Jennifer Holzhausen's Homework Blog

October 28, 2009 (Blue)

B1/B2/B4 - Students gave their Vignette Presentations all period. B4 got started, then we had a convocation for the rest of the block.  Final Drafts of the Vignette are DUE immediately after the presentation.  If you were absent today, please plan to have your presentation ready to go on Tuesday after Fall Break.  Assignment:  If you were absent, prepare your final draft and your presentation for Tuesday, otherwise, NO ASSIGNMENT! :)  Enjoy your Fall Break!!

October 27, 2009 (Gold)

G1/G3 - If you completed the questions for the opposite story from last time ("Charming Billy" or "Princess"), those questions were due today for bonus points.  Short Story Test Review Packets were DUE for bonus points.  Gave students a sample rubric that I will use for the Vignette presentations and for grading the Final Drafts of the Vignettes.  Use these rubrics to plan and prepare for these two assignments for Monday after Fall Break.  Short Story Test.  This took the majority of the period.  When students finished their tests, I checked Draft #3 of the Vignette assignment and encouraged them to have someone peer-edit for them again before they finish up their final drafts.  Assignment:  Vignette Final Draft and Presentation DUE next time!

G2 - Draft #2 of the Comparative Analysis paper DUE for peer-editing.  Checked those, peer-edited, and discussed trend topics for a little while.  I started passing back Comparative Critique rough drafts. Whenever you receive yours, you will have one week to complete the final draft.  Assignment:  Draft #3 of the Comparative Analysis paper is due on Monday for my comments.  We will begin the Trend Analysis unit that day, and you will receive new calendars.  Be looking for your Comparative Critique.  People who were absent today probably won't get theirs back until after Fall Break. 

October 26, 2009 (Blue)

B1/B2/B4 - If you completed the questions for the opposite story from last time ("Charming Billy" or "Princess"), those questions were due today for bonus points (B1/B4 ONLY).  Short Story Test Review Packets DUE for bonus points in Honors (B1/B4) and for a grade in B2.  Gave students a sample rubric that I will use for the Vignette presentations and for grading the Final Drafts of the Vignettes.  Use these rubrics to plan and prepare for these two assignments for Wednesday.  Short Story Test.  This took the majority of the period.  When students finished their tests, I checked Draft #3 of the Vignette assignment and encouraged them to have someone peer-edit for them again before they finish up their final drafts.  Assignment:  Vignette Final Draft and Presentation DUE next time!

October 23, 2009 (Gold) SSR Day

G1/G3 - Reading questions for "The Princess and the Tin Box" OR "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" DUE.  Draft #2 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  I went around and checked drafts, then students spent about 20-30 minutes peer-editing and discussing their drafts.  New calendars were distributed today.  This calendar will take us to the end of the short story unit (finally, right?).  Students were given half of the period today to work on the review sheet for the test.  These review sheets may be completed for 5 bonus points which will be applied to the test score. Assignments:  Revise your vignette and complete Draft #3.  Complete the review sheet for up to 5 bonus points on your test.  Study for the test.  Bring a pleasure reading book to read after you finish the test.

G2 - Checked first drafts of Comparative Analysis paper.  Many of them weren't very good yet.  :(  If you missed today, you need to make sure you get caught up with the rest of the class on this paper over the weekend.  You didn't miss a lot, but we did do some peer-editing, and we did talk a little bit about the Trend topics your group would like to explore.  A few groups gave me a global topic, but we will finalize these next week.  Other than that, it was a Friday, and we spent a lot of time off-topic today.  Assignments: Draft #2 of the Comparative Analysis.  This should be a full-blown draft at this point.  If you were absent, catch up ASAP.

October 22, 2009 (Blue)

B1/B4 - Reading questions for "The Princess and the Tin Box" OR "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" DUE.  Draft #2 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  I went around and checked drafts, then students spent about 20-30 minutes peer-editing and discussing their drafts.  New calendars were distributed today.  This calendar will take us to the end of the short story unit (finally, right?).  Students were given half of the period today to work on the review sheet for the test.  These review sheets may be completed for 5 bonus points which will be applied to the test score. Assignments:  Revise your vignette and complete Draft #3.  Complete the review sheet for up to 5 bonus points on your test.  Study for the test.  Bring a pleasure reading book to read after you finish the test.

B2 - Reading questions for "The Princess and the Tin Box" DUE.  Draft #2 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  I went around and checked drafts, then students spent about 20-30 minutes peer-editing and discussing their drafts.  New calendars were distributed today.  This calendar will take us to the end of the short story unit (finally, right?).  Students were given half of the period today to work on the review sheet for the test.  These review sheets must be completed for a grade. Assignments:  Revise your vignette and complete Draft #3.  Type it if you can.  Complete the review sheet for a grade.  Study for the test.  Bring a pleasure reading book to read after you finish the test.

October 21, 2009 (Gold) SSR Day

G1/G3 - Draft #1 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  Checked drafts for points.  Students peer-edited in groups for about 15-20 minutes.  I went through my general expectations, then we discussed the samples they were asked to read for today from The House on Mango Street.  Passed back graded work and new Grade Record Sheets for second 9 weeks.  Journal/Discussion:  Are diamonds really a girl's best friend? OR  If diamonds are a girl's best friend, what is a man's best friend?  OR  Do the clothes really make the man?  Notes: Parody (p. R110) and Satire (p. R112).  Assignments:  Complete the second draft of the Vignette.  Read "The Princess and the Tin Box" (p. 766+) and answer questions #1-7 on page 769 OR read "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" (p. 752+) and answer questions #1-7 on page 761.

G2 - Finished watching Enchanted.  Students made a requests to review a few parts of the movie for support/quotations.  Toward the end of the period, I gave students copies of an article that emphasizes the importance of writing your own movie summary--do not consult online sources to write it.  If you do consult other sources, you are responsible for properly citing that information in your paper.  If you do not, it is plagiarism.  In the article, two students were removed from the Semester at Sea program (expelled) for plagiarizing a paper in this way.  Be careful!  I gave students a sample Comparative Analysis paper (with Works Cited) to use as a guide.  If you were absent, I expect that you will find a way to watch the rest of this movie and take the notes you need to successfully complete the paper.  If you are able to pick up the homework packet (or if you want me to send it home with someone), please let me know as soon as possible.  Assignment:  Draft #1 of the Comparative Analysis paper is due for peer-editing on Friday.  For the first draft, I would like to see the introduction paragraph and three analysis paragraphs.  If you can do more than that, it will help you out in the long run (and may help you salvage some of your weekend!).

October 20, 2009 (Blue)

B1/B4 - Draft #1 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  Checked drafts for points.  Students peer-edited in groups for about 15-20 minutes.  I went through my general expectations, then we discussed the samples they were asked to read for today from The House on Mango Street.  Passed back graded work and new Grade Record Sheets for second 9 weeks.  Journal/Discussion:  Are diamonds really a girl's best friend? OR  If diamonds are a girl's best friend, what is a man's best friend?   Notes: Parody (p. R110) and Satire (p. R112).  Assignments:  Complete the second draft of the Vignette.  Read "The Princess and the Tin Box" (p. 766+) and answer questions #1-7 on page 769 OR read "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" (p. 752+) and answer questions #1-7 on page 761.

B2 - Draft #1 of the Vignette DUE for peer-editing.  Checked drafts for points.  Students peer-edited in groups for about 15-20 minutes.  I went through my general expectations, and assigned the second draft for Thursday.  Passed back graded work and new Grade Record Sheets for second 9 weeks.  Notes: Parody (p. R110) and Satire (p. R112).  In class, we read "The Princess and the Tin Box" (p. 766+) together and students were given time to start on their assignments.  Assignments:  Complete the second draft of the Vignette.  Read "The Princess and the Tin Box" (p. 766+) and answer questions #1-7 on page 769.  Write thorough and complete answers to these questions.

October 19, 2009 (Gold)

G1/G3 - Worksheet DUE for "Who Killed the Iceman?" and "Skeletal Sculptures".  Students read and discussed an article I copied related to the nonfiction, investigative articles they read for today.  Keep that in handouts and notes. You might see it again sometime.  We finished notes from pages 508-513 (if needed) and I assigned the extra reading to be done sometime before the short story test.  Next, I gave them notes over Style and Voice.  These notes covered pages 744-749.  Again, be sure you have read and understand this material from the book as well. I suggest reading that before the test as a review.  Assignment:  Read the three sample vignettes from "The House on Mango Street" in your textbook (p. 570+).  Use them as examples for your writing assignment.  Then, type a one-page (double-spaced) Vignette from the perspective of the character from the Character Sketch assignment you have been working on in your journal.  (This is NOT the main character in the short story project.)  I gave specific criteria in class about font size, number of paragraphs, etc.  Please be sure you have this First Draft copy ready to peer-edit on Wednesday.

G2 - Today, we started watching Enchanted for the Comparative Analysis paper.  Students brought food, and we viewed the first half of the movie in the Cougar Meeting Room today.  Students were expected to take multiple pages of notes during the movie as they will all be expected to use quotations and support in their papers.  Summaries of the movie may not be used from sources found online.  Assignment: NONE!  Two days in a row! :)

 

October 16, 2009 (Blue) SSR Day

B1/B4 - Worksheet DUE for "Who Killed the Iceman?" and "Skeletal Sculptures".  Students read and discussed an article I copied related to the nonfiction, investigative articles they read for today.  Keep that in handouts and notes. You might see it again sometime.  We finished notes from pages 508-513 and I assigned the extra reading to be done sometime before the short story test.  Next, I gave them notes over Style and Voice.  These notes covered pages 744-749.  Again, be sure you have read and understand this material from the book as well. I suggest reading that before the test as a review.  Assignment:  Read the vignettes from "The House on Mango Street" in your textbook (p. 570+).  Use them as examples for your writing assignment.  Then, type a one-page (double-spaced) Vignette from the perspective of the character from the Character Sketch assignment you have been working on in your journal.  (This is NOT the main character in the short story project.)  I gave specific criteria in class about font size, number of paragraphs, etc.  Please be sure you have this First Draft copy ready to peer-edit on Tuesday.

B2 - Reading questions (#1,2,3,5,6) DUE for "Who Killed the Iceman?" and "Skeletal Sculptures".   Students read and discussed an article I copied related to the nonfiction, investigative articles they read for today.  Keep that in handouts and notes. You might see it again sometime.  We finished notes from pages 508-513 and I collected the questions they were asked to complete with a partner in class last time.  Next, I gave everyone notes over Style and Voice.  These notes covered pages 744-749.  Be sure you have read and understand this material from the book. I suggest reading that before the test as a review.  Assignment:  Read the vignettes from "The House on Mango Street" in your textbook (p. 570+).  Use them as examples for your writing assignment.  Then, handwrite a two-page (double-spaced) Vignette from the perspective of the character from the Character Sketch assignment you have been working on in your journal.  I gave specific criteria in class about the number of paragraphs I expect to see (4-6 paragraphs with 5-8 sentences each).  Please be sure you have this First Draft copy ready to peer-edit on Tuesday.

October 15, 2009 (Gold)

Sorry this is late.  It's the end of the 9 weeks, and I am spinning my wheels just as fast as I can...

Here's what happened:

G1/G3 - Journal:  Your thoughts about Crime Scene Investigation.  Daily Oral Grammar exercises #6 and #7.  (If you were absent, please complete these on your own... they will be included in your absence packet.)  I collected Daily Oral Grammar sheets today for a participation grade.  Notes and small group activity: Fiction and Nonfiction.  In both classes, we ran out of time and did not read pages 508-513 nor did we take all of the notes that bored me out of my skull yesterday.  I promise you that we'll catch up on anything we didn't cover today.  Assignment:  Read "Who Killed the Iceman?" (p. 536-539) and "Skeletal Sculptures" (p. 540-543) and do your best to complete the worksheet questions on your own.  If you were absent, please make sure you get the notes over Fiction and Nonfiction from a friend.  Also, complete the Daily Oral Grammar exercises and turn in your DOG sheet when you are finished.

G2 - Collected rough drafts of the Comparative Critique.  (These will take a while to get back to you. They take about 15-20 minutes each, so don't expect them right away.)  Checked fish, puppets, and 2 double-entries for the Schectman and Yolen articles.  Discussion.  Briefly talked about the structure of the paper, then everyone voted to watch Enchanted as the movie of central focus for the paper. Assignment:  NONE--well, bring FOOD on Monday to the Cougar Meeting Room.  Other than that, enjoy the weekend off! :)