English 9, Wed. Dec. 15

Thanks to all the incredibly organized presenters today. I really appreciated the thoroughness in and also your enthusiasm, even if the project didn't fulfill all of your expectations.

I am working my way through your literary essays on Farley Mowat and will return those tomorrow. Some of you will need to revise the essays and re-submit a corrected version. Others have mastered this form of writing.

Today, we started watching the film version of the novel. We left off with the character playing Farley eating "souris a la creme". It was difficult for those with weak stomachs. ha ha
We'll finish the film tomorrow and continue with vocabulary.
We start our poetry unit in the new year.

English 11E, Wed. Dec. 15

We covered all ten of Reilly's Rules for Excellent Writing today in class. You can find these rules in the Best American Sports Writing anthology which is in our library. Clear and to the point, Reilly is a professional in his field so why not follow his advice?

Tonight: let an idea find you! Reilly says the best ideas are right in front of you. What do you want to write about? Who will you interview? What unique angle can you take? Find the best details. Imitate the essays in your text.

This essay will be due Friday, Jan. 7, 2011. You are brilliant poets and short story writers so I am really curious to see what you will devise. We will also ensure that you get these babies published in the new year.

Arrive ready to write a first draft in class tomorrow. Bring laptops if you have them.

Writing 12, Wed. Dec.15

Last day for submitting the three micro-fiction pieces was today.

Meet in the computer lab tomorrow. Ensure that you have the blue criteria sheet for fiction manuscripts. Remember to email me a copy as well to the aurora address.

Can't wait to read your fiction. You are so talented.
Look forward to tomorrow.

English 9, Tuesday, Dec. 14

Today I collected the Mowat essays. Good copy stapled on top of the peer edited draft.

Tomorrow: Dec. 15: Literary Project Presentation. Looking forward to these!

USSR forms for December are due the first day back. Tues. Jan. 4. Be sure to take books and forms home for the holidays! Lots of time to read and relax.

English 11 E, Tues. Dec. 14

Essay Unit Test today. If you were absent, be sure to bring a note so that you will be able to write the test at a later date.

Returned the novel projects.

Read the opinion piece from yesterday's class. Be ready to discuss it Wed.

Writing 12, Tues. Dec. 14

Thanks for writing the Santa letters. They are so cute. Mrs. Biel puts them in the freezer before she hands them out so the kids get the North Pole effect. How sweet is that?

Wed: Use tomorrow's class to edit each other's work and to revise. I'm available for consulations in block 2 as well.

Thursday: Computer lab DON'T FORGET TO EMAIL ME A COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT BEFORE YOU SUBMIT THE HARD COPY.

Friday: Manuscripts are due.

ALSO, PLEASE CHECK THE MARK PRINTOUT AND ENSURE THAT IT IS CORRECT.
THANK YOU.

If you missed a literary event in term one, make it up over the holidays. Check Monday Magazine and the Thursday Times-Colonist for lists of events.
Also, if you missed one of our visiting authors, you need to make up that event outside of class time.
Have you made a date to visit a class? Do that this week.

English 11E, Mon. Dec. 13

SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU ATTEND THIS WEEK!

Congrats to the students that made it a priority to be in class today!

We started learning about how to write and opinion piece and we wrote down criteria on the board for your opinion piece. Due date TBA. I also checked the 6 essay notes so if you were away, be sure to bring a note in order to earn these valuable participation marks.
Tomorrow is the essay test. Study. Bring your notes. You may not use your notes for the matching part of the test. This part is matching the techniques to examples.

Get those literary event forms in, too.
USSR forms for Dec. are due Jan. 4 (first day back after the holiday).

Writing 12, Mon. Dec. 13

Our last week of fiction. Seems sad! I'm really hoping that you stand up to the challenge this week. You know what good fiction is and I know you can do it but it takes time, patience, effort, revision.
GO FOR IT!
We've postponed our Wed. presentation until Jan. 11 so that means you have all week to work on your stories.
If you need an extension on our Dec. 17 fiction deadline, you must ask by block 1, Dec. 16. Thanks.

Bill Gaston responses and dramatic monologues were collected today.
Check the mark print out tomorrow and ensure it is correct. If you don't say anything, an error could become fact. Check and re-check.

PS
We're writing letters to the kindergarten classes tomorrow. Bring your ideas.
Meet in the computer lab.

English 9, Friday, Dec. 10

ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE THEIR EDITED DRAFTS IN CLASS MONDAY FOR PEER EDITING. IF YOU MISSED FRIDAY'S CLASS, YOU MISSED 65 MINUTES OF WRITING TIME IN THE LAB. YOU NEED TO MAKE UP THIS TIME OVER THE WEEKEND. THANK YOU.

Once you finish the draft, you need to edit it. Print it out. Take our your Pigman essay and check to ensure that you are not making the same mistakes. Making the same mistakes means you will not do well as I am looking for improvement here and I know you are too.

Check yesterday's blog for ideas for editing.

Also, use the green checklists and examples you have in your notebook from the Pigman essay.

I'm looking for improved writing style: sentence variety, formal vocabulary, scintillating synonyms, excellent transitions, proper topic sentences in each body paragraph that house ALL the topics to come and ensure you conclude well. Add a transition sentence between Body 1 and 2 and Body 2 and 3.

Good luck.
Peer editing Monday.

GOOD COPY IS DUE TUESDAY.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15 YOU AND YOUR GROUP PRESENT YOUR LITERACY PROJECT EVALUATIONS. WE WROTE DOWN ALL THE CRITERIA FOR THESE PRESENTATIONS. I'm looking forward to reading them.

English 11E, Friday, Dec. 10

We wrote down the test outline for Tuesday's essay test. Be sure to get the notes from a friend.
All six responses to the essays are due Monday. We start writing our own essays on Monday.
Don't miss any days next week or you'll miss the opportunity to do the exercises. These are fun and informative.

Writing 12, Friday, Dec. 10

Thanks to all the wonderful writers who particpated in our reading in the library today.
We'll bring Sandy Mayzell in that first week back in Jan. to teach you how to prepare for a reading.
Second Tuesday in January--make sure you are free--to read at Francellis in the Royal Oak Mall.

This weekend make time for your fiction manuscript. Have a look at the criteria. Make that story ready for publication.

Dramatic Monologue due Tuesday.

English 9, Thurs. Dec. 9

Superb work on your essays today in the library.

We will continue tomorrow.

Bring a completed typed (double spaced) draft to class Monday.

Tonight and this weekend, make stylistic edits.
Ensure: each body paragraph has 300 words, transitions. Each opinion is supported with evidence.
Use persuasive nouns to replace pronouns such as this, it, he, she
Find good synonyms for wolf. Check for present verb tense and no contractions.
Make sure each body paragraph has a strong concluding sentence followed by a transition sentence.
Next, review your verbs. Replace weak verbs with strong ones: emphasizes, reveals, portrays, depicts, elucidates, etc.
Use your thesaurus. Bonus for including words from our vocabulary list.

English 11 E, Thurs. Dec. 9

Excellent work today. I'd like to hand back the novel projects but a couple of people asked for extensions. Please get your projects in asap.

Must have all the essays read and responded to by Monday.
Test Tuesday.

Writing 12, Thursday, Dec. 9

We're in the library tomorrow. Please come early to help set up.
Nolan is the MC
Readers
Adrian
Carli
Tara
Kate
Nicole
Max
Hanna
Sara
Julia
Alisa
Dawn

Hand in your post card stories Friday. Some of you have prose poems to submit as well.
Monday: dramatic monologues are due.
Tuesday-Computer Lab (Nick and Barbara present Wed.)
Thursday, Dec. 16-Computer Lab
Friday-Fiction Manuscripts due

English 9, Wed. Dec. 8

Journals due tomorrow.

We corrected our introductions and ensured that each body paragraph will have enough material for 300 words. We completed essay outline forms. Call your homework buddy to discuss.

Thurs. /Fri in the lab. Meet their. Bring your introduction, quote log, how to cite sheet, how to incorporate quotes sheet, literary must-haves list and your novel so that you'll be able to write an
excellent essay.

Good copy of the essay is due Monday (double spaced) for peer editing.

English 9, Tuesday, Dec. 7

The literary essay on Never Cry Wolf. Today, we organized our quotes into topics, wrote summary statements and created a thesis for the general topic: myths/realities of wolves in Never Cry Wolf.
Some of the topics we brainstormed were
1. how people can't let go of the myths about wolves
2. good things about wolves
3. why some peoplefear wolves and others do not
4. wolf life: diet, relationship to caribou, family life,
5. compare and contrast myths to humans
6. boundaries that separate Farley from the wolves
7. consequences of the myths
8. adaptations Farley makes--yet, ultimately, he fails to adapt to the "lost world"
9. Ootek's relationship to the wolves

Next, we spent 30 minutes choosing the ten best quotes from the ones we had post-it noted during our reading of the novel.
Next, take out your notes on The Pigman essay. Remember how we colour-coded the quotes and labeled each colour? That is what we did today. It's a quick and easy way to arrive at your thesis statement. Reviewing your Pigman notes will help you write this essay.
We also reviewed the purpose of an essay. Email your homework buddy if you are stuck.

Make sure that you have a list of excellent quotes (properly cited) to bring with you to the computer lab on Thursday.

Also due Thursday: 15 journal entries on the novel. Ensure that you have checked and re-checked the criteria.

Wed: Final debates.
Thurs/Fri Computer Lab

Writing 12, Tues. Dec. 7

We had a presentation on Timothy Findley's writing and then we did a wonderful exercise. Be sure to get the notes from Max.

Next, the postcard story. I read three stellar examples (ask for them, plus I handed out a package). Read the package, get the story prompts and create a postcard story, doublespaced, typed for Thursday. I collected the prose poems today.

English 9, Monday, Dec. 6

Today we reviewed the week's activities. You must be finished reading the novel by Tuesday and have post-it notes for key passages regarding the myths and realities of wolves. We'll be starting our essays in class tomorrow. I've booked the computer lab for Thursday and Friday to write the essay. It will be do in good copy form next week.

Thursday: Farley Mowat journals are due. You need all 15 entries. You must follow the critieria. See previous posts for the list or ask your homework buddies.

Wed: We will finish our debates. Please make sure that all team members are prepared.

English 11 E, Mon. Dec. 6

We signed out essay books and started our new unit. We learned 12 new terms regarding persuasive essay writing. Be sure to get the notes from a peer. We read the essay, "A Locker Room With A View" by Lesley Visser. Essay unit test is an open notebook test so excellent notetaking is required.

These next two weeks will go fast. This is NOT a time to be absent.

Homework: Novel projects are due Tuesday. You must submit the projects with the contract on top and return the novel at the same time. Ensure that loose bits are enclosed in bags or folders where necessary.

Writing 12, Monday, Dec. 6

If you missed today, be sure to get all of the prompts from a peer as we wrote about five or six practice prose poems. We also took notes on the form.
Due Tuesday: a typed draft of a prose poem.

I collected the good copies of the stories today.
I also handed out the fiction manuscript criteria. Due date is Dec. 17th. No lates accepted.
If you are away that day, be sure to have the manuscript delivered to me.
I'll return the stories, Wednesday.
Thurs: Bill Gaston
Fri: Writing 12 Reads in the library

English 9, Friday, Dec. 3

Today we worked on our journal entries.
Journals are due next Thursday, Dec. 9th. Make sure each entry follows the criteria and you will be rewarded for your efforts. Read some of your peers' journal entries for idea.

We'll be finished reading the novel by Tuesday. We should be able to finish our debates next week as well. Thursday and Friday we are in the computer lab to write our essay on Never Cry Wolf.

English 11 E, Friday, Dec. 3

I am really impressed by how well everyone is using class time for the novel projects. I look forward to collecting them on Tuesday.

Monday: We start our next unit: personal essays and opinion pieces.

January: It's Shakepeare and exam review. Three hour exam at the end of January. Keep all your notes!

Writing 12 Friday, Dec. 3

Excellent work today. These stories will be amazing. I'm looking forward to reading them.

Literary Event: It's a Wonderful Life is now playing at the Ridge Theatre and Nolan and Hanna are in it! Go to see it. Get your response form in the next day. It plays tonight and Sat. and next Wed. to Sat. nights.

Good copy, double spaced, following the criteria is due Monday.
Thursday: Bill Gaston
Friday: Reading in the library If you haven't read yet, you are reading Friday.

Monday we start micro-fiction: postcards, prose poems and monologues.
It's going to be a great and busy two weeks.

English 9, Thurs. Dec. 2

Literacy Project Presentations  Wed. Dec. 15. See your group members for all of the criteria for the presentation as we wrote them on the board today and put them in our agenda books. I'm looking forward to hearing of your adventures in literacy.

I checked the homework. Show me that you have read chapter 13 and completed a journal entry.
We took notes on chapter 13. Be sure to copy them down from a friend.

Some students worked with their literacy project group members while other students used the time to get ahead on the reading homework. Please read and post-it note chapters 14, 15, and 16 tonight.

Always review your vocabulary when you get a chance.
I also sent around the updated marks list. Ask me to see your marks when you return.

English 11 E, Thurs. Dec. 2

Today is the penultimate class for working on your exciting novel projects. Yesterday, the room buzzed with action and I expect the same will occur today.

All projects due Tuesday. Put the contract on top with the name of each assignment filled in.

Monday: we start personal essays and opinion pieces. It's really fun!! You'll be a published author before you know it.

Writing 12, Thurs. Dec. 2

Bill Gaston will be coming next Thursday to read to us!
Next week the focus is on micro-fiction: the postcard, the prose poem, the monologue.

Good copy of your story due Monday. Please follow the criteria sheet to avoid disappointment. Also, please ensure all dialogue is punctuated properly and paragraphs are indented correctly.
Review the sheets you have on good dialogue tips and how to punctuate.

The key here is a story that works. It makes us feel, think, ponder about something that is important to the writer. It avoids sentimentalism, Hollywood and cliched language.

Attention is paid to imagery and sentence variety.

You vary your paragraph length. You ensure there are several scenes and the story is light on exposition. No room for dull journal entries here.

Today, we workshopped the stories. The following students will need to have their story workshopped before I accept it on Monday: Sara, Mitch, Emily, Eryn, Nolan, Hanna, Max and Nicole. Thank you. There will be consequences for late work (as you know).

English 9, Wed. Dec 1

We added two more words to our vocabulary list. We also did two quizzes on chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11. We read chapter 12 aloud. Chapter 13 is for homework. Keep post-it noting key passages.

At home tonight, add a journal entry. Be sure to follow the criteria.

English 11 E, Wed. Dec. 1

Excellent work on the novel projects today. Projects due Tuesday.
Keep reading your USSR books, too.

Writing 12, Wed. Dec. 1

Thanks to Adrian, Dawn and Alisa for their presentation on the fiction of Patick Lane. If you were away today, ask me to loan you one or two of his stories I have photocopied. His fiction is filled with imagery.

Tomorrow is workshop day. Please arrive with the requisite number of stories (double spaced) ready to go. No time to print during class.

Good copy is due Monday.

Please return you library books from Nov. and sign out new ones for Dec.

English 9, Tues. Nov. 30

We did words 26 to 29 today: morally, insolent, impertinent and defiant. Add them to your list.

We also wrote a 200 to 400 word journal entry in our journals from Farley's point of view based on the last sentence on page 52. Based on chapters 1 to 7, discuss how his attitude to wolves are changing.
Include in your journal references to the following:

• appeal to the five sensens
• be specific-refer to names of people, places, things
• use sentence variety
• include two quotes from the novel
• examine his reluctance to give up the myth that wolves are vicious murderers
• write about some of his silly reactions to the wolves, i.e. losing his temper, etc.

Tonight: Read chapters 8, 9, and 10 and be prepared to discuss them in class tomorrow.

Keep marking key passages about myths/realty of wolves with post-it notes.
Thank you.

English 11 E, Tues. Nov. 30

Most students have completed their novels and are now busy working on creating the responses. Follow the contract. Ask me for help with the criteria if you are unsure. For A quality work, always focus on facts plus inferences. Making connections between plot, character and theme will give you a higher mark.
Quality is key.

All projets due Tues. Dec. 7. Good luck.

Writing 12, Nov. 30

Last day for November USSR is today.

You read beautifully today. I was so proud. Congratulations.

Thursday: Bring copies of your story for our workshop.

Nov. 29, English 9

Today, I collected re-writes of the Temple Grandin paragraph. Congrats. to those students who are taking advantage of extra help. Remember there is tutoring with Mr. Bishop and the peer helpers in the library every Tues. and Wed. after school. A wonderful way to improve your English skills.

Today, we wrote our responses to chapters 3 and 4. We changed one key criterion for the journals. Instead of responding to all 24 chapters, you can pick and choose and combine chapters for a total of 15 responses. Quality is key, here.

Tonight, complete your USSR forms for November as Tues. Nov.30 (tomorrow) is the last day.

Tonight, also read chapters 6 and 7. You will have time to respond to these chapters in class. Also, keep post-it noting key passages for your essay--the myths and realities of wolves.

English 11 E, Mon. Nov. 29

Terrific readings today at the Poetry Cafe. Brilliant, poised, confident. Thank you. If you were away today, I'll need you to read your poems aloud as soon as you get back.
Thanks to all students who contributed goodies to the cafe. Delicious.

Tonight read your novel or work on your contract. You'll want to start the contract in class Tuesday.
This week, we'll be working on projects so bring supplies to class.

Writing 12, Monday, Nov. 29

Good work today. I hope your stories are progressing well. I collected the John Gould responses. I also need to check that you have submitted your work to the League, BCTELA, Claremont Review contest, Aerie International and to Polyphony. If you are missing any of these items, please submit today.

Saanich News: please ensure that your good copy is sent to my home email today.

NOVEMBER USSR FORMS DUE TUES. NOV. 30. CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE SHORT STORY BOOKS AND MAGAZINES YOU'VE BEEN READING.

SMUS trip--tomorrow. Bring two poems or a piece of fiction to read aloud. Also, bring your lunch. We'll eat on the bus on the way back.

Story deadline date change: Your completed story is now due Mon. Dec. 6 Workshop groups announced today. Bring 2 to 3 copies (depending on the size of your group) to class Thursday.

You may use the SMUS trip as this term's literary event or as a replacement for the John Gould reading if you missed that last Friday. Hand in a SMUS response on Wed.

English 9, Friday, Nov. 26

Today, we finished reading chapter two and wrote a response for it in our journals. We read them aloud to ensure that they met the criteria.

I handed back the Temple Grandin paragraphs. If you wish to revise and re-submit, you may do so. Staple the new copy to the previous copy.

Read chapters 3 and 4. Be sure to post it note key passages to do with the myths and realities of wolves.

We wrote a chapter two response during class today and read them aloud. Remember the criteria for the journal responses:

• in Farley's first person point of view
• summarize key points from the chapter
• refer to the question in your response
• bring it to life with detail using the five senses i.e. what does wolf juice smell, taste, look like?
• add a creative element--add more of Farley's reactions which are not in the book
• use quotations from the book informally as part of your response
• describe how he is feeling
• defend some of his reactions to events
• elaborate on key sections that interest you

English 11, Friday, Nov. 26

We read our novels all class today. Thanks for submitting to the Can. Poetic Licence Contest for Youth. You have a wonderful chance of winning. TBA April during National Poetry Month. If you win, let me know as they don't contact the school.

Don't forget the optional places to publish: BCTELA contest and Claremont Review contest.

Magazines: Claremont Review, Polyphony HS, and Aerie International.

Aim to have your novel read by Tuesday.

Monday: POETRY CAFE. BRING POEMS AND SNACKS TO SHARE. WE'LL READ, SNAP, OOH AND AHHH.

YOUR POEMS ARE SO GOOD. MOST CREATIVE ENGLISH 11E CLASS I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME.

Writing 12, Friday, Nov. 26

Wasn't John Gould wonderful? Look forward to your John Gould responses on Monday.

Thanks for your two pages of fiction. I've read half of them and they are FANTASTIC! YAY.

Tonight, Black Stilt, come sign up for the open mic. You'll blow them away.

MONDAY, NOV. 29: PERMISSION FORMS AND JOHN GOULD RESPONSES.

Wed: Fiction Workshop. Please bring two double spaced copies of the story you plan to hand in on Thursday.


TUESDAY: NOVEMBER 30 IS THE LAST DAY TO SUMBIT USSR FORMS. YOU SHOULD BE FINISHED ALL THREE OF THE LIBRARY BOOKS. WE'LL DO TRADES TUES. AND YOU'LL SIGN OUT NEW ONES FOR DECEMBER.

Tues: WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD, I MEAN, SMUS! Bring 2 to 3 poems or a short piece of fiction to read. Come to class first and we'll do attendance and an exercise and then we'll head to the bus. Bring your lunch. Nothing too smelly or drippy, please, since you'll eat it on the bus. Make sure your block 2 teachers know you will miss their class and that you know you are responsible for making up work missed.

Bill Gaston will be coming in to read to us. He'll confirm a date by Monday.

Dec. 10 Library Reading All student who haven't read yet will be reading Dec. 10

English 9, Thurs. Nov. 25

We have started to read the novel, Never Cry Wolf, by Farley Mowat. It will be a self-paced unit. BE SURE TO COPY DOWN THE UNIT OUTLINE NOTES FROM YOUR HOMEWORK BUDDY.

After each chapter, you need to write a response from Farley's point of view. Write it as a diary entry. Use details from the novel to bring it alive. Put these responses in your JOURNALS. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE CRITERIA.
You will also need to post it note key quotes as you will be writing a literary essay on this novel.

The topic: Myths versus reality of Farley's experience with the wolves.

Read ahead. Read closely. Post it note passages that address the topic above.

WE READ CHAPTER 1 ALOUD IN CLASS TODAY. READ CHAPTER ONE AND TWO FOR TOMORROW. WRITE A RESPONSE ON CHAPTER ONE.
WE CAN WRITE A CHAPTER TWO RESPONSE IN CLASS TOMORROW.

Be sure to post it note one to two quotes per chapter.

English 11E, Thurs. Nov. 25

We are in the midst of yummy novels now. I hope you are enjoying your choices.

I returned the poetry manuscripts and x-grade paragraphs this week. If you wish to re-write the x-grade, please let me know.

I'll be returning your compare/contrast paragraphs today.

Monday: Poetry Cafe--Please choose two of your favourite poems to read and bring a snack to share.

This weekend, have a good look at all the novel contract items and see if you can get a good start on them.
Projects due, Tues. Dec. 7.

Writing 12, Thurs. Nov. 25

I'm really looking forward to reading your next two pages of the story. I'm getting the feeling that this fiction writing is starting to sink in. You are asking the right questions about dialogue and character motivation and how to move through time and space. Lovely. You are also paying attention to all the details on the orange sheet that we discussed in class a couple of weeks back. Good for you. You are amazing.

Lots of exciting things coming up.
Friday: John Gould TWo pages of fiction due.
Tues: Trip to SMU--you can't go without a permission form so please don't leave it to the last minute. Practice what you want to read. We'll do a demo in class on Monday.

Next Thurs: a good copy, carefully edited, representing all of the criteria is due. Look forward to it.

Enjoy the snow.

Great Literary Event Friday night: Black Stilt Coffee House Wendy Morton's 70th birthday reading. It's going to be great and she actually has presents for you all. Hope to see you there.

English 9, Wed. Nov. 24

We couldn't complete our debates today due to absences.
Maybe tomorrow.

Soooooooooo, we signed out the novel, Never Cry Wolf from the library and I read the class an article by J. Windh about human interactions with wolves. If you were away today, ask me for the article. We created a fact/react chart and a paragraph response in our diaries.

We start the novel tomorrow.

I also collected the Temple Grandin paragraphs/charts and returned the vocabulary quizzes.

Tonight: Research myths and attitudes towards wolves. If you can't find any about wolves, try bears or cougars. We want to see what the general public thinks about wolves to see if it has changed since 1963. Bring your research to class to share.

English 11 E, Wed. Nov. 24

We read, read, read today. Some people have already finished their novels. Imagine being in that position!!! AH two leisurely weeks to complete your projects.

Thanks for entering the Poetic Licence contest for Canadian Youth. If you have not done so yet, see yesterday's blog for details.

I also collected entries for BCTELA and Claremont Review contest plus submissions to The Claremont Review. Let me know if you are submitting to Aerie and to Polyphony.

Tonight: READ.

Writing 12, Wed. Nov. 24

The Saanich News Winners were announced today. If you won, please email me a good copy asap.

We worked in groups reading from our literary library books looking for key aspects of the craft: how to writers get characters to move through time? How is fiction similar to poetry?
We took notes. Carolyn presented writer James Marshall and it was wonderful. Get the notes tomorrow. We talked about how key it is not to have a character randomly offering a reader BACK STORY. MAKE SURE YOU understand this concept.

We have extended the due date for this week's pages to Friday. I need two complete pages of your story--painstakingly edited, following the criteria, developing your story. It might be a scene and a half, two scenes, whatever you need to fulfill the length requirement.

Remember John Gould Friday. His response will be due Monday.

Writing 12, Tues. Nov. 23

Great work today.
I'll announce the winners of the Saanich News "contest" in class tomorrow.
If I haven't seen your winter piece yet, you are out of luck.

Today, we edited the scene using specific criteria:
tension, sentence variety, strong verbs, pacing--Be sure to use each word carefully. Don't rush it. Focus on each scene in the story while keeping the larger view (the story's entirety in your head).

Bring back the permission forms asap. Talk to your block 2 teachers about missing next Tues.
Don't leave it until the last minute.

English 11E, Tues. Nov. 23

I returned your wonderful poetry manuscripts. We'll have a poetry cafe next Monday. Be prepared to read your two favorite poems. Bring goodies to share with the class.

Today, I handed out the novel contract and showed samples of what I expect. These projects are due Dec. 7th, a Tues. You have two weeks.

Tonight, enter the Poetic Licence Contest for Canadian Youth. It's an electronic submission. All the details are on http://www.youngpoets.ca/
Bring me the email that shows you have sumbitted.
You may also submit to BCTELA, Claremont Review contest and/or magazine, The Aerie and Polyphony HS Magazine. Pick up the forms for BCTELA and C.R. contest from me.

Read your novel tonight. You should be finished it by next Tuesday so you can start all your projects.

English 9, Tues. Nov. 23

TEMPLE GRANDIN PARAGRAPHS DUE WED. PLUS YOUR WHAT? SO WHAT? CHART

If you missed today's class, you missed the following: Temple Grandin is a real person. This film is based on her life. She is now a professor at Colorado State University and she lectures world wide on autism and cattle handling.

Use the literary must-have list as well as all you know about good paragraph writing to explore what has lead to her success and discuss some of the roadblocks she has overcome.

Wed: We will finish the debates.
Please return your Pigman novel because in order to get a new novel, you must return the old one.
Thanks.

English 9, Monday, Nov. 22

Today we are finishing the film, Temple Grandin and we'll get a good start on your paragraphs.
Good copy of the paragraph is due Wednesday, Nov. 24.

We're starting the novel by Farley Mowat called Never Cry Wolf.
We'll be looking at his view of wolves as a biologist before and after he lives with them.
Based on his experiences living and working in the north.

English 11E, Mon. Nov. 22

Today, we'll be starting our independent novel unit. Lots of wonderful books and projects to choose from. If you were away today and have one of these books at home, please read the first 30 pages and especially if the school gets closed due to snow, keep reading 30 pages per day (more if your book is large)
Cat's Eye or Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
April Raintree Beatrice Culleton
Who Has Seen the Wind W.O. Mitchell
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland
Homesick by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Svoboda by Bill Stenson
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

I'll be collecting the poetry manuscripts today. Can't wait to read them.
I have your cross-grade tests marked. Will return your compare/contrast paragraphs soon.

Enjoy the snow.

Monday, Nov. 22, Writing 12

Today, I collected the winter pieces. Now that we have snow, you may want to revise your piece.
What I'm noticing as I mark them, is that they really are not that suitable for a community newspaper.
What I think we need is more attention to the content. For example, would you want to read this piece in the newspaper? What does the piece reveal about winter? Plus, there cannot be any grammatical errors and I haven't found one yet that is error-free. So, back to the drawing board. Let's show our community that students can write and write well.

I handed out the permission forms for our trip to SMUS. We go next Tues. Nov. 30th. No fee. Bring your lunch and poems or fiction to read. You will need permission from your block two teacher.
BRING SIGNED PERMISSION FORMS TO ME TUESDAY. THANK YOU.

I need to see the scene exercise from Friday's class as well. Today we took a lot of notes on what constitutes a good scene. If you were absent, get these notes from a reliable peer.

Monday's homework: Write a scene you can use in your story using today's scene criteria. Bring it to class Tuesday ready for editing.
If you have not yet entered all the contests and magazines yet, you must do so. Tomorrow is the last day for marks for this project.
Bring your $20.00 for The Claremont Review if you have not done so yet.

This Friday's library reading is cancelled in order to accommodate John Gould's visit.
We'll put November's readers together with December readers. Next library event is Dec. 10.

You may use the SMUS reading as your second term literary event if you submit a response the next day.
Late responses will not be accepted.

Lots to do to get your story ready for the Dec. 2 deadline. Do not leave it until the last minute.

Good luck. Enjoy the snow. Write a better piece for the Saanich News.

English 9, Tues. Nov. 16

We'll debate how well the debates went today when next we meet.
Tonight, study vocabulary words, 1-25 for our test tomorrow.

We're going to watch a film starting tomorrow which will lead us into our next novel unit. If you have not yet returned your Pigman novel to the library, please do so.

Englsih 11E, Tues. Nov. 16

Today: You handed in the poem based on the Naming the Baby poem.

We wrote a poem using several resources to bring an abstract title to life.

This poem plus the poem you will write in class, Thursday, with the Writing 12 students, is due Friday for peer editing. Please arrive with the poems typed.

Wed: Compare and contrast test in class.

Mon: Poetry manuscript is due. Criteria: surprise, concrete imagery, sound, enjambement, caesura, epigraph, appeal to five senses, proofread, cut out cliched language and ideas.

Give your manuscript a title.

Writing 12, Tues. Nov. 16

Good work in the lab today. You have five contests to enter. Follow the instruction sheet carefully.

Several of you need to bring in the entry fee of $20.00 asap.

Thurs: Two pages of fiction are due. Make sure you put at the top whether these pages are the intro or a scene that you will put somewhere in your story

Mon: Winter piece for The Saanich News is due. Any style: poem, journalism, essay, story, rant, diary entry, obituaray etc Be inventive and appropriate to a community audience. Best 10 will be published.

Wed. M.A.C. Farrant presentation.
Next week, John Gould.

English 9, Mon. Nov. 15

Great practice debates, today. You sound prepared and informed.

Tonight, turn the points into bullets and print them on large font so you can easily look at the point and then instead of reading off of your page, you'll be able to speak your points.

In order to gain points for your team, be prepared. Have several facts and inferences ready. Know your sources so that you can emphasize that this fact comes from a university or from an expert in that field.

Good luck. Meet in the classroom for attendance and then we'll make our way to the library.

USSR: Hopefully, you all have at least one book response in the bin by now. Aim for three books this month.

English 11E, Mon. Nov. 15

Wonderful story, Liana.

Today, we learned three new terms and studied the poem, "Chinook" by Chris Eng, from the Naming the Baby book. Be sure to get the notes. The three terms are epigraph, caesura and enjambement.

Good copy of your Naming the Baby imitation is due tomorrow. Thursday, we have four Writing 12 students visiting to read and to do a writing exercise with you. That poem will be due for editing Friday.

Monday, your mini-manuscript is due. If you were absent today, copy out the criteria from a partner when you return. Your four poems must meet the criteria in order for your manuscript to be successful. Next week, you will choose where you would like to get these poems published.

I'll be returning the compare/contrast paragraphs tomorrow. Wed. you will do another compare/contrast in class. It must be completed in class.

Writing 12, Monday, Nov. 15

Hopefully, you got a good start on your stories today.
I need to see two pages, Thursday. Please double space. These two pages may be the beginning, or a scene.

Tomorrow, meet in the computer lab. Bring the C. Review and BCTELA poems (without your name) to the lab with you. Be sure to have your manuscripts, address, bio, etc on your email.
You'll also be writing a piece about winter for the Saanich News.
Get started in the lab tomorrow. It's due Monday.

English 9, Wed. Nov. 10

Today, we finalized our charts and began to write our speeches.

With four days off, you have a terrific opportunity to read! Visit your local library if you have
run out of good books to read.

English 11 E, Wed. Nov. 10

Excellent job on the edited object poems. I really enjoyed them.

Today, I collected the compare and contrast paragraph on the Young and Gillan poems.

We worked on reading modern poems in the Naming the Baby text. Choose one poem that you wish to imitate--i.e. its theme, style, shape, use of imagery or surprise, point of view, etc. and write and revise a poem. Type it up and be prepared to read the original poem you are imitating and have your poem edited.

You have four days off. Take the opportunity to finish a book or two for your USSR mark.

Writing 12, Wed. Nov. 10

This weekend, you must finish at least one of the literary books you signed out from the library. Do a little research on the publisher as you'll be completing a USSR form Monday in class. Also, be prepared for oral questions.

If you were away today, email me for an important handout.

Next week, we'll be writing a lot to get this story completed for Dec. 2.

Tuesday, we are in the lab to send poems to all the contests.

Print out 3 copies of the poems you want to submit to The Claremont Review and print out the two you plan to send to BCTELA. Be sure to remove your name from the poems. You can fill out a contest entry form during class on Tuesday.

You'll be electronically submitting to Polyphony, Aerie and the League. Be sure all materials are on your email. You need bios and address and a picture of yourself for Aerie.

Have a restful four days.

English 11, Nov. 9, Tuesday

Tonight: Alissa York, novelist and Don Domanski, poet, at SMUS McCrae at Richmond 7 p.m. Free admission. See you there. If you need a ride, call me--250-478-6008.

Great job on the X-grade comprehension tests today.

Due tomorrow: Compare and contrast paragraph on the Young and Gillan poems. Good luck. Only three of you took advantage of the editing help I offered today so that must mean--you are ready to go! Yay.

Writing 12, Tues. Nov. 9

Wonderful presentation on writer, John Gould, today. Thank you, Becky and Emily.

Two openings due tomorrow. See the criteria list.
One to two pages each, double spaced. Follow the model plus the examples in the texts that you have.

Tonight: Alissa York, novelist and Dom Domanski, poet, at SMUS McCrae at Richmond 7 p.m.

English 9, Tues. Nov. 9

USSR tonight! Do more research for your debate if you need to.
We'll begin our speeches in class tomorrow!

Writing 12, Mon. Nov. 8

Two story openings Wed.
Big literary event Tues. night at SMU. 7:30 start. Alissa York, a Spectrum grad and fabulous novelist and short story writer.

Tonight, organize all your poems to be submitted. Hand in your tracking form and your manuscript post-it noted for Claremont Review submission.
Next Tues. we are in the computer lab to submit to the electronic contests.

Keep reading your USSR books. You have three responses due by the end of the month.

English 11E, Mon. Nov. 8

Thank you for submitting your wonderfully edited poems this morning on the object or the animal.
Those of you who have been away, be sure to get the criteria list and get a peer to edit the poem before you submit.

Today, we started our compare and contrast paragraph on the two poems. Be sure to get the notes from a peer. Paragraph is due Wednesday.
Tomorrow: X-grade test. You'll be reading a story and writing a paragraph. Study all your key handouts for literary paragraphs which are also on the English website; www.claremont-school/english

English 9, Mon. Nov. 8

Today, we completed vocabulary up to word 25. Be sure to include really good sentences. We did practice quizzes on the last 13 words. Big quiz next week on 1-25.

We reviewed the debate criteria. We'll be working in groups tomorrow to finalize our speeches.

Tonight: make sure that all your facts and reactions are complete. Make sure you have all the bibliographical information as well.

English 9, Friday, Nov. 5

Today, we went into the library to work on our debates.

Each student arrived with three facts and three good reactions in their FACT / REACT charts.

If you missed today, you need to do 65 minutes of your research.

For Monday, ensure that you can divide your topic into For / Against.

You may do so by creating separate FACT / REACT charts OR you may highlight all the facts FOR your topic in one colour and all the facts against your topic in another colour.

Also, ensure that you have at least 10 facts all together. Next week, you'll have an opportunity to work with your group, share your evidence and begin to write out your speeches.

Read your USSR book this weekend. See if you can get a book finished.

BONUS: Arrive Monday knowing the name of the play we saw Thursday and the author's name. Be ready to discuss it.

Friday, Nov. 5, English 11E

We edited our object/animal poems looking for ONE thing: Detail--things you can see, smell, taste, hear and feel. Cut all abstractions such as hope, fear, pride, strength and replace them with descriptions of people, places and things that represent these qualities.

Homework:

Type up a good copy of this poem. You will be marked on the following criteria:

• Detail that appeals to the five senses
• You imitate the four poems we studied in class. Learn from these poems.
• Offers the reader a new and refreshing portrayal of the object, animal or city
• Avoids cliches
• Avoids obvious connections i.e. children are innocent, elephants are wise, lions are strong etc

I read Writing 12 student, Alexandria Garcia's poem to the class. It was about childhood and the first line was Childhood is a bucket of figs . . . and then it went on to show lots of images to build on that statement.

Next, we worked in groups to create a TICK chart on the poem, "Social Studies Report" by Patricia Young. Get the poem from me early Monday if you were absent today so that you can be prepared for class.
Have a great weekend.
Read. Read. Read.

Friday, Nov. 5, Writing 12

Excellent work with the dialogue punctuation quiz and working with the abstract list for good dialogue, compliments of writer and UVic prof, Bill Gaston.

Monday: Lit. Mag. submission is due. Your poem tracking sheet is due. You will need to post-it note all the poems in your manuscript for submission to The Claremont Review.

Tues: Student presentation on our first fiction writer.

Wed. Two openings are due. Be sure to follow the criteria.

Keep reading. You have three books to complete by the end of the month. Post-it note key items. You will have suprise quizzes throughout the month on these items. Look for wonderful dialgogue, superb character development, surprising themes, scintillating use of language, incredible scene changes, etc.

Writing 12, Wed. Nov. 3

MANUCSCRIPTS DUE THURS. NO LATES ACCEPTED. EMAIL AN ELECTRONIC COPY TO AURORA@SHAW.CA TONIGHT.

Thank you.

Be sure to read all three of your short story books by the end of Nov. YOu are responsible for post-it noting key aspects of each story. Look for insight into the writer's craft. How does he/she create character, dialogue, use motifs, choose settings, change scenes, keep suspense, make it believable, capture your attention, observe life, bring characters to life etc.

English 11E, Wed. Nov. 3

Amazing discussion of William's poem today. Well done. You are working well at the interpretive level. If you were absent today, complete the TICK chart and be sure to copy out the notes from a friend as we filled up four boards full of our responses to the poem.

Tonight, write a thematic statement that clearly synthesizes the TICK chart responses.

We also did an exercise in writing clear, imagistic lists for our list poems.

English 9, Wed. Nov. 3

Thanks for cleaning the grounds today. Great job!

We chose our debate topics and our teams. If you were absent, please call your homework buddy.
Tonight, start your Fact/React chart Find 3 pieces of evidence (and keep the biblographical info, i.e. author, title, publisher or url if it's a web resource) and write a response for each fact. We practiced creating reactions in class today so be sure to contact your two homework buddies.

Writing 12, Tues. Nov. 2

Thanks to Carli and Kate for the wonderful presentation on bill bisset. Bill will be reading at Serious Coffee, Mon. Nov. 15 at 7:30. See the poster on the Claremont Review Room door.

Chris from U.Vic visited the class and answered your wonderful questions.

We went to the library and exchanged all of our poetry books for fabulous fiction books. You need to read all three books this month. Both fiction books and the literary magazine. I have envelopes for the literary magazine submission if you need them.

Looking forward to your manuscripts Thursday.

English 11 E, Tues. Nov. 2

We started poetry today and everyone cheered!! If you were absent, please return your Lord of the Flies novel to the library (remove all the post-it notes) and sign  out two poetry books-Naming the Baby and in the Clear. Read the poem on page 20 of Naming the Baby.
We are using the acronym TICK to help us focus on how to read poems.
T-Title (brainstorm all the ways you think the title contributes to the poem)
I-Introduction (Re-read the first stanza or two and brainstorm what the tone is, anything significant. We discovered juxtaposition (define) and state its significance
C-Conclusion -re-read the last stanza or two and make connections to early stanzas. Why does the poem end there? What image or images stand out? What is the tone? Has the tone changed?
K-Key points--chose three key points from the poem--a stanza, a symbol, an image, tone, a technique, a question in the poem, a line break and explain why all three are significant.

Bring all the notes to class and we'll devise a thematic statement about the poem.

I collected the quote log and the essay today. If you were absent, you must bring a note and if the absence is reasonable, your work will be accepted.

We also wrote a poem in class today. Write a poem using all of the following items:
a month, a body of water, I, a season, a carname and year, a brand name, you, an animal, a type of tree, a description of light, a name of a place, love, a character from a film book, or history, and a texture (sticky, icy, rough etc) The poem may be any style.

English 9, Tues. Nov. 2

Excellent peer editing today. You looked and found (we hope) that WOW factor--enthusiasm, creativity and insight. Thanks to everyone. We had 100% of the essays completed. Well done.

Tonight is your final edit. Use the yellow essay checklist as you do the final edit. Those of you who were away, use the checklist on the green sheets that you have as you do your final revisions.

Tomorrow submit: the good copy, the draft, the checklist and the editors' checklists. Also, submit the completed quote log.

Title page for the essay. Give the essay a title which reflects your overall thesis. For example:
Growing Up In A Corrupt World in Paul Zindel's The Pigman. Italicize the novel title.
In the bottom left hand corner, write your name, English 9, Ms. Stenson, November 2, 2010
Have fun with your revisions.

English 9, Monday, Nov. 1

Excellent work to complete body paragraph 3 and your conclusion today. If you were absent today, you have a sheet on how to write the conclusion. It's green and attached to your body paragraph sheets. If you can't find it, check the English website www.claremont-school.ca/english

Tonight: type up your draft. Bring the entire essay (double spaced) to class for peer editing. Make sure it is printed and ready to go at the beginning of class.

Final copy plus the quote log are due Wed.

Monday, Nov. 1 English 11E

Excellent work to peer edit today.

Tomorrow--hand in the entire project: good copy, draft, editors' checklist, your checklist and cover page.

Also, submit your quotation log. The coloured one is fine.
Be ready to start poetry Tuesday. Bring back your novels so you can sign out the new books.

Writing 12, Monday, Nov. 1

Welcome to Fiction!!!  Great insights into the world of story openings this morning. Thank you for your wise words.

Thurs: Poetry Manuscript plus electronic version due.
Monday: Your submission to a literary magazine is due. If you need envelopes, please ask.
Tuesday: Bring back all library books as we'll be signing out new ones. Re-new any books you need to keep for your author presentation.

Tonight: Sara and Robyn's exercise: Write an intro which focuses in on one trait of the main character. The example was her ordinariness but it could be shyness, pride, greed, aggression, fear etc. Use any combination of techniques to get this trait across: dialogue, description, symbolm, repetition etc.

English 11 E, Friday, Oct. 29th

Excellent work today!! ALL USSR forms for October are now due. Thank you.

Your costumes looked great. I could see a lot of thesis statements really coming together--you have a plan, proof, and an attitude to prove your points. Well done. Most people finished body para. three in class today.

Homework: Write the conclusion. Follow the guidelines on the green sheet. Edit your essay as best you can using all the checklists in the package.

Bring a typed, double spaced, proofread draft to class Monday for peer editing.
Your draft will be marked. Make sure it is ready to go. There is no time to print it out during class.

Writing 12, Friday, Oct. 29

Wasn't that film about the oldest holocaust survivor amazing?

We read three poems today looking carefully at what we mean by "surprise" in poetry and how to find the exact detail to bring a poem from good to AMAZING. Be sure to pick up the handouts and borrow the notes from a friend.

Finally, we discussed how to submit our poems to a magazine. You need to choose three poems and you need to choose a magazine. Once you do that, you need to buy a large envelope, a small envelope and three stamps. Bring everything, all ready to go, Monday, Nov. 8. Good luck. You can find magazines on the web. Try this link: http://www.magazinescanada.ca/consumer?cat_id=11

Also, check the library. You want to read the magazine and/or their website before submitting to ensure that you like the poetry they publish. Think of it like choosing a new friend.

English 9, Thurs. Oct. 28

Excellent work today.

Bring your body paragraph to class, Friday. Make sure it's double spaced.
I'll return your introductions in class tomorrow.
We'll write body paragraph 2 in class. This weekend, write body paragraph 3. Monday, we'll write the conclusion in class and Tuesday, bring a typed, proofread copy to class (double spaced) for peer editing.

I'll also show you how to set up the title page.

English 11 E, Thurs. Oct. 28

I'll return your edited introductions Friday. Be sure to complete body paragraph 1 and 2 for tomorrow. We'll work on number 3 and the conclusion in class tomorrow.

Bring a double spaced draft of your essay for peer editing on Monday.

Writing 12, Thursday, Oct. 28

One more week until your manuscripts are due. Be sure to read and re-read the criteria. Do not get caught. What do they say in Law 12? Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Thanks for your poems today. Wonderful.
We start fiction on Monday.

English 9, Wed. Oct. 27

Great job on creating the introductions today. Good copy tomorrow. Make sure you fill in the check-list on the green sheet when you proofread.

English 11E, Wed. Oct. 27

Today, we learned how to turn the quotation log into an essay. This lesson is one of our crucial lessons. I'm sorry if you missed it.

However, if you were away today and do not understand the instructions below, be sure to call a friend. You must have your essay introduction ready to submit Thursday for editing purposes. You can get ideas from the English website www.claremont-school.ca/english as well.

Re-read the quotations in your log and your responses looking for quotes which connect. Divide the quotes into three categories (topics). Highlight the quotes so it's easy to see which quotes fit which category. Name each topic/colour with a word or a phrase. For example: loss of innocence, confronting the truth, irony etc.

Next: Distill all of your responses into a good body paragraph topic sentence (thesis) i.e. a sentence which summarizes the main point of all your hard work. This sentence needs to be in formal English. It will become the topic sentence to a body paragraph in your essay. A good place to look for examples is in the green-coloured package sample essay we used for our short story essays.

Repeat this process for all three colours.

Now, take the three sentences and combine them into one, clear sentnece.

This sentence will be the thesis to your essay because it grew organically from your research, which means you will easily be able to prove it.

A thesis needs to be provocative.
It needs to answer the question, so what? Why should we care?
Your thesis is based on your research and your inferences; therefore, it is your opinion, your synthesis of your topic--your ah-ha moment! No one has to agree with you BUT you must be able to prove it. Think of the thesis like a debate topic.

Write the 6 to 7 sentence introduction to the essay. Double space it. Follow the literary must-haves list while you edit and submit it to me tomorrow.

Essay is due Tuesday. Follow the guidelines in the green package and you will do well.

English 9, Tues. Oct. 26th

You all worked well in the lab today. Quotation log is due Wednesday. Bring three coloured markers or highliters to class. We'll be turning the log into an essay in class, Wednesday.

As you edit your log tonight, check the criteria sheet. Ensure you have met the key points. Check that all the quotations are cited properly.

Make sure you have an epiphany (an ah-ha moment) in every response. Answer the question so what? What does the quotation reveal about your topic?

English 11 E, Tues. Oct. 26th

You all worked well in the lab today. Quotation log is due Wednesday. Bring three coloured markers or highliters to class. We'll be turning the log into an essay in class, Wednesday. As you edit your log tonight, check the criteria sheet. Ensure you have met the key points. Check that all the quotations are cited properly.
Make sure you have an epiphany in every response. Answer the question so what? What does the quotation reveal about your topic?

Writing 12, Tues. Oct. 26th

Great work in the computer lab today. Be sure to follow the criteria for the manuscript. Carli and Katherine, be sure to pick up a copy of the criteria.

Wed.: Workshop and Robyn and Eryn present Leonard Cohen.
Thurs: Two new poems are due. Our final day in the computer lab is Thurs. Manuscripts (both electronic and paper versions) are due Nov. 4th. No lates accepted. If you are absent, get someone to drive it to school. The manuscript is worth 50% of term one.

We start fiction next week.

We'll be going to SMU in two weeks. We'll also be getting our poetry ready to send out to magazines.

Writing 12, Thurs. Oct. 21

Wonderful reading in the library today. Well done.

Last day for USSR form responses is Friday, Oct. 29.
Last day for literary event from response for term 1 is Oct. 25.

Manuscripts due Nov. 4th. Find time to edit this weekend.

Two new poems due Thursday.

English 11E, Thurs. Oct. 21

We finished our discussion of the novel today. Filled the board many times with notes.
Next, we began the quotation log. Make sure to email yourself 12 to 15 quotes on your essay topic by Monday. Meet in the computer lab on Monday.

Bring the purple quote log criteria checklists as well. We'll go over the criteria. It is worth 100 marks.

Last day for a literary event response for term 1 is Monday, Oct. 25. Go to the Black Stilt Friday night at 7:30. Get their early as it will be crowded. $3.00 entry fee. Be sure to buy a drink or treat as well to support the owner.

English 9, Thurs. Oct. 21

Good work today. We took a lot of notes on John's epiphanies in chapter 15.

Quotation Log: make sure to email yourself 12 to 15 of the best quotations you can find on your topic. Cite them properly. Meet in the computer lab (centre lab) on Monday.

We will be starting the log then. It will take two days.

All USSR forms for October are due on Friday, Oct. 29th.

Read. Read. Read.

If you have been away, make sure to submit your chart, paragraph, and diary by Monday, too.

English 9, Wed. Oct. 20

We completed vocab. words 19-21. Finish reading the novel tonight.
Quiz on chapter 15 tomorrow.

If you have been away, read yesterday's blog as we did three assignments yesterday.

We also wrote in our diaries today.

English 9, Tuesday, October 19th

BIG SURPRISE PARAGRAPH IN CLASS TODAY! Based on chapters 10, 11, and 12 or more if you have read ahead, discuss the impact (effect) Mr. Pignati is having on John and Lorraine, in a literary paragraph of 250-350 words.

As soon as you see the words, literary paragraph, you know to turn to several sheets in your notebook or on the English website www.claremont-school.ca/english Handouts such as our literary must-haves list, our how to cite sheet, how to incorporate quotes, transition sheet and our vocabulary list. Always a good idea to have a thesaurus handy for synonyms, too.

First, create a WHAT / So What chart (worth 20 marks) On the evidence side (WHAT) have your best five pieces of evidence (Mr. Pignati's behaviour, remarks, etc) that influence these troubled teens. ON the so what side of your chart, write why each piece of evidence is important. What does it reveal? Include at least one quotation from the novel which is cited correctly.

You may start with this hook or use your own

" . . . maybe as simple as Mr. Pignati [is], he [knows] something about love and having fun that other poeple [do] not" (92). YOU WILL HAVE TO CREATE YOUR OWN THESIS. REMEMBER, A THESIS MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION WITH INSIGHT. 

Homework: Read chapters 13 and 14 and write a 100 word informal diary entry from Mr. Pignati's point of view to show how he is feeling about his realtionship with John and Lorraine.

REMEMBER, INFORMAL DOES NOT MEAN INCORRECT. SPELLING, GRAMMAR, DICTION AND SENTENCE VARIETY ARE ALWAYS IMPORTANT.

English 11E, Tuesday, October 19

Today, we worked really hard to complete the Cite test and five questions on the novel.

YOU MUST KNOW HOW TO CITE BY NOW. YOU HAVE ALL THE INFO YOU NEED IN YOUR BINDER. DON'T BE LAZY ABOUT IT AS YOU WILL LOSE MARKS.

Here are the five questions on the novel. Complete them at home and bring them to class. You can do the cite test during USSR tomorrow.

Part D: For each question below, respond in a few strong sentences. Brainstorm your responses before you start writing as I’m looking for insight here. Also, support your inferences/opinions with evidence from the text and cite correctly. You may refer to your notes and/or your novel for references and ideas. Each question is worth 6 marks.

1. Discuss how the following quote: “Piggy was so full of delight and expanding liberty in Jack’s departure, so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society, that he helped to fetch wood” (142) reveals Piggy’s naivety toward the thesis that innate evil must be recognized. 
2. Why is it important that Piggy “placed [the conch] in Ralph’s hands . . .” (156)?
3. Piggy and Ralph join in the “demented dance” (167) because they feel more secure. Discuss the symbolism of this gesture.
4. Re-read pages 168-170. Explain why Simon is personified as the beast and why at the point of Simon’s death, the dead pilot also falls into the sea.
5. Simon’s murder is described as without words and “…no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws" (169). Explain.

Writing 12, Tuesday, October 19

Refer to yesterday's blog. Good work in the computer lab today. Be rigorous now with your editing.
Editing means never having to say you are sorry.

Please review it's and its. Many of you are using the possessive form incorrectly. Writers have to know the rules so they can BREAK them.

English 9, Monday, Oct. 18

We had our vocab. quiz on words 1-18 today.

Any students who rewrote the compare/contrast para. submitted them today.

We wrote in our diaries for 10 minutes.

Next, we played a game. All students had to create two on-the-line questions and two between-th-lines questions. We reviewed chapters 1-9. Read chapters 10, 11, and 12 tonight. Look for the effects of Mr. Pignati on John and Lorraine.

English 11E: Monday, Oct. 18

We completed the vocab. quiz on 1-20. Ask for the quiz tomorrow.

Last day to submit stories for a re-mark is tomorrow, Tues. Oct. 19

Last day to submit a story for publication is Thursday, Oct. 21.

Quiz Tues. on How to cite and on the symbolism in chapters 8 and 9. We took notes on both chapters today but have not yet discussed Simon's death.

We'll finish the book in the next two days and begin work on our essays. Start thinking of  a good topic.

Writing 12, Monday, Oct. 18

We had soooooooooooo much fun with the Flip Dictionary today and learned a technique called anaphora. Be sure to ask for the handouts from me. Get the prompts from a friend. Make up the missed time at lunch tomorrow.

THIS WEEK: Get to a literary event. Make sure you have submitted all your forms. Plus USSR forms due Oct. 29th.

Tues--Computer Lab time to edit and write. Bring all your work, notes, ideas to the centre lab. No USSR Tuesday.

Wed: Workshop plus an author presentation by Nicole and Tara.
Wed: Six poets to U. Vic

Thurs: Thanks to the six volunteers who will meet early in the library to set up. Two poems also due Thursday. This week Adrian is the MC and Eryn, Cia, Jordan, Christiana, Becky, Mitch and Robyn M. are reading. Good luck.

English 9, Friday, Oct. 15

Lots of students signed out new USSR books today for the weekend. Johannes finished a book in two days! Congrats. Colton asked for a longer USSR period today so we added five minutes. Several students completed the novel, The Pigman, as well. You may count this novel for USSR if you complete a response form.

Today, we discussed the role of Mr. Pignati in the lives of John and Lorraine.

English 11 E, Friday, Oct. 15

Wasn't Geena's story fabulous? Thank you, Geena. You read it perfectly.
Today we reviewed vocabulary1-19. Quiz Monday.

We discussed some key points in chapters six and seven. Be sure to borrow the notes or make your own notes on the changes in the boys (the playfight with Robert, Simon's not believing in the beast, Jack wanting to hunt and kill it) and the symbol of the dead pilot who is described as an ape with its head between its knees.

Next, we read chapters 8 and 9. Two deliciously exciting chapters. We'll discuss them on Monday. Read chapter 9 slowly as it is filled with symbolism.

Be prepared for the vocab. quiz.
Have a good weekend.

Writing 12: Friday, Oct. 15

Wasn't Jay Ruzesky wonderful?? If you missed today, be sure to attend a literary event outside the school asap. When submitting the response for it, write on the top TO REPLACE THE JAY RUZESKY READING. Thanks.

This weekend. Start thinking about the things Jay was talking about. He said you are ultimately the final judge. Is this a poem you would like to show the world? Is this poem ready for the world? Where are you holding yourself back? What do you need to do to ignite your imagination? What poets are you reading these days? What feedback are you getting from me? From your workshop group? What do you love about your poetry?

Due Monday: a glosa to share and a poem for workshop. You may submit the glosa to your workshop, too.
Have a great weekend.

Tonight--Planet Earth Poetry at the Black STilt. 7:30. Get there early if you want to sign up for open mic.
Monday Night: Pen in Hand Readings at Serious Coffee in Fairfield on Cook St. Same rules apply here.

English 9, Thurs. Oct. 14

Excellent work today. The paragraphs comparing John to Lorraine were superb. Good job peer editors! You are all working on difficult tasks in your writing and your hard work is paying off.

We're half way through October so make sure you have submitted USSR forms.

Today, we read chapters 6 and 7 and made notes on the adults' negative behaviours and
their impact on John and Lorraine.

Have a good night.

We need to get back at our vocabulary studies, too. Keep working on them. Study when you can.

English 11 E, Thurs. Oct. 14

We took notes on the Beast from Air chapter and read the next two chapters. Brad read his story aloud. I collected the submissions to BCTELA and The Claremont Review. Several students
submitted their stories to Aerie Magazine. Good luck.

No one has tried Polyphony, yet, why?

Homework: finish the reading. Study the vocabulary. Vocab. quiz postponed until Monday.

Writing 12, Thurs. Oct. 14

Today, we wrote a sestina!! Google sestina or call a friend to find out about this complicated form.
Jay Ruzesky tomorrow.
Next week will be a busy one!

Manuscripts due Nov. 4th.

English 9, Wed.Oct. 13

Thanks for having your drafts ready for editing.

Tomorrow, submit the good copy, the draft, your editing summary sheet, and your evaluation sheet.
Be SURE to follow the literary must-have list.

We didn't have time to write in our diaries or to discuss chapters four and five.

Keep reading those USSR books and filling in the forms.

English 11 E, Wed. Oct. 13th

Today, we reviewed how to publish your story. You may double submit to BCTELA and any other contest or magazine.  You must complete this task this evening unless your story is being revised. Revisions due next Tues. Publishing date for you is next Thurs. Oct. 21.

We heard Rachel W.'s story today, called Harold. Fabulous. Thanks, Rachel.

We discussed the changes in the four main boys in chapter 4 and wrote a thesis statement for each one.
Homework is to read chapter five and arrive in class knowing what the beast from water is.

Wed. Oct. 13, Writing 12

We workshopped today. Great job! Next, we visited http://www.fallenprincesses.com/ and had a look at some really unique paintings. Next, we introduced the Spanish form poem--the glosa--and tried to write one. Bring a glosa to class Monday. Plus a new poem for your workshop group.

Thursday--it's the sestina.

Friday--Jay Ruzesky will be in class.

English 9, Tues. Oct. 14

On Friday, we completed a VENN diagram comparing and contrasting John and Lorraine. We created a thesis statement for the two teens:

Both John and Lorraine exhibit rebellious tendencies; however, John uses his defiance to get attention from his parents; whereas, Lorraine acts conspiratorially in order to fit in.

Today, Tuesday, we will write a paragraph, using evidence from the text and inferences to expand upon the evidence to prove that statement.

When we finish, we'll read chapters five and six and post-it note key parts which reveal parents acting negatively. We'll also post-it note passages which begin to reveal Mr. Pignati's character.

Bring a rough draft of the paragraph to class for editing tomorrow. Keep studying your vocabulary.
Quiz coming soon.

English 11 E, Tues. Oct. 12/10

Today, we reviewed the guidelines to publishing your stories. You need to have your story submitted to me or directly to the magazine by Thurs. Oct. 14th. Bring me a print out of your electronic confirmation of submission in the case of Polyphony or Aerie magazines.

Re-writes of stories due Tues. Oct. 19th.

Today, we discussed key pieces of evidence for Simon in chapter 3. We decided that Simon is dubious, saint-like, prophetic, sanctified, independent, refined, has a latent goodness, and delicate. Make sure you get the notes if you were away today. We also said that Simon is the only one to recognize and not deny evil on the island.

Read chapter 4. Post-it note changes in the boys' behaviour. Keep thinking about a topic for your literary essay.

Writing 12, October 12, 2010

Thanks to Christiana, Carolyn and Robyn M. for the delightful presentation on Florence McNeil's poetry.
Tonight, edit the poems for workshop. Your current motto: NO MORE MR. OR MS. NICE GUY!!

Follow our criteria list.

It's Oct. 12th, which means you are three weeks away to your TBA Manuscript deadline--worth 50% of the term!! You will be given a manuscript criteria sheet and deadline soon. In the mean time, begin editing and assembling your best 10 or more poems!! The more poems you write, the more opportunities you will have to publish them and to enter contests. Lots of money to be won!!

You may submit re-edited poems to me for more editing. Please write: PLEASE EDIT on the top of the poem.

English 9, Friday, October 8

Good job with the charts you completed on John's character. Today, we'll complete one for Lorraine and we'll continue studying our vocabulary words, 14-18.

This weekend, no homework, except, see if you can complete a book for USSR and hand in a yellow form, Tuesday.

Your diary covers should be completed now and you should have read and post-it noted the first three chapters of our novel, The Pigman.

English 11E, Friday, October 8

We are now completely finished the short story unit, well, almost.

The next step is to try to get those wonderful stories published. Stay tuned for ways to do that.

We've read and discussed and post-it noted all of the key symbols in the first three chapters.
We also need to keep going with the new vocabulary words.

Writing 12, October 8

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, what a week we have had. Two amazing writers, one Icelandic, one Irish, an fabulous presentation on e.e. cummings' work, outstanding introduction to the ghazal and the pantoum, plus 100% workshop preparedness. I'm thrilled and your poems this week reflect that hard work.

This weekend: READ READ READ.  It's the one area some of you are neglecting. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Also, if you finish a book this weekend, complete the form.

LAST DAY FOR LITERARY EVENT RESPONSES FOR TERM 1: October 25, a Monday.
Patrick Lane's book launch--Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 at The Black Stilt coffee house. $3.00.

Workshop poem due Tuesday. Two poems due Thursday.

TUESDAY NIGHT: You will be busy editing your workshop poems. If you've been absent, we have NEW workshop groups and a new seating plan.

All the best experimenting with form in your writing this weekend. RISK READ RISK READ
SOUNDS LIKE  A GOOD PLAN, STAN.
WHY, THANK YOU.
xx

English 9, Tuesday, Oct. 5

Thanks to all of the students who returned their signed progress reports. All reports due by Wed. Oct. 6th.

Tomorrow, we're going to go to the library to decorate our diary covers and to become more familiar with our library. Bring scissors, glue, photos, pictures, stickers, etc. anything that will help you create a distinguished cover. You wrote a lot today. Some students completing over 150 words in five minutes. Well done.

Tonight. Keep reading the novel, The Pigman. Our goal is to complete the first three chapters for tomorrow.
We also started a chart of evidence and inferences for our two main characters, John and Lorraine. Ask your homework buddy for more details.

Great work today.
If you were absent today, take your short story book to the library and exchange it for a copy of The Pigman.
Thanks. Have a great night.

English 11E, Tuesday, Oct. 5

I absolutely adore your enthusiasm. I've never seen a class react to positively to a new novel before. Thank you. You are a joy to teach.

We took notes on Golding and defined allegory today. We took a few notes on Ralph and Piggy but mostly we practiced reading with intention. Look for passages which you feel are allegorical in nature and post-it note them. You will need this information when you choose an essay topic.

You're going to love this book. There are so many twists and turns.

Homework. Complete the first 29 pages to the end of chapter 1. Be sure to post-it note at least 10 key passages.

Writing 12, October 5

Wasn't Jerry Beirne articulate? I learned a lot. Hope you did, too.
Thanks for the David Arnason responses.
Look forward to your responses to Jerry.
Also, complete your workshopping poems tonight. Edit. Edit. Edit.

Tomorrow, we'll also have time to work on the poems that are due Thursday so bring all you've got to class tomorrow.
Thursday, ee cummings presentation. Yay!
Listen for Hanna on CBC radio. Wed. at 4:50. CBC radio one Victoria is 90.5 I believe.

English 9, Friday, Oct.1

Great work on the short story test yesterday. Class average rose from 58% to 77% in one week.

Today, we did a self-assessment for conduct, work habits, and the three aspects of literary paragraph writing: content, structure and style. You have accomplished a lot in our first month of English 9. I was very impressed yesterday as your conduct, despite the excitement of Spartan day, was exemplary.

Please, return these assessments signed by your parent or guardian by Monday.

This weekend, get a good start on your October USSR books.

Next week we start the novel, The Pigman, by Paul Zindel.

Have a good weekend.

English 11E, Friday, Oct. 1

Thanks for editing your essays so carefully as it means that your next essay will be that much better!

Please doublespace the short stories due Monday.

You did really well on your vocabulary quiz today--you are in the propinquity of excellence. Yay.

Have a good weekend.

Writing 12, Friday, Oct. 1

Wonderful poems this week! Wow.

Monday--Workshop poems are due.
Workshop Wednesday as usual.

If you have attended a literary event, you must submit the response the next day.
We have two writers next week which means you will need to hand in a response on Tuesday and on Wednesday.

Two new poems due Thursday!

Have a great weekend.

English 9, Thursday, Sept. 30

Today, short story comprehension test. You will be reading a new short story, creating a chart and writing a formal, literary paragraph. You are prepared. You will do well.

Friday--study words 1-13, be ready for the test.

We'll be starting a novel soon. Monday, we have an event in the theatre.

USSR forms for Sept. are due today.

Thanks.

English 11E, Thursday, Sept. 30

Yesterday, we worked with more ways to get you going with fiction writing. Get the notes from a friend and try the exercises. Today, you may have the entire class minus USSR to work on crafting your stories which are due Monday.

Hopefully, you have edited your essays by now. Due Friday. Also, complete the green sheets.

Vocabulary test--Friday, words 1-13.

Writing 12 Thursday, Sept. 30

Thank you for submitting such fabulous poems. I'm so impressed and this is only week 3!!! Wow.

Imagine the quality of your manuscripts by the end of October. You will make money with these poems and change the world and not necessarily in that order, right?

Today, we focused on using our imagination by developing extended metaphors. Try imitating the samples.
See if you can go over some previously-edited poems and add more extended metaphors. They really work and they are fun to write.

Next week, we have two writers coming to class, one from Iceland and one from Ireland--Monday and Tuesday. You will not want to miss these classes BUT if you have to, remember, you must make up the time by attending an extra literary event outside of school.

If you have already attended an event, please submit your response forms, asap.

Thanks.

English 9, Tues. Sept. 28

Friday, we read Morley Callaghan's story, "All The Years Of Her Life" and created a what/so what? chart to answer the question: Discuss what Alfred learns about his mother the day he is caught shoplifting.

Today, we wrote a 250-350 word, formal, literary paragraph. We used all of our handouts: literary must-haves sheet, the transitions sheet, hook sheet, how to cite sheet, how to incorporate quotations sheet, our corrected paragraphs from last week, and a thesaurus. Next, we edited the paragraph to catch any errors.

Writing formal paragraphs takes practice. This paragraph is number 3. If you feel lost, please make an appointment to see me. I am available before or after school.

THURSDAY:
USSR FORMS DUE FOR SEPTEMBER. THANK YOU. YOU'VE READ A LOT OF BOOKS.

FINAL SHORT STORY TEST, THURSDAY. YOU WILL BE READING A SHORT STORY, CREATING A WHAT/SO WHAT CHART AND WRITING A FORMAL PARAGRAPH. STUDY YOUR EDITED PARAGRAPHS. YOU MAY USE YOUR HANDOUTS DURING THE TEST, A DICTIONARY AND A THESAURUS.

PRACTICE AT HOME.

Friday--Vocab. quiz on the words 1-13.

English 11 E, Tues. Sept. 28

Congratulations on your successful in-class essays. You now have the essays returned and you need to edit them. Submit the corrections and the completed green sheets by Friday.

Short Story Assignment. Today we started writing fiction. There are several strict guidelines for these stories. Be sure to follow them.

Our lesson focused on how to "show and not tell". We did three writing exercises today. If you missed them, borrow another student's notes and be sure to do them as you need this practice. We focused on using descriptions of objects to "show" and dialogue with interjections to reveal character.

Thursday: LAST DAY FOR USSR FORMS FOR SEPTEMBER.

This week we will focus on how to write fiction.

Friday: VOCAB. TEST WORDS 1 -13.

Writing 12, Tuesday, Sept. 28

Thanks to Claire and Hanna for their incredible presentation on Patricia Young's work.

Several students neglected to bring poems for workshop today.

Here's a review of our weekly routine. Please get involved asap as each week you are losing marks due to your lack of preparation.

Every Monday (or Tues. in the case of a holiday) bring enough copies of a new poem (which you have written) to give to your workshop group. Give one to each member of your group.

Take home the poems you receive and edit them using our criteria sheet and our "how to edit" handout.
Practice makes perfect.

For Wed. Bring a poem that uses detail in a unique way. Be prepared to share it with the class.

Thursday: Two poems are due. Also, it's Sept. 30th which means all USSR forms for books read in Sept. are due.

Literary Events: Last day for these events is the end of October. Today, all event responses from last week are due.

English 9, Friday, Sept. 24

Don't be discouraged if you are not yet achieving your goals on your literary paragraphs.
However, be sure to review all of the handouts, your notes, your editing feedback and be ready to explain to me what you need to do to improve.

Extra help is available if you need it. Please, ask.

This weekend, USSR is our theme. Three days to read. Yay.

Make sure you finish the What/So What? chart for the Morley Callaghan story,"All the Years of Her Life".

English 11 E, Friday, Sept. 24

Great work today. Can't wait to read your essays.

We will finish up our short story unit by Thursday and begin our new unit.

USSR forms due Thurs. for Sept. marks.

If you haven't attended a literary event yet, there are several this weekend. Look at the Writing 12 blog post for ideas.

Writing 12, Sept. 24

Fabulous readers today in the library. Fabulous audience participation and feedback.
AHHH, you are wonderful. Have a good weekend. If you have attended a literary event this week, please compose a response and submit it to me Tuesday. Mon. is a professional day.

Also for Tues. three to four copies of a new poem for your workshop group is due.

We have a presentation Tuesday. Should be good.

Tonight: poetry at the Black Stilt Coffee House 7:30
Sat. night: Three poetry books are being launched: Art Gallery on Moss St. 7 p.m.

English 9, Thurs. Sept. 23

Good work today. I look forward to reading your "Penny in the Dust" paragraphs.

We have completed 13 words from our list so far. Continue to study and work with your understanding of the parts of speech studied so far: verb, adverb, noun, adjective.

We'll have a test on these words next Friday, Oct. 1.

English 11 E, Thurs. Sept. 23

Welcome back, Amir. We missed you!

In-class essay tomorrow. Meet in the centre lab. Get there a few minutes early so you can start by 12:02. You may use your essay outline during the class. All other materials must remain in your binder.

At the end of the class, submit the essay, the three charts and the outline. Be sure to double space.

Three days this weekend to read and to contemplate the short story you wish to write. Lucky you! Imitate the styles of stories we've read so far.

All USSR forms must be in by Thurs. Sept. 30.

Writing 12, Thursday, Sept. 23

I collected two poems today. I will return them Tuesday.
Homework: Fina a poem that adds detail in a way that you've never seen before. Bring the poem to class for a discussion, Tuesday. We worked on two ways to add detail today plus we discussed the difference between authentic, cliched and manipulative detail.

Friday: Meet in the library. Come early to help set up. Readers, be prepared to read for 6 minutes. Looking forward to it. Thanks to Cia for being our M.C. You'll be reading to Mrs. Orme's Eng. 11e class.

Tuesday: Bring enough copies of a new poem for your workshop group. Please get your printing complete well before class. Thanks.

Two poems due next Thurs.

Tues: Hanna and Claire B. present. Yay.

English 9, Wed. Sept.22

Excellent work today. I think the new seating plan will work well.
You need to focus on your own work.
Ten of you did not have your paragraph ready for editing today.
That behaviour is not SPARTAN spirit. You realized the consequences today.
Don't find yourself in that situation again.

Good copy of the "Penny in the Dust" paragraph due tomorrow. Staple it to your "The Father" paragraph.
Your goal here is to make new mistakes. Don't make the same mistakes as last time.
Let's hope you do really well on this paragraph. Your highest mark counts.

Keep studying your vocabulary sheet and reading your USSR books. You need to have read three books and completed three response forms by Sept. 30th.

It's great to see so many of you using the agenda books without my prompting.

English 11 E, Wed. Sept. 22

Great work today. Ensure that you have three strong thesis statements to represent each story.
Synthesize these three into one dynamic thesis for your essay.
Begin to complete the essay outline.
Study vocab. words 1 - 13. Test Tuesday.

USSR-You need to have read three books and completed three forms for an A by Sept. 30.

Review the elements of a literary essay. Read the sample I gave you. Bring your questions to class tomorrow.

Writing 12, Wednesday, Sept. 22

Wonderful work today. You are picking things up quickly. Wow!

SMUS reading Thursday night at 7. Please come. Terence has ordered cookies for you!

If you need a ride, meet me in the front of the school by 6:20 but let me know so I can find you. The reading takes place in the Cricket building, a small building, on Mcrae at Richmond. Mcrae runs from Richmond to Shelbourne. There's a restaurant called Mcraes at the corner of Shelbourne and Mcrae so it's easy to find.

Workshopping: Make sure that every person in your group receives a copy of your poem by 9:05 Monday. This week there is a professional day on Monday so please pass your poems to your group Tues. morning. That means the pressure is on you to ensure they are edited by Wed. Tues, we have a student presentation.

Two poems due tomorrow. Write WORKSHOPPED on the top of the poem which has been workshopped. Thanks.

English 9, Tuesday, Sept. 21

Yesterday, we edited our formal, literary paragraphs which analyzed the father's motivations in the story, "The Father" by Hugh Garner. We worked with an extensive checklist and several students took their paragraphs home to revise.

Due today: Good copy of "The Father" paragraph.

We also completed a checklist for our literacy projects. Be sure to start those this week.

Present what you did, how well it went, what you would do differently next time, etc. to the class, early December.

Today: We read the story, "Penny in the Dust" by Ernest Buckler, page 196, in your short story text.
In a formal, literary paragraph of 250 to 350 words, discuss how the penny in the dust symbolizes the relationship between the father and son.

Be sure to follow our literary must-have list.

We brainstormed together
penny = love
dust = communication

There are several ways to answer this question. Here is one: In the story, "Penny in the Dust" by Ernest Buckler, the penny symbolizes a great love between a father and a son which is sadly never spoken.

Bring a double-spaced first draft to class for editing.

English 11 E, Tuesday, Sept. 21

Monday we read two stories and completed two what/so what charts. We also added two more words to our Vocab. list. I collected the paragraph on how titles influence short stories.

Tuesday:

We read the third story. I handed out an essay plan sheet, a sample essay, and the criteria for Friday's in-class essay. Today's goal: complete all three charts, evidence and inferences. Make a statement for each chart which answers the question: What do stories have to say about the way parents influence their children.

Friday: in-class essay in the computer lab.

Writing 12, Tuesday, Sept. 21

We are over half way through the first month. Be sure to complete the USSR response forms asap. You need to read three books per month for an A.

Sara and Clarire presented poet, Lorna Crozier's work today. Be sure to read her work for at least one hour if you missed today's class. We also wrote two poems in class today and read for 15 minutes. Get the prompts from another writer in the class.

Tomorrow is workshopping day. Make sure your group has your poems and that you edit these poems with gusto. Follow our criteria sheet.

You will have time Wednesday to work on the two poems due Thursday.

Writing 12, Monday, Sept. 20

Thank you for your compelling responses to Patrick Lane. If you were absent today, be sure and get these in first thing Tuesday morning.

This week:

GET TO A LITERARY EVENT. DO NOT DELAY! 10% BONUS. SEE FRIDAY'S BLOG POST FOR SUGGESTED VENUES.

Monday: We handed our workshop groups our poems for editing. Be prepared to discuss these and return the poems Wednesday. Submit this poem Thursday with the heading: WORKSHOPPED so I know which one you've already edited thoroughly. I will edit the other poem thoroughly.

Our focus this week is describing people in poems. We read several great student examples today in class. If you were absent, read them tomorrow during USSR.

Tuesday: Claire M. and Sara will present Lorna Crozier's work to the class.

Wednesday: workshopping and completing poems for Thursday

Thursday: Two poems due. Thurs. night at SMUS, four poets will be reading. It's in the little building on McRae St. at Richmond. 7 pm. start. Poets: Patricia Young, Eve Joseph, Dorothy Field and Susan Stenson are reading.

Friday: Our first class reading in the library. Thanks to Tara, Claire M, Robyn V. Hanna and Sara for offering to set up. Meet in the library at 8:45 if you can help to set up. Students go directly to the library before 9:05.

Sat. Book Launch at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 7 pm for refreshments from Truffles Catering. Yum. Readings begin at 7:30 p.m. Free admission.

Tonight: Finish the poem we started in class.
1. Stanza one: describe the setting.
2. STanza two: have the character do something
3. Stanza three: describe the light there
4. Finish this prompt He/She believes . ..
5. Use this prompt, Yesterday, (then describe something that went wrong)
6. Use this prompt If only . . .
7. Try to help this person but know you can't (the person helping may be a new character or use I or some other point of view, you, we, he, they, she etc)
8. Finish with a stanza describing a new aspect of the setting (aim for showing us something we couldn't or didn't see before so that this stanza will now become a symbol for the character.

Choose a key title

i.e. The Spirit Walker, The Sad Girl, The Gregarious Optician, The Insomniac, etc allow your descriptions to flesh out these imaginary characters. You may also have someone in mind as you are describing them but now they are becoming this strange title: The Quieter Mary, Harold's Daughter, The Crow Tamer etc.

Enjoy your writing tonight. If you are coming to Munros Books, I'll see you there.

Friday, September 17

Writing 12


Wasn't Patrick Lane wonderful today? Thank you for your rapt attention and respect for him. 
This weekend write a response. Due Monday. 


Also, bring three copies of a new poem based on a person. 


Tonight at the Black Stilt Coffee House, poet, Carla Funk is launching her fourth book of poetry. She is a wonderful poet and teaches at U.Vic. 


7:30. $3.00 

English 11E

Today we had our first vocabulary quiz.

We created an evidence/inference chart to get a good start on our paragraphs. We completed thesis statements in class. Good copy of the paragraph is due. It must be stapled to the "Enemy of the People" paragraph. We are aiming for NOT MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE theme this weekend soooooooooooooo be sure you understand my corrections. Follow the how to cite sheet, the how to incorporate quotations sheet, the hook sheet for assistance. Aim for a clear, passionate paragraph.

English 9

Today, we edited our own paragraphs using the hard and easy editing criteria. You will also find these criteria (under different categories) on your 'Literary Must-Haves' Sheet.
Using all of this year's handouts, aim for the least number of errors possible.
If you cite incorrectly or forget to incorporate a quotation, you will need to re-do the paragraph.
You must follow the criteria.

Bring the good copy (double-spaced) to class Monday.

We had our first vocabulary quiz today.

This weekend give some thought to your literacy project. How would you like to promote reading or writing in your school, neighbourhood or community?

Monday, you will need to commit to a project and create time-lines for completion of the project.
You will be presenting your experiences to the class in December.

Have a great weekend.
Ms. Stenson

English 9, Thurs. September 16

You worked hard today learning the ten steps to a literary paragraph. If you were away, you will want to call your homework buddy to get the ten steps.

Complete all ten sentences in your paragraph about the father in Hugh Garner's story for tomorrow.
Read your USSR book tonight.

English 11 E, Thursday, Sept. 16

Great work with the Orpheus myth today. Choose which story you are going to write about. Complete a formal literary paragraph for Monday. If you were away today, be sure to contact your homework buddy.
The two choices are "A Few Notes for Orpheus" or "The Fall of a City".
The question is

In a formal, literary paragraph of 300 to 500 words, discuss how the title influences and impacts the story's theme. You must staple this paragraph to the one I returned to you today. You need to ensure that you DO not make the same mistakes this time. You will need to revise Monday's paragraph as many times as it takes until you learn these writing skills. Be sure to use the handouts and visit the English dept. website for model paragraphs: www.claremont-school.ca/english

Writing 12, Thursday, Sept. 16

This week's focus is writing poems about people. Read the poems in your package.
Bring three copies of a poem about a person for your workshopping group on Monday.

Tomorrow, poet Patrick Lane is visiting our class. Prepare at least one thoughtful question to ask him. You may google Patrick Lane to find out about his work.

Response to Patrick's reading is due Monday.

Friday night at Planet Earth Poetry, the fabulous and former Victoria poet laureate, Carla Funk is launching her fourth book. 7:30. Arrive early to sign up for the open mic.

Those students reading next Friday in the library, please prepare now! Thanks to Cia for offering to m.c.

English 9, Wed. Sept. 15

We had a test on how to cite today. Most students did really well. Keep that sheet handy so you can refer to it when you are writing literary paragraphs.

We also reviewed all eight vocabulary words today and had a quiz. Big test Friday. The outline is in your agenda books.

We also learned three ways to incorporate quotations today. Study that sheet.

We practiced the concepts of adding a hook to our paragraph and you have a reference sheet with a list of how to create effective hooks.

We started a paragraph on the story, "The Father". Homework: Edit and revise your thesis statement so that it does a good job of answering the question: what are the reasons for the father's neglect of his son.

English 11 E, Wed. Sept. 15

Great job interpreting Alden Nowlan's short story today. Be sure to get the notes if you were away. These stories will all be on the exam.

Tonight, find out all about the myth of Orpheus. It is used as a motif in a story we'll be reading Thursday.
Also, study your vocabulary words as we have a test on Friday. Be prepared by knowing the word's definition, part of speech, synonyms and how to use it correctly in a sentence.

Writing 12, Wed. Sept. 15

Two poems due Thursday. Can't wait to read these fresh, new poems! Yay.


Be sure to sign up for our library readings. We also need an M.C. Some brave person out there?
10% bonus marks for attending a literary event next week.
Every Friday: Planet Earth Poetry at the Black Stilt Coffee House 7:30 $3.00
Monday Sept. 21
John Gould's book launch at Munros Books on Gov't. St. 7 p.m. Free
Pen-in-Hand Readings Monthly at Serious Coffee 3rd Monday of the month 7:30 $3.00
SMUS readings 7 pm. Susan Stenson and Dorothy Field this month Free
Book Launch at the Art Gallery on Moss St. Sat. Sept. 25th 7 p.m. Free