January 25th: Wednesday

Daily Agenda:

1. Check Vocabulary Lesson 7 workbook answers. We will not test on individual word definitions until semester two when we cover lesson 8 and 9. You should know the prefixes de- and sub- for our final as well as previous lesson roots.
2. Review haiku and read a few more together.  Review ingredients of a ballad (plot with climax, sad subject, supernatural elements, musical quality with sound and repetition). Read “Pied Piper of Hamelin” together and begin discussion. Look at the alliteration, repetition, choice of line length and spacing and punctuation.  Identify parts of plot with the ballad.  Ballad of Pied Piper

Homework:

• Bring many sharpened pencils with erasers and your IR book or study materials to your finals.  Show me that you are “Here and Ready”.
• Get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast! Bring a healthy snack to school, and organize your binder and backpack!

January 23rd: Monday

Daily Agenda:

1. Get reading log stamped.
2. Announcement: scores beginning on 1/24 will be recorded as second semester grades in order to avoid missing/absent work from students this week prior to submitting grades.  Make sure you are following directions and participating in a SMART manner. Stay healthy!
3. Re-read haiku pages 395-397. Complete questions 2, 3, 4, 5 in your composition notebook in full sentence answers. Restate the question in your answer.
4. Complete Cornell Notes for Vocabulary 7: Cornell Notes Classical Roots 7

Homework:

• Study Cornell Notes and use info page for final exam preparation. Remember, vocabulary roots and not vocabulary words will be the focus on that portion.
• Be ready to take an open-book test on the haiku after discussing the homework answers.

Cornell Note Keys For First Semester

Cornell Notes Plot and Setting Key

Cornell Notes Subjects Predicates Sentences key

Language Arts 6 Poetry Cornell Notes Key

January 19th: Thursday

Daily Agenda:

1. Receive Final Exam info page: Final Exam Study Guide 2012 6th (Good news…we already have our study notes done! Locate your Cornell notes so you don’t have to rewrite definitions!)
2. Check answers and discuss “Third Six Week Cornell Notes: Literature”. Students should expect to see definitions on the final from these! Remind students how to interpret theme and tone.
3. Check answers from “John Henry”.
4. Group work on plot of “John Henry”. Revise your answers to have three bullet points for each part of plot. Share answers with class and review plot in general for final.
5. Read information for haiku on page 396. Read about haiku authors. Read the 4 haiku and look at punctuation, subject matter, tone, and theme of each. A haiku shares a “moment of enlightenment”. Do you know what each haiku’s “moment” is?

Homework:

• Work on review of Cornell notes for the first, second, and third six weeks.
• Obtain a reading log signature!

January 18th: Wednesday

Daily Agenda:

1. Discuss state standards of being able to identify the meaning of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification) AND elements of poetry that affect tone such as line length, rhthym, repetition, word choice, and figurative language.
2. Reread “John Henry” from Holt literature text again (page 404). Pay close attention to words and lines repeated. What tone do they create? Pay attention to word choice that is playful? What tone does it create?
3. Set up composition notebook for tonight’s homework. Label it “Plot and John Henry”. Divide your page horizontally into four areas and label with “exposition”, “rising action”, “climax” and “resolution”.
4. Stamp questions for homework points. We will discuss them tomorrow.

Homework:

• Bullet information for each of the four parts of the plot for “John Henry”. This will help us review not only the poem, but also plot components for the final. Exposition requires info about character, setting, and conflict. Rising Action requires several things that occur to add suspense or make the conflict worse. The Climax requires information about the most emotional/suspenseful part of the story. The Resolution requires the results of the problem being resolved and predictions for the future. Complete this 10 minute assignment in your composition notebook.
• We will have a quiz over “John Henry” tomorrow.  Prior to the quiz, we will discuss the answers to the questions and review the plot.

January 17th: Tuesday

Daily Agenda:

1. Stamp reading log and receive a new one.
2. Complete “Poem” and “Motto” quiz together to learn smart test taking strategies on this tough one. What do you do to eliminate choices? Look at punctuation, line length, word choice to help establish tone.
3. Read “John Henry” from the Holt Literature text together. Look at repetition and discuss what a ballad is (poem that tells a story and has a musical quality).

Homework:

• Complete sentence answers to questions 2-7 after “John Henry” in your composition notebook. This is a 15 minute assignment.
• Study Cornell notes for literature third six weeks.

January 12th: Thursday

Daily Agenda:

1. Check answers for “Ode to Mi Gato”, “Hard on the Gas”, and “In a Neighborhood in Los Angeles”. Discuss tone of all three poems. Look at lines, punctuation, stanzas, and figurative language again.
2. Take open book quiz on poems. Practice smart test taking strategies for elimination of distractor choices and for processing tricky questions!
3. Read author information for Langston Hughes on page 402 of the Holt text. What are three things that will influence or affect his writing or message?
4. Read “Poem” and “Motto” on pages 400 and 401. Think about who the speaker is and what the speaker’s attitude is toward the subject of each poem. Browse the questions after the selections. Be ready for an open-book quiz on Monday after we discuss the answers to the questions.

Homework:

• Begin studying Cornell notes for our final exam. Our final will be multiple choice format on January 27th. It will cover our vocabulary ROOTS, plot terms and application of them, sentence types and structures, writing terms from our paragraph unit and Response to Literature essay, and reading comprehension. (Do not study vocabulary words from Cornell notes; you only need to know the meanings of the roots).
• Obtain reading log signature, empty and restock binder and backpack, and check Aeries.

January 11th: Wednesday

Daily Agenda:

1. Check answers to Third Six Week’s Literature Cornell notes page 2, and stamp page 2 and 3 for credit.
2. Take “Sneetches” literature test. Discuss questions.
3. Read “Ode to Mi Gato”, “In a Neighborhood in Los Angeles”, and “Hard on Gas” and discuss odes and tone.  Explain that tone is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the poem. Read together the information for each author to help us better understand writing influence and message. (All three are odes and honor a special person or special thing! Why is the author sharing this ode with us? What can the reader learn and apply to his or her own life?)

Homework:

• Begin to study your Third Six Week’s Literature Cornell Notes for our final exam.  You will receive a final exam study guide of items from previous six weeks on Monday. This is a 5 minute assignment.
• In your composition notebook, write the answers to questions 1-5 in complete and thoughtful sentences for the poems read. Complete numbers 1-5. This is a 15 minute assignment.

January 10th and 9th: Tuesday and Monday

Daily Agenda:

1. Check answers for “Sneetches” questions. It is okay if you had difficulty with identifying meter or rhyme scheme. Our goal is for you to be aware that poets pay close attention to word choice, line length, and patterns at times.  You will not have to mark the meter of a poem on a quiz or test!
2. Discuss method for preparing for a literature quiz. a) Make sure you read the page before the work and carefully focus on the “Literary Focus”. Look for the focus within the work and be able to define the focus term.  For example, for “Sneetches” the focus was rhyme, rhyme scheme, and meter. b) Read the author information at the end of the work to identify things that may influence his or her writing. There will also be information here about the author’s purpose or message! c) Follow along as we read in class. Pay close attention when we stop to discuss or when I call your attention to something within the work. d) Be able to answer the questions at the end of the selection. If they are not assigned as homework, always feel free to ask me for an answer to those you did not know prior to the quiz. I will be impressed! e) Feel free to reread the selection at home the night prior to a quiz. It is not always necessary, but it doesn’t hurt!
3. Discuss format of literature quizzes. Literature quizzes are generally in multiple choice format, and there are usually 10-15 questions. At least 5 questions specifically focus on the “literary focus” prior to the story and/or the chapter’s focus.  Sometimes you will be asked to write a paragraph as a small writing score.  Just reading the work is not enough to perform well, you must focus on the standards addressed and inference of plot parts or theme. The questions at the end of the selection help with this!
4. Allow students the choice to take the quiz today or tomorrow.  Those who take it tomorrow were able to complete page 2 of the Third Six Weeks Cornell Notes for Literature.

Homework:

• Complete page 2 and 3 answers for the Third Six Week’s Cornell Notes for Literature. Use your Holt text and the identified page numbers as help.  Definitions can also be found in the back of the text. Language Arts 6 Poetry Cornell Notes
• Begin to study the terms on these notes. They will be on future quizzes and the semester final exam.

Monday:

1. Receive Third Six Week Cornell Notes for Literature.
2. Read and Complete Page one of the Cornell notes.
3. Read “The Sneetches” from the Holt Literature text and answer all questions after the reading in complete sentences.

Homework:

• Finish questions after “The Sneetches”. Be ready for a literature quiz on it tomorrow.

 

January 5th: Thursday

Daily Agenda:

1. Review vocabulary 6 and take test.
2. Review edmodo.com features. Make sure you have written down your user name, password, and procedures for use of the “turn in” feature on the contact page of your planner. You are always to have a saved copy of any LA essay in your edmodo backpack. You may turn in a digital copy OR a paper copy of your essay.
3. Word Processing and Edmodo Help Sheet (previously distributed)
4. MLA Format Handout 2011 (previously distributed)
5. Type your Never Forget: Patriot’s Day Essay in MLA format. I modeled the format on the projector and had students type and follow along.  We also saved as “Name Never Forget” and practiced saving documents properly and conscientiously. We can then save throughout class when reminders are given.  When finished, log onto edmodo, click on “library”, click on ”backpack” and add the document to your backpack.  I visually modeled this process four or five times throughout class for students.  Exact steps are listed on the Edmodo help sheet above, or you can use the edmodo help feature. Then, print your essay. Read through your essay once and make needed corrections. Submit your essay to the box on my desk.

Homework:

• Reading log signature and Aeries log-on (for score for sure!)
• If more essay time is needed, you may finish and submit it via edmodo or email tonight. If you need more time than that, have a parent email me or bring me a note by tomorrow.  I will be available to help students at lunch (as I was today) tomorrow!  Late policy is 10% off each day thereafter.