Week at a glance October 3 - 7, 2011

Curriculum focus: identifies, interprets, and analyzes figurative language including: idiom, imagery, and symbolism (11.1.2.K4), determines word meanings through knowledge of word structure: Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes (11.1.3.k3), uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions (11.1.4.K5), compares/contrasts textual aspects: character traits, themes, character motives, and author's purpose (11.1.4.K7), analyzes and evaluates how the author's style (word choice and sentence structure) and use of literary devices work together to achieve his/her purpose by using tone, mood, and imagery (11.1.4.K11d, e, and h).

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. derm - skin - dermatologist, epidermis, taxidermy
2. micro - small - microscope, microcosm, microbiology
3. ocu - eye - binoculars, inoculate, ocular
4. sci - knowledge - science, conscious, omniscient
5. therm - heat - thermometer, thermostat, endothermic
6. vis, vid - to see - video, visual, revise, review

This week we wrap up our unit over Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Last week students took notes reviewing the characters, their traits, and their motivations.  This week we'll start by finishing our creative persuasive assignment, The Crucible RAFT.  Students will take the unit exam on Thursday.  We'll wrap up the week with our usual root words quiz, plus a preview of the KS Reading Assessment coming up next week.

• Mon: No school - Professional Learning Day
• Tues: New root words, quiz on Friday.  The Crucible RAFT - revise and edit the persuasive assignment.  The Crucible RAFT due by the end of the hour.
• Wed: The Crucible RAFT - volunteers to share.  Review for The Crucible Unit Exam.
• Thurs: The Crucible Unit Exam
• Fri: Root words quiz.  Preview next week.  QAR strategies.

Week at a glance Sept 26 - 30, 2011

Curriculum focus: determines word meanings through knowledge of word structure: Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes (11.1.3.k3), uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions (11.1.4.K5), identifies persuasive techniques (11.1.4.K14a-f), distinguishes between fact and opinion and recognizes propaganda (11.1.4.K15a), analyzes how the author’s use of irony contributes to his/her purpose (11.1.4.K11c), contextual aspects of setting: how history, society, and culture influence events in the text (11.2.1.K2), and analyzes how the problem or conflict advances the plot of a narrative (11.2.1.K3a).

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. belli - war - rebellion, belligerent, bellicose
2. fac - do or make - factory, facilitate, manufacture
3. mort - death - mortal, morbid, mortician
4. poeia, poie, peia - make/create - poem, onomatopoeia, mythopoeic
5. the, theo - god - atheist, theology, monotheism
6. tox - poison - toxicology, toxic, botox

This week we'll wrap up the reading portion of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Proctor and his friends are sentenced to hang for the crime of witchcraft, so what hope is there now in the play.  We'd be surprised, if we look carefully.  That will be part of our challenge as we wrap up our reading of the play.  We'll begin reviewing characters and motivations by mid-week.  Since we are so far ahead of the other English 11 classes, we have the advantage of being able to do a creative assignment - a RAFT - that we'll begin in class on Wednesday.  Details and the assignment online to come soon.

• Mon: New root words.  Pass back study guides and current grades.  The Crucible - begin reading and discussing Act IV.
• Tues: The Crucible - finish reading/discussing Act IV.  Act IV study guide due Wednesday.
• Wed: The Crucible - Act IV study guide due.  Character traits and motivations review.  Begin The Crucible RAFT assignment.
• Thurs: The Crucible RAFT - decide the role, audience, format, and topic of the project.
• Fri: Root Words quiz.  The Crucible RAFT - go to the computer lab and begin assembling the project.

Week at a glance Sept 19 - 23, 2011

Curriculum focus: determines word meanings through knowledge of word structure: Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes (11.1.3.k3), uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions (11.1.4.K5), identifies persuasive techniques (11.1.4.K14a-f), distinguishes between fact and opinion and recognizes propaganda (11.1.4.K15a), analyzes how the author’s use of irony contributes to his/her purpose (11.1.4.K11c), identifies the protagonist (11.2.1.K1a), contextual aspects of setting: how history, society, and culture influence events in the text (11.2.1.K2), and analyzes how the problem or conflict advances the plot of a narrative (11.2.1.K3a).

Root Words Mid-term on Friday - We are doing 60 root words this semester; so far we have done half of them. Rather than waiting until near the end of the semester and doing a final over all 60, we will be doing a mid-term over the first 30 roots this Friday. Students will receive a study guide and practice self-test for the mid-term on Monday. We'll also do an in-class review on Thursday.

This week we continue reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Last week we saw no one was safe as we saw even Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor accused of witchcraft.  John Proctor responded by deciding to come clean, go to the court, admit his sins, and confront Abigail.  This week we'll see the results of Proctor's decision.  Students should be paying special attention to the play's rising action, coming climax, and their effects on the characters.

• Mon: Preview Root Words Mid-term.  The Crucible - Review Acts I and II.  Begin reading/discussing Act III.
• Tues: The Crucible - Continue reading/discussing Act III.
• Wed: The Crucible - Acts I and II Quiz.  Finish reading/discussing Act III.  Act III study guide due Wednesday.
• Thurs: Root Words Mid-term review and discussion.  The Crucible - Begin reading/discussing Act IV.  Act III study guide due at the end of the hour..
• Fri: Root Words Mid-term. The Crucible - Continue reading/discussing Act IV.

Week at a glance Sept 12 - 16, 2011

Curriculum focus: determines word meanings through knowledge of word structure: Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes (11.1.3.k3), uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions (11.1.4.K5), identifies persuasive techniques (11.1.4.K14a-f), distinguishes between fact and opinion and recognizes propaganda (11.1.4.K15a), analyzes how the author’s use of irony contributes to his/her purpose (11.1.4.K11c), identifies the protagonist (11.2.1.K1a), contextual aspects of setting: how history, society, and culture influence events in the text (11.2.1.K2), and analyzes how the problem or conflict advances the plot of a narrative (11.2.1.K3a).

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. -hood - condition of - adulthood, childhood, neighborhood
2. -ic - pertaining to - logic, music, electric, pandemic
3. -ify / -ize /-yze - act upon or make - purify, terrorize, paralyze
4. -ism - characteristic of - terrorism, pacifism, heroism, racism
5. -ive - tending to be - active, inquisitive, positive, negative
6. -ure - result of - literature, nature, scripture, torture

This we continue reading and discussing Arthur Miller's The Crucible. We completed Act I last week. Using a volcano as an analogy for the Salem community, we discussed how the various factions and personal grudges were building and creating pressure just waiting for a chance to explode. Salem erupted with the first of the witchcraft accusations. As we read Act II this week, students will analyze the effects of the witch trials on Salem's community and compare/contrast how each character responds to the trials.  We'll wrap up the week with an analysis of Arthur Miller's intent behind writing the play.  Miller's play is an allegory -- an extended metaphor that uses events in the narrative to represent points the author wishes to make about society.  We'll study the play as allegory by looking at the accusers and the accused: in Salem, in Miller's time period of the 1950s, and now.

• Mon: The Crucible - New root words. Review Act I in class. Begin reading and discussing Act II.
• Tues: The Crucible - Act I quiz. Continue reading and discussing Act II.
• Wed: The Crucible - Finish reading and discussing Act II. Act II study guide responses due by the end of the hour.
• Thurs: The Crucible - Review Acts I and II.  The Crucible as Allegory - The Accusers and the Accused - in Salem, in the 1950s, and now.  Notes and discussion.
• Fri: Root words quiz. The Crucible as Allegory - The Accusers and the Accused - in Salem, in the 1950s, and now.  Wrap up notes and discussion.  Response due by the end of the hour.

Week at a glance Sept 5 - 9, 2011

Curriculum focus: determines word meanings through knowledge of word structure: Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes (11.1.3.k3), uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions (11.1.4.K5), identifies persuasive techniques (11.1.4.K14a-f), distinguishes between fact and opinion and recognizes propaganda (11.1.4.K15a), analyzes how the author’s use of irony contributes to his/her purpose (11.1.4.K11c), identifies the protagonist (11.2.1.K1a), contextual aspects of setting: how history, society, and culture influence events in the text (11.2.1.K2), and analyzes how the problem or conflict advances the plot of a narrative (11.2.1.K3a).

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. contra/counter - against or opposite - contradict, counteract
2. dif/dis/dys - away or badly - different, disperse, dysfunctional
3. mal - poorly - malice, malpractice, malfunction
4. poin/pugn/punc - pierce or sting - punch, impugn, point
5. pseudo - false - pseudonym, pseudoscience
6. sol/soli - one or alone - isolated, desolate, solitary

This week we begin reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students will receive a study guide in class on Tuesday that we'll complete in class as we read the play. Students will not receive a copy of the play for themselves because we'll be reading the play in class. It will be absolutely essential that students are listening to and participating during class discussion, as well as keeping up with their in-class assignments.

• Mon: Labor Day - no school
• Tues: New root words - quiz on Friday.  The Crucible - Assign parts and begin reading Act I
• Wed: The Crucible - continue reading Act I. Complete in-class assignment, due by the end of the hour.
• Thurs: The Crucible - finish reading and discussing Act I. Continue work on questions from the Act I study guide.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz. The Crucible - wrap up Act I discussion and complete questions from the Act I study guide, due by the end of the hour.  Begin reading and discussing Act II.