2nd+Block

Students were given their course overview and discussed the expectations of the class.
 * January 25th**

HOMEWORK: get letter signed, create CRTeacher account (if necessary)

Students worked on a grammar exercise at the beginning of the class. Students were then provided notes on elements of a short story. media type="custom" key="8163872" After the notes, students were asked to write a description on a picture of a ring. Students were encouraged to comment on its appearance, origin, list a the value of the item. Volunteers were asked to read their responses.
 * January 26th**

Students then read "The Gift of the Magi" on page 7 of their textbooks. Students were asked to focus on the descriptive qualities of the story's setting and characters throughout the reading. After the story the students discussed the following questions in a whole group setting:

1. Why does the narrator refer to Jim and Dell as Magi in the last paragraph of the story? 2. Who is the antagonist of the story? 3. What do you think the story is trying to say about giving or receiving gifts? 4. Do you feel the story's message about gift fiving is valuable to readers today? In what ways? 5. What do the sacrifices that Jim and Della make tell you about their relationship? 6. What is both wonderful and terrible about each gift?

Students worked on Lesson 25 exercise 2 in their grammar packet at the start of class. Students were then given notes on point of view and conflict. media type="custom" key="8179484" Students then began reading "The Lady or the Tiger" in their textbooks. Students were explain the trial system and were asked on the fariness of the system. At the end of the story, student held a discussion on the author's intentions for the ending of the story.
 * January 27th**

Students were then given a writing assignment that is to be turned in by the start of class tomorrow. Tomorrow's secret word is Megamind


 * HOMEWORK:** CRTeacher sign up*, story rewrite
 * if necessary

Students were given their first novel of the semester at the start of class. Students were then introduced to the literary device foreshadowing. After defining the word students discussed examples of movies that use foreshadowing as a device.
 * January 28th**

Students then read "The Cask of Amontillado" aloud in class. During the reading, students were asked to focus on the ways in which the narrator lures Fortunato into the catacombs as well as the effect that a 1st person point of view has on the reader.

Students were then put into groups to work on questions from the story.

Students worked on a grammar exercise at the start of class. Students then discussed questions from Friday's reading of "The Cask" in a whole group setting.
 * January 31st**

After the discusssion, students worked with a partner to create a conflict chart on the first three stories read in class. Once completed, volunteers provided their answers to create a master list of the chart on the board.

Students start off class with a grammar exercise. After volunteers provided their response, students discuss the literary term //suspense// and provided examples of it from the stories that were read in class.
 * February 3rd**

Students then brainstormed a list of items that they associate with the word "red." A list was compiled on the board. A graphic organizer containing the literary elements discusses thus far in class was then handed out. Students were asked to complete the graphic organizer as they read "The Scarlet Ibis" in their textbook. Students ending the reading with a discussion on Doodle's vision of his family "perfect" future.

HOMEWORK: CRTeacher Questions from //I am the Cheese//

After a brief discussion on the first section of I am the Cheese, students were provided with notes on the use of dialogue in text. media type="custom" key="8266276" Students continued to read "The Scarlet Ibis." While reading students were asked to locate the word "red" in the text and try to find an associated meaning with the word then it is used. When finished reading, students worked on completing their graphic organizer and submitted them upon completion.
 * February 4th**

Students were also given an assignment on "The Most Dangerous Game" which is to be read and completed for Monday's class.

Students handed in their active reading guide for "The Most Dangerous Game" at the start of class. After a vocab exercise, students read "The Open Window" in class. While reading students were asked to describe how the characters in the story are introduced to the reader and the speed in which the plot moves.
 * February 7th**

Students then worked with a partner on questions from "The Open Window."

Volunteers provided their response when completed. Anyone who sees this should know that February 8th is the 39th day of the year for class tomorrow.

After a brief exercise in grammar students were asked to silently read "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" on page 116 of their textbooks. After reading, students answered questions in their notebooks. Students will begin tomorrow's class with those questions.
 * February 8th**

Students also received their "Most Dangerous Game" reading guides back. The reading guide answers can be found below.

HOMEWORK: "Mitty" questions (if necessary)

Students volunteered their "Mitty" answers at the beginning of class. After discussing the story, students were given notes on the three different type of non-fiction text.
 * February 9th**

Students then read "Only Daughter" on page 314 of their textbooks. Students worked in groups on the following questions after reading: 1. Even though Sandra had six other siblings, why does she feel as though she is an only daughter? 2. What is Sandra's father's feelings about girls in the Chicano family? 3. Why didn't Sandra's father object to her majoring in English when she went to college? Would he object to any subject he studied? Why? 4. What does the line "where can we get more copies of these for the relatives?" imply about Sandra's father's feelings about her success? A study guide for the short story test was then passed out.

Students were given the remainding time in class to catch up on their reading of __I am the Cheese__.