Friday, September 30, 2011

We all wear a Black Veil!


Hawthorne showed us how superficial and hypocritical we can be. This coming week we will be using this story as our testing ground for literary analysis. Remember I will be walking you through the process so it is very important that you are in class everyday or you might miss an important step to the final product.

We will continue with our SAT words this week (letter E).
You will also be taking the summer reading quizzes and a quiz on commas, semicolons and colons will take place this week.

Don't forget to submit your SAT Question of the Day if you haven't and to complete two Reading Plus sessions by Sunday before midnight.

Friday, September 23, 2011

We are Family!

Family Tree projects were presented this week and I must say I am always amazed to see how much diversity and drama all our families have. The phrase "it's a small world" comes to mind. :) Now I get to grade all your memoirs and narratives. Yippee!

We will be getting back to our literature books this week with "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This short story is based on a Puritan village and its town minister -- Mr. Hooper. He has an important message he wants the townspeople to learn, but he teaches them in an unorthodox way. Listen to the following song ("The Stranger") by Billy Joel to see if you can guess what that lesson might be.



**Important Reminders**
1. Complete two sessions of Reading Plus by Sunday if you want to get credit. Please refer to the previous post.
2. Don't forget to finish reading your summer reading books for the quizzes due this week.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Important News

After attending a workshop to better understand Reading Plus I have decided that everyone will be responsible for completing two (2) sessions per week.
I will be giving you a weekly completion grade as follows:
5 pts (A) = 2 completed sessions at 70% or above comprehension
3.5 pts (C) = 1 completed session at 70% or above comprehension
0 pts (F) = 0 sessions completed
I will grade you based on the sessions you do from Monday-Sunday for each week.
So the first grade will come from sessions completed between Monday, September 19 - Sunday, September 25.
To reward those that level up, you can earn extra credit for the nine weeks.
5 pts each time you level up or receive a certificate.

**Family Tree Projects are due this week!
Tuesday, September 20 (Periods 1,3,5) and Wednesday, September 21 (Periods 2,4,6)
Remember the memoir and interview must be typed. You will only be presenting your family tree chart, which can be on a poster, powerpoint or an actual tree.

**Summer Reading Quizzes will be the week of September 26th so make sure you have your books read by then.

SAT Questions of the Day are due to me every Friday!
Whether you drop it off or email it to me, if you do not want a zero I need it by 11:59pm Friday. (4th period students, even though I was not in class to collect it you should have given them to the substitute.) No excuses for not having it done.

Ms. Sierra has given me the forms to register for the PSAT, so if you are interested in taking the test you can get a form from me and return it to me.

Progress Reports will be given out on Thursday, September 22nd.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Extra Credit Opportunity

All 11th graders have the opportunity to sign-up for the upcoming PSAT on October 12.
If you are on free or reduced lunch you can get a fee waiver from Ms. Sierra and take the test for free.
Otherwise the test is only $14.
The deadline to sign-up is Thursday, September 22nd.
This is a great chance for you to get an idea of how you would do on the actual SAT.

Bring me proof of your registration in order to get extra credit (5 points) for this nine weeks.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Moving Right Along (Third Week)

Let us review what we have accomplished this week:
You took the Native American Quiz and now we are moving on to the Colonial Americans.
We are moving along with the SAT words -- A, B, C are done and after the D words there will be a quiz so make sure you are reviewing your definitions and have your sentences completed.
Don't forget to work on reading your Summer Reading books and complete your Family Tree project. These are worth a lot of points -- 60 points!

It is incredible to think and realize that it has been 10 years since 9/11 took place and most of you were just in Kindergarten or 1st grade. I want you to watch the following video. You may have to pause it at times because it does go pretty quickly, but there are connections to what we have started discussing as far as religion and what the Puritans were doing when they first came.

Be prepared to discuss the video and what you believe.

**Assignment**
In honor of September 11 I want you to either write a poem of at least 20 lines (does not have to rhyme or follow a certain pattern) or a one page reflection using one of the following topics:
1. What are your memories of that day?
2. There are many children who were born after September 11th. How would you explain September 11th to them?
3. Did you or your family know anyone who died that day? How did you react or feel?
(If it makes it easier you can base your poem or writing off of a picture or documentary that you have seen about September 11.)

Be prepared to share your writing with the class on Monday (Period 1,3,5) or Tuesday (Period 2,4,6).

Important dates coming up:
Open House -- Tuesday, September 13
Picture Day -- September 14 and 15

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Native American Modern Influences

Even though Disney's version of Pocahontas is not completely accurate, the song "Colours of the Wind" does a good job of describing how Native Americans viewed the world and their connection to everything around them. Please watch the following video with the lyrics to the song and see if what the words of the song are saying remind you of anything we have learned about the Natives so far.


As we have discussed in class, Native Americans were portrayed in negative ways and treated unfairly, especially when it came to relocating them unto reservations. Watch the following video "Indian Reservation" sung by Paul Revere and the Raiders. Does this song do a good job of describing the injustice that took place with the Native Americans?


Last, but not least, this is a Disney cartoon that deals with a well-known Native American named Hiawatha. Disney of course makes him very cute, but try to watch it from a more mature mindset. Do you think the Disney creators were trying to teach any lessons to children who watched this cartoon?


Hope you enjoyed these videos and look forward to discussing them next week.