It's been a whirlwind! Just when you think the marking is all done, you get another load of it!

Here's the latest update for this week.

English 9
Today we started Romeo and Juliet. Here are some questions to get us thinking about the kind of language and meaning Shakespeare is working towards.

Prologue:
1. In which northern Italian city is the play set?
2. What is the purpose of hte prologue?
3. Describe how the mood is conveyed through specific phrases and words.

I.i

1. Romeo and Juliet is essentially a love story. Why do you think Shakespeare begins with a violent street fight?
2. For which family do Gregory and Sampson work?
3. A pun is a play on words. It is a form of joking, using words which sound the same but have different meanings.
1. Write down the words in the first four lines which create the pun.
2. What does Sampson mean when he says 'we'll not carry coals' in line 1?
3. What does the word 'choler' mean?
4. There are a number of bawdy jokes made in this scene.
1. What is the purpose of these jokes?

Homework

• Complete the questions above.
• Finish the good copy of your essay (typed or written).
• Prepare for your 2nd grammar quiz,

English 12
We'll be writing an analytical essay for Hamlet. Be prepared to day to discuss his famous soliloquy in III.i.

(more coming soon!)

Report cards will be handed out tomorrow!

English 12
Today we got our marks back for our sonnet presentations. Those of you who want a redo, we'll be doing them tomorrow!

We began the Hamlet film, and finished the first two scenes and examined Hamlet's first soliloquy, "Frailty, thy name is woman."

English 9
We're getting near the end of our first of two major compositions. The plan is to finish our draft by Thursday. Tomorrow, we'll be doing a bit more grammar and with the remaining time, we'll work on our essays.

Well that was a crazy week! Report cards are done and we're now full steam into term 2.

English 12
Today we finished presenting our sonnets. We'll be getting our marks for the sonnets tomorrow. Once you've seen your mark, you can decide if you want to redo on Wednesday. No matter how you do on Wednesday, your mark will not go down. That said, redos, as always, are optional.

English 9
Today we'll look closely at Direct Objects, Indirect Objects, and Object Complements. After some work in this area, we'll put some more time into our essays.

Survey for grade 9s: tinyurl.com/hj786q8 

English 12
Today we're finishing the film "The Importance of Being Earnest" and we'll be doing a brief discussion before moving on to your sonnet slam (part 1).

English 9
Today we'll be doing our first grammar quiz. We'll do a practice run on some sentences before we start. Also, we'll be filling in a graphic organizer to help us with the next big steps of our essay.

No information for today -

Grade 12s - be sure to complete your final sonnet for Tomorrow's class!

English 12
Today we completed our last presentation: "The Yellow Wallpaper". We then discussed some of the elements of fiction that will appear on the text, as well as a figurative device. Here's the list we discussed:

1. Symbolism
2. Characterization and Dynamic Characterization
3. Setting
4. Point of View
5. Theme
6. Conflict
7. Allusion

Theme will appear several times. Remember, you only need to select one question from the list of questions tomorrow. There will be one question for each short story we have done, and therefore 7 questions in total.

English 9

Today we spent more time with "Secret Life of Walter Mitty". Tomorrow we'll be going over thesis statements.

Next week, we'll be starting your composition on Monday, and your grammar quiz and continuation of the composition will be on Tuesday.

Greetings team - I am recovering, but the work must go on!

English 9
Today we did nothing, because it was take your kids to work day!

English 12
Today we looked at the short story, "Spring Storm". It was a big hit when we got to the debate!

Greetings!

I am sick today, but your education must continue! Here's the plan for the day:

English 9
Grammar and - Walter Mitty!

English 12
Here's a link to the provincial exam for your class today.

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.