Journal for the day

All sections:

Freewrite!

Journal Project - Due Friday, October 2

Don't forget that Journals will be collected on Friday. This is 40 points towards Classwork and 40 points towards Projects. Work on it tonight!

More Strong Paragraphs

This paragraph is a response to the poem "Against Idleness and Mischief," and addresses the concept of theme, which we discussed in class today.

This is a TEAC paragraph:

Topic Sentence

Examples

Analysis

Conclusion

What is the central theme of "Against Idleness and Mischief?"

 The central theme of "Against Idleness and Mischief" is that hard work is important because it is the key to staying out of trouble. The busy bee is like the ideal individual--hard-working as she collects honey from flowers and builds wax cells to store it. The speaker says that he would also be busy like the bee, warning that "Satan finds some mischief still / for idle hands to do." The busy bee is constantly occupied, and therefore has no time to be idle; therefore, no time for mischief. By following the speaker's example, good children can do the same if they want to stay out of trouble.

Notice that the topic sentence answers the question, stating the central theme of the poem. The next two sentences provide details from the poem that support the central point. The examples show that the bee is good and hard-working. The example also shows that the speaker of the poem believes that working hard is a good thing, and helps keep young people away from "mischief." Therefore, the bee is a model to be followed, since hard work will help keep you out of trouble.

Classwork assignment:

Write a TEAC paragraph answering the following question:

What is the main theme of "How doth the Little Crocodile?" Label each sentence according to the TEAC model (Topic sentence, Example, Analysis, Conclusion).

Journal for the day

All sections:

What does it mean to "read between the lines?" Give an example of a time when you had to read between the lines.

Journal Rubric

Journal Rubric

Mrs. Koza

10^th Grade English

Name: ________________________________________ Section: ________________________

Your Journal will receive two grades: one for classwork and one project grade. Both are a total of 80 points. Here is how it breaks down:

Classwork (40 points):

	20 points	15 points	10 points	5 points	0 points	Your Points
Do you have all your entries?	All entries are present and some response has been made	At most 2 entries are missing	At most 5 entries are missing	Most entries are missing	There are no entries
Are all your entries one page?	All entries have a response of at least one page	Most entries have a response of at least one page	Half of entries have a response of at least one page	Most entries have a response of less than one page	No entries fulfill the one page requirement
Total:					40 possible

Project (40 points):

For the project grade you will choose 4 entries from your journal and write a 300 word reflection on your writing. Choose your entries according to the following criteria:

Exemplary Entry: This entry is your favorite of all. It is a reflection of what you like about your writing.

Most Challenging Entry: This entry was difficult to write about. It's probably not your favorite, but it shows you struggling with the question, even if you think your response doesn't make sense.

Needs Improvement: This might have been an off day, or maybe your internal editor was at its worst. This entry could use some work.

Most Experimental: This entry reflects you as a no-fear writer. Even though it may not be the best or most creative entry, you certainly let yourself write what was on your mind without reservation.

Reflection:

Each 300 word reflection should cover these areas:

1. Why did you choose it for that criterion?
2. What do you think you did very well for this entry?
3. How could you improve next time?

	10 points	7 points	5 points	3 points	0 points	Your Points
Exemplary Entry	Reflection answers all 3 questions fully, showing that the student has thought about the quality of his or her writing, and is open to and aware of next steps towards improvement.	Reflection mostly answers all 3 questions, showing that the student has thought somewhat about the quality of his or her writing, and shows some awareness of next steps towards improvement	Reflection partially answers all 3 questions, showing that the student has limited understanding of the quality of his or her writing, with limited awareness of next steps towards improvement	Reflection does little to respond to the 3 questions, demonstrating little to no awareness of the student's writing quality, and little to no sense of next steps towards improvement	No reflection has been turned in.
Most Challenging Entry
Needs Improvement
Most Experimental
Total:					40 possible

Classroom Conduct

In the best interest of those students whose main priority is to learn, I have adapted our classroom disciplinary system. Starting on Tuesday, Sept 29, there will be a demerit system.

Each week, students have an allowance of three (3) demerits before being issued a Saturday detention. Demerits are marks against misbehavior in the class. These include:

T - Off-task (having a side conversation, working on another class' work, etc.)
S - Speaking out of turn (while the teacher is talking, a peer is talking, or during a work period, etc.)
G - Gum or other food/drink
O - Out of Seat (don't leave your seat without permission!)
L - Late 
U - Unprepared (no paper, pencil, journal, etc.)

Please remember that how you behave in class helps determine your success. Be present with your whole self!

Grammar Quiz on Wednesday, Sept. 30

Go over the capitalization worksheets you got back. Check your mistakes and try to correct them as you study. Let me know if you have any questions.

The quiz will be out of 25 points.

Writing Strong Paragraphs

We discussed writing strong paragraphs on Thursday. We will continually go over these skills in our class. Each time you are given a writing assignment, practice strong paragraph writing. This will make essays much easier to write, and will strengthen your skills as a critical reader and thinker.

Every strong paragraph contains four essential elements:

Topic Sentence

This sentence tells your reader what your paragraph will be all about. It usually puts forth an argument, which you will support in the rest of your paragraph. If you are responding directly to a question, the topic sentence will address the question, and answer it.

Example

An example is lifted directly from the text you are reading. An example refers specifically to a detail in the text, and may even be a direct quote. The example you choose should support the argument or statement you made in your topic sentence. Remember that paragraphs are one unit of information, and all your sentences need to stick to the same topic!

Analysis

In your analysis, you are explaining to your reader why your example supports your topic sentence. Make sure you refer back to whatever your main idea is, and show the connection to your reader. Why is it that your example supports the point you're making? Show the connection!

Conclusion

Your conclusion ties up any loose ends, and gives a little summary of your points and why you believe them. Again, since a paragraph is one unit of information, your conclusion may also show how all the ideas you discussed fit together. Your conclusion will also refer back to your topic sentence, showing that you have made your point.

Here is the example we discussed in class:

The author is discussing the contradictory attitude the people of Victorian England had about childhood. Although children were a "source of hope, of virtue, or emotion," they also believed that children were "potentially wicked," needing "constant guidance and discipline." This shows that Victorian adults probably had high hopes for their children, but also had deep questions about their children's ability to be "good." In short, Victorians felt torn about the nature of childhood, and felt ambivalent towards their children because of it.

Notice how the topic is repeated throughout the paragraph. The contradiction (that children could be good and bad at the same time) is repeated throughout the paragraph, driving home the argument that Victorians felt torn about their children.

Weekend Journals

All sections:

Saturday: What does it mean to be free? How does our culture help us exercize our freedom? How does it interfere with our freedom?

Sunday: What is authority? How does authority manifest itself in your life? What might the world we live in be like if there was no authority?

Monday: What makes you who you are? How do you explore your identity? How do you know you're exploring it "right"?

Journal for the day

All sections:

Freewrite!

Images of Childhood

Images of Childhood (11 points towards classwork)

Look online, in a magazine, in a newspaper, or anywhere else you can think of for images of children. Choose 2 or 3 of your favorite images and answer the following questions on a loose-leaf sheet of paper.

This will be a Classwork grade.

1. What do the children look like? What are they wearing? (1 point)
2. Are there any adults around? If so, what do you think the relationship is? (1 point)
3. What are the children doing? (1 point)

Look at the images of Alice Liddell.

4. What does Alice look like? What is she wearing? (1 point)
5. What is she doing in the photos? (1 point)

Look at both images:

6. How are the images different? (1 point)
7. What do these images tell you about the culture that created them? (2 points)
8. What is "childhood" today? Do you we have good ideas about "childhood"? (3 points

Journal for the day

All sections:

What advice would your present-day self give to your 7 or 8 year-old self?

Victorian Childhood

This assignment is worth 17 points!


What was Victorian childhood like?

“On the one hand the child was the source of hope, of virtue, or emotion: along with the angelic wife, he was the repository of family values which seemed otherwise to be disappearing from an increasingly secular world.... But at the same time, and of course much less obviously, the child was a hardship, an obstacle to adult pleasure, and a reminder of one's baser self. He might be innocent, untainted by sexual knowledge, uncorrupted by the world of business, free from the agony of religious doubt; yet he was also potentially wicked and needed constant guidance and discipline.”

LuAnn Walthe ("The Victorian Invention of Childhood")

In your own words, what is the author above describing about childhood? What is contradictory here (3 points)?

Against Idleness And Mischief
Isaac Watts

How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!

How skillfully she builds her cell!
How neat she spreads the wax!
And labours hard to store it well
With the sweet food she makes.

In works of labour or of skill,
I would be busy too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.

In books, or work, or healthy play,
Let my first years be passed
That I may give for every day
Some good account at last.

How Doth The Little Crocodile
Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

Response to Poetry

On a loose-leaf sheet of paper, and in complete sentences answer the following questions about the poems “Against Idleness And Mischief” and “How Doth The Little Crocodile” as completely as possible. Each question is worth 2 points, except #6, which is worth 4 points.

1. What is the main idea of “Against Idleness and Mischief?”
2. What is the busy bee like? What is it doing throughout the poem? Look back at “Against Idleness and Mischief” for examples.
3. What is the main idea of “How doth the Little Crocodile?”
4. What is the crocodile like? What is it doing throughout the poem? Look back at “How Doth The Little Crocodile” for examples.
5. Contrast the alligator and the bee. How are they different?
6. Choose one important action that each animal (bee and crocodile) does in their poem. Write a short poem about each action.

Homework (due 9/25)

All sections:

Finish the worksheet on "Victorian Childhood." This assignment is worth 17 points!

Bring in 2 or 3 images of children from magazines, newspapers, or the internet. You will need the images for Friday's class activity.

Journal for the day

All sections:

What does your childhood mean to you? Do you think you have "lost your innocence" as a teenager? How so?

Homework (due 9/24)

Grammar worksheet was distributed in class.

Grammar Workshop - Capitalization II

Grammar Practice

Mrs. Koza

10^th Grade English

Name:____________________________________________ Section:_________________________

Capitalization II

Using Visual Representation for Information

It's in the middle of a sentence! How do I know if it's capitalized?

In English and other languages, we capitalize proper nouns. A proper noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. A capitalized noun in the middle of a sentence tells us that we are looking at someone or something's unique name.

Your name is a proper noun!

What other proper nouns can you think of?

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

What should I capitalize?

There are many kinds of proper nouns that get capitalized. Remember that a proper noun is a specific person, place, thing, or idea.

Names of Individuals

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Names of national or ethnic groups

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Names of languages

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Religious terms

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Organizations

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Institutions

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Monuments, Buildings, Bridges

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Names of countries

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Names of heavenly bodies

______________________________

______________________________

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Names of political institutions

______________________________

______________________________

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Titles in family relationships

______________________________

______________________________

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Titles of Works

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Journal for the day

All sections:

Freewrite!

Grammar Workshop - Capitalization

Grammar Practice

Mrs. Koza

10^th Grade English

Name:______________________________________________ Section:_______________________

Capitalization I

The Visual Organization of Words

What is capitalization?

Capitalization is when we use a capital letter at the beginning of a word. There are many reasons to capitalize.

Capitalizing at the beginning of a sentence

Capitalizing the first word in a sentence is a way to visually organize writing. As you know, every sentence must end with some kind of punctuation mark (period, question mark, exclamation point, etc.), showing that a complete thought has ended. Similarly, a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence tells us when a new thought has begun.

The street is really noisy at night.

She told me the bus would be late.

Circle the words that need capitalizing in the paragraph below:

doesn't everyone in Williamsburg know that drinking out of a plastic water bottle will lead to certain death? one water consumer ordered a case of Poland Spring to the mail room recently, only to have it stolen. the bisphenol-A has clearly gone to their head, as they skipped right over passive-aggressive and penned an aggressive-aggressive note to the thief, wishing them to choke. a ransom note, declaring the water was "fine," was posted in reply.

Capitalizing direct quotations

Capitalize a direct quotation when it is a complete sentence, even if the quote starts in the middle of the sentence.

“When can I turn in this assignment,” he asked the teacher.

I said to her, “Please help me with my homework.”

Circle the words below that need to be capitalized:

One tenant in the building says, "this goes a long way to explaining my love/hate relationship with my neighbors."

Heyward agreed, telling the cops, "yeah, that does look like me."

Quotations that are not capitalized

If a quotation is not a complete sentence, or does not express a complete thought, then it is not capitalized.

Sarah said she was “on the move.”

They said we were “creative thinkers.”

Capitalizing sentences in parentheses

Sentences in parentheses only get capitalized if the sentence stands alone.

Amelie refused to continue down the path. (We continued to walk.)

Sunaura ran the red light. (Mom got really scared.)

If the parentheses are within another sentence, the parenthetical does not get capitalized, even if it is a complete sentence.

We ran (and far) to get to the other side of the track.

Sylvia got her test back (it was a good grade), and showed it to her friends.

Circle the words below that need to be capitalized:

After last November's fake New York Times treatment, lefty political pranksters The Yes Men are back with a fake "Special Climate Edition" of the New York Post. The front page story covers the catastrophic events which the scientific community expects humanity to endure due to climate change. (in Bizarro-world Post fashion.)

Homework (due 9/23)

Grammar worksheet distributed in class.

Journal for the day

All sections:

Imagine that you are an ant, a fly, or other small creature. Now imagine that you are exploring your bedroom from the point of view of the creature you chose. Describe your bedroom from this perspective. How is it different from the way you usually perceive it?

Homework (due 9/22)

Response to Poetry:

Respond to the poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein by answering the following questions:

1. How does the speaker describe "the place where the sidewalk ends"? (Stanza 1)

2. What does the speaker leave behind as he or she approaches "the place where the sidewalk ends"? (Stanza 2)

3. What do "the children know"?

4. Write a 4th stanza to the poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends."

some ideas:
- how do they get there?
- what is it like when they arrive?
- what kind of place is it?

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch

where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends

Response to Poetry

Response to Poetry:

Respond to the Poem "Forgotten Language" by Shel Silverstein by answering the following questions:

1. What is it that the speaker can no longer do?

2. Do you think the speaker enjoyed knowing the secret language? How do you know?

3. "How did it go?" What do you think?

Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

Respond to the Poem "One Inch Tall" by Shel Silverstein by answering the following questions:

1. What examples does the speaker give of what it's like to be one inch tall?

2. What do we learn about the speaker at the end of the poem? What is interesting about his or her perspective?

3. Write your own version of "one Inch Tall."

One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.
The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.
A crumb of cake would be a feast
And last you seven days at least,
A flea would be a frightening beast
If you were one inch tall.

If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,
And it would take about a month to get down to the store.
A bit of fluff would be your bed,
You'd swing upon a spider's thread,
And wear a thimble on your head
If you were one inch tall.

You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.
You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.
You'd run from people's feet in fright,
To move a pen would take all night,
(This poem took fourteen years to write--
'Cause I'm just one inch tall).

Bring $4.00 for our first novel, Alice in Wonderland

All sections:

As per the letter sent home, Monday is the deadline to bring in $4.00 for our first novel, Alice in Wonderland. This text is required and if you do not purchase it from the school, you will have to find your own copy!

Having your book is part of being prepared for class. Please keep this in mind when you make your decision whether or not to purchase the book from me.

9/11 Television Archive

The Internet Archive had its tape recorders rolling on 9/11 when the Twin Towers were attacked. Watch footage from major news networks covering the incident.

9/11 Television Archive

Looking at different sources of information is important in making decisions about what to believe. That's what critical thinking is all about. Many of you were probably too young to remember clearly what happened on that day. Come to your own conclusions about this important historical moment. Check your sources!

Designs for a Dollar

Check out this website, where Pratt Institute students designed beautiful furniture, lighting, and decorative pieces using materials costing less than a dollar.

We tend to believe that good things, or more valuable things, tend to be more expensive, but a bit of creative thinking will take you a long way!

Think about the kinds of connections these design students had to make in order to come up with the beautiful shapes they created for these pieces (like a sweater sleeve and a juice bottle to make a light fixture). Thinking creatively means bringing strange, seemingly different and disparate ideas together to make something new (like portmanteaus!).

Weekend Journals

All sections:

We will begin reading Alice in Wonderland in the coming week. One of the most important characteristics of this text is Lewis Carroll's use of dream logic. Indeed, we discover very quickly that the rules of the real world don't really apply in Wonderland.

Over the weekend, write two "dream journals" (one for each day). Try to notice your dreams. What happened? Who was in it? What was unusual about the landscape, the people, and the conversation you may have had? Did you visit strange places? Were ythe people not who you thought they were? If you can't remember you dreams exactly, don't fret! Go ahead and just make it up! As always, let you imagination go; don't edit yourself! The stranger, the better.

Journal for the day

All sections:

Freewrite!

(When you see this on the board, rejoice! You get to write about anything, anything you want! You can write a story, a poem, a rant on something that's on your mind, comment on a movie you saw, or start writing your own script. In short, let your imagination fly! The possibilities are truly endless)

Homework (due 9/18)

All sections:

Today in class we talked about Lewis Carroll's poem "The Jabberwocky." This is a classic of English nonsense poetry, where Carroll makes liberal use of portmanteaus.

A portmanteau is a word made up of other words squished together. You've probably seen some of these in your experience.

For example, chocoholic is a smush of alcoholic and chocolate, meaning that a person is addicted to chocolate. Another more pop-culture related one in Brangelina (mush of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie). A telethon is telephone and marathon. Chillax (you'll make fun of me for bringing this one up) is chill and relax. So you see that we use portmanteaus in our language all the time!

For homework, come up with five of your own portmanteaus and write a poem or a short story which uses these invented words! At the top of your page, write down your portmanteaus and define them, explaining which words you smushed together. Have fun with this assignment, and take the opportunity to experiment with words and meaning.

Journal for the day

All sections:

How do you feel when you don't get what you expect?

Vocabulary Quiz Tomorrow!!!

There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday. You can use the comments section of this post to exchange good definitions and share some of your sentences. Help each other out!

1. Inquisitive
2. Lamasery
3. Devised
4. Permutation
5. Aeries
6. Parapet
7. Vertiginous
8. Swoop
9. Morosely
10. Gibberish
11. Inexorably
12. Obscure
13. Manna
14. Blasphemy
15. Sabotage
16. Incessant
17. Savoring
18. Ebullience

Seating Chart

As promised, here is the seating chart. Effective immediately.

				Shana
							Stefani		Brian
Tiara		Nala					Victor		Tybria
				Shannen	Treece
Sky O.		Darrell					Reginald		Shae
Malik		Jaque		Jonathan	Steffany		Steven		Isaac
Kejohna		Briana		Mary	Skye B.		Danielle		Abdo
10-2
				Alexia	Isaiah
							Elizabeth		Morgan
Naya		Jeffrey					Ivory		Chynna
				Shaheem	Dominic
Sasha		Taquasia					Kbudah		Tiffany
Natasha		Shaina		Destiny	Ineyda		Jhai		T-Milly
Javonte		Darryl		Breanna	Janiece		Princess		Kendall
10-3
				Shaniqua	Akeem
Cordell		Sadio					Sion		Ticquan
Naila		Kia					Manny		Stephanie
				Taniesha	Sade
Marcus		Janay					Latisha		Zakiyah
Christina		Rellly		Sayquan	Raven		Amari		Krisbill
Jocelyn		Brandon		Scrappy	Malik		Brandasia		Comar
10-4
					Vonia
Dot		Myelle					Lizandro
				Shanequa	Michelle
Kadijah		Angelina					Kevin		Najee
		Danny					Joey		Solomon
Tayja				Raphael	Deury
		Jeremy		Manny	Terrance		Jesse		Denver