Dec. 18 - Take the "Gift of the Magi" vocabulary test.  Finish, share, and turn in the language link from "Marigolds."

Dec. 17 - Take the literary terms test.

Dec. 16 - Do the worksheet, "Reading Warm-Up B." Correct and turn in. Discuss and turn in the worksheet and reader's response from yesterday. Remember our literary terms test tomorrow.

Dec. 15 - Do Vocabulary Development, p. 296, #1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10. Then read "Gift of the Magi," p. 287. Do the accompanying worksheet, "Use Prior Knowledge and Experience to Make Inferences." On the back, do Response and Analysis, p. 294, #3 and 6.

Dec. 14 - Get the vocabulary worksheet for "Gift of the Magi." Test/worksheet due on Friday, Dec. 18. Finish and present "Marigolds" collage to the class. Begin the language link worksheet for "Marigolds." We'll finish later this week. Remember the literature test on Thursday, Dec. 17. See Dec. 3 notes for the test list.

Dec. 11 - Take the "Marigolds" vocabulary test. Continue work on "Marigolds" collages. We'll take ten minutes on Monday to finish.

Dec. 10 - Do a "Marigolds" art project. Choose a quote from the story and create a collage that illustrates it. We did this in partnerships, but you can do it on your own if you were absent. See me for examples. We'll finish tomorrow.

Dec. 9 - Do a final practice worksheet on active/passive verbs, "Active and Passive Voice." Do a group discussion on "Marigolds."

Dec. 8 - Review active/passive verbs by doing the worksheet, "Identifying and Using Active and Passive Verbs." Do part A as directed. On part B, just identify the four sentences that would be better left in the passive voice. Don't rewrite any sentences today. Put all this on your "Pronoun Review" paper and turn it in today. In the literature book, read "Marigolds," p. 119. Choose three of the following Response and Analysis questions to do: #6, 7, 8, 9, 10. They're due tomorrow.

Dec. 7 - Begin work on verb usage. Do the Diagnostic Preview in the blue language book, p. 618-619. Then go over the rules of active/passive voice (explained on p. 537-538 in the blue language book). Do Exercises 7 and 8, p. 538 (on your "Pronoun Review" paper). Do the vocabulary worksheet for "Marigolds." Definitions are in the glossary of your literature book (p. 1093) except for impotent (adj.): powerless; helpless. Test/worksheet due on Friday, Dec. 11.

Dec. 4 - Take the "Necklace" vocabulary test. Discuss "The Interlopers" and turn your work on that story plus "The Necklace" in today. Second period did a grammar link worksheet for "The Interlopers." We'll take a few minutes to finish on Monday. Seventh period took a possessive pronoun/contraction test.

Dec. 3 - Seventh period, correct and turn in the grammar link worksheet for "The Necklace." Both classes, with your partner from yesterday, do Vocabulary Development, p. 171. Put this on your "Necklace" letter paper. Read "The Interlopers," p. 156. Do the reader's response questions (on a handout). They're due tomorrow. Two weeks from today, Dec. 17, we'll take a literature test. You should be able to write definitions for exposition, conflict, climax, resolution, dilemma, irony, setting, point of view, and characterization.

Dec. 2 - Seventh period, turn in your "American History" acrostic poem today. Both classes, discuss "The Necklace." With a partner, do the writing extension (instructions on a handout). If you were absent, do this on your own. Seventh period also did the grammar link for "The Necklace." It's due tomorrow.

Dec. 1 - Do the vocabulary worksheet for "The Necklace." Test/worksheet due on Friday, Dec. 4. Take the pronoun usage test. Read "The Necklace," p. 60 in the literature book. For tomorrow, do Response and Analysis, p. 170, #3 and 6. Seventh period, remember to finish and turn in your "My American History" acrostic poem (from Nov. 24) tomorrow.

Nov. 30 - To prepare for a pronoun test tomorrow, do parts A-C of the Chapter Review, p. 567-568 in the language book. Then do a group pronoun practice worksheet. I forgot to give both classes the vocabulary list today, but we'll get it tomorrow. Plan on a test on Friday, Dec. 4.

Nov. 24 - Review the rules for punctuating possessive and indefinite pronouns and determining whether to use a possessive pronoun or a contraction. In the blue language book, do Ex. 4 and Ex. 5 on p. 703-704. Then do a worksheet, "Possessive Personal Pronouns." Finally, write sentences demonstrating the correct use of whose/who's; your/you're; their/they're; its/it's. You may combine two in one, such as It's likely the horse needs its shoes replaced. Have sentences checked and then turn all this pronoun work in. Discuss "An American Story." Do the writing extension for "American History" (instructions on a handout). Put this on your "American Story" paper. Some turned it in today, but you may turn it in on Monday, Nov. 30, as well.

Nov. 23 - Go over the procedure for using pronouns in unfinished construction and do Ex. 7, p. 564 in the language book. To finish up our literature unit on considering history in literature, read "An American Story" and "Ex-Refugee is Nominated for Justice Post," p. 262 in the literature book. On p. 266, do Response and Analysis, either #4 or #9, and #7. This is due tomorrow.

Nov. 19 - Seventh period began by doing the Vocabulary Development, p.576 in the literature book. Both classes, take the "American History" vocabulary test. Do group work on the story. Turn in your work from "Ballad of Birmingham" and "American History."

Nov. 18 - Read "American History," p. 565. On p. 575, do Response and Analysis #5 and #6. On #6, read and response to the first two bulleted items only, and since the questions are somewhat the same, you may combine them into one response. Put this on your "Ballad of Birmingham" paper. It's due tomorrow. Second period also did the Vocabulary Development, p. 576.

Nov. 17 - Start a new paper, "Advanced Pronouns." On it, put your answers to the who/whom worksheet. Then write two sentences demonstrating the correct use of who and two demonstrating the correct use of whom. Read "Literary Focus," p. 463 in the literature book. Then read "Ballad of Birmingham," p. 464. After reading "The History Behind the Ballad," p. 465 (and reading the ballad again if you need to) do Response and Analysis, p. 466, #5 and 7. This is due tomorrow.

Nov. 16 - Finish the worksheet on objective pronouns. Then use the following combinations in sentences, using the pronouns as objects: 1. Ted and me; 2. him and his brother; 3. us football fans; 4. them and their neighbors; 5. her and her aunt. Turn this pronoun work in today. Do the vocabulary worksheet for "American History." You may skip #1 (literally) and #9 (linger). You can find the definitions in the glossary, p. 1093, of your literature book. Test/worksheet due on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Nov. 13 - Take the "Beware of the Dog" vocabulary test. Continue work on pronouns. Second period did a worksheet on nominative pronouns and wrote sentences using the following combinations as subjects: 1. Ted and I; 2. He and his brother; 3. We football fans; 4. They and their neighbors; 5. She and her aunt. Seventh period began a worksheet on objective pronouns. We'll finish this on Monday.

Nov. 12 - Second period, do a group discussion of "Beware of the Dog." On p. 605, read "Wounded and Trapped" and then answer Response and Analysis, #10, p. 607. Put this on the back of your historical/biographical chart. We finished and turned this in today. Also, begin work on pronouns. We'll continue tomorrow. Seventh period, read "The Great Escape" and do the "Practice the Standard" questions and "What Do You Think Now?" Continue work with nominative pronouns and write sentences using the following combinations as subjects: 1. Ted and I; 2. He and his brother; 3. We football fans; 4. They and their neighbors; 5. She and her aunt. We'll correct and turn this in tomorrow.

Nov. 11 - Fourth period, read "Literary Roots," p. 562-563 in the literature book. Then read "Beware of the Dog," p. 601. On the back of the historical/biographical analysis chart, answer the reader's response questions (on a handout). Then read "Meet the Writer," p. 603. Finally, fill in the front of the historical/biographical analysis chart. Seventh period, do a group discussion on "Beware of the Dog." On p. 605, read "Wounded and Trapped" and then answer Response and Analysis, #10, p. 607. Put this on the back of your historical/biographical chart. It's due tomorrow.

Nov. 10 - We missed second period today because of an assembly. Seventh period, read "Literary Roots," p. 562-563 in the literature book. Then read "Beware of the Dog," p. 601. On the back of the historical/biographical analysis chart, answer the reader's response questions (on a handout). Then read "Meet the Writer," p. 603. Finally, fill in the front of the historical/biographical analysis chart.

Nov. 9 - Get the vocabulary worksheet for "Beware of the Dog." Test/vocab due on Friday, Nov. 13. Second period, complete the test analysis worksheet for the benchmark test we took last week and turn it in. Do a pronoun worksheet to review the work that pronouns do. Seventh period took the diagnostic preview, p. 548, in Elements of Language. They also did a pronoun worksheet on nominative pronouns. We'll correct it tomorrow.

Nov. 6 - Take the "Caliban" vocabulary test. Turn in your "Soul of Caliban" and "Dog Star" responses. Report on group work from yesterday and turn it in. Seventh period also did a pronoun worksheet. We'll finish it on Monday.

Nov. 5 - On p. 33 of the literature book, read "Dog Star." Do three reader's response questions (on a handout). Put these on the same paper as your "Caliban" response. They're due tomorrow. Begin a group discussion of the two dog stories. We'll finish this, as well as your Caliban obituary/ballad, tomorrow.

Nov. 4 - Discuss "Soul of Caliban" and do a group assignment on characterization. Begin a partner writing assignment (on a handout). We'll finish tomorrow. Keep your "Caliban" work until tomorrow.

Nov. 3 - Correct and turn in the "Cask of Amontillado" grammar link worksheet. Copy a new literary term: characterization. If you were absent, be sure to get this from someone. Read "The Soul of Caliban" (in a packet) and do the reader's response (on a handout). This is due tomorrow.

Nov. 2 - Go over the vocabulary worksheet for "The Soul of Caliban." Test/worksheet due on Friday, Nov. 6. Do the grammar link worksheet for "Cask of Amontillado." Second period took the Quarter 1 Benchmark Test. Seventh period began work on pronouns, doing the worksheet, "Identifying and Using Pronouns."

Oct. 29 - Discuss and turn in the synthesis chart for the Poe articles. Read "The Raven." On your "Cask of Amontillado" paper, answer Thinking About the Selection, #4, 6, 7, and Critical Thinking and Reading, #1. Most in second period finished and turned in today, but you may bring it on Monday, November 2, if you didn't finish today. Seventh period finished and turned it in.

Oct. 28 - Present and turn in the "Crime and Punishment" speech. Read the four articles on Poe's death, p. 184-190. Complete the synthesis worksheet, filling in one section of the sheet for each article. You should have at least three support details in each "Supporting Details" box. Then, in the "Synthesis" box on one side of the worksheet, write your conclusion about Poe's death. (Use a structure like this: "Based on the evidence, it's most likely that Poe..." or "After reading these articles, I believe..." )You can leave the other synthesis box blank.

Oct. 27 - Discuss "Cask of Amontillado." With a partner, do "Crime and Punishment," p. 181. Fill in the outline (on a handout) first. If you were absent, do this on your own.

Oct. 26 - Read "The Cask of Amontillado," p. 172 in the literature book. On p. 181, do Response and Analysis, #7, 10, 11. This is due tomorrow.