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.