Fourth week's lessons 9/25 - 9/29

Aloha, Ms Lasater has been hired at La Habra High School, so I will be taking over the class as of Monday September 25. I am looking forward to working with you and teaching you how my class operates. I want you to do well on all your test this year, and keep El Dorado a Blue Ribbon School, so let's work together.

Wednesday is Back to School Night and you can earn 25 extra credit points if your parents come and sign in to our class.

You have several test this week, and you will always have several test every week as we get you ready for the end of the year battery of test you will be taking. If you take the PSAT test this year it is an extra credit project, and should give you a better idea why we will do what we will be doing, and what colleges are looking for in you as a "student".

I will always be here at 7 am if you have any problem or need to make up test or work due to absence. It is your responsibility to make up your work. "I will be responsible to you, not for you."

Monday 9/25
1. Seating chart and name plates
2. Review Spiral Notebook
3. Lecture: Essay Terms
4. Read "The Interlopers" pages 8 - 13 (homework)

Tuesday 9/26
1. Reading Quiz
2. Writing handouts
3. Work on Portfolios
4. Review all vocabulary (homework)

Wednesday 9/27
1. Vocabulary Test
2. Read and discuss "The Interlopers"
3. Study Essay Terms (homework)
4. Read S.S. Reading Book (homework)

Thursday 9/28
1. Multiple paragraph Essay Terms Test
2. Review Vocabulary Test
3. Thesis Worksheet (homework)

Friday 9/29
1. Review Essay Terms Test
2. Review Thesis
3. Read "By The Waters of Babylon" page 42 - 55 (homework)

Let's have a partnership!

Week Three: 9-18-06 to 9-22-06

Monday-
1. S.S.R
2. Return and Review Prefix/Suffix Vocabulary Test
3. Continue reading "Harrison Bergeron" aloud in class and discuss the elements of fiction found in the text.
4. Homework: Continue working on Essay (due Wednesday) and begin Vocabulary Unit 1, Parts A & B.

Tuesday-
1. S.S.R.
2. Finish reading "Harrison Bergeron" and watch the film clip
3. Homework: Complete "Harrison Bergeron" essay and bring in four copies. Complete Vocabulary Unit 1, Parts C&D

Wednesday- (Late Start Day)
1. S.S.R.
2. Peer Editing of "Harrison Bergeron," in groups with four copies of your essay and a handout on proofreading marks. Students will be graded on how thoroughly they can peer edit and provide constructive comments on essays. The goal is to recognize errors in writting and then apply the corrections to your own essay.
3. Homework: Complete Vocabulary Unit 1, The Last Word section.

Thursday-
1. S.S.R.
2. Turn in Vocabulary Homework (I will be grading them)
3. Vocabulary Test Unit 1

Friday-
1. S.S.R.
2. Study Budy activity Comma Usage
3. Test taking strategies (Handout and discuss)
4. Introduction to CUPS writing

Week Two: 9/11/06-9/15/06

Monday-

1. S.S.R. (15 min.) Must have S.S.R. book today.
I will begin awarding 10 pts. a day for reading.
2. Character Education: Topic of Respect
" Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect
for others guides our manners." Laurence Stern
You will write for ten minutes in your journals responding
to the quote.
3. Distribute take home Literature Books ( 5 min.)
4. Group work: Students will be divided into 7 groups of 5.
Each group will read and become experts on a section of the special vocabulary unit on Strategies for Unlocking Word Meaning. Half of the groups will present today and the other half will present on Tuesday. Each student is responsible for taking down notes for the presentations in their spiral notebooks. (25 min.)
5. Homework: complete pgs. 4-5 in the vocabulary book and create note cards for Prefixes, Suffixes and Latin Roots on pgs. 6-11. The note cards should include the Prefix, Suffix, or Root along with the meaning and examples. Get these done because we will be
having a Vocabulary Bee this week!

Tuesday-

1. S.S.R (15 min.)
2. Finish group presentations (15 min.)
3. Elements of Fiction power point presentation (25 min.)
This is a review to introduce active reading skills for our short story unit. Students must take notes in their spiral notebook during the presentation.
4. Homework: Complete Vocabulary pgs. 11-12 and continue to study
note cards.

Wednesday-

1. Peer grading of Vocabulary Unit
2. S.S.R. while I record scores (10 min.)
3. Elements of fiction quiz checking for understanding and efficient note taking. (10 min.)
4. Vocabulary Bee (10 min.)
5. Read Aloud Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" and Discuss/ Identify the Elements of Fiction as they are presented in the story. (25 min.)
6. Pass back graded personal narrative essays and explain.
7. Handouts: Jane Shaffer 5 paragraph essay and the three essay prompts for "Harrison Bergeron."
8. Homework: Choose one of the three prompts handed out in class and write a 2 page, double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt. font, MLA formatted essay (Due on the stool before the bell on Monday). Please remember to follow the Jane Shaffer 5 paragraph model on the handout. I will be grading more heavily on the structure of your essays this time.

Thursday-

1. S.S.R. (10 min.)
2. Class Activity: Hello My Name is... Students will take on the persona of a Suffix or Prefix and introduce themselves around the class. For example, Mr. Ly who creates words that mean "Like" and "Manner" for a living. He has two children named scholarly and readily. Essentially they must state the Prefix/Suffix, tell what it does and give examples. This will act as another study session before the test. (10 min.)
2. Strategies for Unlocking Word Meaning Test (10 min.)
3. Read Aloud in class "Harrison Bergeron" and discuss. (25 min.)


Friday-

1. S.S.R. (10 min.)
2. Review Strategies for Unlocking Word Meaning Test (15 min.)
3. Watch an excerpt from the film version of "Harrison Bergeron." (13 min.)
4. Review Elements of Fiction quiz (10 min.)

The sun has set on your summer and now its time to get down to business!

Week One: 9-5-06 to 9-8-06

Terrific Tuesday-

1. Meet and Greet

2. Telephone #'s, e-mail, info cards

3. Classroom guidelines

4. Icebreaker: B-Day lines/Peer interview

5. Homework: Purchase class supplies

by Thursday and bring in signed

guidelines tomorrow (Wednesday).

Wonderful Wednesday-

1. Turn in signed guidelines (25 pts.)

2. Icebreaker: Circle of faces and names

3. Power Point Presentation of class overview

4. Literary Terms prior knowledge quiz

5. Homework: Read "The Race" and write a

one page response to the following prompt:

Describe the hardest thing in you life that

you have had to over come, explain how

that event made you stronger.

Who supported/ motivated you?

Tremendous Thursday-

1. Turn in "The Race" response

2. Review Literary terms quiz

3. Discussion on "The Race"

4. Grammar quiz (spell checker)

5. Check off supplies

6. Homework: Bring in an S.S.R book

for tomorrow (Friday).

Fabulous Friday-

1. Review Grammar quiz on the board

2. Set up reading cards (10 pts. each day)

3. Testing our memories: Review of Peer interviews

4. Homework: Secure a copy of the blue vocabulary

book if you have not done so already (vocabulary,

idioms, and S.S.R start Monday).