Day 53

NINTH LIT

• Students did a quick expository activity, instructing the teacher how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  For homework, you will need to write an expository piece explaining how to do something.  Remember you will need all the materials written down as well as every step.
• We then took notes on resumes, using these notes to create a resume for one of the famous biographical people that we read about the previous two classes.
• HOMEWORK: Please read through page 113 of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

AMERICAN LIT

• Students had ten minutes or so of review time before working on their test.  The test consisted of:
• One section of previous knowledge
• One cold reading
• One section of vocabulary
• One section of in-class writing

Day 52

NINTH LIT

• Students took their DGP quiz after turning in this week's DGP work.
• We then took a short pop quiz over the first five chapters of "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah
• Students then finished writing their various biographical facts down.  This will be used for a project next class.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students took their DGP quiz after turning in this week's DGP work.
• We then spent the majority of class reviewing for our Transcendentalism test.  REMINDER: Your Transcendentalism test will be next class, either Tuesday/Wednesday!
• Students also began working on their in-class writing assignment which will be part of their test.  They are expected to discuss how one of two images showcases the tenets of Transcendentalism.

Day 51

NINTH LIT

• Students diagrammed their DGP sentence. There will be a quiz over this next class!
• We then discussed the meaning of the word 'genocide' in preparation for our reading of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah.  STUDENTS MUST READ CHAPTERS 1-5 BY NEXT CLASS!
• We then completed the TRAILS pretest in the Media Center.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students diagrammed their DGP sentence.  There will be a quiz over this next class!
• We then had a pop quiz over Transcendentalism, which the students kept.  This will be used as a study guide for our test.
• The Transcendentalism test will be on Tuesday, January 31 or Wednesday, February 1!!!
• We spent the remaining class period finishing our Transcendentalism packets which were turned in at the end of the period.

Day 50

NINTH LIT

• Students did their DGP, finding clauses and sentence type.
• We then did an autobiographical activity, looking at ourselves and our lives.
• This was then used to read biographies of various historical individuals such as Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, and Barack Obama.  This will be continued in class.
• REMINDER: Students need to get a copy of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students did their DGP, finding clauses and sentence type.
• We then read Emerson's "Nature," taking notes and annotating as we read.
• This was used in working on a packet of Transcendentalist worksheets.

Day 49

NINTH LIT

• Students worked on DGP, finding sentence parts.
• We then completed a KWL (know, want to know, learned) chart on nonfiction.  This was followed by a PowerPoint on nonfiction so the students could take notes.
• We took a trip to the bookroom to pick up copies of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ismael Beah.  If students did not have their ID or their fines paid, they can try to get the book before school or during lunch.  They can also get a copy from the library or purchase the book from a store ($12, but can be found at some half-priced stores).  The book needs to be with them next class.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students worked on DGP, finding sentence parts.
• Students finished the PowerPoint on vocabulary, copying down words, definitions, and making their own examples.
• We acted out the words in front of the class, making connections between the words, current situations, and Transcendentalism.

Day 48

NINTH LIT

• Students cleaned out their folders then did a new DGP sentence, "Jeb likes cars, but he can't drive yet."
• We then spent the rest of the class writing an in-class essay.  The students were to compare and contrast the two Romeo and Juliet films we watched, specifically focusing on three elements of their choice.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students did a new DGP sentence, "Can you come over and watch the movie Casablanca after school?"
• We finished any Transcendentalist notes if needed then did a quick review with a partner over the basic tenets of the movement.
• We then began reading "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, annotating as we read.

Day 47

NINTH LIT

• Students continued watching Romeo and Juliet (1996 version).  They will be using their comparison charts to write an opinionated in-class essay over the differences between the two versions next class.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students took a pretest over Transcendentalism.
• They then took notes over the basic tenets and proponents of Transcendentalism as well as some vocabulary words associated with it.

Day 46

NINTH LIT

• Students watched the 1996 Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo and Juliet and took guided notes on the differences between this version and the 1968 Franco Zefferelli version.

AMERICAN LIT

• Students reassessed their romanticism test by doing test corrections.  Grades will be edited by next week.

Day 42-45

MID TERM EXAMS.

Have a nice holiday!