Challenging Reading

Welcome back!  Hopefully you all had a nice Thanksgiving break.  Students in all classes have an in -  class book report on Wednesday, December 14, so all students should have chosen their book and be working towards finishing it with their home reading.

Tenth grade students are wrapping up our Shakespeare study this week with a discussion of heroic actions in Hamlet and famous lines from Hamlet.  Students will also participate in a brief soliloquy project this week before moving on to our next book.

Ninth grade students finished reading Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville and identified the elements of the narrative arc or plot diagram.  They will get a new American Romantic story to read this week with a group and will identify the same elements before presenting to the class.

In both grade levels, students have been engaged in challenging reading.  This reading has offered rich discussions and exposes students to a different style of literature that will broaden their base as a reader.

Final Draft Writing

This is the start of a short week, but even so, all classes had final draft writing to turn in today.  We spent time in each class color-coding our writing according to elements in the rubric.  All students have worked on these for the past several weeks and this should be their best writing.  Students will get several grades from these final drafts, an MLA grade, a grade for the outline, organizer rough draft and peer review, and a final draft grade.  Grading these takes time, but hopefully grades will be entered in the next two weeks.

We have been reading American Romantic short stories in ninth grade and reading Hamlet in tenth grade.  Both texts have a more complex style, making them more challenging reading; however, students have been able to write, discuss, and even act out what they are reading and it has been valuable exposure for the students.

There will be no assigned homework over the break, but all students have a book report on Wed. Dec. 14, so books should be completed before then.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
 

Rough Drafts

All students turned in a printed rough draft in class today.  Ninth graders are writing a research paper on a college of their choice, 4-5 pages, MLA format with citations.  Tenth graders are writing an argument paper, 3 pages, MLA format, minimum of two citations.  Argument papers should include a claim, reasons, evidence, counter claim and rebuttal.  All students who had their work ready completed a peer review in class. This peer review paper should also be handed in with the final draft next week. The peer review is helpful in the revision process.  We will not have any more time in class for these papers, so students should be working at home to get this completed.

In each class there were students who did not have this draft completed.  These students are responsible for completing the peer review on their own to turn in with the final draft, due Monday, 11/21.

This week in class, we will shift back to our reading for the rest of the week.  Ninth graders will read a short sotry from the american Romantic movement, identifying th eelements of plot.  Tenth graders will continue reading Hamlet, Act 3, scenes 2-4.  Should be a great week!

Reading

This week, ninth graders are working on a group project during class time, the American Romantic Author project.  Each group was assigned an author from this literary movement and each group member will research the answer to a question.  Groups will share their product and oral presentations with the class on Wednesday.

Wednesday is also the book reprot day for all grades. This will be a one question essay response on the book each student selected in early October.  This assignment will be completed in class, with students given 30 minuets to respond.

Tenth graders started reading Hamlet today in class.  We will focus on Act 3, so we got character information in class and read parts of Acts 1-2, learning the overview of the plot.  We will work on Hamlet until Thanksgiving break. All students will get a chance to "act" out this play (or read character lines in front of the class), an assignment some are looking forward to and some are dreading.

Conferences with ninth grade parents are ongoing this week.  Thansk you for signing up and sticking to the schedule. Have a great week!