MCA Days: The Full Report

During our long class period on MCA test day, we began by submitting outside reading book reflections. Then we read for 20 minutes. After outside reading we discussed a poem, by William Carlos Williams, which describes a scene. We then went outside to take notes about a scene and wrote our own "Still-Life" poetry.

If you were absent, please submit your reflection and show me--a physical copy of--your outside reading book tomorrow. Also, set aside 2 notebook pages for a "Reading Log"--we will be logging our reading on Wednesdays. Then, create a notebook page entitled, "Still Life Poem." Create a short but descriptive poem, describing an everyday scene (the chair in your bedroom, for example).

HOMEWORK FOR ALL: Create a new blog post and either cut-and-paste your outside reading book reflection, or write a new reflection describing the title and author of your book, and an explanation of why you're reading it. So basically, introduce your book to us on the blog!

MCA Day

Today was a long day. In 1st and 3rd we began the hour with silent reading and then worked on analyzing and writing simple, descriptive poetry.

6TH HOUR: DON'T FORGET REFLECTION AND OUTSIDE READING BOOK TOMORROW!!

Check back tomorrow for more specific discussion of the April 14/15 poetry activity as well as a more specific description of homework for this week.

Monday the 13th

PERIODS 1 &3: BE SURE TO BRING OUTSIDE READING BOOK AND WRITTEN REFLECTION TO CLASS TOMORROW!!

Today we took a final practice test for the MCA's which start TOMORROW!! Then, we returned to "White Man's Burden" and used it to review some poetic terms.

PERIODS 1 &3: BE SURE TO BRING OUTSIDE READING BOOK AND WRITTEN REFLECTION TO CLASS TOMORROW!!

Homework: Get your outside reading book and write the written reflection for tomorrow (if you're in perios 1 & 3) or Wednesday (period 6).

PERIODS 1 &3: BE SURE TO BRING OUTSIDE READING BOOK AND WRITTEN REFLECTION TO CLASS TOMORROW!!

Get plenty of rest tonight so you can do your best on the test!!

PERIODS 1 &3: BE SURE TO BRING OUTSIDE READING BOOK AND WRITTEN REFLECTION TO CLASS TOMORROW!!

Friday

On Friday we did key word notes with the poem, "White Man's Burden," by Kipling. I have copies on the side table (they're blue).

The only homework is to work on finding an outside reading book and write the written reflection on it (see assignment on Edline) for Tuesday, 4/15 (per. 1 & 3) or Wednesday, 4/15 (per. 6).

Poetry Prep

Poetry term 4-squares were due at the beginning of the period today. After I checked them, we went through each term, one-by-one, discussing it and sharing examples of it. You are responsible for all 29 poetry terms:

1.Alliteration
2.Assonance
3.Consonance
4.onomatopoeia
5.End rhyme
6.couplet
7.Meter
8.accent
9.Rhythm
10.Scansion
11.Rhyme scheme
12.Stanza
13.Caesura
14.cacophony

15.simile
16.metaphor
17.oxymoron
18.personification
19.tone
20.mood
21.figurative language
22.Irony
23.Imagery
24.symbol
25.Connotation
26.Denotation
27.Hyperbole
28.Speaker
29.theme

After the poetry terms we briefly analyzed a poem.

Homework: work on choosing and acquiring an outside reading book (due next Wednesday!)

More MCA?

Yep. Today we reviewed the answers to the practice test. Major lesson for the day: take your time, going back and forth between questions and text to be sure that you understand the question and are choosing the MOST APPOPRIATE answer.

Tomorrow we'll do more with poetry. Homework: Create a four-square in your notebook with the following information:

Upper left square: Image

Upper right square: Find the definition of the term in the context of poetry and cite your source

POETIC TERM IN CENTER

Lower left square: Synonyms or a paraphrased
definition (use your own words)

Lower right square: Write an original line of poetry to illustrate the poetic term or find an
example of the poetic term in the poems already studied in class.


I assigned poetic terms. If you were absent, complete your four-square for the following term: alliteration

The MCA, continued

I began the hour by reviewing the test vocabulary (see previous post). Then, we spent most of the hour taking portions of a sample MCA test. Tomorrow we'll go through the test, question-by-question, to see how you did and try to understand the questions and justifications for the correct answers.

After the sample test, students began working on reading Elie Wiesel's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech and writing test questions from it. This work is due tomorrow.

**If you were absent, you need to pick up the homework--2 yellow sheets--from the side table in the classroom upon your return to school.