Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Yes, we are back on line...

Good morning,
Did you check your English Journal for a message from me? If you didn't then go log in to Google Docs and see what it says. Then come back to the blog.
While looking at Native American texts we learned a bit about archetypes (Rdg Std. 3.6). These are characters or situations that often turn up in literature. Today we begin looking more closely at several common archetypes and we will follow how they develop and change through American Literature.
Read the poem below by Emily Dickinson and then go back to your English Journal and write about the question below the poem. What does Dickinson think about the Devil? What do you think about him? Explain yourself and give examples from the text and your own life.
The Devil—had he fidelity
Would be the best friend—
Because he has ability—
But Devils cannot mend—
Perfidy is the virtue
That would but he resign
The Devil—without question
Were thoroughly divine
What does Dickinson think about the Devil? What do you think about
him? Explain yourself and give examples from the text and your own
life.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Monday Afternoon Update

Bring your book tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Today we learned about what a character flaw is and saw how Coyote was a flawed character for a number of reasons. We also learned what an allusion is and how to spot them in literature. An Allusion is when one work of literature mentions or borrows from another work of literature. Then we looked for the biblical allusions in The World on the Turtle's Back in the textbook. There are a number of different versions of this myth on the web. Many of them are inexplicably blocked by our district. The link above goes to a document that is the most similar to what we read in the textbook.

Tuesday we have a quiz on the Native American texts we've been reading.
And check out this cool list of common character flaws.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Friday Afternoon

Update for those who missed class. We read The Coyote and The Buffalo on page 40 in your book, but first we brainstormed the Characteristics of Native American Tales and then looked for examples of those things as we read the story. You can use the links above to see our brainstormed list and read the story.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Thursday Afternoon

Good job bringing books today. Remember to bring them again Friday, Monday and Tuesday. If you were here then you know we read the Story by Mourning Dove called "Fox and Coyote and Whale". If you were absent then good for you, you checked the blog to see what you missed. Click on the title of the story to read it on-line.

You can still submit your Where I'm From paper using the link in the post below this one. Scroll down.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Turn in your paper...

USE THIS FORM TO "TURN IN" YOUR WHERE I'M FROM PAPER

READ OTHER PEOPLE'S PAPERS HERE.

  1. Open your English Journal (in google docs)
  2. Write a new entry at the top.
  3. Date it today
  4. Write about what you think about your Where I'm From paper. Are you proud of it? Did you work hard on it? What did you learn about yourself or about writing from this project? What else should I know about your paper or about you.
Bring your textbook tomorrow!


Finishing your Where I'm From paper...

Good morning,

Did you get to the blog? Are you reading it? Read all of it!

Today will be your last chance to work on your Where I'm From paper in class. The final version is due on Wednesday.

If you haven't done it already please add a heading to your paper just like any other paper you would turn in. Name, Date and Period in the upper left corner. Without that I might not know it is yours.

Give your paper a title. Put the title in the center and make it a little larger than the rest of your text. (Do not center your whole paper!)

Make sure your paper is multiple paragraphs. Indent new paragraphs. Run a spell check. I don't think I should have to tell you this stuff, but I've been looking at some papers and apparently I have to tell you this stuff.

When your paper is finished you need to publish it. When I see that it is published then I know you are done. Go to the Share tab and select "Publish as a Web Page". Then you will have a link you can send to anyone you want to read your paper. Don't send me the link I can already see your paper in Google Docs.

Read the Bulletin

Friday, September 18, 2009

Writing Groups - Day 2

Good morning,
Because you asked for it a bit more writing group time today. Don't forget to review the Writing Response Group Procedures.

Friday Afternoon

Great job today on your first writing group experience.
Thoughts to take away.
  • When you read your work aloud you find things (mistakes) you would probably never have noticed.
  • When your group talks about what's working and not working in your paper you get ideas about what to change to make the writing better.
  • Reading out loud is not as scary as you thought it would be.
  • Your group liked what you wrote.
Monday: Looks like more writing group time because you asked for it.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

More on Where I'm From

Good morning,
Have you been thinking about your "Where I'm From" paper? Have you been working on it from home?

Today I want to share with you some examples of "Where I'm From" essays by former students, but while you are waiting for me to take attendance etc. go read this version of Where I'm From -- That's a link. You need to click on it.

Tomorrow I will ask you to share your paper with a small group. Today you need to get ready to do that.
  • It is time to turn your notes into sentences.
  • It is time to add more details to your paragraphs.
  • It is time to begin to care about spelling and punctuation.

And one more thing, when you share your paper with your group you will read it out loud to them. Reading your work aloud will show you things in your writing that you never saw, give you ideas you would not have had, and reveal issues you would not have noticed. Some students are scared to read their work to their group. That anxiety is normal, but get over it.

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live."
-Dorthy Thompson

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Drafting Your Own Where I'm From

Good morning,
Yesterday we read Where I'm From by Willie Perdomo. Today you have a chance to begin drafting your own version. Re-read the text again. Consider the details Perdomo includes: people, sights, sounds, smells, food, relationships, positive and negative details.
Remember that wherever you are from, no matter how ordinary it seems to you, it will seem exotic and interesting to someone who has never been there. Look for the contrast, the drama, and the beauty of your neighborhood.
Now open Google Docs, start a new document, name it correctly (#initialsWhere I'm From), and share it with me and Ms. Smith. In the beginning your draft may be sentences, lists, or random ideas, but you must begin to write something. You will be sharing your draft with a group on Friday so get going.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Second Journal Entry Today!

Good Morning,
Yesterday you created your English Journal, shared it with Ms. Smith and myself and wrote a bit about yourself. Today you will make your second entry.

Use the tab on your bookmarks bar to go straight to Google Docs. (Do not go through your g-mail.)
Open your English Journal. (Do not start a new document.)
Write today's entry ABOVE the one you wrote yesterday.
Answer the question below. I know it seems a little strange, but it will make more sense after we do today's reading, so just go with it.

Journal question: (You can copy and paste this into your journal if that helps you.) What is food like at your home? What does it smell like? Who cooks it? What are your favorite foods? When do you eat them? Focus on food and especially foods you like. (I know this will probably make you hungry, sorry.)

Reading: "Where I'm From" by Willie Perdomo

Monday, September 14, 2009

Week 2 Monday

Good morning,
Today is our first intervention day. If you have advisory on your schedule go there after 4th period. If you do not have advisory please report to the big gym by 11:20 to learn more about your extended lunch privileges.

Our goals for today:
  • Get back into Google Docs
  • Open the document you started on Friday
  • Make sure it is named correctly # initials assignment name, like this 3JR English Journal
  • Share your document with me and Ms. Smith (I will teach you how.)
  • Write a paragraph about yourself or your first week of school in your English Journal

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Welcome Back

Hello and welcome to the 2009-2010 school year. You have found your way to our class blog so you are undoubtedly a determined and motivated individual. If you are reading this then I predict you will do very well in this course and learn skills and content that will help you to be successful far beyond high school.

To the right you will find a section headed START HERE. Go there now to familiarize yourself with our course syllabus, sign up for a g-mail account (that is as close as you can get to your real name) and then complete the student data form for me.

A note about g-mail accounts. We will be using several Google tools this year. Though you can have a google account with another e-mail address, my experience has been that students who do that often experience problems with their accounts. I suggest you get a g-mail account.

And, because someday very soon you will be putting your e-mail address on college applications, job applications, rental applications, car loan applications etc., it would be best if you picked a user name as close as possible to your real name. This makes you look professional and it helps me to know who you are when you send me something too.

We are going to have a great year.