Week 5 - Class #4

In class:

Students were in the computer lab today - typing away on outlines and rough drafts for the Hero Definition Essay.

HW- Come in with a finished rough draft on Monday.

We will be doing some peer editing during class on Monday. Monday's homework will be to write a final draft.

KEEP IN MIND -
Back to school night is on Wednesday, October 5th. I look forward to meeting your parents!

Week 5 Class 1

In class:

Students will develop their understanding of the requirements of a definition essay.

1. Journal - What is love? After reading the essay over the weekend - do you agree or disagree with the author? How would you DEFINE love or the different types of love?

2. Review "What is Love" --> How did the author make a definition essay - your thoughts/reactions/etc.

3. Review the guidelines of our own Hero Definition essay.

4. Review  general tips and components of a strong definition essay --> perhaps a mini-in-class-did-you-know-it quiz.

HW.

FIND AND BRING IN DEFINITIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:

annotation, fiction, archetype, platonic, heroism, unrequited, attribute, lucid, monomyth, anecdote.

Week 4 - Class 3

Our goal:

Students will develop their understanding of the term "hero".

IN CLASS:

Journal Prompt.

Read and discuss Haroun reading ---> How does Haroun prove himself? What does this say about him?

YOUR HOMEWORK:

Interview an adult.
Questions to ask:

- What do you think it means to be a hero?
- Have you ever witnessed a heroic act?
- Have you ever been a hero yourself?
TAKE NOTES DURING THE INTERVIEW.

Thank you!

That stuff Ms. Weiss wants you to print!

Copy the text below and paste into a Word Doc or print it from the blog if you'd like. 


Enjoy! 
READ AND ANNOTATE THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT.

Haroun had already smelled unhappiness on the night air, and this sudden' mist positively stank of sadness and gloom. 'We should have stayed at home/ he thought . .X 'No shortage of long faces there.'

'Phoo!' shouted Rashid Khalifa's voice through the greeny-yellow mist. 'Who made that smell? Come -on, admit.*

'It's the mist/ Haroun explained. 'It's a Mist of Misery.' But at once Snooty Buttoo's voice cried out, 'Lenient Mr Rashid, it seems the boy wants to cover up his stink-making with inventions. I fear he is too much like the folk of this foolish Valley—crazy for make-believe. What I must put up with!.My enemies hire cheap fellows to stuff the people's ears with bad stories about me, and the ignorant, people just lap it up like milk, For .this reason I have turned, eloquent Mr Rashid, to you.* You will tell happy stories, praising stories, and the people will believe you, and be happy, and vote for me.'

No sooner had Buttoo uttered these words than a harsh, hoi wind blew across the Lake. The mist was dispersed, but now the wind burned into their faces, and the waters of the Lake became choppy and wild.

'It's not hi the least Dull, this Lake/ exclaimed Haroun. 'In fact, it's positively Temperamental!' As the words left his lips, a penny dropped. 'This must be the Moody Land/ he burst out

Now the Tale of the Moody Land was one of Rashid Khalifa's best-loved stories. It was the story of a magical country that changed constandy, according to the moods of

47

Salman Rushdie

its inhabitants. In the Moody Land, the sun would shine all
night if there were enough joyful people around, and it
would go on shining until the endless sunshine got on their
nerves; then an irritable night would fell, a night full of
mutterings and discontent, in which the air felt too thick to
breathe. And when people got angry the ground would
shake; and when people were muddled or uncertain about
things the Moody Land got confused as well—the outlines

of its buildings and lamp-posts and motor-cars got smudgy,

like paintings whose colours had run, and at such times it

could be difficult to make out where one thing ended and

 another began . . . 'Am I right?' Haroun asked his father.

'Is this the place the story was about?'

It made sense: Rashid was sad, so the Mist of Misery

 enveloped the swan-boat; and Snooty Buttoo was so

full of hot air that it wasn't surprising he'd conjured up this

boiling wind!

'The Moody Land was only a story, Haroun,' Rashid

replied. 'Here we're somewhere real.' When Haroun heard

his father say only a story, he understood that the

Shah of Blah was very depressed indeed, because only

deep despair could have made him say such a terrible thing.

Rashid, meanwhile, was arguing with Snooty Buttoo.

'Surely you don't want me to tell just sugar-and-spice tales?'

 he protested. 'Not all good stories are of that type.

People can delight in the saddest of sob-stuff, as long

as they find it beautiful.'

Snooty Buttoo flew into a rage. 'Nonsense, nonsense!'

he' shrieked. 'Terms of your engagement are crystal clear!

For

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Haroun and the Sea of Stories

me you will please to provide up-beat sagas only. None of your gloompuss yarns! If you want pay, then just be gay.'

At once the hot wind began to blow with redoubled' force; and as Rashid sank into silent wretchedness the greeny-yellow mist with the toilet stink came rushing towards them across the Lake; and the water was angrier than ever, slopping over the side of the swan-boat and rocking it alarmingly from side to side, as if -it were responding to Buttoo's fury (and also, in point of fict, to Haroun's growing anger at Buttoo's behaviour).

The mist enfolded the swan-boat once again, and once again Haroun couldn't see a thing. What he heard were sounds of panic: the uniformed oarsmen crying out, 'O! O! ' Down we go!' and the infuriated shrieks of Snooty Buttoo, who seemed to take the weather conditions as a personal insult; and the more shrieks and yelps there were, the rougher the waters became, and the hotter and more violent the wind. Flashes of hghtning and rolls of thunder lit up the mist, creating weird neon-like effects. * Haroun decided there was nothing for it but to put his Moody Land theory into practice. 'Okay,' he shouted into the mist. 'Everybody listen. This is very important: everybody, just stop talking. Not a word. Zip the lips. Dead silence is very important, on the count of three, one, two, three.' A new note of authority had come into his voice, which surprised him as much as anyone, and as a result the oarsmen and Buttoo, too, obeyed him without a murmur. At once the boiling breeze fell away,_%the thunder and hghtning stopped. Then Haroun made a conscious effort to

49

control his irritation at Snooty Buttoo, and the waves calmed down the instant he cooled off. The smelly mist, however, remained.

'Just do one thing for me,' Haroun called to his father. 'Just this one thing. Think of the happiest times you can remember. Think of the view of the Valley of K we saw when we came through the Tunnel of I. Think about your wedding day. Please.'

A few moments later that malodorous mist tore apart like the shreds of an old shirt and drifted away on a cool night breeze. The moon shone down once more upon the waters of the Lake.

'You see,' Haroun told his father, 'it wasn't only a story, after all..'

Rashid actually laughed out loud in delight. 'You're a blinking good man in a tight spot, Haroun Khalifa,' he said with an emphatic nod. 'Hats off to you.'

'Gullible Mr Rashid,' cried Snooty Buttoo, 'surely you don't believe the lad's hocusing and pocusing? Freak weather conditions came, and then went. No more to be said.'

Haroun kept his feelings about Mr Buttoo to himself. He knew what he knew: that the real world was full of magic, so magical worlds could easily be real.

Week 4 - Class 1

Our goal - Students will evaluate their own work using a rubric and begin to analyze the term "hero."

1. Students graded their own FINAL DRAFTS of their "Where I'm From" poems using rubrics.

2. Students created their writing folders.

3. Students responded to a journal prompt about HEROISM.

4. Students began to work on their homework - to read and annotate the following poem. ...

NAME: ­­­­­­­___________________ Block_________

Read and fully annotate the poem below.

Heroism

Ruby wine is drunk by knaves,

Sugar spends to fatten slaves, 


Rose and vine-leaf deck buffoons; 


Thunder-clouds are Jove's festoons, 


Drooping oft in wreaths of dread, 


Lightning-knotted round his head; 


The hero is not fed on sweets, 


Daily his own heart he eats; 


Chambers of the great are jails, 


And head-winds right for royal sails.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you think is the central theme or message of this poem? 

_______________________________________________________

Whats due CLASS 2? 

- Your visual to accompany your poem. 

- Your fully annotated copy of the poem above - with answers to the questions! 

OVER THE WEEKEND - 9/17 & 9/18

Work on your "Where I'm From" final drafts. Be sure there is sensory detail, and that all criteria for the assignment have been met. 
(Wait - what criteria? Refer to your "Where I'm From" packet) 


Your visual/the presentation will not happen until Class #2 next week. 


ENJOY THE WEEKEND~! 
Also, you can reference the rubric to make sure that your poem is exemplary. 


You'll need to bring: 


All pre-work (2 rough drafts and the planning sheet) 
Final TYPED draft. 

Week 3 - Class 2

Journal Prompt: What is your earliest food memory? And/or How would you describe your family?

Check annotations of poem.

Read through poem together and either discuss annotations or annotate together on the board.

Hand out packet to review the project.

HW: Begin working on a “Where I’m From” poem of your own. Use the one we read to help you and follow the guidelines provided in the packet.

Here's a link to the poem: "Where I'm From"  
Info on George Ella Lyon can be found here! 

Week 3 - Class 1

Today in class:

Students wrote in their journals in response to the 9/11 footage they viewed or read over the weekend.
The notes they took while watching were checked for a HW grade.

Students then annotated "I Saw You Walking" by Deborah Garrison in small groups to practice their skills using the reference guide.


FOR HW.
Read and fully annotate "Where I'm From."

weekend homework - 9/10 & 9/11

Your homework over the weekend is to watch or read 30 minutes of 9/11 Memorial coverage. Take notes throughout your viewing or reading. What are your feelings? reactions? thoughts? Are you learning something new? If so - write that down! 


Your notes will be graded as a HW grade on Monday. You'll also be journaling about what you saw first thing on Monday. 


What to expect in the upcoming week: 
We will be doing some work with annotation, poetry, and a little poetry project that will be due the following week. 


I hope you enjoy the warm weather this weekend and spend some time outside! See you soon. 

Agenda and HW: Week 2, Class 2

Agenda - CLASS 2 

Opinions from HW. Where do you stand on those statements? (literally and figuratively!) 

Journal about the topic that resonated with you. 

A brief overview of Annotating Practices. 

HW: 

Bring a photo to class (a copy of one or printed off). Make sure to choose a photo that tells a story. 

(Let me stress as well, do not grab a much cherished, non-replaceable photo that belongs to your mom, dad, grandmother, friend, etc. This photo will be glued into your journal.) 

Back from the long weekend! Week 2, Day 1.

I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. This week we will be getting back into the swing of things with journaling, setting up classroom norms, beginning to look at our writing, Haroun, and the Freshman English Reference Guide. Phew! What a week!

The agenda for B&E (Tuesday) and C&F (Wednesday) is:

Collecting forms with signatures.
Learning norms with our Journals.
Responding to the following prompt in your journals:

JOURNAL PROMPT #1

Reading a story written by an author from another culture can sometimes be a challenge. It can be hard to understand another country or religion’s customs or norms and we often quickly label cultures different from our own as “strange” or “wrong”.  In every culture and country around the world, however, we can find some similarities between the people live them and ourselves.

Take a minute to think about how you can relate to Haroun’s adventures in Rushdie’s story. Is there something he does, an obstacle he faces or a place he encounters that reminds you of something in your own life? If you get stuck, think about parts of the book that felt familiar to you. Why do you think they felt that way?

HW: 

Familiarize yourself with the following passages. Understand how they were used in the book, and also be sure to formulate your own opinion on the quote. Be prepared to share that opinion in class: 

1. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover (pg. 114).
2. There is no use to stories that aren't true (p.20)
3. You cannot trust what you cannot see (p.63)
4. The power of speech is the greatest power of all (p. 119)
5. Silence is golden (p. 125)

Welcome September!

Today our objective was to familiarize ourselves with the elements that make stories engaging by brainstorming in small groups, sharing out our findings, and then practicing that with an in class writing assignment. 

Below you will find the question that we used for the writing assignment: 

A STORY FROM MY SUMMER 

NAME: ________________

BLOCK:__________________

Here’s your charge: Write a story about an experience during the summer. The story could be truth or fiction. Make it interesting! Demonstrate your understanding of story elements that engage the audience.

I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend. Take some time to enjoy the weather and have a little fun. Remember that for Tuesday you will need to have:

1. A composition notebook (no spiral!)

2. A section designated for English class. 

3. Course expectation sheet and Honor Code sheet read and signed

4. HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES copy

See you Tuesday! 

COURSE EXPECTATIONS (in case you lost it!)

English & Composition I: Course Expectations

Chelsea Weiss      Room: 164 & 167

cweiss@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us

http://www.adventuresinlitandcomp.blogspot.com

Course Description:  The purpose of this course is to help you to become a more effective reader and writer.  To this end, we will study literature from a variety of genres, time periods and places.  We will also look at literature and art while asking ourselves: How does perspective change and create storytelling?  We will explore the ways in which elements such as, genre, structure, syntax and word choice define and redefine texts throughout history.

Major works include: Romeo and Juliet, Oedipus Rex, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and a variety of short stories, essays, myths and poems.  You will have the opportunity to write in a variety of styles, but this course will focus on writing expository essays and analytical writing.  You will learn how to craft a strong argument, generate compelling thesis statements and support your claims with well organized evidence.  Further, to be a successful student in this class, you must understand that a piece of writing is never finished!  Your writing can always improve, and it is in this spirit that we will return to your writing for revision throughout the year.  Additionally, to help you improve your reading and writing skills, we will be studying grammar and vocabulary throughout the year. 

Academic Expectations: This class will be guided by the following school-wide academic expectations.

·      Write clearly and effectively, producing work that is informative, well organized, and appropriate to its purpose

·      Read and comprehend varied materials and be able to interpret and apply what they have read

·      Listen actively and respond to communications through inquiry, discussion, writing, and various forms of art.

Classroom Expectations: Above all else, this classroom will be a place in which all of its members are respected at all times.  Our classroom will be a fun and welcoming place where we listen to each other, encourage each other to share ideas and contribute to class discussion.  In order for this to happen, you are expected to come to class ready to learn and ready to be a part of this community.

Preparation & Organization: You are expected to come to class on time (which means you are in your seat when the second bell rings) and have all of your materials ready.  Every day you will be expected to bring:

• An English folder OR section in a larger binder
• A planner for homework assignments
• Last night’s homework
• A pen/pencil
• All relevant books
• Post-its (unless you buy your own copy of the text)
• A composition book to be kept in the classroom as a journal (NO SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS)

Writing:  All LHS 9^th graders are expected to complete four major pieces of writing each quarter.  These pieces will not all be expository essays, but it is expected that they will be word processed and kept in the classroom.  You will have a folder kept in the room for your work, which will be sent home a periodically for your parents to view.

Due Dates: All work is expected to be handed in on time.  All major assignments will lose one letter grade for every day they are late.  Because homework is a valuable part of high school success, all freshmen will be using the Zeros Aren’t Permitted (ZAP) program.  If you do not complete your homework on time, you have multiple chances to complete the work for partial credit and increased teacher support.  For example, for a nightly homework assignment, ZAP credit breaks down as follows:

Point Value	Criteria
4 (full credit)	The assignment is completed on time and with effort.
3 (75%)	The assignment is incomplete or completed after school during ZAP
2 (50%)	The assignment is passed in the next class or work is 50% completed
1 (25%)	The assignment is more than one class period late and is poorly completed

Of course, if you know ahead of time that you going to need help on an assignment, I am here after school for extra support before the assignment is due.

Attendance: If you are absent, it is your responsibility to meet with me.  Further, the daily agenda is posted on my website, so it is a good idea to check the website while you are out.  The LHS policy regarding absences is clearly explained in the student handbook.  It is important that both you and your parent(s)/guardian review the policy with special attention to the section about tardiness and its connection to the N grade.  When you are tardy to my class, you should expect to stay after school with me.  You will be asked to check in with me at the end of the day if you are late.

Grading: You will receive A-F grades for all major assignments.  All essays and projects will be assigned with a rubric.  You will be graded based on the standards set forth in those rubrics.  Smaller assignments, quizzes and homework will all be assigned a point value.  You will know the point value of every assignment at the time it is given.  Hopefully, this will help you gauge the amount of time and effort each assignment deserves.  Grades in this class will never be arbitrary; you will always know why you received the grade on your work.  I will also keep you informed about your grade throughout the course. I promise, there will be no surprises!  I will be happy to discuss your grade with you at any time during the year if you make an appointment with me at least 24 hours in advance.

------------------------------------------- Please detach along this line -----------------------------------------------

I, _______________________, have read the course expectations and understand that I will be held

             (student name)

responsible for upholding the course expectations.

I, _______________________, have read the course expectations and can be reached by:

             (parent name)

Home phone: _______________________              Email: ______________________________

Student signature: ______________________            Parent signature: ______________________

Anything you would like me to know: