Revisions, Revisions

I hope things went well today. The final draft of the Animal Dreams essay is due tomorrow. Please be prepared to submit the green rubric, the typed final draft, and the typed rough draft.

**NO EXCUSES WILL BE ACCEPTED TOMORROW.
**I WILL NOT PRINT FOR YOU.

Please work out your own computer issues. If your printer and/or computer is on the fritz, think about the following options: email your draft to a friend/relative/neighbor and ask him or her to please print it for you, type your paper on the computer of a friend/relative/neighbor, or get to school early tomorrow morning to print it (you may save it to--and access it from--a zip drive).

BTW, if you're reading this, I hope it is because you just finished posting to your own blog--your blog post is due before school tomorrow morning.

See you tomorrow!

1st Quarter Outside Reading Assignment

Today you received the outside reading/blogging assignment for first quarter. Here it is:

Quarter 1 Outside Reading Assignment – 250 pages of text.
Our first quarter outside reading assignment is for you to read text, including novels, nonfiction books, periodicals, websites, weblogs, etc., totaling 250 (do your best to approximate the number of pages you read if you’re reading online texts). The texts you read should have literary merit and be age-appropriate.

Blog #1: Sunday, September 21
Blog #2: Wed. October 1
Blog #3: Sun. October 5
Blog #4: Wed. October 8
Blog #5: Sun. October 12
Blog #6: Wed. October 15
Blog #7: Sun. October 19
Blog #8: Wed. October 22
Blog #9: Sun. October 26
Tues. October 28: Final Overall Response (more info. later)

The Blogging
You must post TWICE a week (by Wednesday and by Sunday). I've explained below what should go in the post. Wednesday posts—10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22—are due before school; Sunday posts—10/21, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26—are due by 11:59pm (i.e. before bedtime).

Free Response
A thoughtful response to the book of approximately 150 words. You must cite the selection, author, and page you're referring to. Some possible ways to respond to texts include: pick a quote and comment on its significance, make connections to the book (self, text, world, media), analyze the protagonist, pretend you're writing a letter—or blog response—to the author or main character, identify the thesis and supporting evidence (of nonfiction) and discuss the arguments from your perspective, etc. There are many, many ways you can do this.

You must attempt to use correct spelling and punctuation and capitalization

**You must also comment on one other blog per week!!

ESSAY DUE WEDNESDAY!

Today we shared our rough drafts with peers and talked about some MLA issues. Tomorrow we will return to A Civil Action and our viewing guides. For Wednesday, you should complete the final draft of the paper. You will need to submit your green rubric, your final draft, and a rough draft. Also, your next blog assignment must be posted on Wednesday before school.

Want a good grade in English?

Then bring in a complete, typed rough draft on Monday. Completing a full draft for Monday will allow you the time to work on things like word choice, sentence fluency, and grammar/mechanics before you turn in a final draft. Also, completing your rough draft in a timely manner will ensure that you have some time to talk to me about your paper.

If you have computer/printer issues this weekend, work to resolve them yourself. Head to the public library, email your draft to a friend, or get to school early Monday morning to take care of it. Good luck!

Symbolism in AD

Codi's journey to find herself is complete. We've analyzed both the causes and effects of her literal and figurative return to Grace. How is symbolism related to this journey? Your homework tonight is to define a symbol of your choice (peacocks, coyotes, the afghan, night, Hallie's letters, transportation, etc.) in the context of the novel. Do this with a circle map. You should have at least 4 quotes in the frame of your map. At the bottom of the page, write a complete sentence about what your symbol represents. For example: "In Animal Dreams, peacocks represent ___________________________________________________."

Don't forget to study vocab tonight!!

It's Going Around...

So I was home today with a sick little boy. In class, you looked at Codi's emotional return to Grace. Finish the novel tonight to see how it all wraps up.

We'll spend some time on vocab tomorrow--the vocab quiz is Wednesday.

Finding home...

may be easier than Codi thought. In the reading for today, she discovers that she is a descendant of the Gracela sisters. Hallie is still missing and it doesn't look good. The good news is that we're near the end of the book, where all of these situations will hopefully be resolved. Your job this weekend is to read pages 285-323.

Also, don't forget to complete the blog assignment before you go to bed on Sunday night. Scroll down to find the assignment--it is described in the post entitled, "Blog It Up!"

Have a good weekend.

The Scream...

of the teakettle probably expresses Homero's feelings about his daughter's disappearance. Yep, Hallie has been taken by the Contras. Where is she and what will Codi do without the person she referred to as a god? Tonight's reading may give us the answers...

Read pp. 253-284 for tomorrow!

Finding Self/Finding Home

Today we started thinking more analytically about Codi and how she is changing in the novel. Tomorrow we will discuss the writing that you completed today. Don't forget the blog assignment due Sunday!

BLOG IT UP!

It's time to begin blogging on a regular basis. Our trip to the computer lab on Tuesday will give you some time to solve any problems related to the creation of your blog. Also, you may use the time to work on completing your first major blog assignment--due Sunday, September 21st.

The following is a list of requirements for your first blog assignment:

1. Add a list of your favorite books (minimum 3) to the side bar of your blog.

2. Post a 150-word paragraph about something you've read recently (other than Animal Dreams). Begin by naming the title and author of the reading. Then, provide the thesis of the piece (just as you do for Reading Minute). Discuss how the author proved the thesis. Do you agree with the author's position? Did you like the piece?

3. Use your character bubble map and character tree map to write a 250-word paragraph, comparing two characters in Animal Dreams. Focus on specific adjectives that either describe both characters, or show the differences between characters. Provide specific evidence from the text to support your comparison.
**Extra credit if you create a double bubble map of the two characters and post it to your blog (minimum of 10 total adjectives)

4. Comment on the blogs of 10 classmates. These classmates should be in your hour of English 10, and should be students with whom you do not regularly interact.

Again, the above should be posted to your blog by Sunday, September 21st. Happy blogging!

Codi, Loyd, Homero, Hallie, Jack, Emelina, J.T...

Today we analyzed these characters using bubble maps. On Monday we'll present what we did, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the novel's characters. Prior to Monday, be sure to complete the vocabulary sheet--each word needs a dictionary definition as well as an original sentence. Also, you should be through page 170 in your reading.

Check out the burgeoning blogs of your classmates on the side bar! Have a great weekend.

Finding Self

Our A to Z taxonomies about finding self are excellent! Most importantly, we created some excellent thesis statements about how people find themselves.

Please find your way to page 142 by tomorrow. If you're behind in the reading, please put in the extra time tonight and over the weekend to get caught up.

Blog URLs are due tomorrow. Check out the blogs of some of my 1st hour Blog Stars--on the right side of the page.

Peacocks, bones, and pecan orchards...

all may be symbols in Animal Dreams. Today we worked on finding mention of our symbols in the text. Before class tomorrow you should have at least three details on your symbols map (don't forget page numbers!) Check your bookmark--or the schedule below--for the assigned reading. And work on setting up your own blog!

Life with Codi

Well, we are through the first 50 pages of the book! Today we added more detail to our literary elements tree map (character, setting, plot). Then, we set up a symbol tree map so we can track animals, bones, and colors in the book. The reading for tomorrow is pp. 51-78. Today's quiz is an indication of the level of comprehension expected as you read the book.

Future Hall of Famers...

Today we took a field trip to the EHS Hall of Fame. Who knew so many accomplished people could graduate from one high school! Your job tonight is to create your own hall of fame plaque. If you need time tomorrow to glue your picture and text onto your construction paper, you will be able to do so during the first 2-3 minutes of class. Don't forget the plaque requirements:
1. Must be written in 3rd person point of view
2. Must be written in past tense
3. Must contain at least 6 COMPLETE SENTENCES.
4. Your paragraph should contain ZERO grammar, mechanics, usage, or spelling errors.
5. MUST BE TYPED (honestly, do you think EHS would honor you with a handwritten
paragraph?)
6. Include a picture of yourself.
7. Make it pretty to look at—your classmates, as well as many future students, may view your
plaque!

Dream big!!

**3RD HOUR: I forgot to pass around the stack of construction paper. At the beginning of class tomorrow, you will be able to get a piece of paper and glue your picture and text to it. So, just bring in your picture and text--we'll get it put together during class.

Welcome to High School!

We survived the heat and humidity of yesterday, so it's time to get to work. Today in class we used an anticipation guide to talk through our ideas about high school. Then, we described ourselves in a bubble map. Tonight your job is to take one adjective from your bubble map and expand upon it in a paragraph. Use specific examples to explain how you exhibit the chosen characteristic. Your paragraph should be at least six sentences and MUST BE TYPED!

**If you have last minute computer issues and absolutely have no way of printing a hard copy of your paragraph, you may email it to me. This option should be used as a last resort, however. Do your best to work out any computer/printer issues that you may have.