Today we took out ICB test! The nurse also conducted scoliosis exams.

Homework for tonight was to read the first 19 pages of The Glass Castle and do the reading guide:

TGC Reading Guide – 1-19

If you do not have your bok yet, you can find an electronic copy by Googling “the glass castle pdf.”

Please remember to print out your collages to bring to class tomorrow.

Hopefully everything went well today! The other freshman English teachers and I had a productive day working on STAAR writing training, and it looked like the substitute left good notes for all of the classes.

A few reminders:

• You have your In Cold Blood test on Monday.
• Collages are due on Tuesday.
• You need to have your copy of The Glass Castle on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend, students! 🙂

Today we had our last reading guide for In Cold Blood!

Reading Guide – Pages 310-343

I told you guys about the test we’re having on Monday – here’s that study guide:

In Cold Blood Exam Study Guide

Be familiar with…

• the major characters, and their roles in the book.
• the timeline of the murders.
• the nature of Perry and Dick’s relationship.
• Dick and Perry’s backgrounds.
• Dick and Perry’s actions prior to and after the murders.
• the major steps in the investigation, prosecution, and execution of Dick and Perry.
• the effects of the murders on the community of Holcomb.
• Capote’s writing style (narration, literary devices).

Be able to…

• analyze passages from the book for subtle insights into characters, conflict, and action.
• make thematic comparisons between In Cold Blood and other literary works.
• use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• understand the meaning of vocabulary words from the ICB – Section 3 list.

I also gave you guys a practice set of a reading passage and questions, similar to what you’re going to see on the test. Come get a copy from me if you weren’t there, since I don’t have an electronic version.

We started a digital collage project on the death penalty, as it relates to ICB. Here are those instructions:

ICB – Writing Apprenticeship 3 – Collage

That project is due on Tuesday. You will have all of tomorrow to work on it.

As a reminder, I’ll be at a training with the other freshman English teachers tomorrow. Please help one another out with technology-related questions. I know you’ll get lots of great work done!

Today we talked about our last set of vocabulary word from ICB (see the list in the vocabulary section). We also discussed active and passive voice. Here’s that PowerPoint, with the instructions for how to write your sentences (which are due – in paper copy form – on Monday):

Active and Passive Voice

Here’s a link to some resources that explain more about active and passive voice, if you need some help.

I also told you that we will have a test over ICB on Monday – I’ll give you the study guide in class tomorrow.

Please make sure to bring your laptops to class on Thursday and Friday – we will need tem for a project.

If you can contact them without waking them up, would someone be willing to ask Panos and Benjamin from fourth period to come see me either before first period starts tomorrow, or right at the beginning of it? They’re both in really big trouble. (Not really – I need to ask them if they would be willing to help with a lesson. But you can tell them that I say that they’re in trouble – tell them I found out about the squirrel that they put in my desk, and let’s just say I can still write them a detention even with a missing finger.)

Today we worked on our ICB reader’s journals – if you were absent, please come see me for a hard copy.

Homework for tonight is the next reading guide:

Reading Guide – Pages 252-279

Also, our next book, which we will start one week from today, is Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle. Please make sure you have a copy!

Today we took our vocabulary quiz – if you were absent, please come make it up on Friday during lunch.

Homework for tonight is the next reading guide for ICB:

Reading Guide – Pages 189-217

I am finishing grades up today and tomorrow. I promise, I will not forget to add your extra credit/redemption assignments if you did them (so please hold off on asking! when I get students lined up at my door wondering if I am going to remember to add that in, it slows the entire grading process down).

Hey students – I just put the assignment for the Breakfast at Tiffany’s extra credit on Turnitin.com. I adjusted the due date so it’s just before midnight tomorrow.

See you at school!

This weekend, I am offering extra credit/a redemption assignment (15 points on your vocab quiz or replacing a daily or homework grade with a 100).

Here’s what you do: watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s and respond to the following question in a PIE paragraph (P, I, E, I, E, I, E – it must be highlighted):

Is Holly Golightly an admirable character?

This assignment is due via Turnitin.com at 12:30 PM on Monday – no late assignments will be accepted. YOU MUST PUT IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT whether you want the extra credit or the redemption – this time, I will not let you choose later.

Also, as you are watching, see if there is anything at all that reminds you of Truman Capote’s style.

Today we talked about our vocabulary words from the second section of In Cold Blood. Then we discussed this PowerPoint over how to use semicolons:

Semicolon (2)

Your homework for tonight is to write vocabulary sentences using semicolons. #1: The first 10 sentences must use semicolons to connect two sentences (independent clauses). #2: The second 10 sentences must use semicolons to connect two sentences (independent clauses) with a conjective adverb. #3: The last 10 sentences must use semicolons for lists. Turn this is through Turnitin.com – no paper copies will be accepted. You have until 12:30 PM on Friday, so you should be able to use the school wifi at lunch if you need to.

Also, this comic from the Oatmeal explains #1 and #3. I highly recommend that you check it out.