Saturday, September 27, 2008
"Mockingbird" Chapter 6
In Chapter 6 Scout has a realization: "It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company," (p 56). What does this mean? What is this realization in relation to? What change does this signal in their relationship?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
"Mockingbird" Chapters 3-6
In these chapters Scout, Jem and Dill continue to be obsessed with Boo Radley. But the way they think about him seems to change. How do you think their perception of Boo changes over the course of these chapters? Why do you think this change has occurred?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
"Mockingbird" Chapter 3
In chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus tells Scout that "you can never really understand a person until you...climb into his skin and walk around in it." How does this idea fit into or go against the unwritten rules of life in Maycomb? What does this reveal about Atticus, particularly related to his work as a lawyer?
Friday, September 12, 2008
Farm Weeks
Hello Everyone,
Here is a detailed overview of the work you need to complete during the farm weeks. Remember that you should work on these assignments a little bit each day!
Tom
______________________________________________________________________
Literature
Read Chapters 3-6 in To Kill A Mockingbird. In the Reading Response section of your notebook, please do the following:
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Scout’s character. Write a 1 page explanation focused on what we learn about Scout in the first 6 chapters. How would you describe her personality? Her strengths? Weaknesses? In what ways is she both an insider and an outsider in Maycomb?
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Atticus. Write a 1 page response focused on the kind of father Atticus seems to be. What lessons does he teach his children? What does it seem like he thinks is most important in being a parent?
q We’ve discussed the idea of theme in literature, defining theme as a concept or idea the author is trying to express in a story. So for example, a theme in the opening chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird might deal with the nature of curiosity. The Radley family is interesting to Dill, Scout and Jem in part because they are mysterious. So it seems that is a theme in the chapter relating to the connection between mystery and curiosity. Identity a theme that has begun to emerge in Chapters 3-6. Write a 1-page response explaining.
q Finally, check the MCS English blog - mcsenglish.blogspot.com. I will post 3 messages about To Kill a Mockingbird over the next two weeks. Each post will ask a particular question, or for a comment about a quote from the book. Please respond to one of the posts (in the comment section). Your response should be at least a paragraph long.
q Due in triplets on Monday, 9/29
Writing
Your writing work needs to take place at the farm, so be sure to bring your writing notebook to the farm with you!
q Take two walks at the farm with your notebook and something to write with. It would be great for you to take these walks at different times of day. It’s amazing how much the farm changes from first thing in the morning to twilight. Find a place at the farm that interests you, a place full of details that stand out.
q For each walk, write a 1-2 page freewrite in your notebook. This is not something that needs to be polished. Focus on finding as many details as you can. Write about the larger, immediate details you observe, but focus on the smaller ones too. The more details you can cull the better. Be sure to move beyond the visual. What sounds and smells make this place unique? What does it feel like to sit there?
q After you’ve completed both of the freewrites, look back at what you’ve written. What images seem the strongest? What details from the natural world might serve as a symbol for something else?
q Next, write the first drafts a two poems inspired by the poetry of Robert Frost. The first will be an homage to his poem “October.” Since you will be at the farm in September, however, it should be about September. What are the main symbols in the “October” poem? What does October represent? How can you write your own poem using September to symbolize an idea or emotion?
q The second poem should also incorporate symbolism from the natural world, yet it needs to follow the same rhyme scheme and meter as Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” The actual rhymes don’t need to be the same, but the structure should be. Remember that the rhyme scheme of that poem was AABBCCDD and that each line except for the eighth and last had the same number of syllables. So for this poem, the subject, tone and theme are up to you, but you’re following Frost’s structure.
q Bring both poems to Writing/Grammar on Monday, 9/29.
Vocabulary
Review the words from Wordly Wise, Lesson 1. You need to be able to:
q Define each word clearly
q Identify and use all the words correctly in a sentence
q Spell each word
There will be a quiz on these words on Monday, 9/29!
Independent Reading
Your first independent reading assignment will be due on Monday, October 6th. By the end of the farm trips you should be more than halfway through an independent reading book. Your first book is a free choice, so pick any full-length book that appeals to you.
Here is a detailed overview of the work you need to complete during the farm weeks. Remember that you should work on these assignments a little bit each day!
Tom
______________________________________________________________________
Fall Farm Week
The following is an explanation of the assignments to be completed by 9/29, the Monday after the farm weeks. Please work on these assignments a little bit every day.Literature
Read Chapters 3-6 in To Kill A Mockingbird. In the Reading Response section of your notebook, please do the following:
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Scout’s character. Write a 1 page explanation focused on what we learn about Scout in the first 6 chapters. How would you describe her personality? Her strengths? Weaknesses? In what ways is she both an insider and an outsider in Maycomb?
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Atticus. Write a 1 page response focused on the kind of father Atticus seems to be. What lessons does he teach his children? What does it seem like he thinks is most important in being a parent?
q We’ve discussed the idea of theme in literature, defining theme as a concept or idea the author is trying to express in a story. So for example, a theme in the opening chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird might deal with the nature of curiosity. The Radley family is interesting to Dill, Scout and Jem in part because they are mysterious. So it seems that is a theme in the chapter relating to the connection between mystery and curiosity. Identity a theme that has begun to emerge in Chapters 3-6. Write a 1-page response explaining.
q Finally, check the MCS English blog - mcsenglish.blogspot.com. I will post 3 messages about To Kill a Mockingbird over the next two weeks. Each post will ask a particular question, or for a comment about a quote from the book. Please respond to one of the posts (in the comment section). Your response should be at least a paragraph long.
q Due in triplets on Monday, 9/29
Writing
Your writing work needs to take place at the farm, so be sure to bring your writing notebook to the farm with you!
q Take two walks at the farm with your notebook and something to write with. It would be great for you to take these walks at different times of day. It’s amazing how much the farm changes from first thing in the morning to twilight. Find a place at the farm that interests you, a place full of details that stand out.
q For each walk, write a 1-2 page freewrite in your notebook. This is not something that needs to be polished. Focus on finding as many details as you can. Write about the larger, immediate details you observe, but focus on the smaller ones too. The more details you can cull the better. Be sure to move beyond the visual. What sounds and smells make this place unique? What does it feel like to sit there?
q After you’ve completed both of the freewrites, look back at what you’ve written. What images seem the strongest? What details from the natural world might serve as a symbol for something else?
q Next, write the first drafts a two poems inspired by the poetry of Robert Frost. The first will be an homage to his poem “October.” Since you will be at the farm in September, however, it should be about September. What are the main symbols in the “October” poem? What does October represent? How can you write your own poem using September to symbolize an idea or emotion?
q The second poem should also incorporate symbolism from the natural world, yet it needs to follow the same rhyme scheme and meter as Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” The actual rhymes don’t need to be the same, but the structure should be. Remember that the rhyme scheme of that poem was AABBCCDD and that each line except for the eighth and last had the same number of syllables. So for this poem, the subject, tone and theme are up to you, but you’re following Frost’s structure.
q Bring both poems to Writing/Grammar on Monday, 9/29.
Vocabulary
Review the words from Wordly Wise, Lesson 1. You need to be able to:
q Define each word clearly
q Identify and use all the words correctly in a sentence
q Spell each word
There will be a quiz on these words on Monday, 9/29!
Independent Reading
Your first independent reading assignment will be due on Monday, October 6th. By the end of the farm trips you should be more than halfway through an independent reading book. Your first book is a free choice, so pick any full-length book that appeals to you.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sign up for the Blog!
Hi 7th and 8th grade-
Please sign up to be a blogger on the MCS English blog. I'll know you've joined the blog when you comment on this post. All you need to do is this:
1. Click comment at the end of this post.
2. You will be asked to create a username and password.
3. Once you've logged in, write a brief note in the comment section of this post so I know that you've joined.
Thanks!
Tom
Please sign up to be a blogger on the MCS English blog. I'll know you've joined the blog when you comment on this post. All you need to do is this:
1. Click comment at the end of this post.
2. You will be asked to create a username and password.
3. Once you've logged in, write a brief note in the comment section of this post so I know that you've joined.
Thanks!
Tom
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Homework for Friday, 9/12 and Monday 9/15
7th Grade Writing - Worldy Wise lesson 1, exercises D-E in notebooks, DUE FRIDAY, 9/12
8th Grade Writing - Worldy Wise lesson 1, all exercises in notebooks, DUE FRIDAY, 9/12
"A Special Place" Essay - DUE MONDAY, 9/14
Looking at this excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird:
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were soft like teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum powder.
“People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told there was nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Think about the way Harper Lee was able to give the reader a sense of place. What details gave you a sense not only of what this place looked like, but also how it felt to be there? How does she create s distinct and vivid picture of Maycomb?
Next, think about a place in your own life that has special meaning. It could be a place you’ve spent a lot of time, or a place that holds significance for you. What details make this place come alive, not just in terms of what it looks like, but what it feels like to be there? Harper Lee described Maycomb as a place where “a day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer.” This detail gives you a real sense of what it felt like to be there. Think of details that make your own special place come to life.
Your assignment it this: Write an essay, about 2 pages in length, describing a place that is special and significant to you. Think about sensory details (what it looks, feels, smells and sounds like), but also about details that give a reader the feeling of this place. This is a chance for you to flex your descriptive muscle, so think carefully about any details that might add to your essay.
Please type the essay if possible (double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman).
8th Grade Writing - Worldy Wise lesson 1, all exercises in notebooks, DUE FRIDAY, 9/12
"A Special Place" Essay - DUE MONDAY, 9/14
Looking at this excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird:
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were soft like teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum powder.
“People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told there was nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Think about the way Harper Lee was able to give the reader a sense of place. What details gave you a sense not only of what this place looked like, but also how it felt to be there? How does she create s distinct and vivid picture of Maycomb?
Next, think about a place in your own life that has special meaning. It could be a place you’ve spent a lot of time, or a place that holds significance for you. What details make this place come alive, not just in terms of what it looks like, but what it feels like to be there? Harper Lee described Maycomb as a place where “a day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer.” This detail gives you a real sense of what it felt like to be there. Think of details that make your own special place come to life.
Your assignment it this: Write an essay, about 2 pages in length, describing a place that is special and significant to you. Think about sensory details (what it looks, feels, smells and sounds like), but also about details that give a reader the feeling of this place. This is a chance for you to flex your descriptive muscle, so think carefully about any details that might add to your essay.
Please type the essay if possible (double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman).
Homework for Thursday, 9/11
1. Read Chapter 2 in To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Respond to the following question in the Reading Response Section of your journal:
In Ch 2, Jem asks Atticus if they are poor? What does Atticus tell him? What does his answer say about the Finch family and about the Maycomb community?
3. "Words have the power to..." paragraph
2. Respond to the following question in the Reading Response Section of your journal:
In Ch 2, Jem asks Atticus if they are poor? What does Atticus tell him? What does his answer say about the Finch family and about the Maycomb community?
3. "Words have the power to..." paragraph
Welcome to the 5th Floor English Blog
Hi 7th and 8th Grade-
Welcome to the blog for 7th and 8th Grade English classes at Manhattan Country School. The blog has two main purposes. First, It's a place where students can access up-to-date homework assignments. Second, it is a forum for students to discuss the books, poems and stories we'll be reading this year.
Looking forward to an exciting year in our English classes.
Tom
Welcome to the blog for 7th and 8th Grade English classes at Manhattan Country School. The blog has two main purposes. First, It's a place where students can access up-to-date homework assignments. Second, it is a forum for students to discuss the books, poems and stories we'll be reading this year.
Looking forward to an exciting year in our English classes.
Tom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)