7th Grade Homework Announcement!

Please e-mail me a news article about space travel to Mars before class tomorrow. Your article should not be more than 5 years old!

Week of February 27th

Mid-year CDTs are now behind us and this week we will get back on track with the work we were doing before we began testing. This week will focus on responding to literature in all classes. Each class will finish reading the literature they have been working through, if they have not done so already. Some classes will work on writing as a response to literature and other classes will begin other projects related to the literature. Either way, this is a heads up that you will have assignments worth large amounts of points coming up. Being just over half-way through the marking period, these grades will have a significant impact on your marking period average!

English 9

Monday we are going to read chapter 11 of The Outsiders. We will read chapter 12 on Tuesday and that will bring the novel to a close. This means you will have a quiz on chapters 9 through 12 on Wednesday. Your study guides will be due on the same day. These packets will be worth 57 points.

Thursday and Friday we will watch the film The Outsiders  to prepare for your final project on the novel.

Homework

Monday: Finish chapter 11 study guide questions

Tuesday: Finish any Critical Thinking and Post Reading questions you did not finish in class. Study for quiz.

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday: Choose novel project

English 7

We are going to continue our practice with Text Dependent Analysis this week with the article "Warning! This Trip to Mars Might Bore You to Death!". We completed our first read of this article on Friday, will complete the second on Monday and the third on Tuesday. We will continue to discuss the different goals for each read and how we can prepare for writing as we read. You will then conduct your own research on the topic of space travel to Mars and write an editorial on whether or not we should travel to Mars.

Homework

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

English 11

We finished our writing workshop on Friday and you will begin brainstorming for you Of Mice and Men paper on Monday. By the end of class Monday, I expect you to have a thesis on which your paper will be based. We will continue through the writing process for the remainder of the week and your paper will be due to me next Monday, 3/6. Your paper must be typed! If you expect to have difficulty typing your paper, see me before Friday.

Homework

Monday: Write thesis to be approved on Tuesday.

Tuesday: Finish outline for Wednesday.

Wednesday:

Thursday: Finish typing rough draft for peer review tomorrow.

Friday: Revise paper and type final copy. Paper is due on Monday.

PSSA Announcement!

Attention English 7 Honors Students and Parents!

We have about 1 month to gear up for our English PSSAs. We need to be focused and determined throughout March. To give you a heads up on what is coming your way, I will be focused on 3 key concepts for the month of March. They are:

1. Text-Dependent Analysis. This means we're going to use information from something we read to support our opinions and beliefs about the text!
2. Craft and Structure. This means we're going to look at how authors write their texts. Do they use headings? Separate it into sections? Have it flow like one essay? Write it like a play? Use figurative language? And so many more!
3. Author's Purpose and Main Ideas. This might be a review for some of you, but it is one of those things that is easy to forget! We're going to ask ourselves "Why" an author is writing and what they want readers to get out of it.

Week of February 21st

This week is another short week and some of it will be spent on CDTs. The rest of the week will shift our focus back to literature and most classes will be wrapping up the material we have been reading this Marking Period.

English 9
Tuesday we will finish taking the CDT tests. If you completed the test last week, please be sure to bring something to class with you to work on. If you do not have anything to do during this class period, I will assign you a book to read.

Wednesday you will take your quiz on chapters 5 through 8 of The Outsiders. Your study guide is due the same day.

Thursday and Friday we will continue reading The Outsiders. This last section of the novel will go the fastest and you will have a quiz on this section next week. After your final test, we will complete a project based on the novel, watch the film and write an essay.

Homework
Tuesday: Study for Outsiders quiz chapters 5-8. See study guide in previous post.
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Read something you enjoy!


English 7
Tuesday we will finish taking the CDT tests.  If you completed the test last week, please be sure to bring something to class with you to work on. If you do not have anything to do during this class period, I will assign you a book to read.

Wednesday we will review elements of an argumentative essay and use the essay "Leaving Main Street" as an example. We will discuss why this essay is a good example of an argumentative piece of writing and how you can mimic this in your own writing. This is in preparation for the argumentative essay you will be writing at the end of Unit 2. I expect to be working on this essay early next week.

Thursday and Friday we will read the article "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!." We will take the information and opinions presented in this article, combine them with Bradbury's view of Mars in "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed," and write an editorial in which you answer the following question: Do the benefits of exploring Mars outweigh the risks? You will be asked to use evidence from both texts to support your response.

Homework
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Finish reading "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!," if you did not do so in class.


English 11
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we will spend time looking more closely at specific quotes and symbols from Of Mice and Men. All of our preparation this week will culminate in an essay you will write responding to the text. This essay will ask you to analyze the text using our discussions and details you noticed in the text. It will require that you support your analysis with quotes and details from the text. You will have Thursday and Friday in class to complete this essay. It will be due to me, typed, on Monday.

Homework
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: Revise and finish Of Mice and Men essay.

Outsiders Ch. 5-8 Study Guide

This study guide should help you prepare for your quiz on The Outsiders, which you will take on Wednesday, 2/22.

Week of February 13th

This week is a short week- you have a 4 day weekend to look forward to to help keep you focused and motivated! All classes will spend Thursday this week CDT testing. We will finish testing on Tuesday.

Schedule adjusted. Changes indicated in red.

English 9
This week we are going to continue reading The Outsiders and I hope to finish chapters 7 and 8. After finishing chapter 8, you will be responsible for completing the study guide from chapters 5 through 8. Keep in mind, you will have a quiz coming up on chapters 5 through 8 next week. You can expect this quiz on Wednesday, 2/22. This quiz will focus mostly on plot and will be worth 60 points.

Homework:
Monday:
Tuesday: Finish chapter 7 study guide questions for The Outsiders.
Wednesday: Finish chapter 8 study guide questions for The Outsiders, including Critical Thinking questions on pages 16 and 17 of the study guide.
Thursday: Read something you enjoy!



English 7
This week we are going to finish up the radio play of "Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed." As I have been mentioning to you, once we finish this radio play we will have a discussion on the similarities and differences between the text and the play. We will consider why the producer of the play made these changes and what impact they have on the telling and meaning of the story. Following this discussion, there will be an 3-question quiz on these similarities and differences. Please be prepared to take this quiz on Wednesday. After the quiz, we will read an example of an argumentative essay to prepare for our own writing assignment later next week.

Homework:
Monday: Review changes from "Dark They Were..." story and radio play.
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Finish reading "Leaving Main Street" on pages 120 and 121 of your textbook.
Thursday: Read something you enjoy!



English 11
We will start this week with a quiz on chapters 3 and 4 of Of Mice and Men. This quiz will be mostly short answer and focus almost entirely on plot. However, I want you to continue thinking about the symbolism present in the novel and what comments Steinbeck is making on the nature of mankind and how the pressures of The Great Depression influence human behavior. I hope to finish reading chapters 5 and 6 this week. This means you will have your final quiz on the novella next week. You can expect this quiz on Wednesday.

Homework:
Monday: Brainstorm the symbols that emerged in these chapters. Make a graphic organizer.
Tuesday: Finish study guide questions for chapter 5.
Wednesday: Finish study guide questions for chapter 6.
Thursday: Read something you enjoy!

Snow Day Updates

Due to Thursday's snow day, there will be changes to our schedule. Please note the changes below.

English 9: Outsiders chapter 5 and 6 critical thinking questions due Friday
                 Outsiders chapters 5-8 quiz expected on Friday of next week


English 11: Of Mice and Men chapters 3 and 4 quiz Monday


English 7:"Dark They Were and Golden Eyed" radio play vs. text quiz Monday


CDT Testing for these classes will be held on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Please be prepared to test for the entire period on both of those days.

Any questions or concerns please feel free to email me!

Week of February 6th

It's February, the coldest month of the year. To me, that means it's an excellent opportunity to stay inside and read! Hopefully you use the low temperatures to your advantage and do the same at least once or twice this month.

All of our classes are going to continue working with the literature we have been working on. English 11, this week will potentially bring Of Mice and Men to a close and I'm looking forward to the discussions of morality we will have. English 9, we're going to push forward with The Outsiders. English 7, we are going to continue working through Unit 2. This means a new piece of literature as well as a new writing task for us to complete. 

Academic English 9

We will continue reading The Outsiders this week and you will likely have your second quiz on the novel on Friday. As you are aware, this also means I will be checking your study guides to be sure you are answering both the comprehension and critical thinking questions, as well as the figurative language charts. Please make sure you are keeping up with these as we read. It is much easier to complete it in small sections than to try and fill it all in before it is collected.

Homework

Monday-

Tuesday- Complete critical thinking questions for chapters 5 and 6 

Wednesday- Review for quiz on chapters 5 through 8. 

Thursday- Complete critical thinking questions for 7 and 8. Study for quiz.

Friday- Enjoy your weekend.

Honors English 7

This week will start with quiz corrections from the quiz we took on Friday. Tuesday we are going to listen to a radio adaptation of the short story we read last week. We will have a discussion of the differences and similariaites we notice between the 2 versions and what implications those changes have on the mood and theme of the story. Towards the end of the week we will be reading a news article "Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!." All of these readings are leading up to an argumentative writing assignment we will begin next week.

Homework
Monday- Finish quiz corrections
Tuesday-
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-

English 11
We are going to continue reading Of Mice and Men this week. I expect to finish reading chapter 4 on Tuesday and we will complete the study guide at that time. You can expect a quiz on chapters 3 and 4 to come in the second half of the week. I am expecting the quiz will fall on Thursday.

Homework
Monday-
Tuesday- Finish chapter 4 study guide
Wednesday- Study for quiz
Thursday-
Friday- 

Quiz Day Reminders

There will be minor adjustments to our schedule to accommodate for Tuesday's snow day.
However,

• English 9 will still have a quiz on chapters 1-4 of The Outsiders on Friday
• English 7 will still have a quiz on "Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed" on Friday and
• English 11 will take the chapters 1 and 2 Of Mice and Men quiz on Wednesday,