English 8

Bring one piece of factual information about Pompeii to share with the class on Monday.  There will be a quiz on some short story vocabulary words on Monday, March 9.  The list of words is as follows:

1. remorse (n): a feeling of guilt  

2. maternal (adj): associated with mothers  

3. luster (n): a gentle shine or soft glow  

4. dowdy (adj): dull, ordinary, not stylish  

5. gusto (n): great enthusiasm  

6. pinnacle (n): the highest point  

7. heretic (n): one who does not believe in commonly held ideas  

8. plausible (adj):  believable  

9. to defraud (v):  to cheat, to swindle  

10. genial (adj):  happy, good natured  

11. conspicuous (adj):  obvious; easily noticeable   

12. precariously (adv):  in a way that is not secure or in danger of collapsing  

13. to scrutinize (v):  to study closely  

14. judiciously (adv):  done wisely, as a judge would do 

15. to reap (v):  to collect, especially collect crops at harvest time  

16. incurious (adj):  lacking curiosity  

17. to lurch (v):  to move in a jerky, stumbling manner  

18. nadir (n): the lowest point 

19. to boast (v): to brag; to crow about one’s strengths 

20. to smother (v): to cause someone to suffocate, to cut off another’s air supply

English 8

Tonight, students need to finish the questions on "A Secret for Two".

English 10

Today, students handed in their good copies of the paragraph on "The Telltale Heart".  Then, we finished reading "The Metaphor".  Students were asked to do questions 1-4.  The vocabulary quiz is being postponed until next Wednesday (the 4th). 

English Lit

We discussed the Restoration and looked at one of the first authentic female voices in English literature (authored by a woman), "To the Ladies" by Lady Mary Chudleigh.  Students must write a question (and answer) and do a quotation and literary device on this poem for Monday.  Monday's "quest" will only be 40 minutes.  The rest of the notes on the Restoration (to about page 349) will be due on Wednesday.

English 8

Tonight, finish you vocab cartoons, a question on "A Secret for Two", and the first four spaces on the question sheet.

English Lit

Monday's "quest" will consist of 6 vocab words and a piece of writing from Milton with 8 questions (2 multiples choice and 6 short answer, ranging from 2-4 marks each).

Engliish 10

Today, the class read just over half of the short story "The Metaphor" in their textbook.  We stopped reading on page 75.  Students should not read any further tonight.  They should be reviewing the class vocab words for Monday and doing the good copy of their "Telltale Heart" paragraphs for tomorrow.

English 8

For Monday, complete all the question on "The Old Man" question sheet. 

English 10

Today, we discussed the class-generated questions on "The Telltale Heart".  This weekend, complete the question sheet I gave you.

English Lit

Today, we had a class debate on whether or not Satan was the hero of Paradise Lost.  On Tuesday, there will be an essay on a closely related topic.  You may bring a quote sheet, notes and the book (the textbook will be fine - you don't need the fill text of the poem).

Check back for the class vocabulary words.  You won't need them for the essay, but you will for the Milton test (on Thursday).

The words you will need to know are the following:

1. guile
2. venial
3. impious
4. satiate
5. ethereal
6. impetuous
7. ire
8. baleful
9. chide
10. apostate
11. precipice
12. obdurate

English 8

For homework, make a list of debate topics that might be good for the class.  Write down AT LEAST two serious topics and one silly one (such as, the perfect pair of pants for a dog).

English 10

Today, we read "The Possibility of Evil" and students were assigned questions 1-7 for homework.

English Lit

Think about what we discussed today in preparation for our debate on Thursday: Paradise Lost is Satan a hero or not?

English 10

Tonight, complete #11 on the question sheet for "The Doll's House".  It asks you to write a well-structured paragraph (8-12 sentences) that argues whether the story is optimistic (hopeful) or pessimistic (hopeless).
Remember the format for an argumentative paragraph is as follows:

1. Topic sentence:  state your argument (also include the author, title, and genre)
2. Point #1:  explain your first supporting idea in 2-3 sentences.
3. Point #2:   explain your second supporting idea in 2-3 sentences.
4. Point #3: explain your third supporting idea in 2-3 sentences.
5. Concluding sentence: restate your argument.

English 8

Tonight, write a moral and a theme sentence for "The Sweater".

English 10

Today, we read Katherine Mansfield's "The Doll's House" and listened to at this link here.
For tomorrow, students have been asked to answer the first 5 questions on a sheet I gave out.  Email me if you need it.

English 8

There is no specific homework tonight.  However, you might want to go over the short story terms and the vocabulary words we have been learning, just to keep reviewing.

English 10

Today, students wrote a journal on one of the following topics:
1. The toy everyone covets
2. Lunch hour
3. A recipe for popularity

If you missed class today, you can complete the journal. We looked at vocabulary for the next story, but did not begin reading it.

English 8

There is no homework for tonight.

English Lit

We read most of the excerpt from Paradise Lost today.  Students should record new vocabulary words, compose at least one of the three questions they will have to ask, and look for at least two of the three important quotes they will have to find, and identify at least two of the three poetic devices they'll need to find.  We'll finish reading this next class.

English 8

Tonight, complete the questions for "The Golden Pants"; I'll do a homework check tomorrow.  The vocabulary word cartoons are due on Monday, 
Tomorrow, some students will give their Book Talks, and groups will present their fairy tales.

English 10

Finish the first side of the vocabulary sheet for tomorrow.  The flip side will be due on Monday.  If you have not written the paragraph on which version of "Lamb to the Slaughter" you preferred (the short story of the television production), it is now late.  Nevertheless, you still need to hand this in as soon as possible. 
If you need to rewatch the video, go to YouTube and search the title of the story.  There are two versions, so pick the one in colour.

English Lit

No homework tonight.

English 8

Finish the punctuation sheet for homework.  Write down what you think is the most important sentence in the story and explain why you think this is so.

English 10

Your paragraph on what you liked better, the story or the television version of "Lamb to the Slaughter" is due tomorrow.  Also, finish the punctuation sheet for homework.

English Lit

Read the blurb on Milton (pp. 301-302) and write down 10 good points about him.

English 10

Today, we began reading a short story.  Do not read any further than what we covered in class.  Instead, explain what you think Patrick tells his wife, Mary.  Explain your reasoning.

English 8

There is no homework tonight.

English 8

Complete the grammar sheet you were given today; we'll mark it tomorrow.

English 10

No homework tonight.

English Lit

Today, students were given novels for an independent essay assignment.  The two missing students have been put into the Into the Wild novel group and can pick up their books tomorrow or Thursday from me.

Here are the groups:

Independent Novel Groups 2020

1.       Heart of Darkness—Suk, Lachlan, Lea, Ali (Panel discussion: March 5^th or 6^th--depends on what day class falls)

2.       Into the Wild—Lexie, Jordan, Hellemond, Brandon (Panel discussion: March 5^th or 6^th)

3.       Fifth Business—David, James, Emma, Sarah (Panel discussion: March 12 or 13^th)

4.       Kite Runner—TP, Jacqueline, Kamryn, Ghazal (Panel discussion: March 12 or 13^th)

5.       Cat’s Eye—Quinn McD, Amber, Madison (Panel discussion: the Thursday or Friday we are back from break)

6.       The Plague—Meena, Bryn, John, Clelia (Panel discussion: the Thursday or Friday we are back from break)

The essays are due on the date of the next panel discussion. Essays for groups 5 and 6, however, will be due one week after the final panel discussion.

Don't forget to study for Thursday's test!

English Lit

ATTENTION LIT STUDENTS--LIT TEST HAS BEEN POSTPONED!

Jordan infomed me that your Winter Formal will be on Monday night.  Because I am a generous soul, the test will be postponed until Thursday. 

English Lit

On Tuesday, you will have a 30 mark test on the Renaissance poems we have read so far.  You will have to answer six questions of five marks each on the poems.  I will not ask you any specific questions on the history of this time, but your understanding of the Elizabethan,  Jacobean and Puritan eras can help you better understand the literature.  The works you'll need to know are as follows:

1. "Whoso List to Hunt" by Thomas Wyatt
2. "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe
3. "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh
4. The six Shakespearean sonnets that we studied (I'll give you the opening lines on the test)
5. "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne
6. "Holy Sonnet VI" by John Donne
7. "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick

English 10

This weekend, read the commentaries that come before all the scenes in Act IV.  On Tuesday, you will write a narrative composition that is a scene from the movie of your life.  The choices of topics you will have are as follows:

• With independence comes responsibility.
• A person's behaviour reveals their character.
• An important life lesson
• An intense experience (this can be an exhilarating, scary, painful, or embarassing story)

On Tuesday, bring your timeline to class and the handouts on narrative essays.

Your final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 at 12:50 in our regular classroom.
This is a skills-based test, so you will not be asked specific questions on the works we have studied.

The test will consist of four categories: 

• a poem with multiple choice questions
• an article with multiple choice questions
• a story with multiple choice questions
• a multi-paragraph composition (you will be given two writing choices)

Review for the test by knowing the short story and poetic device terms/concepts.
On the exam day, be sure to bring pencils/erasers for the bubble sheet and pens and white-out for the writing section.

English 8

English 8 students should be reviewing the material in the exam package that I gave them last Thursday. 

Period 3:  Your exam is on Tuesday, January 21 from 8:30 until 10:25 in our regular classroom.

Period 4:  Your exam is on Monday, January 20 from 8:30 until 10:25 in our regular classroom.

As it says in the review package, the test will have two parts: a multiple choice section and a composition section.  The multiple choice section will ask questions on points of grammar, a poem and a story that students have not seen before.  On exam day, students should bring some pencils and erasers for the bubble sheet and a pen and white-out for the composition section.

English 8

Your one page of newspaper copy is due on Friday.  It should be typed.

P3
Answer the questions on the Trojan War, parts Two and Three.

P4
Answer the questions on The Odyssey, Part One.

English 10

Answer the first 7 questions on the Act II Study Guide.

English 8

Both periods:

Your mythological character investigation, with a well-rendered image, is due on Friday.  You also need to complete and submit today's journal (an eye-witness account of a crime committed by a Greek deity). If you have not completed your webquest, do so as soon as possible. Remember, too, to bring it to school as we'll be discussing these gods and you may want to refer to your previous work.

Period 3:
Make sure you have answered the 4 questions at the end of "The Jaguar", for we will discuss them tomorrow.

English 10

Today, we finished reading Act I.  Tonight, complete the questions on the final two scenes.

English Lit

Tomorrow, you will present your sonnets to the class by doing the following:

• presenting it dramatically
• explaining the plot
• discussing the imagery
• discussing the tone
• discussing the poetic devices
• discussing the theme

English 8

P3
Finish the last page of the package on metaphors

P4
The antonyms we discussed today were as follows:

• peaceful/chaotic
• hushed/loud
• relaxed/tense
• happy/sad
• light/dark
• cold/hot
• sweet/sour 
• soft/rough

In class you chose one pair and turned each word into a simile like so...

"As hushed as falling snow" and "As loud as a screaming firetruck"

Next, you gave three synonyms for each word in the pair so that your final product looked like this...

Quiet, silent, mute,
As hushed as falling snow.

Blaring, blasting, roaring,
As loud as a screaming firetruck.

For homework, do the same thing for two more word pairs.

English 8

P3
We finished viewing the movie today.  We will spend the next two days reviewing for the test on Friday.  Tonight, come up with five possible questions (and answers) that you think might be on the test. Write them on a piece of loose leaf paper and bring it to class.
The format of Friday's test will be as follows:

• approximately 15 true/false and fill-in-the-blank questions (many will be on plot and character)
• 3 quotation recognition
• approximately 5 multiple choice
• approximately 5 short answers
• 1 paragraph question (expository format of 8-12 sentences and transitional words) 

P4
Today, we went over "Richard Cory" and discussed poetic devices.  Students too notes on what a poetic device is, as well as notes on specific figurative devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole.  They also took notes on alliteration and onomatopoeia.
They have no homework for this evening.

English 10

From the list of possible thematic topics from the novel, write theme statements for three.  The topics are as follows:

• human nature, beauty and chaos, violence, British exceptionalism, fear, loyalty, power, decay/imperfection/loss of modernity, society, boundaries, leadership, and courage.

Also, come up with five different examples of irony from the novel.  Be sure to specify the kind of irony each is.

English 8

P3
We'll continue with the movie tomorrow.  Do make sure that the Chapter 12 questions are done.

P4
Finish the questions on the poem we looked at in class.

English 10

I've asked students to come up with 5 broad thematic topics for tomorrow by answering the following question five times:

In a word or two, what is Lord of the Flies about?

We'll develop these broad topics into theme statements in the coming days.

Students have also been asked to select five of the following important objects from the novel and state their emotional (or symbolic) meaning:

• Fire
• Beast
• Parachutist
• Castle Rock vs. Lagoon
• Masks
• Spears
• Mountain
• Pigs
• Scar
• Island

English Lit

Today, students wrote the Middle Ages test.  They must take notes on pp. 127 to 148.  On Wednesday, I'll check for notes on pp. 127-138.  I'll check for the rest on Friday.

English Lit

Your Middle Ages test will be on Monday.  Happy studying!

English 8

P3
Finish reading Chapter 12 and answer both sides of the question sheet that I gave you in class on Friday.

P$
Mr. Chong will take in your projects on Monday.

English 10

Finish reading Chapter 12 and complete the questions distributed in class on Friday.  You may work with a partner to divvy up the responses, but you'll have to make sure to record your partner's answers.

English 8

Tonight, write down the different kinds of conflict you see in the novel and give each conflict a sentence of explanation.
For example:

1. Character vs. _________________ - This conflict can be seen in how __________________ fights with ___________________.

English 10

Read to the break on page 192 for tomorrow.

English Lit

Today, we discussed the student questions and quotes on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight".  I've asked the class to answer the "For Study and Discussion" questions #1-3 that come immediately after the story (I can't give you the page # as I don't have the text in front of me at the moment). 

I also went over the format for Monday's Middle Ages test:

• approximately 10 vocabulary terms
• 5 quotes from "The Prologue to the CT"
• approximately 10 multiple choice questions (on Chaucer/P to the CT, Barbara Allan, Gawain, and the Middle Ages as a whole)
• 4 short answer questions of 5 points each
• 1 longer answer of 10 points

For the last two sections, think about what we discussed in class. What presentations did you give?  What did we informally debate or discuss during this unit?

Remember, this test will ask you what you know about the writing, its historical context, how it might be similar or different to previous works and/or our modern-day culture.

Also, I pointed out some pages in the text that you might want to skim for review (not memorize) before the test.  We've discussed most of this, but these pages provide a good refresher.  The pages are as follows:

• Your and my notes on the Middle Ages (pp. 43-54)
• Chaucer notes (pp.55-57)
• Writing about Literature p. 80
• Sir Gawain intro p.89
• Write up on Folk Ballads p.105
• Writing about Literature p.110

English 8

Your "Wanted" posters are due on Friday.  You will be given some class time to work on them tomorrow.  Tonight, answer the questions on Chapter 8. 

English 10

We discussed Chapter 8 today, then read Chapter 9.  For homework, students are to ask (and answer) two open-ended questions about the chapter and select an important quote and explain its significance.

English Lit

Today, we finished discussing "Bonnie Barbara Allan" and read all of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight".  For homework, do a question (with answer), a quote, and a literary device.  The Medieval Test will be on Nov. 25th.

English 10

This weekend, read Chapter 7 and select what you think is the most important quote in the chapter.  Write a paragraph explaining why you think it is significant.  Also, complete the vocabulary sheet that I gave all of you.

English 8

P3
This weekend, read Chapter 6 and answer the questions, complete all sections of the new vocabulary sheet EXCEPT the cartoons (they'll be due next Wednesday), and finally, answer the two questions on the "Nothing Gold Can Stay" worksheet.

English 8

Finish read Chapter 5 for homework, and answer questions 1-3 for tomorrow.  Also, tomorrow I will collect your vocabulary sheet  with the words clad, ruefully, reformatory, implore, and apprehensive because I need to photocopy your cartoons.

English 10

Finish reading Chapter 6 and answer questions 1-4 for tomorrow.

English 8

P3
I hope you were all paying close attention to the class debate today because you now have to write a properly formatted paragraph that argues whether Johnny should be sent to prison for the murder of Bob Shelton (the Soc), or whether Johnny should be acquitted of the crime (set free).  This paragraph is due on Thursday.  Here is a reminder of the format for an expository paragraph of 8-12 sentences:

1. Topic sentence (where you state whether Johnny should be imprisoned or acquitted)
2. Reason #1 for your opinion.  State this in 2-3 sentences.
3. Reason #2 stated in 2-3 sentences.
4. Reason #3 stated in 2-3 sentences.
5. A concluding sentence that reminds us of the opinion you stated in your topic sentence.

Remember to use transitional words such as first, next, also, additionally, finally, and in conclusion. Transitional words give your writing cohesion and help your reader follow your argument as you move from point to point.

English 10

Read Chapter 5 tonight.  Also, finish the cartoons for the vocabulary sheet so that I can photocopy them tomorrow. Students will have time in class to finish the 4-Square sheet.

English 8

We read Chapter 4 in class.  Make sure to finish the questions for Tuesday.

English 10

Finish reading Chapter 4, and complete the questions. If you did not get a question sheet, email me on Saturday or Sunday. Also, complete the vocaublary sheet, including the cartoons.

English Lit

I enjoyed seeing all your creative projects on Friday. There is no homework, so enjoy the long weekend.

English 8

Period 3
Please do the Chapter 3 questions for homework tonight.

English 10

Please do the Chapter 3 questions for homework tonight.

English Lit

I'm looking forward to seeing your completed projects on Friday!

English 10

Tonight, make sure to finish the final two Chapter 2 questions, and read Chapter 3 for tomorrow.

English 8

Period 3
Today in class, we read to the bottom of page 43 in The Outsiders.  For homework, just fill in the chart that is on the back of the Chapter 2 questions.  You have already filled in the top half (as the answers for that section were in the previous chapter).

English10

I didn't collect the vocabulary sheets today, but I will tomorrow.  Also, answer questions 1-3a on Chapter 2 for Tuesday.

English 8

Period 3
Answer questions 1-4 on Chapter 2 for Tuesday.

English Lit

We'll wrap up our discussion of The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales on Tuesday.  Bing any of your remaining questions and complete the "For Study and Discussion" questions #1-4 on page 79.  We will look at two more Medieval works before the next test.
Finally, your projects are due on Friday (not Thursday) because of the class change with Ms. Alexis.

English 10

Your vocabulary sheet will be due on Monday.  Also, read Chapter 2 as there could be a small Chapter 2 quiz to make sure you are keeping up to date with the reading.  Finally, on Friday, students were assigned specific characters to fill out in their Character Charts.  Students were given Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon.  Some were also given Samneric and Roger to do together.  If you were not in class on Friday, choose one of these groups to fill out for Monday.

English 8

Period 3
Make sure both vocabulary sheets are completed for Monday.  Also, read the first 10 pages of Chapter 2 in the novel (pp. 19-29).  You can read more, just remember to look surprised when we get to that part in class!

Period 4
Complete The Outsiders questions #1-5 for Monday.