We finished the story of Demeter and played through the Underworld escape room. Make sure you study for tomorrow's Underworld quiz, and don't forget your independent reading info for Friday!
English 9 and 9 Honors
Today we discussed the difference between terror (anticipation, suspense, thinking about what could happen) and horror (the disturbing event actually happening) with Neil Gaiman's short story "Nicholas Was...". We'll practice these with two stories by Edgar Allan Poe this week.
Please don't forget to fill in your packet online and study the Underworld notes! Tomorrow, we're going to finish reading the story of Demeter and then play a review game before Thursday's quiz! Also, remember to do your independent reading!
English 9 and 9 Honors
We read an... interesting story today about aliens who were quite disgusted by humans for being made of meat. It turns out that this story was actually an allegory for prejudice. It was interesting to see the author using humor to talk about this serious topic! The assignment attached (and the Honors class option of writing a conversation with your lunch) was for extra credit only, so you may finish it today if you wish, but there's no penalty for not completing it. English 9, please remember to bring your headphones for tomorrow!
I'm so sorry for the late post! Today was an extremely busy day! On to the class recaps!
English 8
Today we learned some new tips and tricks with Google Docs and Schoology, and we read the story of Hades. Tomorrow, we're going to learn more about the Underworld to prepare for a game on Wednesday and a quiz on Thursday!
English 9
We read "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes in class and talked about the wholesome, compassionate message being told in the story. It was a nice way to start off the week. Tomorrow, we'll be reading a story a bit... stranger. Stay tuned.
English 9 Honors
We also read "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, and we compared it with his poem "Mother to Son." We spent a lot of time talking about the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and encouragement. Tomorrow, we'll also be reading a story a bit... stranger. Stay tuned!
Your first reading log is due by the end of the day today. On Schoology, navigate to the pink "Independent Reading" folder and click on this week's assignment. You'll have a link to a Google Form. Fill this out to receive credit for this week!
Please remember that you need to bring you Chromebook and charger to class every day!
English 9 and 9 Honors
We had our first quiz today on the three types of irony. Don't worry if your grade wasn't as high as you would have liked; there will be more quizzes to balance out your grades. There are no quiz retakes and I'm not offering additional extra credit at this time. Those who did the kahoot and scored higher than 85% will be receiving extra credit, as well as the students who scored the highest in class for English 9.
For Monday, make sure you've completed your "The Lady, or the Tiger?" written assignment, which is on Schoology. Also make sure that you've made the necessary revisions to your old work/turned in missing work. After Monday, I'll be putting zeros in the gradebook for missing work.
Today we went over the use of Schoology, and then we read about the goddesses Hestia and Athena. Make sure you're filling out your packets, and also make sure that you're ready with your independent reading tomorrow! Also remember to ALWAYS bring your Chromebook and charger to class!
English 9
Today was a day to make revisions on previous work and turn in any late work. Remember that you have your irony quiz tomorrow, so you will need your Chromebooks. Read "The Lady, or the Tiger?" before tomorrow's class. You can also complete the Kahoot challenge for possible bonus points on Schoology!
English 9 Honors
Today we read "War" by Jack London, and you had a set of questions to complete. Tomorrow, we're going to have our irony quiz, and then we're going to compare "War" to "Lather and Nothing Else" by Hernando Tellez, so make sure that's read, too!
Here's a recap of what we did in class today, along with some important reminders!
English 8
We watched a short video on the 12 Labors of Hercules, which can be found on Schoology. The homework due tomorrow is to come up with a symbol for Hercules based on the video, which we will share in class tomorrow. Don't forget that your first independent reading assignment will be on Friday, so get that reading done!
English 9
Don't forget to bring headphones/earbuds to class from now in, just in case we have technical difficulties! Today we reviewed the three types of irony to prepare for Friday's quiz.
English 9H
Today we watched the short film Exit, which we can continue to discuss tomorrow. Don't forget to read "Lather and Nothing Else" by Hernando Tellez. We'll be comparing that to Jack London's "War" tomorrow.
Today we read the myths of Zeus and Hera. Make sure you're filling out the last three questions on the Pantheon sheet in your packets, and then, go to page 4 in your packets and fill in the chart for Cronos, Rhea, Zeus, Hera, and Pan! These will be due on Thursday.
English 9
Our short story today, "Lather and Nothing Else," is similar to "War" in that the setting is incredibly important. Think about why. Your questions for "Lather and Nothing Else" are due tomorrow before class begins. Don't forget to bring earbuds/headphones to school on Thursday! Irony quiz on Friday.
English 9 Honors
Your comparison questions for "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Necklace" are due by the beginning of class tomorrow. We're going to discuss the importance of setting with tomorrow's Wind-Down Wednesday video. Irony quiz on Friday.
Nicely done all around today, kiddos! Please contact me if you have a problem with Schoology, and I'll email you what you need. Then, contact your guidance counselor to help with Schoology, because you will need access to it.
ALL 9th GRADE STUDENTS!
You're virtual tomorrow and Wednesday. Make sure your Chromebooks are charged! Also, remember that you are having a quiz on the three types of irony on Friday!
Here's our daily recap!
English 8
You should have your independent reading books by now and should be reading about 12-15 minutes tonight if you haven't yet started your weekly hour of reading. You can always read more, though, so don't worry about making yourself stop if you get into the story!
Today's vocab word is pantheon, which means the group of gods connected to a specific culture or religion. We're learning about the Greek pantheon now, and tomorrow we'll read our first myths! Make sure that in-person students have books and packets in class every day, and virtual students will have all work available on Schoology.
English 9
Make sure to review the definitions of allusion and the three types of irony: verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony. Today we read "War" by Jack London, and your homework is the set of five questions on "War" found on Schoology.
English 9 Honors
Make sure to review the definitions of allusion and the three types of irony: verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony. Today we started to read "Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, and your homework is to finish reading the story. We'll be comparing it with other stories in class tomorrow.
We did it! We made it to the end of the week! I'm so proud of you all! Here's a recap of today's class. Have a wonderful weekend!
English 8
Today we did a review of symbolism by matching images with as many possible meanings as we could. We'll continue this activity and start talking about Greek mythology on Monday! Don't forget to get your independent reading book!
English 9
After our first reading of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," we looked at some of the literary devices used in the story. An allusion is when one story references another; in this case, the title is a Biblical allusion to the magi who, in the Christian Bible, brought gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. This allusion makes the meaning of Jim and Della's gifts more clear: the intent (love) is more important than the gift itself. The second literary device we discussed is irony, which has three different types. Verbal irony is sarcasm, dramatic irony is when the reader/audience knows something a character does not, and situational irony is when we expect one thing to happen and the opposite occurs. This story used situational irony when the gifts that were given turned out to be unusable.
English 9 Honors
To finish out our week on George Orwell's 1984, we practiced writing propaganda by choosing a mundane topic (a yogurt stand moving its location, students responding to a teacher, etc.) and writing a press release as if it were written by someone in the Ministry of Truth to promote The Party. You're all getting very creative! We'll jump into some short stories next week!
We're finally getting into our first units, and today's classes had a lot packed into them! Here's today's recap:
English 8
Today was great practice with the idea of symbolism as everyone in class shared one object that could be symbolic of themselves or their personalities! Remember, symbolism is when one thing represents something else. This is going to be a helpful thing to remember when we start talking about the Greek gods tomorrow and begin reading our stories, as each of the gods can be symbolized by different things!
Remember to have your independent reading book picked out by tomorrow!
English 9
As we continue to talk about the importance of close reading, we're starting off the unit with the short story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. Today's homework talks about the more surface-level information we gather about a story on our first reading. Tomorrow, we're going to go a bit more in-depth.
English 9 Honors
Our continuing discussion of George Orwell's 1984 led us to talk about doublethink and how dangerous that is for both societies as a whole and for the individual. Your homework is a brief recap of what you know about doublethink. Doublethink is a form of paradox, which is when two contradictory things exist simultaneously. Tomorrow, we're going to continue our conversation and see if we can crack the doublethink code.
