Set a Goal for Today

On a 1/4 sheet of paper I'd like you to do the following:

1. Write down your goal for today.

Make it specific*, realistic, and with an eye on your overall weekly goals.


_________________________________________
* i.e. read two chapters OR write 1st draft OR write a response/read

Personal Essay

Hey chums. I've been asked to write a personal essay for the Buffalo Public Schools English website that is being unveiled Friday (coincidentally, that's my birthday too). I had a number of questions to choose from, but I chose this one:

Did you always want to be a teacher when you grew up? What did you want to be instead?

If you'd like to take another look at a personal essay (we read the two My Turn essays from Newsweek), you can take a look at my essay here. Note that it is still a work in progress. I'd love to hear your comments if you have any feedback or constructive criticism. Use the comments section of this post to share your thoughts.

Lastly, Teen Ink has many personal essays/narratives/memoirs written by students. Check them out.

"I don't know what happened to it, unless my cat took it, and it's just a kitten so I don't know if it can pick up a book."

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John G.
1st Period
- Attempting to come to terms with how his copy
of The Things They Carried disappeared after
he fell asleep reading earlier this week.

Adding Links to the Sidebar

Today we're going to try to accomplish three extra things. I'd like you to grant all members of your blog (myself included) full administrative privileges.

Secondly, I'd like you to add two links to your blog's sidebar.

Element Title: Important Links
URL #1: http://rm305.blogspot.com
Link Title #1: Mr. Malley's Class Blog:

URL #2: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhtdpk4z_214f67mfm
Link Title #2: Response Questions

Today's Tasks

Hello folks. Today we are going to be entering THE WORKSHOP ZONE! I expect you to be working arduously to complete the assigned tasks, well.

1. Essay introduced yesterday.
2. Blog Responses
3. Reading Novel
4. Adding Links to the Sidebar

We Probably Need a Welcome Mat

I was just looking over the data that Google analytics churns out for me (something I'll show you how to do soon) and I was surprised at the following map. Since October 1st we've received over 1000 visits from 34 countries.

Recently we've added visitors from Taiwan, Kenya, the Phillipines, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Serbia/Montenegro and Singapore. Interesting stuff, although I'm not sure why.

Tech! Huh! What is it good for!

Open your notebook to the next blank page. Skip a line. Then, copy and answer the following question.


How do you see yourself/rate yourself in the current landscape of technology? Please explain.

Essay Assignment: Due Friday, 12/21

Oops. The assignment should read "In what ways have recent advances in social and communication technology technological innovations affected your life?" I'll fix that typo later.

2nd Response

For your second response...I'd like you to think back on the parts of the book you've read already. Then, look over the list of prompts I gave you in class yesterday. Choose one, and answer the question in 175-250 words.

Homework Schedule

The homework schedule in the sidebar has been updated.

Also, regarding those of you who have finished your novel, you have a choice.

Choice One: Choose another book. Read it. Finish it by break and I'll give you 25 extra credit points. This will be 1.75-2 points on your second quarter average. Read another one and I'll double it. Write your responses to the new book, the old book, or a pleasant mix.

Choice Two: Be a bum. Write your responses to the book you've finished and go back and mine for responses.

What Am I Supposed to Write About?

You're going to have to change the way that you do responses, as you now have a real audience beyond me. Essentially, you are writing for the following:

• your blogmates
• your peers - I will be asking your peers to comment on your responses
• your teacher
• your parents, your community members
• the world

Just keep it in mind. What do you have to consider when writing for your group mates as an audience? Do you need to tailor your information in a certain way? Include contextual information they'd need to know? How can you make sure your writing is interesting to read?

To help you get started, I've collected a list of questions and prompts that might get you started on a response.

Lastly, the question of length. As we move throughout the year I am going to expect that your responses grow in development and sophistication. For blog reponses, I'm looking for responses in the 175-250 word range. In layman's terms, 3/4 to 1 full page if typed and double spaced.

Your 1st Post!

Today in class we will be posting to our blogs. To keep things simple, this first post will be a kind of introductory thing. Here's what I'd like each of you to write (make sure it is under your own display name):

1. In 2-3 sentences, give us a taste of the book. What is the title? Who is the author? What is the "gist"? (It's about a girl who...)
2. In a separate paragraph of 2-3 sentences, finish this sentence: One thing I like (or don't like) about the book so far is...
   

Creating Your Blog

As you come in, meet with your group. Make sure that your blog title is free of errors. Make sure your eventual URL is short and memorable.

Today we are going to:

1. Create a blog.
2. Choose a template.
3. Add authors
4. Add Mr. Malley as an author (jcmalley@buffaloschools.org)
5. Add your quotation as a page element


Tonight each of you must:
* check your email and accept the invitation to join the blog. This should be the last time you have to use email in this process.

Newsweek Perusal

We will be getting a regular subscription to Newsweek. Today I'd like you to browse through the November 26th issue. Take a 30-40 minutes. Read a few articles. Browse at your own pace. When you are finished, I'd like you to use the comments section on this post and share a little about one thing you've read.

Step One: If there are any comments posted by your peers, read them.
Step Two: If the comments involve the article you've read, feel free to respond to your peer.
Step Three: If there are no comments, share a little bit about the article. One or two sentences summing the article up, and 2-3 sentences about something you found to be interesting.

This is a 25 point assignment.

Email Me!

Remember, your homework for Thanksgiving break is as follows:

1. Sign up for an email account, if you do not already have one. Yahoo and Google both offer great email services that are free and have many free services. Google would work best as you'd have a shortcut for the next step.

2. Sign up for a Google Docs account.

3. Check your email. Click on the Google Account verification email.

4. Send me an email at mrmalley04@yahoo.com or jcmalley@buffaloschools.org. Let me know that you've successfully signed up for both and include your name.


Enjoy the turkey.

7th Annual Day Before Thanksgiving Riddle Challenge

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Last year a record fell. This year I've added questions and revamped the whole process. Here are the rules:
No groups of more than four
No cheatin'
No cheatin'
No cheatin'
One answer sheet per group

Working diligently on this task will get you 25/25.
Breaking the all time record will get you 50/25.
Coming in first place, but not breaking the all time record, will net you 40/25.
Coming in second place will net you 35/25 points.
Coming in 3rd place will net you 30/25 points.

Opening Activity 11/20

Open your notebook to the next blank page. Then, describe this scene in one sentence that employs at least two vivid, descriptive details.

Mix and Match Day

You guys clash so well it's almost natural.

Quarter One Grades

Here are your grades for the 1st quarter. Remember, look to the grade report I gave to you a few weeks ago. Your ID# can be found in the upper right hand corner.

Period One
Period 4/5

Period 6/7

Period Nine

Opening Activity

In your notebook, skip a line and label this entry

"The Real Prompt #4"

You are now 1/4th of the way through your senior year. What are your impressions so far? Has it been everything you hoped and more?

Extra Credit Assignment #1

If you have an active email or Google account, then do this assignment:

Directions for "Extra Credit"*:

Today you're going to sign up for Google Docs, compose a brief document, invite me as a collaborator

1. Go to Google Docs.
2. If you have a Google Account, use it to sign up for Google Docs. If not, create a Google account. The directions are there. Follow them step by step.
3. Once you have Google Docs opened, create a document.

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In this document, type something along the lines of



Hi Mr. Malley!
- {Your Name]

4. In the upper right hand corner, click on "Share".

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5. Invite me as a collaborator by typing the following email address into the box: jcmalley@buffaloschools.org. Then click invite. No message is necessary. Click "send."

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Step One is Complete! If I get that email/notification, you earn yourself an extra 25 points to your total point value.

Today's Extra Credit Assignment #2

Extra Credit Assignment #2
If you don't have an email address or Google Account, do this assignment:

1. Read the following article from Rolling Stone. (Click to enlarge.)
2. When you have finished reading the article, use the comments section of this post to address the following issue:

Downloading is killing the record industry. You know the story about illegal downloads. Now, such artists as Radiohead and Saul Williams have offered their CD's on the internet for an optional donation. Furthermore, this article delves into deeper problems facing the recording industry. If you were "Joe Record Executive," what steps would you take to help revive the industry?

___


3. After your answer, put your first name, last initial, and period. All of this information is required to earn the other 50 points of possible extra credit. Only reasonable answers will be credited.


* This is an extra credit grade, but will it is mandatory that you do it if you've finished with your college essay.

____________________________________________
Hiatt, Brian and Knopper, Steve. "Big Chains Psh CDs Off Shelves". Rolling Stone Magazine Rolling Stone LLC. Issue 11039 - 11/15/2007/

Opening Activity

Creative Prompt #4

Open up your notebook to the next blank page. Take three minutes to address the following prompt:

"Most people are conformists*."

Do you agree? Disagree? How does it relate to high school?

* comply with rules, style, standards, or idea

Opening Activity

Stanford is one of the nation's most prestigious universities. As an opening activity, choose one of the following two essay topics and start to formulate your answer.

1. Take out your notebook and turn to the next available page.
2. Copy down one of the following two prompts.
Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
3. Write a paragraph addressing the question.




For your own reading pleasure, here are the rest of the Stanford essay topics:

• Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
• Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
• Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
• A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Opening Activity

Directions:
1. Grab a half piece of an index card.
2. Put your name at the top.
3. On the index card, answer the following questions:

• What experience will you be writing about?
• What qualities will you be highlighting?
• Do you have any questions about this assignment?
• Where are you in the process? (Brainstorming, drafting, information seeking, etc.)

College Essay - The Assignment Sheet and other Project Materials

Here are the class handouts for the project:






Here is the illustration we worked with in class:

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Opening Activity

Directions:
Open your notebook to the last entry
Skip a line.
Label this entry "Free Writing - Prompt #2."
Copy the following prompt:

Write about a time as a child when you played in one of the following: a treehouse, a cornfield, a construction site, a junkyard, an abandoned house or barn, a stream, a cemetary, a swamp, a pasture, OR railroad tracks.

Time: 5 minutes

Wednesday's Creative Writing Prompt

Directions:
Open your notebook to the next available page.
Label this entry "Creative Prompt #1."
Copy the following prompt:

The candle sputtered and went out. My hand groped the cold stone wall, frantically searching for something familiar. The passage was pitch black.

Tell the story from here. Be creative.

College Essay Assignments

While I was out, I wanted you to read two college essays and answer the discussion questions that accompanied them. Here are those two essays.

College Essay

Read the essay "Devil's Hole" together. Then, we broke down the essay paragraph by paragraph.

1. Give the paragraph a title.
2. What quality (ies) does our paragraph highlight about the applicatnt?
3. Any other questions /observations.

9th Period's Summary/Analysis

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Diction Lesson #5

Diction Lesson #5

Consider the following quote:

A rowan* like a lipsticked girl.
- Seamus Heaney, "Song," Field Work

_________________________________
* a small deciduous tree native to Europe, having white flowers clusters and orange berries

Then, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper in the Voice Lessons section of your binder:

1. Other than color, what comes to mind when you think of lipsticked girl?
2. How would it change the meaning and feeling of the line if, instead of lipsticked girl, the author wrote girl with the lipstick on?
3. Write a simile comparing a tree with a domesticated animal. In your simile, use a word that is normally used as a noun (like lipstick) as an adjective (like lipsticked).

example: The willow hung like a droopy eared beagle.
___________________________________________________
from Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Maupin House. Gainesville FL, 2000.

Some Reasons for Favorable Responses/Reviews

On page 100 of your textbook the following list appears. I think it will help you if you are still brainstorming ideas for your book review. If you flesh out any of these ideas in your review, make sure you fully explain yourself.

• You like and admire the characters and what they do and stand for. You get involved with them. When they are in danger, you are concerned; when they succeed, you are happy; when they speak, you like what they say.

• Even if you do not particularly like a character or the characters, you are nevertheless interested in the reasons for and outcomes of their actions.

• You get so interested and involved in the actions or ideas in the work that you do no want to put the work down until you have finished it.

• You like to follow the pattern of action or the development of the author's thoughts, so that you respond with appreciation upon finishing the work.

• You find that reading enables you to relax or to take your mind off a problem or a pressing responsibility.

• You learn something new--something you had never before known or thought about human beings and their ways of handling problems.

• You learn about customs and ways of life in different places and times.

• You gain new insights into aspects of life that you thought you already understood.

• You feel happy or thrilled because of reading the work.

• You are amused, and you laugh often as you read.

• You like the author's descriptions of scenes, actions, ideas, and feelings.

• You find that many of the expressions are remarkable and beautiful, and are therefore worth remembering.

Diction Lesson #4

And now, a return to Voice Lessons.

Consider the following quote:

The man sighed hugely.
- E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News

1. What does it mean to sigh hugely?

2. How would the meaning of the sentence change is we rewrote it as

The man sighed loudly.

3. Fill in the blank below with an adverb:

The man coughed _____________________.

Your adverb should make the cough express an attitude. For example, the cough could express contempt, desperation, or propriety*. Do not state the attitude. Instead, let the adverb imply it.

propriety - the state of conforming to acceptable rules of behavior.


___________________________________________________
from Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Maupin House. Gainesville FL, 2000.

Writing a Book Review

Assignment: Write a book review in the ballpark of 500 words. In this review you must either recommend or advise against a peer choosing this novel.

We have several resources for writing a book review. The resource I'd like everyone to heavily rely on is Write a Book Review with Rodman Philbrick. Go to the site and follow at least the first four steps. We'll see about the last step, "Publishing Online." I want to have you share your reviews, but with the uncertain state of the servers over the next few weeks I think we may be limited.

I'll have a print version of his advice in case we have problems accessing the computer. Writer's Inc is also a great resources.

Lastly, you can find many book reviews at Teen Ink. These are not my favorite reviews, as they tend to run short and rely too heavily on unexplained praise, but feel free to visit to get a better picture of the genre.


_________________________________________________________
photo from Flickr Commons Pool...exact URL to be supplied later

Book Review Analysis

Period One

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Period 4/5

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Period 6/7

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Period Nine

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Elements of Fiction: Overview

We have finished with the group presentations. Your second exposure to the material will come in the form of the following visual aids/definitions. Get to know them. Use them in your double entry journals.

Presentation Schedule

Unfortunately, I had to miss school yesterday. As I did not plan for my absence, here is the amended class schedule. We're going to fan out the presentations throughout next week.

Thursday:
Finish Planning Presentation (25 min)
Group One Presents Modern Fiction: An Overview
Group Two Presents: Verisimilitude & Donnee

Friday:
FEAR

Tuesday
SAT Presentation (20 min)
Group Three Presents Character and Plot
Group Four Presents Structure and Theme

Wednesday:
Voice Lesson
Group 5 Presents Narration and Style
Group 6 Presents Point of View
Group 7 Presents Description and Dialogue

Thursday:
Group 8 Presents Tone and Symbolism
Group 9 Presents Commentary and Wrap Up
Quiz

Friday
FEAR

"Fiction: An Overview" Presentations

Your Task: In groups of 2-3, you will be preparing and delivering short presentations based on short sections of the introduction to chapter two in the textbook. This will give us a nice overview of fiction as we embark on our first independent reading project.

Schedule: Prepare today & tomorrow...present Wednesday and Thursday
Length: 3-5 minutes
Guidelines:

• ----you are responsible for teaching the information in your section...the class will be required to take notes and will be quizzed on Tuesday, October 8th
• ----you will each receive two pieces of posterboard to use...but...if you have any familiarity with powerpoint...
• ----You need to ask yourselves two questions:
• -- What terms and concepts do my classmates need to know? What is important?
  
• -- How can you present this information in an engaging way that ensures that your peers will comprehend the information?

Rules for Sustained Silent Reading

In order to help things run smoothly, consider the following rules for sustained silent reading days:

1. No talking.
2. No sleeping. If you get a little dozy, get up and move to another seat. Ask to get a drink of water.
3. Double Entry Journal: I'm going to ask that you keep your double entry journal in your spiral notebook. You may have it out on SSR days in order to work on this aspect of your reading project.
4. No talking. Yes, I've already said that.
5. Unpreparedness - You're losing your points. For the purpose of this class, grab a book of short stories, Rolling Stone magazine, or one of my other browse-able books.

Independent Reading Project #1

Greasy Lake Discussion

Here's a link to the quotations we discussed regarding "Greasy Lake."

Binder Sections

Today we will be setting up our binder. Here are the sections you need:

1. Reference
2. Voice Lessons
3. Finished Writing Pieces
4. Drafts and Planning
5. Quizzes and Tests

Greasy Lake Discussion

So, you've finished T. Coraghessan Boyle's short story "Greasy Lake." I'd like to put our heads together and create a resource for our class discussion. Here goes...

Directions

We're going to assemble a quotation database from your double entry journals.

1. Look over your double entry journal for a quotation that stands out. Once you find one, copy it into the comment section of the post. After copying the quotation, add your commentary.
2. If you someone else typed in your quotation, feel free to add your commentary to theirs.
3. If you check back later, feel free to add your thoughts about other people's quotations. Discuss discuss discuss.
   
4. After your commentary, put your first name, last initial, and period # in parenthesis (ex. Jake M., Per. 4/5)

Here are a few possible topics

1. Setting - Greasy Lake
2. Setting - Time Period
3. Digby

4. Jeff
5. The Victim
6. The Victim's Girlfriend
7. The Corpse (Al)
8. Frat Boys

9. 
   
10. Al's Girl Friends
11. The Fight

T.C. Boyle's "Greasy Lake"

Over the next three days we'll be taking a look at T. C. Boyle's "Greasy Lake" out of the textbook. I'd love to link to a full version online, but due to copyright no one has reposted it. Google books has a large part of the story, and if you'd like, you can find it here.

I also recorded the book if you'd like to listen in class. Unfortunately, I cannot publish this recording due to copyright. However, feel free to take advantage of it in class.

Here's the Assignment:
Read Boyle's story, starting at page 143. While reading, keep a double entry journal of quotations that you find noteworthy. In one column, copy the quotation. The other is for your commentary. Write four to five sentences explaining why you felt that quotation was noteworthy. Remember, be a color commentator, a la John Madden, rather than a play by play announcer. I want to here your thoughts.

Voice Lessons #1 - Diction

On Friday we took notes about diction, which led up to today's activity. I'd like to see some examples of your work. In the comments section of this post, write down the sentence you developed from the activity. Underneath your sentence, put your first name, last initial, and period.

In case you forgot, here's the prompt:

Brainstorm with the class and develop a list of medical terms, then write a sentence using a medical term to characterize art.

Don't forget your name and period.

Icebreaker Videos

Again, great job working on the films this week. I'm impressed with your shots and your preparedness. Enjoy your weekend, and remember...summer reading extension is due Thursday.

Period One



Period 4/5



Perid 6/7


Period 9

Edit Blogger Profile

Congratulations on finishing A&P. We'll be discussing the story in class tomorrow. Since most people read at different speeds, I'm giving the class the entire period today to finish up the story.

Now that you've finished, I'd like you to edit your Blogger Profile. Look to the upper right hand corner of this page and sign in to blogger. Once signed in, you'll be brought to your main page. When you are there, the "edit profile" is at the top of the page at the right hand side. Click on it, and fill out the information.



IMPORTANT: YOUR LOGIN ID IS AN EMAIL ADDRESS. IF YOU TRY EVERYTHING YOU CAN, AND CANNOT REMEMBER THE EMAIL ADDRESS OR PASSWORD, THEN SIGN UP FOR A NEW ACCOUNT. THIS TIME WRITE IT DOWN!

Double Entry Journal

The double entry journal is designed to help further the development of your observational skills. It is a chance for a reader to say, "hey, this quote is important, and I'm going to elaborate on why I feel this way." However, this is not a contest to identify the top ten most important lines from a story. There are no wrong answers, just unsupported answers. As each reader brings a different background to a piece of writing, so each reader will also probably find importance in different quotes.

If you get stuck, try to identify quotations that do one of the following:

• say something about society or life as you know it
• show something about a character's motivation or nature
• show something about the setting of the the story
• illustrate the mood of the piece or tone of the author
• illustrate the voice of the narrator
• are humorous
• are insightful
• are confusing

John Updike's A&P

Today in class you are to begin to read John Updike's classic short story A&P. In order to prepare for discussion, you are to fill out a double entry journal sheet for a grade. These have been provided to you in class.

Google Account

Primary Task: Finish your work on your piece of the film. We are looking to finish today.

Secondary Task: Sign up for a Google/Blogger account and answer the following question in the comment section:

Steps:
1. Click on the "Comments" link in this post.

2. Under "Username/Password" click on "Sign Up Here"



3. Fill out the required information


4. Post your comments

Here's the question:
You're going to be given a good amount of choice in the literature you read this year. What novels, nonfiction, or poetry have you read in the past that you've enjoyed. What about this particular work(s) have you enjoyed? Share a bit about the experience.

Put your first name and last initial after your comments.

(75-150 word range)