Mrs. Tilley
8th Grade Language Arts 2009-2010
Class Page Archives (back to Class Page)
Week of November 16, 2009
Monday 11/16
- Prepare for portfolio review this afternoon
- Apostrophes review
- Speech review assignment: Choose a speech by a skilled modern orator (from Top 100 American Speeches list) and write a commentary (~1 page) that evaluates the way the speaker maintains interest and persuades his audience. Review the speech you've chosen several times to consider/outline the speaker's key points or note the persuasive techniques the writer uses. Then critically analyze how well the speaker has supporred his or her key points and how effectively he or she has used rhetorical techniques (repetition, parallelism, etc.).
HOMEWORK: 1. Apostrophes quiz tomorrow. 2. Speech review due Wednesday.
Tuesday 11/17
- Apostrophes quiz
- Work on writing speech reviews
HOMEWORK: Speech review due tomorrow.
Wednesday 11/18
- Speeches
- Aphorisms from Ben Franklin
HOMEWORK: Journal: a) What general themes do Franklin's aphorisms fit under? What can you say about his approach to life, based on these sayings? b) Select an aphorism from Poor Richard's Almanack and explain how it could relate to a situation in your own life.
Thursday 11/19
- Aphorisms
- Letter-writing: Abigail Adams and Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur
HOMEWORK: Journals for Trimester 1 will be checked on Monday!
Friday 11/20
- Defining an American...letter-writing
HOMEWORK: Journals for Trimester 1 will be checked on Monday!
Week of November 9, 2009
Monday 11/9
- Update grade record sheets
- Slogans/mottoes
- Notes on speeches; read Patrick Henry's "Speech at the VA Convention"
HOMEWORK: Vocabulary Unit 3 exercises due tomorrow (first two)
Tuesday 11/10
- Rules for apostrophes
- Speeches: Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin
HOMEWORK: 1. Next two vocab exercises due tomorrow. 2. Journal: What ideas about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" that the constitution promises are present in Henry's and Franklin's speeches?
Wednesday 11/11
- Rules for apostrophes
- Inaugural speeches; WSJ's Top Five
- Listen to JFK inaugural speech (text)
- Journal: a) Which lines or phrases from Kennedy's speech do you find most memorable? Why? b) What expectations do you have when you listen to a political speaker? How does Kennedy's speech fulfill these expectations? c) How does Kennedy's speech compare with other political speeches you've heard or seen?
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary quiz tomorrow (unit 3). 2. Read text of JFK's speech at link above. Journal on JFK inaugural speech and be prepared to discuss tomorrow.
Thursday 11/12
- Vocabulary quiz
- Apostrophe practice
- 100 Greatest American Speeches
HOMEWORK: Read three speeches ("Ich Bin Ein Berliner," "Pearl Harbor Address to Nation," and one of your choosing); be ready to discuss Monday.
Friday 11/13
NO CLASS - 7th Grade Field Trip
Week of November 2, 2009
Monday 11/2
- Revisit Anticipation Guide for The Crucible
- Introductions and conclusions (notes on introductions here)
- Work on papers/meet with Ms. Tilley about papers
HOMEWORK: 1. Rough draft of papers due Wednesday for peer editing. 2. Papers due Friday. 3. Tomorrow, we'll work on collages in class. So, bring scissors if you have them, and as many old magazines and/or newspapers as you can find.
Tuesday 11/3
- Work on collages (rubric here)
HOMEWORK: Rough drafts due tomorrow for peer editing.
Wednesday 11/4
- Peer editing paper drafts
- Work on collages/meet with Ms. Tilley about papers
HOMEWORK: Final draft of paper and collage due Friday.
Thursday 11/5
- Last day to work on collages and papers in class
- Meet with Ms. Tilley about papers
HOMEWORK: Final draft of paper and collage due Friday.
Friday 11/6
NO CLASS - HALF DAY
Week of October 26, 2009
Monday 10/26
- Questions about project?/choose prompts
- Review jeopardy/study for test
HOMEWORK: 1. Test tomorrow. 2. Questions/Quotations/Analysis sheets from all 4 acts due tomorrow.
Tuesday 10/27
- Test on The Crucible
HOMEWORK: Read What Is A Thesis Statement? for reviewing, and draft the thesis statement for your li. Also, bring your Crucible books tomorrow! You will need them to find evidence for your literary analysis.
Wednesday 10/28
- Creating a good thesis
- Planning your paper (example here)/finding evidence
HOMEWORK: 1. Read the first side of Tips for Integrating Quotations before you start drafting your body paragraphs. 2. Body paragraphs with quotations due Monday (no intro or conclusion) - bring computer so you can work on the paper in class. 3. Project due Friday 11/6.
Thursday 10/29
NO CLASS - FIELD TRIP TO MOORESVILLE!
Friday 10/30
NO CLASS - TO CHARLOTTE TO SEE THE CRUCIBLE!
Week of October 19, 2009
Monday 10/19
- Italics rules and practice
- Metaphors and figurative language in The Crucible
- Act III reading
HOMEWORK: 1. Italics exercise B due tomorrow. 2. Finish Act III questions for tomorrow.
Tuesday 10/20
- Act III discussion/themes discussion
HOMEWORK: 1. Journal #14: How do the witch trials affect power in the Salem community? That is, how do the trials empower individuals who were previously powerless? Make sure to consider the way power is distributed in a Puritan community and how the witch trials change this distribution. Provide examples. 2. You'll have about 5 minutes in your groups at the beginning of class tomorrow before discussing your assigned themes.
Wednesday 10/21
- Themes from Act III
- Power and powerlessness in The Crucible
- Act IV
HOMEWORK: 1. Test on The Crucible Tuesday 10/27. 2. Act IV Questions and Analysis sheet due Friday (you'll have some time in class tomorrow to work on it).
Thursday 10/22
- Miller's "Are You Now or Were You Ever?" essay (abbrieviated - for full text, see this)
- Work on Act IV
HOMEWORK: 1. Act IV Questions and Analysis sheet due Friday. 2. Questions/Quotations/Analysis sheets from all 4 acts due Tuesday. 3. Test Tuesday.
Friday 10/23
- Introduce The Crucible writing project
- Review sheet for test
- Act IV and wrapping up
HOMEWORK: 1. Questions/Quotations/Analysis sheets from all 4 acts due Tuesday. 2. Narrow down your essay topic over the weekend. If you have questions, bring them to me on Monday. At the end of class Monday, you should have finalized your essay topic. 3. Test Tuesday.
Week of October 12, 2009
Monday 10/12
NO SCHOOL!
Tuesday 10/13
- Malleus Maleficarum
- The Crucible Act II
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary quiz tomorrow. 2. Be prepared to discuss the rest of your Act II questions.
Wednesday 10/14
- Vocabulary quiz
- The Crucible Act II
- Metaphors/figurative language in The Crucible
HOMEWORK: 1. Finish journal #13 if you didn't finish it in class (Characters/metaphors connections - comparing characters who use figurative language (give examples) - what does a character's ability to use figurative language/metaphors indicate about their moral character/personality? Explain.). 2. We don't meet until Monday; between now and then complete the first side of your Act III Questions sheet. Please mark the page numbers where you find your answers so we can easily refer to them in class.
Thursday 10/15
NO CLASS - FILED TRIP TO CHARLOTTE
Friday 10/16
NO CLASS - MS. TILLEY ON FIELD TRIP
Week of October 5, 2009
Monday 10/5
- Grammar quiz on colons and semicolons
- Complete The Crucible Act I
- Characters in the play
HOMEWORK: 1. Act I Qs and Qs sheet due tomorrow. 2. Vocabulary Unit 2 exercises (first two) due tomorrow.
Tuesday 10/6
- Unit 2 vocab words
- Character charts
- Act I discussion
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary Unit 2 exercises ("Synonyms/Antonyms" and "Choosing the Right Word") due Thursday...if you did not do well on the last vocabulary quiz, make flashcards of new words to study from. 2. Choose one of the themes on our list (or a new one that you've noticed) and trace it throughout the first act. Where does it appear? How is this theme developing? Why is it essential to the story? How might it play out? Etc., etc., etc.
Wednesday 10/7
- Review Act I and start Act II in The Crucible
- Recurring themes
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary exercises due tomorrow. 2. Act II Questions and Quotations sheet - not due tomorrow, but good idea to start reading Act II.
Thursday 10/8
- Act II discussion and Qs
- "Half-Hanged Mary"
- Calculating mid-term grades
HOMEWORK: 1. Act II Questions and Quotations sheet due Tuesday. 2. Signed grade record sheet due Tuesday (for 10 points!).
Friday 10/9
NO SCHOOL!
Week of September 28, 2009
Monday 9/28
- Arthur Miller
- Anticipating issues in The Crucible
HOMEWORK: 1. Test Wednesday. 2. Colon/Semicolon exercise.
Tuesday 9/29
- Grammar
- Notes/terms for The Crucible
- Read in Act I
HOMEWORK: Test tomorrow. (Bring your copy of The Crucible to read when you finish the test)
Wednesday 9/30
- Test on pre-colonial literature
HOMEWORK: Read this page about Arthur Miller and McCarthyism.
Thursday 10/1
NO CLASS - FIELD TRIP TO OLD SALEM!
Friday 10/2
- Grammar: semicolons, colons
- Act I of The Crucible
- Act I Questions/Quotations
HOMEWORK: Grammar quiz Monday.
Week of September 21, 2009
Monday 9/21
NO CLASS
Tuesday 9/22
- Vocabulary Unit 1 Quiz
- Colonial poetry research and presentations of info
- New England Primer
HOMEWORK: Read NYT article here.
Wednesday 9/23
- NYT article on New England Primer
-"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" excerpts (FYI: entire text available here)
- Forms of discourse
HOMEWORK: Journal Entry #8: a) Would Edwards's sermon/style of delivery be as effective on a modern day congregation? Explain. b) Are there situations where using fear tactics is justifiable? Explain.
Thursday 9/24
- Edwards's sermon
- Grammar: punctuation marks
- Salem witch trials/"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" persuasive writing
HOMEWORK: Writing Assignment ("Salem Witch Defense") - How would an attorney defend an accused woman during the Salem Witch Trials? Write a statement to the court defending the woman. Your statement should persuade a jury of the time and consider the persuasive techniques we've talked about. (Length = about one page typed, double-spaced).
Friday 9/25
- Salem Witch Defense
- More with punctuation marks
- Review sheet/info for test
HOMEWORK: 1. Test Wednesday, 9/30 2. Bring The Crucible on Monday.
Week of September 14, 2009
Monday 9/14
- Commas quiz
- Work on rough drafts; practice using precise and descriptive language
HOMEWORK: 1. Bring vocab book tomorrow. 2. Have a working draft of explorer's journal for class tomorrow (i.e., you should have decided which day/event to focus on and have the "skeleton" of a narrative to revise in class).
Tuesday 9/15
- Vocabulary
- Excerpts from "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano"
- Work on explorer narratives
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary exercises due Thursday (Unit 1: "Definitions" and "Completing the Sentence"). 2. Explorer Narratives due tomorrow. Be prepared to talk a little bit about your explorer.
Wednesday 9/16
- Slave narrative discussion
- Early Colonial experience narrative accounts
- read from The General History of Virginia (John Smith)
HOMEWORK: 1. Read selections from Of Plymouth Plantation (William Bradford) 2. Vocabulary exercises due tomorrow; quiz Tuesday.
Thursday 9/17
- Vocabulary
- Bradford and Smith discussion
- Comparing narratives
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary exercises: "Synonyms," "Antonyms," and "Choosing the Right Word" due tomorrow; quiz Tuesday. 2. ReadBradford poem. Things to be thinking about: Bradford's style/word choice/figurative language in poem vs. in narrative account.
Friday 9/18
- Comparing narratives; organizing a compare/contrast essay
- Pre-Colonial poetry
HOMEWORK: 1. Vocabulary quiz Tuesday.
Week of September 7, 2009
Monday 9/7
LABOR DAY - NO CLASS
Tuesday 9/8
- Write drafts of personal historical narratives in class; time to conference with me about your narrative...
*How to Head Your Paper*
Your Name
Date
Language Arts Tilley
Personal Historical Narrative
(Make sure all the info above is LEFT aligned)
HOMEWORK: 1. Bring Daily GRAMS book to class tomorrow. 2. Printed copy of personal historical narrative to class for editing.
Wednesday 9/9
- Daily GRAMS
- Rules for commas (#6-8)
- Editing your narrative
- Historical narratives: explorations in the Southwest
HOMEWORK: 1. Personal Historical Narrative due Friday, with your peer's notes and your own self-scoring on the rubric in a different colorthan the person who peer edited your narrative. 2. Read "A Journey Through Texas" (Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca). 3. Comma exercise 6 (rewrite whole sentence in blank space).
Thursday 9/10
- Continue SW explorer narratives: "Boulders Taller than the Great Tower of Seville" (Garcia Lopez de Cardenas)
- More comma practice (rules #1-8)
- LA portion of Explorer Narrative assignment and rubric: in tandem with your narrative
HOMEWORK: 1. Personal Historical Narrative due tomorrow, with your self-scoring on the rubric. 2. Explorer Narrative due Tuesday (tentative) 3. Comma quiz Monday.
Friday 9/11
- Your Explorer Narratives (research/drafting)
HOMEWORK: 1. Explorer Narrative due Tuesday. 2. Comma quiz Monday.
FYI: COMMA RULES
1. Use commas to separate items in a series.
2. Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun.
3. Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet when they join independent clauses.
4. Use commas to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential participial phrases.
5. Use a comma after certain introductory elements.
6. Use commas to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence.
7. Use commas to separate items in dates and addresses, after the salutation or close of a letter, and after a name followed by Jr., Sr.,etc.
8. Do not use unnecessary commas.
Week of August 31, 2009
Monday 8/31
- Welcome and course overview
- Nothing But the Truth (Journal #1): Which character is the most sympathetic? Rank the major characters from most to least sympathetic and provide reasons and examples.
HOMEWORK: As an addendum to your journal entry, address the following characters: Mrs. Narwin, Philip, and Dr. Pellini. Be prepared to discuss your journal tomorrow in class, with page numbers to support your opinion. Make sure to bring your copy of Nothing But the Truth to class tomorrow.
Tuesday 9/1
- Nothing But the Truth discussion: characterization, "documentary" style and its efffects
- Rewrite one "day" in the novel in conventional narrative form (choose and identify your narrator: first or third person, limited or omniscient)
HOMEWORK: 1. Journal #2: How does a novel's style of narration (e.g., "documentary," 3rd person omniscient, etc.) contribute to your sympathies (or lack of) for particular characters? Explain. 2. Bring your daily GRAMS book to class tomorrow. 3. NBtT quiz Thursday.
Wednesday 9/2
- Daily GRAMS exercises
- Rules for commas
- Wrap-up discussion for quiz
HOMEWORK: 1. Comma exercises 2, 4, and 5. 2. Quiz on summer reading tomorrow.
Thursday 9/3
- Summer reading quiz
- Intro to pre-colonial narratives; Columbus journals (site for more here)
HOMEWORK: None
Friday 9/4
- pre-colonial narratives; Columbus journals
- Historical narratives assignment and rubric
HOMEWORK: 1. In your journal, create a prewriting "web" for your personal historical narrative. 2. Bring computer to class Tuesday to work on drafts of your historical narrative. You are welcome to begin your rough draft over the weekend if you'd like :)
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