Happy Halloween!

English 9
Today we'll be selecting one of our two big questions. We'll go over conclusions, and get started on our first composition. This means we need to decide on a thesis statement and start our evidence hunt.

Also, we'll now be keeping all our work on this assignment in our folders. Any work you bring from home on this assignment will not be usable.

English 12
Today we'll be finishing up our skits for "Tuesday Siesta."

Happy Friday!

English 9
Today we worked on more grammar sentences and the parts of a sentence. After that we took a look at 8 big topics for "The Scarlet Ibis." Here they are:

1. How does pride feature into "The Scarlet Ibis?"
2. Is the narrator to blame for Doodle's death? Why or why not?
3. Discuss the significance of the scarlet ibis in the story.
4. How do the narrator's feelings towards Doodle change over time?
5. What is one important message that "The Scarlet Ibis" relays to present-day children?
6. Why is it important that Doodle died at the end of this story?
7. How does the framing as a retrospective affect the way readers interpret "The Scarlet Ibis"?
8. How is Doodle's birth name, William Armstrong, an element of foreshadowing?

Homework

Pick 2 questions. Decide on a note taking method that best suits you. Some methods might include Venn Diagrams, point form, headings, or mind maps.

English 12

Today we'll discuss your planning for our practice provincial, then have the presentation for story #5. Tuesday Siesta!

It somehow feels like an entire day went by...

Greetings!

English 12
Today we're taking another gander at "The Painted Door" and looking closely at the characterization. We'll talk briefly about your third sonnet, then another glance at the provincial exam. We'll continue our discussion of the Contrast piece tomorrow!

English 9
Today we'll be trying some more of these tricky grammar sentences. I'll model my method and hopefully we'll make some progress on them.

Also, we'll go over your 6 questions from Tuesday and check out some extended response questions today.

English 12
Today we'll spend some time working on our sonnets, then move on to something a little different - a poem to get us thinking!

English 9
Today we'll be working with the short story you all read for homework: The Scarlet Ibis. Beware, you might have a surprise regarding this short story. I hope you've read it!

After our little surprise, we'll work on some questions for discussion on The Scarlet Ibis. Also, we'll take a moment to check out the structure of body paragraphs for your upcoming essay.

1. Describe the elements of setting for the story.
   a. Time:
   b. Place:
   c. Geographical location:
   d. Weather:
   e. Social conditions:

2. Now that you know what happens, reread the first 2 paragraphs and record any words that foreshadowed Doodle’s death.

3. How do we know this story is told as a flashback?

4. Do you think the narrator is a dynamic character or a static character? Explain.

5. Who is a possible round character?

6. Give an example from the story of one of each of the following types of characterization.
a. Direct: (The story tells you about a character directly)
b. Says: (You have to infer a characteristic by what a character says)
c. Does: (You have to infer a characteristic by what a character does)
d. Thinks: (You have to infer a characteristic by what a character thinks, usually the narrator)
e. Others’ reactions: (Indirect characterization - we have to figure out characteristics by the way that character is treated)

Good morning!

English 9
Today we'll be taking one more step towards your first composition. After we do our work today, I'll ask you to keep your progress inside your folder at the front of the room. I'm currently marking your creative writing work for "Lather, Nothing Else".

Yes, you will get back your presentation marks today.

We discussed the form of introduction paragraphs today. Here's the example we used:

---------
     Many people around the world enjoy the nutrition and flavor offered by apples and oranges. When visiting the local grocery store, patrons are often conflicted between selecting apples and oranges. When considering food choices, one must also consider the nutritional value of the food they eat. Fruits are often used as ingredients in drinks, and selecting an appropriate fruit for this purpose is essential to successful culinary pursuits. Based on the nutritional and culinary benefits of oranges, they are clearly the superior choice when one must decide between apples and oranges.
---------

Homework

Please read "The Scarlet Ibis" before class on Tuesday.


English 12
Today we'll be viewing the presentation for "Masque of the Red Death". Spoiler alert, Death's in it. I hope you're ready for some killer poetry!

Tomorrow is a Pro-D day, no school!

English 12
Since many of us are away today, we'll spend the class taking a gander the sonnets and our next short story - "Masque of the Red Death".

Check it out - Here's a link to the short story we'll be doing on Monday!

Looking at the calendar, we'll be speeding up the pace of our short story unit in order to accommodate the report card timeline. This means we'll try to fit them in every two days rather than every three days. Ideally, we can complete presentations before the first reporting period and dive right into Hamlet!

English 9
With the two big questions out of the way we've completed a task where we take on the devil's advocate by taking the position we had originally disagreed with. Today we'll be handing in our short story component and work on the next step of our composition for the worldview unit.

English 12
Since many of us are away today, we'll spend the class taking a gander the sonnets and our next short story - "Masque of the Red Death".

Looking at the calendar, we'll be speeding up the pace of our short story unit in order to accommodate the report card timeline. This means we'll try to fit them in every two days rather than every three days. Ideally, we can complete presentations before the first reporting period and dive right into Hamlet!

English 9
With the two big questions out of the way we've completed a task where we take on the devil's advocate by taking the position we had originally disagreed with. Today we'll be handing in our short story component and work on the next step of our composition for the worldview unit.

Gooooooood morning!

English 9
Today we looked back on our mind map for worldviews, and did a short brainstorm on what we feel are the 6 most important ones. Below are images of our brainstorms from late September.




3.2 If you were the princess, what option would you have indicated, and why?
3.3 If you were the lover, what door would you have taken, and why?
3.5 Do you agree with the author that the king's method of administering justice was fair?

Homework
Complete the expansion of your creative response to "Lather, Nothing Else". Highlight, or box the area of your writing that you expanded for homework.

Also, for 3.2 and 3.3 above: we did these questions in class. For homework, take the opposite position of the one you took during class, and defend it in 4 sentences for each question.

English 12
Today we shared our sonnets and presented some visualizations for Horses of the Night!

English 12
Today we had our 2nd presentation: "The Horses of the Night" (p. 282). Great presentations from both classes. Keep in mind though, that borrowing a few ideas you might have found from a prezi requires a reference.

Tomorrow we'll be using our sonnets, and check out the visuals you all have come up with for "The Horses of the Night"

Homework
Finish your sonnet, and complete the visual for Horses of the Night.

English 9
Today we shared our short stories from the perspective of Torres, the tyrant from "Lather, Nothing Else." During our share, we provided some feedback to our classmates on their narrative writing. Then, we went back to work on our short stories.

Homework
Select a portion a paragraph length or so of your short story to expand and edit. This is your area of focus. Add some descriptive writing to enhance the big 3 elements we talked about today: Suspense, Plot, and Tension.

Greetings!

English 9
I was obviously planning a day ahead! Sorry for the mixup. Today we went over #3 and started work on a creative activity for "Lather and Nothing Else".

For those of you who haven't handed in your Mitty questions, here they are:

1. How would you evaluate the status of Mitty's relationship with his wife? *use quotes*
2. What do Mitty's fantasies have in common?
3. Are fantasies an important aspect of our lives or are they a distraction from reality?

Homework
Complete your own version of the short story as Torres. Roughly 2 pages written, or 1 page typed.

English 12
Today I'm collecting your selection from the Omelas narrative/response as well as your Show Don't Tell charts.

*Reminder* we have our 2nd short story presentation coming up on Tuesday. It will be for "Horses of the Night" in our short story book. Please have this story read prior to coming to class, as we'll be doing some work with it after the presentation on Tuesday.

Today we'll get the remainder of the essays back to students, and will be moving on to more creative writing. We'll be taking a break from narrative styles, and instead, check out some poetic forms!

Shakespearean Sonnets

SONNET 12

When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
   And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence
   Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence. 

99, 126, and 145 do not conform to standard Shakespearean sonnet form.

Homework
Read "Horses of The Night" before class tomorrow. Do the sonnet if time permits.

Check out that weather!

English 9
Today we finished up our presentations. Excellent job! This took a lot of courage on your part - to share your values and your family's values. After our presentations, we talked about suspense as a tool for building tension in short stories. So far, we've read "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

Today we read "Lather, and Nothing Else."

Homework
Do #3. Why didn't the narrator kill Torres? Provide a complete answer for this question!

English 12
Today we took a break from the usual, and worked a provincial exam, for practice of course. Our next presentation is for group 2 - "Horses of The Night" on Tuesday. If we continue on schedule, group 3, "Masque of the Red Death" will be on Monday the following week.

English 12
Today we worked on editing our creative/narrative response using a Show, Don't Tell chart. Here are the things I'll be marking for this assignment:

1. A SDT chart that you fill in for your partner's narrative.
2. A Selection from your narrative that I'll check for SDT qualties. 

We also received our essays from early last week. If you have questions about your mark, you need to see me ASAP to discuss it. We can discuss the grade you have and go over any improvements you might consider for our next essay.

Homework
Revise your narrative/creative response for Monday. DEJ for "The Day They Set Out" due Friday.

English 9
Today we finished most of the presentations. There are a few more to go.

Homework
If you haven't handed in your DEJ or your 3 questions for Mitty, please do so by tomorrow at the latest. I will be marking these over the weekend, and you will be missing out on important grade opportunities if they are not done.

English 12
Today we had our first short story presentation for "The Day They Set Out". Thanks group 1 for a wonderful and engaging presentation!

With this, we moved forward into a very brief exploration of the possible role of music in this short story. With that in mind, we began work on a DEJ for "The Day They Set Out" due on Thursday.

Homework

1. If you haven't finished your essay yet, you need to come in early in the morning and during lunch to finish it.
2. The creative/narrative response to Omelas is due tomorrow (Thursday).
3. The DEJ for "The Day They Set Out" is due on Friday.

English 9

We began our Worldview Symbol Presentations. Pretty interesting so far! More to come tomorrow!

Homework
Be sure to complete your Walter Mitty DEJ for Tomorrow.

English 12
Today we started the next step of our creative work with Omelas. We traded our short story responses with a partner, and began work on a quatrain that encompasses what happens in our partner's story.

Homework
Read "The Day They Set Out" and complete your quatrains by Thursday.

English 9
Today we worked through the questions for Walter Mitty, and had some class time to finish up our presentations.

Homework
Presentations are tomorrow, be ready!

DEJ for Walter Mitty is due on Thursday. If you haven't given me your 3 questions, please hand them into the bin ASAP.

Greetings all!

English 12
Behold, the link for the PowerPoint example.

(more to come as the day progresses)

English 9
Today we began reading "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". You have some homework this weekend, here it is!

Complete the 3 questions for Walter Mitty:

1. How would you evaluate the status of Mitty's relationship with his wife? *USE QUOTES* - 1/4 PAGE SINGLE SPACED
2. What do Mitty's fantasies have in common? - 1/4 PAGE SINGLE SPACED
3. Are fantasies an important aspect of our lives or are they a distraction from reality? - HALF PAGE SINGLE SPACE

Do as much work as possible on your Worldview Presentation. I will check my email several times this weekend if you have any questions. jrogers@sd38.bc.ca

Our presentation day is Wednesday, October 12.

Greetings all! Here's today's plan.

I will check this blog throughout the day. If you have any questions, email me jrogers@sd38.bc.ca

English 9
Unfortunately we don't have access to the laptop or iPad carts today. Use your electronic devices and brainstorming to work on your Worldview presentations. As an inquiry you have several choices as to how you will present. Here are some guiding questions to think about as you decide on your object, and what you will talk about in front of the class:

1. How does your symbol represent your worldview?
2. Explain the history and significance of your symbol.
3. How does your symbol represent the culture/values of your family, or where you are from?
4. Is there a story about your family that the symbol reminds you of?

These presentations won't be long - 3-5 minutes each. Here's what I'll be looking for:

• Speaking in front of an audience: clarity, volume, pacing.
• How effectively do you explain the elements of your symbol using the traits/characteristics and values/culture of your family?
• Does your visual component (PowerPoint, Prezi, or any of the options we discussed in class this week) present your visual and interpretation clearly?
• What will you add to the presentation? Tell a story that the symbol reminded you of? Is there a story behind the object itself?

English 12
Take some time today to work on your first creative assignment - the Narrative Response to Omelas.

On Friday, we'll have the ipad cart, so we can put a bit more time into our presentations then. The priority today should be on developing your creative responses to Omelas. If your response is in good shape, you could work with your group on the presentations. The first presentation should on Wednesday next week.

Link to the example PPT for short stories is coming!

English 9
Today we wrapped up the subject/predicate component of our grammar work. We began working on Haikus for "The Sniper".

English 12
Today we'll check out an example of a presentation for our short story unit. I'll post a copy of it here for your reference once we've seen it in class.

English 12
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas - Usula Le Guin

Read this before tomorrow's class!

English 9
Today we did some practice with subjects and predicates. Tomorrow we'll wrap that up and discuss our presentations and a little "The Sniper" assignment!

Happy Monday, everyone!

English 9
We have a few things on the go now - first, we have your Worldview: Culture presentations, next we're beginning to take a look at some grammar items. Lastly, we've got our short story unit. Busy times!

As for the Worldview: Culture component, we are now deciding on objects/symbols that we might bring in that represent our family values/culture. You have choices here because we all might feel differently with how we identify with our family. That said there are a few major central ideas that we need to discuss. This object must symbolize where you are from or what your family values (or both!). You could bring it in, or show us in your presentation.

1. How does your symbol represent your worldview?
2. Explain the history and significance of your symbol.
3. How does your symbol represent the culture/values of your family, or where you are from?

Homework
Create 4 sentences which we'll use tomorrow to locate simple, complete, and compound subjects and predicates!

English 12

Depending on your class, we'll be finishing essays and beginning our short story unit. Block D will get a little more time, as we lost some writing time for the cops for cancer event. If you need extra time to finish, please come during lunch or before school.