Monday, December 17

Finals Tomorrow, but first, Advent!


Monday Flex - No Chapel
HS Bell Schedule
First
8:10 - 8:55
45 minutes
Second
9:00 - 9:45
45 minutes
Break
9:45 - 9:55
10 minutes
Third
10:00 - 10:45
45 minutes
Fourth
10:50 - 11:35
45 minutes
Flex
11:40 - 12:10
30 minutes
Lunch
12:10 - 12:50
40 minutes
Fifth
12:55 - 1:40
45 minutes
Sixth
1:45 - 2:30
45 minutes
Seventh
2:35 - 3:20
45 minutes
Buses leave at 3:30

It's time for Advent!

Did you know that Advent has been going on since the 4th century and it celebrates the "waiting" for four weeks before Christmas. This week is all about HOPE!
Image result for Advent candles
Isaiah 11:1-2 
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
   from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him -
  the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
  the Spirit of counsel and of power,
  the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord


Image result for Wagon wheel Advent candles
Isaiah 61-1-3 The scripture Jesus reads in the temple when he claims he is the messiah. He is claiming HOPE! Advent is a time for us to claim hope too. May you be a great oak planted for God's glory and beautiful work!

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
  for the Lord has anointed me
  to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
  and to proclaim that captives will be released
  and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
  that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
  and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
  he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
  a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
  festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
  that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Want a free Advent Devotional? Check out The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp or one of these free ones. John Piper or one of these.

Wednesday, December 12

Block Day, December 13 ~ Stories Due!

Short Stories Due today... but first...

  • Staple the rubric to the front
  • Make sure your number count is still correct
  • Write down the age, sex and relationship of the person you chose to write for
  • Make sure your story has been uploaded to turnitin.com

Review

Wednesday, December 12 ~ Peer Edits, Check!

First, let's check out our Examsoft review using the same passwords as yesterday. 

3 Peer Editors
  • First, Write your name and word count at the top of the rubric.
  • Then, pass your story and hard copy rubric to an editor.
  • Each editor should fill out the rubric using a different colored pen.
  • Make sure you have at least three signatures on this paper to keep your 20 Rough Draft Points.
  • Editors due at end of period.

Tuesday, December 11

Tuesday, December 11 ~ Word Parts Quiz #4!

When you finish your quiz, use the time to quietly work on your short story or other homework.
Don't forget to review the rubric here!

Friday, December 7

Monday, December 10 ~ Short Story #5: A Piece of Chalk

Roots
  • ject - throw
  • dura - lasting
  • dox - opinion, praise
  • acu - sharp
  • ali, allo, alter - other
  • vert, vers - turn
  • pater - father

***Heads up! Last Word Parts Quiz tomorrow!***

First, take my survey here. 

High School Bell Schedule
First
8:10 - 8:50
40 min
Second
8:55 - 9:35
40 min
Break
9:35 - 9:45
10 min
Third
9:50 - 10:30
40 min
Fourth
10:35 - 11:25
50 min*
Assembly
11:30 - 12:15
45 min
Lunch
12:15 - 1:05
50 min
Fifth
1:10 - 1:50
40 min
Sixth
1:55 - 2:35
40 min
Seventh
2:40 - 3:20
40 min

Short Story #5 
"A Piece of Chalk" by G.K. Chesterton
* Here is a bit of background information to assist you:
  • G. K. Chesterton (1874--1936) is staying at a house (perhaps a friend's?) in the country and decides to go out on the downs (rolling grass hills) to draw.  
  • He has a few chalks but needs to get some paper.  He likes to use brown paper for chalk drawings. 
  • He informs the reader that he is not going out to draw "Nature," which was the common thing to do in that day.  
    • Chesterton breaks off onto an idea that though ancient poets might not have described nature as some do closer to his day, it is not because they were less blessed by it.  In fact, they probably drank it in more deeply in times past.
  • He realizes he has no white chalk.  
    • The color white causes Chesterton to meditate on things many people assume to be blank, void, neutral, unimportant, or dull.  Some people see the color white, sexual purity, and virtue in general as falling into this dull zone.  Chesterton knows otherwise. 
  • Chesterton recalls his location, and all is well.  
Journal 37
  • Atmosphere: What feelings communicate to you?  Is this a scary environment?  A safe environment?  A jovial environment?  Is this a dull world of walking and chalk?  A wonderful world of walking and chalk? A deadly world or walking and chalk?
  • Tone: How does it seem Chesterton feels about what he is writing on?
    • What is Chesterton's attitude toward brown paper?  Nature?  The color white?  White chalk?  England, generally?
    • How does Chesterton seem to view the reader?  Does he seem to be an intellectually superior Brit?  Does he seem timid?  Does he seem frank?  Do you picture him smiling or scowling or laughing or sneering or blankly staring? 


HW: Roots Quiz tomorrow. Rough Draft due date moved to Wednesday!

Wednesday, December 5

Block Day, December 6 ~ Dialogue and Kids' Stories

Journal checks today!

Journal 35 (Study guide)
SHORT STORY VOCAB:

  • Atmosphere - tells us the way a story makes the reader feel
  • Tone - tells us the attitude the narrator has toward his subject and us.
  • Theme - a central idea or statement that unifies and controls an entire literary work. For our purposes, a theme should be a lesson or insight.
  • Motif - a recurring element, such as an image, reference, or even phrase which reveals the theme of the story.
  • Foreshadow - a hint within the text about what will happen later. 
  • Flashback - a method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events - usually in the form of a character's memories, dreams, narration, or even authorial commentary. 




SHORT STORY NOTES: DIALOGUE


      "Hi Tony," said Katy.

      "Hey," Tony answered.

      "What's wrong?" Katy asked.


      "Nothing," Tony said.


      "Really? You don't act like nothing's wrong."
   
Pretty tiresome dialogue, right?

Instead of writing a dialogue like the one above, a writer could condense the scene:

       "Hi Tony."

Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust.

       "Hey," he replied.

Katy could tell something was wrong.

Formatting Tips
Rule 1. The first thing to remember is that punctuation goes inside quotations.
    "I can't believe you just did that!"
Rule 2.  Dialogue tags (the he/she said of the quotation) SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY. The dialogue and narration should be used to show the emotion or action stated in the tag. One of the most important rules of writing fiction is: show, don't tell.

DON'T DO TOO MUCH OF THIS:
"But I don't want to go to sleep yet," he whined.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:
He stood in the doorway with his hands balled into little fists at his sides. His red, tear-rimmed eyes glared up at his mother. "But I don't want to go to sleep yet."
*A good writer will describe the scene in a way that conjures the image of a whining little boy.

Rule 3.  Paragraphs are very important to the flow and comprehension of the dialogue. Remember to start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes within the dialogue. This helps the reader know when someone new is speaking (and who it is).

SHORT STORIES FINAL EXERCISE: Children's Books Review
  • Read at least three kids' books and answer the questions below.
Journal 36
Story 1: (Name story here)
  1. Describe the theme/lesson
  2. What kind of narrator is being used?
  3. What other features are present in this story? (allegory, allusion, anagnorisis, atmosphere, archetype character, dialogue, flashback, foreshadow, indirect/direct characterization, irony, motif, symbolism, open/closed ending, unreliable narrator)

Story 2: ....repeat for three stories....

HW: Rough Draft Bring a digital copy of your story on Tuesday for peer editing. Credit will be given only for completed rough drafts (2-5 pages, double spaced).

Wednesday, December 5 ~ Short Story Work Day

Roots

  • scope - examine
  • scrib, script - write
  • sed, sid, sess - sit


Prefix

  • trans - across
  • util - useful
  • vis, vid - see
Go over STEAL and Plot
  • Tell/show a partner the plot for your story.

Work time for your stories

Journal Check on block day!!! Use the tab to prepare

Tuesday, December 4

Tuesday, December 4 ~ Short Story #4 Through the Tunnel

Prefixes
  • sol(us) - alone
  • subter - under, secret
  • syn, sin, sys - together, with
  • tele - distance

Roots
  • derm - skin
  • poli - city


JOURNAL 33: Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing (Click here for the story)

  • EQ: What steps go into a Plot?

COPY THESE NOTES: Plot - a general pattern of events that takes place in the narrative and the resolution of the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist .
  • Beginning
    • exposition
    • complication or inciting incident (the antagonist presents an obstacle to the protagonist)
    • rising action which features
      • crisis points
  • Middle
    • climax or ultimate crisis
      • there may be a black moment (darkest point of the climax)
      • the protagonist may experience an epiphany, sudden realization, clarification, or anagnorisis
  • End
    • falling action, denouement
      • resolution
      • open ending
      • closed ending

COPY: SAT Vocab
  1. contrition - a state of feeling crushed by guilt
  2. luminous - bright or shining
  3. supplication - the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
  4. sputtering - spitting or spraying
  5. beseeching - urgently requesting someone to do something
  6. minute - tiny
  7. clambered - to climb, move, or get out of something in an awkward or laborious way
  8. incredulous - unbelievable
  9. gout - a type of arthritis

ANSWER
1. Before you read: Have you ever taken a risk to prove yourself before? Do you find it convincing that Jerry takes such a large risk and survives?
2. After you read: Track the plot in this story, bullet point style or with a diagram.

HW: Read Through the Tunnel. Then complete Journal 33 & 34

Journal 34: Record the plot line of your own story.

**Journal Check on Block. Roots Quiz moved to Tuesday, December 11.**

Monday, December 3

Monday, December 3 ~ SHORT STORY #5: Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

See the tab above to view our Short Story Christmas Blessing assignment.

EQ: What makes a piece of art good?



Image result for philippians 4:8

Discuss By the Waters of Babylon.
Related image Image result for subway new york

Image result for grand central stationRelated image


Activity: How well do you really know a person?

EQ:  What is the difference between direct characterization and indirect characterization?

LIT NOTES: Click here to get the definitions and a mnemonic trick called STEAL.


Activity: First discuss: Agree, Disagree, or Somewhere in the Middle?

  1. My parents generally give me wise advice.
  2. I like having friends over for dinner with my family.
  3. My parents are embarrassing.
  4. My parents have had a deep influence on who I am today.
  5. I can remember a time when I tried to change myself to fit in.

Journal 32: Fishcheeks by Amy Tan
Part A: Use the STEAL chart to explain the characterization in Fishcheeks
Part B: Create a detailed STEAL chart about the main character you are
considering for your own short story. This should be 1/2 to 1 full page in your journal.


HW: Complete Journal 32 (Journal Check & Roots Quiz on Block)