Has your luck ever changed?

As you know, we have been working with our quote/adage essay; consequently, we have been explaining the validity of quotes using elaboration.

Today, you will be determining the validity of a selected quote, and explaining the quote’s validity through thorough elaboration.

 “The only sure thing about luck is that it will change.”
 – Wilson Minzer

Steps to Follow:

1. READ the quote
2. EXPLAIN what the quote means using elaboration
3. DETERMINE if the quote is valid or invalid
4. EXPLAIN why the quote is valid or invalid using elaboration

Please note: your entry should be at least 9 sentences long, and your entry will be shared with the class!

Life in America - What does it all mean?

Now that you have completed organizing your thoughts about the three texts we have been working with, it is time to begin a “mini-compare/contrast” essay. However, rather than writing an essay, you are going to be composing a blog entry.

Your Task:

Compare and Contrast TWO of the three texts we have been working with by writing three paragraphs about the significance in the different views portrayed about America.

What to include:

The titles of the two texts you will compare and contrast.

1 paragraph about the similarities in the two texts.

1 paragraph about the differences in the two texts.

1 paragraph reflecting on what this (the fact that they are different) suggests about life in America. 

Reflect on the peer evaluation process in a 2 – 3 paragraphs. During your entry, please discuss the following:


Your initial thoughts when told someone would be reading your work

How viewing a peer’s essay will help you become a better writer

How viewing a peer’s essay will help the class become better writers

Your thoughts about doing peer evaluations throughout the year


What does all of this suggest about you as a student of English?


This may be shared with the class!

HYPERBOLE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN AIR!

For today’s task, you are going to be identifying instances of hyperbole in the poem “Sarah Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.” Once you identify the hyperboles, you must then explain the effect that it has on the reader.

Questions to consider:
Does it make your visualize something?
Does it emphasize a point?
Does it help you to understand something?
Does it make the poem more entertaining or funny?

In your entry, include:
4 – 5 different instances of hyperbole
4 – 5 lines from the poem that are hyperbole
Explanations of each of the instances of hyperbole
Explanations of the effect that the hyperbole has on the reader

CLICK HERE FOR THE POEM!

Discovery Learning - Oxymorons and Paradoxes

Today we are going to try a new type of learning, a style of learning that requires you take charge of what you accomplish in one forty minute lesson. We are going to try “Discovery Learning.”

Discovery Learning allows you to be in control of important concepts and skills that you learn in class.

Your goal today is to define, explain, and utilize oxymorons and paradoxes in your writing. You may use any tool or website that you find helpful.

In your post, include the following:

1. A definition of BOTH terms
2. An Example and Non-Example of each
3. Write a short piece in which you use 1 oxymoron and 1 paradox.
4. Use complete sentences.

Understatements are somewhat interesting

Your task today is to compose a short blog entry and to utilize understatements in your writing. Be sure to consider the positive and negative connotations of the words you use as you write.

The topic of your writing is “Staying Smart through Summer”

What is your Plan?

Today, the day before we start our last unit of study for the year, we would like you to take this opportunity to think about what you have been doing this year and how it will impact your life in the big picture.

We would like you compose a 2 – 4 paragraph analysis of your work so far this year and your hopes for your career after high school.

In your comment, include the following:

1. Assess your progress this year: did you accomplish everything that you wanted to? Why or why not? If you could have done something different, what would it be and why?
2. What are your plans for after high school? Do you want to go to college, a trade school, or start working? Which professions are you interested in? If you are interested in going to college, what majors are you interested in and why?
3. What are some steps you can take to make sure that you accomplish your goals? Have you put serious thought into these yet? If not, what can you do make sure you stay focused on accomplishing your dreams?

If you are interested in going to college, the website listed below will help you start the college process off right. The link to the site is:
http://www.college-scholarships.com/ten_rules_for_selecting_a_college_or_universities.htm

Brutus and Booth - One and the Same?

We just finished reading Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar.” As we have discussed and experienced, the play deals with many issues of human nature, including: betrayal, trust, loyalty, justice, and leadership. There have been many instances in real life that reflect what happens in plays, one of the most famous is John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Read this diary entry, which Booth wrote after he killed Lincoln, and compare it to Brutus’s decision to kill Caesar. Be sure to note his mention of Shakespeare’s character, Brutus, in his diary entry.

Once you have read the entry, answer 3 of 7 questions (you decide which 3!) listed below and post them as a comment. Use complete sentences and evidence from the text to support your answers.

1. Describe how Booth justifies the shooting of Abraham Lincoln in his diary entry. How does this compare to the way Shakespeare's character Brutus justifies the assassination of Julius Caesar?

2. Assess Booth's claims that his "action was purer than" that of Brutus and that he never sought any personal gain.

3. How do you think Brutus might respond to the claims made in Booth's diary? What might these two figures, Booth and Brutus, say to each other if they met?

4. Diary entries like Booth's give us access to a writer's innermost thoughts. How do we gain access the innermost thoughts of a dramatic character like Shakespeare's Brutus?

5. Why do you think Booth kept a diary after shooting Lincoln? (Do you think he ever anticipated that the diary would be read and/or published? If so, does this change the way we read and interpret the diary? In other words, is it possible that Booth's journal entries were crafted to sway his potential readers?)

6. Do you think there is ever any way to justify the assassination of a political leader? Why or why not?

7. Has reading Booth's diary changed your perception of Brutus's actions in the play?

Walking in Antony's Shoes

As you know, we have been reading William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, a play that deals with major human issues like loyalty, revenge, and power. We just finished the death of Julius Caesar and Mark Anonty’s speech to the people of Rome, a speech that is so heavily laced with irony and the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) that it convinced all of the citizens to believe in his cause. Today, you will be comparing yourself to Mark Antony.

Your Task Today:
Rewrite Anonty’s speech from Act III, Scene II in modern language.

Steps to Take/Questions to Consider:
Step 1- Think about Anonty’s Position. What would you do if you were in his shoes?
Step 2 – Re-read and evaluate Anonty’s speech. How would this speech be different if it were given today?
Step 3 – Rewrite the speech in today’s language as YOU would write it. How can you convert the speech to today’s language while still maintaining the heavy uses of irony and ethos, pathos, and logos?

Rubric for Assignment:
Proficient – the speech is rewritten in modern language, yet still maintains the major points and integrity of the speech, the re-written speech is at least 3 paragraphs long and is well-written with proper grammar and strong vocabulary words
Non-Proficient – The speech is not rewritten in modern language, nor does it maintain the major points or integrity of the speech, the speech is less than 3 paragraphs and does not use proper grammar or a strong vocabulary

Bonus Question (only to be answer if speech is re-written) – In Julius Caesar, Brutus is able to convince the “ignorant masses” relatively quickly, and then Antony is able to convince them just as quickly to agree with him, a completely opposite opinion. With this is mind, what do you think Shakespeare is saying about the rhetoric in our lives?

Et tu - Students?

Time has come for Spring Break 2011, and we would like you to take this time to self-reflect on the past year, specifically in English class. We want you to take a moment and think about some of the things you have learned and how they can affect your life. Remember, we don’t teach you all of the things we do for no reason!

With all of these things in mind, we would like you to think about your upcoming spring break and brainstorm some ideas in which you could incorporate some of the things from English class into your break. Perhaps you could read a bit each day; perhaps you could notice ethos, pathos, and logos in your life.

Your Task Today:
Compose a 3 paragraph entry (minimum 5 sentences each) in which you discuss possible ways you can incorporate the skills learned in English class into your break.

Julius Caesar: Act I, Scene II

Over the past two days, we have been reading Act I, Scene II of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We are still in the early stages of the play, so it is essential that you understand everything that is going on in the play. Please note: after today’s lesson, we will be moving quite quickly through the play!

Today you will have 2 goals for your blog entry:

• To decide and explain which Rhetorical Appeal that Cassius used best


• To summarize Julius Caesar, Act I Scene II

Rubric for Analysis of Cassius Speech/Summary of Act I, Scene II:
Proficient – analysis of Cassius’s speech demonstrates mastery of the three rhetorical appeals, analysis is supported by textual evidence and all sentences are effectively written. Summary of Act I, Scene II is coherently written, contains all major elements of the scene, and does not add in unnecessary details.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Our Lives

Towards the end of last week, we were looking more in depth into the foundations of public speaking. We discovered and studied the new concepts of the words:

• Ethos – the self, establish credibility, establish strong character, community, trust


• Pathos – evokes emotions: happiness, fear, sadness, anger, “coolness,” etc.


• Logos - based on logic and reasoning, statistics, things that “make sense”

Your Task Today: Over the weekend, your homework was to identify and be able to discuss ethos, pathos, and logos’ role in your life. For today’s blog entry, you are going to explain how these three rhetorical appeals impact you. What to Include:

• The Title/Description of Something with Ethos, Pathos, and/or Logos


• The Medium in which this was displayed (TV Commercial, Speech, Billboard, etc.)


• An Explanation of how Ethos, Pathos, and Logos were present


• An Explanation of how Ethos, Pathos, and Logos impacted this thing

Rubric Proficient – analysis is a minimum of 10 sentences, provides an in-depth look into the significance of ethos, pathos, and logos, provides clear and logical examples, is well-written Non-Proficient – less than 10 sentences, does not provide in-depth look into significance, examples are unclear or illogical

What can YOU do?

There are many things going on in the world today - many of which you have great interest in! Your task today is to find an article that deals with something you care about in the world and post it on the blog. The article that you find should be from one of the websites on the “Popular News” website on the side bar.

Once you have your article, post a link to it on the blog below and answer the following questions:

1. What does you article deal with? What is the overall topic?
2. Why is this topic/issue important to you?
3. Why should others care about this topic?

Be sure to use effective sentences, subject verb agreement, and be thorough (8+ sentences, each!) with your answers!

Edgar Allan Poe: Revenge in Our Lives

This week you have been reading The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, which deals mainly with revenge. As you could tell by reading, the story uses suspense and tone to create eerie, dismal tone of revenge. Most of us how experienced some type of revenge in our lives – whether it deals with getting revenge, someone getting revenge, or some revenge being done to you.

Your Task Today:
Today, you are going to tell us a story of revenge. You may discuss a time when you got revenge on someone, someone got revenge on you, a “revenge” that happened to your friend, or simply, make one up. At the end, be sure to discuss a “lesson learned” or how you felt about the entire experience.

While writing your story, keep a few things in mind:

• The elements of Plot
• Strong Vocabulary Words
• Effective Sentences
• Pretend you are talking to your friends!

Rubric for Story of Revenge:
Proficient – story is 2+ paragraphs long, story uses strong vocabulary words and effective sentences, story deals mainly with revenge (in some way or another), and story has elements of plot
Non-Proficient – story is less than 2 paragraphs, there are no strong vocabulary words or effective sentences, story does not deal with revenge, no elements of plot

Reconstructing Sentences

This week we have been studying the different types of sentences to avoid in our writing. Today, we are going to go back over our previous blog entries and edit them. This should help you understand your own difficulties in writing, as well as give you the opportunity to work with your peers.

The 3 Types of Sentences we have been learning to avoid are:

Empty Sentences - Repeat thoughts, no opinions
Example: “I had a great meal for lunch and it was really delicious.”

Padded Sentences- Use too many words to say 1 thing
Example" “I believe that this story represents life because it is cool.”

Overloaded Sentences - Run-Ons
Example: “The boy went to store to buy some Doritos but the manager told him they were out of Doritos because a truck was robbed by the Doritos bandit, and he said that the FBI was now looking for the man or woman but there was no sign he would be stopped anytime soon, and the boy was sad because he really wanted some Doritos.”

Your Task Today (and Possibly tomorrow!):

1. Read your own and the blog entries of your peers posted on previous weeks and look for these three types of sentences to avoid.
2. When you have found examples of these sentences, copy them into a word document, and re-construct the sentences to be more effective.
3. When you have identified and reconstruct 5 sentences, copy and paste the word document as a comment for this entry.

All for one, one vs all?

Often times in our society, people act different when they are amongst their peers. This is similar to what happens in All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, when all of the students gang up on Margot to put her in the closet.

For this blog entry, consider the following questions:

1. How important is the group feeling for the plot of this story?
2. Do you think that the children would have treated Margot as they did if there had not been many against one?
3. What has your own experience, or your reading of this piece, shown you about group behavior versus individual behavior?
4. What are the dangers – both in the story and real life – of being a part of big groups?

Rubric:
Proficient – all questions thoroughly answered, each answer is supported with evidence from the text or your life that is cited, each answered with 4 – 6 sentences
Non-proficient – all questions are not answered, each answers lacks support with evidence, answers are less than 4 sentences

Anton Chekhov: Gossip's Impact on Society

One of the big ideas in the story A Slander by Anton Chekhov has to do with gossip. Gossip is something that most of us deal with in our lives all the time, but we often fail to think about its impact on the people around us or why we partake in it.

For this blog entry, consider the following questions:

1. Why do you think the wedding guests do not believe Ahinyenev’s story about the kiss?
2. Do you think they prefer scandal?
3. Do you think this quickness to gossip is a common human trait? Why or why not?

When answering the questions, be sure to use examples from the story and your life to support your reasoning.

Rubric
Proficient – all questions thoroughly answered, each answer is supported with evidence from the text or your life that is cited, each answered with 4 – 6 sentences
Non-proficient – all questions are not answered, each answers lacks support with evidence, answers are less than 4 sentences

Telling Your Tale

Often times in our lives, certain events, people, or moments have defined who we are as individuals. Your task today is to write a narrative story about a moment in your life that helped make you who you are.

Your story is going to be written in NARRATIVE form, so it should be told like a story NOT a letter.
Requirements for your story:

1. 3 – 5 paragraphs long


2. Story includes a beginning, middle, and end


3. Use 3 – 5 words from Context Clues


4. Use Subject-Verb Agreement


5. Tell the story about something, sometime, or someone that influenced you!

Rubric for Story:
Proficient – 4+ paragraphs, identify the major points of your life (events, people, etc), is written in narrative form, written in clear, logical sentences, student utilizes at least 3 new words
Non-Proficient – less than 4 paragraphs, not written in narrative form, writing is not clear or logical

Context Clues and Your Reading

This week we have been talking about using context clues to figure out unfamiliar words and confusing passages while you’re reading.

Today, your task is to answer the questions:

1. Why is it important to identify and understand words you didn’t know?
2. How does increasing your vocabulary help your understanding of the world around you?
3. List 3 (or more) words from your PCR book that you used context clues to give meaning to, and explain how that helped you understand the book more completely.
4. What do you think this mean – “You can never use a new word until you ‘own’ it.”

Blog entry Rubric:
Proficient – 2 paragraphs entered in class blog about their this week using context clues consciously, during their entry students must utilize at least 3 new words that they learned from reading this week
Non- Proficient – less than 2 paragraphs entered in class blog, students use less than 3 new words that they learned this week from reading

**Once your blog entry is completed, read this short selection. **

Using Tone in Your Writing

We have been working with tone for the last few weeks in class, and it is time to start utilizing tone in your writing.

Before we begin, please recall that tone is the overall “attitude” or “feel” of a writing piece. Tone is made up of three main components: 1) Diction 2) Imagery 3) Figurative language. So, as you complete the task listed below be sure to utilize these three writing strategies.

Your Task Today:
Compose a blog entry in which you utilize tone. Describe a time you and a friend went to a sporting event that started off really fun, but quickly turned sour. Write two paragraphs. The first paragraph should be in a “happy” tone and the second in a “negative” or “upset tone.” Use Diction, Imagery, and Figurative Language to create the tone.

(Note: If you cannot think of a time when you and your friends went to a sporting event, make one up!)

Rubric for Writing in Tone:
Proficient – 2 paragraphs entered in class blog about their experience in a sports event, the 1st paragraph is composed in a happy tone, the second in a sad tone – students should utilize words, images, and fig language to create a specific tone, each paragraph is a least 5 sentences.

Non- Proficient – less than 2 paragraphs, paragraphs do not differ in tone, and students do not use words, images, and fig language to their advantage, each paragraph is less than 5 sentences.