Mrs. Edgerton

Boiling Springs High School-9th grade

English I CP

English II H

2011-2012

Welcome back students and parents!  Let's make this year the year to Be the Best! I look forward to getting to know all my students and parents. 

English I CP- This week are are getting to know each other a little better.  We are taking a two-part English I pretest on Thursday and Friday, August 18 and 19.

English II H- We are also taking time to get to know each other.  English II H is taking a pretest on Thursday, August 18.  We will then look at the poem "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" before starting our short story unit.

 Week of August 22- 26

English I CP- Our SAT List #1 follows; we will have a spelling quiz on these words on Thursday, Aug. 25:

abhorrent- disgusting

abridge- to condense or shorten

adulation- excessive flattery

advocate- to urge or plead for something

alleviate- to relieve

Ambivalence- state of having contradictory emotional attitudes towards something

amicable - friendly

anachronism - an error in the order of time

arbitrary- capricious

ascetic- practicing self-denial

Literature- students should know the parts of a plot diagram.  We are reading "The Lady, or the Tiger?"skills stressed are: conflict- internal and external; setting; supporting point of view with details.

English II H - SAT LIst #1 Quiz on Thursday, Aug. 25-

abstract- theoretical; not concrete

adversary- opponent

aesthetic- artistic

altruistic- unselfishly generous; concern for others

anarchist - person who seeks to overthrow established governmant

apprehensive - anxious or fearful about the future

articulate - effective; distinct; clear

astute - wise, shrewd; keen

belie - contradict; give a false impression

boorishness - rude or clumsy in behavior

Literature- Students should be able to identify the parts of a plot.  We are reading "The Open Window" by Saki- skills include: sequence of events in a plot, practice with context clues for vocabulary, identifying flashbacks and irony.

Week of August 29 - September 2

English I CP - All English I  students will take the EOC Benchmark on Monday.  This is a practice for the end of course test in English in May. On Wednesday English I students have a test on the elements of plot.  On Friday we will have a quiz on SAT List #2.  We are continuing "The Most Dangerous Game" and will have a literature test early next week.

SAT List #2 words- homeworkk due Tuesday - using words correctly in a sentence with a context clue:

auspicious - attended by favorable circumstances

autonomous - self-governing

brevity- conciseness; short and to the point

cartography - the art of making maps and charts

cathartic- cleansing as in the emotions

censorious - critical of something that has been said or done

commemorate- to honor the memory of

concise - something that is brief

consensus- general agreement with something

conviction - a judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; a strongly held belief

English IIH- Homework due Tuesday - use SAT words in a sentence which contains a context clue - find five examples of foreshadowing in Mark Twain's "The Californian's Tale"

These students will have a test on Wednesday.  They need to know the elements of plot and be able to relate them to "The Open Window" by Saki.  They shoud be able to explain why a detail represents that part of the plot.  We are also continuing with Mark Twain's short story/  Students will begin work on an analysis of the short story by Twain. They will find support in details from the story for a thesis.

SAT List #2

cajole - to coax or wheedle

censure - espression of strong disapproval

collusion - secret agreement for illegal purposes

compliance - readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements

condone - overlook; forgive; give tacit approval of

constraint - repression of feelings

consummate - complete in every respect

corroborate - confirm; support

cryptic - mysterious; hidden

decorous - proper

Week of September 6- 9

Parents- please encourage your child to study for all tests.  If they are absent the day the test is given, they have a one-week period to schedule a make up with the teacher.  Interims will be coming out on September 15 and tests and quizzes that are not made up are recorded as a zero.  This is why it is so important to make up the missed test/quiz!

English I CP- These students have a test ontwo short stories on Thursday, Sept. 8.  The stories are "The Lady, or the Tiger?" and "The Most Dangerous Game".  Students should study vocabulary and details from the story.  They should be familiar with author's names, conflicts, setting, characters and plot.

English II H- These students have a test on two short stories on Thursday, Sept. 8.  The stories are "The Open Window" and "The Californian's Tale".  Students should be familiar with vocabulary from the stories, foreshadowing, flashbacks, details of plot, character;s names, and settings.  They also have an essay on Mark Twain due on Friday.  They may type or hand write.  If typed, paper must be double-spaced and 12 point font.  Handwritten papers must be in ink with proper margins, one side of paper only.

Week of September 12-16- Interims go home Thursday, Sept. 15th

English I CP- Students continue with short story unit. "The Gift of the Magi" and emphasis on characterization.

SAT quiz on Friday, Sept. 3

English IIH- students continue with Short Story- Edgar Allan Poe and the allegory "The Masque of the Red Death"- students wil also read related non-fiction texts and practice annotating texts.

SAT quiz on Friday, Sept. 16

Week of Sept. 19-23

English I CP

SAT words- quiz this Thursday

embody - to give bodily form to

emulate - imitate

ephemeral- short-lived; fleeting

equanimity - the quality of being calm

esoteric- hard to understand

eulogy- written tribute given on the occasion of someone's death

evanescent - vanishing like vapor

exacerbate - worsen

exonerate - acquit

extol - praise or glorify

These students are finished with "The Gift of the MAgi" and will have a test next Thursday on it.  They should study vocabulary and litrary terms as well as the s try itself.

They are also writing an essay on a special gift they have given or received.  Essay should be 5-paragraphs.  FInal copy is due next Monday 9/26.  Ink for final paper.

English II- A test next Thursday on the Poe allegory "The masque of the Red Death"

Week of Sept. 26 - 30

We are busy this last week of September.  The good news is there will be no SAT quiz this week.  We are working on annotated bibliographies.  This is hard work and takes attention to detail.  We are in the Media Center Monday and Tuesday.  All classes have adue date of Tuesday, October 4 for this research activity.  It is a test grade.  They have been asigned an author ro research and find three different sources of information on.  They have detailed handouts with examples to help them.

English I- Test on "The Gift of the Magi" Thursday 9/29

English II Test on "The MAsque of the Red Death" 9/29

Week of October 10-14

This is a busy week for us at BSHS 9th grade.  All students will take the PSAT on Wednesday with their 3rd period class.  This timed test will take 1st, 2nd, and 3rd period.  Students will report directly to their 3rd period class when the first bell rings on Wednesday.  Parents- be sure that students are well rested and have  had a nourishing breakfast!  This really helps them with the stamina they need for this test.

The English Department will also be leaving for a fun and educational field trip this Thursday, October 13 at 7:30 AM.  For students who are participating in this event, the buses will leave at 7:30 AM and return at 3:30 PM. We will be attending the Renaissance Fair in Davidson, NC.  This annual event gives students te opportunity to experience life during the Renaissance time period.

Upcoming- Poetry Out Loud class competitions- November 3-4

English IIH- Students have chosen a poem to begin memorizing for their class competion.  All poems must be listed on the official site: www.poetryoutloud.org .  In class we will work on tone/mood, vocabulary, promunciation, recitation skills as part of our poetry unit.  We are also reading and, analysing, and explicating poetry.  Writing poetry is also part of our unit.

Quiz on Friday on SAT #6 - listed below

English I CP-These students will choose a poem for recitation from the official website for our class competion, www.poetryoutloud.org. Time will be spent in class on memorization, pratice for an effective recitatoin, pronunciation of unknown words,a nd more.  Recitations will begin on NOvember 3. We are also reading and analysing peoms from our text and reviewing poetry terms.

Quiz on Friday on SAT LIst #6 - below:

SAT List #6

incorrigible  (adj)- not correctable ( as in behavior that cannot be changed)

ingenious  (adj)- to be clever or resourceful

innocuous (adj) - harmless ( as in a remark)

instigate ( V) - to start or provoke someone into an action

ironic (adj) - resulting in an unexpected or contrary outcome

levity (n) - lack of seriousness; lightness (as in humor)

lucid ( adj) - easily understood; clear minded

materialism  (n) - a preoccupation with physical comforts and things

mitigate (v) - to appease or moderate

mundane (adj)- ordinary

Week of October 17-21

This is Homecoming Week at BSHS, and it will be a week full of activities!  Please remember there is no school on Friday, 10/21.  Reports may be picked up the following Monday and Tuesday, 10/24-25, from 3:30-7:00 PM at the school.

SAT Quiz #6 will be this Monday 10/17.  It was postponed from last Friday. Same words.

All classes continue with poetry.

English II  will have a test on literary terms on Thursday.

Week of October 24-28

SAT #7 -List of words for October 31st quiz

nefarious- infamous by way of being wicked

notoriety- disrepute; ill-fame

obstinate- stubborn

opaque- dark; not transparent

ostentatious- showy; pretentious

peripheral- marginal; outer

philanthropist- lover of mankind; doer of good

polarization- opposing interests about two conflicting positions

ponderous- weighty; unweildy

pretentious- ostentatious; pompous

English II- We continue with poetry studying the English sonnet.  we are also spending time in class working on recitations that are due to be given on November 3.  We will have a test on poetry on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

English I- We are also continuing with our poetry unit.  We are studying voice as seen in Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B".  We will also have a test next Tuesday, Nov. 1 on poems studied in class.

Poetry Review

English II

“Creatures” 

Vocabulary- know definitions and usage for:

• grimace
• fissure
• bureau
• submerged

Literary device:

Enjambment- know that enjambment is used:

• to create surprise and suspense as you read the next line
• to create a distance between a speaker and another person or thing in the poem

Know how the speaker in the poem feels about the energy represented in the creatures he sees in everyday objects.  Look at the poem and make a list of speaker’s reactions to all the creatures he sees.  What are they doing?  How do they appear to him?  Friendly and comforting or scary and sinister?

According to the poem, where does the speaker first see creatures?

What are the two main settings of this poem?  Where is the speaker?

According to the poem, what do the creatures know about the boy?

What does the expression on the face of the stone suggest about what is feeling?

“Those Winter Sundays”

Vocabulary- know meaning and usage for :

• indifferently
• austere

Know the focus for each stanza:

Stanza one

Stanza two

Stanza three

Be able to give details and explain IN YOUR OWN WORD what is going on in each stanza.

Be able to provide details that show you understand what is going on in the poem.  For example, what details seem to make the day an ordinary day?  What details make this day unique?  What does the father do in the poem and why?  Describe what he is doing.  What do his actions show about him?  Is he affective in conveying his feelings to his family?  Why/why not?

Know the family’s reaction to the father’s actions.

What is the speaker doing at the start of the second stanza?

Poetry Review

English I

“Sympathy”

Know the focus of each stanza:

Stanza one-

Stanza Two-

Stanza Three-

Which two stanzas have the same end rhyme?

Is there any internal rhyme present in any stanza?

Why is the caged bird praying at the end of the poem in the last stanza?  What is it a plea for?

What do we know about the speaker from the first line of the poem?

The title of the poem is “Sympathy”.  It seems to suggest that the speaker has experienced the same things as the caged bird, and wants the same things.

Look carefully at the first stanza- lines 2-6.  Where is the setting for these lines?

“The Black Snake”

What does the poem seem to suggest about life, death, and nature?

Be able to list three examples of parallelism in the poem.  In what lines and stanzas do we find them?

The speaker in the poem feels that death is inevitable- in other words, it will come to all eventually.

This is related to the poem’s theme- although death is inevitable and a certainty, we (humans as well as animals) have a drive and will to live.  This keeps us going.

Week of November 7-11

English II H- We are studying the King Arthur Legend.  Students have a shield project due November 28.

English I CP- We have begun the epic The Odyssey! 

Week of December 5- 9

English II- We have almost finished our unit on myth. legend and folktale.  Students had a two-page story due today on an original myth.

We are also starting research to get ready for our next unit of study, the novel.  We will be reading the allegory Animal Farm by George Orwell.  To get ready for the novel, students will be conducting research into the events that led to the Russian Revolution.  The research assignment has four parts:

Station 1 - video on the Russian Revolution- this will be done in class and students will recieve a separate grade for watching the video and identifying key elements.

Station 2- ( 20 points) for this, students will use an online encyclopedia through Discus .  Students have been given information on how to access DISCUS  from home.  Students will create a graphic organizer that has 18 pieces of information- 6 people important to the revolution and why; 6 important dates and why they are important; and 6 additional important pieces of information and why they are important.

Station 3- (50 points) students will work in a group to create a newspaper about the Russian Revolution.  We will work on this in the Media Center.  Each student in the group will have an individual contribution to make to the final product- Points will be given according to their contribution.

Station 4 - (30 points) a two-page paper on a person who is a key figure in the revolution using parenthetical documentation.  Papers must at least 2 sources ( book, internet) and at least 12 note cards (6 for each source) this is a minimum. A Works Cited page will also be needed.

All final work must be typed or written in ink.  Pencil will not be acecepted.  Work needs to be turned in in a hard copy- flashdrives will not be considered final work.  I must have the copies.  If printers are out of ink or do not work, students have theoption of writing in ink their paper and graphic organizer.

Due Date- January 13.

English I - students have completed The Odyssey and will have a test on part 3 on Thursday, December 8.  We will also work on a mosaic project in class. Students will also have a brochure project to complete.  Directions and instructions will be given in class.

Week of January 3-6

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2012!

We are so lucky to have another opportunity to set goals and make improvements to our lives for the rest of this school year.  Remember to stay focused, stay on task and be the best you can be!

English II H- Students in my English II classes are currently completing a major research project.  See week of Dec 5- 9 for details.  Please note the only thing that has changed is the due date.  The project will be due January 17. The project is being done to compliment students' understanding of the novel Animal Farm which they should have read over CHristmas break.  The novel does need to be finished by January 9.

English I CP- These students are also completing research on the Renaissance time period during which William Shakespeare lived .  This time period is also know as Elizabethan.  They have been assigned a topic and we are working in the Media Center to find four sources of information in their topic.  They need to show me 6 notecards of information from each source (2 books, 1 encyclopedia, and 1 Discus).  They will then write a 2-3 page paper with Works Cited about their topic.

Week of January 17-20

English II H-

Our Animal Farm-Russian Revolution projects (see above for details) were due this week on the 17th and 18th.  I will be posting which projects have been recieved and which are missing by this weekend.  I am in the process of grading and will post grades as soon as I can.

I am assigning chapter guides to be finsihed at home as homework grades.  We will work on an in-class project this Thursday and watch the A&E movie version of the book this Friday.

English I- Our Elizabethan/Renaissance time period projects( see above for details) were due this week, and I am in the process of posting which projects ( a visual- poster- and a paper ) have been recieved.  Grades will be posted as soon as possible.

Studenst have begun reading of Act I of Romeo and Juliet and are doing very well.  We will be reviewng daily and I give them claswork that is collected and graded to help with comprehension.

Week of Jan 30- February 3

English II- We are finising  Animal Farm.  The last two chapters guides are due tomorrow.  We will review on Tuesday for a test on  the entire novel . We will then begin The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.

Upcoming dates:

February 1st- Test on Animal Farm

February 20th- begin research on the Roman Empire projects

March 20- research due and a Roman Celebration.

English I-

We are continuing with The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.  We have had our first test.  We will begin Act II on Wed., Jan 31.  Monday we are looking at our Act I test results, reviewing drama terms, and watching an Endowment of the Arts video on Shakespeare in America.

Parents please note that Shakespeare projects were due on the 18th and some have not yet been turned in.  You can check Power School to see the posted grades and whether or not your child has completed that assignment.

Week of February 20-24

English II H:  This week we are in the Media Center to begin work on our research project to prepare for our reading of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

Students have received instructions and directions for the project which will be due March 20.  They will individually be creating a six-slide Power Point presentation on a topic related to the Roman Empire.  Slides must be paraphrased and contain parenthetical documentation in  MLA format.  Each student will need to show progress and completed work each day as part of their grade.  Students should also have their own flash drive to save work each day.

English I CP- Students are continuing with The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare.  We will most likely have the Act III quiz and test one day this week.

Week of February 27- March 2

English II H- Students worked in the Media Center last week to research topics on the ancient Roman Empire.  Their researched power piont projects are due March 13.  They should be prepared to turn in to me a handout of their power point (six slides per page-handout option) on March 13.  Late work will be counted off 10 points per day. Part of the project is to prepare a list of Works Cited and to include parenthetical documentation for the information they are paraphrasing or quoting.

This week we will begin the Shakespeare drama The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.  Students will be responsible for Act I vocabulary and literary terms- in book on page 707.  They will need to know and understand the definition of tragedy.  While reading the play, students should expect quizzes after each act.  A test will follow each act .

English I CP- Parents- Act III test scores have been posted on  Power School.  Students who qualify for a do over, less than an 80 on the test and one do over per 9 weeks, should plan to attend a mandatory review session either before or after school this Tuesday.  The do over will be on Thursday either before or after school.  I will be available at both times, so which ever time is most suitable is fine with me.

We contine with Romeo and Juliet Act IV.  Students are responsible for Act IV information, vocabulary and lliterary terms.  All of these are in the text and also should be in students' notes.

Week of March 12-16

English II H: *Roman Celebration on Tuesday

Monday we will review review for Act I test on Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.  The test will be on Wednesday.  We will also take notes on Act II and begin reading that act.

Tuesday- A celebration where we will share our PowerPoint research projects that are due on this day.  Students should have a two-page print out of their research to hand in. Some students signed into help with refreshments for this day.  We are sticking to an Ancient Rome theme, so no soft drinks or chips, but there will be a lot of good things to try!

Wednesday- ACt I test

Thursday- continue play- Act II

English I CP:

Monday- review for Act IV test on The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Take notes for Act V.

Tuesday- Test on ACt IV.

Wednesday and Thursday-  continue with Act V 

Week of April 9-13

English II H- The English II classes will have a test on Act III of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar this Thursday, April 12.  We will have a thorough review on Wednesday.  We will will be starting Act IV in class.

English I CP- These students are currently working in the library on a scrapbook project in conjunction with the reading of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  Each student will research an allusion used in the novel and create a page for the class scrapbook.  The page will include a researched explanation of the allusion, a Works Cited in MLA format of the sources used, a timeline, and a picture of the allusion.  This is due on April 18.