Section 4 Vocab, Genocide Quickwrite, Quiz Info.

We went over the answers to the Section 4 vocabulary; at this point, the vocab. for Sections 1-4 should be complete.

There was a quickwrite; in your notebook, under the title Genocide, respond to the following: How does a cultured people allow genocide?  (Of course, in order to have a response, you need to define what is meant by "a cultured people").

Make sure you have the Section Work for sections 1-4 finished in your notebook.  There will be a quiz on the Monday of our return from spring break.  The quiz will not be open book, but it will be open notebook and you will be able to choose which questions to answer.

Feel free to work ahead over the break if you so desire.

Let's all have a great spring break!

Belief Quickwrite, HW for Friday

Many things happened today.

1) Still checking notebooks; Friday is the last day I will grade them.

2) Went over the definitions of the words from Sections 2 & 3.  The HOMEWORK is to have the definitions for Section 4 complete.

3) In your notebook, under the title "Belief," respond to the following: Describe a time when you weren't believed.  Why do you think that happened?  How did you feel when you weren't believed? What did you do to try to get them to believe you?  (The purpose of this quickwrite is to get you to empathize with Moshe the Beadle).

4) Our goal is to have all of the vocabulary and all of the notebook Section Work from Sections 1-4 finished before we go on spring break.  If you haven't completed this work then it is  HOMEWORK.
There will be a QUIZ on Sections 1-4 when we return from spring break on Monday, April  7.

Remaining Vocab for NIGHT, Book Review, Quiz on April 7

I gave everyone the handout that has the remaining vocabulary work for the rest of NIGHT.  If you did not get this handout, see me.

The goal is to complete everything for Sections 1-4 by this Friday; that's complete the vocabulary and the Section work (the work that goes in your notebook) by this Friday.  If you don't have that done, then it is work for you to complete over break.

When we return from spring break on Monday, April 7, there will be a quiz on Sections 1-4.

Many of you still owe me a Book Review.  Please share that with me ASAP.  In case you have forgotten, the link to the book review format is on my Thursday, March 20 blog.

Section Work sheet, Vocab 2 & 3

Today's assignment is to complete the vocabulary for sections 2 & 3 (it's on the back of the vocab for section 1) and complete the section work for Section 1 of NIGHT.  All section work will go into your notebook; the format for this work is explained on the back of the Before and After Reflection handout.  The goal is to complete all of the vocabulary and the first 4 sections of NIGHT before spring break.  Most of this work is at your own pace; so if you are a voracious reader, plunge ahead.

Quiz, Section 1 Vocab, Reflection Sheet

There was a quiz on the Preface and the Foreward of NIGHT; see me to talk about the make-up if you were absent.

We front-loaded some vocabulary for the first section of the book; see me for the handout.

Also, we did some reflection on our thoughts, feelings, knowledge of the Holocaust before reading NIGHT.  The link to that template is here.  Write your response on a separate sheet of paper and turn it in to me.

I will do a Notebook Check on Wednesday, March 26.

The homework is to read the first section of NIGHT.

Webquest and Homework for Monday

Before beginning a book, look at its text features; this will prepare your mind for what is to follow.  Look at the cover, front and back; look at the title page, and read any inscriptions.  Also, it is not a good idea to skip the Preface and the Foreward of a book, so this is your homework: Read the Preface and the Foreward of NIGHT (it's all of 6 pages).  There will be a short quiz on Monday concerning that material.

During class, you got into groups and completed a webquest on the Holocaust.  The link to the questions you need to answer is here.

Remember to bring your copy of  NIGHT with you to class every day, along with your Independent Reading Book.

Book Review, NIGHT, Pre-CAHSEE Late Work

Congratulations on surviving the CAHSEE!  I'm sure all of you did just fine.

We're a bit overdue on a book review, so here is the link on what you need to do for that.  Make sure you share your review with me on Googledocs; send it to me with your full name, period number, and the title Book Review.  The deadline for this work is Friday, March 21, at 6pm.

If you are in my periods 6 & 7, we finished the film, Lord of the Flies.  You might want to use some ideas/thoughts from the film for the Nature of Man essay.  If you do use something from the movie, you'll need to cite it properly on your Works Cited page.  Here is the link with that information.

Also, we went to the library to pick up a copy of Elie Wiesel's book, NIGHT.  If you don't have a copy, get one as soon as you can; however, the library will be closed after 11:30 on Friday, March 21, and all day on Monday, March 24.

If you still owe pre-CAHSEE work, I'm only looking at assignments on which you have a "0."  These assignments must be turned in by Friday, March 21.  The assignments I'm referring to are the Business Letter, a person you studied in school (there is a chart for that), an historical event (there is a link on my March 14 blog), and a natural leader that you've read about (this assignment goes in your notebook).  See me if you have any questions, but see me before the due date!

CAHSEE testing Day 2; Lord of the Flies; Pre-CAHSEE Late Work

Today was the Math portion of the CAHSEE; if you were absent, you will finish the test at a later time.

For those of you in my periods 6 & 7, we continued with the movie Lord of the Flies, filling in the character chart as we went. The ultimate purpose for watching this film is to start generating ideas for your What is the Nature of Man synthesis essay.

FOR ALL CLASSES: You can still turn in work that we did to prepare for the CAHSEE; however, the ABSOLUTE FINAL DEADLINE is this Friday, March 21. You will receive partial credit for this work.

CAHSEE Day 1, Lord of the Flies

Today was Day One of CAHSEE testing.  If you are in my Periods 6 and 7, we began the movie, The Lord of the Flies, filling in a character sheet as the movie progresses.  You are looking for information that you might use for an essay you'll write on The Nature of Man (don't panic; it won't be due for several weeks as we have other videos and readings to go through). We should finish the movie tomorrow.

Last CAHSEE info

Today we went over some examples of essays that received a score of "4."  Basically, remember to write about everything that is mentioned in the prompt, vary the length of your sentences, and try to keep the grammar mistakes to a minimum.

Besides the prompts that we covered in class, spend a little time tonight thinking about the following:
1) You might be asked to explain something you do and why it is important and/or interesting.  Think about the things you do in your spare time, such as sports, cooking, playing a musical instrument, etc.  Choose one and make a list of the things you might say.

2) You might be asked to write a persuasive essay.  The prompt will give you the topic; make sure you provide the opposing viewpoint and then rebut it before giving your closing argument.

3) In class, we worked on one last prompt:
             A person who seems in charge of every situation is sometimes called a "natural leader."  People often look to such a person to lead them in projects both great and small.  Describe someone you have read about who seems to be a "natural leader."  Write an essay in which you describe the person and his or her accomplishments so vividly that your readers will feel they know this person.

            For class purposes, I asked that you choose a person that you've read about whom you would consider to be a natural leader.  Then, in your notebook, make a list of the traits this person has.  I don't need you to write an introductory paragraph for this person; just have that list of traits in your mind in case this is the prompt CAHSEE gives you.

TONIGHT, GO TO BED EARLY SO YOU WILL BE WELL-RESTED FOR TOMORROW.
TOMORROW MORNING, EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST SO YOU'LL HAVE ENERGY.

                                                   GOOD LUCK!! (but you won't need it, because you'll do fine!)
 

Possible CAHSEE prompts

Yesterday we focused on the prompt of choosing a person you studied in school and writing about why this person is special.  There is a chart to help you organize your thoughts; however, I am not able to put that chart on my blog, so you'll have to see me.

Today we focused on the prompt of choosing an historical event that you studied in school and writing about why the event was important.  There is an outline to help you organize your thoughts; the link to the outline is here.  On a separate sheet of paper, complete the outline with the information about your chosen event; then write an introductory paragraph, just like you would for the CAHSEE, using your most legible printing or cursive, and making sure that you indent and write to the margin.

Business Letter and Response to Literature

Most of you did okay with the business letter; but if you received less than a 35, you should rework it and resubmit it for a better score.

We continued working on the response to literature.  I'm not happy with the amount of annotation I'm seeing on the copy of the short story.  The more you annotate, the more information you'll be able to find quickly to help you write your essay.  Here's what I'll be collecting from you tomorrow at the beginning of the period: 1) Your copy of the short story, HEAVILY annotated, 2) The pre-writing you did to show how you are organizing the information, and 3) An introductory paragraph.

Prepositional Phrases; Response to Literature

We reviewed prepositions and prepositional phrases; if you're shaky on this, Google "prepositional phrase" and click on the first selection ( the author is Robin L. Simmons).  Review this information and try to memorize the prepositions; if you can recognize a preposition, you can recognize a prepositional phrase, and that will help you with some of the multiple-choice questions you might encounter on the CAHSEE.  A short quiz that can also help you can be found if you Google Quia Prepositional Phrase Quiz.

For the essay portion of the CAHSEE, you might be asked to respond to a piece of literature (either a short story or a poem).  See me for the handout on this assignment.

Business Letter; Active and Passive Voice

We are still prepping for the CAHSEE; today we focused on the difference between the active and passive voice, and we wrote a business letter (if you were in class and forgot, the letter is due first thing tomorrow).

See me for the business letter format; for the active and passive voice, Google Active or Passive Quiz, choose the English Club version (should be the first on the list), and take the quiz.

CAHSEE Work

Yesterday, today, and the rest of this week has been, is, and will be spent in working on assorted grammar and reading exercises in preparation for the CAHSEE.  If you are absent, you will need to make up this work; it won't be on this blog (the technology doesn't support it), so come in during Advisory.

The actual CAHSEE will be held on Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19.

CAHSEE Preparation Powerpoint Notes

We finished the debates on Friday; if you were absent and your group debated without you, you will need to present a speech.  See me for the details.

We now begin the preparation for the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam).  The dates for the CAHSEE are Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19.  Passing this test is a requirement for graduation, so we will be spending the next few days getting familiar with the format and the types of questions you could encounter.  I won't be able to put everything we do on this blog, so make sure you get notes from a friend.

We started the preparation with a couple of powerpoints with some generalized information.
Here is the link to the 1st powerpoint. Here is the link to the 2nd powerpoint. Take notes in your notebook under the title CAHSEE Powerpoint Notes.