The paw will grant three wishes...

Students were left pondering the themes of fate and free will after reading "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs.  Tomorrow they will examine the way that the author portrays characters through their actions, identify words and phrases that convey mood, and engage in creative writing connected to the story.  As well, they will investigate some of the story's vocabulary through context clues to derive meanings.  I am planning to show a film of the story so that they can make comparisons to the text and consider the filmmaker's choices in their production.

Today students drew vocabulary list #3 words on our "wall of wisdom".  Tomorrow they will pair up with a classmate to create a charade or short skit acting out a word.  There is a quizlet attached below for them to use to practice with the words.  Most likely, there will be a vocab quiz on Friday.

Homework:

Monday:  none unless something is overdue (like Poe essay); study vocab

Tuesday:  finish Monkey Paw activities if needed; use quizlet to study vocab

Wednesday:  write 4 sentences using 4 vocab words; use quizlet to study

Thursday:  vocab quiz tomorrow

Vocab List #3 Quizlet

Building An Essay

Last week, students wrote the body paragraphs for an essay on the ways in which Poe uses setting details and language elements to create the mysterious and suspenseful mood in his writing.  This week, they will tackle the introduction and conclusion paragraphs.  Today we examined a sample introduction and identified the three main parts:  hook, background information, and thesis statement.  Then, students completed an organizer of these parts for their Poe essay, and proceeded to type it up.  Tomorrow, we will follow the same process to examine, brainstorm, and write a conclusion paragraph.  Final steps will be to assemble the paragraphs, edit one last time, and tweak formatting as needed.  Students will submit their final drafts on Google Classroom.

Next up--back to reading!  We'll consider the themes of fate and free will in another story with a twist:  "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs.

Homework:

Tuesday:  finish drafting introduction paragraph; edit with checklist

Wednesday:  finish drafting conclusion paragraph; edit with checklist

Thursday:  finish final editing and formatting; submit to Classroom

Friday:  none! :)

Introduction/Conclusion instructions/organizer

From Reading to Writing

To culminate our work with "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", students will engage in a writing activity about the ways in which Poe creates mood.  They will consider both setting details as well as Poe's language, such as word choices, sentence structure, literary elements, and punctuation.  This will be a scaffolded writing activity in which students will write one paragraph, then add another, then add an introduction and finally a conclusion.  They will move through the process of turning the prompt into a topic sentence, paraphrasing text evidence, and ending with a concluding sentence.  As well, they will engage the writing process of organizing ideas, drafting, editing, and revising.  Hence, in the end, they will produce a four-paragraph essay about the development of mood in two texts.

Homework:

Monday-Tuesday:  finish paragraph organizer-- due Wednesday

Wednesday:  finish drafting and editing paragraph #1

Thursday:  finish organizer paragraph #2

Friday:  finish drafting and editing paragraph #2


Edgar Allan Poe writing activity

Transforming the Words of Poe into Performance

Students are tapping into their inner thespian as they collaborate in groups to perform stanzas of "The Raven."  Their directive is to consider how to use their voices (volume, tone, emotion), bodies (movement, position, gestures), and instruments (small, hand-held) to capture the mood and language of Edgar Allan Poe.

On Thursday, students will listen as they read "The Tell-Tale Heart", also by Poe.  As with "The Raven", they will consider how Poe creates setting and mood within the tale, as well as how he uses language, including word choices, sentence structure, and punctuation, to convey the mood and character.  They will then brainstorm with a partner how they might shoot a movie of this cryptic tale, taking into account lighting, props, and sound effects that would create the mood.

Peppered in this week will be two short quizzes:  one on "The Raven" (written as MCAS-style multiple choice questions and based on our work with the poem), and one on our vocabulary list.

Homework:

Monday-Thursday:  use quizlet or other means (flashcards, quiz a partner) to study for vocab quiz FRIDAY.


Vocabulary List #2 quizlet

"I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty." --Edgar Allan Poe

As we drift through the spooky season of Halloween, we will learn about the "father" of the modern detective story, Edgar Allan Poe, and read a few selections by this author of the macabre.  We will begin this week with "The Raven," perhaps Poe's most famous work, though at the time of its writing it earned him only $15.00!  Following an exploration of aspects of the poem and group performances of it, we will read "The Tell-Tale Heart", a dark glimpse into the mind of a madman.  Students will be examining, in particular, Poe's use of language to create setting and mood in each of these texts.

Meanwhile, we are also practicing using words from our second vocabulary list!

To use the organizer for the plot line poster, please make yourself a copy and then you can type on it.

Homework:

Monday-Friday:  choice book final project due Monday

Vocabulary List #2 quizlet

Choice Book Final Project Instructions

Plot line poster organizer

"Most wonderful of all are words, and how they make friends one with another." -- O. Henry

This week students will observe how O. Henry's words play with one another in the short tale, "After Twenty Years."  It is another story with a twist ending that sparks thinking about issues of friendship, loyalty, and ethics.  Following our reading and discussion, students will collaborate in groups to explore different aspects of the story such as setting and mood, foreshadowing and twists, and characterization.

Everyone should be finishing up their choice novel this week, with the final log due on Friday.  Students will then have another week to work on their choice of project (plot line poster or essay), which will be their primary homework.

If time allows, we will launch a second round of vocabulary words on Friday!

Finally, I want to give a plug for a new bookshop catering to teens that has opened in Florence--High Five Books.  The owners encourage students to drop in after school, talk books or just talk, write/create--and they even sell snacks!   It is located on N. Maple Street, just past Benjamin Moore Paints if coming from the center of town.  See the attached flyer for more info, including upcoming creative writing sessions!

Homework:

Monday-Thursday: finish reading book and last log due Friday

High Five Books flyer

Choice Book Project Instructions

Vocabulary List #2 Quizlet

"Words dazzle and deceive because they are mimed by the face. But black words on a white page are the soul laid bare." --Guy de Maupassant

This quote by de Maupassant connects to our work as developing readers and writers.  As readers, we don't have the benefit of intonation, expressions, or gestures to interpret meaning, merely the way that our minds and emotional reactions interact with text to construct meaning.  Likewise, our truest writing, even when academic, is best when it flows directly from the heart and mind.  This week, students will read this author's short story "The Necklace".  They will collaborate in groups to examine the ways in which the author develops characters, setting, conflicts, and themes, as well as how we interpret them. 

Similarly, students are interacting with their choice novels by monitoring their thoughts and reactions as they read.  They are analyzing characters, responding to situations and conflicts, making connections, and using the author's language to visualize.  They are using sticky notes to record their thoughts and reflecting on dialectical-style logs.

In addition to this literary work, students are engaging their first set of vocabulary words in a variety of ways.  Practice using the words will help embed them, and I'll look forward to seeing them pop up in future writing or when they spot one in text!

Homework:

Monday-Thursday:  read w/sticky notes;  LOG #2 due FRIDAY.

Friday:  continue to read w/sticky notes; use quizlet to review vocab words

Vocabulary List #1 quizlet