Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Today, we wrote thank-you letters to the companies which donated to the students' charities.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Today, you wrote your multiple choice exam for The Outsiders.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Today, you wrote your in-class essay for The Outsiders unit. Tomorrow, you will write your multiple choce unit exam.

Monday, April 16 to Friday, April 20, 2012

I am away this eweek. During this time, the students will watch the film The Outsiders (Monday and Tuesday) and work on their major assignment. The details relating to time and expectations are posted on the Friday, April 13 blogger site.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Today, we worked on your major assignments. I also made a couple of changes to it in your favour as I want you to watch the film before the exam on April 23.
Layered Activities C: It was at 60 points - change it to 10 points.
Layered Activities B: It was at 20 points - change it to 10 points.
Keep in mind that the deadline for presentation (if you are choosing a presentation activity) is April 25.
Your deadline for non presentation assignments is April 23.
Also keep in mind that your Essay exam will be on April 23 and your comprehension/Outsider exam (M.C.) will be on April 24.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Today, Constable Nick came in to talk about issues relating to drug use/abuse. In the time left over, you worked on your major assignments for The Outsiders.

Wednesday, April 11, 2011

Today, you were given a major assignment sheet for The Outsiders. If you were not here, the assignement is in your portfolio.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Today, you wrote a letter to Mr. Baker about options.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Today, we reviewed functional letter writing. I am pasting some additional information below:

What to include in the body of a letter:

PARAGRAPH ONE: INTRODUCTION TO YOURSELF, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHY YOU ARE WRITING TO THIS PERSON.

PARAGRAPH TWO: EXPLAINING WHY YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT AND PROVIDING DETAILS TO ENCOURAGE THE AUDIENCE TO AGREE WHAT YOU WANT IS THE BEST CHOICE.

PARAGRAPH THREE: CLOSING PARAGRAPH THANK THE READER FOR CONISDERING YOUR REQUEST (REMIND HIM OF WHAT THE REQUEST WAS) , INVITE THEM TO CONTACT YOU IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. RESTATE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO YOU/TO YOUR CAUSE.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Today, you wrote a functional letter (in class). For tomorrow, keep reading your novel. The further ahead you get on the readings the less you will have to do over the holidays.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Today, we went through the rest of the chapter one questions of The Outsiders. I then handed out the chapter two questions. These are due for tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will write another letter and will be able to bring your sheet on format with you. These are created to be written in forty minutes but I will give you the whole block.

Friday, March 23

Today, we answered the chapter One questions for The Outsiders. I want you to finish the ones we didn't get around to answering and be sure to have chapter two read for Monday as well.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Today, we discussed cliques and groups as an introduction to the topic of The Outsiders. I then went through some of the chapter one questions. Your job tonight is to review the questions and read chapter one so we can discuss it tomorrow. Keep in mind that you will have to have this novel read by the end of the holidays. It is short, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Today, you read the novel The Outsiders and worked on the quesitons for Chapter One. You also finished up the letters that were due last week. If you are not finished the letter, be sure to do so as I will be calling you in to get caught up at lunch hour.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Today, we got caught up on the letter writing activity we have been working on. If you were not here, be sure your good copy is complete, reviewed, revised, signed and ready to send without errors in format, and complete in content (three paragraphs consisting of an introduction of self and YPI;, the request for help for your charity; what it does and what it will use the money for (be specific on amount); and a thank you for considering the request as well as instructions to make the cheque out to the charity but to send it to you so you can present it).
In addition, you were given questions to answer for chatper one of The Outsiders. These are due soon. If you are a slow reader, it will also help you to use this time to read ahead.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Today, I instructed students to read the "Speaking with S. E. Hinton" section at the back of the novel The Outsiders. I then handed out questions for Chapter One which are to be completed independently.
At the same time, a number of students wrote an exam they missed last week, or completed the letter assignment they needed to get done. Hopefully, we will all be caught up tomorrow.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Today, I was able to get a sub in the room and meet with some of you to go over your letters. The in-class assignment that I expect to see is as follows:





Today, you will go on-line and find out everything you can about S.E. Hinton. You will write out what you find in point form. You must get all of the five Ws, information on what she has written and when, and then what the book The Outsiders is about.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Today, you wrote your Merchant of Venice exam. You then signed out the novel The Outsiders, byt S.E. Hinton and started to read it.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Today, you finished watching the film The Merchant of Venice. Your letters to companies are due by the end of the day tomorrow (after revision) and you write your Merchant of Venice comprehension exam tomorrow. After this, you will take the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton out of the library and we will start a new unit.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Today, you were to hand in your letters and then revise them for homework (they should have been revised already but there were a couple that needed more work).
We then watched more of The Merchant of Venice.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Today, you finished writing your YPI letter, ensured that you met all the requirements of the letter itself, and then, using the checklist on the back of the letter instructions, you made sure you formatted it properly and handed it in.
Just to let you know, we will finish watchiing The Merchant of Venice on Monday and part of Tuesday and will write a comprehension exam on this play on Wednesday.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Today, we did peer reviews for YPI. You then began writing a letter to a charity. I have pasted the information below. This is to be completed in a revised (PERFECT) state by the end of class tomorrow.

The Lesson that Could Still Make a Difference
Now that YPI is behind us, we have had some time to reflect on the presentations. Some may feel that their charity deserved more than it got. If that was you, then it was a successful venture. After all, isn’t creating greater awareness the most important part? Okay, so you may not entirely agree. Good. It will make this last assignment that much easier.
Today and tomorrow are going to be spent on a last ditch attempt to get support for your charity. You already know about the issue your charity addresses, what they do, and what it is they specifically need to operate more effectively. Get the idea of $5000 out of your head, look at what is specifically needed, and write a letter to a company with the means to meet the request. We have a lot of companies in this area that you could write to. I might start by thinking of places parents, family friends, or siblings work at or I might have to look in a phone book under “oil companies” or some other industrial title to locate them. This doesn’t have to be the first step, but it helps.
The Assignment
Write a letter to the company explaining the YPI initiative, the charity you presented, what it does for the community, what it needs and what you are requesting of them. You must include information for them to make out a cheque (name of organization and charity number are a must!). They can send it to you so you can present it to the charity to let them know that your efforts on their behalf weren’t in vain, or they can send it directly, but make it clear you simply want to help your charity get what they specifically need to operate. Each person in your group MUST write to a different organization and your letters are your own, independent work (no more group work, guys).
When you are finished (it must be typed and formatted as you have already been directed. See your handout on the letter), you must fill in a checklist (on the back of this) and hand in. I will review them, mark them and return them for further revision and mailing. We will then go over how to address the envelope (another task you must be able to do for your PAT) and send them out.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Today, you presented your Youth Philanthropy Initiative to your peers and judges. Everyone but one attended and participated and, even though you were all nervous, I was really happy to see your efforts. Good job!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Today, you worked on YPI. You have to hand in your Powerpoint and prepare for tomorrow. You present tomorrow. As a result, you will be let out of class at 11:30 and are to be at the Lyle to present at 12:00.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Today, we finished reading The Merchant of Venice and then began watching the film. Tomorrow, we will finish up our YPI presentations so if you are not here, be sure to communicate with your group because, regardless of illness, the presentations happen on Wednesday.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Today, you worked on your YPI assignments. By the end of the day, you need to have your Powerpoints completed so that you can use next Tuesday to practice the presentation. You will present on Wednesday.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Today, you started to read Act V of The Merchant of Venice. I don't know how far you got as I was not here. I will update this tomorrow morning for those who were absent.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Today, you read Act IV, Scene two of The Merchant of Venice.
When finished with this Act, you were to write a summary of what happened in court and the outcome (with as much detail as you could provide). You are also to explain to the reader your own position on the outcome (was it fair? If so, how? Or, if not, how was it not?)
This was to be completed on the computer or in dark blue or black ink and was to be answered fully and neatly. Also, you were reminded that you must be careful about the mechanics as sloppiness will reduce your mark (on the last set of questions there were numerous errors of capitalization and run ons).
If you had time left over, you worked on YPI, read your novels, studied your terminology, or caught up on late assignments.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Today, you started to read Act IV of The Merchant of Venice.
You also had to hand in the reading assignment questions from last week.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Yesterday, you had to analyze a Shakespearean reading (actively)
Today, you will answer the long questions for this reading
Those who were here worked on these in pairs
If you were not here, the questions are in your portfolio. You will have to catch up on these in your own time once you are back·
If you were here and didn't complete the questions, they are due for Monday.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Today, you analyzed a Shakespearean reading (actively)
This was a difficult reading so you were reminded that you must follow the steps involved in active reading
o read italics carefully
o highlight key information
o Don’t stop reading a passage at the end of a line but only when indicated by periods, commas, semicolons, etc (these should be highlighted)
o paraphrase – for Shakespeare this is done a lot and is a MUST to comprehension
o highlight, look up and define words they do not understand
o Look for and identify figurative devices/literary terms
o summarize the whole reading at the end (all of this right on the page).

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Today, you will work on your YPI projects. At this point you should be creating your PowerPoints. If you are not there, try to get everything else done so that you are where you should be. Keep in mind that we will need these powerpoints a couple days before the presentation so we can set them up.

ZTuesday, February 21, 2012

Today, we read the rest of Act III The Merchant of Venice. I then gave you questions to complete. These have been posted below and are due tomorrow.

The Merchant of Venice
Act III: Questions


1.
Why does Portia want Bassanio to wait a day or two before choosing a casket?
How are the two getting on together?


2.Which casket does Bassanio choose? What reasoning led him to that choice? What reward does he get? Is that any surprise?


3.Remember that the inscription on the lead casket is "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath". Why is this inscription appropriate to Bassanio? Are there any ways in which it is not appropriate to him?


4.Read Portia's "submission" speech carefully. What object does she give to Bassanio? What is your reaction to her speech? What must Bassanio do with the ring? What are the consequences if he doesn’t do as she asks?

5.Who else is getting married? What additional company joins them?


6.What news is contained in Antonio's letter? How does Bassanio tell Portia about Antonio? What has happened to Antonio's ships? What is Shylock demanding?

7.What is the function of this scene between Shylock and Antonio? What does Antonio's last speech tell us about Antonio's chances of survival?


8.What reason does Portia give to Lorenzo for her departure with Nerissa (3.4.24-32)? What

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Today, you were to contact your charity to arrange your interviews (hopefully for this weekend). You were then to work on your powerpoint and interviewing skills as well as any other outstanding YPI assignments from this week.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Today, you worked on YPI. Many of you sent me your questions and I sent them back for revision. This means you must email them to me tonight or today so I can once again go through them to see if they are appropriate, My email address is dawn.benoit@nlsd.ab.ca.

Monay, February 13, 2012

Today, you worked on your YPI project (and will for the next three days). Your goal is to complete your flag, mission statement, and a point form sheet about the issue your charity is trying to alleviate for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21!!!!!!!
You need to have your interview questions and interview script completed FOR TOMORROW as you have to email the questions to me to check over. You will be given two handouts "YPI: Setting UP the Interview" and "YPI Checklist" to help you. If you were not here, you will need to talk to your group mates to get caught up.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Today, we read up to the end of Act III, Scene 3 (page 15) of The Merchant of Venice. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, you will be working on YPI in your groups. Your goal is to finish researching the issue your charity is trying to address, write your mission statement, complete your flag, and then create questions at all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (see the Powerpoint handout I gave you). You are then going to send these to me on Tuesday so that I can get them back to you for Wednesday so you can all the charities and arrange an interview date.

Thursday, February 10, 2012

Today, we marked the questions for Act II of The Merchant of Venice. We then read Act three , scene 1, up to just after Shylock's speech where he asks "do we not bleed?"

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Today, we finished reading Act II of The Merchant of Venice. You then had questions to answer which must have been answered fully (flipping the question into a statement) and using proper format. These are due tomorrow. After this, if you had time, you were able to work on YPI.
I have pasted the questions below:

English 9
Merchant of Venice
Act Two: Study Questions
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer these questions FULLY (flipping the question into the statement and then answering it).
1. Why does Morocco fear Portia will reject him at the outset?

2. What is Bassanio’s reservation about Gratiano accompanying him to Belmont?

3. What is Jessica’s dilemma concerning her father, Shylock?

4. How does Lorenzo plan to disguise Jessica in order to escape from her father?

5. Before going to dine with Antonio and Bassanio, what advice does Shylock give his daughter?

6. Why does Jessica not want Lorenzo to see her when he arrives at Shylock’s house?

7. What is Morocco’s rationale for choosing the gold casket?

8. What news has Salerio heard, making him anxious?

9. How does Solanio interpret Antonio’s sadness at Bassanio’s departure?

10. Which casket does Aragon choose, and why?

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Today, we discussed YPI; specifically, we chose the days to work on it so we will all be ready for the presentation (ask your group members for these). We then read Act 2, Scene IV, Scene V, Scene VI, and Scene VII of The Merchant of Venice.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Today, we read Act II, scenes One, Two, and Three of The Merchant of Venice. You can access these on "No Fear Shakespeare" so please do so if you were absent.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Today, you worked on your YPI assigment (creating the flag and mission statement). I also encouraged you to start researching the issue your charity hopes to alleviate.

Tuesday, January 31, 2011

Today, you paired up to discuss your letter (written January 10, 2011). The purpose was to read them to each other and determine if the character's voice was realistic (that of a father writing to a daughter), if the words chosen and structure matched the character represented, and whether your both followed format. I gave you a checklist to fill out.
You then got into groups to work on YPI. Specifically, your group was to create a name for themselves, a map for themselves, and a mission statement.

Monday, Janaury 23, 2012

Today, I handed out the sheet of terms that students must know in order to do well on their midterm exam. I included words I think they might have trouble with. They were then given the rest of the class time to study. Remember that your midterm exam is on Thursday, January 26, at 9:00 in this room.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Today, we discussed the lists from yesterday’s group work to determine just how much studying is needed to accomplish the task. You were then placed in groups to exchange the terms (between readings and questions groups, of course) so you would have another study tood. I then gave you the answers for the test prep activities from earlier this week. I also finalized the groups for YPI and gave your group the name of the charity you will be researching and presenting.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Today, you were broken into groups and pairs. In your pairs, you either had to highlight, write down and define all the words and terms that were unknown to you in the readings, or in the questions.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Today, due to a shortage of students (busses not running), you were given time to work on your multiple choice questions from yesterday, study literary terms, or use the time in a school appropriate activity. Hopefully, the turnout will be beter tomorrow.

Monday, January 16 & Tuesday, January 17, 2012

On these days, you worked on answering multiple choice comprehension questions in preparation for your final. You were given two booklets, one containing poems and one containing novel excerpts to work through, as well as a handout on how to successfully answer multiple choice questions. These are due on Wednesday.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Today, we read the rest of Act I of The Merchant of Venice. I then had you journal out a summary of this act with as much detail as possible. We tehn picked the roles for Act II.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Today, I introduced the YPI unit. In this unit, you are placed in groups and will choose a charity to present to us. The purpose is to cinvince us that your charity is most deserving of receiving $5000. If you are chosen, your charity will indeed get this money. If you were not here, the slide show is in your portfolio.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Today, you worked on learning how to apply the format of a business letter. The assignment is as follows:

Portia feels trapped by her father’s will. Adopting the role of her father, write the letter he might have left her, explaining why the will is so strict and confining.
Be sure to:
· Use your own home address as the father’s.
· Use your own home address as Portia’s
· Give them your last name (just to make it easy)
· Make up the father’s first name
· Follow the business letter format

This is due at the end of class.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Today, you wrote a Shakespeare terms quiz, which we marked. Once again, I also stressed the importance of checking blogger when you are absent. We then read the rest of Act I, Scene two of The Merchant of Venice. I then gave students a handout on how to write a business letter. They are to study and memorize this format.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Today, we began reading The Merchant of Venice. If you were not here, google "no fear Shakespeare", then click on The Merchant of Venice (this is the reading we are doing). On one side of the page, is the original text. On the other side, is the modern text. We read up to Act I, scene 2 (to the part where Portia has just learned from Nerissa that the men who came to try to marry her decided not to try and are leaving... which is right near the end of this act).

Be sure that you study the terms I gave you yesterday as you will have a quiz on Monday (I posted them yesterday). Add the following definition to the list:

"ere" means "before"

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Today, you wrote your character quiz for The Merchant of Venice. I then went over Sonnet 130 to show you the humour of it (you got this one before the holidays).
I then gave you a list of Shakespearean terms you need to memorize (I will quiz you on Monday). I have pasted these below.
Finally, those in class practiced using some of these words in context by pairing up and creating sentences for them (see instructions at the end).

Shakespeare: Terms

1. Prithee – please
2. Marry – really? Or, really!; an expression used in reply to a question (suggests surprise or indignation)
3. Anon – soon, or right away
4. Fie – exclamation expressing disgust or outrage (an “F” word in its day)
5. Sirrah – sir; but also may imply anger or contempt (talking down to)
6. For the nonce – for the time being
7. Ay – yes
8. A’ – he
9. Thou art – you are
10. Thou dost – you do
11. Thou know’st – you know
12. Thou see’st – you see
13. Thou did’st – you did
14. He doth – he does
15. Woul’t – would you
16. Ne’er – never
17. O’er – over
18. O’ – of
19. I’ – in
20. ‘t – it
21. Ta’en – taken
22. E’en – even
23. Favour – meaning approval
24. Owe – to possess
25. An – if
26. Moe – more
27. Sooth – truth
28. Quoth – said
29. Afeard - afraid
30. by my troth (pronounced as "oath") upon my word, truly
Create sentences (grammatically correct) using EACH word highlighted in two (so, 28 sentences). You may do this in pairs if you want. But I want there to be no errors of punctuation.

Thursday, January 4, 2012

Today, I finished introducing The Merchant of Venice. Tomorrow, you will write a character quiz (identifying characters to their characteristics or circumances). Be sure to study the handout I gave you in order to do this one well.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Today, I introduced The Merchant of Venice by discussing usury, stereotypes, racism, caricatures and some of the pertinent information about the theme and plot. I handed out powerpoint slides to everyone who was here. If you were not here, they are in your portfolio.