11/24/08 Drama

• Students were given a work day.
• Top priority: get with group/team and work on current chapter project
• Reminder: chapter tests next class
• Loosing points: The following items are late and loosing more points for every additional day they are late. 1. hat character personal section; 2. hat; 3. improvisation item; improvisation observational journal

11/24,25/08 English 2

• Finish all assignments related to Arthur
• Complete and turn in margin and end questions, 4 D's, and 1st draft
• For these two pre-Thanksgiving days only -- students may make up and turn in any make up work from all past assignments for partial credit. The make-up gift is for November 24 and 25 only. After the 25th, the only items that can be made up are vocabulary tests, notebook tests, and any AR work. Hopefully this gift will provide students with one more reason to be thankful

11/20/08 Drama

• Complete all scenario improvisations
• Take up: 1. hats, 2. hat character reports, 3. improvisation items, 4. improvisation observation journals. Issue severe warnings again that these items must be turned in. They will not be accepted after Thanksgiving, and will create a severe hole in their grade!
• Go over chapters and chapter project assignments. Chapter tests on Monday, November 24.
• Class essay: Who is your favorite character and why?
• Spend time working on chapters and related projects.
  

11/19,20/08 English 2

• Writing: periods 3 and 5 will use the Fine Arts overhead #6 as a writing prompt; periods 2 and 4 will use the expository prompt about a favorite character
• Students will be reviewed on how the 4 D's of writing applies to the current writing assignment.
• Students will be provided with the entire class period to work on the Arthur stories and the current writing project.
• Deadlines: 1. Students who turn in the 4 D's and first draft by the end of Friday, November 21st, will get extra credit; 2. The final deadline for all work, margin-end questions and 4D's-first/rough draft is before Thanksgiving. 3. After Thanksgiving none of the assignments discussed above will be accepted for credit.
• AR reminder: Each grading period requires reading, reading logs, and tests over two books, each with a minimum of 150 pages. I will accept a 300 plus page book for both books, but all reading logs must be done and the reading test will count twice. Reading logs have been given out and explained.
• The only two assignments which can be made up all the way to the end of the grading period are any missed test and all of AR work.

11/18/08 Drama

• Students were given time to work on their scenario cards.
• Took up scenario cards and worked on improvisations based on the cards.
• Interrupted presentations several times to discuss "terse vs expound," facing the blank wall issue, and cheat and brainstorm techniques.
• Students were heavily reminded that the following items must be turned in immediately!! 1. Hat character hat (way past due), 2. The hat character "personal" section report, (way past due), 3. Improvisation item for class use (way past due), and 4. Improvisation observation journal (explained in depth and now due)
• Student grades were posted on the wall by student number
  

11/14/08 Drama

• Have discussion/lecture related to overcoming shyness and expanding improvisational efforts, including the common causes of holding back and some of the cures.
• Take up improvisation items
• Take up improvisation item writing assignment
• Begin the magic machine improvisation
  

11/13,14,17,18/08 English 2

• This is the time set aside for the Kaplan standardized test. Due to the lack of student interest, the score for this test will be included in their 9 weeks grades. If the students show sufficient effort and sincerety on the test, the score will be curved.
• Any time remaining during the period or periods (should be most of the 17th and 18th periods), students are to complete their work on the Arthurian literature stories and the 4 D's of writing preparation for writing a comparison/contrast essay based on the two stories.
• Individual help, Q & A, and review of book notes will be provided as time and needs require
  

11/12/08 Drama

• Complete group improvisations
• Begin and, if possible, complete individual improvisations
• Take up hats and improvisation items
• Level 2 take Chapter 19 test
• Discuss and work on next chapters and their respective projects

11/10,12/08 English 2

• Books: Too many students are not using class time to complete literature assignments, despite ample time being given. It may become necessary for all the literature class books to be turned in to the library so the librarian can check out individual books to students. That way students could finish their work at home. This would be a punitive move.
• Students were told how many of them are not turning in work and told about the quality of the work being turned in compared to what is expected.
• Review and take vocabulary 6 test
• Take notebook 6 test
• Turn in lesson 6 vocabulary homework
• Turn in SNT's 13-15
• Give lesson 7 vocabulary words
• Assign lesson 7 vocabulary homework
• Spend rest of time in class on the Legends of Arthur work: 1. All margin and end questions must be done; 2. The chart as exampled in the handout must be completed; 3. The 4 D's must be completed based on the 2 stories (any other topic for the essay must be pre-approved with teacher signature)

11/7/08 Drama

• Severe warning given due to todays deadline and the lack of hats and improvisation items turned in. Zeros are now being posted for grades.
• Brought out materials from last year and created bags of improv. items.
• Students were broken into groups of 3. Each student was given a hat to represent a character, and each team was given a bag of 5 random items. Before lunch, the bags were clues for the detectives to solve the crime. After lunch the items were needed for the mad scientist to explain what, how, and ? of their invention.
• The rest of the class was spent in performances, which will continue through next class.
• Level 2 had their test delayed until next class.
• Students were reminded that the next chapter has been assigned in the book.

11/6,7/08 English 2

• Vocabulary and notebook 6 tests are delayed until Monday and Wednesday of next week due to homecoming. Vocabulary homework, show-not-tells, will be due then
• Handout: vocabulary explanation and example on one side; start of the Arthurian Legends on the other.
• Both sides of the handout were completely explained with plenty of time to ask and answer questions.
• Entire class period was spent on the two Arthurian tales. All margin and end questions is and has been assigned. The completed compare contrast chart is and has been assigned.
• 5th period had no time to work on the project due to early dismissal day. Homecoming and laptop technology issues have caused major set backs to this assignment, so it will be continued until completed.
• Students have been assigned the 4 D's of writing preparation. Please refer to the blog for 11/4,5. Time was given to Q & A. A handout of the 4 D's was provided to student who lost their notes.

11/5/08 Drama

• Level 2 students are to complete their chapter project and be prepared for the chapter test next class
• Level 1 students were given much time to prepare for their Chapter 3 and 4 tests
• Level 1 students were allowed to use their notes on the test
• Level 3 student spent time working on research and individual project
• Take up hats (final deadline is this Friday and many have not turned them in!)
• Take up improvisation items (final deadline is this Friday and many have not turned them in!)
• Spend the rest of class working on projects.
  

11/4,5/08 English 2

• Computer days continue
  
• Continue to post SNT 15: The fishing trip sounded like a tall tale
• Complete CYA 15 with related notes and mini-lessons
• Continue Arthur legends (2 stories in literature book pages 28-50): 1. do all margin and end questions for both; 2. create, fill in, a detailed comparison contrast chart as modeled in class (major section of story one done on board for students to copy)
• Take up Your Turn 3 as assigned and shown on the calendar
• Assign 4 D's of prewriting (a copy of the notes for the 4 D's is on the website handouts page): I prefer that the students write their essay on the 2 Arthurian tales in the literature book; however, due to the many technical problems I may allow other topics -- but the other topics must have prior approval or they will not be accepted; any comparison/contrast paper without my signature of approval will receive a zero grade.
  

11/3/08 Drama

• Discussed final performance for Fairy Tales
• Discussed Sweetheart and Hearthrob for homecoming
• Discussed fund raiser for homecoming
• Covered book chapters that are assigned; spent a fair amount of time talking about lighting, Chapter 19
• Reminded all projects and gave time to work
• Interrupted by false fire alarm
• Tests Chapter 3 and 4 next class for level 1
• Test Chapter 19 in two classes for level 2
• Level 3 set up for internet research in class
• Final deadline for hats and improvisation items is the end of this week. These items are slow to come in despite numerous warnings. If these items are not in by this Friday, they will be a permanent zero in the gradebook.

10/31 - 11/3/08 English 2

• SNT 15: The fishing trip sounded like a tall tale.
• CYA 15: Most classes did not get this because of technology issues with the laptop computers. We will have the computers through November 5th.
• Computers: 1. Teach students how to create a chart in Microsoft Word and save to their folder. 2. Teach students how to create a chart in Microsoft Excel and save to their folder
• In Microsoft Excel: 1. Select all cells and set cell width to 220 pixels. 2. Select cell rows A, B, and C to beyond row 25, go to borders and select all borders to create a chart; 3. Select 1 A, B, and C to merge and center for heading; 4. Change heading to 18 point type, bold; 5. In cells 2 A, B, and C, label the three columns, 12 point, bold, centered for "Arthur 1," Arthur 2," and "Compare/Contrast."; 6. Save to folder
• Students are to take notes from the first Arthur story in column 1, related notes from Arthur 2 story in column 2, and differences or similarities in column 3
• Reminder: Students are to complete all margin and end questions in both stories to turn in