Winter Break Assignment

Periods 1, 2, 4, and 6:  Click HERE for the link to print your HW.
Periods 3 & 5: CLICK HERE to access your Winter Break Assigment (if you had downloaded this assignment prior to Sunday, 12/18, at 10:30 p.m., then the link was wrong.  Sorry, guys!  It is working properly now. (And for whatever reason I wrote you needed three per tier; it's only one for each of the seven.  As always, I was working into the wee hours of the night.)

LOVE YOU ALL!

Reading Plus for the Holidays

Even though it's Christmas break, you still need to do Reading Plus.  By the time you return, you should have completed nine more sessions (3 for 12/13-12/20; 3 for 12/20-12/27; and 3 for 12/27-1/3).   If you do twelve, however, you will receive Cambridge Cash.

In addition, if you have completed all 51 sessions (the number you should have by 1/3) with a 75% average, you will receive Cambridge Cash.

Lastly, if you are the person with the most sessions above 75%, you will receive an additional $5 of Cambridge Cash!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!  Remember that we love you and wish you the very best!

Reminder - All Classes

Be sure to study your Unit 6 vocab words for your test Monday or Tuesday.  Remember to review your words and roots from previous units as well! 

Oh!  This is also a reminder to get in your 45 Reading Plus sessions.  You only need to be at 42 on that day, but if you want some Cambridge Cash, you need to be at 45 sessions with an average of 75% in comprehension!

Smile,
MC2R

We need BLESSING BASKET help!

As you know, we are creating blessing baskets for our Gladiator families that need a little extra cheer this year.  Sign up to bring one of the following by commenting below.  Once three people have signed up to bring a certain item, please sign up for something else.   Remember, all items must be non-perishable!

• Appetizers (make it simple, snacks before dinner)
• $1 donation to purchase Publix certificate (for Christmas turkey or ham)
• Mashed potatoes/Yams
• Gravy
• Stuffing
• Chicken stock
• Corn (and/or other vegetables)
• Beans (peas)
• Box of corn bread (dinner rolls)
• Cranberry sauce
• Rice
• Something to drink (soda, juice mix)
• Cake mix (for dessert)
• Frosting

You can also bring in one of the following....HOMEMADE...not purchased.

• Recipe booklet (hand-made, Ms. Morales class-Awesome)
• Holiday notecards
• Holiday music CD

If you cannot bring in food or an item, find a box or basket and decorate it with colorful ribbon, pictures, etc.  It has to be big enough to fit in all of the aforementioned items!

Please deliver your items to our room by TUESDAY!!!!! 

Periods 1, 3 & 5 HW

Period 1 - Click here for the link for Act I, Scene 2 (I only included what we had left to read).  Notice that we converted the text into a two-sided table.  Print it!  (If you need a printer, come and see me tomorrow after school or during lunch. I made a few copies) 

OK...on the left are the words of the play.  On the right, you are going to write in your interpretation.  We also want you to identify any literary tools you recognize.  Think about when we stop to explain the chunks.  If we could write it out, we would do it on the right side of this handout.  Just like when we ask you which lit tools are present, we want you to identify them here.  Instead of verbalizing them like you do in class, write them down on the right hand side.   

We will collect this when you walk in the door on Thursday!  You also need to respond to the post Mrs. Curbelo posted below.  KNOW THAT WE LOVE YOU!

Periods 3 & 5 - Remember to only evaluate Question 1 A from each of the sheets.  There are four in total.  Do not grade questions 1B, 3A, or 3B...ONLY QUESTIONS LABELED 1 A.  Highlight each essay in yellow, orange and pink...then give it a Band score and a Mark score.  I also want you to determine which is most like your essay :)

For your lit tools test, expect to be assessed on the following:  alliteration, allusion, analogy, anaphora, aphorism, apostrophe, assonance, asyndeton, chiasmus, connotation, denotation, ethos, euphemism, hyperbole, irony, litotes, logos, meiosis, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox, parallelism, pathos, personification, pun, satire, simile, syllogism, symbolism, synecdoche, syntax

Click HERE for a the list of the lit terms and their definitions. 

BE READY! 

What will you contribute to Hallways of Hope? (Post below.)

Thank you for inspiring me to fulfill my donation desire! 

HW Clarification

Periods 1, 2, 4 & 6:  Your HW is to create a game or puzzle for your Vocab 6 words.   Your game (or puzzle) should include ALL of the words, as well as one word from each of the other five units.  It should include a mix of definitions, synonyms, antonyms, completing the sentence...and, if you can, maybe a picture or two.    Remember, your game should reflect the challenge of one of our vocab tests.  If you do a board game, you can work with a partner.  Otherwise, it is an individual assignment.

Periods 3 & 5:  You are one of the students in Sherman Alexie's creative writing class (he describes the two kinds of students in the last paragraph of his essay).   Write a 120-150 word journal entry from the perspective of one of those students.  Be sure it is reflective of the essay we read in class yesterday: "Superman and Me: The Joy of Reading and Writing."   Click HERE if you lost the essay, or if you were absent and needed it.

Have a good weekend, guys and gals! 

Progress Reports

Progress reports come out today, and we are missing a few grades in the grade book.  If your grade is not where it should be, don't panic - more grades will be in by the end of the week.  Besides, that worry should be focused on working.  Do the work, no worries.  LOL! 

Please do not email us or post anything here about your grade(s); we will talk about it in class today and tomorrow.  All grades will be updated by Friday...in which case, you will receive a grade report to take home to have signed by your parents (periods 1, 3, and 5 on Friday; periods 2, 4 and 6 on Thursday).   Smile :)



 

Click here for your home learning assignment, due Wednesday (P1) and Thursday (P2, 4, & 6)

Using the words from the list, create a 15-question multiple-choice or short answer quiz. You must use the information/definitions provided in the linked document, but you may also add your own knowledge to create your questions.

Be sure to create an answer key and keep it on a separate piece of paper.

Surprise!

As a show of our gratitude, all who commented under the Attitude of Gratitude post received a bonus of 10 points!  First, you didn't have to post...so we thank you!  Your posts really made me (C-Rod) ponder on a few blessings even I had forgotten about.  Funny how when things are great, we forget!  Anyway, your anecdotes inspired us!  Some made us laugh, and others made us cry.  Either way, we appreciated your comments immensely!

Furthermore, we wanted to reward you for checking in on our blog and taking the time to respond...even when you weren't asked to!  Many of the positive things we do in our lives will go unnoticed, but you must do it anyway.  NOW THAT'S INTRINSIC MOTIVATION! You did it without expecting or thinking there was a reward involved!  However, every once in a while someone will notice and want to say thanks...and this is one of those times...so, SURPRISE!

For the rest of you, keep posting!  You may not get points, but we would love to keep our chain of thanks going!

Love you all!

We wanted to wish our sweeties a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Let's start an Attitude of Gratitude chain right here on our blog. Click on "comments" below and state three things for which you are thankful (be different)! We already know you are grateful for your parents and family, your friends, and your AMAZING teachers (try not to laugh), but we want some original items. C-Rod will go first so you can see what we mean! Look under the comments, and be sure to read the various posts, and you will see that we have so MUCH to be thankful for, even the small things we take for granted!

We hope your day and weekend is filled with all the love and happiness your hearts can handle, and all the food your tummies can take! Remember, a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips! haha!

LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks for being the great kids you are! We are blessed!

Reading Plus Superstars!

Congratulations to the following students for completing 31 sessions with a comprehension average of 75% or higher.  We also included the names of the students that have the most sessions completed with at least a 75% comprehension average. You will receive a special treat and Cambridge Cash for your diligence! We are VERY proud of you!  Here are our STAR READING PLUS STUDENTS:
Period 1 - Lauren A., Jon C., Stephanie F., Shirley G., Steven L., Saily M., Alondra P.,  Mark P., Angel R., Jessica R. (Jessica R. and Saily M. are tied for the most sessions completed - 33!)
Period 2 -  Annie D., Lejannie G., Erik O., Natalie P., Daniela V., Eric V. (Erik O has the most sessions completed - 43!)
Period 3 - Jennifer A., Eric H., Stephany M., Alejandra M., Megan M., Valarie P., Dalyn V., Yvana V. (Valarie P. and Yvana V. are tied for most sessions completed - 33!)
Period 4 -  Jayla C., Alejandro F., Michelle L., Genesis M., Paul P. (Paul P. has the most session completed - 34!)
Period 5 - Eileen B., Tiffany C., Dayalin I., Melisa S. (Dayalin I. has the most session completed - 33!)
Period 6 - Samantha A., Astrid C., Jason C., Claudia D., Danexy D., Geosette G., Maria L., Gretter M., Laura P., Chabely P., Liz R., Tatiana R., Kelly S. (Chabely P. has the most sessions completed - 38!)

ALL STUDENTS: We will have a "Catch-Up Contest" again before Christmas Break, so start moving!  By 12/13, you will need to have 45 sessions at 75% or higher to receive the bonus!  That is two more than what you would need, which is 43!  This bonus will be even better!

Blessing Baskets

Bring in your non-perishable food items or donations for our Blessing Baskets.  Our class is doing two!  Please bring in all items by Monday :)

Periods 1, 2, 4, & 6 - Breaking Dawn Poem (ALL OTHERS, LOOK AT THE NEXT POST DOWN FOR VOCAB HW)

I bet you can guess from the title of this post that you are going to write a poem or rap song for Breaking Dawn. Well, you guessed right...being the amazingly bright students you are. Here are the requirements:

• It must be a minimum of 20 lines.
• You will write your poem from the point of view of one of the characters.
• There must be a rhyme scheme (either ABBACDDC, ABABCDCD, or AABBCCDD).
• You must use at least five different literary tools
• You must use at least one form of syntax
• You must include one quote from the novel
• You must use at least two vocab words (from any of our units)
• Proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization are REQUIRED!
• The due date is Nov. 22nd (period 1) and Nov. 23rd (periods 2, 4 and 6)
• Your final draft must also include some graphic that relates to your poem

You may type your final draft and glue it on poster board (or construction paper), or you can write it by hand NICELY and NEATLY on poster board.

All Periods - Vocab HW for this week :)

All periods - You are going to create a chart with 6 columns: the word, definition, pronunciation, 2 synonyms, 1 antonym, and other forms.  For pronunciation, do it like these examples: ODIOUS would be pronounced OH-DEE-US; BREVITY would be BREH-VIH-TEE. "Other forms" is how else the word can be used. For example, SATIRE could also be in the form of SATIRICAL. You may have more than one form per word, while some other words may not have any other forms.Dictionary.com or Thesaurus.com will help for all columns.

PERIODS 3 & 5 - I already gave you the words. If you were absent, call a friend :)
PERIODS 1, 2, 4 & 6 - Below is a list of your words. (Period 1, your HW is due on Wednesday; Periods 2, 4, & 6, your HW is due on Thursday)

Unit 6 Words:
BREVITY (n) – shortness, briefness; conciseness of expression
DELINEATE (v) – to portray accurately; outline, describe
EPHEMERAL (adj) – short-lived, fleeting, transient
COPIOUS (adj) – superabundant; in plentiful supply
DEARTH (n) – an inadequacy or lack of something
PAUCITY (n) – a small number of something
INFINITESIMAL (adj) – tiny; very small in number, amount, or degree
EVANESCENT (adj) – fading or vanishing quickly
PRODIGIOUS (adj) – inspiring awe; enormous in size or capacity
MINISCULE (adj) – very, very little
MEAGER/SCANTY (adj) – lacking in quality or quantity; skimpy
SUPERFLUOUS (adj) – extra and unnecessary; redundant
MAGNATE (n) – someone of power or rank
MIN/MINI – less; little
MAGN – great; large
SUPER – above; over; beyond

Periods 3 & 5

Below is your homework for Monday.  Print the chart and complete it according to the directions on the chart.  Basically, you are going to create 36 questions regarding your selected novel.  You will also have to answer a handful of questions on the back of the chart.  Your quiz on Monday will come directly from these charts :)
SLIM 22-24

ENGLISH II CLASSES

Don't forget to bring in your white t-shirts this week (and a hanger).  By now, you should know the symbol you want to have on the front, as well as the quote you plan to put on the back.  From past experience, the best tip we can give you is to create your symbol (and type your quote) on the computer then print it.  That way, you can place it under your shirt to trace it.   We know, you are amazed by our genius!  LOL! 

Looking forward to this process!

SMILE :) 

Bella's Birthday Bash Reflections

Your follow-up assignment for Bella's Bday activity is for you to describe the role you played as either a decorator, caterer, or actor.  Explain what you did to complete your task.  In addition, share your favorite party moment with us.  In your comment, you should also include one vocabulary word from Unit 5.

At the end of your comment, please include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your period number (do not write out your FULL last name...only the first initial).

THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE!  Incredible food and decorations, incredible skits, and incredible kids!  We are blessed!

PERIODS 3 & 5

For your reading this weekend, be sure to underline and take notes in your book.  Underline literary devices, words that spark your emotions, or sentence structure that is powerful.  You should also go back to the two chapters for Thursday and identify the various lit tools and stylistic techniques.   I will be checking books on Monday, so be sure you do this!

If you missed class Thursday, be sure to see me Friday morning for whatever you missed.

SMILE :)

Periods 1, 2, 4 and 6 - Room Change & Reading Reminder

Room change for Bella's Bday Bash - We are having our party in 2218 now, which is in the medical skills hallway (almost right across from the bathrooms).

Even though we are having our bday bash on Friday (or Monday for 1st period), you are still responsible for reading chapters 31-33 of Breaking Dawn.  At the party, we will have an activity that assesses your knowledge of the events, conflicts, or details of these chapters :)

Remember, you have to maintain an 85% for your BD quizzes to go on our movie premiere field trip on 11/18!

Be ready!  We are looking forward to our celebration!