Your revised timed writings are due Wednesday 12/2 (A) or Thursday 12/3 (B). Make sure you have everything that we have done with them (first drafts, post-it notes, peer editing forms, planning, revised drafts of your introductory paragraphs, final copy) in order to receive full credit.

DON'T FORGET: If you had any assignments to make up, you need to turn them in ASAP. Progress Reports go out on December 3rd, so time is ticking. The absolute last day to turn items in is Monday, November 30th!!!

Also, over the Thanksgiving Break, work on revising your District Timed Writings. These will be due soon after you come back, so the more you have done, the better. Focus on organization, adding details, being specific, and elaborating on your main points. By this point, you should have a nice, solid introductory paragraph; after that, it's just cake : )

This weekend, think about what you can do to improve the quality of your introductory paragraphs and the process you go through during prewriting. Compose a revised indroductory paragraph that includes an engaging beginning, a main idea/thesis statement, and a brief mention of your three main points. Next week, we will discuss the rest of the paper further and you will have the nice, long Thanksgiving break to revise your papers. You must revise your papers to receive a higher grade.

Also, if you had any work to make up for me, turn it in ASAP. You will only have a couple of class periods to take advantage of this offer.

Don't forget: Make up the assignments you are missing ASAP!!! I told you who could still receive full credit due to absences, etc., as well as who can still receive half credit due to being irresponsible. It will greatly behoove you to take advantage of this second chance. FYI - there are a few items that I have not yet entered into the gradebook which can still be turned in.

In the upcoming days, we will focus on improving our writing skills, including revising the District Timed Writing #3.

Also remember that coming to class is chance to learn and improve your skills. I should not have to stop instruction because of interruptions; this hurts you in the end. Show your classmates and teachers that you are a respectful, mature, young adult.

Due Friday (A) or Monday (B): Compose 5 sentences and identify the conjunctions as coordinating or correlative. You must have at least two sentences with correlative conjunctions. Also, don’t forget to bring back the classwork (Exercise 14 from the grammar book)!

You will need your literature book tomorrow, so don’t leave it at home!!!

The words for your vocabulary are found in the green outlined boxes on pgs 238 and 893 in your literature books. Remember: it is your responsibility to know the definitions (these are also found in the stories just before the words lists). The words are as follows:
Balk, Compulsory, Elusive, Eminent, Genially, Rehabilitate, Retribution, Saunter, Unperceived, Virtuous, Anecdotal, Consensus, Demonize, Inadvertence, Prospective, Scrutiny, Travesty, and Visceral.

By the way, the grammar items you should now have for your index cards are as follows:

Noun
Verb
Adverb
Adjective
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection
Pronoun
Clause
Independent Clause
Dependent (Subordinate) Clause

Have a nice weekend!!!

You should also have a card for the table of contents.

Homework Due 11/10 (A) or 11/11 (B): Compose six sentences and identify the independent and dependent clauses (there must be at least three sentences with dependent clauses). Also, work on your index cards. We will update these as we go, so you should always have them with your Language Arts stuff, along with the table of contents card. I do ask you to please purchase index cards if you do not already have them (the regular 3x5 will suffice). I do have some, but not enough for everyone.

We had a pop quiz today/Monday! Those that were absent will need to take the quiz as soon as possible.

The fifth Bellringer will be on 11/10 (A) and 11/11 (B). Remember that I will collect all five on those days, so please bring them to class.

What we did Wednesday and Thursday...

Identify features of a non-fiction text that help the reader understand what he or she is reading using the article "What do we Know About Sharks?" pg 873. Take Cornell Notes on the text features - not the article - to show your understanding. The summary should include what the text features do as a whole, how they are beneficial to the reader, and what you believe to be the most important feature.



Remember to review main vs. minor characters, internal vs. external conflict, inferencing, and points of view, and make sure you remember basic details about the stories we've read together. Also, bring index cards to class if you have them.

Bring your book to class everyday!!!

At Last!

I am finally getting my blog up and running! I will keep this as updated as I can with information about assignments, quizzes, and other important goings-on for the rest of the school year. The first assignment to be listed is as follows:

Compose an ending to "A Retrieved Reformation," by O. Henry, that describes what happens next. Write in complete sentences (a story format) for about half a page. Due 11/4 (A) or 11/5 (B).

Don't forget to complete 30 minutes of Compass Odyssey weekly and begin to get into the habit of reading nightly. We will start monitoring how many books we read in the near future.

Also, a quiz is coming soon! Start refreshing your memories on points of view, internal vs. external conflict, main vs. minor characters, and inferences.