Week at a glance December 3 - 7, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. aud - hear or listen - audience, audio, audition
2. dict - say or speak - dictate, dictionary, diction
3. path - emotion - pathetic, sympathy, empathy
4. test - witness or declare - contest, protest, testify
5. logia, ology - science or study of - biology, psychology, etymology
6. -ist - one who does or practices - racist, terrorist, Buddhist, novelist

This week we will complete our last week of new roots for our root words quiz unit.  This means that next week we will have a study guide and review over the past 30 roots.  We'll also continue our reading of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  In our two short stories this week, Huck has two different sets of adventures: in the first, Huck gets caught in the middle of a family feud.  In the second, Huck meets a pair of con men who take Huck and Jim along in their own series of adventures for awhile.  We'll wrap up the week with a root words quiz and some independent reading.

• Mon: Review this week's Root Words.  Read Huck Finn Ch XVII - XVIII, pages 95-116.
• Tues: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch XVII - XVIII; complete XVII - XVIII study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters XIX - XXIII, 117 - 156.
• Wed: Read Huck Finn Ch XIX - XXIII, 117 - 156.
• Thurs: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch XIX - XXIII; complete XIX - XXIII study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters XXIV - XXVIII, pages 157 - 195.  Bring a book to class tomorrow for the IRP.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  Read and take notes for the IRP.

Week at a glance November 26 - 30, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. anthrop - people,human - anthropology, philanthropist, misanthrope
2. ego - I or self - egotistical, egomaniac, egotheistic
3. humus - of the earth - human, humble, exhume
4. mater/matr - mother - maternal, matron, matriarch
5. pater/patr - father - paternal, patron, patriot
6. vir - man or manly - virtue, virile, triumvirate

This week we will continue our work reading and analyzing Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  In the first part of the novel, Jim warned Huck to stay away from the river.  This week's readings find Huck on the river and introduces us to his conflict as his conscience wonders what to do with runaway slave Jim.

• Mon: Review this week's Root Words.  Read Huck Finn Ch VIII - XI, pages 36 - 63.
• Tues: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch VIII - XI; complete VIII - XI study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters XII - XVI, pages 63 - 95.
• Wed: Read Huck Finn Ch XII - XVI, pages 63 - 95.
• Thurs: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch XII - XVI; complete XII - XVI study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters XVII - XVIII, pages 95 - 116.  Bring a book to class tomorrow for the IRP.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  Read and take notes for the IRP.

Week at a glance November 12 - 16, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. bene - well - benefit, benediction, benefactor
2. cred - believe - credit, creed, incredible
3. cres, cret, cru - rise or grow - crescendo, increase, concrete
4. luc, lum - light - lucid, lucrative, luminescent, illuminate
5. phil - strong love for - philosophy, philanthropy, bibliophile
6. sopho - wisdom - sophisticated, philosophy, sophomore

We are repeating last week's roots because we were actually a week ahead of where we needed to be.  This week we'll be back on schedule with a quiz for this Friday.

Junior Research Essay - Students need to have their essays turned in to the turnitin.com site as soon as possible.  Even with late credit, the best benefit students will earn for the essay will be the opportunity to have feedback from me and the site.  Rough drafts with comments will be posted this weekend.  We'll be back in the computer lab next week, Monday and Tuesday, to revise and submit the final draft.

From here to the end of the semester, we'll fall into a rhythm of having time to read Huck Finn in class Mondays and Wednesdays, a quiz and a study guide to complete in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Root Words quizzes and time for the Independent Reading Project on Fridays.  Students who use their time wisely should find that this schedule gives them plenty of opportunities to complete work in class, though some reading will still need to be done outside of class.

• Mon: Review this week's Root Words.  Read Huck Finn Ch I - IV, pages 1 - 18.
• Tues: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch I - IV; complete I - IV study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters V - VII, pages 18-36.
• Wed: Read Huck Finn Ch V - VII, pages 18 - 36.
• Thurs: Huck Finn - quiz over Ch V - VII; complete V - VII study guide by the end of the hour. Begin reading Chapters VIII - XI, pages 36 - 63.  Bring a book to class tomorrow for the IRP.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  Review Independent Reading Project expectations and assignment.  Read and take notes for the IRP.

Week at a glance November 5 - 9, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. bene - well - benefit, benediction, benefactor
2. cred - believe - credit, creed, incredible
3. cres, cret, cru - rise or grow - crescendo, increase, concrete
4. luc, lum - light - lucid, lucrative, luminescent, illuminate
5. phil - strong love for - philosophy, philanthropy, bibliophile
6. sopho - wisdom - sophisticated, philosophy, sophomore

This week we'll wrap up the rough draft for the Junior Research Essay.  Students will submit their rough drafts through a site new to WRHS: turnitin.com.  This site will speed up our ability to analyze and evaluate student essays.  It is also one of the top anti-plagiarism sites online and will carefully scrutinize students' use of sources in the essay.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - students will check out their own books this Friday. Students will do the majority of the reading of the novel on their own; however, we will occasionally have some time in class to be reading it. Students struggling with the novel have multiple options. I would prefer that they come see me either before or after school first. Another possible option is to use the online resource I have posted under the Course Materials section of this site. The site is done well and ties to what we are doing in class. The site also has chapter summaries that students may wish to use as a guide when they read. The chapter summaries will be best used only as a guide and not a substitute for reading as much of our work will be far more detailed than a simple summary of a chapter.

• Mon: New root words; quiz on Friday.  Junior Research Essay - complete the shaping packet to create the rough draft.
• Tues: Junior Research Essay - shaping packet due by the end of the hour.
• Wed: Meet in the computer lab.  Create a turnitin.com account.  Begin typing the Junior Research Essay rough draft.
• Thurs: Meet in the computer lab.  Continue typing the Junior Research Essay rough draft.  Finish the rough draft and submit it electronically through turnitin.com by 4pm on Friday.
• Fri: Meet in the classroom. Root words quiz.  Check out Huck Finn books.  For Monday - read Chapters I - IV, pages 1 - 18.

Week at a glance Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2012

This week we'll begin the process of creating the Junior Research Essay.  A copy of the assignment and general outline is available under the Course Materials section of the website.  This essay is a structured problem/solution research essay with a persuasive element in the end.  Students will be able to choose their own topic.  We'll then head to the library computer lab to hunt for research in support of their topic.  This week the point is not to write the essay.  We are doing preliminary research to discover ideas and help us shape the development of the essay.

• Mon: Junior Research Essay - select a topic.  Begin researching sources for the Annotated Bibliography.
• Tues: Junior Research Essay -continue finding sources for the Annotated Bibliography.
• Wed: Junior Research Essay -continue finding sources for the Annotated Bibliography.
• Thurs: Junior Research Essay - Annotated Bibliography due by the end of the hour.
• Fri: Junior Research Essay - Meet back in the classroom.  Check on our progress.  Begin outlining the essay.

Week at a glance October 22 - 26, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. derm - skin - dermatologist, epidermis, taxidermy
2. micro - small - microscope, microcosm, microbiology
3. ocu - eye - binoculars, inoculate, ocular
4. sci - knowledge - science, conscious, omniscient
5. therm - heat - thermometer, thermostat, endothermic
6. vis, vid - to see - video, visual, revise, review

This week is a transitional week.  We'll do a very brief short story unit while also beginning the 2nd Quarter Independent Reading Project.  Unlike the 1st qtr IRP, the 2nd qtr IRP will result in an oral presentation.  Students will be expected to either check out a book or bring a book to class on Friday and on Fridays for the rest of the semester.

• Mon: Short Story Unit - Read and discuss "The Yellow Wallpaper."
• Tues: Short Story Unit - Finish reading/discussing "The Yellow Wallpaper."  Preview "A Jury of Her Peers."
• Wed: Short Story Unit - Read and discuss "A Jury of Her Peers."
• Thurs: Short Story Unit - Finish reading/discussing "A Jury of Her Peers."  Begin working on the study guide, due by the end of the hour on Friday.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  Brief trip to the library to check out a book for the 2qIRP.  Finish the Short Story Unit study guide by the end of the hour.  Read quietly for the rest of the hour.

Week at a glance October 15 - 19, 2012

During this extremely short week, we'll wrap up our unit over Arthur Miller's The Crucible and review for the KS Reading Assessment.

• Mon: Go over the results of The Crucible Exam.  Pass back the 1st Quarter Independent Reading Project and 1st Quarter grades.  Review for the KSRA
• Tues: Review for the KSRA
• Wed: KSRA - report to assigned classrooms
• Thurs: No school - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Fri: No school - Staff Comp Day

Week at a glance Oct 8 - 12, 2012

No new root words this week as we wrap up the 1st quarter of the school year.

This week we'll wrap up our unit over Arthur Miller's The Crucible and take the final exam.  We'll spend the first two days reviewing for the exam.  The exam itself will be a two-day process: one day for the objective portion and one day for the in-class essay.  The exam will count as the last grade of the first quarter.

• Mon: Review for The Crucible Exam.  Thematic analysis due by the end of the school day.
• Tues: Review for The Crucible Exam
• Wed: The Crucible - Objective Exam
• Thurs: The Crucible - Essay Exam
• Fri: No school - end of the 1st Quarter Teacher Work Day

Week at a glance October 1 - 5, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. belli - war - rebellion, belligerent, bellicose
2. fac - do or make - factory, facilitate, manufacture
3. mort - death - mortal, morbid, mortician
4. poeia, poie, peia - make/create - poem, onomatopoeia, mythopoeic
5. the, theo - god - atheist, theology, monotheism
6. tox - poison - toxicology, toxic, botox

This week we'll wrap up the reading portion of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Proctor and his friends are sentenced to hang for the crime of witchcraft, so what hope is there now in the play.  We'd be surprised, if we look carefully.  That will be part of our challenge as we wrap up our reading of the play.  We'll begin reviewing characters and motivations by mid-week.  We will also wrap up our 1st Quarter Independent Reading Project by writing a thematic analysis, due by the end of the hour on Friday.

• Mon: New root words.  Preview the IRP Thematic Analysis.  The Crucible - begin reading and discussing Act IV.
• Tues: Pass back study guides and current grades.  The Crucible - continue reading/discussing Act IV.  Act IV study guide due Wednesday.
• Wed: The Crucible - Act IV study guide due.  Character traits and motivations review.  
• Thurs: The Crucible review.  Independent Reading Project Thematic Analysis assigned.
• Fri: Root Words quiz.  IRP Thematic Analysis - go to the computer lab and type the essay.

Week at a glance September 24 - 28, 2012

Root Words Mid-term on Friday - We are doing 60 root words this semester; so far we have done half of them. Rather than waiting until near the end of the semester and doing a final over all 60, we will be doing a mid-term over the first 30 roots this Friday. Students will receive a study guide and practice self-test for the mid-term on Monday. We'll also do an in-class review on Thursday.

This week we continue reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Last week we saw no one was safe as we saw even Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor accused of witchcraft.  John Proctor responded by deciding to come clean, go to the court, admit his sins, and confront Abigail.  This week we'll see the results of Proctor's decision.  Students should be paying special attention to the play's rising action, coming climax, and their effects on the characters.

• Mon: No school - professional development day
• Tues: Preview Root Words Mid-term.  The Crucible - continue reading/discussing Act III.
• Wed: Review root words. The Crucible - continue reading/discussing Act III.
• Thurs: Review root words. The Crucible - Discuss Act III, study guide due by the end of the hour.
• Fri: Root Words Mid-term. Last day of Independent Reading Project reading time. The Crucible - review Act III.

Week at a glance September 17 - 21, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. -hood - condition of - adulthood, childhood, neighborhood
2. -ic - pertaining to - logic, music, electric, pandemic
3. -ify / -ize /-yze - act upon or make - purify, terrorize, paralyze
4. -ism - characteristic of - terrorism, pacifism, heroism, racism
5. -ive - tending to be - active, inquisitive, positive, negative
6. -ure - result of - literature, nature, scripture, torture

This we continue reading and discussing Arthur Miller's The Crucible. We completed Act I last week. Using a volcano as an analogy for the Salem community, we discussed how the various factions and personal grudges were building and creating pressure just waiting for a chance to explode. Salem erupted with the first of the witchcraft accusations. As we read Act II this week, students will analyze the effects of the witch trials on Salem's community and compare/contrast how each character responds to the trials. 

• Mon: New root words; quiz on Friday.  The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act II.
• Tues: The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act II.
• Wed: The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act II.  Review types of irony.  Finish the Act III study guide for Thursday.
• Thurs: The Crucible - Act II study guide due.  Begin reading and discussing Act III.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz. Independent Reading Project reading time. The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act III.

Week at a glance September 10 - 14, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. contra/counter - against or opposite - contradict, counteract
2. dif/dis/dys - away or badly - different, disperse, dysfunctional
3. mal - poorly - malice, malpractice, malfunction
4. poin/pugn/punc - pierce or sting - punch, impugn, point
5. pseudo - false - pseudonym, pseudoscience
6. sol/soli - one or alone - isolated, desolate, solitary

This week we will continue our reading of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students saw the first begin last week.  Students also should have picked up that the characters' motives are far more insidious than that of benevolent people wanting to save souls.  We'll move into the rising action this week as we see the slow and steady escalation of the Witch Trials' terror.  We'll wrap up the week with a Root Words quiz and time for independent reading.

• Mon: New Root Words; quiz on Friday.  The Crucible - Act One review and discussion.
• Tues: Meet in the computer lab for a final revision of the Personal Narrative.  Final Draft due by the end of the hour.
• Wed: The Crucible - finish the Act One study guide by the end of the hour.  Begin reading and discussing Act Two.
• Thurs: The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act Two.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz. Independent Reading Project reading time. The Crucible - continue reading and discussing Act Two.

Week at a glance Sept 3 - 7, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. ced / cede / ceed - go - proceed, concede, succeed
2. hyper - over or above - hyperactive, hyperventilate, hyperbole
3. inter / intra / intro - between, within, into - international, introduction
4. mega - great - megaphone, megaton, megalopolis
5. ortho - correct - orthodox, orthodontist, orthopedic
6. trans - across - transport, transition, transatlantic

September already...  This week we begin reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students will receive a study guide in class on Tuesday that we'll complete in class as we read the play. Students will not receive a copy of the play for themselves because we'll be reading the play in class. It will be absolutely essential that students are listening to and participating during class discussion, as well as keeping up with their in-class assignments.

• Mon: Labor Day - no school
• Tues: New root words - quiz on Friday.  The Crucible - Assign parts and begin reading Act I
• Wed: The Crucible - continue reading Act I. Complete in-class assignment, due by the end of the hour.
• Thurs: The Crucible - finish reading and discussing Act I. Continue work on questions from the Act I study guide.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz. Independent Reading Project reading time. The Crucible - wrap up Act I discussion and complete questions from the Act I study guide, due by the end of the hour.

Week at a glance August 27 - 31, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. culpa - blame - culprit, culpable
2. duc / duct - lead - conduct, seduce, introduction
3. jud / jur / jus - law - judge, jury, justice
4. polis / polit - city - police, politician, metropolis
5. rect - straight - correct, direct, insurrection
6. urb - city - urban, suburb

This week we'll also continue our Crucible pre-reading unit as we read Puritan writings and discuss the unique qualities of their society.  On Wednesday we'll continue our work with the Personal Narrative and turn in a second, typed draft copy by the end of the hour on Thursday.  We'll wrap up the week on Friday with a Root Words quiz, time to read for the Independent Reading Project, and a look at vocabulary words coming up in The Crucible. 

• Mon: New Root Words; quiz on Friday.  The Crucible pre-reading unit: The Puritans - read and discuss selections in class.
• Tues: Finish Puritans reading and discussion. Study guide due by the end of the hour.
• Wed: Pass back and discuss the first draft of the Personal Narrative Essay.  Begin typing the second draft of the essay.
• Thurs: Typed second draft of the Personal Narrative Essay due by the end of the hour.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  IRP reading time. The Crucible - Vocabulary Words.

Week at a glance August 20 - 24, 2012

Root words for this week (root - definition - examples):

1. ante - before - antecedent, antebellum
2. brev - short - abbreviate, brevity
3. fin - end - final, infinite
4. pan - all - pandemic, panorama
5. poly - many - polygamy, polytheism
6. vac - empty - vacation, vacuum

This week we start in on our Root Words unit.  This is our vocabulary focus for the semester.  Students will identify and analyze six roots derived mostly from Greek and Latin roots.  Being able to identify and analyze the roots will give students tools that will help them define unfamiliar words in the future.  We'll also start our first essay of the school year: the Place-based Descriptive Narrative.  Our goal for this essay is to help students develop ideas, organizational strategies, and descriptive word choice.  Since it is our first essay, we'll move through the writing process together step-by-step.  We're also starting in on our unit over Arthur Miller's The Crucible as we take a look at a Brief History of Witchcraft in Christianity.  We'll wrap up the week with a Root Words Quiz, a review of literary terms, and time to read for the Independent Reading Project.

• Mon: Introduce Root Words; quiz on Friday.  Place-based Descriptive Narrative -- discuss assignment and expectations.  Pre-writing graphic organizer due Tuesday.
• Tues: Place-based Descriptive Narrative -- Pre-writing graphic organizer due.  Discuss essay structure.  Begin writing the rough draft.
• Wed: Place-based Descriptive Narrative -- Continue writing the rough draft.
• Thurs: Place-based Descriptive Narrative -- rough draft due at the beginning of the hour. The Crucible, pre-reading: A Brief History of Witchcraft in Christianity, notes in class.
• Fri: Root Words Quiz.  Literary terms review, notes in class.  20 minutes for the Independent Reading Project.

Week at a glance August 13 - 17, 2012

Welcome!

On this site you'll find a breakdown of each week's lesson plans and activities for English 11.  Assignments and due dates will always be listed in red.  You can access class handouts through the "Course Materials" section located on the top right of this site.  If you have any questions or comments regarding the things you'd like to see on this site, call me at WRHS or e-mail me at ritchjoh@usd437.net

This week is a chance for us to get to know one another, as well as to discuss the policies, procedures, and expectations of the class.  Each quarter we will do an Independent Reading Project.  This quarterly project will require students to read a book throughout the quarter.  The final product for the project will be a short essay identifying and analyzing the book's theme.  We'll wrap up the week with a trip to the library and a discussion of the IRP.

• Mon: teacher work day
• Tues: New student orientation
• Wed: Introductions and interest survey
• Thurs: Finish introductions.  Discuss syllabus and expectations. Syllabus quiz at the end of the hour.
• Fri: 1st Quarter Independent Reading Project (IRP) -- book talk, check out a book, procedures,  expectations, and due dates.