C.R. Riders of B 203

Quick-start Guide to This Page:

1. Entries are in order from most recent to oldest
2. Lesson events are in black
3. My (the teacher) commentary is in blue
4. Assessments & homework assignments are in red
5. In addition, entry dates will be italicized when there is a test, quiz, or other MAJOR due date
6. Our handouts and PowerPoints are linked from every lesson and appear underlined and in a light turquoise color.  If you’re having a hard time opening the files, make sure to click on our Access Help Page to troubleshoot.

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For Thurs., 1 Oct. and on, click on the 2: Oct. 2009 page.

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Wed., 30 September 2009

• Homework:  Bring in an empty, normal-sized cereal box!

• Caught’Ya
• Vocab. Study  We will use vocabulary frames to study words 1 through 5. You should complete words 6-10 for homework.
• Gr. 9
  • Literary terms review
  • Reading “The Most Dangerous Game” with the audio
• Gr. 10
  • Literary terms review
  • Reading “The Moment Before the Gun Went Off” with the audio

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Tues., 29 September 2009

• Homework:  Bring in an empty, normal-sized cereal box!

• Caught’Ya
• Vocab. Study  We will review the video.
  
• Gr. 9
  • We will take introductory notes for our next short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.”  The notes are linked here.
• Gr. 10
  • Journal write on Paul McCartney and Ray Charles’ “Ebony and Ivory” music video.  (Feel free to YouTube it here!)
  • We will take introductory notes for our next short story, “The Moment Before the Gun Went Off.”  The PowerPoint notes are linked here.

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Mon., 28 September 2009

• Picture Day  Look your best, young ladies and gents!  Yearbook pictures will be taken during English class today.
• Vocab. Video  We will start our first SAT vocabulary unit, Q4.  Click here to download the list!

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Fri., 25 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & 10:  Caught’Ya Assessment
• Gr. 9
  • Review of “The Monkey’s Paw”
  • Quiz: “The Monkey’s Paw”  This quiz is ungraded, so it is a great chance for you to practice answering questions that are very similar to what will be on our test.  You will have 2 multiple choice (M.C.), 1 short answer (S.A.), and 1 extended response (E.R.).   After you work on your answers, I will show you sample answers that you could have put.  I will also help you to understand what kind of a grade your answers would have earned.  Click here to see the quiz and here to see sample answers in a PowerPoint.
    
  • Quack! SAT vocabulary unit # 1
  • Homework:  Bring in an empty, normal-sized cereal box!
• Gr. 10
  • Review of “Lather and Nothing Else”
  • Quiz:  “Lather and Nothing Else”  This quiz is ungraded, so it is a great chance for you to practice answering questions that are very similar to what will be on our test.  You will have 2 multiple choice (M.C.), 1 short answer (S.A.), and 1 extended response (E.R.).   After you work on your answers, I will show you sample answers that you could have put.  I will also help you to understand what kind of a grade your answers would have earned.  Sophomores can see the blank quiz here and check out the answers in a PowerPoint here.
    
  • Quack! SAT vocabulary unit # 1
  • Homework:  Bring in an empty, normal-sized cereal box!

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Thurs., 24 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Gr. 9
  • The Monkey’s Paw” completion via audio.  We will work on the questions as we go.
  • View “The Monkey’s Paw” video   To refresh our memory of the story.
  • Study Chart Completion Then, we will work on the first row of our study guide chart together.
• Gr. 10
  • Whole Class Discussion of  “Lather and Nothing Else.”
  • “Understanding Literature” question completion
  • Study Chart Completion Then, we will work on the first row of our study guide chart together.

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Wed., 23 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Gr. 9
  • Continue reading “The Monkey’s Paw” via audio
  • Work on questions while we read
• Gr. 10
  • Completion of Book Questions as we read “Lather and Nothing Else”
  • Begin “Understanding Literature” Questions

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Tues., 22 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Gr. 9
  • Library orientation
• Gr. 10
  • Read “Lather and Nothing Else”  To help us practice focusing on the short story, we will practice Cloze reading while I read aloud to you.  We will work slowly through the story, answering the restated questions as we go.

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Mon., 21 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Gr. 9
  • Review “The Monkey’s Paw” PowerPoint.
  • Begin to read “The Monkey’s Paw” aloud To help us practice focusing on the short story, we will practice Cloze reading while I read aloud to you.  We will work slowly through the story, answering the restated questions as we go.
• Gr. 10
  • View “Lather and Nothing Else” video  To refresh our memory of the story.

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Fri., 18 September 2009

• No school for you. 
• School for me. 

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Thurs., 17 September 2009

• Caught’Ya Assessment
• Gr. 9
  • Gr. 9 Fiction Terms Handout Distribution
  • Journal Prompt (see PowerPoint linked just below)
  • PowerPoint/notes on “The Monkey’s Paw”   To build background knowledge about this story, we will take notes on a PowerPoint (linked here).   The PowerPoint shares information about the story, the author, and key literary terms.  Just before we read the story, we will preread the literary tools (Reader’s Resource and About the Author” and read the questions.  Remember, we always read questions about a story before we start the story so we know what we are looking for.  It’s just like looking over your list before you go on a scavenger hunt!
  • Read “The  Monkey’s Paw”  We will listen to the story on audio as we read along in our book.
• Gr. 10
  • Gr. 10 Fiction Terms Handout Distribution
  • Journal Prompt (see PowerPoint linked just below)
  • PowerPoint/notes on “Lather and Nothing Else”  To build background knowledge about this story, we will take notes on a PowerPoint (linked here).   The PowerPoint shares information about the story, the author, and key literary terms.  Just before we read the story, we will preread the literary tools (Reader’s Resource and About the Author” and read the questions.  Remember, we always read questions about a story before we start the story so we know what we are looking for.  It’s just like looking over your list before you go on a scavenger hunt!
  • Read “Lather & Nothing Else  We will listen to the story on audio as we read along in our book. If we have time, we will start the questions in class.  If not, they are NOT homework.  Instead, we will work on the questions on Monday.

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Wed., 16 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Elements of Fiction PowerPoint
• Fiction unit overview/unit study guide chart distributed

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Tues., 15 September 2009

• Essay revisions  Today, you will be in the cafeteria with a substitute.  Our classroom is being used to train a few teachers and me to use a special program.

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Mon., 14 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
  
• Group activity:  Exploring Fiction Terms  I believe that you will be most successful with this unit if you are constantly exposed to the terms and stories that we will read and have the chance to explore these terms and stories in multiple ways.  As such, today will be a “preview” day.  I will assign you to small groups and you will complete your assignment in your group.  Note: If I decide that I need more time to conference with each student, then we will alter this activity.  Rather than work on posters, you will work on notebook paper individually at each station.  I will be at a separate station in the room for essay conferences.
  
  • Gr 9 Fiction Study Groups
  • Gr 10 Fiction Study Groups
    
• Individual SAW Conferences * Concurrent with the fiction study group activity During this time, I will conference with individual students as they work on their essays.

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Fri., 11 September 2009

• Caught’Ya Assessment
• Individual essay writing
• SSR–Sustained Silent Reading

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Thurs., 10 September 2009

• Caught’Ya
• Stand-alone Writing Prompts continued (individually)

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Wed., 9 September 2009

• Gr. 9& Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya
  • SSR  Sustained silent reading and character analysis

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Tues., 8 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya Assessments Returned
  • New Caught’Ya
  • Complete notes in the How to Organize a SAW (stand-alone writing) Essay Click here for the PowerPoint notes
  • Begin essay prompt (individual work)
    

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Mon., 7 September 2009 — Labor Day — No School

• Learn about Labor Day here, here, and here.

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Fri., 4 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya Assessment # 1 This is the first grammar assessment that counts for a grade.  Remember, at the end of the marking period, I may use the median instead of the mean to calculate your “grammar” grade.  In other words, instead of just averaging your Caught’Ya Assessments, I may use your most frequent score IF doing so would give you a higher grade overall.
    
  • Notes Graphic Organizer distribution for the PowerPoint (below)
  • How to Organize a SAW (stand-alone writing) Essay PowerPoint notes
    
  • Essay Template Graphic Organizer distribution and independent work on essays.  View the PROMPT here.
    
  • Agenda Book Setup (if available)
    

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Thurs., 3 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya
  • Textbook Distribution and Textbook Preview Activity Completion/Discussion
  • Binder setup  It is essential that you are as organized as possible in order to be successful this year.  I will walk everyone through binder setup in class today.

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Wed., 2 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya
  • Da Tree Berrs & Schema Handout We will work collaboratively to translate a neat reading passage and to fill in blanks on a cool handout to illustrate why we need to practice strategies when we read.

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Tues., 1 September 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya
  • Reading Strategies Discussion We will debrief from rewriting by determining and self-assessing what reading strategies we each used to analyze and rewrite the GLEs.  Click here to see our Reading Strategies Analysis Graphic Organizer.
  • D.S.T.P. Reading Sampler Packet Preview/GLE Labeling  On Friday and into Monday (yesterday), we worked with the GLEs by rewriting them in language that was easier to understand.  Today, we will continue our work with the GLEs by labeling sample questions that have been selected from a former reading D.S.T.P.  This will give you the chance to familiarize yourself with question types and sample answers in a non-testing setting.  By the way, your hard work has paid off!  To view a set of GLEs in plain, student-friendly English, download this link.
    

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Mon., 31 August 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Caught’Ya
  • Continue to rewrite the GLEs in plain English

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Fri., 28 August 2009

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Commence Caught’Yas  Every single day, we will use a grammar warm-up that’s part of the Caught’Ya system. To download the directions, goals (including state standard/GLEs, and grading explanation and rubric), and TODAY’S (not a usual posting) Caught’Ya, click here: Caught’ya! PowerPoint
  • Preview/Rewrite GLEs  In the state of Delaware, each curriculum (math, English, social studies) is governed by Standards and by GLEs, or Grade Level Expectations.  In order to help you to understand what you, and other students in your grade, are expected to be able to do, you are being asked to rewrite each of the GLEs into “student friendly” language.  If you’re curious what the GLEs are, check out this “condensed” document.  You can also see the content standards and GLEs for all grade levels for English Language Arts if you follow this link.
    

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Thurs., 27 August 2009 — ALL  STUDENTS  ATTEND

• Gr. 9 & Gr. 10
  • Classroom procedures overview
  • Gr. 9 Syllabus, Gr. 10 Syllabus, and Student Information Sheet (Gr. 9) and (Gr. 10) distribution

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Wed., 26 August 2009 — NEW  Freshmen  ONLY

• Welcome orientation in the auditorium
• Meet with your Mentor Teacher (tours and summer reading discussion/activity)
• Lunch
• Daily Schedule WalkThrough