12/5/11: Outline for In-Class Timed Essay

Topic of timed essay:  Did George do the right thing at the end of Of Mice and Men?

Please come to class prepared with an outline of your essay, blank paper, your book, and a writing utensil.  You will have only the class period to complete the timed essay.

Assignment for 11/28/11

Please complete the novel (starting with Chapter 5). 

Journal #17: Your Choice: Diary from the Perspective of Curley, Curley's Wife, or Crooks

Two paragraphs.

Assignment for 11/17 and 11/18

Please read through page 83 in Of Mice and Men, work on your characterization charts.  Also, please complete Journal #17:  Diary from the Perspective of Curley, Curley's Wife, OR Crooks.

Assignment for 11/15 (Classwork and Homework)

Please complete Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men and write one entry per column in your "Characterization Chart" for each of the following characters:  Lennie, George, Curley, Candy, and Slim.  You do not need to complete the column "Does the character change?" until the end of the novel.

Of Mice and Men Characterization Chart

Here is a link to the chart in case you lose it:
OMAM Characterization Chart

In-class work 11/14/11

In class, we viewed and discussed photographs about the Great Depression on the following website:  http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm

Then, we read Of Mice and Men through page 53.  No Journal Entry today.

Journal #16: Diary from the Perspective of Candy

After reading through page 49 in Of Mice and Men, write two paragraphs from the perspective of Candy.

Reading Assignment for 11/7/11

Please read through page 37 (finish Chapter 2) and complete Journal #15 by Tuesday.

Journal #15: Diary from the Perspective of Lennie

Following Chapter 2, pretend you are Lennie and write a diary entry from his perspective.  2 paragraphs, 10 points.

Reading Assignment for 11/4

Please read Of Mice and Men through page 30.

Journal #14: George's Diary

Write a "diary" entry in your journal from the perspective of George (using the first person, "I").  Pretend you are George, and reflect on your relationship with Lennie, being a migrant worker, and your dreams, and your internal conflict.  (2 paragraphs - 10 points)

Journal #13: Exposition of the story Of Mice and Men

Describe the exposition of Of Mice and Men.  (1 paragraph - 5 points)

(Hint:  Here is your topic sentence:  The exposition of Of Mice and Men reveals something about its characters, setting, and initial conflict.)

Reading Assignment for 11/2/11

Please read Chapter One of Of Mice and Men. 

History of Mental Illness in the United States

Please read the article linked below, and take detailed notes as you read.  Quiz is an open-notes quiz.

History of Mental Illness by Kimberly Leupo

Speak Literary Analysis Essay - Rough Draft Due Friday, 10/21/11

Link to Lit Analysis Essay Description

Reading Assignment for 10/12

Please finish the book Speak by tomorrow.

Reading Assignment for 10/11/11

If you were absent, please read through page 173 in Speak.

Journal #12: Quotes Where Melinda is Struggling to Speak

Find 3 quotes/paragphrases in which Melinda struggles with speaking.  Be sure to introduce the quote and use MLA citations at the end.

Journal #11: Three Quotes from Speak/Beginning

Find and write down three quotes, or if it is longer quote, PARAPHRASE that quote.  The quotes should somehow describe Melinda's struggle with expressing herself through her tree project in the beginning/middle of the novel.

Reading Assignment for 10/5

In class reading through page 150.  Homework is to work on Object Project, which is due on Friday.

Reading Assignment for 10/4

Please read through page 143 for Wednesday.

Reading Assignment for 10/3

For students absent on 10/3:  Read Speak through page 119.

Reading Assignment for 9/29

Please read Speak to page 107.

Journal #10: "Showing" Paragraph About Your Object

Complete the following "telling" sentence:  ___<Your object>___ is _____________________.

Then, write a "showing" paragraph using lots of details that is at least 8 sentences in length.

Object Project - Due Friday, October 7

Now that you have been doing some writing about your object, I want you to take your ideas and turn your project into a piece of art that has no words, but expresses something meaningful. It should express something about you, life in general, or society. You can make a sculpture, a drawing, a collage, a painting, a film, or any other form of artistic expression that you come up with. R-read your writing to get some inspiration and perspective. You have two weeks to do this project, so i am expecting to see two weeks worth of effort.

I will grade you on the following:

1. Effort and time put into the piece.
2. No words used in the piece.
3. The piece expresses something meaningful about your, life, or society.
4. The object you assigned is either the subject of the piece, or a significant element in the piece.
5. Your piece of art is original and a product of YOUR OWN creative expression.
6. Piece is completed and presented in class on October 7.

Reading Assignment for 9/28

Read through page 97 in Speak.  Nuth is testing students on Thursday and will be out. 
HW tonight is to come up with some solid ideas for your Object Project.

Reading Assignment for 9/27/11

Please read Speak up to "Can It" on page 88.

Reading Assignment Due Tues., 9/26

Read through page 68 in Speak.  Reading check on Tuesday.

Reading Assignment due Monday 9/26

Finish reading "First Marking Period" in Speak.

Journal #9: It's ALIVE!!!

Write a short story (2 or more complete paragraphs), in which your object comes alive in a supernatural way.

Reading Assignment (In-Class) for 9/22

In class today, we read up to page 39 in Speak.

Journal #8: From the perspective of someone interacting with your object...

Write one "showing" paragraph from the perspective of someone interacting (i.e. using, viewing, discussing) with your object in some way.

Journal #7: From the perspective of your object...

Write at least one complete paragraph pretending that your object can see, hear, and feel.  In this journal entry, become your object and discuss your objects perspective.  Be creative...this is designed to be fun!

Journal #6: Showing Paragraph

Read the handout linked below.  On page two of the handout, there will be a list of "telling" sentences.  Turn ONE of them into a "showing" paragraph in your journal.

Link to "Showing vs. Telling"

Reading Assignment 9/20/11

Read Speak up to page 26 (completed in class).

Reading Assignment 9/19/11

Today in class, we read up to page 21.  There will be no reading homework tonight.

Journal #5: Research Your Object

Spend some time doing research on your object and summarize your findings. You might look at the history of your object, how it is built, its uses, scientific information about it, etc. You will share your findings on Thursday. (One 8-sentence paragraphs worth 5 points.)

Journal #4: High School "Clans"

Re-read the passage from Speak on page 4 that begins with "Older students" and ends with "And I don't have anyone to sit with."  You may choose ONE of the two questions to respond to in an 8-sentence paragraph.

1.  Describe a time when you felt like the speaker.

OR

2.  Do you think it is important to have a clan in high school?  Explain why or why not.

Do not forget your Topic Sentence, Concrete Details, and Conclusion Sentence in your 8-Sentence Paragraph.

Courage Essay 2011

Click here to access Courage Essay Introduction

Click here to access the Introduction to 5-Paragraph Essay PowerPoint Lecture


Rough Drafts are due in Mrs. Nuth's emailbox (nuthenglish@hotmail.com) by Monday, September 12, 4 PM.
Final Drafts are due in Mrs. Nuth's hand (printed on paper) on Friday, September 16 by 3:20 PM.

Journal #3: 8-Sentence Paragraph on Courage

What is courage?

Write an 8-sentence paragraph in which you define the word courage, and then include details to support your definition.

Journal #2: 8-Sentence Paragraph Practice

After viewing the examples on the PowerPoint linked below, plan and write a polished 8-sentence paragraph on your favorite anything.  It could be your favorite band, your favorite food, your favorite sports team, your favorite subject, your favorite book, etc.  Complete this in your journal/composition book.

Link to Intro to 8-Sentence Paragraphs PowerPoint

Journal #1: Letter to Nuth-Kajtaniak

In 2-3 paragraphs (8-sentence paragraphs), write a letter to Ms. Nuth in your journal that focuses on the following:

- How do you feel about reading and writing?  Be honest.
- Explain why you feel the way you do.
- Discuss your personal history with reading and writing.  What can you remember about reading and writing during your childhood?
- What are your favorite and least favorite things to read and write?

2-3 paragraphs, 10 points

9th Grade Literary Terminology Link

Link to Lit Terms Handout

Personality Bag Assignment - Due Friday, August 25

Link to Personality Bag Assignment

Journal #28: "Star Spangled Banner," Hendrix-style

Write down a paragraph reflecting on the two versions of the "Star Spangled Banner" that you experienced in class today:  The Beyonce version and the Hendrix version.  Which did you prefer?  What do you think was the underlying message of both versions?  How did they make you feel, specifically?

Journal #27: Intro to Native American Literature

Write down everything you (think you) know about Native Americans.

Applying SOAPSTone Literary Analysis to Romeo and Juliet

1.  Subject:  What is (briefly) happening in your assigned scene?
2.  Occasion:  All writers are influenced by the larger occasion: an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. What are the rhetorical occasions in your scene?  Are there visions, memories, debates, monologues,  jesting, and/or fighting within your scene?
3.  Audience:  To whom is this scene directed?  Who was the audience of Shakespeare's plays?
4.  Purpose:  Why do you think Shakespeare included this scene in the play?  What is the purpose of the scene in the larger context of the play as a whole?
5.  Speaker:  The voice that tells the story.  Which characters are in your scene and what are their roles in the scene.  In their dialogue, what literary devices and figurative language do you notice? Describe them!  Metaphors, similes, hyperbole, personification?  Irony?  Symbolism?
6.  Tone:  What is the attitude or vibe of the scene?  Is it humorous, suspenseful, gloomy, exciting, or a combination of both?  (Later in your essay, you will comment on how you've interpreted and even changed the tone in your re-creation of the scene.)

Journal #26: Contrasting the Text and the Film

In two or more paragraphs, discuss the differences you notice between the film version and the text of Romeo and Juliet, paying specific attention to the setting, characterization, plot, additions, and deletions.  Due on Thursday, April 7.

Friday 4/1: Final Group Project Work Session

1.  Exchange phone numbers/email addresses.
2.  Choose a note-taker for the day.
3.  Review your scene.  What is the tone of the scene?  In what way(s) might you change the tone?
4.  Brainstorm various potential settings of the scene. (Take notes.)
5.  Brainstorm different roles each group members might take.  Who is going to do what?  (Take notes.)
6.  Decide if you will re-write the scene, and how you might do that.
7.  Plan a meeting time either during lunch and/or after school next week.

Romeo and Juliet Update 3/29

Make sure you have read through Act IV, Scene 4, and be prepared for Quiz on Acts II/III.  Study Guide should be complete through Act III. 

Romeo and Juliet Update

For those who have been absent, we are currently up to Act III, Scene 2.  Please stay up to date with both reading and Study Guide during your absence.  

Journal #25: Act II Prologue Translation

Please paraphrase the Prologue of Act II in your own words that you can understand.

Journal #24: "Old vs. Young" in Act I of Romeo and Juliet

The theme of conflict between the old and the young runs throughout the entire play.  In one paragraph, describe what you have seen of that theme so far in the play.  In what ways are are the old and the young in conflict with each other?  (1 paragraph = 5 points)

Romeo and Juliet 3/8/11

In class today, we read through Act I, Scene 2 and completed Study Guide Questions.

Journal #23: Prologue of Romeo and Juliet

In your journal, open to page 13, translate "The Prologue" of Romeo and Juliet into your own words. 

(5 points)

Poetic Elements Exam Review

Poetry Exam Review Sheet Link

Poetry Journal #11: Poem Describing an Exciting Moment

Write a poem that describes one particular moment of excitement, using imagery, alliteration, and other poetic devices to make your reader experience that excitement with you.

Poetry Journal #10: Personification or Hyperbole

Write a poem using hyperbole or personification, or both.

Take-Home Quiz: Literary Analysis of a Poem

On binder paper:  Literary Analysis of a Poem Using SOAPSTone:

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

(Hint:  This poem is an extended implied metaphor for something.)

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Poetry Journal #9: Where I'm From Poem

Write a "Where I'm From" Poem like the one we composed in class that has an original title and at least four stanzas and at least 16 lines. Start by making lists:  things you see in your room, your home, your neighborhood, things you hear, things you eat, family members, ancestors, advice your family gives you, demands people make of you, music that surrounds you.  Remember to end the poem with a stanza that summarizes your message as a poet, and remember that this poem is all about giving your reader an impression of who you are and what has shaped you.

Literary Analysis of a Poem Using SOAPSTONE

Link to Introductory PowerPoint on SOAPSTONE

Poetry Journal #8: Extended Implied Metaphor Poem

Write a poem that includes an extended implied metaphor comparing one thing to another without directly stating it.  My suggestion is to choose a natural phenomenon and either compare it to something else, or compare something to a natural phenomenon.  Some natural phenomenon include:  tornado, hurricane, earthquake, volcano, snow, lighting, thunder, clouds, etc.  Some students examples:  Lightning is a snake.  Mankind is a cancer. 

At least 7 lines organized however you'd like.  Here's an example:



FOG
by: Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

HE fog comes

on little cat feet.

 

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Poetry Journal # 7: Extended Metaphor for Family

Using the poems from class about families (as extended metaphors) as an example, write your OWN poem containing an extended metaphor for family.  7 lines or MORE.

Poetry Journal #6: Simile Poem

Take any emotion and write a poem as outlined below:

A.  (Your chosen emtotion) is (a color).
B.  It sounds like _____________________________.
C.  It tastes like ______________________________.
D.  It smells like ______________________________.
E.  (Your same chose emotion) feels like ___________________________.

Poetry Journal #5: Two Poems (or one longer one) using Concrete Images to Describe Abstract Ideas

Write a poem (at two stanzas of five lines) or two poems using two different abstract ideas.  Use concrete images to describe an abstract idea. 

An abstract idea is:  anything that cannot be directly experienced with the senses (for example, pain, love, hate, life, death, shame, joy, friendship, embarrassment, beauty, loneliness, etc.

A concrete image:  anything that can be experienced with the senses.

Poetry Journal #4: Sensory Description Poem

Write a poem of at least one stanza of five lines that uses sensory details to describe something that you love or hate.  Foods are great topics for this exercise.

Poetry Journal #3: Place Poem (Using your writing from Poetry Journal #2)

Look at your previous journal entry, and re-read it while highlighting and/or underlining phrases and/or words that you like the most or find most expressive/interesting.  Then, for Poetry Journal #3, arrange those words on a page in any way you'd like.  Think about the way the words sound, and think about how you would like to set up the poem.  Do you want it to be a few stanzas, or just one long one?  Play with the words knowing that there are no rules.  Your finished poem must be at least 8-10 lines long structured however you'd like.


(8+ lines = 5 points)

1st Semester Final Review

Overview:
Literary Terminology
Short Stories 
Of Mice and Men 
Grammar including use of commas, passive vs. active voice, and sentence fragments.
Showing vs. Telling 
Reading Comprehension/Comparing Themes

Short Stories:
“The Most Dangerous Game” (Connell), “Cask of Amontillado”  (Poe), “Thank You Ma’am” (Langston Hughes), “The Necklace” (Maupassant), “The Sniper” (O’Flaherty), “The Gift of the Magi” (O. Henry), “An American Story” (Lewis)

Link to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) page on "commas" 

Poetry Journal #2: Describing a Favorite Place with Sensory Description

On a page of your journal, using as many sensory descriptions as possible, describe your favorite place to be.  It can be a physical space or an emotional space.  Write in sentence form, but don't worry about paragraph form, spelling, and grammar.  That is not important here.  Just write as much as you can, as quickly as possible, with as much sensory details (things you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel) as possible.  Try to fill up at least one side of a page of your journal.

(5 points)

Poetry Journal #1: Defining "Poetry"?

(Make a new section of your journal for poetry by folding over a couple pages of your journal so it is easy to get to your poetry journal.)

Part One:  In three sentences, describe what you think poetry is.  What makes it different than regular writing?

Part Two:  After reflecting on today's activities and definitions of poetry, how has your definition changed?  Write a new definition, or choose one from the list and explain why you have chosen it.

(1 paragraph = 5 points)

Journal # 22: Found Poems

Write two poems that you have "found" in any book that is close to you.  You do this by finding random groups of words throughout the book, and arranging them on a page.  The poems do NOT have to make sense.

Journal #21: Your Personal "List"

Zora, the protagonist of "Wonder Woman" of the This American Life episode "Superpowers," makes a list of all the things in life she would like to accomplish.

Make your own list of things you want to learn, accomplish, do, or places you would like to go sometime in your lifetime.  Try to list ten.

Choose one of your items on the list, and elaborate in one paragraph.  5 points.

Journal # 20: Superpowers

If you could choose between the power of flight or the power of invisibility, what would you choose and why?  (1 paragraph, 5 points)