English 8: Blocks 3/4

Thank you for working hard on your Thumbprint Profiles today!

We started off the day with notes on 'parts of plot' in short stories. We then went to the library to take out our Sightlines 8 textbooks. After that, I told two ghost stories aloud and we filled out a 'parts of plot' worksheet that identified the events in the stories.

During the second half of class, students worked on their Thumbprint Profiles and we read the story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury.

Reminders:

• Bring back your signed course outlines!
• Thumbprint Profiles: due Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015

English 8: Blocks 7/8

I am sorry for the technical difficulties today with Internet streaming. I guess we learned an important lesson from our short story "The Veldt": DON'T RELY ON TECHNOLOGY!!!

We started off today with notes on the parts of plot. These are key terms that we will be using for this unit, so do not lose your notes! I then told two ghost stories aloud and we filled out a plot diagram worksheet, identifying the parts of plots of the stories. After that, I gave students time to continue working o their Thumbprint Profiles.

During the second half of class, students took more notes on the elements of short stories (theme and foreshadowing). I didn't get to do my activity on themes because the Internet wasn't working, so we read Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt" from the Sightlines textbook. Students then completed corresponding questions.

Reminders:

• Have your course outlines signed and returned!
• Questions for "The Veldt" : due Friday, Feb. 13, 2015

English 11

Thanks so much for your attention during note-taking today!

Today I went through a PowerPoint demonstrating all the literary terms you will need to know for short stories. These are terms that will appear on tests in the future, so don't lose your notes!

After our long session of note-taking, we watched the music video of "The Suburbs" by The Arcade Fire (directed by the amazing Spike Jones). We then analyzed the lyrics to the song and found many parallels with the short story "Identities"(themes of isolation, security enforced by the law, barriers between upper and lower classes, boredom, and false perceptions of security). I went through a PowerPoint that showed the story analysis of "Identities" and highlighted important quotations that demonstrate imagery. After that, students had time to work on questions that were assigned. These are due next class.

During the second period of class, we discussed the stereotypes of 'the crazy cat lady' and the history of this theory. I also showed a clip of Sheldon and his cats from "The Big Bang Theory" to reinforce this notion in media culture. We then started reading "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe, which is another example of madness arising from feline pets. Please finish this story for next class.

Reminders:

• "Identities" questions: due Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
• Finish reading "The Black Cat" for Friday, Feb. 13, 2015

English 11

I am very excited to be teaching this course! English 11 is amazing, and I'm not just being biased.

I started off class today by introducing myself and talking a bit about my background.  Students then filled out a survey (to help me learn a bit more about them). We proceeded to go over the course outline and the expectations of the class.

We mainly talked about the major themes in English 11: Tragedy and the Tragic Hero, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Horror, and Power. We also watched the NFB video "Neighbours", which encompasses all of the major themes. I know it is quirky, but many of you found it entertaining. I arranged chart paper with the major themes around the classroom; students circulating the room, writing down people, characters, movies, or thoughts that connected to that theme specifically. We then discussed it as a class.

To conclude the day, we read the short story "Identities". We will be continuing with this next class.

English 8: Blocks 7/8 and 3/4

Welcome to English 8! It was very nice to meet all of you today!

Today I started off with a small introduction of myself.  I then went over the course outline and expectations. As a class, we came up with specific ways the expectations can be achieved. Students also completed a questionnaire and a 'Learning Profiles' quiz. This will help me get to know them better.

To conclude the day, we started our first English assignment (Thumbprint Portraits). We will continue working on these next class.

Reminders:

• Have your course outlines signed and brought back for marks!

English 8

I hope you guys feel ready for your test tomorrow!

For the first half of class today, we had an open-book quiz on Commonly Confused Words. We then played two rounds of Jeopardy to review literary terms. I also gave about 15 minutes to complete poetry assignments.

For the second half of class, we did a practice reading comprehension test, we read through a "Star Trek" drama script as a class, and completed some punctuation and grammar exercises.

Reminders:

• Poetry booklets due today!
• Marks are posted - please check for missing assignments
• FINAL EXAM: TOMORROW, FEB. 5, 2015 (A.M.)
• Last day to hand in work: Friday, Feb. 6, 2015

English 10: Blocks 5/6

Today we spent time in the library taking E-exams from past Provincial Exams.

After the break, we went over our Speak Test, and we did a practice multiple choice test (as a class). We then played another Jeopardy review game and finished the class with some rounds of Scattegories (for vocabulary building).

Reminders:

• ENGLISH 10 PROVINCIAL EXAM: TOMORROW, FEB. 3, 2015 (A.M.)