Creative Writing Assignment

This assignment is officially due on November 29th (even) or 30th (odd).
However, if you bring it in next week before the Thanksgiving break I will give you extra points.

You must select one of the following to write:
1. Newspaper Article (500 words minimum)
2. Personal Essay (750 words minimum)
3. Persuasive Essay (500 words minimum)
4. Short story (600 words minimum)
5. Poems 2-5 (30 lines or more)
(please include your word count under your heading)

You must type your work using 12 point font and double spaced.
You can use the movie "The Soloist" that we watched in class as inspiration or you can write on any topic of your choosing.

Week of October 18th

So the nine weeks is almost over and I have closed the gradebook as of October 22nd.

I am only inputting missing grades. Any grades earned this coming week will count for the new nine weeks.

1. The Bill of Rights Amendment partner activities were completed and those grades will be the last for this nine weeks. For the most part, everyone did a good job and came up with some great reasons "for" and "against" the amendments.

2. This week we finished with our next set of SAT words (I-L), which means the quiz will be this coming week.

3. We finished watching "The Patriot" and started our follow-up activity with letters to someone at war.

**Things to look forward to this coming week:

Edgar Allen Poe, a perfect author to read in order to prepare for Halloween.

Continuing with the letter activity. We will be exchanging letters this coming week.

Hope you all have a great and safe weekend!

Week of October 11th

Bill of Rights, PSAT, The Patriot, oh my!!!!

1. Everyone this week should have gotten a partner and an amendment from the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10) that you are going to argue "for" and "against." You need to come up with 5 reasons in favor of your amendment and 5 reasons against it. You will be debating in front of the class with your partners this coming week. Make sure to refer to page 222 and 223 in the textbook for persuasive rhetoric strategies.

2. On Wednesday many of you took the PSAT and I have gotten good feedback from most of you. I will continue to prepare you for the actual SAT and ACT as the year progresses.

3. We will finish watching "The Patriot" this coming week and will be doing a follow-up activity with it. (Hint: Remember how they wrote letters to one another.)

**I am closing my gradebook this coming Friday, October 22nd so make sure you have turned everything in and if you have been absent within the last two weeks get those admits to me in order to make-up any assignments you have missed.

Manfra's Spirit Week

Another digital slideshow by Smilebox

Homecoming Week

Literary Analysis essays are done! HURRAY!!!! Now I get to grade them all. OH NO!!!!

I have a few things I want to address concerning some behavior I have observed in the last couple of weeks:

1. Deadlines are issued for a reason. If you do not turn in an assignment on time that is your own fault. I could understand if I gave you a major project to complete in one day, but I give you time and I not only explain how to do it in class I also write the instructions on the blog. Do not take advantage of my benevolence. Do your work and turn it in on time. End of story.

2. Some of you have been absent for several classes. It is your responsibility to bring me an excused admit or the pass that was given to you if you left school early. At that point you have only one week to make up the work. After that I have all the right to put in a zero.

Otherwise, those of you who are doing everything you are supposed to be doing -- thank you for being diligent students. Keep up the good work.
*Remember, the first nine weeks is not over. However, I will be closing my gradebook by October 22nd so that any missing work after that date will go in as a zero.

This coming week the Bill of Rights partner activity will be issued.
We will be continuing with our SAT words (I-L).
PSAT test, for those who registered, is on Wednesday (10/13).

Hope you had a great homecoming week! Will post pictures soon.

September has come to an end...

So we are focusing on writing our first Literary Analysis papers based on the story "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
You should have completed your outline worksheets, rough drafts and prepare to do peer editing and typing up your final drafts in the computer lab this week.
We have completed our next set of 20 SAT words -- the E-H words. That means this coming week you will have the quiz on those words.

You should also be completing your Benjamin Franklin assignment.
1. Your greeting card should have one of Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms from pg. 271 on the front.

2. On the inside front cover you need to write five facts about Benjamin Franklin.
3. On the inside you are picking one of the 13 virtues from pg. 266. Write the virtue and its description. Then tell me in a paragraph how you would apply that virtue to your life. How would it make your life better?
**On the back of your card (for extra points) you can have up to five teachers, coaches, administrators sign that they would purchase your greeting card.

*Summer Reading projects were turned in for a grade.

I still have grades to put into the gradebook so just be patient.

Week of September 20th

Family Tree projects have been presented and now I have the task of reading all your memoirs and interviews. (Yippee!!!! I am being facetious by the way.)

Progress Reports were issued Friday. There is time to improve your grade, but don't ask to make something up from three weeks ago. Not going to happen.

You have started to work on your Literary Analysis of the "Minister's Black Veil" and we will continue with those papers this coming week.

SAT Vocabulary sentences are being done and we should be done with E-H this coming week.

Summer Reading Projects are due this week! You are required to do two, but at least do one if you do not want a zero for the assignment.