19 October 2011 – 9th

Students,

This Friday, you will be taking a test on Animal Farm.  Please go through the novel carefully and use the Study Guide distributed in class in order to be prepared and do well on the test!

You also need to have your book for DEAR time after the test.

Homework for weekend of October 21 is to use the guide given out in class to write the your chosen thesis and 2 body paragraphs. Do not write the conclusion yet. Have this with you on Monday morning:

On Monday, all students will be in the computer lab to start typing the literary analysis essay on Animal Farm. We will also be in the computer lab on Wednesday.

10 October 2011

This week, students will be writing and typing their Literary Analysis essay on Animal Farm. I have made a document they may use to type over and which will keep them on track so they will write the essay correctly:

AF LIT ANALYSIS OUTLINE FOR 9TH

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, all classes will be in the Writing Center,

Animal Farm test will be Thursday; here is the study guide:

Study Guide AF

7 October 2011

Students will be taking the PSAT Wednesday in their Advisement class.

We will be finishing Animal Farm this week, and the culminating activities will have the students taking a test, doing a literary analysis essay, and doing a group project.  If you are absent, please approach me to get your make up work, but do not disturb instruction. I will have missed handouts on the table for absent students.

During the essay writing, if you miss class, you will need to come in early (8:10) to get missed instruction. This is extremely important. Also remember that I am always available for appointments after school, and I am in my classroom most mornings and at 8 on Tuesday mornings for RISE.

Please remember to use the Writing Center at lunch time and before and after school so that you will not need to do your paper two times. The second time around a late grade will apply to this assignment if you do not do it right the first time. 

; )

6 October 2010

Students,

Tomorrow you will receive your first progress report in Advisement.

Today, we took our first grammar quiz, and hopefully the intensive review we did yesterday helped you to study well. Soon we will be finishing Animal Farm, taking a test, doing a group project, and preparing for a literary analysis essay on theme and characterization. Before we start to create an outline, all students will make a facebook page for their chosen character.

Please keep up with all assignments. If you are absent, come in early to get missed instruction. I have just posted many of the assignments for October in eSchool; the Home Access Center will show you and your parents what is coming up and all due dates.

; )

27 September 2010 – 9th

Students,

This week, we will have a Media Center orientation, read Animal Farm, analyze characterization, learn new vocabulary and literary devices and continue with DGP Week 5. Aside from this, we will also be learning more about satire and propaganda as it appears in our own society today. Please make sure you take notes in class and keep using your sticky notes as we read.

Shortly, classes will be taking a DGP quiz on grammar. This will likely be Friday, the 1st or Monday, the 2nd. It’s important to study all the DGP lessons we have done so far in order to be well-prepared for this quiz.

I will be assigning a group project, a test, and an essay for this unit. In this way, you will have three more items to add to your major assessments which count for 50% of your grade. Those of you who need to re-do “The Sneetches” paragraph must do so in a timely manner and get them back to me.

In addition to Animal Farm, we will be reading a few non-fiction narratives and articles, as well as a couple poems which lend themselves to the theme of Power and Oppression. This will occur after we have finished the novel.

; )

Students and Parents

Please be aware that I will not publish grades until I have grades for each category with the exception of the Final which is 15%.  I have graded all the quizzes from last week, and once I have “The Sneetches” paper graded, I shall publish.

We are starting our Power and Oppression unit and have started reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. Please check back here for information on a regular weekly basis!

Students,

Lorax Graphic Organizer for essay

We are starting to work on a characterization essay for “The Sneetches.” I am posting the graphic organizer for “The Lorax” here so that you can refer to it when filling out your graphic organizer for Sneetches. It is a great visual learning tool for organization of the essay writing process.