Day 6

NINTH LIT

•  Students finished their grammar notes!! We will begin DGP shortly
• Students began their summer reading music presentations.  Any presentations that were not ready to go today will be docked 20 points for being late and should be presented by next class or they will receive a zero.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students wrote a small in-class essay based on their brainstorming from last class over the topic of banned books.
• We took notes from a PowerPoint on the Puritans and began a short discussion about the Salem Witch Trials.
• We then began watching "The Crucible," a film adaptation of the Arthur Miller play while we took Cornell notes. 

Day 5

NINTH LIT

• Students continued their notes on grammar and will finish these mini-notes next class.
• We read "The Three Little Pigs" and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and identified various literary elements in them.
• We then watched a video on terms of literature and used that video to help us identify some terms within our favorite fairy tales and movies.
• REMINDER: Students' summer reading music projects are due Monday the 29th and Tuesday the 30th!!!

AMERICAN LIT

• Students did a brainstorming activity for a previous Georgia High School Writing Test prompt concerning banned books.  This will be used to write a short in-class essay next week.
• We then took a pretest on Puritan literature.
• Afterwards, students gathered characteristics of Native Americans (see below) and were instructed to write a eulogy mourning the passing of Native American culture from the perspective of either a modern-day student, a European settler, or an American Indian.  They had to choose three Native characteristics and write the eulogy to a length of two to three paragraphs.  This is due next class!!!

NATIVE AMERICAN CHARACTERISTICS

• Peaceful
• Spiritual (Animistic religion)
• Oral tradition
• Pictographs
• Origin myth
• Hunters, gatherers, fishers
• Tribal community
• Ceremonies
• Powerful Chief
• Nature important
• Dreams as visions
• Symbolic Colors
• Traditional clothing (skins, fringe, feathers, war paint, beads)

Day 4

NINTH LIT

• Students took more notes on the parts of speech
• First period participated in a fire drill
• We then took a short story pre-test using our annotated copies of "Checkouts"
• Students went over their summer reading assignment (finding a clean song that symbolizes their story and presenting it to the class).  This will be due on Monday, August 29!!

AMERICAN LIT

•  Students did a brainstorming activity that they can use for the Georgia High School Writing Test.  The GHSWT is on September 27th!!!
• We then took our summer reading tests and worked on our foldable comic books for "Earth on Turtle's Back."  These comics are due by next class!! If you did not finish, it is homework!

Day 3

NINTH LIT

• Students took note on the rudimentary parts of speech
• Any lit terms notes from the previous day were finished.
• We then read and annotated the story "Checkouts" by Cynthia Rylant

AMERICAN LIT

•  Students wrote a quick journal, discussing alternative ideas for the summer reading test.
• As a special gift, the summer reading test was pushed back
• We then went over our "Earth on Turtle's Back" worksheets, which have been put into the gradebook
• Students began an assignment on turning the myth "Earth on Turtle's Back" into an eight-panel comic strip complete with narration and pictographs.

Day 2

NINTH LIT

• Students turned in any syllabi they had signed before writing a letter to their senior selves as a journal.
• They then took a short lit term pre-test followed by a session of notes on lit terms we will use throughout the year.
• Students will need their books during next class!

AMERICAN LIT

• Students turned in any syllabi they had before continuing their Native American color symbols handout.  This was turned in in class.
• They then took a short grammar diagnostic test.
• We read "The Earth on Turtle's Back" as a class and began an assignment based on the origin myth.  Some students requested a copy of the work.  It can be found in your book or here .
• Students will take their summer reading exams next class!!!! Please have your reading done!

Day 1

NINTH LIT

• Students went over the syllabus, which should be signed and returned ASAP.  They also viewed a PowerPoint on class rules and procedures.
• The students then completed a learning diagnostic test, filled out an info card, and some began a grammar diagnostic test which will be continued the next class.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students went over the syllabus, which should be signed and returned ASAP.  They also viewed a PowerPoint on class rules and procedures.
• The students then completed a learning diagnostic test, filled out an info card, and began an assignment on Native American color symbolization

PARENTS!!! If you did not receive the syllabus from your child, please email me and I will forward a digital version to you.  This will be taken in for a grade.

Please remember your summer reading!!!  Your assignments will be due by next week, and the list can be found here.

Welcome!!!

I wanted to take a moment to welcome everyone to McEachern, my class, and the 2011-2012 school year.  I'm excited to have you as students and parents involved in our amazing classroom.  This blog will be updated at least twice a week with our activities, due dates, assignments, and links to helpful pages.  I would also like to get a weekly email of information sent out and would love to have you parents send me your email address (along with your child's name and class period) so that you can be added.  Please feel free to take a look at the information as noticed and contact me if you have any questions:

SCHEDULE

Odd

1. 9th grade literature
2. American literature
3. American Literature
4. Planning

Even

1. 9th grade literature
2. Planning
3. American literature
4. 9th grade literature

EMAIL: amanda.robbins@cobbk12.org  OR if emailing large files (assignments, essays, etc.) amandalrobbins@gmail.com

Thanks again,

Amanda L. Robbins