week of January 23rd

• Read your designated number of pages from your self-selected biography or autobiography.  Record pages on your bookmark.  You can write out important facts you read or you can wait until class the next day.
• Turn in The Outsiders if you have not done so
  

Break

•  Finish reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders
• Several of you have not turned in your 7 character portraits that was due over a month ago.  This has adversely affected your grade.  The character analysis is found in chapter one.  Pony Boy describes each of the Greasers.  Draw the description of each character's face, and then write out words that describe them.  It is a simple, uncomplicated project! 
• Remember to ask for pens and papers from Santa.  You must come into class EVERYDAY with the needed tools, pens and paper. 
• Make respect for everyone and everything part of your New Year's resolutions.  
• Come back in 2012 ready to receive an education!  Wake up to the new year knowing how important an education is for your own future success and happiness
• Remember:  All you need is Love!  Enjoy the holidays by filling your heart and soul up with the greatest gift of all: LOVE 

Week of December 5th

Progress reports are available this week.  Parents, please be sure to talk to your child about his or her progress in English class.  Low and failing grades are due largely to missing homework assignments.  That grade can come up when work is turned in.  Students, get progress reports signed and returned to your homeroom teacher

•  Read the number of pages you set for your personal goal each night.  The two main objectives here are (1) you get in the habit of reading and (2) you keep your word.  If you say you are going to read x amount of pages, then find a way to keep your word.
• Correct all misspelled and misused spelling/homophones from your returned papers.  Misspelled words 25 times each; misused homophones 10 sentences each. Due tomorrow.
• 16 of you failed to turn in the character study assignment due November 30th.  It is worth 100 points.  Get it in!  The descriptions are all in chapter 1 of The Outsiders.
•  Study the first 16 vocabulary words from The Outsiders.
• Write a sentence for each homophone in the last column.  Due Friday.
• Vocabulary test Friday.
• Homophone/spelling test Friday. 

Week of November 30th

• Read the number of pages you set as your goal each night S. E, Hinton's The Outsiders.  Be sure to reach your goal as you want your word to mean something.  Record pages on your yellow bookmark.
• Your character sketches are due Wednesday.  The following characters should be included:  Ponyboy, Darry, Sodapop, Two Bits Matthews, Johnny Cade, Steve Randle, and Dallas (Dally) Winston.  The character exposition is found in Chapter one.  Draw their portrait, coloring their hair and eyes as described, and then in two columns below their portrait, write the nouns that describe them and the adjectives that describe each of them.  Use a separate page for each character.
• Study your confusing words in columns  D and E for a test on Friday.

Week of November 14th

• Read your self-selected novel for 30 minutes 5 times a week and record pages on your bookmark. We will be writing a summary of our nightly reading in class M-T and F, so be sure to get your nightly reading in. Turn in a summary and response within two days of completing a novel.
• Continue to study spelling words, especially the homophones on column D and E
  
• Begin designing your cover for The Gift writing project

Week of November 7th

• This Wednesday is parent conference day.  I expect to see all 21 of my students parent/caregivers. Mrs. Lillard will be there if anyone is in need of an interpreter, pero yo puedo hablar un poco espanol!If a parent cannot attend Wednesday's conference, I will set up a time for us to meet, as I feel it is necessary to touch base with each student's caregiver. 
  

• These students still have not turned in permission slips and/or money for our PCPA field trip:Angelica, Xavier. Allyssa G, Yudith, Stephanie, Malena, Briana S, Guadalupe.  Please get them returned tomorrow.  If the $10 donation to make this field trip possible is a hardship at this time, send in a note and I will see if I can take care of the matter.  Thank you to all who have turned in the permission slip and the requested donation.  This should be an awesome field trip.
• Read your self-selected novel for 30 minutes 5 times a week and record pages on your bookmark.  Turn in a summary and response within two days of completing a novel.
• Continue to study spelling words, especially the homophones on column D
• Begin designing your cover for The Gift writing project

Week of October 31st

Monday-Friday:  Read your self-selected novela half hour each night, 5 times a week, or two and a half hours total per week.  Record pages on bookmark.  Turn in a summary and response within two days of completing a novel.

Thursday:  Study column D, confusing words, and review columns A, B, and C from your spelling sheet

Week of October 24th

Monday: 

• Read for 30 minutes from your self-selected novel.  Record pages read on your bookmark.  Remember, you have two days after completing a book to turn in your half page summary and your half page response with your bookmark attached.
• Finish writing your misspelled words 25 times each on your pink papers.

• Read and record
• Finish writing up your journal self evaluation in friendly letter form
  
• Write 10 sentences using any of the first 11 words from column D spelling list. put both/all of the confusing words in it so the class has to choose.  For example:  If (your  you're) going out for Halloween, don't go to (their there they're) house because (it's its) haunted

• Read and record
• Write a one-page story about a girl named LuLu who had a teddy bear bank made of glass. 
  

• Read and record
• Study words from column D
  

• Read for an hour or more over the weekend.
  

Week of October 17th

Monday:

•   Read for a hour hour from your self selected novel and record your pages on your bookmark.  Remember, when you finish a novel, write a half page summary of the rising action and climax, and then write a half page response to the novel. Turn this in within two days of finishing your novel.  Attach your bookmark.
• study the first 12 word from column 4 from your gold spelling list.  Remember these are homophones (words that sound alike) and they are often confused!  Use them in a sentence when studying the list.
• Remember to bring in your self-selected novel tomorrow!

Tuesday:

• Read for one half hour and record pages read
• correct spelling words from test:  ten times for new words; 25 times for words from colums 1 and 2.

Wednesday:

• Read for one half hour and record on your bookmark
• Study for Friday's Spelling test
• Review your study sheet of literary terms for short stories and novels

Thursday:

• Read!
• Study for spelling test
• Study literary terms for test

Friday:

• Catch up on your reading and get ahead!  This is our last week of reading before the first quarter ends!

Week of October 10th

Monday

• Write your friendly letter response to your classmate if you have not done so.  As stated today in class, detention will be issued if you do not have your respoonse letter.  Watch accuracy of FORM for the friendly letter.  Start your return address at the MIDDLE of the page and keep your closing directly underneath your return address.  DO NOT SKIP A SPACE between paragraphs, ever!  Just indent. 
• Read for 30 minutes out of your self-selected novel. 
• BRING YOUR SELF-SELECTED NOVEL TO CLASS TOMORROW
• Begin to study the rest of column three from your gold spelling sheet.

Tuesday

•  Read for 30 minutes and record pages on Bookmark
• Correct spelling test. 10x's for new wordsincorrect, 25x's on pink paper for review words still incorrect
• Be sure to write bak to your friendly letter partner

•  Read 
• study last 13 words in column 3 from gold spelling list

•  Read
• Study for tomorrow's spelling test

•  Read and catch up in pages if you are behind! Reports cards are right around the corner. Reading will be 1/3 of your grade 

Week of September 25th