September 30, 2004 Thursday

Speech: Since we have watched ourselves on video and discussed the importance of proxemics, paralanguage, and kinesics in one-to-one communication, we will move on to telephone conversations today.


Sophomores: Now that we have discussed interesting ways to begin our paragraphs, we will now start our essays over "The Monkey's Paw." Follow the guidelines that I gave you so that you know what goes in each paragraph. There is also a vocabulary test today.


Freshmen: I was impressed by the amount of sticky notes you all used yesterday on "The Most Dangerous Game." However, we still need to remember not only to write what confuses us or what the unknown words are, we also need to make guesses and predictions. This will be our goal for our next story. Today, we will discuss the story and what you all put on your sticky notes yesterday. IF time permits, we will then begin discussing the literary elements of the story with a worksheet.

September 29, 2004 Wednesday

Speech: Yesterday, we discussed one to one communication. Today, we will practice it to be sure we know how to communicate effectively in different situations.


Sophomores: Our focus today will be on how to begin an essay with a good lead, so today we will put what makes a good lead and samples in our writing notebook. We will then move on to the essay over "The Monkey's Paw." Vocabulary test tomorrow.


Freshmen: Sticky notes over "The Most Dangerous Game" are due today. We will discuss what you put on the sticky notes as well as discuss what to do when we get stuck, how to know we are stuck, and what voices a reader should hear in his/her head while reading.

September 28, 2004 Tuesday

Speech: We will begin Chapter 4: One to One Communication. Remember to turn in your commercial paragraphs if you did not do so yesterday.


Sophomores: We will discuss the vocabulary words from "The Monkey's Paw." Study them; test will be Thursday. We will begin our first major essay of the year over "The Monkey's Paw." It will be due Friday.


Freshmen: Today we will finish typing and checking 0ver our biographical narratives. Make sure you have checked CAREFULLY the editing checksheet. You will be responsible for indenting, having no run-ons, and for the items you added from the freshman letter you got back last week. Having errors on those items will lower your score on the narrative. We will turn in our sticky notes over "The Most Dangerous Game" Thursday and discuss the story then.

September 27, 2004 Monday

Speech: We will finish viewing commercials that you made and work on then turn in the half page explanation of your commercial.


Sophomores: We will finish working on our "Monkey's Paw" worksheets and discuss vocabulary. Lit circle evaluations due today.


Freshmen: Well, we are a bit behind again. We will work on fixing our grammar for the biographical narratives. They are due Weds. We will also discuss vocabulary words from the quiz last Friday. Sticky notes over "The Most Dangerous Game" due will be due Wednesday. Lit circle evaluations due today. I am noticing some evaluations that are vague; they contain comments that do not match the checked categories you used to score each of your group members. If you check low categores, do not give them an A. It makes no sense. Your evaluation of each group member must be accurate. Also, many of you are not using good study habits. Assignments are posted here, and grades are posted online. As mentioned last week, if you think you did not get the website and PIN number to check grades online in your midterms, see Mr. Shapkoff for a new one. There is NO reason to fall behind in this class; all you need is some dedication and responsibility. Attempt your homework, study when a quiz comes due, participate in class discussions.

September 24, 2004 Friday

Speech: Today we will view commercials and work on the half page explanation.


Sophomores: Lit circles today. Worksheets due Monday. Monday we will finish our worksheets/discussion over "The Monkey's Paw."


Freshmen: Lit circles today. Worksheets due Monday. Monday we will work on correcting our final drafts of our biographical narratives.

September 23, 2004 Thursday

Speech: Chapter 3 test today. Video commercials due tomorrow at beginning of class.


Sophomores: Group work on "The Monkey's Paw" literary elements. Study vocabulary words. Lit circles tomorrow.


Freshmen: "All the Years of Her Life" vocab test Friday. Biographical narrative rewrite. Rewrite for clarity of details, run-on sentences, paragraphing, and elements from your proofreading sheet. Due Monday. "The Most Dangerous Game" due with sticky notes Monday. Sticky notes can include the following:
a. connections (things you are reminded of)
b. wonderings/predictions
c. unknown words and your guesses as to the meaning
d. places you got confused and why it confused you
e. literary elements you noticed

Lit circles tomorrow!

September 22, 2004 Wednesday

Speech: We will do a review sheet in class for the Chapter 3 test tomorrow. Remember, videoed commercials due Friday.



Sophomores: Bellringer 14. We will discuss "The Monkey's Paw" today.



Freshmen: Bellringer 14. We will practice and take a grade on run-ons today. "All the Years of Her Life" vocab test tomorrow. Begin reading "The Most Dangerous Game" for Friday.

September 21, 2004 Tuesday

Speech: Final day given for group work on commercials. They must be videotaped with a half page explanation per the worksheet I gave you by FRIDAY. Remember, if you need a videocamera, I will have one available before or after school (you must use it in my presence at school) if you tell me ahead of time.


Sophomores: "Through The Tunnel" vocab test today. Afterwards, we will check "The Beans of Egypt, Maine" selection for tense consistency. Last, we will begin discussion over "The Monkey's Paw." Remember to turn in your lit circle group/self evaluation packets at the beginning of class.


Freshmen: "All the Years of Her Life" vocab test tomorrow is postponed until Thursday. Today, we will discuss run-on sentences and how to fix them. After today, I expect NO errors in run-ons :) You've had practice with these for several years now. Remember to turn in your lit circle group/self evaluation packets at the beginning of class.

September 20, 2004 Monday

Speech: Today, we will discuss how to detect logical fallacies and work on our commercial.

Sophomores: Today, we will begin by discussing it circles from Friday and filling out self and peer evaluations which will be due tomorrow. You will need to staple your journal page to the back. We will first discuss verb tense consistency and look at the paragraph from "The Beans of Egypt, Maine" that we rewrote in past tense. If time permits, we will discuss "The Monkey's Paw." You must have detailed sticky notes for a grade. There will be a vocabulary test tomorrow over "Through the Tunnel" vocab. Midterm notices were sent home over the weekend. Several students have questioned how they can get extra credit. First and foremost, I want to stress the importance of doing the assigned work. There is absolutely no reason to receive a failing grade in this class if you just attempt the work with your best effort. Additionally, I will not allow extra credit if you have not completed ALL assigned work. That means that all zero grades must be made up with no credit BEFORE I will accept an extra credit assignment. Why? Extra credit means that I have to do more work. Not fair if you didn't do all YOUR work first. That said, if you are eligible for extra credit, the link can be found on my website under "Free time."

Freshmen: In class today we will discuss how to fill out self and peer evaluations from lit circles Friday. You will need to staple your journal page to the back. Then, we will discuss paragraphing. Midterm notices were sent home over the weekend. Several students have questioned how they can get extra credit. First and foremost, I want to stress the importance of doing the assigned work. There is absolutely no reason to receive a failing grade in this class if you just attempt the work with your best effort. Additionally, I will not allow extra credit if you have not completed ALL assigned work. That means that all zero grades must be made up with no credit BEFORE I will accept an extra credit assignment. Why? Extra credit means that I have to do more work. Not fair if you didn't do all YOUR work first. That said, if you are eligible for extra credit, the link can be found on my website under "Free time."

September 17, 2004 Friday

Speech: We will attempt once again to watch several commercials and to then discuss the logical fallacies involved. We will also go over the worksheet on logical fallacies.

Sophomores: Lit circles are today. We will focus on setting group goals, how to behave, etc. If you did not read the assignment, complete your job sheet, and complete your journal, you will not be allowed to participate and will receive a zero grade for the day. Remember to read "The Monkey's Paw" for Monday.

Freshmen: Lit circles are today. We will focus on setting group goals, how to behave, etc. If you did not read the assignment, complete your job sheet, and complete your journal, you will not be allowed to participate and will receive a zero grade for the day.

September 16, 2004 Thursday

Speech: We will learn about logical fallacies and look at some ads that use them to sway you as you listen. We will then practice identifying them.

Sophomores: I will hopefully be handing back your "August Heat" endings and you will then add the suggestions I made to you to your proofreading sheets. Next, we will discuss some writing errors I am seeing often and add them to our writing notebooks. "The Monkey's Paw" will be our next reading assignment, due Monday. Tomorrow is lit circles.

Freshmen: Today we will discuss "All the Years of Her Life" and the literary elements used. We will then discuss vocabulary words from the story. We will have lit circles tomorrow.

September 15, Wednesday

Speech: We will be practicing some listening aids to aid in memory retention.

Sophomores: Continue reading your lit circle novels. Remember that you have a job worksheet and a journal to work on as well while you are reading. Lit circles are Friday. Today we went over the vocabulary for "Through the Tunnel." We added some Greek and Latin prefixes to our reading notebooks. We also posted our endings to "August Heat" (finally) to the Internet.

Freshmen: Continue reading your lit circle novels. Remember that you have a job worksheet and a journal to work on as well while you are reading. Lit circles are Friday. Today we couldn not discuss the elements the author of "All the Years of Her Life" used to make the story more meaningful since very few of you did your homework. A completion grade on the worksheet was taken.This will be reflected on your midterm grade. Class time was given to complete for half credit, and tomorrow we will try to discuss again. I handed back your letters to next year's freshmen and we discussed errors and added them to our writing folders.

September 14, 2004 Tuesday

Speech: We will continue discussion over Chapter 3, focusing on ways to improve listening.

Sophomores: Remember to be reading your lit circle novel. Today we will get more into depth about what good readers do. We will continue our discussion of "Through the Tunnel" and talk about the worksheet that was for homework. A grade on the worksheet will be taken. Do vocabulary on worksheet.

Freshmen: Remember to be reading your lit circle novel. We will today continue our discussion over "All the Years of Her Life" and how to make sense of a short story. We will practice using sticky notes and discuss what good readers do as well as how to clear up confusion when we read. A worksheet dealing with the plot and literery elements will be assigned tonight. Do not do the vocabulary portion yet.

September 13, 2004 Monday

Speech: We will begin discussing and taking notes over Chapter 3: listening. We will discover what listening involves and why it is important to learn to listen well.


Sophomores: We will discuss lit circle roles and expectations, especially the journal you must keep, which is different from last year. We will then discuss "Through the Tunnel." A worksheet dealing with the plot and literary elements will be assigned tonight.


Freshmen: We will discuss lit circle roles and expectations, especially the journal you must keep. We will then discuss "All the Years of Her Life."

September 10, 2004 Friday

Speech: Chapter 2 test


Sophomores: We did not get as far as I had planned. It took us longer to choose novels and divide up reading than I expected. Begin reading your novels and Monday we will further discuss the roles as well as "Through the Tunnel."

Freshmen: We did not get as far as I had planned today. It took us much longer than I expected to choose novels and divide up reading. You should begin reading your novel and Monday we will further discuss roles as well as "All the Years of Her Life."

September 9, 2004 Thursday

Speech: We will go over the study guides for Chapter 2 today in preparation for the Chapter 2 test tomorrow. I will also hand back your Chapter 1 tests (you've already graded them...I just had to check over the two short answers). You will then read the six sentences we practiced yesterday for a grade over enunciation.

Sophomores: We will begin by finishing the Simpsons worksheet and plotting the events on the SmartBoard. We will then discuss lit circle books and if time remains sign up for the book of your choice. Tomorrow we will discuss the sticky notes you used on "Through the Tunnel" and divide up reading in lit circles.

Freshmen: We will begin by finishing the Simpsons worksheet and plotting the events on the SmartBoard. We will then begin discussing "All the Years of Her Life" and the sticky notes as well as what good readers do.

September 8, 2004 Wednesday

Speech: Do review sheet for Chapter 2. Test Friday. Practice enunciation exercises for grade tomorrow.


Sophomores: We will go over the first half of the Simpsons episode worksheets. We will go over the worksheet and discuss the methods the author employed and how we as good readers can look for these elements to better understand what we read.

Freshmen: We will go over the first half of the Simpsons episode worksheets. We will go over the worksheet and discuss the methods the author employed and how we as good readers can look for these elements to better understand what we read.

September 7, 2004 Tuesday

Speech: Today we will practice articulating correctly. Tomorrow will do a review sheet in preparation for the Chapter 2 test LFriday.

Sophomores: Due to my absence, we will attempt to post our "August Heat" endings tomorrow if the messageboard behaves. Today, you were to have read in your textbook and marked with sticky notes.

Freshmen: Due to my absence, we did not get far today. You were to have read in your textbook and marked with sticky notes. We will discuss in class tomorrow.

Friday, September 3, 2004

Speech: Yesterday, we did a practice worksheet over sender, receiver, feedback, etc. but didn't get to discuss it. Today we will talk about it. We will then look at the Power Point presentation about how speech is formed and practice our speaking.


Sophomores: Yesterday, we watched a Simpsons episode to look for elements of a short story. Today, we will view complete a worksheet over the elements involved in that episode. Additionally, we will finish typing our endings to "August Heat" and post them to the class messageboard. Simpsons worksheet due in completion Tuesday.


Freshmen: Yesterday, we watched a Simpsons episode to look for elements of a short story. Today, we will view complete a worksheet over the elements involved in that episode. As well, we will discuss what good readers do and add to our reading notebook if time permits. Simpsons worksheet due in completion Tuesday.

Thurs. Sept 2, 2004

Speech: Today we will review yesterday's notes and practice some acting using proxemics, paralanguage and verbal and nonverbal communication as well as discuss the sender, receiver, and feedback for each. S


Sophomores: Today we will watch a Simpsons episode and discuss the elements of a short story. We will post our own endings to the story "August Heat" to the class messageboard tomorrow.. We will also add our first notes to our reading notebook: What Good Readers Do AND Elements of a Short Story.


Freshmen: Today we will watch a Simpsons episode and discuss the elements of a short story. We will then do a worksheet showing our understanding of the elements of a short story based upon the episode we viewed tomorrow. We will also add our first notes to our reading notebook: Elements of a Short Story.

Wed. Sept. 1, 2004

Speech: Today we reviewed the communication model we went over Monday. We also discussed more of Chapter 2: proxemics, paralanguage, nonverbal gestures.


English 2: We typed our endings to August Heatafter having them checked by a peer Bring your reading notebook tomorrow. Several of you have commented that you have yet to purchase yours. You have had a week and a half. I will soon be taking a grade for having it. Bring yours ASAP! We also began bellringers. If you didn't finish #1, add it tomorrow before you begin #2.


English 1: We discussed the elements of a short story through Power Point and took notes. We began bellringers. If you didn't finish #1, add it tomorrow before you begin #2.