For those students who missed class we have started researching key figures in the Russian Revolution as a way to get historical background for George Orwell’s, Animal Farm. I have set up a link in the pages section of the site so that you can do some of the research at home. We are looking for brief notes on how each topic was influencial in the fall of the Czars and the rise of Communism in the Soviet Union. Email me if you have any questions.
I have extended the deadline for these projects until Monday morning. Meaning that if you have not completed the piece yet, you should plan on staying after school tomorrow to get it done. We can not devote any more class time to the project so make sure you come back to class this week with your notebooks.
As the year progresses the work will become academically more intense. Let’s start the quarter strong!
-Stelzner
One week left in Quarter One and here’s what we have due by Friday:
1. Independent Reading for October
2. Children’s BOOKS
3. Children’s Videos (for per 2.)
Please be sure to get these assignments in on time and finish the quarter strong.
We will be holding an application writing workshop in the media center after school next Tuesday, October 20th. There will be an opportunity to learn about different strategies which can assist you in composing your personal reflection essays. Parents are welcome to attend. Please email me (mrstelzner@gmail.com) with any questions.
Also, I wanted to remind students that the deadline for The Pearl thesis essay is Thursday! No late work will be accepted so be sure to print out a copy and email it to yourself if that is possible. This way if you happen to forget your essay you can just reprint it and turn it in. Good luck and make sure that you edit your work before handing it in.
The Pearl Thesis Topics
We’ve spent a lot of class time working on Thesis-based essays and now is your chance to show me what you’ve got! You will write a five paragraph thesis-based literary essay on one of the four following questions:
1. While being chased by trackers, Kino asked Juana to leave with their son. Did Kino really love Juana? What kind of journey did their relationship take?
2. Did Kino believe in God or the gods?
3. Kino won the lottery, but what was the price he had to pay for such luck? Was the value of the pearl worth the journey that he was forced to take?
4. The theme of The Pearl comes from the following biblical passage. In a five paragraph thesis- based essay please discuss how the story relates to the quotation below:
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:45-46
*The deadline for this project is Thursday October 15. Any late papers will not be accepted and you will receive a zero. We will spend the next two class periods working in Lab 128 on this assignment.
HINTS: Remember to support your thesis with evidence from the text (in the form of cited quotations). Also remember to follow formal thesis conventions! (rules)
THE MARYLAND HUMANITIES COUNCIL ANNOUNCES ITS 2009/2010 LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE CONTEST
Calling all kids (and teachers and parents)! Young readers, grades 4 to 12, are invited to express their admiration for a favorite author and showcase their reading and writing talents by participating in Letters About Literature.
This national contest encourages students to write a personal letter to an author¬ from Carl Hiaasen to Anne Frank¬ that explores how the author’s work changed their thinking about the world and their place in it. Fans of any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, are invited to participate, with the chance to receive awards and recognition at the state and national level. Contest guidelines are available at the Maryland Center for the Book website at www.mdhc.org/programs/maryland-center-for-the-book/letters-about-literature .
“This contest provides an opportunity for young readers to read a book of their choice and then let the author know how much the book meant to them,” explains Jean Wortman, director of the Maryland Center for the Book, which sponsors the contest in Maryland. “But the project can impact a whole school. National contest winners from Maryland in 2007 and 2008 excited interest in reading that was school-wide,” she notes.
Make sure that you are working on your three paragraph thesis essay. This will be your first summative grade of the year so spend the time and edit it! If you have forgotten the questions that you are to choose from they are listed below:
1. We are told at the beginning that this is a story of black and white, of good and evil. What elements of good can you find in Chapter one? What elements of evil? How can readers tell which is which?
2. The doctor is from the ‘great world of civilized living’. What does this mean? He refers to Kino and his family as animals, are they?
3. There is a great deal of imagery littered throughout the first chapter. Discuss Steinbeck’s use of imagery and whether or not it is an effective tool for readers. Please use the following quotation as a reference, “The glaring sun threw the bunched shadows of the people blackly on the white wall.” (10)
4. Chapter one is the beginning of a journey for Kino and his family. What do you think of the way Steinbeck began his protagonist’s journey? Use literary terms that we’ve covered in class in your response.
*Good luck guys, email me if you have any questions and most importantly….
KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF IT!!!!
We do not have enough copies of the book for you to take home- I have added a page called The Pearl with the scanned chapter for you to use on your assignments. After we move onto the next chapter the page will be replaced witht the current reading.
hope this helps!
Make sure when you are finding the songs that you will analyze tonight that you are not choosing pieces that are either a) inappropriate or b) have language that would not be allowed in class.
This is an assignment geared towards assessing what you’ve learned, not simply listening to music. Once you have the lyrics be sure to break them down in the same way we have done with the poems.
That being said- this should be a fun assignment and I’m excited to see what you come up with!
Welcome back to SSIMS for yet another exciting school year. This site is designed to give you all the resources neccessary for success. If you forgot to copy down your homework assignment or want to get a head start on work that’s coming up, you can access the GT HW calendar from the links on the right. There are also extra copies of all the forms that you will be using in class on a regular basis. I went over this in class but as a reminder, I expect that each day you come into class with the following materials:
1. A notebook with three sections (journal entries, class notes, writer’s workshop)
2. Something to write with (pencil, blue / black ink pen)
3. Your school planner
Let’s have a great year and prepare ourselves for the upcoming journey to high school.
