| Syllabus
| Fourth Quarter's Assignments | Revised:
June 2, 2009 |
|
[First
Quarter's Assignments]
[Second Quarter's Assignments] [Third
Quarter's Assignments] |
| Week
of March 30 to April 3 (Beginning of Fourth Quarter) |
| Mon | Journal
#16 (Spring break: the good, the bad, the ugly). Begin Civil War lit unit. Read
aloud "The
War Prayer," by Mark Twain. Discuss Twain's message about war. Begin
"Reflective Writing" questions (at end of handout).
Hmwk:
"Reflective Writing" questions (at end of handout). |
| Tues | Due:
Completed "Reflective Writing." Civil War songs. Discuss purpose/s of
Civil War songs. Notice poetic features of the verse: rhyme, rhythm, figurative
language, etc. Hmwk:
Find another Civil War song online and print it out. Be prepared to share and
discuss the song. On the back of your printout, answer these questions: What is
the purpose of the song? (Ex: Is its purpose to stir the listeners to battle?
Is it celebrating the common soldier?) What emotions is the songwriter hoping
to engender? Comment on the poetic features of the verse: rhyme, rhythm, figurative
language, etc. |
| Wed | Due:
Printout of another Civil War song. Share and discuss songs. Finish listening
to, reading and discussing Civil War songs listed yesterday. No hmwk. |
| Thurs | Civil
War poetry: Notice poetic
features: rhyme scheme, comparison (simile, metaphor), personification. No hmwk. |
| Week
of April 6 to 10 |
| Mon | Review
for Civil War lit test. Complete rhyme scheme, simile/metaphor, personification
assignment (started Thursday). Due today.
Hmwk: Prepare for Civil War
lit test (tomorrow). |
| Tues | Test:
Civil War lit. Read Robert E. Lee's "Letter
to His Son" (Jan. 23, 1861) and Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg
Address." No hmwk. |
| Wed | Finish
up Civil War lit unit. Spirituals. ["Swing
Low Sweet Chariot"] No hmwk. |
| Thurs | Begin
regional lit unit. Brief review of American lit up until the time of the Civil
War. (Terms: colloquial language, local color) Read aloud: "The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," Twain. Begin reading "The
Outcasts of Poker Flat," by Bret Harte. No hmwk. |
| Week
of April 13 to 17 |
| Mon | Regional
lit. Finish reading "The
Outcasts of Poker Flat," by Bret Harte (begins on p. 477). Notice how
Bret Harte plays with our expectations of his stereotypically western characters.
Do "Interpret" (#6-10, p. 485) to prepare for discussion.
Hmwk:
Finish "Interpret" questions. Due tomorrow at the beginning of class. |
| Tues | Regional
lit. Discuss "The
Outcasts of Poker Flat," by Bret Harte. Begin reading "The
Californian's Tale," by Mark Twain. [Another link to "The
Californian's Tale"] |
| Wed | Regional
lit. Journal #17 (Natural remedied? Home cures? Is the treatment sometimes worse
than the ailment?) "Curing
a Cold," Mark Twain. How does Twain make us laugh? "Baker's
Blue-Jay Yarn," Mark Twain. [Another link to
"Baker's Bluejay Yarn"] No hmwk. |
| Thurs | View
DVD of Mark Twain as humorist and storyteller. No hmwk. |
| Week
of April 20 to 24 |
| Mon | Introduce
Silverado Squatters, by R. L. Stevenson, as example of regional literature.
Begin reading Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Resource: "Stevenson
at Silverado" in the Silverado Museum website.
Hmwk: Read through
end of Part I, Chpt. III. [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Tues | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Start reading with Chpt. IV, "The Scot Abroad."
Hmwk:
Read through end of "The Return" (p. 35 in the pdf file version). [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Wed | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Reading quiz (through p. 35 in the pdf file version).
Read through to the bottom of the left column on p. 51 ("The Act of Squatting"
and "The Hunter's Family").
Hmwk: Finish reading to the bottom
of the left column on p. 59 (pdf version). [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Thurs | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Read "Sea Fogs" aloud while students draw. What
does the valley look like with a sea fog? How does it feel? Can you reflect what
Stevenson is describing? Post drawings on classroom bulletin board. [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] No hmwk. |
| Week
of April 27 to May 1 |
| Mon | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Read pp. 56-72 (pdf version).
Hmwk: Finish reading
through p. 72 (pdf version). [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Tues | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Reading quiz (through p. 72). Read pp. 72 to end of book.
Silverado Squatters vocab. [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters]
Hmwk: Finish reading Silverado
Squatters. |
| Wed | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Reading quiz (through end of book). Silverado Squatters
vocab. No hmwk. [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Thurs | Silverado
Squatters,
by R. L. Stevenson. Silverado Squatters vocab. Word process vocab list--using
format on board. No hmwk. [PDF
file of Silverado Squatters] |
| Week
of May 4 to 8 |
| Mon | Silverado
Squatters vocab. Begin word processing vocab sheets to share with classmates.
Hmwk:
Finish collecting definitions and explanations of allusions. |
| Tues | Silverado
Squatters vocab. Continue work on vocab words and word processing vocab sheets
to share with classmates.
Hmwk: Check classmates' vocab sheets. Do
the definitions and explanations fit the context? |
| Wed | Finish
word processing vocab sheets to share with classmates. Distribute copies. Begin
going over definitions--making corrections and adjustments. No hmwk. |
| Thurs | Silverado
Squatters. Finish going over vocab words. Review for test. No hmwk. |
| Week
of May 11 to 15 |
| Mon | Field
trip prep: Robert
Louis Stevenson State Park (notice: "Stevenson
Memorial Trail"), Sharpsteen
Museum, Silverado Museum (especially
"Stevenson at Silverado"),
Petrified Forest. Become an "informed
consumer"!
Hmwk: Prepare for test. |
| Tues | Test:
Silverado Squatters, by R. L. Stevenson (vocab matching, characters
matching, identity and significance writing section). No hmwk. |
| Wed | Silverado
Squatters field trip to RLS venues in and around Calistoga. Depart
10:15. Back by 4-ish. Bring a packed lunch to eat on
Mt. St. Helena. |
| Thurs | Begin
individualized reading unit: Lowry books, The Chosen, or Treasure Island. |
| Week
of May 18 to 22 |
| Mon | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 1/4 of the first book tonight. Potok people should be 1/8 through
The Chosen.) |
| Tues | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 1/2 of the first book tonight. Potok people should be 1/4 through
The Chosen.) |
| Wed | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 3/4 of the first book tonight. Potok people should be 3/8 through
The Chosen.) |
| Thurs | Continue
individualized reading. Lowry people should have the first book finished. Readers
of The Chosen should be halfway through their books.
Hmwk: Continue
reading. |
| Week
of May 25 to 29 |
| Mon | No
school: Memorial Day |
| Tues | No
school: NY Choir Trip |
| Wed | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 1/4 of the second book tonight. Potok people should be 5/8 through
The Chosen.) [Interview
with Potok] [BBC
article about modern Neturei Karta members] |
| Thurs | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 1/2 of the second book tonight. Potok people should be 3/4 through
The Chosen.) |
| Week
of June 1 to 5 (End of Fourth Quarter and Second Semester)
|
| Mon | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Continue reading. (Lowry people should
complete about 3/4 of the second book tonight. Potok people should be 7/8 through
The Chosen.) |
| Tues | Continue
individualized reading.
Hmwk: Finish reading. Prepare for test. |
| Wed | [Semester
Exams, 12:45 pm] Individualized reading tests: The Chosen, Lowry books,
or Treasure Island. Have a great summer! |
