Monday, March 15, 2010

work for week of 3/15

We are beginning an independent book unit this week. You should select a book which both challenges you and one you can enjoy. This book should be completed by Monday, April 5th.

Expectations: You should read at least 15 pages each night. In order to meet the standard on this unit, you must complete a 200 page book of either fiction or nonfiction.

In addition, we are studying SAT vocabulary this month. Please download the SAT words and begin studying them. We'll have a quiz on the first twenty words next Tuesday, March 23rd.

I'll post more on our persuasive letter project midweek.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Before you pass in your essay...

Here is a list of things to do before passing in your essay:
1. Delete all the scaffolds in the essay so it is just your work. Each paragraph should look like a paragraph.

2. Make sure you have 5 paragraphs, 3 fully developed body paras with quotes, and an intro and conclusion.

3. MLA format and header is in place.

4. Copy rubric and attach it to the end of your essay.

5. Save your essay as lastnamelofessay.

6. Put in workspaces under your period or print out and pass into inbox.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Journals for Lord of the Flies (again)

We'll write journals as we read Lord of the Flies. I plan to collect the first set of journals on block day, 2/10 and 2/11. I'll post the journals here as we complete them. If you are absent, please look here. You will be required to complete all of them before the due date. Thanks.

Journal #1 (completed in January around goals)

Journal #2 If you were stranded on a deserted island with 15 of your classmates, how do you think you would survive? What strengths do you already have that would help you? Do you think it would be important to have rules? Why or why not?Do you think it would be important to have a leader? Why or why not? Do you think you would make a good leader in this situation? Explain.

Journal #3: Choose one character from Lord of the Flies and write a letter home explaining what has happened on the island so far. Include important information including events, people, and what you think this character wants most of all.

Journal #4: Please describe the following characters. In this description, explain what you think their strengths and weaknesses are. Also, make a guess as to what you think each represents.
Ralph:
Jack:
Piggy:
"littluns":

Journal #5:
1. Find the paragraph on the top of page 181 which begins: "The rock struck Piggy..."
2. Select the two most important sentences in the paragraph(in your opinion) and write them in quotes. Explain why you chose these two sentences.
2. Who do you think is to blame for Piggy's death? Why? What do the deaths of Simon and Piggy have in common? How does William Golding feel about human nature? About laws and rules? Explain your answer.

Monday, February 22, 2010

work for week of 2/22

We shall finish Lord of the Flies this week. Here is the daily schedule:

Monday: Finish chapter 9
Tuesday: Finish chapter 10
Block day: Finish chapter 11 in class. Read chapter 12 for homework
Friday: Quiz on chapters 9-12 and Journals 1-5 are due

Next week, we'll work on the essay for Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies chapters 9-12

Chapter 9
Simon is considered a mystic. What does that mean?
What happens to him? Explain the scene.
Who is responsible for his death? How do you know?
What is the significance of the chapter ending? Explain.
Chapter 10
Did things return to normal after Simon’s death? Explain.
What do you think will happen to Piggy? Why?
Are Piggy’s attempts at being reasonable ridiculous? Explain.
Chapter 11
What happens to Piggy? Did you think it would happen? How did you know? Describe the scene.
What happens to the conch? What do you think it symbolizes?
Chapter 12
What do you think is going to happen to Ralph? Explain why you think so.
Describe the chase between Jack and Ralph.
What happens at the end of the book?

Monday, February 8, 2010

homework for week of 2/8

This week, the reading schedule is as follows:

Monday: Finish chapter 5
Tuesday: Finish chapter 6
Wednesday: Finish chapter 7
Friday and vacation: Finish chapter 8

Quiz on chapters 6-7 on "Block Day"
Vocabulary quiz on "Block Day"

Guiding questions for chapters 6-8


On "block day", either Thursday or Friday, you will have a quiz on chapters 6 and 7. This quiz will include some of the questions below. Make sure you can answer them. 
Chapter 6
What is the beast from the air? Be specific.
How did the beast from the air get there?
What effect does it have on Ralph?
What effect does it have on Jack?
What effect does it have on the others?
Chapter 7
What does Simon say to Ralph?
What do we learn about Simon?
What does Ralph say to Jack that is a little surprising?
What is the mock hunt?
What is your feeling during the mock hunt? 
Chapter 8
What does Simon mean by, “What else is there to do?”
What did Simon discover in the forest?
Who is the Lord of the Flies?  Describe him.