Welcome to Mr. Culbert's Grade 8 English Class Blog for Sept 2024 to Jan 2025. 

Friday, January 17, (78)

Appreciation

We wrapped up our film study then students were asked to write a letter of appreciation to someone and thank them for the help that they have done for them this semester. Hopefully students take this seriously and then deliver the letter to the person they appreciate. 

Best of luck to you all in the next semester. Remember to ask questions, use your brain, and push yourself. Learn to handle challenges you face and grow from your failures - don't run from them. The world can become a better place if you take the time and effort to help make it one - no one will do it for you. All the best. 

End of line.

Thursday, January 16 (77)

Film Study

We continued with our film study today.

Next Class: Writing some appreciation letters

Wednesday, January 15 (76)

Reflecting

We started with a real strange image for our last provocation.

Students had the chance to reflect and self-assess their provocation skills and then reflect on learning and examine their work habits. Students where also made aware of what work they might still owe or if they were all caught up. Finally we began a film study.

Next Class: Continue with the film study. 

Tuesday, January 14 (75)

Speeches

We looked at a strange picture for our provocation.

Students completed their speeches.

Next Class: Reflecting

Monday, January 13 (74)

Poetry Terms and Speeches

Our provocation was a crazy canoe sledding picture.

Students wrote the Poetry Terms Quiz again. Most were very successful.

Then it was speech time. We learned all about how some students would improve their communities. There were some great ideas. We will hopefully finish the speeches tomorrow. 

Next Class: Finish Speeches.

Friday, January 10 (73)

Working Day

Review word of the day was Alliteration

Students had time to work on their annotation, or speech, or get caught up on old missed work. A number of students still owe work. 

Speeches start Monday, and poetry terms quiz is either Monday or Tuesday.

Next Class: Speeches and more 

Thursday, January 9 (72)

Annotation Final

Review word of the day was Onomatopoeia.

We dug into some questions for the provocation.

Today, the following information was posted on the screen;

Annotation Exercise

Choose a story from the last three stories that we have read – 

“All Summer in a Day”

“Once Upon a Time”

“On the Sidewalk Bleeding”

Annotate the story well – choose at least four strategies if not more and thoroughly annotate (look at the rubric, use colours and shapes, be detailed and inquisitive).

Include in your annotation

1. Theme statement of the story (use the lesson handout on finding theme)

2. A separate statement about how this story connects to or comments on or reveals community

Self-Assess on the rubric

Hand it in.

This is due (ideally Friday January 10 end of class), Monday January 13 start of class. 

Annotation is not a race – if you are through it once, go back and go through it again, and again as necessary. Annotate your annotations even on your second or third read through. It is about the process not about just getting it done.

Students had the block to work on this.

Next Class: Reading and Working class, plus another chance at the sentence structure quiz

Wednesday, January 8 (71)

Read and Respond - "On the Sidewalk Bleeding"

Word of the Day was metaphor.

We drove hard for some questions for the provocation.

Students were given their last read and respond. They were given the short story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" and given the following questions to answer.

1. Who is the protagonist?

2. What is/are the conflict(s)?

3. The conflict is developed through the use of names that apply to the boy: Andy and a Royal. Skim the story to note how the names appear in critical places. What do these names represent? (Andy and Royal)

4. What effect does Andy’s jacket have on the people who find him in the alley?

5. What are the reasons why these people do not help Andy?

6. At what point does Andy realize he is dying?

7. What does Andy do with the last of his strength? How is this important to the theme and to the outcome of the conflict?

8. What is the climax or turning point?

9. What is the police officer’s reaction to Andy? How does this contribute to the Author’s message? What is the author’s message?

Students had the block to complete this. If not it is homework.

Next Class: Annotation assigned

Monday, Jan 6 (69)

"Once upon a time"

Review word of the day - hyperbole

We rode a roller coaster of questions about today's provocation. 

We jumped right into our look at community today with Nadine Gordimer's short story "Once upon a Time". Students read the story and then answered the following questions;

1. What happened in the story? (Make a short summary statement)

2. How is this story like a fairy tale? (write down your answer – sentences or point form is fine)

3. Does this family live in a community? Why or why not? (write down in a rough draft paragraph – try to reference the story as often as possible)

4. What makes a community? (Think about)

5. Bonus: What literary device is being used in this story (when the opposite of the intended outcome is what happens)? Write it down. Check it with me when you are done.

Answers were due at the end of class or in class tomorrow if needing to be done for homework. 

Next Class: A writers workshop, some paragraph planning and speech planning. 

Friday, Dec 20 (68)

Happy Holidays

We tried to engage in a Christmas Mad Lib, but students seemed to struggle with coming up with basic words. 

Next Class: Reviewing Terms and Reading a story

Thursday, Dec 19 (67)

The poem, the sentence structure quiz and the clean up.

We asked some serious questions about meal traditions in today's provocation. 

Students read out the poems written yesterday and then wrote down what they thought the definition of community might be now that they have heard many similes about community. 

Students, or at least those that needed it had a chance to take the sentence structure quiz again. And finally kids had a chance to organize and see if they owe any more work. 

Next Block: Some seasonal focused mad libs. 

Wednesday, Dec 18 (66)

Blowing up a simile

We asked some questions about crazy in our provocation today.

We blew up a simile today.  Students made a simile about community. Another student explained the simile. One more student wrote a poem about or with the simile. Next Class we will read out the poems. 

Next Class: Sentence structure quiz, poems aloud, and catch up

Tuesday, Dec 17 (65)

Word of the Day Quiz

The unofficial word of the day was another piece of 80s slang and was grody.

Students learned about the Krampus for today's provocation.

It was the word of the day quiz. Students had plenty of time to list as many words as they could today from our word of the day. 

We started on the next activity right at the end of class. Students were to come up with a similie for community. They will need this tomorrow. 

Next Class: We finish blowing up a simile.

Special Entry - Word of the Day Quiz

Use as many of the word of the day words correctly in sentences.

You may not use your word list – go from memory.

Hand it in when done.

We have covered 62 words.

Extending = 60 or more correct sentences. 

Proficient = 60+ words listed or 30 or more sentences.

Developing = 40+ words listed or 20 or more sentences.

Emerging = 20+ words listed or 10 or more sentences.

Not Yet = Less than 20 words listed or less than 10 sentences

Monday, Dec 16 (64)

Defending Answers and Comparing Themes

We investigated a seasonal provocation.

Block 1 had a chance to write the sentence structure quiz.

We started with students having 10 minutes to ensure that they have an answer to the question from last day, and support for that answer, and a theme for the story “All Summer in a Day” written down. We then moved to the agree/disagree continuum and and discussed whether the kids on Venus were a community. Most agreed, and we discovered that we need to be clear in our definition of what community is, though we do not have a agreed upon definition yet. 

The next step was comparing theme. Students started in partners and met and discussed their themes to find the stronger one. From there the duo took their winning theme to another duo and repeated the process. The four became 8, and then gave the winning theme to me. As a class we looked at them both and then looked at the official theme to see how we did and what we can notice. Students seemed to get it this time.

Next Class: Word of the day quiz (see special entry). 

Friday, Dec 13 (63)

Reading and Working

Block 1 I believe got dragged off to the play and did not write the sentence structure quiz or have time to work. 

Block 2 wrote the quiz and had time to read and work. 

Next Class: Catch up and reviewing "All Summer in a Day" and the ideas of Theme and Community

Wednesday, Dec 11 (61)

Ideal Community Work Block 2

Ideal Community – Part 2       Your instructions:

You have today’s class to complete the following 1 of the three listed assignments that is different from the one you completed last class. 

(You have now completed 2 of the 3 and will hand them in today or next class at the beginning.)

A- A detailed drawing, with colour and labels, of the physical layout of your ideal community.

B- A longer poem (15 lines or more) that uses at least two poetic devices frequently that describes, or discusses your ideal community

C- A well written descriptive paragraph (with a strong topic and conclusion, not in first person) that describes in detail the ideal community.

Next Class: We revisit the finding theme skill and experience "All Summer in a Day".

Tuesday, Dec 10 (60)

Ideal Community Work Block

Word of the day was luminous.

We viewed some strange decoration for the provocation.

Today, students had time to work on the ideal community assignment. 

Ideal Community       Your instructions:

You have today’s class to complete the following 1 of the three listed assignments

A- A detailed drawing, with colour and labels, of the physical layout of your ideal community.

B- A longer poem (15 lines or more) that uses at least two poetic devices frequently that describes, or discusses your ideal community

C- A well written descriptive paragraph (with a strong topic and conclusion, not in first person) that describes in detail the ideal community.

Next class you will choose a second assignment to complete.

I am expecting quality work, so work with earlier drafts completed so as to be higher quality. 

Next Class: Working on the ideal community part 2. 

Friday, Dec 6 (58)

Speeches and Reading/Working Time

Word of the day was blasé. 

We ran through a couple last speeches in each block, though with people away we will have some speeches next week to complete as well.

Students then had time to get caught up on work owed, or to read quietly. Some students are still challenged to get caught up as well as just to work quietly. Have some pride in the work you do and please stop being lazy. 

Next Class: We begin a new big idea - focusing on community.

Thursday, Dec 5 (57)

Reflection

Word of the day was awry.

Students had time to reflect. They were to write down and provide proof for 5 things they had learned so far in English. They could then fill in the stars document for the end of the semester. 

The exact instructions projected were as follows;
Reflection on Learning

Write down at least FIVE things that you have learned in English class so far. Include proof and explanation of it as well as how you feel about having learned it (are you happy, or bored and why). Try to be as detailed as possible.

Example:

1.    One thing I have learned a number of new poetry terms. We covered the information in notes, and then a group activity and then we had a quiz on the ten terms we learned. I did proficient on the quiz as there was one term, I forgot about so I did not recognize it. I am glad to have learned these terms because it makes talking about poems and other pieces of writing easier as I now know what things are called. I can see how these terms will be really useful too and I hope to learn more.

TL:DR – JK! not an option as this is English Class. Read it, ask questions, figure it out – it literally is not rocket-science.

Try this: Answer the question what have you learned? Explain the idea. Provide proof of your learning (evidence). How do you feel about that piece of learning? Repeat 4 more times with different learnings. Look through your binder to jog your memory.

Step 2: Be sure you have filled in the stars document, end of unit section. You will find yours at the table on the front of the room. If it is not there either you did not hand it in, or you did not do it. Find it and hand it in, or get a new one and fill in the end part. Hand this in with your reflection.

THESE ARE DUE AT THE END OF CLASS TODAY!

Next Class: Speeches finished (hopefully) and reading and working time.

Wednesday, Dec 4 (56)

Speeches

Word of the day was clad.

We fired some questions at the provocation (yes I am aware that I have used this pun, but no one is reading these I feel so I can use the same joke multiple times).

Today was speech day. Great fun had and some great speeches.

Next Class: Some reflecting and wrap up. (Speeches will be pushed back to Friday).

Tuesday, Dec 3 (55)

Film and Speeches

Word of the day was ornate.

We started with the film after the word of the day. We finished watching the movie. Block two had time to jump right into the speeches and got through two of them. Starting strong. 

Next Class: Hearing speeches

Monday, Dec 2 (54)

New Seats and a Film

Students settled in to their new seats and tried to guess at their organization system.

Word of the day was vilify (this and the next 9 words contain a secret message)

We cold questioned the provocation.

We started watching the film today. We will finish it tomorrow.

Next Class: Finish film. Start speeches. 

Friday, Nov 29 (53)

Reading and Working Quietly

Students had time to read quietly and then to get work done. A few students wrote the sentence structure quiz one last time. 

Next Class: New Seats, and a film

Thursday, Nov 28 (52)

Provocation self assessment and Work time

Word of the day was audacious.

We heaped up some artistic questions for the provocation.

Today, students completed the self evaluation on the provocations and handed this in. They also had the chance to get caught up on the last few days of work and get that handed in to me. 

Next Class: Reading and working

Wednesday, Nov 27 (51)

Favourite Quotes and Discussions

Word of the day was bountiful.

We asked a 'whole' lot of questions for the provocation.

We fully dove into the favourite quote assignment. Students had some time to find their favourite quote and list their reasons why. Then in small groups they discussed their quotes and connected them to plot, setting, character, or theme and wrote it down and handed it in. 

Next Class: We reflect on our provocations and get caught up on some work.

Tuesday, Nov 26 (50)

Questions Galore part 3

Word of the day was culminate.

We tried to fill in some space with questions for the provocation.

It was back to the questions galore activity for the novel. Students were given step two, to answer the questions simply, and state whether it is a good question or not. 

Finally it was step 3. The instructions where put on the board.

Questions Galore part 3

1. Trade Questions Galore sheets with someone new.

2. Choose two higher order questions from the sheet and give detailed responses with proof from the book. (Think long answer or paragraph response)

3. Pick your best answer and indicate which one is your best answer.

4. Type up or dictate your response to type it up. Hand in (email me your question and response, be sure to include your name in the document)..

5. Your response will be assessed based on your grammar and strength of response. 

When you finish this assignment, you can make sure you have completed some of the previous assignments

Next Class: A look at your favourite quote.

Thursday, Nov 21 (48)

Working Time

Word of the day was excruciating. 

We sailed into some arty questions for our provocation.

Students had time to work on their poems from yesterday. If class time was not used effectively then the poem is due start of Monday's class, and should be longer than the minimal ten lines. 

Homework: Read the novel - should be getting close to chapter 9.

Next Class: Questions Galore

Wednesday, Nov 20 (47)

Youthful Metaphors

Word of the day was fend.

We were blown away by some questions for today's provocation. 

Students looked at Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and made sense of the vocabulary and metaphors. There was a work sheet in class they had to complete (available in class).

They were then tasked with writing their own. They were given the following instructions; Write your own poem where you center it around a metaphor.

         You could use nature as the metaphor (like “Nothing Gold Can Stay”)

         Or use something as a metaphor for youth. (see my example – “Childlike Winter”)

Poem should be a minimum of 10 lines and use at least one other poetic device in it. 

Use the feedback from your last poem. Remember to write it as a poem, not a paragraph.

Extend your writing – try and use the space on the page to enhance your writing and your mood or feeling in the poem.

Example Poem

Childlike Winter

The first diamond sparkles

of winter's silence

drifting from the night sky.

Slowly stacking,

sticking,

staying,

Building and blowing

In ever deepening drifts.

A sparkling blanket that greets the waking day.

The calm luster lasts past the aging sky of sunrise,

as the air warms,         wettens

flakes form drops,

each drop dulls the sparkle

until the luster fades

the soft blanket erodes

and is gone.

Next Class: Working on the poem and ensuring all work is handed in. 

Tuesday, Nov 19 (46)

Reading Quiz and Transition Checks

Word of the day was gullible, really, it was. 

We tried to spice up our questions today for the provocation.

Today was the surprise readind quiz on chapters 4 to 6. We did the quiz and then marked it. Many were proficient. 

After the reading quiz we took a last look at our transition work from the day before. I should a sample of the paragraph with transitions and spoke on how learning to use transitions well was one of the best methods to enhance a piece of writing. 

Students then had time to read, or complete the transition exercise, or work on their speeches which are due on Dec 2. 

Next Class: Nothing Gold can stay - explored and metophors played with

Friday, Nov 15 (44)

Working and Reading

Word of the day was instill.

Students started with some silent reading (remember to be at the end of chapter 6 for the novel), then students who needed to write the sentence structure quiz did so and others began working on any work they might owe me. I showed the list. Those that were done were to read. 

Students are struggling a bit with the concept of quiet. I expect better.

Next Class: Tranisitions in writing lesson.

Thursday, Nov 14 (43)

Setting and Working

The following instructions were posted on the screen;

Step 1: Finding setting

Your job is to close read chapter 1 (and 2 if you wish) and find any mention of setting (both time and place). There are not a lot – that is why this is a difficult task.

Once you have found and written down as many clues as you can try to infer the time and location of the novel. Try to be as specific as you can, so not just country, or localized area, but even the city. Write this on the top of a piece of paper with your name on it.

(warning: if you already know the location and time move on to the second step and do not spoil it for anyone else.)

Step 2: Making an inference on author’s intent

Your job is to look at why there are so few clues about setting and determine why S.E. Hinton did that. What is her intent behind not explicitly stating the time and location of the story. Once you think you have the answer write that down on your piece of paper.

Super Optional Step: Draw a postcard image from the setting.

Step 3: Complete the two previous assignments;

o   Sequencing the Murder

o   Imagery in the Novel

Step 4: Study for the Sentence Structure Quiz tomorrow if you still need to write it.

Step 5 Read the novel: You should be to the end of chapter 6 by Monday. There will be another surprise reading quiz next Tuesday or Wednesday – but it is a surprise.

Next Class: Work and Reading day along with sentence structure quiz.

Tuesday, Nov 12 (41)

Surprise Quiz and Sequencing the Murder

Word of the day was lucrative.

We lined up some questions for the provocation.

We had a surprise (okay not really if you are checking out the web site) reading quiz on the first three chapters of the book. Lots of developing and proficients so most are reading. I also spoke about how reading the questions closely and looking at the whole quiz can help answer some questions.

After the quiz was sequencing the murder activity where we figured out what got us to the point of Bob, the Socs killing, and then changed things up to see where it might have gone. This activity helped us understand the idea of plot and the role it plays in story building. Many students had not read up to this point, so they need to do that to complete the activity. 

Next Class: Imagery in the novel assignment

Friday, Nov 8 (40)

Working Time

Word of the day is minutiae.

Block 1 had the extended block and went to the assembly. In class they had time to do the sentence structure quiz, complete the paragraph and read.

Block 2 had a shortened block in which hopefully they had time to complete the paragraph and write the sentence structure quiz.

Next Class: A quiz on the first three chapters, and ...

Thursday, Nov 7 (39)

Paragraph writing time

Word of the day was nebulous.

Students question some art for our provocation.

Today, students were given the task of writing a paragraph. The instructions were as follows;

The Outsiders Character Paragraph Assignment

In a well written, unified paragraph, with a clear topic sentence (underline it), describe the character you are writing about.

Your topic sentence should have opinion (attitude) in it.

i.e. do not just say that your character is tough, but that they are the toughest because of some reason. Your paragraph will then describe why they are the toughest, or whatever you choose.

After writing the paragraph, use the rubric and self-evaluate.

Hand in by the end of class.

You may then read the novel.

Sample Topic Sentence;

First Draft: Luke Skywalker is the most childish of characters in Star Wars because of his whining about his life, his complaining about his Aunt and Uncle, and his anger over not getting his way.

Improvement: Because of his whining about his life, his complaining about his Aunt and Uncle, and his anger over not getting his way, Luke Skywalker is the most childish of characters in Star Wars.

Wednesday, Nov 6 (38)

Character work, attitude, planning

Word of the day was onslaught.

The provocation was dogged with questions/

Students were given another 15 minutes to go over the character sheet. We even listed all the characters so everyone could have them all.

After that, we ran through a quick exercise on adding attitude to our writing (handout available in class).  

From there, that helped students to build a topic sentence for the paragraph they are going to write tomorrow about a character from the novel, their choice of whom they write about. 

Next class: paragraph writing

Monday, Nov 4 (36)

Vocab Quiz

Word of the day was quash.

We carried some questions in today's provocation.

Today was the word of the day quiz. This took a chunk of class. Hopefully students did well and demonstrated a growth of vocabulary.

Next Class: Speech Assigned, and Characters explored. 

Friday, Nov 1 (35)

Sentence Structure Revenge and Reading Time

Word of the Day was rue.

The Sentence structure quiz had its revenge today. Students had to write the quiz and if they get perfect then they are off the hook and do not have to write it again.

Finally students had some time to read quietly. 

Next Class: Word of the Day Quiz.

Wednesday, Oct 30 / Thursday, Oct 31 (34)

"The Highwayman", Answers, Novels, and Unity

Word of the day was trepidation.

We lined up and fired off some questions about the provocation today.

We went back to the poem "The Highwayman" and this time made sense of the poem, as well as found some poetic devices (back of the vocab sheet available in class), and on top of that we checked understanding of plot by mapping out the plot of the story in the poem. All this was due at the end of class.

Next, we looked at some questions about groups for students to answer (included on attached power point) in order to start making connections and having thoughts about our class novel that we will jumping into soon. 

I handed out the novel and students may start to read it as we will talk about it next week. Do not watch the movie, as we will be watching it as a class when we are done with the book. 

Finally, we reviewed the unity exercise handed out yesterday. Students seemed to have a good understanding of what belonged in the paragraph and what did not, so now hopefully they apply that to their own writing. 

Next Class: Reading and Sentence Structure Quiz revenge. 

Monday, Oct 28 / Tuesday Oct 29 (33)

Plot Review, Emotion Writing, and First pass of "The Highwayman"

Word of the day was trepidation.

We lined up some hopping questions for our provocation.

We started with a review of the plot terms we learned last class. Hopefully now everything should be squared away and known.

Next up was a writing exercise where we worked on our show and not tell skills. The instructions were as follows;

Task: Write about emotion without saying the emotion.

Step 1: Brainstorm different emotions. Come up with at least 5.

Step 2: Come up with an image or two (describe what it looks or sounds like) for at least 5 of the emotions that you came up with.

Step 3: Pick one emotion and write a paragraph or a scene where in you write about that emotion without ever saying the name of the emotion. Show the persons feelings rather than tell us those feelings.

Example: Mr. Culbert stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him. He stood tall and still and glared at everyone in the room.  (That is just the start – I would write another 5 – 7 sentences at least).

Your turn: Write a paragraph or the equivalent wherein you write about an emotion without ever saying the name of the emotion. Due at the end of class.

After some time spent on this task we switched gears. 

We began taking  a look at a wonderful poem today. We started with learning some vocabulary that is used in the poem so that we will understand things more. 

From there we gave a listen to "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes, but sung by Loreena McKennitt.

https://youtu.be/xBcEjCnZSUo?si=bOZHujWtLK1KhCLJ

Next Class: we will make more sense of the poem and find deeper understanding and appreciate it from both story and poetic perspectives.

Thursday, Oct 24 (32)

Exploring Plot

Word of the day was unilateral.

We melted down our ideas about art in today's persistent provocation, as far as I remember.

Students were given some terms to define. The terms were as follows;

1. Cliff Hanger 

2. Climax 

3. Dénouement 

4. Falling Action 

5. Flashback 

6. Foreshadowing 

7. Initial Incident 

8. Introduction 

9. Resolution 

10. Rising Action 

Challenge Level (if you found the first 10 easy, try these 8) 

1. Cliché 

2. Deus ex Machina 

3. In medias res 

4. MacGuffin 

5. Plot Twist 

6. Red Herring 

7. Subplot 

8. Trope 

What idea or topic do all the terms have something to do with? 

Can you come up with examples for the for the challenge level terms.

I then made up a CSI style story using many of these items in my story. We will break it down next week. Homework is to make sure all terms are defined. 

Next Class: Plot further explored, Writing about emotion, and a first look at "The Highwayman"

Wednesday, Oct 23 (31)

Review of poems and Writing Time

Word of the day was voracious.

We climbed a shaky ladder of questions for our provocation.

We started with a discussion of the two poems from Monday's class. Hopefully more meaning was made.

Then students had time to work on writing their poems that are due tomorrow. They should be in the re-write phase at this point. 

Next Class: Defining adversity, wrapping up poems.

Tuesday, Oct 22 (30)

Write a poem.

Word of the day was wage.

Students soaked in some questions - meow!

The students were tasked with writing a poem. The instructions were as follows;

(Remember, 1. Start with your idea and write a few sentences stating what you want to say. 2. Focus on the images and expand upon them. 3. Use some poetic devices to help expand your imagery and emotions. 4 Rewrite it a couple times making changes to improve each draft.)

Your topic is the idea of adversity in your life – a challenge, difficulty, hardship, or obstacle that you have faced at anytime in life, big or small. 

Length – minimum ten lines

Must use at least three poetic devices (remember these from the quiz and the lessons).

Poem is due on Thursday!

Remember you can play with the different styles of poetry if you wish.

Go for strong images and emotions if possible and play with the space on the page. 

Students had the remainder of the class to work on this. 

Next Class: Discuss the two poems from Monday - finding theme.

Monday, Oct 21 (29)

New Unit Intentions, Challenge Poems, Hidden Connections

Word of the day was xanthic. (I admitted that I was reaching with this word).

We flooded the room with questions for our provocation, but we did not have a cow about it.

We went over the learning intentions for our new unit of study, and students filled in the stars and goals for them. We then went over the definition of adversity, our big idea for this unit. The definition of adversity is a misfortune, a troubling situation, or hardship.

From there, students were given two poems - Gary Snyder's "Piute Creek" and A.E. Stallings "Daedal" (links below) and were tasked with reading, and using annotation to make sense of the poems and then choosing one poem to write a one sentence (think theme)  statement about.  This one sentence was there ticket out the door (and practice for what is to come. I had to check it and comment on it before they could go. 

Next Class: Time to write a poem of their own.

Links:

Gary Snyder - "Piute Creek" - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47181/piute-creek

A.E. Stalling - "Daedal" - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/153195/daedal

Friday, Oct 18 (28)

Silent Reading, Quiet Working

Word of the day was yonder.

Being Friday, students read silently for the first half of class then were to work quietly on any work they owed me. Some students really struggled with the quiet thing. Not good enough, do better please. 

Next Class: Looking at a couple of poems for understanding. 

Thursday, Oct 17 (27)

Poetry terms quiz, and provocation assessment

Word of the day was zenith.

We were inspired by the stars for questions on today's artsy provocation.

Students today wrote the poetry terms quiz. Most were up to the task. After we marked it as a class, students then completed the provocation self assessment and were to hand that in at the end of class - most did. 

Next Class: Reading and working quietly.

Wednesday, Oct 16 (26)

Poetry Terms Review

Word of the day was zeal.

We flooded the floor with some questions for our provocation today. 

This class was a review of some poetry terminology. Students were put into groups and went around seven stations and had to determine the poetry device being used at each station and confirm whether some statements (testers) were using it or not. We even tried to come up with examples when we could. We went over the answers at the end. 

This was a good review so that next class we can have a poetry terms quiz and check our understanding of the terms. 

Next Class: Poetry terms quiz, provocation question skills evaluation and the usual work. 

Monday, Oct 15 (26)

Wrap up of Unit

Word of the day was yearn.

We flew some questions about today's provocation.

Today in class we filled in the stars document that we started at the beginning of the unit and stated if the units goals were achieved. Students then had time to reflect on their learning. The instructions and example were:

Reflection on Learning

Write down at least FIVE things that you have learned in English class so far. Include proof and explanation of it as well as how you feel about having learned it (are you happy, or bored and why). Try to be as detailed as possible.

Example:

1.    One thing I have learned a number of new poetry terms. We covered the information in notes, and then a group activity and then we had a quiz on the ten terms we learned. I did proficient on the quiz as there was one term, I forgot about so I did not recognize it. I am glad to have learned these terms because it makes talking about poems and other pieces of writing easier as I now know what things are called. I can see how these terms will be really useful too and I hope to learn more.

TL:DR – JK! not an option as this is English Class. Read it, ask questions, figure it out – it literally is not rocket-science.

Try this: Answer the question what have you learned? Explain the idea. Provide proof of your learning (evidence). How do you feel about that piece of learning? Repeat 4 more times with different learnings. Look through your binder to jog your memory.

The stars and reflection were due at the end of class. (Many did not get there so they must hand them in at the start of next class.) Some students started on filling out the goals and stars for the next unit.  

Next Class: The stars and goals of a new unit and reviewing poetry terms. 

Thursday, Oct 10 (25)

Narrative Paragraph Writing

Word of the day was wrangle.

We skated through a number of questions about today's provocation.

Today, students had the class to finish the narrative paragraph that we planned yesterday. I had signed off on most people's starts and so they got get straight down to writing.  Paragraphs were due at the end of class.

Next Class: Silent Reading and Quiet working.

Friday, Oct 4 (21)

Reading and Working - Quietly

Word of the day was sublime.

Students had the first half of class to silently read.  Remember to have a book for Friday's classes. Some students also had another attempt at the sentence structure quiz.

Half-way through class students had a chance to quietly work on assignments that they needed to complete for me. I also posted the list of owed and completed work. 

Next Class: Read and Respond to a poem. 

Thursday, Oct 3 (20)

Inferencing and Annotating

We were questioned the horror in our provocation today.

Word of the Day was renown.

I handed out the short story "The Open Window" and put up the following instructions

• Read “The Open Window” (on your own)

• Use annotation strategies to make sense of the story (pay special attention to character).

• Use some inferencing to make guided guesses as to what is happening at the end of the story.

• Answer the character questions on the sheet (in order to answer them well, you need to understand what is happening in the story – and inferencing will let you do that).

We took sometime towards the end to go over the story. I read it aloud and we talked about the characters. Understanding was eventually achieved (I think)

Next Class: Reading and Working Day.

Wednesday, Oct 2 (19)

The Words you know

Word of the day was quell.

We chased down some questions for our cheesy provocation.

Students were given the first Word of the Day Quiz. 

Instructions were: 

Create a list of as many of the word of the day words that you can recall. Beneath the word try to use it in a sentence.

You have a limited time to write this, and you may not use your word list – go from memory.

Hand it in when done.

We have covered 16 words (not counting today). 

• 15+ correctly used in sentences is Extending.

• 11+ correctly used in sentences or listing all 16 is Proficient.

• 6+ correctly used in sentences or listing 10 or more is Developing.

• 3+ correctly used in sentences or listing 5 or more is Emerging

• Less than 3 is Not Meeting Standards

Students had time to finish this in class.

Next Class: Inferencing and annotating - "The Open Window"

Tuesday, Oct 1 (18)

Mountain Madness

Kids in the gym for Mountain Madness. 

Next Class: Word of the Day quiz.

Friday, Sept 27 (17)

Silent Reading /Silent Working

Word of the day was preposterous. 

Being Friday, we did not do a provocation.

Students had time to silently read. Some also rewrote their sentence structure quiz if they needed to. Then in the last half of class, students had time to quietly work on work owed to me or they could continue to read. 

Next Class: Mountain Madness - Block 1 come to class then we will go to the gym, block 2 I will see you there. 

Wednesday Sept 25 (15)

Paragraph Beginnings

Word of the day was nuance.

Students "fired" off some questions for our provocation.

Students were then given the following instructions;

Paragraph Writing

Topic: Explain what type of person Andrew or Earl is from “What I want to be when I grow up”.

Remember:

• Use Pen

• No personal pronouns “I”, “me”, “we”, “us”

• Indent. Use Capitals at the start of sentences.

• Voice: Formal tone and language

• Topic Sentence: Have a strong topic sentence

• Unity: Everything relates back to your topic sentence

This is a first draft. First Drafts are never perfect, but they are more perfect than a blank page.

You have this whole class to complete your paragraph and do some re-writes. 

Paragraphs are due at End of Class on Friday

Next Class: Inferencing Lesson

Thursday, Sept 19 (12)

Sentence structure quiz and work time

Word of the day was ken.

We looked at some art for our provocation.

Students had time to re-write the sentence structure quiz to achieve a perfect mark. They also had time to work on their character webs from the short story from last day. I will check for these being completed on Monday. Only the two webs need to be completed. 

Next Class: Stereotypes and you.

Wednesday, Sept 18 (11)

Character exploration

Word of the day was jurisdiction.

We checked to make sure students question abilities were not tanking with our provocation.

We finished off the character notes from yesterday's slides to learn what to look for when we analyze character. 

From there, students put their skills in to practice. Students read Martha Brook's short story "What I want to be when I grow up" and used their new found annotation skills to make as many notes about the characters as they could. This took up the remainder of class.

Next Class: Sentence Structure quiz and character webs

Monday, Sept 16 (9)

Annotation and Practice

Word of the day was haven.

Students had a provocation to discuss.

Students learned how to annotate and then had a chance to practice annotating by reading a short story titled "The King of Beasts". All handouts are available in class. 

Poems were due this class and annotations were for homework if not completed in class.

Next Class: Hand in annotations and learning about character

Friday, Sept 13 (8)

Library Time

Today's word of the day was gaunt.

We visited the library today. Block 1 got to sign out books and return to the room for silent reading or quiet work time. Block 2 received the library orientation session and learned about the library and all it has to offer. They got books too at the end. 

Next Class: learning about annotation and using it.

Thursday, Sept 12 (7)

Sentence Sturcture Quiz and Work Time

Word of the day was fallacy.

We drove hard on the questions for our provocation.

Students had their first attempt at the sentence structure quiz. A few students got perfect but most will need more attempts.

Finally, students had a few minutest to work on their poems, which are due on Monday the 16. 

Next Class: Library visits and reading. 

Monday Sept 9 (4)

Sentence Structure Continued, then "Axe Handles"

We started with the word of the day, which was chastise.

We then had our questions climb to new heights for the provocation.

We finished off the Sentence Structure lesson from last day (see last day for the power point). Which in turn led us to going over the answers for the sentence structure quiz, which will make a return on Thursday, and I handed out a grammar worksheet that I said would help students learn the material. The answers are posted below this post. 

We finished off with a very quick look at a wonderful poem (available in class) by Gary Snyder called "Axe Handles". I read it, and asked students to ask a few questions that they might have about the poem and then briefly talked about what I thought the poem met. We will return to this idea later. 

Next Class: Poetry Terminology lesson

Thursday Sept 5 (2)

First Words, Tours, and Provocation Starts

We started with the word of the day. Today it was adept. See the vocabulary page to get the meanings and usage. 

Next up was a quick web site tour to see where to find this sight, how to navigate it and what we will find there. I try to make it as helpful as possible so please use it. 

Then we moved onto Bloom's Taxonomy (we learned what a taxonomy was), and learned about the different levels of thinking. This lead to the first provocation. An image was shown, and students generated questions about the image. We then heard some of the questions and students got a chance to determine what level of thinking their question was. Good practice for our critical thinking. (Handouts available in class).

We then took a quick look at the learning intentions for this first third of the course and students self assessed where they are at the start in their understandings and we looked at setting some goals which we will gt to next day.

Next Class: Provocation, Word of the Day, and Sentence Structures and Parts of speech. 

Wednesday (1) Sept 4

Opening Class. Welcome. There is a seating plan.

We went over the course outline and expectations. This should cover most questions about the course and offer some tips to help towards success. 

Next up was a survey designed for me to get to know you. The students were to write down their responses and then hand them in. The questions were as follows;

1. Name (what you are named as well as what you prefer to be called)

2. Birthday

3. A Favorite Fictional Character (can be literary, comic, cartoon, or film/tv)

4. Tell me something about you that you are proud of.

5. Tell me something about you that you think is important for me to know.

6. Favorite movie genres and music type

7. Tell me a hobby/interest/sport that you do

8. What is your dream job?

Next Class: Word of the day begins, Blooms Taxonomy and Questions and Intentions