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Days

8A/B

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Discuss this week’s spelling and vocabulary. Review for Animal Farm exam and discuss AF creative project.

Copy week three SAT/ACT vocabulary. Finish reading Langston Hughes “Theme For English III” projects aloud. Quiz over Z.N. Hurston’s “Sweat,” and begin reading Hurston’s “Gilded Six-Bits.”

Workshop Halloween/scary stories.

Tuesday

Discuss the proper process involved in writing a cause and effect essay. Look at common errors committed in compare/contrast essays and how to fix these problems.

Submit final WWI editorials. Quiz over Hurston’s “Gilded Six-Bits.” Discuss common themes and symbols found in Hurston’s writings. Examine L. Hughes’ poem, “A Dream Deferred.” Recitation of poem set for the following Monday.

Finish workshopping scary stories.

Wednesday

AF exam. Work on planning for C & E essay once exam is complete.

Begin discussing the expectations involved in our Harlem Renaissance Gold-Seal Lesson: “The American Dream.” Students will examine the rhetoric of primary documents found during the Great Migration in correlation with discovering African American families’ American dreams during that time.

Examination and discussion of the art of memoirs. Look at portions of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” in correlation with viewing clips from Girl Interrupted. The goal is to examine the ways in which emotions are portrayed in memoirs.

Thursday

Complete pre-writing and rough draft for C & E essay. Move on to revising and editing upon completion.

Brief overviews of the remaining poets, philosophers, novelists, and musicians who stood out during the Harlem Renaissance. Break into groups to begin planning writing component of American Dream/Great Migration lesson.

Students will be asked to bring a photograph that portrays an important event in their lives. Short pieces will be worked up based on the emotions projected from the photographs.

Friday

AF spelling/vocabulary quizzes. Work on AF creative project upon completion of these.

ACT/SAT Vocabulary quiz. ACT/SAT Grammar review.

Workshop short photograph pieces.

Days

8A/B

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Discuss this week’s spelling and vocabulary. Continue drafting, editing, and revising compare/contrast essays.

Submit WWI compare/contrast essays. Copy week two SAT/ACT vocabulary words and discuss their usage. Introduction to the Harlem Renaissance.

Workshop adapted news stories.

Tuesday

Quiz over assigned chapters in Animal Farm. AF discussion and continuation of allegory notes. Quiz - elements of literature.

Peer review war editorials (final draft due Thursday). Examine the life and poetry of Langston Hughes. Analyze “Theme for English B.” Introduce “Theme for English B” writing assignment, due Friday.

Examine several story ideas from H.P. Lovecraft and E.A. Poe. Discuss how these might be adapted into modern horror stories.

Wednesday

Submit completed compare/contrast essays. Begin discussing cause/effect essays and how they are constructed.

Read and discuss the life and stories of Zora Neale Hurston. Analyze Sweat.

View clips from several classic horror films. Discuss how these can be translated to story form without harming the integrity of the horror.

Thursday

Spelling quiz, with partners, work revised AF crossword puzzles.

Submit final drafts of war editorials. Review of common grammatical errors found in ACT English portion passages.

Compose original Halloween tales.

Friday

Submit cause/effect topic ideas to be reviewed. Begin discussing AF creative project (AF exam will be given the following Wednesday).

Submit and present “Theme for English B” writing projects. SAT/ACT vocabulary quiz.

Continue the Halloween tale composition process.

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Discuss this week’s spelling and vocabulary. Continue drafting, editing, and revising compare/contrast essays.

Discuss this week’s spelling and quote. Check and discuss unit three in writing Buckle Down books. Continue with rough drafts of the process essay.

Explain the difference between block and alternating styles for compare/contrast. Discuss how to construct an editorial. Copy SAT/ACT vocabulary words for the week. Quiz on Friday.

Finish workshopping circle-writing stories from Friday, and continue drafting out news adaptations.

Tuesday

Quiz over assigned chapters in Animal Farm. AF discussion and continuation of allegory notes. Review elements of literature for a quiz on Friday.

Review common elements of literature for a quiz on Friday. Write our own examples of the common elements of literature. With remainder of time, finish editing and revising process essays.

Allow students time in class to research which wartime conflict on which they’ll be basing their editorials. In-class time to work on editorials or compare/contrast essays.

Continue drafting out news adaptations.

Wednesday

Submit completed compare/contrast essays. Begin discussing cause/effect essays and how they are constructed.

When revising and editing has been completed, students will begin constructing an illustrated instructional manual to accompany their process essays.

Peer review compare/contrast essays. Spend the remainder of the time discussing the insertion of figurative language into their own war poetry.

Workshop news adaptations.

Thursday

Quiz over assigned chapters in Animal Farm. AF discussion and continuation of allegory notes. Spelling quiz.

Spelling quiz. Continue constructing illustrated manuals.

Peer review editorials. Spend the remainder of the class period allowing students to draft their war poetry.

Discuss adapting stories from song lyrics. Set criteria for picking song lyrics for which to base a story.

Friday

Literary elements quiz. Begin drafting cause/effect essays in class.

Quote quiz followed by the literary elements quiz. Finish manuals with remaining time.

SAT/ACT vocabulary quiz (complete the sentences). Review for WWI poetry exam. Peer review students’ WWI poems.

Share which songs everyone has chosen. Listen to several examples of songs that tell stories. Students will get started on lyric adaptations today.

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Record week eight’s spelling words, continue defining new vocabulary gathered from Animal Farm, and finish Animal Farm crossword puzzles. Homework: AF chapters assigned in class and new AF vocabulary.

Record week eight’s spelling words and discuss week eight’s quote. Complete quiz - run-on sentences, sentence fragments, subject/verb agreement, and apostrophes. Finish “The Necklace” adaptations upon completion of quiz.

Review common poetic elements such as imagery, metonymy, apostrophe, etc. Read “Dulce Est...” by Wilfred Owen. In pairs, students will examine the poem for as many poetic and literary elements as possible.

Workshop twist ending stories and pictorial inspirations.

Tuesday

Quiz and discuss assigned AF chapters (themes, symbolism, the emergence of allegorical traits), share AF crossword puzzles with the class. Homework: AF chapters assigned in class and AF vocabulary.

Share “The Necklace” adaptations with the class. We will track each adaptation to make sure they each contain all the necessary elements of a short story. Begin discussing the purpose of a process essay. Homework: Assigned grammar/punctuation worksheets.

Students will share the poetic elements found in Owen’s poem. The class will then read, discuss, and analyze Brooke’s poem “The Soldier,” as well as discussing the lives of Siegfried Sassoon and Isaac Rosenberg.

Research various news outlets attempting to find a news story that may be easily adapted to a realistic short fiction story. Discuss stories and movies that have been based on true events and examine the artistic liberties authors take with reality.

Wednesday

Quiz and discuss assigned AF chapters (themes, symbolism, the emergence of allegorical traits), begin discussing proper outlining strategies for compare/contrast essays. Homework: AF chapters assigned in class and AF vocabulary.

Assign students the process essay topic and walk them through the pre-writing stages. Students will complete prewriting and begin rough drafts of process essays. Homework: Assigned grammar/punctuation worksheets.

Students will read assigned poems by Sassoon and Rosenberg; they will then analyze these poems for all the poetic and literary elements we have discussed in class.

Share news stories to the class. Peers will give input as to how aspects of the story will work in the plot line of a short fictional piece.

Thursday

Complete prewriting for assigned compare/contrast prompt, begin rough draft when prewriting has been completed. Homework: Study for spelling quiz.

Continue working on process essay rough drafts, moving on to the editing/revising stage upon completion.

Students will use the top-hat handout to compare/contrast two different war poems we have discussed in this unit. Upon completion, they will begin drafting their own version of a war poem based on their own opinions of war.

Begin writing adapted news pieces.

Friday

Spelling quiz, continue with compare/contrast rough draft, moving on to the editing and revising stages upon completion.

Spelling quiz, quote quiz. Students will then begin constructing illustrated instructional manuals to accompany their process essays.

Discuss compare/contrast assignment. Continue writing war poetry; upon completion, discuss editorials and assign students a 300 word editorial in which they discuss their views of war by referring to poems discussed in class.

Students will share their progress and continue working on their adapted short pieces.

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Record this week’s spelling words, finish copying notes on and discussing Orwell, communism, and the Bolshevik Revolution.

Record this week’s spelling words and discuss this week’s quote. Review rules of capitalization, apostrophe use, and subject-verb agreement. Grammar/punctuation exam next Monday.

Review for feminist authors exam: regionalism versus local color versus naturalism/romanticism will be discussed in relation to Kate Chopin. One act plays will be discussed in relation to Susan Glaspell.

Continue constructing multi-plot, twist ending stories in class. Final story due on Friday.

Tuesday

Discuss and complete vocabulary lessons four and five in Greek/Latin workbooks.

Continue with grammar/punctuation review lessons. Review the elements of figurative language and begin reading “The Necklace.”

Feminist writers exam: “The Story of an Hour,” “Desiree’s Baby,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,”Trifles.

Peer review twist ending stories with one member of the class, being sure to keep endings secretive from everyone else.

Wednesday

Review all literary/figurative language elements. Write our own examples of each element discussed. Read chapters one and two of Animal Farm.

Complete our reading of “The Necklace” and discuss the structure of the story (from exposition to resolution) and identify elements of figurative language used by the author.

Peer review of feminist identity essays.

Experiments with the timing of a plot. Students will each be given a different plot line. They will be required to begin the story with the ending, experimenting with time throughout.

Thursday

Spelling quiz and quiz and discussion of AF chapters. Read three and four for homework. Begin reviewing elements of a narrative; we’ll start constructing our own in class.

Spelling quiz. Review the purpose of and the parts of a process essay. Discuss good process essay topics and introduce essay assignment/instructional manual.

Introduction to the next unit of study: WWI poets. Common elements of poetry will be reviewed and an overview of each of the poets will be copied and discussed in class.

Continue with/finish up timing experimentations. If time permits, workshop short pieces to determine the success of the plot’s unusual time structure.

Friday

Reading quiz and discussion over AF chapters. Continue constructing imaginative narratives.

Quote quiz. Review for Monday’s grammar/punctuation exam. If time permits, continue with process essay discussion.

Feminism essays must be submitted to turnitin.com by midnight. Students will read and discuss WWI poems by Sassoon and Owen.

Workshop twisted ending, complex plot stories. Students will rate the success of each story’s surprise factor.

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Receive this week’s spelling words, allow students to share their OMATS movie posters and book covers with the class (making sure to explain how the images are symbolic), discuss the OMATS test results; time permitting, students will continue working on business letters.

Receive this week’s spelling words, copy and discuss week six’s quote, complete pre-writing for descriptive essay (favorite food). Homework: Study and finish pre-writing.

Group discussion of “The Yellow Wallpaper” study questions. Submit wallpaper swatches. Pass out copies of the play Trifles, which is to be read by Wednesday. Also, pass out feminist authors’ essay prompt, due next Monday (finding a common thread between female authors). Pass out and begin reading Eve Ensler article for Gold Seal Lesson.

Complete viewing of the twist ending, complex plot-structure film (Inception).

Tuesday

Complete any steps of the business letter that haven’t been completed yet. Review the common elements of figurative language and discuss the background of George Orwell.

Discuss the important elements of building a paragraph; then, begin drafting descriptive essays. Homework: Study.

Discuss the expository style of Ensler’s article. Visit the UN website on which letters are submitted in response to Ensler’s article. View the video that accompanies this website. Discuss the persuasive elements required for a letter such as this.

Discussion of the elements used in the film in order to convey a complex story with a surprise ending. Begin brainstorming our own twisted endings.

Wednesday

Pass out Animal Farm and discuss the concept of an allegory. Next essay will be descriptive, so a quick review of the organizational structure of a descriptive essay is needed. LEAP essay topic: Describe a family heirloom.

Finish drafting descriptive essays. Discuss the importance of the editing/revising process. Pass out extra copies of revising/editing checklists to be completed by students. Homework: Study.

Latin/Greek suffix exam, quiz over Trifles. Discussion of Glasbell’s play (themes, symbols, common ties with Chopin and Gilman’s stories).

Time in class to write surprise ending short stories.

Thursday

Spelling quiz, Latin/Greek vocabulary unit four. Discuss the use of new vocabulary and complete comprehension exercises.

Spelling quiz, quote quiz (finish editing/revising or independent reading until everyone finishes), review commonly used literary elements.

Review for Monday’s feminist/suffragette writers exam. Begin writing letters to the government of Congo responding to the feminist issues addressed in Ensler’s article (Gold Seal).

Time in class to write surprise ending short stories; stories are due on Monday.

Friday

Staff Development Day

Staff Development Day

Staff Development Day

Staff Development Day

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Receive this week’s spelling words, review for Wednesday’s exam, and receive first formal essay prompt - the business letter. Discuss proper outlining procedures for a letter, and begin our prewriting. Once prewriting is complete, students may begin rough draft. Homework: Study for Wednesday’s exam and finish prewriting if unfinished in class.

Receive this week’s spelling words, copy and discuss week five’s quote, discuss our four-square outlines completed in Buckle Down regarding the “ugliest article of clothing” essay prompt. Examine how sentence structure is vital to the success of a descriptive essay. Review compound sentence structure and coordinating conjunctions. Homework: Study for this week’s quizzes.

Final discussion of themes in The Jungle. Journal prompt regarding Jurgis’s transformation to be completed. Discussion of the themes and symbolism contained in Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby.” Complete a creative narrative from the perspective of Armand, which discusses the character’s future decisions. Final two sections of Jungle Gold Seal must be completed and submitted to Turn It In before midnight. Homework: Finish Jungle journal to be submitted Wednesday; Armand’s narrative to be submitted by Thursday.

Continue workshopping diagrammed short stories. Offer advice and suggestions that will strengthen the author’s character development and plot structure.

Tuesday

Field trip to Poverty Point.

Discuss the difference between independent and dependent clauses. Practice changing sentence fragments into independent clauses and fixing the errors in run-on sentences. Homework: Study for this week’s quizzes, complete grammar worksheets not completed in class.

Review the difference between direct and indirect objects and how to find them in sentences. Use this knowledge to see the differentiation between the use of “who” and “whom” in sentences. Practice using the pronouns correctly. If this concept is quickly understood, we will move to a review of proper comma usage.

Read, as a class, one of the short tales from J.D. Salenger’s Nine Stories. Discuss character and plot development found in the story.

Wednesday

Exam - Ernest Hemingway, the Hemingway hero, and The Old Man and the Sea. Continue drafting business letter when finished with exam. Homework: Study for spelling.

Using our lessons from the previous day, we will discuss constructing complex sentences and practice composing explosive, complex sentences. Students will receive official descriptive essay prompt.

Latin/Greek roots exam, submit final Jungle journal entry. Discuss the life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the themes predominantly addressed in her works. Begin reading “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Using one of the character’s from the Salenger short story, complete the backstory interview guide distributed in class. Share as a group when complete.

Thursday

Spelling quiz, time in class to type or work on Quadrant D OMATS lesson. Homework: Finish OMATS creative writing project.

Spelling quiz, complete prewriting for descriptive essay prompt. When prewriting is complete, students may begin on rough draft. Homework: Study for tomorrow’s quiz.

Submit Armand’s narrative (journal entry). Continue with the review of the proper usage for commas and semicolons. Begin discussing issues of redundancy in writing and how to eliminate them in our own writing and in paragraphs to be edited.

Using our character interview guides, create a prequel to the short story, utilizing the information invented about the character’s life.

Friday

Discuss Wednesday’s OMATS exam. Share our OMATS movie posters/book covers with the class and explain the slogans and pictures chosen. Submit marlin/shark creative perspectives.

Quote quiz, continue working through the descriptive rough draft, including the revising stage and the utilization of thesauruses.

Finish Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper” and discuss the symbolism and allusions found within it. Quadrant D lesson - create our own version of the yellow wallpaper along with a written defense of the symbolism contained within our drawings.

Continue working on our Salenger prequels in class (interviewing and prequel activities are derived from an existing Gold Seal lesson).

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Monday

Receive this week’s spelling words, finish literary circle discussions with OMATS, discuss results as a class, continue with Buckle Down Writing lessons. Homework: Finish reading OMATS and study spelling.

Receive this week’s spelling words, copy and discuss week four’s quote, discuss and share our Tolstoy diagrams with the class. Begin discussing and completing rewrites of “Biggest Fear” essays. Homework: Study spelling and quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 25 and 26. Discuss this weekend’s reading. Turn in creative and artistic portions of Jungle Gold Seal Lesson. Discuss everyone’s artistic choices. Check and discuss the answers to ACT practice tests completed on Friday. Homework: Read chapters 27, 28 and 29.

Take character diagrams and plot maps and begin creating our complex short stories (due by Friday).

Tuesday

Check Buckle Down Writing lessons completed the previous day, discuss positive and negative traits found so far in student writing and what is expected in a business letter. Begin our concluding discussions of OMATS. Homework: Buckle Down Writing lesson and study spelling.

Continue discussing do’s and dont’s for essays. Practice writing descriptive hook and thesis statements. Begin working in Buckle Down Writing. Homework: Finish essay corrections, study spelling and quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 27-29. Discuss the previous night’s readings (metaphors, significance to the plot, etc.). Finish any ACT lessons that were not completed the previous day. Begin moving into the suffragette/early Feminist period of literature (notes). Homework: Read chapters 31-33.

In-class time to work on piecing together complex short stories (Gold Seal Lesson).

Wednesday

Check Buckle Down Writing lessons completed the previous day, complete discussions of OMATS (exam to be given next Wednesday over all notes and discussion topics), begin planning for business letters (LEAP practice topic). Homework: Finish business letter outlines and study spelling.

Submit essay corrections and check Buckle Down Writing lessons completed the previous day. Concentrate on constructing specific topic sentences for body paragraphs followed by descriptive and complex detail sentences. Homework: Buckle Down Writing to be assigned, study spelling and quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 31-33. Discussion of the previous night’s reading (notice how the novel’s themes have shifted from the graphic nature of work to a preaching of the tenets of socialism), begin looking at the work of early-Feminist writer Kate Chopin. Homework: Read chapters 34 and 35.

Examine short stories and film clips that rely heavily on dreams as a form of confusion and symbolism. Discuss how this is effective and when it can be confusing.

Thursday

Spelling quiz, check business letter outlines and answer any questions about the purpose or audience of the letter, begin drafting the letter in class.

Spelling quiz, check Buckle Down homework, begin outlining process essays (topics must be approved). Process essays will need to be accompanied by an illustrated how-to manual. Students will begin brainstorming in class. Homework: Study quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 34 and 35. Discussion of the previous night’s readings and their effects on the novel’s plot. Continue examining the stories of Kate Chopin (“Desiree’s Baby” and “Story of an Hour.”) Homework: Read chapter 36 and conclusion.

Brainstorm ways in which we can incorporate dream sequences and heavy symbolism into our own writing. Share ideas and begin the skeleton of a possible story relying on dreams for the plot.

Friday

(Quadrant D lesson) Create a collage abstractly representing one of the novella’s major themes and complete a one-two page rewrite of the story from either the marlin’s or the shark’s point-of-view.

Quote quiz, continue with (Quadrant D) lesson on process essays. Once outline is completed and approved, students will begin rough draft stage. For Monday, students need to bring any markers or supplies they’ll need to begin work on illustrated how-to manuals.

Quiz over Jungle chapter 36 and conclusion. Discuss the book in its entirety and its literary value during the Progressive Era. The rest of this period will be devoted to students completing part two, the critical analysis section of their Gold Seal lesson regarding the Jungle. Jungle exam will be held on Wednesday of next week.

Workshop complex short stories.

Days

8A/B

7A

English III

Creative Writing

Tuesday

Receive this week’s spelling words, create complex and descriptive sentences with Latin vocabulary words, discuss last Friday’s test results. Homework: Study spelling, assigned OMATS reading.

Receive this week’s spelling words, discuss last Friday’s test results, copy and discuss week three’s quote, continue reading and diagramming Tolstoy’s short story. Homework: Study spelling and quote!

Quiz over Jungle chapters 17 and 18. Discuss the assigned reading and continue examining jungle metaphors found in the text, finish MLA citation assignment and practice diagramming the citations on the board. Homework: Read chapters 19 and 20.

Complete a character diagramming sheet, which will track the background and personality of traits of the protagonist and antagonist being used in students’ next short story. Share with one another once completed.

Wednesday

Discuss strengths and weaknesses found in personal narratives and make corrections, begin work on expository essay outlines. Homework: Finish essay corrections, study spelling, assigned OMATS reading.

Discuss strengths and weaknesses found in personal narratives and make corrections, begin work on process essay outlines. Homework: Finish essay corrections, study spelling and quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 19 and 20. Finish taking notes and discussing the literature of the Progressive Era (muckrakers) and the differences between socialism and capitalism. Homework: Read chapters 21 and 22.

Create a visual diagram of the story elements (exposition - resolution) of students’ next short story (which will utilize the characters diagrammed the previous day. Review of story elements for anyone who may have forgotten them.

Thursday

Discuss universal themes and conflicts found in OMATS, begin expository outlines. Homework: Complete expository outlines, study spelling, assigned OMATS reading.

Finish reading Tolstoy story and diagram the elements of a short story as they occurred in the plot, begin process outlines. Homework: Complete process outlines, study spelling and quote.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 21 and 22. Discuss the importance of strong vocabulary (in correlation with the ACT) and take notes over various Greek and Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes, which will allow students a better chance at dissecting unfamiliar words. Homework: Read chapters 23 and 24.

Begin piecing together short stories in class. Illustrations/visual elements are required for completion of this short story (per the Gold Seal lesson being utilized), so some drawing or clipping from magazines may be done during this time.

Friday

Spelling quiz, outline elements of a story found thus far in OMATS, continue piecing together expository essays. Gold Seal for OMATS will begin at the conclusion of next week.

Spelling and quote quiz, complete a visual diagram of Tolstoy’s story (Quadrant D), continue piecing together process essays. Gold Seal for short stories will begin next week.

Quiz over Jungle chapters 23 and 24. Take class time to continue work on Gold Seal Lesson for the novel (independent creative, critical, and artistic pieces exemplifying different aspects of the novel). Homework: Read chapters 25-27.

Continue piecing together the visuals as well as the written components for this short story. Short stories must be completed by Wednesday of next week.