Ms. Haney's English Class G Period

6-6-07

2007-06-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is your English Exam! Don't forget to study everything from the review sheet that I gave you. Also, read yesterday's entry about your essay! The essay is a part of your final exam and MUST be here (no exceptions) the moment you step into class on Thursday!

Have a great night, get some good sleep, and I will see you tomorrow!

Last Week and your Work for the Final

2007-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we watched "The Chronicles of Narnia"--what a great movie! I could definitely relate to many of the characters in the novel. Could you?

Your task for the FINAL EXAM:
Write a 1 - 1 1/2 page essay on ONE of the following questions. You chose a question today in class and had 30 minutes to draft about it.

In the beginning, Lucy's brother and sister don't believe she visited Narnia. Have you ever told the truth and no one believed you? Describe the situation and how you felt.
Lucy felt betrayed when Edmund does not back her up abou their trip to Narnia. He tells Peter and Susan that he didn't go when he in fact did. Has anyone ever betrayed you? Describe the situation. How did you respond? How did you feel?
Atfter the witch promises Edmund power as ruler, he begins dreaming abou tthe things he'd do and the law he will make. If you were king/queen, what THOUGHTFUL laws would you put into place AND why? Make sure your answer is realistic!
The 4 Pevensie children have a close relationship, even though they've struggled. How well do you get along with your siblings? Describe, with specific details, your relationship.
When the children become kings/queens, their new names have descriptions attached: Peter the Magnificant, Susan the Gentle, Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant. What would your name be and why do you feel you have earned that name? Give specific examples/reasons for choosing your new name.

The day of the exam, when you walk through the door I expect you to have in your hand:

a one to one 1/2 page DOUBLE SPACED, TYPED essay (size and font issues the same as they have been all year)
essay must be an ORGANIZED, THOUGHTFUL response
spelling and grammar counts!
proper MLA heading on your paper
DO NOT include the question in addition to your essay on your paper. Embed the question in your response.

YOU MAY NOT HAVE YOUR PARENTS BRING IT TO YOU BECAUSE YOU FORGOT IT! If your printer does not work, you must bring it on disk so I can print it! If your computer does not work, you must make other arrangements before or after school tomorrow to get it typed, type it at the library or at a friend's house, etc. NO EXCUSES!

5/23 Class and 5/24 Class

2007-05-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday you read a selection from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.

Today (5/24) we will take a look at the answers to the questions you had on this selection as well as the MLK, Jr. selection.

We will also discuss the short essay portion of your final exam. This will entail watching "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" next week. Much like "The Neverending Story" essay, if you are absent for part of the movie, you will still be able to answer the short essay question as it will pertain to you and your life.

No homework this evening except to make your lunch tonight and break in your running shoes for Field Day tomorrow!

5-21 and 5-22 Class

2007-05-22T11:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday (5/21) we read a primary source, a speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr. We discussed the significance of a primary source and also strategies in reading one. We also discussed and reviewed tactics of good speech writing.

Today (5/22) we reviewed the article you read last week "The Other China" and focused in on the questions that were asked and why you may or may not have understood the types of questions the author wanted answered. We discussed again inferences.

Homework: finish the questions that go along with the MLK speech article and have them ready for tomorrow!

5-16 Class

2007-05-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Today you had about 15 minutes to finish the work packet on The Power of Words that we began yesterday. We corrected it as a class.

Next we took at a non-fiction selection called "The Other China". We only had time to read this in class. This will be due at the end of class tomorrow. Please take this into consideration when you think about HOMEWORK for this class tonight. Tomorrow for class I am going to give you a day of rest and the promised "Ice Cream Treat Day". During class I plan on showing "A Close Shave" from my Wallace and Gromit Collection. If you feel you can work under these conditions (watching a quiet movie and eating some ice cream) then perhaps you do not need to finish this worksheet tonight. However, if you know this will hinder your work efforts too much, please finish the questions as homework tonight.

5-15 Class

2007-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today we shared some of the fun sentences from yesterday's creative writing exercise.

Next we explored 3 Liners and created impromptu poems.

Finally I handed out an article called "The Power of Words" and we read this as a class. This article will be due on Friday, 5/18.

Homework:
Make sure the Final Package is complete, perfected, and ready to hand in tomorrow!

5-15 Class

2007-05-15T18:42:00.001-07:00

Today we took a bit of a breather from the structured research paper. We explored some creative writing options--taking a look at metaphorical quotes and how combine nouns and verbs to create new/interesting/original images.

Homework:
The Final Package is due on Thursday! Keep working on editing at home. Make sure you have it perfected for Thursday! If you are going to be absent on Thursday, I expect that you will make arrangements to hand it in early!

Again, if you do not know what the is included in the Final Package, see me at Homeroom or Lunch time!

5-14 Class

2007-05-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today you had your last in-class editing session.

Homework for Tonight and until Thursday:

For TOMORROW: bring in a fun "Writer's Hat" to do some creative writing in

For Tonight, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night: Your FINAL PACKAGE is due on Thursday for you research paper. If you are unsure of what the FINAL PACKAGE is, you need to see me! (I lectured on this for a whole day last week!)

5-11 Class

2007-05-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today you had your first editing session with your peers. I know that everyone received his/her paper back with at least something to correct.

Homework:
Make all corrections to your paper and come to school on Monday with a clean copy. When you enter class on Monday you should not have any writing on your paper. Again, it should be a fresh, clean copy. If for some reason you did not come in with at least 5 pages today, you MUST come in with at least 5 pages on Monday. We will have one more editing session on class on Monday.

5-10 Class---A DAY OF GRACE

2007-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Today I went over what you will need for the FINAL PACKAGE which will be due on THURSDAY, MAY 17th! (I changed the due date from Wednesday to Thursday).

I also went over a sample paper to show you proper parenthetical citations and Works Cited page. Finally I passed out the rubric that I will use to grade your paper. This will be handy to have in the editing process. Ask your parents and/or friends to use it as a guideline to "pregrade" your paper :)

See me if you missed class today so I can get this information to you!

Again...due dates and plans for the next week:
Tomorrow (FRIDAY):
Bring your completed rough draft to class for editing

Monday
Bring your completed rough draft to class for another editing

Tuesday & Wednesday night:
Edit and make your Final Package perfect to turn in on Thursday

5-10 Class

2007-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today you had your last class period to work on your rough draft and ask questions.

HOMEWORK:
Tomorrow your 5-7 page rough draft TYPED is due! You must come to class with it; I will be checking to make sure you have it completed for points! If for some reason you have a last minute computer error, come with a double-spaced hand written version! If you have printing issues, save it to a disk and bring it in and I will print it out for you. Another option would be to email it to me at haney@shrineschools.com and I will receive it when I arrive in the morning and print it out for you!

Again, you MUST have it here so we can edit!

5-8 Class

2007-05-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Today was another class day to work on your rough draft and ask questions as you went along.

HOMEWORK:
Continue working on your rough draft. The rough draft, 5-7 pages, typed, is due THURSDAY! Continue using your class time wisely, but don't forget to work on this at home as well!!

5-7 Class

2007-05-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today I checked over everyone's outlines and gave you a grade. I was much more pleased with this portion of the research paper. I was very happy that I was able to give out more A's and B's this time :)

Today while I checked outlines, you had your first opportunity to work on your rough draft.

Tonight's Homework and the plan for the rest of the week:

Monday - Wednesday your objective is to complete a typed outline. I would suggest writing it in class (I will be giving you the entire class period Mon-Wed to do so), and every night, you can type up what you finish in class.

On Thursday you MUST bring your completed, typed rough draft to class. I will be giving you a grade for this... I will also be putting you in editing groups on Thursday and on Friday. In order to participate you must have your completed typed draft with you!
Over the weekend you can begin making changes and preparing to turn in the "Final Package".

I will be talking to you about what is included in the final package on and what is on the rubric before you begin editing on Thursday.
You will have the weekend, Monday and Tuesday night to finish everything.
The Final Research Paper will be due on Wednesday of next week.

5-4 Class

2007-05-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today we discussed introductions and how write one that would really grab your reader's attention. We also discussed how you could make your introduction sound mature. We focused in on our audience (teacher and others who are middle-school aged and older).

DUE MONDAY:
A typed outline. Your outline MUST include where you plan to put your STAT, PARA, IQ, and DQ. Your outline must also include your introduction/thesis statement. Also, make sure you at least include the roman numeral for your conclusion (although if you would like to take it one step further, you may actually write your conclusion).

5-2 Class

2007-05-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone!

Today we discussed introduction/thesis statements and outlines. I showed you an example of each of these and what you should do for them for your papers.

Your outline and introduction/thesis will be due on Monday. They must be typed.

You will have tomorrow and Friday in class to work on them and ask questions while you are working through them.

Homework:
Your notecards are all due tomorrow. Make sure you have them all completed!!!

4-27 Class

2007-04-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today you did a great job on your last day of in-class research!

Homework:

All of your notecards will be due the Thursday you return to school, May 3rd.
You MUST have a good time if you are going to Washington, D.C. and take a lot of pictures so we can make an awesome collage in the yearbook next year!

4-25 Class

2007-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today was yet another opportunity to research and complete notecards. By the time I remembered to come around and check for the Para, Stat, IQ, and DQ, there was only 5 minutes left of class! But I will definitely be coming around to make sure you have them tomorrow :)

Homework: Keep working on your notecards! You have been doing well all week diligently working on them, and if you keep working like you are the notecards will not be due until the Thursday you return from DC :) Keep up the great work!

4-24 Class

2007-04-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

We did the same thing in class we did yesterday.

Please remember that tomorrow I am going to look for:

1 direct quote
1 statistic
1 indented quote
1 paraphrase

somewhere within your notecards.

You have been very productive these last two days! Keep up the good work!

4-23 Class

2007-04-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today I looked at your 5 source cards and gave you points. The entire hour you devoted to reading your sources and completing notecards.

Homework:
Everyday this week your homework will be solely to work on your notecards!

Due Wed. 4/25: 1 statistic, 1 paraphrase, 1 indented quote, and 1 direct quote in your notecards somewhere.

**If everything goes well in class this week, all of your notecards will be due the Thursday you return from D.C. If too many people are not taking their work seriously, then notecards will be due on the Wednesday you return.

4-20 Class

2007-04-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today we went over the "Teaching Life's Lessons in Dollars and Sense" article so we could discuss a proper source card, direct quote, indented quote, statistic, and paraphrase. I think our discussion went really well; some students had a few misunderstandings and I am glad we could bring it all out in the open and make sure that everyone is now on the right track!

For Monday: all 5 source cards are due. While you are working on reading and taking notes on your notecards, I will be checking them off and giving you credit for having them ALL done and done properly.

For Wednesday: you must have an example of a Statistic, Paraphrase, direct quote, and an indented quote on your notecards. Again, I will be coming around and giving you credit for having it done and done properly.

This weekend I would suggest working very hard on your source cards. Also, keep in mind that all of your notecards and research will be due when you return from Washington, D.C. You may want to begin this weekend creating notecards. However, I am also giving you 5 entire class days to work on them and the only homework you will have for those evenings will be to finish your notecards!

If you use your time wisely in class next week, I will give you a break and have all of your notecards due on the Thursday of the week you return from D.C. However, if too many people are off task and do not bring in their sources, they will be due the Wednesday you return to school.

Stay focused on your topic!
Have a great weekend!

4-19 Class

2007-04-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

Today we looked closely at an internet article as a source.

We reviewed the four terms we talked about on Tuesday: paraphrase, direct quote (DQ), indented quote (IQ), and statistic.

In the article you had time in class (homework if you didn't finish) to:

make a source card for the article
find something you wanted to paraphrase for the article and paraphrase it
highlight a portion of the paper you wanted to directly quote
highlight a portion of the article you considered a good indented quote
highlight a statistic in the article

Attempt #'s 1-5, even if you don't think they are right. I would like to discuss all of our mistakes and misconceptions in class tomorrow!

4-16, 4-17, and 4-18 Class (Three Days in Review)

2007-04-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry I was absent on Monday; I was stuck in Orlando on vacation. We missed our plane and had to catch a red-eye flight and an Amtrak train to eventually get home. Know that I much rather would have been here :)

While I was out on Monday (4-16), you worked on Pages 601 Parts A, B, and C and 603-604 Parts A, B, and C. Ms. Evangelista also check off those students who had their 5 resources in early for 5 points extra credit.

On Tuesday (4-17) I made sure to give credit to all the students who had their 5 resources with them. While I was checking with students, I assigned Page 607 #1-20, answers only. Next, I lectured on how to write a proper source card. I also spoke about paraphrases, direct quotes, indirect quotes, and statistics briefly.

On Wednesday (4-18) no one came to class because you were involved in the Human Sexuality discussion.

4-4 Class

2007-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today we had one more day to research in the library. I opened researching a bit more so you could utilize other sites besides MeL. If you worked wisely today, you should have been able to find at the very least, two articles.

HOMEWORK OVER BREAK:

Sources due when we return! You will need to have a total of 5 sources, and 2 MUST be hard sources (actual books or magazines or brochures--they may NOT come from the internet). The other 3 can be anything you'd like! If you bring in your 5 sources on Monday I will grant you 2 points extra credit. If you bring them in on Tuesday, there will be no extra credit. So, in short, you must use your Spring Break to research!

*************

A tentative look at the week we return from break:

(I reserve the right to change/alter due dates as I see fit).

On the Monday we return, we will discuss how to take proper notes on a notecard and how to create a source card. BRING NOTECARDS beginning Monday, APRIL 16th (and continue to do so for the rest of the month)!!!! I will do a "source check" for those wishing to get a little extra credit!

On Tuesday I will do another "source check" and begin discussing paraphrases and statistics.
On Wednesday I will be gone in the afternoon and you will have class time to start working on your notecards.
On Thursday we will discuss indented quotes and direct quotes.
On Friday we will discuss the MLA Works Cited page.

4-3 Class

2007-04-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

We started today by going to the library and looking at the Multi-Media website at http://mmedia.shrinestudents.org/.

Next I showed you a great researching resource called The Michigan ELibrary (otherwise known as MeL http://www.mel.org/ (click here to use!).

Under featured resources along the righthand side, you will see MeL kids and MeL teens. Today we investigated MeL Teens. Under the databases on the next page, we used General Reference Center Gold and SIRS Discover Deluxe. At school we are able to use this without any login. However, I noticed at home that I had to either use my driver's license number (which you can use your parents) or my library card number.

MeL is not the only webtool to use to research online, but it is very comprehensive and a great starting out point.

HOMEWORK: Starting today you MUST research! On Tuesday, April 17th, you must physically bring in your 5 RESOURCES! 2 MUST be "hard sources" (actually physical books, magazines, or brochures). The other 3 can be anything you'd like (more hard sources, internet, etc.)

When we return, I will be talking about how to write/what to write on your notecards. It will be very very important that you have all of your resources here on Tuesday! (Remember what I said: if you keep up with me and the due dates, this paper will be a breeze!)

HAPPY RESEARCHING!

4-2 Class

2007-04-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy April!

Today we went to the library and used the entry on the blog below to see how we could determine a "real" website from a "fake" website.

No homework this evening. Tomorrow we will be going back to the LRC to begin researching!