English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we completed our reading of The Odyssey today. It was a long time with our beaks stuck in the textbook; just be grateful we didn’t attempt the entire epic.
We saw the hero (?) Odysseus take back what the gods and monsters, the sea, the suitors, and time tried to take from him. We then talked over some the main ideas and details that informed our inferences about the same. You had time then to begin your last bit of homework for the semester; see your class page for details.
I’ll look forward to meeting you on Monday.
Have a fine weekend.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we have nearly completed our reading of portions of The Odyssey. Today and yesterday, second and seventh period spent time with Odysseus and Telemachus as they infiltrated the suitors’ ranks, and Laertes’ son demonstrated his ownership of his bow. We’ll see how Odysseus dispatches the bums and wins his kingdom and home back next class.
We took some time, too, to talk over grades and approaches to work. This was an important discussion as I laid out several considerations for next semester as they pertain to your success in English 9. Some of you wrote down my prescriptions, but I’ll post them again at the end of next week.
See you next time, kids.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we began with conventions errors corrections today and moved to the final portions of our epic poem as Odysseus returns home to Ithaca to reclaim his throne and queen. We’ll complete the story this week and we’ll discuss and prepare for the final as we close the fall out.
I’ll look forward to seeing you next class.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, today and yesterday we talked over your reading of “The Sirens” and “Scylla and Charybdis” and reviewed your study guide and graphic organizer over the same. You had time to begin your After Reading questions related to the reading, and I was able to monitor and guide your work. Those that didn’t finish in class may complete the work at home for turn in on Monday.
Have a fine weekend, and drive carefully to and have fun in Tempe, those you who’re attending the state championship game tomorrow.
Go Dorados!
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we completed reading about Odysseus’s encounter with the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis. We discussed certain instances of repetition we read in the poem and observed their roles as place markers for those bards reciting The Odyssey to audiences since the text didn’t exist in bound texts. You had time to complete the study guide questions related to the excerpts, which we’ll discuss next class when we’ll also go over the graphic organizer attached to the reading.
I’ll see you on Thursday and Friday, kids.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to post notes from our last block before the long weekend, but on that Tuesday and Wednesday, we completed the excerpt of our text describing Odysseus’s time with Circe and the attendant study guide and graphic organizer. We also continued to view and discuss the documentary we’ve been using to inform our reading of The Odyssey.
Today we began with conventions error-correction and continued our epic poem. This week we’ll read of Odysseus’s and his remaining crew’s encounters with the sirens and Scylla and Charybdis.
Finally, below is the list of items CDO’s Sign Language Club is collecting for our armed forces personnel is serving in war zones this season. Of course, participation is voluntary, and if you choose to donate, you’ll receive no extra or make-up credit, but it’d be groovy if any freshman so inclined could bring in just two of the following by Monday, December 13:
- White socks (men’s and women’s with no markings)
- Light blankets and character-themed sheets
- Energy drinks and beef jerky
- Snacks like cookies, chips, and candy in sturdy packages
- Hand sanitizer, moist hand wipes, and medical gloves
- Sports magazines and Frisbees
- Flash drives
- Letters (none of your own personal information)
- NO PORK OR PRODUCTS AND NO COFFEE
All of these items can be purchased for cheap at Walmart, and if you’re feeling more generous, you also might try these services: Any Soldier and Treat Any Soldier.
More next time, kids.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, I presented you with a quiz over our last reading before we began conventions error corrections practice. After we tackled the corrections as a class, we began the next section of The Odyssey, which relates part of Odysseus’s interaction with Circe. We’ll complete this next class, and I hope we’ll have some time to experience more of the documentary on the historicity of the epic poem.
I’ll see you next class.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we began class today and yesterday with conventions error corrections practice, and then we moved to next excerpt, “The Cyclops”, from The Odyssey. The language is difficult, but we moved swiftly as I narrated the story mostly by myself and stopped frequently to clarify the action of scene. You completed study guides and a graphic organizer on dialogue and what Odysseus’s dialogue reveals about his character. Then we went over the homework for Monday before we watched a portion of History’s Clash of the Gods: “Odysseus: Curse of the Sea” episode “Odysseus: Curse of the Sea”. This took us to the end of class.
Have a nice weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmen, yesterday and today we began a new set of sentences for corrections and we reviewed your reading of the first excerpt of The Odyssey. I had you read it on Monday and complete the handout, but I understand the sub didn’t deliver the instructions as I directed, so the review was warranted. I mentioned in particular your need to pay attention to certain figurative language as we read (and which I’ll point out as we go) including metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, and euphemism. There’s certainly more we could attend, but these’ll be more than sufficient. You turned in the completed study guides from this and last class (the one over the Greek gods).
We’ll continue the story next class.
See you then.
English 9 Class Notes
As with the notes for my junior and senior students, I decided to wait until this afternoon to post notes due to the unusual schedule and jumbled activities this week. Each day we practiced conventions error correction, and we contextualized our next text, The Odyssey, with Before Reading notes and introduction to the twelve Olympians.
Very importantly, we were visited by Mr. Gutman, one of our counselors, who went over some graduation and credit requirement basics with you. He also covered goal-setting and achievement behaviors and attitudes. Armed with this information, the support of your family, friends, and colleagues at school, I hope you’ll make the right decisions over the next four years to your best success.
We’ll begin The Odyssey in earnest next week. See you then.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we completed Of Mice and Men today, and we discussed George’s justification in shooting his friend. An ironic idea was suggested by students on both days: George had to kill Lennie to save him. I was dubious of this claim, but we worked with it and expressed yourselves in practice composition. We briefly reviewed the six traits of writing, particularly ideas, organization, and conventions, and I presented you with a paragraph template, a graphic organizer for controlling placement of your ideas. It looked very familiar to you because it mimicked the format you’ve been using to answer questions related to all of the reading we’ve been doing since August. Such paragraphing will be the main method of assessment next semester.
You composed a practice paragraph in which you argued whether George acted in his and Lennie’s best interest by shooting him in the back of the head at the base of his skull and spine. You completed this by the end of the period, and some had time to do homework and read independently.
I was very pleased with the discussion the novella engendered. Many of you made great points. if you’re interested in reading and learning more, I’ll direct you to the “Euthanasia” , “Friendship”, “Honor”, and “Sacrifice” at Wikipedia.
We’ll begin The Odyssey next week, kids. I’ll see you then.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, on Tuesday, second period practiced correcting conventions errors in consultative, Academic, written English and completed chapter 4 of our novella. We reviewed the Guided Reading questions as we read, and I assigned you After Reading questions over chapters 3 and 4 for homework. The questions are listed on your class page.
Seventh period was able to do none of what I’d planned because of the presentation by R5 Productions. I asked you to read the remainder of the fourth chapter and the rest of the text on your own, and I did go over in some detail how to answer the questions I assigned over the middle chapters. Check your class page for details.
We’ll wrap up our discussion and work on the story next class.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we began with conventions errors correction practice as is now our practice, and then we talked over the elections tomorrow and did some math. We also began chapter four of our novella.
What did our discussion of the election have to do with English? Remember that the classes I conduct are about critical thinking more than anything, drawing conclusions from and assessing information, the material is incidental. But there is a connection: Of Mice and Men encourages us to think about social and economic issues, and the vote tomorrow is entirely about these. Our story takes place during the Great Depression, when many had little in the way of shelter, food, and work, and in today’s recession many Americans are dealing with want of those same things. I hope the fact that the conditions of many are decided by only a few, as we saw when we compared the total population of the nation with the number of eligible voters and actual voter turnout, might inspire you to learn more about how our democracy works and motivate you to begin to participate now even though none of you are of the age of majority yet. You can start by watching the local or national evening news, maybe. It’d be a good use of 30 minutes of your time.
Here’re links to the information we talked about today from the US Elections page at Infoplease: “National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections: 1960–2008″.
See you next class, kids
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we practiced identifying and correcting errors in conventions of written English today and yesterday, and we finished the video that’s been supplementing our reading of Of Mice and Men. We also completed our study of the third chapter of the novella, and we saw Lennie’s strength. As Matt said in first, “He’s a beast”.
You have no homework; we’ll be finishing the novella quickly after the weekend. Finally, after some searching online, I found these clips from the 1992 film adaption of the book at MovieClips.com. The first is from the beginning of the story, the second and third from chapter 3, including Lennie’s confrontation with Curley. How well do they match the images you have in your minds of the characters and action in the novella?
I’ll see on Monday, kids.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, yesterday and today you identified and corrected more conventions errors before we continued with the video Riding the Rails which we’ve been connecting to Of Mice and Men. We read and listened to most of chapter 3, and we stopped just as George accepted Candy’s offer to help them acquire and join them on their hoped-for farm. I gave you some time to read independently.
We’ll pick up where we left off next class, and we’ll probably finish the video, too. Remember to bring your independent reading books. I’ll be checking and awarding a few points for compliance.
English 9 Class Notes
We began both periods with a presentation from junior Adrienne on the Pima County Public Liberries. Thanks for that, kid. After, we began the second set of sentences from Daily Language Workout, and then we reviewed the remainder of the second chapter, which you were to have read over the weekend. Finally, I presented your After Reading assignment for the first chapter, and I talked over the final update to the question-answer rubric that you’re to use to guide your work.
That’s it, children. I wanted to embed this clip from the 1939 film version of our novella, but Turner Classic Movies doesn’t allow it: Here’s the scene where George and Lennie meet the boss for the first time. Have a look. Are the portrayals of Lennie by Lon Chaney’s and George by Burgess Meredith what you expected?
See you next time, freshmens.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, after more conventions practice, we reviewed your chapter 1 of our novella. I was very impressed, particularly with seventh period’s attention to the reading and the attendant questions. We viewed more of the video we began last class, and then we picked up with the second chapter of the story. Your homework is to finish the chapter and answer the Guided Reading questions (or not, as I’ve already explained).
Before I bid you a good weekend, I want to congratulate seventh period’s Maria on her new “baby”, G-Money. I’ll be curious to see how things went over the weekend.
Goodbye for now, every body.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, we began my favorite text of the year in each class yesterday and today. I’m looking forward to some day sharing Of Mice and Men with my son: George and Lennie share more of a sibling rather than a filial relationship, but the nature of their connection, their interdependence, their love for each other is attractive and admirable. For now, I’ll enjoy studying it with you for the next couple weeks.
To enhance our reading, we also watched a portion of American Experience: Riding the Rails, an interesting look at teens who hoboed and worked across America in the 1930s. We’ll continue to supplement our study of Steinbeck’s novella with this film, watching it in portions as we progress.
You do have homework detailed on your class page. I’m not going to collect it, and you don’t have to complete it. Base your decision on how you think it could help you with the graded work to come.
See you second and seventh, kids.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, yesterday and today, while students completed After Reading questions over “The Scarlet Ibis”, I went over grades with individuals. As we finished the quarter, I asked after the most important idea you learned since the year began. Rather than some literary concept, most of you agreed that the vital concept you learned was “Complete all assignments, each and every assignment, to the best of your ability”. I like it.
Many students are in grade situations they don’t want to be in. For those students: It’s entirely possible to change your attitudes and approaches to work next quarter to your great success. Such changes would be entirely the result of decisions of the individual students who want to make them.
Have a great break, kids. I’ll be thinking of you as I careen past the Abominable Snowman on the Matterhorn Bobsleds with the fam and enjoy mouse-flavored ice cream.
See you in nine days.
English 9 Class Notes
Freshmens, today and yesterday we completed “The Scarlet Ibis” and discussed symbolism and the various possible symbols Hurst uses to shape his story. It’s important to remember that reading and understanding literature isn’t about the “symbol-hunt”, or at least it shouldn’t be, but there’s sometimes a temptation to see everything as a symbol, which can lead to incorrect interpretations of text. You also completed the vocabulary study and quiz associated with this story.
You’ll have time to complete the After Reading questions you began this class when we meet next. Until then, here’s a very brief audio adaptation of “The Scarlet Ibis” from Justin Bonilla on Vimeo:
Neat drama Justin.