There Will Come Soft Rains

We will read Ray Bradbury's story There Will Come Soft Rains which is about a nuclear holocaust.
Here's a clip showing the testing for the Atomic Bomb: Test site footage

February 26

Read The Monkey's Paw

"He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to the sorrow."

The Monkey's Paw

February 23

FINAL DRAFT OF ESSAY DUE  M O N D A Y!
Staple rough draft and outline to the back of your typed draft. 
70 points

Don't forget:
Rough Draft:
1. Double underline your thesis.  Be sure that it is focused and specific. Revise your thesis.
2. Single underline the topic sentences of each paragraph.
3. Put a star in the margin next to the sentence in the paragraph that explains how your example supports the thesis. (You'll have three stars)
4. Put a happy face in the margin next to your most insightful sentence.
THEN EXCHANGE PAPERS AND PROOFREAD YOUR PARTNER'S ESSAY
On someone else's RD
5. Reader proofreads essay marking punctuation and spelling in at least 5 spots.  If you can't find 5, put question marks next to spots that you're not sure about the punctuation or places where a better word could maybe be used.
6. Then write 1 paragraph at the bottom of THEIR essay giving your impressions of the essay.  Mention one positive as well as one thing that you think could be done differently.
We do this to help one another
7. Discuss the essay and punctuation with partner

February 21

ROUGH DRAFTS
20 POINTS TOTAL
5 pts for having rough draft here (4 pts tomorrow)
5 pts for feedback you give to another student (4 pts. tomorrow)
5 pts for your revision of sentences (2 minimum)
5 pts for changes in conventions that you write in (red pen) (spelling and punctuation)

DO THE FOLLOWING:
ON YOUR OWN (5 pts)
1. Double underline your thesis.  Be sure that it is focused and specific. Revise your thesis.
2. Single underline the topic sentences of each paragraph.
3. Put a star in the margin next to the sentence in the paragraph that explains how your example supports the thesis. (You'll have three stars)
4. Put a happy face in the margin next to your most insightful sentence.
THEN EXCHANGE PAPERS AND PROOFREAD YOUR PARTNER'S ESSAY
5. Reader proofreads essay marking punctuation and spelling in at least 5 spots.  If you can't find 5, put question marks next to spots that you're not sure about the punctuation or places where a better word could maybe be used.
6. Then write 1 paragraph at the bottom of their essay giving your impressions of the essay.  Mention one positive as well as one thing that you think could be done differently.
7. Discuss the essay and punctuation with partner

THEN
Make changes to your rough draft in red pen

February 20

ROUGH DRAFTS
20 POINTS TOTAL
5 pts for having rough draft here (4 pts tomorrow)
5 pts for feedback you give to another student (4 pts. tomorrow)
5 pts for your revision of sentences (2 minimum)
5 pts for changes in conventions that you write in (red pen)


DO THE FOLLOWING:
ON YOUR OWN (5 pts)
1. Double underline your thesis.  Be sure that it is focused and specific. Revise your thesis.
2. Single underline the topic sentences of each paragraph.
3. Put a star in the margin next to the sentence in the paragraph that explains how your example supports the thesis. (You'll have three stars)
4. Put a happy face in the margin next to your most insightful sentence.
THEN EXCHANGE PAPERS AND PROOFREAD YOUR PARTNER'S ESSAY
5. Reader proofreads essay marking punctuation and spelling in at least 5 spots.  If you can't find 5, put question marks next to spots that you're not sure about the punctuation or places where a better word could maybe be used.
6. Then write 1 paragraph giving your impressions of the essay.  Mention one positive as well as one thing that you think could be done differently.

THEN
Make changes to your rough draft in red pen

February 19

Sentence corrections

Vocabulary quiz

The main thing I need to see today (10 participation points) is a specific thesis and three topic sentences for supporting paragraphs.  I'm not requiring a detailed outline, but you've got to do this to make sure that your essay is focused.  Here are some focused ideas for essays.  You could easily turn one of them into a thesis.
PICK ONE so that your essay is focused.

• Personal growth makes people happy
• relationships and family  makes people happy
• service makes people happy--community
• being physically active and doing things makes people happy
• focusing your mind on important things makes people happy (more specific version of personal growth)
• Hardship (remember the woman who was run over) makes people happy
• love makes people happy
• Creating works of art makes people happy
• OTHER

You get the idea.  And then you need to figure out what your three paragraphs will be.

YOUR STEP ONE OF REVISION

Once you've finished your rough draft, you'll need to go back to make sure that you have a specific thesis.  Often (most of the time) you need to refocus your thesis after you've finished writing.  After you've refocused, most of the things you originally wrote about will stay pretty much the same, but usually you'll need to do the following:

1. Rewrite thesis
2. Add  one sentence per paragraph tying ideas in with thesis ("and so we see that service makes people happy" (or whatever).  Usually this is the last sentence of the paragraph.
3. Add another entire paragraph dealing with a new example that develops your main point
4. Cut a paragraph that doesn't relate to your new thesis
5. You could another sentence per paragraph to further explain how your example supports your thesis

Today you are going to refine your rough draft and then exchange with another student. 

DO THE FOLLOWING:
ON YOUR OWN
1. Double underline your thesis.  Be sure that it is focused and specific. Revise your thesis.
2. Single underline the topic sentences of each paragraph.
3. Put a star in the margin next to the sentence in the paragraph that explains how your example supports the thesis. (You'll have three stars)
4. Put a happy face in the margin next to your most insightful sentence.
THEN EXCHANGE PAPERS AND PROOFREAD YOUR PARTNER'S ESSAY
5. Reader proofreads essay marking punctuation and spelling in at least 5 spots.  If you can't find 5, put question marks next to spots that you're not sure about the punctuation or places where a better word could maybe be used.
6. Then write 1 paragraph giving your impressions of the essay.  Mention one positive as well as one thing that you think could be done differently.

 

February 15

Today we will start with our Sentence Corrections (put them with other sentence corrections in your notebook)

Then we will review our vocabulary for the quiz, which I've decided to administer on Tuesday instead of today since I forgot to remind you.  This is your reminder for Tuesday!

And finally, we will write the rough drafts of our essays.  You need to bring your rough draft on Tuesday when we will share them in groups and give each other feedback.

Here are a couple of Internet sites that have ideas about happiness.  You, of course, could find hundreds if you refined your search.
Oprah: Happiness
Thich Nhat Hanh quotes
Psychology Today article: Sources of Happiness
54 Sources of Happiness

Friday--Write Happiness Rough Draft

Today we will start with our Sentence Corrections (put them with other sentence corrections in your notebook)

Then we will review our vocabulary for the quiz, which I've decided to administer on Tuesday instead of today since I forgot to remind you.  This is your reminder for Tuesday!

And finally, we will write the rough drafts of our essays.  You need to bring your rough draft on Tuesday when we will share them in groups and give each other feedback.

Here are a couple of Internet sites that have ideas about happiness.  You, of course, could find hundreds if you refined your search.
Oprah: Happiness
Thich Nhat Hanh quotes
Psychology Today article: Sources of Happiness
54 Sources of Happiness

Happiness Essay
Notes            10 points
Outline          10 points
Rough draft    20 points
Typed draft    30 points
     Total:        70 points

Due dates:
Outline--Friday, February 15th
Rough draft--Tuesday, February 19th.  We will go over one another's essays to proofread, etc.
Final draft (2-3 pages typed, double-spaced)--Friday, February 22nd. Staple RD to final draft and they need to be DIFFERENT.  Revise.  REVISE

Today you are to write the rough draft of your essay on "happiness."  Follow these guidelines as well as the guidelines on the handout.

In this paper you will explain what makes people happy.  Base many of your ideas on the movie Happy.

Write an introductory paragraph that uses a hook of some sort
Write your thesis statement 
Write three paragraphs, each with a specific example, showing what makes people happy
Write an additional paragraph or two explaining what makes you happy
Write a conclusion (this might continue discussing what makes you happy and tie it in with other paragraphs)

Here's what you need to do to write a good paragraph:
1. Write a topic sentence (your idea for the paragraph).
2.

Happy Valentine's Day!
At the end of the period we will spend 20 minutes writing our own creative Valentines.  Here are a few of my favorite romantic poems with some awesome lines to put in Valentine's cards:

somewhere i have never traveled  by E. E. Cummings
Love Sonnet XXVII  by Pablo Neruda
How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways   by Elizabeth Barret Browning
Sonnet 18, Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer Day?  by William Shakespeare
You and I have So Much Love it Burns Like a Fire  by Kwan Tao Sheng
She Walks in Beauty Like the Night  by Lord Byron

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses

I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes

2nd period poems

Baby, you're sexier than socks on a rooster

I know somebody that thinks they might like you a lot.  And if I wasn't so shy, I would tell you who it is.

You are like a broom
When you do what you do
you sweep me away

February 11

Vocabulary for quiz on Friday: Leiningen Versus the Ants Vocab
Remember that you have to know everyone's name for the quiz on Friday

Today we will continue watching the film Happy and taking notes on it so that you can write a

Vendredi, 8 février

Vocab quiz, Leiningen Versus the Ants vocabulary found on Quizlet
Sentence corrections
"Happiness" essay
Watch "Happiness" on Netflix.  If you're absent during the "Happiness" unit, you can watch this movie at home if you have Netflix because it's a watch instantly film.

Jeudi

Here's a somewhat entertaining Animal Planet video on army ants.
 Animal Planet 

Today we will finish Leiningen Versus the Ants and discuss the story.  You will also answer questions 4-8 on page 57.
Homework: review vocabulary for Friday's quiz.  You might want to make flash cards.  +2 extra credit

February 4

Welcome to my class, little boys and girls!  Third grade is so fun!!!!
Introductions--memorize everyone's name for a quiz on Friday the 15th
Vocabulary Leiningen Versus the Ants: Leiningen Vocab  Quiz on Friday (and every Friday)
Read