Objectives: 26 February

Today in class:

1. Finish reading scenes 2 and 3 of Act One.
2. Complete study guide for scene 3.
3. Complete questions on p. 844 (2-8).

Finish any remaining work over the weekend! Your homework grade will be based on completion of all of those questions.

Coming up next week: 

• Vocab Test (lessons 7-8) on Wednesday.
• Quiz on Acts 1-2 on Friday (will be on the short side and will help you review for your TEST!).
• Test on Acts 1-2 Tuesday, March 9.

 Thought for the weekend:

"Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

and seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?"

 

Northeast covered in snow

Have an enjoyable, warm weekend!
-Mrs. Kristoff

Objectives: 25 February

Today in class:

1. Read Act 1, scene 2 and completed study guide.

We'll finish the act tomorrow!!!

Coming up:

• Vocab Test next Wednesday
• Acts 1-2 Quiz next week
• Acts 1-2 Test Tuesday, March 9

-Mrs. Kristoff

Objectives: 24 February

Today in class:

1. Vocab Quiz 8.
2. Act 1, scene 2 and study guide.

Thought for today:
"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

Objectives: 23 February

Today in class:

1. Check homework (vocab sheet)
2. Complete Vocab 8 Crossword--practice for your quiz tomorrow!
3. read Act 1, scene 2 and study guide.

Homework: study for your Vocab quiz tomorrow!

Objectives: 22 February

Today in class:

1. You showed me what you knew about the background of Julius Caesar by taking a quiz.
2. You began work on your Lesson 8 Worksheet.
3. We began reading Act 1, scene 2 of JC.

•  Homework: Finish Lesson 8 Vocab worksheet. Be ready to work on Act 1, scene 2 tomorrow! We will finish this first act by the end of the week.

Thought of the day:
You may read this intriguing article, but no, this does not mean you can sleep in class! :)
-Mrs. Kristoff

Objectives: 19 February

Today in class, we:

1. Discussed helpful strategies for reading Shakespeare. Remember that I know this will be a challenge for you, but I am here to serve as your guide. You may always ask me questions and consult my study guide for additional support. For now, though, No Fear Shakespeare and other side-by-side translations are off-limits.
2. Read and completed study guide questions on Act 1, scene 1. Here are some things we learned:
1.  the punning of the cobbler and why Shakespeare chose to include the common people right from the beginning of the play
2. what it means to be fickle
3. in medias res=in the middle of things
4. proper citation for a play is (Act.scene.line) as in (I.i.5-6)
5. anaphora=repeated beginning sounds of words (3rd period only)
3. Reviewed for our QUIZ Monday!

Homework:

• Study for your Notes quiz! You will need to know information from the Keynote packet, the information on the theater, and how to spell Caesar. 
• Vocab Quiz 8 coming up on Wednesday.

Have a great weekend, study up, and see you Monday!
-Mrs. Kristoff

Objectives: 18 February

Today's Trivia:
1. What color flag was raised when the playhouse was performing a history?
2. Name the work: numbers 9, 12, and 25 on your Shakespeare Famous Lines sheet.
3. What is a collusion?
4. What does potable mean?


In class, we will:

• Complete Vocab 8C.
• Learn Who's Who in Julius Caesar.
• Study characterization of Brutus and Julius Caesar.

For homework:

• Read the first scene of Caesar (p. 825-828). Write down one strategy you have to share with others for reading Shakespeare AND one question you have about this scene.

Coming up:

• Notes Quiz Monday on introductory material for Julius Caesar (the Keyntoe packet from this week).

Thought for today:
What current books and movies attempt to teach us lessons about how we live life? See if you can come up with a few.

Objectives: 17 February

Today's Trivia:

1. Describe why Elizabeth's reign was called the Golden Age, giving at least 2 specific examples of prosperity.
2. Describe the setting of Julius Caesar (hint: the Shmoop slide!).
3. Explain the meter in this line: False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
4. Name one connection that Elizabethans would have seen between their civilization and ancient Rome.
5. Explain traits of the tragic hero. 

Today's Goals:

• Shakespeare Wordplay!
• Introduce Lesson 8 vocabulary

Today's Homework:

• Lesson 8 A-B

Food for thought:
Do you know about the Trash Gyre? This is interesting.

Objectives: 16 February

Today in class, we:

1. learned about the context of the Elizabethan Golden Age.
2. learned a few facts about Shakespeare's life.
3. learned about meter (iambic pentameter!).
4. learned why Elizabethans (those living in the Golden Age of Queen Elizabeth I) would have cared about Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Can you remember some of those reasons?

I will offer four prizes to the four students who can tell me about those four objectives tomorrow!

Thought for the day:
Some of you were surprised to learn that Shakespeare created (or at least put into wide use) many of the words and phrases we use today. Read this article from National Geographic to learn more about Shakespeare's words.

Objectives: 8 February

Today in class, we:

1. Turned in our research papers (HOORAY!).
2. Brainstormed ideas on a K-W-L chart on Shakespeare (bring your Lit. books tomorrow).
3. Completed a grammar worksheet for a classwork grade.

Enjoy your homework-free night, an excellent reward for making it through your research project!

Upcoming due date: Vocab 7 Quiz on Thursday, Feb. 11

Thought for today:
"When God wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight" (Rick Warren). No offense to mushrooms, but a "giant oak" is much greater than fragile fungus.
What is God making of your life?
Have you felt that you've been working or waiting patiently for something that has yet to arrive, something that is yet to be achieved?
Keep faith: maybe the roots that are digging into the soft February soil will soon bloom into vibrant green leaves soaking up the summer sun.

Homework: Due 2/8

Your major assignment this weekend: Finish your research paper!
It is due at the beginning of class Monday.
Also, you have vocab 7A-7C due (this was assigned early last week).

Remember that you have until Saturday at 2:00 p.m. to submit your research paper to me via email (as Word attachment) for feedback. When I receive it, I will email you back to let you know that I received it; as I am able, I will respond to you with comments. If you send it to me after 2:00 p.m., I will not offer you feedback.

See the Feb. 4 post for specific instructions for formatting your paper and Works Cited page.

Have a great weekend! I enjoyed your personalities today (and your yummy food!) in our "Fascinating Person" mixer.

See you Monday.
-Mrs. Kristoff

Thought for the weekend:
"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
- Martin Luther

Objectives: 4 February

Today's class was devoted to preparing for these things:

• Fascinating Person Mixer tomorrow: Tomorrow we'll all be fascinating people (well, we're always fascinating just as we are, but this time, we'll be famous fascinating people!). You should embody your character, so wear a costume or bring props. Be prepared to give a 1-2 minute introduction to your classmates in the character of your fascinating person. You will be graded on creativity, the presentation of your information, and your respectful participation. Also, if you signed up to bring in a food item, don't forget it!

• Final Drafts: You are welcome to turn these in tomorrow, but they are DUE first thing in class MONDAY. 
• Works Cited page: I know many of you are still working on your Works Cited page. Use the MLA section of the OWL Purdue website (also linked at the right) to help with formatting your citations and your paper in general.**Note: Many of your sources are ELECTRONIC--meaning web sites and articles from online databases (Discus provides access to online databases like Academic OneFile, which is probably where your articles came from). There is also a sample Works Cited page on the OWL site so that you can see exactly what your page should look like. To create your page, a few of you have had luck with EasyBib.com and there's a citation builder inside your WebLockers.
• Parenthetical References: See the OWL site for more in-depth information, but remember that the main goal of these parenthetical references--ex. (Eagleman 2)--is to direct your reader to an entry on your Works Cited page. So, if the author is the first thing listed in the Works Cited entry, then it will be the thing that is listed in the parenthetical reference. If your article has no author and the entry begins with the title--ex. "Christian Academy Eagles"--then the title will go in the parenthetical reference, along with the page number if there is one. In this case, the quote would appear (introduced properly, of course) in the body of your paper followed by a parenthetical reference like this: ("Christian Academy Eagles" 4).
• 
  

  A few reminders on papers:

  Title page: Although listed on your assignment, you are NOT required to do one for this paper.
  Header: You are required to do this. See the OWL site if you are at all confused.
  Materials: Please turn in your outline, copies of source material, and your first draft(s) along with your final draft.
  
  Remember: you may email me (akristoff@hhca.org) if you would like me to provide feedback on your paper. Send it as an attachment (Word format only) and include issues/problem areas you'd like me to consider in your email message. The deadline for doing this is 2:00 p.m. Saturday so that I may respond to you before Sunday afternoon!
  
  

Homework: Due 2/3

As your "ticket" to conference with me about your first draft tomorrow, you must do these things:

1. Read your paper OUT LOUD. This may be to yourself, to an older sibling, or to a parent. Doing this will help you identify repeated words, clunky language, or awkward spots that may be unclear. After you do this, make a few changes based on what you've learned through the process.
2. Identify THREE AREAS that you'd like to me to focus on as I read your paper. 

You must do these before I will conference with you. Tomorrow we will be working on revisions to your draft in class, so bring your paper to work on while I'm conferencing with your classmates.

Thought for the day:
Have you ever wondered why popcorn is so expensive at the movies? Check out the reason why your Mike and Ikes are $9, plus eight other "American rip-offs" (text messages are marked up 6,500%!).-Mrs. Kristoff

Objectives: 2 February

Peer Review!

• We will break into small groups of 2.
• First, each writer should state what he/she feels is working best in the paper and what he/she needs help with.
• Next, your peer partner reads your paper (simultaneous reading). You may make corrections in a minute, but this first time, just read it all the way through. 
• Respond to these questions as you talk with your peer reviewer 

(Developed by Eileen Crowe, UNCA Writing Center)  

1.    What are the strongest aspects of this paper? What really works? 

2.    What are its weakest aspects? 

3.    Where were you confused? 

4.    Find, underline, and evaluate the thesis statement. Does it clearly indicate the paper’s focus and purpose?  Does it accurately summarize the content of the essay? 

5.    Is the focus clear? Do all the paragraphs stay on target with the thesis? If some ideas seem random or irrelevant, suggest omitting them. If the writer has not developed a point or an idea as fully as possible, suggest possibilities for more full development. 

6.    Should the writer add (or omit) details to make the meaning more clear?

7.  Suggest changes in word choice or paragraph order that would make the paper more effective.

8.    If the writer has used abstract or general terms, suggest ways to make them more concrete. 

9.    Is the title appealing? Suggest an alternate that would make someone want to read this essay.  

• Now, to the best of your ability, check for and point out mechanical errors, wordiness, and inaccurate citations.

First Draft

First draft is due tomorrow!
We will be working on peer review, so be sure that you have it in your possession at the beginning of class. Please include your first stab at the Works Cited page. Use the OWL website (links at right) to help you.

Other reminders:

• Fascinating Person Mixer Thursday (we'll sign up for food tomorrow!)
• Final Draft due Friday
• If you were absent today, we took a Vocab Test on Lessons 4-6. You need to schedule a make-up!

Thought for the Day:
These four qualify as fascinating in my book. Commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Woolworth Sit-In by checking out these photos from Time.com. Can you imagine a time when doing your homework at a lunch counter qualified as nonviolent protest? Think of all you have to be grateful for.
A Brief History of the Sit-In Movement