Unit 4 Vocabulary Lesson

I posted and discussed grades today, reminding students that they may retake the Unit 3 vocabulary quiz to add points to their grade. I am also missing a number of writing assignments from some students. We brainstormed derivatives for the three roots in Unit 4, and students copied them down. The two prefixes for this unit are ob- ("against; in the way of") and pro- ("for). I presented the new words, and students spent the rest of the period working on their worksheets, which are due tomorrow.
Homework: Finish Unit 4 Vocabulary Worksheet

No School: Teacher Professional Day

There was no school today in order that teachers could have meetings, trainings, and planning time.

No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Today students had no school so that parents could come in for individual conferences with teachers.

Unit 3 Vocabulary Quiz

Students were given about ten minutes to study their words and roots. Then they took the Unit 3 vocabulary quiz, worth twenty points.

"To Build a Fire" Writing Assignment

After a brief vocabulary review for tomorrow's quiz, students wrote their London essays.

Writing Assignment: Quote Selection and Planning

I handed back the Unit 3 vocabulary worksheets, and we reviewed parts 2 and 3. Students shared ideas and quote selections from "To Build a Fire" to prepare for tomorrow's in-class writing assignment. I wrote many of the selections on the board. Students can only use their notes for the assignment, and won't have access to the text tomorrow.

Vocabulary Review and Finishing London Story

Students reviewed the new Unit 3 vocabulary using white boards. We finished reading "To Build a Fire," and students worked on gathering details, inferences, and short quotes to use in their writing next week: Write a summary of what the man did wrong.

London's "To Build a Fire"

We continued reading and discussing "To Build a Fire."

Jack London's "To Build a Fire"

We began reading and discussing "To Build a Fire."

Monday and Tuesday Classes

MONDAY: Unit 3 Vocabulary
I returned and reviewed the Unit 2 vocabulary quiz from Thursday; students may retake the quiz during lunch if they are unhappy with their grade. We brainstormed derivatives from the four new Latin roots in Unit 3 and discussed each of the twelve new vocabulary words. Students were given the remainder of the class period to work on their worksheets.
Homework: Unit 3 vocabulary worksheet due tomorrow

TUESDAY: In-class Writing Assignment
After we reviewed quoting skills, students wrote several paragraphs about "The Man in the Woods" practicing those skills. Writing prompt: Use details, inferences, and quotations from the story to describe how the trees are personified in "The Man in the Woods." Since this assignment focusses on the same skills as "The Lottery" assignment, students may use it for a portfolio grade.
Homework: Finish writing, if necessary

Complex Sentences: Lesson and Practice

We reviewed clauses, wrote some sample sentences as a class, and students completed a practice worksheet on dependent and independent clauses. Students will have to write ten complex sentences for their Writing Portfolios. We played a few Will Shortz word games at the end of class

Unit 2 Vocabulary Quiz and Quote Selection

Students were allowed to study for about five minutes, then took their Unit 2 Vocabulary quiz. When finished, students selected quotes about the monstrous trees in "The Man in the Woods," and handed them in at the end of the period.

Jackson's "Man in the Woods"

We finished reading and discussing the Jackson story, breaking it into parts and seeing what we could find.

"The Man in the Woods" and Individual Writing Conferences

Students continued reading Jackson's "The Man in the Woods" while I conferenced with each of them about their first two writing assignments. Portfolio requirements are a 70% or higher for every assignment.
Homework: Study for Unit 2 vocabulary quiz

Writing Feedback and a New Jackson Story

I returned and discussed the Unit 2 vocabulary worksheet. Students may still hand in their completed worksheets for partial points. Next I gave students feedback on the two writing assignments I graded over the weekend: "The Fish" and "The Lottery," showing and discussing many student examples, and asking students to take strategic notes. Lastly, we began reading Shirley Jackson's recently published short story "The Man in the Woods," which students will finish reading tomorrow.
 

Writing Assignment: "The Lottery"

Sophomore counselor Mrs. Rightley talked to students for a few minutes about the services that the counseling department offers at M-CHS. I gave the students a few reminders about quoting from a text, and they wrote their "Lottery" paragraphs based upon the following prompt: Use details, inferences, and quotations from the story to discuss how the author uses patterns (repetition, contrast, anomalies) in the short story "The Lottery" to support the meaning of the work as a whole.

Analyzing "The Lottery"

We briefly reviewed vocabulary, and I asked students to study this week's prefixes: ex- "out of" and di- "two; double; twice. I presented the writing prompt for "The Lottery," and we continued analyzing and discussing the story. Students will write about it tomorrow during class.

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"

I discussed grades and makeups, especially missing quizzes and writing that needs to be made up outside of class time. We read "The Lottery," which we will discuss tomorrow.

Quote Integration Practice and Unit 2 Vocabulary

Students practiced integrating and citing short quotations from "The Fish."
Then we brainstormed derivatives from the four new Latin and Greek roots. I introduced the new words, and students worked on the worksheets for the remainder of the period.
Homework: Unit 2 Vocabulary Worksheet due tomorrow