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Day Sixteen / 6.15, 6.16

Today we reviewed for the Vocab Final by doing Vocab Final Jeopardy! Then we began watching the Of Mice and Men movie.

Day Fifteen / 6.14.10

Today we took a Vocabulary Quiz. We discussed the end of Of Mice and Men. Then I handed out the words for the vocabulary final. We briefly discussed the final.

Day Fourteen / 6.10, 6.11

First, we showed our stickmen. Then, we read Part 5 in Of Mice and Men. Then we took a quiz.

Day Thirteen / 6.7, 6.8

Today we read chapter 4 in Of Mice and Men. We also talked about two Langston Hughes poems, and had a discussion about racism and discrimination in our world today. We watched a video about lynchings, and this helped focus our awareness of the past as we entered into our discussion. The powerpoint from class is here.

And here's the video.

Day Twelve / 6.3, 6.4

Today we watched Days of Heaven by Terrence Malick. We answered questions about how the movie relates to Of Mice and Men. Those questions are here.

Day Ten / 5.27, 5.28

Today we finished reading Chapter 2, then took the Chapter 2 Quiz. After that, we started reading Chapter 3. It was a day of reading, and we're now half-way through the novella.

Day Nine / 5.24, 5.25

Today we took Vocab Quiz 15. Then we went over the Vocab 16 words. We worked on those for a while, then continued reading Of Mice and Men.

Day Eight / 5.20, 5.21

Today we started with a survey related to themes in Of Mice and Men. We discussed. Then, we looked at a slideshow of the setting of the book, the area surrounding Soledad, CA. I attached a picture below. Then we started reading the book. We read Chapter 1, then took a quiz.

Day Seven / 5.18, 5.19

Today we started with a nature walk. We observed nature, we talked poetry, then we read some nature poems. Then, back in class, we created a poem of our own. After that we worked on poetry or our Vocab 15 Packet. Finally, we talked about John Steinbeck for a minute, and read the poem by Robert Burns, where Steinbeck got his title. Sixth period's poem is pasted below. First period is below that...


Lifeguards

I can’t walk with shoes on the sand.
I throw them off and swing them over my shoulder.
My bare feet are scorched by the sand, and
the sand feels like it’s exfoliating my toes.

The lifeguard is hot.
I develop a plan. I’m going to fake drowning.
I enter the shallow water, and I feel myself sink
as the waves rise and sweep the sand from underneath my feet.
This, is not the plan.

Children are screaming all around.
Seagulls cry out for food.
The waves crash like cymbals.

The jellyfish stings like an aquatic, oversized bee.

I faked drowning so the hot lifeguard would save me.
He carries me, as I’m crying, to his stand.
And I am happy.

A Day in the Life of a Park

The dirt on the ground gives life to the grass.
I see grass and leaves blowing in the wind.
Trees stand tall like pillars.

The mixed smell of fresh cut grass and rubber,
Brings joy to children on a summer day.
There is a rustle and bustle of rabbits;
a squirrel scurries up the tree.

Three children are crying,
They want to go home,
They have scraped their knees.
They begged their moms, “Please, please, please.”

Creaking of the swings,
And the batting of wings.
Joggers are running with barking dogs.

When I go to the park, I experience all these things.
The cycles of life, the dark and the light,
the day and the night.

Day Six / 5.17.10

Today we talked a lot about poetry. We went through two slideshows, one on aspects of poetry and one on how to write poems.

There are three handouts associated with the day. The first is notes on poetry. The second is how to write poems, and the third is your Poetry Assignment.

Day Five / 5.11, 5.12

Today we did some STAR testing strategies and testing review. Then we talked some more about poetry. Here's the slideshow and the handout. There is no homework during STAR testing.

Day Four / 5.10.10

Today we handed back more papers. Then we discussed what goes through our head when we read something creative. We decided that no one has the same pictures going through their head. And since we form our interpretation of a text (and the meaning of that text) through the pictures in our head (and our prior experience), we concluded that no two interpretations will necessarily be exactly the same. After realizing this, we analyzed a few poems. You can find them here.

For homework, you were to read and respond to the poem on the back of the page. It is here.

Finally, you're Memory Map and Memory Map Creative Non-Fiction paper is due next class.

Grades

Grades were posted on Friday (5.7.10). If you're missing anything from a packet, you can click on this link to see what was required in all the packets from this semester.

Please talk to me after class about any grade issues. We will work together to resolve any problems.

Day Three / 5.6.10

Today we did some housekeeping, passing back papers and talking about grades. After that, we went over grammar. Next, we read a few vignettes from Sandra Cisnero's House on Mango Street. Then we read David Sedaris' piece "Let It Snow." Then we talked about drawing our own neighborhood as a memory map, to find inspiration for writing our creative non-fiction paper. The rubric for the assignment is here.

The memory creative non-fiction paper is due on Tuesday (for 6th) or Wednesday (for 1st).

Day Two / 5.4.10

Today we talked about this quote from Pablo Picasso: "Art is the lie that tells the truth."

Then we read Sandra Cisnero's "My Name" short story. Then we worked on creating our own "My Name" poem or paragraph. Here are the story and assignment.

Next, we went over the MLA format. You can find that handout here. Then we ended with a little brainstorming to define the Creative Non-Fiction genre.

Day One / 5.3.10

Today we turned in a packet of work and had Vocab Quiz 14. Then we talked about Langston Hughes poem "Hope," pasted below:

Hope
He rose up on his dying bed
and asked for fish.
His wife looked it up in her dream book
and played it.