Thursday, December 20, 2018

Enjoy your Winter Break!

Here is a marvelous Christmastime essay by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Some of you might be interested in reading it in it's entirety, so here it is:
A Child's Christmas in Wales, read by Dylan Thomas, the author
Text of A Child's Christmas in Wales

Today: Read 45 minutes
Remember to read an average of 7 pages per day to finish the book on time. You will have a final exam over the book during the final exam period during the fourth week of January.

1. Write 1 page describing the main character of your book, emphasizing the character's temperament (his or her inner nature). This aspect of the character's personality will be revealed by the ways that he or she responds to conflict.
2. Keep a list of 20 vocabulary words as you read. You might want to look up definitions as you go so that you understand the book.
3. Copy five sentences of descriptive details in the book. The sentences must all be from different pages in the book.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Tuesday/Wednesday--today and next time then . . .!

READING--Book Club
60 min today
Discuss in groups:
     1. Main character's temperament
     2. The conflict(s) he or she faces
HOMEWORK:
Write 3/4 page describing the main character
Write 1/4 page telling us how the protagonist is responding to one of the conflicts in the story

REMEMBER, YOU HAVE 200 PAGES or so to read between now and January 17th (my birthday, coincidentally!). That 7 pages per day, or 30 pages per class period. You will have to be disciplined. If you're going someplace over winter break, I'd highly recommend that you read while you're in the car. Well, maybe not if you're the driver ;^]

Monday, December 10, 2018

Finish Catcher in the Rye

TEST over Catcher in the Rye Thursday/Friday. Discuss the novel today and next time.

Google Doc or paper journal entry to hand in tomorrow:

1. What is Holden's problem--"What's the matter with you boy?" Mr. Spencer asks.
Cite two examples that show how he is affected by his problem(s)
    1)
    2)
2. How likely do you think it is that Holden will get better and become a functioning, even somewhat happy adult?
    1) Discuss one or more examples that back up your stance

NEXT TIME:
1. Hand in what you wrote today
    Discuss as a class
2. Finish finding 20 quotes from the book
    Discuss
3. Book talks for Book Clubs

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Tue/Wed, Dec 4/5

6th period
Take Practice SAT Reading Comprehension test, 52 questions.
Test 1 All students take test, even those who have passed the reading requirement
Students are to take the test on Chromebooks

7th period
Christmas Carol Thur/Fri!
HOMEWORK for the Weekend : finish Catcher in the Rye
     Using Audiobooks it should take less than an hour to read read the parts not covered in class
Today:
Audiobooks for Catcher in the Rye
ON THE PROJECTOR, WATCH AND LISTEN TO CHAPTERS 21-24 (read 25, 26 over the weekend)
Follow along in your book, starting on page 157. NO PHONES
Write down significant quotes as you read
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Free time when finished
Chapter 25, 26

Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 2
Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 3

If you were gone when we took the test over last week's vocabulary, here it is:
Make up the quiz ASAP
Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 

Friday, November 30, 2018

Monday, December 3

HOMEWORK: Monday: finish ch 18., 19; Wed 20-22; Weekend finish book
Catcher in the Rye Summary
Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 
Type a short story (1/2 - 1 page double-spaced) using at least 5 of the vocabulary words from this week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today:
Read vocab story
Quiz over words
Reading day
HOMEWORK: Monday: finish ch 18., 19; Wed 20-22; Weekend finish book

LAST CLASS PERIOD
Make a Quizlet deck with the following words. Put definitions and an example sentence on the back of the card.
1. Hemorrhage
2. Ostracize
3. Innumerable
4. Qualm
5. Liable
6. Compulsory
7. Sadistic
8. Gripe
9. Pacifist
10. Incognito

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Thur/Fri

HOMEWORK: Read to at least page 60
Catcher in the Rye Summary
Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 
Make a Quizlet deck with the following words. Put definitions and an example sentence on the back of the card.
1. Hemorrhage
2. Ostracize
3. Innumerable
4. Qualm
5. Liable
6. Compulsory
7. Sadistic
8. Gripe
9. Pacifist
10. Incognito

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Tue/Wed, Nov 27/28

HOMEWORK: Read to at least page 60
Catcher in the Rye Summary
Catcher in the Rye Vocabulary 
Make a Quizlet deck with the following words. Put definitions and an example sentence on the back of the card.
1. Hemorrhage
2. Ostracize
3. Innumerable
4. Qualm
5. Liable
6. Compulsory
7. Sadistic
8. Gripe
9. Pacifist
10. Incognito

Thursday, November 15, 2018

November 15/16

6th Period Essays

Final Test--The Things They Carried

Read Catcher in the Rye, pages 7-35
As you read, keep a list of significant quotes. Just what makes a quote "significant" is a fairly subjective judgment call, but often they deal with ideas and even themes.
By the end of page 35 you should have at least six.

  • Due next time: 6 quotes. The quotes need to be fairly evenly divided over the 35 pages (not all from the first part that we read out loud in class!Hand in all six at the first of the period next time (10 points)
  • Quiz over pages 1-35 next time.
Watch trailer for movie Rushmore 
Watch trailer for the movie Moonrise Kingdom


Thursday, November 8, 2018

Thur/Friday

HOMEWORK: If you haven't finished the novel, yet, do so for Monday. Test one week from today

PTSD possible cause of Thousand Oaks Shooting that Leaves 12 Dead
Thousand Oaks Shooting Perpetrated by ex-Marine
What is PTSD?
Statistics--PTSD Afghanistan and Iraq
Iraq Vet YouTube 
Iraq Vet 2 Vet YouTube
Statistics--PTSD Afghanistan and Iraq
Study Guide questions. The study guide page numbers are for the first edition of this book (brown one). If you have the black book, subtract approximately 7 pages from these numbers to find your pages. 117 is 111 in the black book. 162 is 155. 189 is 180
Pages 117-136: 3, 4.
Pages 162-188: 1, 2, 3, 4
Pages 189-218: 1, 2, 3, 6
New Study Guide Questions
Pages 162-188:8
Create a Google Slides presentation of at least 3 slides:
   "Working in a small group, research Post-Traumatic-Stree-Disorder on the Internet, then prepare a Google Slides presentation (or even handwritten chart) correlating (showing the relationship between) the symptoms of PTSD and the behavior of Bowker and O'Brien
One source: Trauma in The Things They Carried 

PTSD with those Norman Bowker and Tim O'Briend experience after the war.
PTSD Symptoms             Bowker's Behavior and Actions         O'Brien's Behavior and Actions
|   Symptom 1                  | Example 1                                      |  Example 1  
 etc.                                     etc.                                                      etc.
Pages 189-218: 8
Pages 219-246: 3, 4, 5, 6 (really starts on 213)

Next time: Vocabulary, words 11-20. 
Write example sentences. Quiz Monday, November 26th



Tuesday, November 6, 2018

November 8

Yesterday was the election, and clearly, voting made more of a difference than it has in quite some time. And yet, for some reason many people chose not to vote. Why do you think this is?
In your spiral, write down as many reasons as you can think of explaining why some people don't vote. See if you can come up with 10!

Class discussion
Quiz, Things They Carried, 111-154

Study Guide questions. The study guide page numbers are for the first edition of this book (brown one). If you have the black book, subtract approximately 7 pages from these numbers to find your pages. 117 is 111 in the black book. 162 is 155. 189 is 180
Pages 117-136: 3, 4.
Pages 162-188: 1, 2, 3, 4
Pages 189-218: 1, 2, 3, 6

PTSD. Watch both videos
Iraq Vet YouTube 
Iraq Vet 2 Vet YouTube

What is PTSD?
Statistics--PTSD Afghanistan and Iraq

6th Period
1. Students finish Reading Work Sample
*If you have finished your Reading Work Sample, you need to read the following:
What is PTSD?
Statistics--PTSD Afghanistan and Iraq
2. Watch the videos and read info on What is PTSD?
Iraq Vet YouTube 
Iraq Vet 2 Vet YouTube






Thursday, November 1, 2018

November 1/Nov2

1. Pictionary with vocab words. Test Monday
2. Review The Things They Carried. Quiz Monday, pages 110-154
How to tell a true" war story
Part 1: In spiral, review the story "How to Tell a True War Story" and write down three distinguishing characteristics of a true war story, according to Tim O'Brien

Part 2: Review the following stories and give an example of something that makes the story "true"
The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,
___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
The Man I Killed,
___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Speaking of Courage/Notes
___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

3. PTSD
Statistics--PTSD Afghanistan and Iraq
Afghan Vet YouTube 
Iraq Vet YouTube
Notes:
What is their private battle?
What can be done by others to help them?
What could you do to help people like this? (You know people who suffer from PTSD)

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Tue/Wed

Make vocabulary cartoons

Discuss Vietnam packet

Discuss The Man I Killed and Speaking of Courage

PTSD


Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Thujr/Friday, October 18/19

Discuss Everyone Deserves Flowers on their Grave

Thematic Index of This I Believe Essays

Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong--audiobook
Discuss loss, fear, nature, meaning

How to write a true story

Why I Don't Have a High School Diploma--the story of a child soldier--Ishmael Beah





Tuesday, May 22, 2018

22 May

Online text of The Little Prince
  From what I noticed in class, I would say that was the most popular book all year.

  Online text of INHERIT THE WIND

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

The following students MUST finish their SBAC this week with Mrs. Wall:
·         Nathan Green
·         Kaytlin Lyth
·         Cloey Watson
·         Luckie Humphries
·         Payton Cepeda
 


WHENEVER you do a writing Work Sample, it must be done in the document in MY folder:
ESSENTIAL SKILLS ESSAYS--4TH PERIOD FOLDER GOOGLE DOCS
ESSENTIAL SKILLS ESSAYS--8th PERIOD FOLDER GOOGLE DOCS
In other words, you can NOT type it in a document that is in your own Google folder.


NEWS FLASH: YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE TO PASS WRITING SAMPLES!

In the spring of your senior year, you are given the opportunity to retake the SBAC  test.
If you pass it, you will meet the writing requirement (and reading) and then you won't even have to do the work samples!
I suspect that retaking the SBAC will be easier for most of you.
Before we take that test, you must know the following terms:

SBAC terms

We will work on a practice test for half of the period during the next week and half of the period will be spent doing writing samples (which you will have to have if you don't pass the SBAC and which you also have to have for your grade in this class).

SBAC PRACTICE TEST

ESSENTIAL SKILLS ESSAYS--4TH PERIOD FOLDER GOOGLE DOCS
ESSENTIAL SKILLS ESSAYS--8th PERIOD FOLDER GOOGLE DOCS

If you haven't already finished the practice essay on the garbage man:
EXAMPLE ESSAY: GARBAGE MAN Pete
Do it and share.
NOTE: ALWAYS PUT YOUR NAME AND STUDENT NUMBER AT THE TOP OF EVERYTHING YOU SHARE WITH ME.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Garbage Man Essay--Tue/Wed

Here's an example of a full-length essay:

Dear Mr. Johnson,
REMIND HIM WHO YOU ARE AND WHY YOU ARE WRITING.
By all means, you should hire Byron he is a hard working, educated, self starter and a motivated person.He has all the characteristic that you are looking for. Although he doesn't have much experience hands on with waste management, he definitely has the brains to figure things out. GOOD POINT. NOW GIVE A VERY SPECIFIC EXAMPLE. Bryon finish what he starts, Pete does not. Pete claims that he dro0lo zspped out of a community college and said “All my classes were garbage” I don’t think you want that kind of representative to your business. +++Bryon will bring nothing but success to this company. Hire Byron and you won't regret it.


Bryon is a very hardworking guy WHO attended Harvard University and got his B.S degree in business THERE, graduatING in the top 5% of his class. He wrote an award winning paper his senior YEAR entitled: “Down on the Dumps: Nuclear -power4eed Trash Compactors as a Viable Alternative to Landfills in the Twenty-first Century”. TALK A BIT ABOUT WHAT HIS PAPER WAS PROBABLY ABOUT.All of this work is pointing towards success. Harvard's acceptance rate rate is a 5.9% which means about 6 out of 100 people that apply to Harvard only 6 get accepted. Byron is a self starter, you don't need to tell him what to do step by step, give him a task and it will be done right and efficient. He's motivated to get better at what he does each and everyday. He has a bright future wherever he goes. On the other hand Pete isn't so dedicated like Byron is. HOW CAN YOU TELL?  Why would you want someone that doesn't finish what they start? Pete moved to Salem without out a job,typically you get the job first then move.ADD A SENTENCE.


Pete is a former powerlifter who can bench press 530 pounds. This to me reminds me of really good athletes that don't get to play college sports because they don't meet the requirements to attend the college of their choice. Pete is that really good powerlifter that lacks in the education requirement you can be //??the best football player, basketball player, baseball player and also the best powerlifter but if you don't got the grades you don't play college ball. TRANSITION SENTENCE NEEDED Pete went to a community college and did not finish what he started he is a strong guy with no education. CONCLUDE EACH PARAGRAPH


Byron claims that he won't be bothered by the smell of odor so that won't be a problem.Under the circumstances that Pete was in involved in a accident that severed his olfactory nerve, taking away his sense of smell. I believe that right there is not good for your business. Incase of something was burning in the facility and Pete couldn't recognize that it would be bad news from there. Pete doesn't have experience either. He worked at the docks for 2 years. Byron hasn't had a job because he has been in school his whole life. He claims that he is very excited to make this his first successful job.

In the final analysis I believe and you should too, that Byron is the guy you have been looking for to for fill the position in the ACME Waste Management, Inc. He Byron is going to bring money to your company with his great ideas. There isn't a guy out there who could represent the company like Byron. Pete is an uneducated man who is a former powerlifter that use to work at docks who has no sense of smell. Byron is a educated man who attended Harvard who graduated top 5% in his class. Hire Byron Mr.Johnson, you won't regret it.



EXAMPLE 2:


March 5, 2018


Dear, Mr. Lacklyn


PRETTY GOOD JOB :^)
NOW:
ESTABLISH THE SITUATION:
WHO ARE YOU?
WHY ARE YOU WRITING? (YOU NEED TO FILL A POSITION)
HOW DID YOU MEET PETE? WHAT’S YOUR GENERAL IMPRSSION OF PETE?


You should hire Pete Domske because he fits all of the criteria in your add for the job. He has strong arms proven by his, impressive, 530 pound bench press. He can also withstand strong odors due to a tragic accident that severed his olfactory nerve, leaving him not able to smell. These things make it pretty easy for him to complete the job or task required of him, because he is strong he can work for along time without getting fatigued and because he has no sense of smell he can work through some bad smells. He is the logical choice for this job because of his work experience, strong arms, no sense of smell, and his passion for manual labor.


Pete's cousin Matt Domske showed him the article in the paper in wWashington, and Pete being the self starter he is he moved down to salem knowing what he wanted. This shows a lot about Pete about how he was willing to move somewhere new to get a job that he knew fit him perfectly.EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A SELF-STARTER AND GENERALLY MOTIVATED WORKER. He also has a fire in his heart of manual labor, realizing after two years of college that he did not want to go anymore and that he has a passion for hard working.


Pete has the arms for the job to, because as you may recall in your ad you placed in the statesman journal you said this job requires someone with strong arms. Pete definitely fits this build of strong arms with his astonishing bench press of 530 pounds. This guy can definitely move around those miniscule cans that don't weigh more than a water bottle to him, moving them with ease. He has been training his whole life so his muscles are used to the wear and tear of a job. You won't have to wait for him to get big arms because he already has them. WAIT. WHY IS IT IMPOERTANT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THINGS AND MOVE THEM WITH EASE? EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN


The last point on why pete is the no brainer for this job is the fact that pete has no sense of smell because of a tragic accident. It happened while he was working hard on the docks when a crane dropped a small crate and it landed on Pete's head lucky for pete he was wearing a hard hat, but he still lost his sense of smell. This is another aspect of why Pete is such a perfect fit for this company. The man has no smell so he can not be bothered by the strong stench of garbage. He will be able to the the full extent of his job without complaining or needing a mask.

So in conclusion Pete Domsky is the perfect fit for your company because of his strong arms, passion for manual labor, self starter, and he has no sense of smell. All of these things you put in your ad and these seemed to be the most important. If Pete is not a perfect model for this ad, then I don't know who would be. He would help your company out a ton and make you filthy rich by how productive and how little time he wastes.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Thur/Friday

Starting today, anytime you want to leave class for a drink, locker visit, chat with someone on phone, bathroom, you have to sign out on the sheet on my desk. You may go three (3) times per semester. After that, you owe me 5 min after school or during lunch to make up the time missed.

TODAY:
1. Finish sentence combining exercise
2.Garbage Man Debate and Essay preparation

Garbage Man Persuasive Essay

Writing Persuasive Essays

Introduce topic
Take a stand
Be specific

Argue your first point.
    Give a very specific detail to support this first point
    Elaborate for three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
   Conclude your point

Argue your second point.
    Give a very specific detail to support this point
    Elaborate for three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
   Conclude your point

Argue your first point.
    Give a very specific detail to support this first point
    Elaborate for three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
   Conclude your point
Argue your second point.
    Give a very specific detail to support this point
    Elaborate for three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
   Conclude your point

Acknowledge a counter-argument
   "Some people might say that _ _ _.
    Give a very specific detail to support this first point
    Elaborate for one to three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
     State, "However, in actuality _ _ _"
   Conclude your point

Argue your third point.
    Give a very specific detail to support this point
    Elaborate for three sentences
         Be sure to explain "the why"
   Conclude your point
Conclude your argument restating your thesis and emphasizing the urgency of taking your proposed action.


Thursday, January 4, 2018




YOUR ESSAYS--link to folder with essays all of you are writing:
Essential Skills Essays--7th Period 2017
https://drive.google.com/open?id=16L7b2QH7_suCQusQi7guXgo2v2y8e5F_

Run-on and Comma Splice Practice