English 8: Blocks 3/4

Only two weeks left of classes! Make sure to check the marks posted for any missing assignments!!!

As usual, we started off the day with silent reading and commonly confused words (allusion/illusion; cite/sight/site; all ready/already). After that, we analyzed the poem "The Child That Walks Backwards" by Lorna Crozier. Lastly, I showed an example of an 'Acrostic Poem',  and then students started working on their own poem.

Criteria for the Acrostic Poem:
1. Write a poem about a hobby
2. Eight lines minimum
3. Three words minimum per line

Reminders:

• Conflict foldables and vocabulary activities due today!
• Acrostic Poems: due Monday, June 2, 2015

English 11

Today we discussed the option of having a final test or a final project for the end of the semester. The class voted; as a result, we will be having a final project. I will put together a rubric for the project next week.

We also discussed Act Two and worked on questions. For the rest of class, we worked on the movie poster that was started yesterday.

Reminders:

• Ac Two questions: due Monday, June 1, 2015
• Acts One and Two Quiz: Tuesday, June 2, 2015
• Movie poster: Tuesday, June 2, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Only two weeks left of classes! Make sure to check the marks posted for any missing assignments!!!

As usual, we started off the day with silent reading and commonly confused words (allusion/illusion; cite/sight/site; all ready/already). After that, we analyzed the poem "The Child That Walks Backwards" by Lorna Crozier. Lastly, I showed an example of an 'Acrostic Poem',  and then students started working on their own poem.

Criteria for the Acrostic Poem:
1. Write a poem about a hobby
2. Eight lines minimum
3. Three words minimum per line

Reminders:

• Conflict foldables and vocabulary activities due today!

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Today, we worked in the library on the Independent Novel Study Powerpoint projects, went over some more commonly confused words (accept/except; affect/effect; a lot/allot), and finished the conflict foldables. As an introduction to our poetry unit, we went over poetic devices, and played a game where students had to identify the devices in songs.
Reminders:

• Vocabulary activities due!!!
• Conflict foldables: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 11

Today, we read Act Two of The Crucible and started a movie poster group project. Because of technical difficulties, we couldn't go through my Act Two Powerpoint and questions, so we will do that next class.

Reminders:

• The Crucible Act Two questions: Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Yesterday, we worked in the library on the Independent Novel Study Powerpoint projects, went over some more commonly confused words (accept/except; affect/effect; a lot/allot), and finished the conflict foldables. As an introduction to our poetry unit, we went over poetic devices, and played a game where students had to identify the devices in songs.

Reminders:

• Vocabulary activity: due Friday, May 29, 2015
• Conflict foldables: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 11

Today we went over Act One of The Crucible. We went over the setting, the basic synopsis, the characterization, and some of the themes. We also went over the characterization booklets before they were submitted, and students worked on comprehension questions.

Reminders:

• Characterization booklets: due today!
• The Crucible Act One questions: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started of the day with silent reading, then proceeded to look at commonly confused words (its/it's; there/their/they're; where/wear/we're/were). After that, I gave students time to finish a vocabulary cut&paste activity we started last week.

Reminders: 

• Vocabulary activity: due Friday, May 29, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started of the day with silent reading, then proceeded to look at commonly confused words (its/it's; there/their/they're; where/wear/we're/were). After that, I gave students time to finish a vocabulary cut&paste activity we started last week.

Reminders: 

• Vocabulary activity: due Thursday, May 28, 2015

English 11

I allotted some time for silent reading today to finish Act One of The Crucible. After that, students had time to finish completing the characterization booklet.

Reminders:

• Finish Act One and the characterization booklet for tomorrow, May 26, 2015

English 8: 7/8 and 3/4

Three more weeks left of regular classes!

We spent the whole period today writing a final test on The Giver.

Reminders:

• Literary paragraphs due: today!!!

English 11

Have fun this weekend!

Today we started Act One of The Crucible. We discussed some of the background, and students also started working on a characterization worksheet booklet.

Reminders:

• Grammar booklets: due today!
• Macbeth project: due today!

English 8: Blocks 3/4 and 7/8

Have a great weekend!

Today we worked on literary paragraphs for The Giver, and did a cut & paste activity with vocabulary.

Reminders:

• The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015
• The Giver paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

English 11

Two more sleeps until Prom!

The first half of today's class was spent writing a test on Macbeth.

During the second half of class, we went over the questions from the witch documentary that students watched a while ago; the documentary provides some background for our next unit, The Crucible. After that, I went through a Powerpoint and discussed some background information on Arthur Miller, Puritan beliefs, The McCarthy trials, and the Salem witch trials. We then watched 20 minutes of "In Search of History -  The Salem Witch Trials". After that, students had time to work on their grammar booklets.

Reminders:

• Macbeth Project: due tomorrow, May 22, 2015
• Grammar booklets: due tomorrow, May 22, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It's Friday tomorrow!

We started off the day with silent reading. I then went over the expectations for the presentation on the Independent Novel Study project, and we spent the rest of the period in the library working on Powerpoint presentations.

After the break, students worked on their literary paragraphs for The Giver. After that, we played a Jeopardy review game and worked on conflict foldables.

Reminders:

• The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015
• The Giver paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It was a quiet day today with half of the class gone!

We started off with silent reading. I then went over the expectations for the presentation required for the 'Independent Novel Study' projet, and we spent the rest of the period in the library working on Powerpoints for this. After the break, I gave students time to work on the literary paragraphs for The Giver, and we also made foldables illustrating the different types of conflict in the novel.

Reminders:

• The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015 (STUDY THE VOCABULARY!)
• Literary paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

English 8: Block 3/4 and 7/8

Safe travels to those of you that will be away on the band trip!

We started off with silent reading, and went over the last set of chapter questions from The Giver. After that, we discussed the similarities and differences between the novel, The Giver, and the movie. Students also made a chart that was handed in for marks. Lastly, I introduced the structure and the topic for the literary paragraph you will be writing. We spent the rest of class  brainstorming and working on the plan for the paragraph.

Reminders:

• The Giver Test: Monday, May 25, 2015 (STUDY THE VOCABULARY!)
• Literary paragraph: Monday, May 25, 2015

English 11

Welcome back; I hope you had a lovely weekend!

We started off the day going over Act Five questions and the worksheet given out on Friday. I also went over things to study for the upcoming test on Macbeth. After that, we went through a Powerpoint slide describing the traits of Shakespearean Tragedy and the 'Tragic Hero', and discussed how this all relates to Macbeth. If you weren't here, you will need to get these notes for the upcoming test. We then played a Jeopardy review game, and finished off class working on grammar booklets.

Things to review for the Macbeth test:
1. Notes on the history of Shakespeare and Shakespearean plays
2. Notes on poetic devices
3. All act questions
4. Notes on "Chain of Being" theory
5. Notes on tragedy/tragic heroes

Reminders:

• Macbeth Test: Thursday, May 21, 2015
• Macbeth project: Friday, May 22, 2015
• Grammar Booklet (Sentences): Friday, May 22, 2015

English 11

Have an amazing long weekend!!!

We started off class by finishing the movie "The Tragedy of Macbeth". After that, we went over the worksheet on Lady Macbeth, and worked on another worksheet for Act Five. I finished off class with a Powerpoint on "The Great Chain of Being", and information about the historical context in which Macbeth was written. We mainly discussed the importance of the theme of 'order vs. chaos' in the play. If you were not here, make sure to get the notes next class; this will be important information to know for the test next week.

Reminders:

• All Macbeth Act Five questions and worksheet: due Tuesday, May 19, 2015
• Macbeth Test: Thursday, May 21, 2015
• Macbeth Project: Friday, May 22, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Have a fantastic long weekend!

We started off the day with silent reading, then worked on questions and  vocabulary from The Giver. After that, we finished watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:

• The Giver projects: due today!!!
• Annex Room: due Tuesday, May 19, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Have a fantastic long weekend!

We started off the day with silent reading, then went over questions and worked on vocabulary words from The Giver. After that, we finished watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:

• The Giver projects: due today!!!

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Don't forget to finish The Giver!

We started off the day with 20 minutes of silent reading and a small quiz on The Giver. We then proceeded to work on a visual representation of the Annex Room in The Giver, which will be due after the long weekend. We also worked on vocabulary, got a lesson on canoe-building, and started watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:

• Finish The Giver
• The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015
• Annex Room: Tuesday, May 19, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Don't forget to finish The Giver!

We started off the day with silent reading and a small quiz on The Giver. We then proceeded to read Chapters 19 and 20, and work on questions. The questions will be due next class. We also started watching the movie "The Giver".

Reminders:

• Finish The Giver
• Chapter 19/20 questions: due Friday, May 15, 2015
• The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 11

I hope you enjoyed the dark ending to Macbeth!!!

We started off the day in the library. I introduced a final writing assignment for Macbeth that students began to work on; unfortunately, there is limited time availbale to use the library, so I cannot guarantee more class time to work on this. It will be due next week.

After the first period, students completed a quiz on Act Four, and we finished reading the final scenes of Macbeth. We then proceeded to watch the movie, which we didn't quite finish.

Reminders:

• Macbeth Test: Thursday May 21, 2015
• Macbeth Project: Friday, May 22, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

It was nice to see all of you again today!

We started of the class with silent reading, and then went over questions from The Giver.. For the majority of class, I gave students time to catch up on missing work, and to finish the Chapter 17/18 booklet. Thanks to the hard-working students that were all caught up! We finished the class by reading Chapter 19.

Reminders:

• Check the list for missing chapter questions
• Chapter 17-18 booklets due!
• Quiz on The Giver : Thursday, May 14, 2015
• The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 11

I was happy to be back and continue the finale of Macbeth!

Yesterday, I was unfortunately sick, so students watched a documentary called "Witchcraft: Myth and Reality". The documentary discusses pertinent history that will give some insight to the political context in which Macbeth was written, and some background for our upcoming unit, "The Crucible". There were video questions to complete as well.

Today, we discussed the questions for Act Four, and read Act Five, Scenes 1-4. Students then started completing a worksheet on Lady Macbeth's character and the 'sleepwalking' scene. Questions for Scenes 2-4 were distributed as well.

Reminders:

• Documentary questions due!
• Act Four Quiz: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
• 'Lady Macbeth' worksheet: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
• All Act Five questions: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

It was nice to see all of you again today!

We started of the class with silent reading, and then went over questions from The Giver. I haven't been here for a few days, so I wanted to review some of the details from the book. For the majority of class, I gave students time to catch up on missing work. Thanks to the hard-working students that were all caught up! We finished the class with a bit of vocabulary.

Reminders:

• Check the list for missing chapter questions
• Chapter 17-18 booklets due!
• Quiz on The Giver : Wednesday, May 13, 2015
• The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015

English 11

Thank you so much for you patience with my crackling voice! Have a good weekend!

Today, we finished Act Four in Macbeth, and watched the same Act in the movie. We also worked on Act Four questions.

Reminders:

• Act Four questions: due Monday, May 11, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday. Thank you so much for working so quietly today !

We started off class with silent reading. Students that were away must read up to Chapter 17 in The Giver. After that, students completed Chapters 15/16 questions for the novel, and continued working on the character sketches we started a while ago. We then worked on some vocabulary.

Reminders: 

• The Giver questions Chapters 11-14: OVERDUE
• The Giver Character Sketches: due Tuesday, May 12, 2015
• The Giver Projects: due Friday, May 15, 2015 (yesterday was the last library time given to work on this)

English 8: Blocks 7/8

Great class discussion today!

We started off class with a quiz on The Giver, and then spent a bit more time working on a crossword we had started last week. We then finished the movie "Pleasantville". After that, students were split into groups and developed a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the Utopias in "Pleasantville" and The Giver. We discussed some of our ideas as a class, and the Venn diagram was submitted for marks. After that, we started to read Chapter 14 in The Giver.

Reminders:

• Crossword/Wordsearch: due tomorrow, May 6, 2015
• Open-book grammar quiz on capitalization and apostrophes: tomorrow, May 6, 2015

English 11

Thanks for your hard work today!

We started off class by watching the Macbeth scene in which he sees Banquo's ghost at the feast. After that, we finished reading Act Three, and worked on corresponding questions. At the very end of class, we watched a different version of the same scene, starring Patrick Stewart as Macbeth.

Reminders:

• Quiz on Acts Two and Three: tomorrow, May 6, 2015
• Act Three questions: due tomorrow, May 6, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

Great brainstorming today!

We started off the class with silent reading. After that, students were split into groups and developed a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the Utopias in "Pleasantville" and The Giver. We discussed some of our ideas as a class, and the Venn diagram was submitted for marks. After that, we read Chapter 14 in The Giver, and worked on questions for Chapters 11-14.

Reminders:

• Questions for Chapters 11-14: due Thursday, May 7, 2015
• Open-book grammar quiz on capitalization and apostrophes: Thursday, May 7, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off class by writing out a response pertaining to our visit from Kevin Chong (this will be for marks). We then continued watching "Pleasantville".

Reminders:

• The Giver Quiz (Chapters 1-13): tomorrow, May 5, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started off with silent reading today, and finished the movie "Pleasantville". At the end of class, we discussed similar themes in "Pleasantville' and The Giver. We will continue this discussion with an activity next class.

Reminders

• The Giver, Chapter 13: Tuesday, May 5, 2015
• I'm still missing some Chapter 9/10 questions...

English 11

We started off the day be reviewing key events from Act three in Macbeth, and continued to read Scenes three and four. We also worked on questions and went over questions from Act Two. Please keep your questions once they have been handed back to you- you may need them for future quizzes...

Reminders:

• Literary paragraphs: due today!
• All Act three questions will be due on Wednesday, May 6, 2015

English 8: Blocks 3/4

We started off class with silent reading. We then discussed Chapters 12 and 13 of The Giver, and the concept of 'sameness'. To parallel the concept of "sameness" and "Utopia", we started watching the movie "Pleasantville".
 

English 11

We started off class by reading Act Three, Scene One of Macbeth. I then gave students time to work on their literary paragraphs. We proceeded to read Act Three, Scene two, and watched the two scenes of the movie version of the play.

Reminders:

• Literary paragraphs (plan, draft, and good copy): due Monday, May 4, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

We started off class with silent reading and a worksheet on apostrophes. We then started reading Chapter 13 in The Giver and discussed the concept of 'sameness'. To parallel the concept of "sameness" and "Utopia", we started watching the movie "Pleasantville".