday/Monday October 3 and 6

• There will be a short quiz over the background info that we went over last class.
• Your sensory writing homework is due. Go through the first two pages of Of Mice and Men and pick out examples of sensory language. Categorize the language into the five senses.
• We'll be reading chapter 1 in class.
• Have a safe weekend.
• Stay warm and dry.
• Lennie likes ketchup on his beans.
  

social commentary handout

Social Commentary - Upload a Document to Scribd

Moral Conundrums

Read through the hypothetical questions that I passed out last week and be prepared to defend your answer on Monday and Tuesday.

On the last two days of September we will be learning about:

• Social Commentary in literature

• Cultural Capital in School and Society

• Theme

Grades

I just wanted you to know that I am aware that there are no grades posted yet. They will be posted by October 3rd. That's the end of this week. Thank you for your patience.

Tuesday/Wednesday, Sep. 22-23

QUIZ THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

We will cover:
Vocab from Black Boy by Richard Wright
and
perhaps there will be some questions about what we've covered so far in the Reading Self & Society unit.

I didn't post on Friday or Monday of last week, but on those days we read Black Boy by Richard Wright and practiced setting a purpose for reading. I'll finish checking your work on Thursday/Friday.

Here's a quick hint for answering questions in your English class:
Support your opinion. I often ask for your opinion or your interpretation. I'm interested in the answer, but I'm just as interested in how you came to that conclusion. What in the text led you to believe what you believe? Quotes and specific examples help. I DO NOT like general answers, ever.

quick note to period 6

Period 6 has not discussed any vocabulary terms yet, so please don't worry about the words in the previous post. Yet. Do pay attention to the "Kevin Clarke" homework, however.

Setting a purpose, schema, and metacognition

Schema - When we're using this term to describe reading and learning, schema refers to the knowledge we have before we read that will inform our understanding and interpretation of the material.

Metacognition - Put simply, it's thinking about the way we think. This is important to understand, because getting to know our own thought processes will help us overcome obstacles to logical thought and help us focus. For instance, if you tend to space out while reading, only to come back into focus five pages into the text, having no idea what you've just read, there may be some techniques and skills you can use to keep yourself on task (yes, we will discuss those techniques).

Homework: Read "Kevin Clarke." Take margin notes. Write down everything you are thinking about as you read. Write a letter to Kevin comparing his experiences with reading to your own. Due Friday/Monday.

Monday and Tuesday 9/15-16

We've finished our summer reading presentations, and we're moving into the Reading Self and Society unit. We'll be looking at our own experiences with reading and exploring why we read and how we think about what we read.

In the next couple of weeks you will need to become familiar with following academic terms and concepts:

Schema
Meta-cognition
Monitor
Comprehension
Comprehend
Excerpt
Etc.
Literate
Illiterate
Summarize
Fluency
Inference
Infer
Visualize

We're developing a common language around reading which will help us leap into the next step: literary analysis.

Summer Reading Presentations/SSR

Just a heads-up for the Froshies:
We'll start and finish the Summer Reading Presentations Monday and Tuesday. Don't forget your SSR books!

Next week marks the beginning of the Reading Self & Society unit.

SSR Reading Log

You will need this to keep track of your in-class reading. In addition to the reading log, there will be projects and writing associated with SSR.

SSR Reading Log - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: SSR Reading Log

Summer Reading Assignment

9th Grade Pre AP Summer Reading List 2 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: 9th Grade Pre AP Summer Reading List 2

Freshman Syllabus

Don't forget to get this back to me by the 9th/10th of September.

English 9 syllabus 2008 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: English 9 syllabus 2008

Author Study Poster

Here is a copy of the Author Study assignment. Remember that it is due on Friday, Sep. 5 for A-dayers and Monday, Sep. 8th for B-dayers.

Author Study (Summer Reading) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Author Study (Summer Reading)